Welcome to Hollywood

"Welcome to Hollywood" pretends to be a documentary which chronicles the career of an unknown wannabee actor (Markes) who, hopefully, will become a big star during the course of the film. Kinda/sorta cute and fun, this flick doesn't pan out as it become increasingly obvious it's a fraud and scenes are set up or staged. Nonetheless, "Welcome..." does give some slight view-from-the-bottom insights into the inner workings of Hollywood and the movie biz. A marginally entertaining pseudodocumenatary for people with an interest in Hollywood behind the scenes.

Full Frontal - which Steven Soderbergh describes as a "satire" of

Hollywood - does a fine job of sampling the seedy, sexual, shallow and

sycophant side of the entertainment business. But the earlier Welcome to

Hollywood does an even better job skewering a different side of

Hollywood. Spend a few days following an actor/waiter/bartender around

town on the circuit of headshots, casting director workshops, agent

searches, auditions, and bit parts, and you will more deeply appreciate the

bitter sarcasm of this film. Tony Markes - a former casting director - nails the part of everyman Nick Decker - a talentless wannabe trying not to

drown in a sea of negativity. Adam Rifkin nails the role of the name

director who would cheerfully dump his friend in a trash bin in order to

advance his own career. Together, Markes and Rifkin manage to scam their

way into the Oscars and collect cameos from big-name Hollywood actors

who clearly think they are talking to the entertainment press, not two guys

trying to make a movie about Hollywood. It's a clever stunt with a clever,

funny script, and it is right on the money. Most of the "actors" in this film are real agents, real casting directors, real actors, directors and producers playing themselves. It's not a documentary in the strict sense, but it

accurately and gleefully depicts the reality of what goes on in Hollywood.

If you have any interest in seeing how the process works (or doesn't), see

this movie today.

This movie gets funnier the more you watch it - like Spinal Tap. I thought it nailed reality, as well as nailed the comic timing of most scenes. The Baywatch stuff is amazing. Well done, Tony! You deserve a real career (as a writer, director, producer, whatever).

The wax museum was also another priceless moment.

Here is an under rated movie that I think should be passed out at the border of California to every moving truck going west.

A fantastic satire in the vein of Spinal Tap, only more clever. A wonderful supporting cast, great locations and an air of spontaneity all add to the wonderful acting jobs turned in by Tony Markes, and in his own Woody Allen-esque way, Adam Rifkin. This film is a "10".

This movie was a great eye opener for aspiring film actors like myself. It's the actual story of an unknown actor, who with the help of a Hollywood Director, Adam Rifken, attempts to turn him into a Hollywood star. This film takes you deep into the process of what it takes to make it in Hollywood and how far some actors are willing to go to succeed.