The TV Set

I thought this film was okay, but not great.

Certainly, it is a topic that can be mined for great comedy and social commentary. How does Hollywood, which has so many talented people in it, churn out such crap to put into our living rooms every night?

I think the producers here try to give us a behind the curtain look at that, but they don't really hit it with the edge that they could hit it with.

The plot is that Duchovny's character is a writer who creates a show about a lawyer who is touched by the death of his brother by suicide, and slowly watches as his original concept is bastardized by network executives. Network meddling turns a neat idea into a farce. First, they put in an actor the creator doesn't want, and his inadequacy ruins much of the chemistry. Then they change the premise, and finally the title.

The movie ends abruptly as the main character watches a clip for a show that looks nothing like his original idea.

It works on some levels, but on others, it kind of falls flat.

Sigourny Weaver is brilliant. Duchovny just doesn't work well in this role. You are supposed to get the idea of a man who makes Faustian bargains to get his vision on the air, and then has his vision destroyed. Duchovny's character never really expresses his passion for his original concept, so you don't care all that much when Weaver's character steamrollers him.

I find this interesting, because no doubt they cast Duchovny because of his name recognition. The premise is how a TV show can be ruined by bad casting when this movie was ruined by bad casting.

I readily related to the central plight of David Duchovny's character - writing and submitting what we're to assume is a perfectly good, heartfelt and sincere script only to be asked to compromise it's most significant and defining characteristics in ways that change the entire premise of the story. With real world responsibilities, he's forced to choose between his ability to provide for his family and his artistic integrity. I think we've all been there in one way or another - those REAL compromises in life where either option requires us to face a devastating loss.

This movie was emotionally stirring as well as funny - a troubling funny, a dark funny, where the real laughs are in the subtext - the absurdity of the whole ordeal.

David Duchovny's performance was, imo, perfect. I actually prefer him in more overt comedic roles but he owned this character in all it's deadpan glory.

I think the most surprising performances were from Judy Greer and Sigourney Weaver. I knew Judy did good comedy, but the subtle approach she applied to this character was flawless. Like Duchovny, she was funny without ever seeming like she was actually trying to be. She didn't play the character funny, she played a funny character - if that makes sense to anyone but me.

Weaver, unfortunately, lands on the other end of the spectrum - as the most disappointing performance. She appeared almost desperate for a laugh in most scenes and her character never seemed to have center. Then again, people in Weaver's character's position tend to be over-animated, two-dimensional, self-ingratiating twits with no artistic vision. So, perhaps she played her character perfectly. Decide for yourself.

Extra props to Fran Kranz for his brilliant portrayal of a slightly psychotic bad actor, Ioan Gruffudd for being so damned likable as opposed to the typical "stuffy brit" stereotype found in most American movies...and finally, Justine Bateman and Willie Garson for breathing real life into their relatively small roles. Well done...

Bottom line: This movie touched me. I don't think we can ask for any more from our entertainment than that.

Duchovny has produced a couple shows himself at this point. Sigourney Weaver. Justine Bateman. Simon Helberg from bang theory. Phil Rosenthal, who produced Raymond. Here, Lenny (Weaver) and the writer Mike (Duchovny) are producing a pilot for the network. It's a show within a show. They bring in several actors to read. And of course, there's a major disagreement between Mike and Lenny over which male lead is best. Will Mike back down to get the show made? And now they want the suicide of one of the characters to disappear. But the lead actor is supposed to be affected by that. The "team" is already trying to get Mike to sell out, but he's not sure if he wants to go along with that. And now there are more changes. They do the up-fronts, and Mike is downing booze and pills. Clearly, he's not happy that his project is so changed. But honestly, i DID want to see what happened in ep two! But it's a film. Maybe this WILL be made into a series. Lenny is the over the top president of the network, and she is SO inappropriate. But has no idea. Written and directed by Jake Kasdan; with Apatow producing.

very depressing insider's story of the difficulty of getting any kind of decent show on network TV. makes me want to reconsider the few TV shows that i actually watch as it's hard to believe anything actually decent could survive this process. the movie is funny, but in a "it's funny how truly mediocre most of our cultural output is" kind of way. Duchovny did a good job and it is a good movie. hopefully Slut Wars and a good sitcom appealing to a narrow demographic can coexist. reminds me that there are still plenty of good books to read. Sigourney Weaver is funny, but her character seems to crush the life out of anything that would express any human emotion.

This movie is for those of us sorry schmucks who have worked our hearts & brains to the bone, only to be told by some soulless corporate suit that our creative efforts are not required.

What, me bitter?

"The TV Set" is a great comedy/drama about a writer who realizes his 1 shot at success requires him to sell out to mediocrity. This paradox leads to some great acidic fun. The movie gets its power from a great script as could only be conceived by a person (writer/director Jake Kasdan) who has seen the spectacle in real life. It builds momentum through brilliant acting, as could only be pulled off by actors who've lived the nightmare in real life. Presented with moments of riotous satire (stick around after the credits to see a scene from the network's golden egg, "Slut Wars"), the humor is spot-on with great deadpan deliveries all around.

I don't usually harp on a film's casting, but in this case it was flawless, from the smallest roles (loved the wardrobe lady!) all the way up to Sigourney Weaver as the "soulless suit" who massacres the script, much to the applause of her corporate toadies.

INTERESTING TRIVIA: Sigourney's character "Lenny" was originally written for a man. But due to late scheduling problems they gave it to Sigourney. She insisted that no changes be made to her lines, and even the male name "Lenny" was kept. The result is possibly the funniest clueless exec you've ever seen. Pay attention to her, as almost every one if her lines is classic, such as: "This is not just an opinion here! We have the research from other shows. Suicide is, like, depressing to 82% of all people."

Omg I had to rewind that one and play it again to get the laughs out.

I will warn you, though, I wouldn't call this "uproarious" the way the DVD box advertises (I'm sure some corporate suit came up with that marketing angle). No, like any good satire, its power is in subtlety. No wisecracking punchlines, no slapstick pratfalls, no fart gags. Well OK, 1 fart gag, but you'll agree it really punctuates the point.

Jake Kasdan, himself a veteran of many ill-fated TV pilots, gives us a film that very few can claim to be: an honest & mercilessly uncompromising joyride til the end. It reminded me of the brilliant Christopher Guest satires of the entertainment industry: "Waiting for Guffman", "For Your Consideration", "Best in Show", and the king of them all: "This is Spinal Tap".