MovieChat Forums > Waiting for Guffman (1997) Discussion > It's funny but it's kind of a sad movie....

It's funny but it's kind of a sad movie.

posted 9 years ago by JohnQ1127
3 replies | jump to latest

I loved this movie when it came out back in the 1990's and I thought it was hilarious. Recently I just went back and watched the whole thing after not seeing it for 10 years and I had forgotten or never really realized how sad the movie was. All the cast members start to take things so seriously and think they're going to NYC when in reality the show is dumb and they aren't really talented or skilled actors. Then in the end when they don't go to NYC reality comes crashing down rather hard.

*Libby Mae Brown goes to live with her ex con father in Alabama and goes back and works at a dead end low paying job at the DQ. Then there's the sad scene of her cooking that chicken wing.

*Dr. Pearl is separated from his wife and goes to Miami by himself to do his terrible unpaid stand up routine/show for a bunch of senior citizens who don't really care or like his performance.

*Ron and Sheila leave the travel agency and move to L.A. and have no money and no car and live in a depressing bungalow in Hollywood while they work as extras in a sausage commercial.

*Bob Balaban's character is actually the most talented person in the movie. He composes and conducts all the music yet he's considered a hack by the locals and continuously derided.

*Steve the Pharmacist isn't allowed to change his audition because of inventory yet Corky casts Johnny Savage who doesn't even audition or want to be in the show. Then Steve the Pharmacist also has a unrequited love for Corky.

*The Narrator guy just goes back to live in his crappy trailer.

*Cork's whole career is rather sad and funny and he's completely delusional about his own talents. But Corky is really the only main character that has somewhat of a happy ending.

[–] cocacolaistherealthing 9 years ago

I'm not sure it's as bleak as that. Sure, they don't end up on Broadway, but I don't think they had invested too much in that. They found out the night of the show that the producer was coming, it wasn't like they had gone into the project with the idea they'd end up in New York.

Libby Mae seems happy with her life--she likes working at the Dairy Queen. During that chicken wing scene when they thought the show wouldn't even happen, she says "I'll always have a place at the D.Q.".

I'm not sure if I remember Dr. Pearl being separated from his wife--like did they end their marriage or was he just away from her for a bit while he did some stand up? Is it so bad for him that he pursues something that makes him happy?

It's the same with Ron and Shelia. They may not be famous or leads in a big project, but they are involved with something and seem happy doing it. They don't see it as a pointless or meaningless gig.

I wouldn't say the locals see him as a hack. The actors are loyal to Corky and don't see him as being as good in directing theater. I felt like they didn't want him encroaching on the acting aspects of the show when he's supposed to be doing music.

The narrator, like Libby Mae, seems content. He likes doing taxidermy.

The pharmacist character really is the only one who got a bad ending or treatment here.

Not becoming a Broadway success is not the same as having a disappointing life. The characters seem to have benefited from this experience and are doing things they enjoy. You don't have to have New York caliber talent to be an artist and engage in something you love.

[–] myndchanger 9 years ago

It might seem like a depressing end but the people didn't seem at all depressed or defeated. Except maybe Libby, but she's young.

[–] billymac72 8 years ago

But life is quite often sad. The great parts tend to be the exception. So what does one do during all the other parts?

The great thing about these characters is that they keep trying and are generally positive people. I think the movie is so funny because we all tend to take ourselves a little too seriously at times, especially in regards to our jobs and roles in life

Watching this for umpteenth time this weekend, I asked myself, am I laughing at these people or with them? There's no doubt we are laughing at them to a large degree, but there's also such a lovability to the characters that it never feels mean-spirited.