The Big Picture (1989)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Christopher Guest

Writers (WGA):

Michael Varhol (story) &
Christopher Guest (story) ...

Release Date:

30 November 1990 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Hollywood Reel To Real

Plot:

Film school grad Nick Chapman thought his career was made after his award winning short film, but discovered Hollywood wasn't as easy as it seems.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Film Studio | Porsche | Film Student | Film Industry

Cast

Kevin Bacon	...	Nick Chapman
Emily Longstreth	...	Susan Rawlings
J.T. Walsh	...	Allen Habel
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Lydia Johnson
Michael McKean	...	Emmet Sumner
Kim Miyori	...	Jenny Sumner
Teri Hatcher	...	Gretchen
Dan Schneider	...	Jonathan Tristan-Bennet
Jason Gould	...	Carl Manknik
Tracy Brooks Swope	...	Lori Pressman
Don Franklin	...	Todd Marvin
Gary Kroeger	...	Mark
Alice Hirson	...	Mrs. Chapman
Grant Owens	...	Mr. Chapman
Fran Drescher	...	Polo Habel

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White | Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (No. 29330) | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Ballroom, Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Aspen Film Society

Trivia:

During filming they rented a luxury house for three days to shoot in, not knowing that actor Charles Bronson had just purchased a home across the street. Before the three days were up the crew had managed to kill Bronson's cat by accident. The story is related in the book "I Killed Charles Bronson's Cat", written by the movies location manager Barry Gremillion.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Lydia's apartment she begins to raise her beer to her mouth in one shot, but in the next shot it's back by her side.

Quotes:

Neil Sussman: I'm very, very aware... that you are seeing other agents. And I think it's good that you are. Finally, I mean it's healthy. But, this is the thing. If you decide to sign with me, you're gonna get more than an agent. You're gonna get three people.
[Holds up four fingers]
Neil Sussman: You're gonna get an agent, a mother, a father, a shoulder to cry on, someone who knows this business inside and out. And if anyone ever tries to cross you, I'll grab them by the balls and squeeze 'til they're dead.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Midnight at the Oasis

Nick Chapman - an indie-film pioneer?

THE BIG PICTURE is a breezy satire of the movie business from the mind of writer/director Christopher Guest (BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND). It tells the story of Nick Chapman (Kevin Bacon), a young film director who gets put through the Hollywood wringer. Studio executives, agents, and starlets all prey on Nick's naivete and he eventually sells out, neglecting his girlfriend and best friend in the process.

What's interesting about THE BIG PICTURE is its grassroots portrayal of how Nick finally launches his Hollywood career - by starting small, doing his own thing, and involving his friends. Those are basically the tenets of independent film, which boomed in the decade following THE BIG PICTURE.

Nowadays, many of those indie directors - among them Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez, and Christopher Nolan - are getting hired to do big-budget studio pictures. In fact, Soderbergh's "sex, lies, and videotape" was released the same year as this movie.

Was Nick Chapman's "Pez People" video responsible for the indie film movement? Not likely, but THE BIG PICTURE was certainly an advocate of its principles.