For all the dry, subdued humor I’ve grown to appreciate - and prefer - over the years, I must admit that I never “got” Christopher Guests‘ films. The first that I saw, his 2003 folk music mockumentary A Might Wind, struck me as poorly constructed and overstuffed with disconnected performances with no actor available to ramp up the comedy. Particularly disturbing was the fact that so many people in the theatre seemed to blindly follow were Guest was leading, which I gathered was nowhere. When I finally got around to watching his small-town musical flick Waiting for Guffman, I began to understand why people enjoyed him, but couldn’t make the jump myself. Guest’s latest film, and his first major release to depart from the mockumentary style, For You Consideration, may have made the leap for me.

The film follows the production of Home for Purim, a period drama directed by Jay Berman (Guest) about a Southern Jewish family who gather for a holiday. The cast is stocked with career C-listers, none of whom come off as remotely Southern or Jewish: Marilyn Hack (Catherine O’Hara) and Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer) the most veteran of the bunch. Everyone spews canned happy speeches about the film, and none of it is terribly believable until an “internet source” mentions Hack in connection with an Oscar nomination. Then Miller, then supporting actress Callie Web (Parker Posey). As the buzz continues to churn, anxieties rise on the set.

Guest’s movies have always leaned heavily on their ensemble casts, and the group rises to the challenge in Consideration. O’Hara brings a simultaneously hilarious and touching performance to her character, Shearer is a lovable loser, especially when being ignored by passive agent Morley Orfkin (Eugene Levy), and Posey brings a cute charm to the proceedings. In supporting roles, John Michael Higgins turns in a measured performance as the overlooked fourth lead of Home for Purim, Ricky Gervais shines as one of the marketing gurus who suggests “deJewifying” Purim into Home for Thanksgiving, and Fred Willard…well, he’s Fred Willard. His portrayal of Chuck Porter runs circles around lesser actors, and very nearly steals the whole movie.

The script, by Levy and Guest, is packed with great throwaway one-liners to compliment the sedated zaniness of the cast. It suffers at times, suggesting that Guest had trouble making the switch away from the mockumentary style - there are transitions that are downright clunky. Overall, though, the writing is strong.

More than just being an enjoyable little film to watch, For Your Consideration shines in a season full of more lewd comedies and calls to mind one of this summer’s best movies, Little Miss Sunshine. It may not be the best comedy of the year, but it’s certainly among the most appreciated in my book.

Rating: * * * 1/2 of 5

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