...generally feels like a short that's been awkwardly expanded to feature length...

| Original Score: 2/4 | Mar 23, 2020

A genial and funny satire/comedy about an up-and-coming student filmmaker.

| Original Score: B | Mar 21, 2016

Partly romance, partly fantasy, partly satire on what passes for life in Hollywood -- and all charm -- this movie even has a perfect title.

| Feb 2, 2016

[A] hilariously canny 1989 satire about contemporary filmmaking in Hollywood.

| Feb 2, 2016

A failed attempt to spoof the wheelers and dealers behind the scenes in Hollywood.

| Original Score: 1/5 | Feb 2, 2016

Befitting two of the co-authors of This is Spinal Tap, Guest and Michael McKean, The Big Picture displays a keen eye for the silliness of film biz customs, lingo and attitudes.

| Mar 11, 2009

Sometimes hilarious, sometimes chilling anti-Hollywood comedy.

| Original Score: A | Apr 9, 2007

In the end, although Nick's journey is satisfying and often funny, it lacks the punch of Guest's later work.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Nov 9, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 24, 2006

The movie references may strike some as in-jokey, but Guest's likeable film has enough jaundiced sideswipes and lighter chuckles to see it through its slacker spells.

| Feb 9, 2006

Very slight, but it hits most of its Hollywood targets with a certain degree of savvy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 20, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 10, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 30, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 26, 2005

A consistently genial, intermittently funny send-up of the current Hollywood scene as demonstrated by the rise and fall of an award-winning film student.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 30, 2004

The Movie Machine is skewered and lampooned with an impressive accuracy, but it never crosses the line into becoming an outright bash.

Full Review | Original Score: 80/100 | Oct 29, 2003

If only it was as clever as it believes itself to be.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 13, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 27, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2002

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 19, 2002