Bolstered by an early appearance by Teri Hatcher as a vapid starlet, The Big Picture takes a smirky look at the corruption of the creative process by the know-nothing power brokers who run Hollywood. A recent film school graduate gets a chance to direct his first feature, providing he is willing to take advice. It seems everybody has 'suggestions' for the novice director, and the clout to cram them down his throat, especially a pervy producer played with slimy grace by J.T.Walsh. The movie begins to mutate out of his control with funny and disturbing results. Finally he finds himself having to fight to regain control of his film and career.
Hollywood movies about Hollywood movie making have proved a rather mixed bag over the years, surprising given the supposed intimacy with the subject matter the films' creators theoretically enjoy. A botched technical detail here or there in a film about Arctic exploration might be forgiven, but Hollywood ought to know its own turf. Luckily, this particular addition to the Hollywood-on-Hollywood genre has a fairly authentic ring. Indeed, the more you understand about the Hollywood movie-making process, the more interesting and entertaining this film is. Yet the movie has enough striking visuals and funny and surprising bits, as to make it accessible to anyone.
Hollywood movies about Hollywood movie making have proved a rather mixed bag over the years, surprising given the supposed intimacy with the subject matter the films' creators theoretically enjoy. A botched technical detail here or there in a film about Arctic exploration might be forgiven, but Hollywood ought to know its own turf. Luckily, this particular addition to the Hollywood-on-Hollywood genre has a fairly authentic ring. Indeed, the more you understand about the Hollywood movie-making process, the more interesting and entertaining this film is. Yet the movie has enough striking visuals and funny and surprising bits, as to make it accessible to anyone.