The Big Picture

"Film school prepared Nick for everything... everything but Hollywood."

1989 1h 40m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 111

ComedyRomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.

“Film school prepared Nick for everything... everything but Hollywood.”

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Cast

Kevin Bacon
Nick Chapman
Emily Longstreth
Susan Rawlings
J.T. Walsh
Allen Habel
Teri Hatcher
Gretchen
Michael McKean
Emmet Sumner
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Lydia Johnson
Kim Miyori
Jenny Sumner
Dan Schneider
Jonathan Tristan-Bennet

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christopher Guest
Writers: Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Christopher Guest
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

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Kevin Bacon and Emily Longstreth and J.T. Walsh carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Film school prepared Nick for everything... everything but Hollywood.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0096926 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christopher Guest directs. Jeffrey Jur behind the camera. David Nichtern scores. Martin Nicholson cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Christopher Guest, shot by Jeffrey Jur. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by David Nichtern. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Martin Nicholson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kevin Bacon and Emily Longstreth and J.T. Walsh carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Film school prepared Nick for everything... everything but Hollywood.".
8IMDB entry: tt0096926 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeffrey Jur
Original score: David Nichtern
Editing: Martin Nicholson
Production design: Joseph T. Garrity
Costume design: Karen Patch
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $117,463
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Big Picture (1989)

Also by

Christopher Guest

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-04-10
★ 6/10
Satire on Hollywood and the filmmaking process with Kevin Bacon After a film student from Ohio (Bacon) wins an award for his short movie at the film institute in Los Angeles, he has to carefully traverse the minefield of the system to get his artistic vision made. JT Walsh plays a manipulative producer and Martin Short a dubious agent. “The Big Picture” (1989) is an amusing look at the moviemaking process in Hollywood. The humor is mostly droll or quirky and viewers not up on the business might not relate to some of it, which could explain why the flick flopped at the box office. I wouldn’t want to blow time & money on seeing it at the theater, but it works well enough for home viewing on a quiet night or whatever. Winsome Emily Longstreth stands out on the feminine front as the protagonist’s girlfriend, Susan. She was a minor female sensation at the time who worked with the likes of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Rob Morrow, Molly Ringwald and James Spader, but she left acting entirely by the early 90s, reportedly falling into substance abuse, mental illness, and living in homeless shelters. It’s rumored she died in early 2015, but factual info is hard to find so I can’t verify this. Teri Hatcher is notable as wannabe starlet Gretchen; it was her movie debut. Meanwhile Jennifer Jason Leigh is on hand as hipster Lydia while Fran Drescher shows up as the producer’s wife, Polo. The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area. GRADE: B-

Production companies