Lisa Picard Is Famous

"Lisa Picard Is Famous" is a mock-umentary about, the struggle and the sacrifices one makes to get to fame. This of coarse is taken with all comic-fun otherwise it would be a worthless film. Laura Kirk is perfectly fit as Lisa Picard, and Sandra Bullock shows up in an awkward slightly wasted scene thats nevertheless a nice touch. The film is taken with such stupid slapstick that it is hard not to laugh even if it is mostly predictable. One of the main focuses is the friendship between Lisa and Tate and how it is nearly terminated, done comically well, hits a little too close to home than one would expect from this kind of film. LPIF is not really breaking any new ground, its just fun, not to mention it has a cool movie title.. try saying it a few times to people.. it makes you seem like you really "know" movies with quoting such a little known farce! **Attention All Aspiring Actors**... if this film teaches you one thing... its that most of you really should re-evaluate yourself, give it up to save heartache, or (to put it boldly) admit to yourself that you really don't have what it takes... After all it is truly a shot in the dark, even if there is a little "Lisa Picard" in all of us.

Lisa Picard Is Famous is a clever mockumentary directed by Griffin Dunne that follows an aspiring actress while she strives for stardom. The humor is extremely subtle and dry, and I found myself actually laughing out loud a whole lot more than I would during your average Hollywood-industrialized comedy. It is well acted, well executed and definitely worth watching just to catch some of the many absolutely hilarious celebrity cameos. (Most notably Spike Lee, who looks like he is about to crack up at any second). Before this viewing, I only had a passing knowledge of Griffin Dunne's work and after this biting film I plan to keep an eye out for his future productions.

--Shelly

I saw this in Lawrence, KS, where one of the co-writers & principal characters (Laura Kirk/"Lisa Picard") had gone to college. The reviews of it in the Topeka paper made it look interesting; the paper said it was a very small budget production and there were only six copies of the film so I wanted to see it before it moved on to other theaters.

I'm glad we saw it. It's an interesting film, built on the premise that a director is making a documentary of an aspiring actor (Laura Kirk/Lisa Picard) who is just passing the cusp on her way to fame and stardom. Some of the film's questions are, "what does fame/success do to a person -- does it change their walk, talk, the way they behave?" And so this documentary will answer those questions.

This form is called a "mockumentary" -- somewhat in the vein of "Waiting for Guffman" and others. "Slice of life" would also be as appropriate and more accurate for this film in my view. "Waiting for Guffman" was a parody of the community theater scene in which the characters were all as broadly drawn and about as deep as most cartoon figures. While there was a slight tinge of that in "Famous," the characters are more complex, more layered, more fully formed as people.

The actors are excellent in their roles, both major and minor parts. All the roles are psychologically believable and quite realistic. The film is kind, funny, yet still letting us see a layer or two below and beyond surface appearances.

On the way to its conclusion, we get several surprises.

As a view of the lives of aspiring actors trying to break in, it was great. It would have been an even more touching movie if it had allowed us to empathize or identify just a little more with its lead character.

But what talent, in both writing and acting!! We'll see more from these people and they'll be even better.

I wasn't looking forward to seeing Griffin Dunne's film from the start, especially knowing that it was a "mockumentary" about fame. As well, I was quite skeptical about the use of the DV format to give the film a realistic look. However, I was pleasantly surprised...at least for the first half of the film. Famous is one of those movies that doesn't know how to end. It's very funny - the "Wheat Chex" gag is hilarious! And I have to give credit to anyone who humorously uses a Charlie Sheen cameo (Spike Jonze included). Unfortunately, the film runs out of steam and the comedic possibilities are wasted. The cast is solid, and the film's subversive feel must be praised. For Dunne, this could be the direction he could be looking for in terms of further projects. Alas, with this project, he is treading the familiar ground of "Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman," two highly superior projects that set the standard for all mockumentaries on the same subject.

I watched this movie 2 days ago and while watching it, I thought it was pretty good. It is a very funny look at fame and being on the cusp of fame and about a very particular type of person who becomes an actor. It is a "mockumentary", which is a genre that can be a bit dicey. In the hands of Christopher Guest (Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show), it can be taken to the level of brilliance, but then again, there is always "Drop Dead Gorgeous". Anyway, as time goes by, I can't get the movie out of my head. The actress (and writer), Laura Kirk, playing Lisa Picard just nails this character and makes her pathetic, oddly lovable and annoying all at once. I know people like her, just so completely obliviously self obsessed that they don't even realize it. And her relationship with her best friend, a gay man who is performing a HORRIBLE one man show about gay bashing and homophobia (that he has not experienced, but can relate to), is just perfect; full of support, jealousy and competition. I keep thinking of certain scenes (which I won't reveal here), that make me want to watch again. It is definately not a perfect movie, but it was such a pleasant surprise, that I want to keep telling people about it!