The TV Set

I can see how this film might not be for everybody, but I make my living writing for television and this movie is actually pretty dead on. The satire works because I felt they keep it real. Stuff that might seem absurd I have seen happen (actually real stuff that happens in the development of a pilot would make people shout at the screen and say "come on - that couldn't happen!!). The film is very well cast - everyone from Lindsay Sloane to Ion Gruffudd give strong performances. Many of my fellow writers begged me to see it, so I finally went and I thought Kasdan does an excellent job. But the film could pretty much play like a documentary - without fail, the nets will almost instantly try and change the ONE thing about a project that makes it unique - they want it to be like everything else (Weaver's character has the great line - "it seems original and original scares me!"). It is a real marathon filled with danger to get a pilot sold, then possibly get it filmed, then edited, then tested and then through literally winning a lottery - getting it on the air!! But at the end of the day - it is the viewers who decide what stays on - if something gets numbers, it stays - if it doesn't - it goes. And every now and then a unique and smart show will get on the air and more times than not - no one will watch it. Viewers SAY they want something different, but most of the time when you try to do that - they go "what the hell is this?? This is too different" and then they go back to watching Jim Belushi.

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.

Despite its short running time, "The TV Set" doesn't quite sustain its humor throughout. There are tremendous lulls in-between some very good jokes. There are a few really big laughs and the premise is awfully enticing. Yet, writer-director Jake Kasdan, who wrote and directed the very funny and hugely under-rated, "Zero Effect" (1998), cannot seem to keep things funny throughout.

The film, to be distributed nationally by ThinkFilm, is a rather rude awakening, albeit a funny one, to anyone who aspires to be a writer, especially a TV writer. Mike (David Duchovny) comes up with an idea for a TV series, only to find he is forced to compromise at every turn - from the lead actor to the tone of the pilot to plot points.

The first 10 minutes or so are very funny. But the film loses steam as it goes along, partly because Kasdan seems to want to make a 21st century version of "Network" (1976) at times. But trying to emulate Paddy Chayefsky is no easy feat. Chayefsky was unique and although Kasdan scores some points, he just cannot overcome these huge dull lulls when exposition takes over for comedy and the film just falls flat.

Sigourney Weaver as Lenny, the studio executive - incidentally, the role was initially written for Ben Stiller, so I suppose it's a blessing that he backed out because the man's not done a good movie in years and has ruined several potentially funny films - seems to be simply replaying her shrill, bitchy Katharine Parker from "Working Girl" (1988). Trouble is, villains need to be interesting and Weaver can't quite find what makes Lenny an intriguing person.

Judy Greer does the best of the lot. She has fine comedic timing, knows how to turn a phrase and realizes that good comedy requires underplaying a role sometimes. It's good to see Justine Bateman back in action, but she truly is wasted as the suffering wife. Ioan Gruffudd brings a semblance of dignity to the proceedings finding the right balance for a character conflicted by personal gain and artistic integrity.

Then, there's Duchovny. I realize he has an incredibly loyal following for whom he can do no wrong. Every performance, in their mind, is Oscar-worthy. (I am a huge Woody Allen fan, but I readily admit the man's made some turkeys. Duchovny fans, on the other hand, can't seem to quite grasp that he isn't all that good an actor.) Duchovny has the emotional range of Patrick Swayze, if that. You want to see how limited his range is? Watch Duchovny's crying scene in "Return to Me" (2000).

Duchovny has a few good moments in "The TV Set," especially reacting to what's happening around him. But, truth be told, he gives the same performance in everything he does, be it television or movies. There's no difference between his performance here and his turn in the wretched "Connie and Carla" (2004). It's impossible to differentiate one Duchovny performance from another. There's a smugness to him that can be appealing, and which occasionally works, but he desperately needs a broader range of emotions to turn him into an average actor.

Kasdan misses several opportunities to get in some great jokes. After a while, the film takes on a typical arc. You sense where the story's going. A couple of digs at TV work. After all, Kasdan has experience having good shows canceled. And some of his best jokes seem to lurk in the background. You have to pay attention, but they're good.

"The TV Set" isn't a bad movie. It just isn't as terrific as it could be or Kasdan wants it to be. He has a lot to say about the state of TV today - which is, with a few exceptions, rather execrable - but he seems to struggle trying to find comedy for his entire story. Writing comedy isn't easy. And Kasdan should be credited for coming up with this. I just wish this had been funnier. Come to think of it, a bit more of "Slut Wars" - written well, of course - might have helped.

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.

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.