Welcome to Hollywood

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.

I don't think Nicolas Cage was in this film...I didn't see him anywhere and he was listed in the credits after the movie. I didn't like the movie either - it was neither funny nor enlightening about the moviemaking or acting experience.

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.

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.

I can tell you right now that was a very funny film. It was funny and for anyone thats in the industry, you know how accurate it was. Just the casting sessions and the way they conduct them was so real. Exaggerated a little but real. When he went for that baywatch job as the by-stander and met everyone I just felt for the guy so much. When he was in the make-up chair and he met Carmen Electra I just couldn't watch and that fu*#in smile he had the whole way through the film just killed me. The look on his face every time he was around someone important to him was gold! "Two thumbs up!"