Waiting for Guffman

"There's a good reason some talent remains undiscovered."

1997 1h 24m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 290

ComedyMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Aspiring director Corky St. Clair and the marginally talented amateur cast of his hokey small-town musical production go overboard when they learn that Broadway theater agent Mort Guffman will be in attendance.

“There's a good reason some talent remains undiscovered.”

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Cast

Christopher Guest
Corky St. Clair
Eugene Levy
Dr. Allan Pearl
Fred Willard
Ron Albertson
Catherine O'Hara
Sheila Albertson
Michael Hitchcock
Steve Stark - Councilman
Larry Miller
Glenn Welsch - Mayor
Parker Posey
Libby Mae Brown
Bob Balaban
Lloyd Miller

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christopher Guest
Writers: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 73% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Christopher Guest, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael McKean. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Andy Blumenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and Fred Willard carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christopher Guest directs. Roberto Schaefer behind the camera. Michael McKean scores. Andy Blumenthal cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 73% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
429 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5Directed by Christopher Guest, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Michael McKean. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Andy Blumenthal shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy and Fred Willard carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "There's a good reason some talent remains undiscovered.".
10IMDB entry: tt0118111 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "missouri", "mockumentary", "mechanic", "in the closet".