People may have a lot of notions about status associated
with a lot of the “positions” in the filmmaking process, like “being” a writer,
producer, director. If you go to some
table readings of amateur screenplays, you dispel the notions.
Nevertheless, the 2005 comedy “The Amateurs”, by Michael
Traeger, feeds these ideas, until the filmmakers in a small California burb
learn the hard way. Jeff Bridges is not
in his most wholesome place, as Andy, who gets laid off and faces a mid-life
crisis. He is so distracted that he pees
on his desk, like a cat marking his territory. Some of his buddies get behind
the idea of making a porno film.
One set of comic implications occur when the African-American
“adult” actor can’t “perform”. The actor resents the idea that he was picked on
the idea that people from his race are more “potent” (which used to be a belief
in the American South – opposed to my own “prejudice” that I was willing to
find only my own “race” as potentially attractive).
Later, one of Andy’s buddies, Moose (Ted Danson) comes out
to the group as “gay” but the conversation that follows gets rather
clumsy. Of course, today, indie film is
one of the “gayest” segments of culture there is. But these were still the Bush
years.
Also appearing are Patrick Fugit (“Wristcutters”) and Tim
Blake Nelson.
The film has some rather explicit dialogue, but it’s
appropriate for the satire on personal “values” (especially as pertaining to
race), and has no visually explicit scenes.
The DVD (First Look) has a rather long, bloated “Behind the
Scenes” extra.
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