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Waiting for Guffman

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

There's a good reason some talent remains undiscovered

Waiting for Guffman is a new comedy directed by Christopher Guest and produced by Karen Murphy, both of whom were among the creative forces on the comic mockumentary, This is Spinal Tap. It is a funny look at the trials, tribulations and triumphs of the creative citizens of Blaine, Missouri USA, as they prepare a pageant celebrating the 150th anniversary of their fair city.

A lavish musical review Red, white and Blaine will be written, directed, costumed and choreographed by Corky St Clair (Christopher), who is hopeful that a theatrical achievement such as this may be his ticket back to Broadway. Corky has designed a show that will salute Blaine's historical highlights - the founding of the little town with a big heart, its reputation as the stool capital of the world and, not to be forgotten, Blaine's UFO encounter/pot luck dinner of 1946.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film comedy amateur theatre UFO

Persons of interest

Deborah Theaker .... Gwen Fabin-Blunt, Councilwoman
Michael Hitchcock .... Steve Stark, Councilman
Scott Williamson .... Tucker Livingston, Councilman
Larry Miller .... Glenn Welsch, Mayor
Don Lake .... Phil Burgess, Blaine Historian
Christopher Guest .... Corky St Clair
Fred Willard .... Ron Albertson
Catherine O'Hara .... Sheila Albertson
Parker Posey .... Libby Mae Brown
David Cross .... UFO Expert
Eugene Levy .... Dr Allan Pearl
Bob Balaban .... Lloyd Miller
Paul Dooley .... UFO Abductee
Linda Kash .... Mrs Allan Pearl
Lewis Arquette .... Clifford Wooley
Matt Keeslar .... Johnny Savage
Brian Doyle-Murray .... Red Savage
Christopher Guest .... Screenwriter
Eugene Levy .... Screenwriter
Christopher Guest .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

FYI: The title is a pun on Waiting for Godot, a famous play by Samuel Beckett about two men who spend the whole time waiting for someone who never arrives

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Spinal Tap attacks and obliterates small towns, community theatre and talentless amateurs with delusions of grandeur. Faaabulous!

Community theatre is one of the blights on society. It is inevitably produced by people who could never make it in anything approaching the real world. Their audience consists of people who think it is amazing that the actors can remember all those lines (they are still amazed by the special effects in the original Flash Gordon). To see these people so thoroughly trashed in a film is a joy and delight.

The documentary-style just serves to enhance the tragedic nature of community theatre, its hideousness, its vileness. This is one of the funniest and most vicious films I have seen in a long time, there are no punches pulled, the ugliness inside these (fictional) people will make your skin crawl. I loved it.

White trash caravan dwellers to white trash fast food restaurants to white trash matching tracksuit wearers. They are out there. Be very afraid.

Media intelligence (DVD)

Additional scenes with optional commentary
Cast/filmmaker profiles
Commentary: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Trailers: Theatrical

Security censorship classification

M (Low level coarse language)

Surveillance time

84 minutes (1:24 hours)

Not for public release in Australia before date

Film: 18 September 1997 - Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth
Film: 2 October 1997 - Melbourne
DVD retail: 12 June 2002