Waiting for Guffman (1996)
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A community theater production in a small Missouri town faces the high stakes of a potential Broadway review.
The story
In the small city of Blaine, Missouri, a group of local residents prepares for a community theater production of a musical titled Red, White and Blaine. The production is intended to celebrate the town's 150th anniversary. The eccentric director, Corky St. Clair, has managed to secure an invitation for a Broadway producer, Mort Guffman, to critique the performance. The cast, consisting of local characters like a pair of travel agents and a determined dentist, hopes that a positive review from Guffman will launch their show toward a Broadway debut. The film captures the earnest efforts of the performers as they navigate the complexities of their production.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Blaine, Missouri, residents perform a musical titled Red, White and Blaine for the town's 150th anniversary. The cast includes local figures like travel agents Ron and Sheila Albertson, a Dairy Queen employee, and a retired taxidermist. The eccentric director, Corky St. Clair, hopes to get a positive review from Broadway producer Mort Guffman to secure a Broadway run. When a lead actor is forced to quit, Corky takes over the role, maintaining his flamboyant persona despite the costume requirements. During the performance, a man takes Guffman's seat, but it is revealed to be Roy Loomis, who is simply visiting his niece. A telegram later confirms that the real Guffman was grounded by snow. The film concludes with an epilogue showing the cast's fates: some move away to pursue acting, while Corky opens a novelty shop in New York City.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 84
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher Guest
- Writers
- Christopher Guest · writer; Eugene Levy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Lewis Arquette; Bob Balaban; Christopher Guest; Matt Keeslar; Eugene Levy; Catherine O'Hara; Parker Posey; Fred Willard
- Genres
- mockumentary; comedy
- Themes
- ambition; community; theatricality
- Tone and mood
- deadpan; humorous
- Setting
- Blaine, Missouri
- Premise and plot tags
- mockumentary; community theater
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews and was praised for its deadpan humor and character work. It was later hailed as a cult classic and included in 'Best Movies' lists.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 91% · scale: percentage · review count: 114; Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- Best Film · Lone Star Film & Television Awards · win; Best Director · Lone Star Film & Television Awards · win; Best Feature · Independent Spirit Awards · nomination; Best Male Lead · Independent Spirit Awards · nomination; Best Screenplay · Independent Spirit Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's dialogue was largely improvised.; The production was filmed in Lockhart, Texas.; The film's title alludes to Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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