After making the rounds at some 35 festivals, the first feature from filmmaking team Michael Wechsler and Terry Keefe, "Slaves of Hollywood", got picked up for distribution by Filmopolis Pictures and opens today for a week's run at Laemmle's Monica, where its discouraging assessment of the film business has as good a chance as it does anywhere of connecting with audiences in a cynical mood.
In most regards, "Slaves" is a moderately clever but overly familiar skewering of talent agents, godlike studio chiefs, siblings who grew up around the biz and young hopefuls dashed against the rocks of artless commerce and bloodthirsty competitiveness. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose the overused mockumentary format, with characters talking to the audience about what asses their bosses are, how nobody cares about anything but money, how "everyone gives in to temptation," etc.
Trying to spice things up with playful riffs on "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Godfather", "Slaves" is too silly to amuse weary industry vets, and it's pretty much a downer for any real-life suckers who still think just showing up in town and getting an entry-level job is the golden path to fame and fortune.
The characters are mostly clueless about what they're getting into, including Katherine Morgan as the documentary-making daughter of mogul Sam Gittleman (Nicholas Worth) and Howard Scott as a newcomer from New York taken under the wing of a hotshot agent (Rob Hyland) with a dubious background. One of the four main subjects, George Pink (Elliott Markman), is pegged early on as a geek who won't be able to take the madness. He starts down the path of no return by working in the mailroom with a heavy metal-loving jerk, while Andre Barron plays a feisty victim who revolts against his hated boss, elite 10-percenter Griffin Larosh (Johnny Venokur).
From the nuttiness of a motivational course on how to become a "player" to the frequent use of slapstick flashbacks in the form of home movies and memories of the characters before they became "slaves," the movie swings between the overt nastiness of "Swimming With Sharks" and the goofy filmdom satire of "And God Spoke". In the process, it never finds its own style. But its depressing aftertaste might discourage at least a few starstruck people from taking the plunge.
SLAVES OF HOLLYWOOD
Filmopolis Pictures
Primitive Pictures
Writer-directors:Terry Keefe, Michael Wechsler
Producers:Terry Keefe, Peter Nunnery
Executive producer:Brian Grossman
Director of photography:David Alan Parks
Production designer:Lorraine Genovese
Editor:Michael Wechsler
Costume designer:Cynthia Robey-Duncomb
Music:Bradford Terrence Ellis, Joey Altruda
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas Jacobson:Howard Scott
Paulette Gittleman:Katherine Morgan
Dean Palermo:Andre Barron
Sam Gittleman:Nicholas Worth
Fisher Lovelace:Hill Harper
George Pink:Elliot Markman
Roman Sofine:Rob Hyland
Griffin Larosh:Johnny Venokur
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
In most regards, "Slaves" is a moderately clever but overly familiar skewering of talent agents, godlike studio chiefs, siblings who grew up around the biz and young hopefuls dashed against the rocks of artless commerce and bloodthirsty competitiveness. Unfortunately, the filmmakers chose the overused mockumentary format, with characters talking to the audience about what asses their bosses are, how nobody cares about anything but money, how "everyone gives in to temptation," etc.
Trying to spice things up with playful riffs on "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Godfather", "Slaves" is too silly to amuse weary industry vets, and it's pretty much a downer for any real-life suckers who still think just showing up in town and getting an entry-level job is the golden path to fame and fortune.
The characters are mostly clueless about what they're getting into, including Katherine Morgan as the documentary-making daughter of mogul Sam Gittleman (Nicholas Worth) and Howard Scott as a newcomer from New York taken under the wing of a hotshot agent (Rob Hyland) with a dubious background. One of the four main subjects, George Pink (Elliott Markman), is pegged early on as a geek who won't be able to take the madness. He starts down the path of no return by working in the mailroom with a heavy metal-loving jerk, while Andre Barron plays a feisty victim who revolts against his hated boss, elite 10-percenter Griffin Larosh (Johnny Venokur).
From the nuttiness of a motivational course on how to become a "player" to the frequent use of slapstick flashbacks in the form of home movies and memories of the characters before they became "slaves," the movie swings between the overt nastiness of "Swimming With Sharks" and the goofy filmdom satire of "And God Spoke". In the process, it never finds its own style. But its depressing aftertaste might discourage at least a few starstruck people from taking the plunge.
SLAVES OF HOLLYWOOD
Filmopolis Pictures
Primitive Pictures
Writer-directors:Terry Keefe, Michael Wechsler
Producers:Terry Keefe, Peter Nunnery
Executive producer:Brian Grossman
Director of photography:David Alan Parks
Production designer:Lorraine Genovese
Editor:Michael Wechsler
Costume designer:Cynthia Robey-Duncomb
Music:Bradford Terrence Ellis, Joey Altruda
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas Jacobson:Howard Scott
Paulette Gittleman:Katherine Morgan
Dean Palermo:Andre Barron
Sam Gittleman:Nicholas Worth
Fisher Lovelace:Hill Harper
George Pink:Elliot Markman
Roman Sofine:Rob Hyland
Griffin Larosh:Johnny Venokur
Running time -- 90 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/29/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.