The TV Set
| Year: | 2006 |
| Production Co: | The TV Set Holding Company |
| Director: | Jake Kasdan |
| Producer: | Jake Kasdan |
| Writer: | Jake Kasdan |
| Cast: | David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffud, Judy Greer, Justine Bateman, M C Gainey |
I wanted to see this film after hearing about it being a biting satire on modern TV production, but in the end it doesn't say much about Hollywood (in this case, the small screen) that any of the others do.
David Duchovny is a writer who's developed a show based on his sainted brother's death, but the network wants to turn it into a broad comedy. All the usual (and expected) suspects are here; the executive who wants another dumbed-down Big Brother-alike trash and bases her decisions from showing rushes to her teenage daughter (Weaver), the terminally cheery production partner for whom nothing is ever bad news (the ever-gorgeous Greer), the wrong choice leading man who won't stay on message, the director with delusions of Hollywood grandeur and the bemused lighting guy who has to explain the constraints to him, etc etc.
Some of the characters are a surprise, some are blended cliché's from every other entertainment industry satire you've seen in the last 20 years. There are plenty of chuckles but no real new directions and nothing really new said (executives are clueless idiots, writers never get any respect, etc) despite a solid production by Jake Kasdan, son of legendary filmmaker Lawrence.
David Duchovny is a writer who's developed a show based on his sainted brother's death, but the network wants to turn it into a broad comedy. All the usual (and expected) suspects are here; the executive who wants another dumbed-down Big Brother-alike trash and bases her decisions from showing rushes to her teenage daughter (Weaver), the terminally cheery production partner for whom nothing is ever bad news (the ever-gorgeous Greer), the wrong choice leading man who won't stay on message, the director with delusions of Hollywood grandeur and the bemused lighting guy who has to explain the constraints to him, etc etc.
Some of the characters are a surprise, some are blended cliché's from every other entertainment industry satire you've seen in the last 20 years. There are plenty of chuckles but no real new directions and nothing really new said (executives are clueless idiots, writers never get any respect, etc) despite a solid production by Jake Kasdan, son of legendary filmmaker Lawrence.