“Waiting for Guffman”

Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, Christopher Guest, Parker Posey and Eugene Levy in "Waiting for Guffman" (Castle Rock, 1996)

“Waiting for Guffman” (Castle Rock, 1996). Uproarious “mockumentary” about a community theater troupe putting on a big show to celebrate their town’s 150th anniversary. As stated in the DVD special features, “Here was the production’s challenge: Twenty-nine days of shooting. Eight starring roles. Three-dozen additional speaking parts. A Super-16 camera. And no script.” After five days of rehearsal and some decisions about the overall story and character parameters, they shot 60 hours worth of material and edited it down to the final 84-minute movie. Brilliant, silly and really funny. Written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy (and improvised by all). Directed by Christopher Guest. “I always have a place at the Dairy Queen.”