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Submitted by cinemascope on Sat, 2006-04-29 07:59. :: Contemporary
Movie title:
The Moguls
Starring:
Jeff Bridges, Ted Danson, Joe Pantiliano, William Fichtner, Tim Blake Nelson, Patrick Fugit
Directed by:
Michael Traeger
Written by:
Michael Traeger
Genre:
Comedy
Year:
2006
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
Andy Sargent, convinced that he must earn some quick money to impress his son, persuades his friends in the small town of Butterface Fields to help him with his latest scheme: to make an amateur porn movie.
Andy Sargent, convinced that he must earn some quick money to impress his son, persuades his friends in the small town of Butterface Fields to help him with his latest scheme: to make an amateur porn movie.
Review
First-time writer-director Traeger suddenly found he was making a moderately budgeted mainstream movie once Jeff Bridges agreed to star in his film, leading to the casting of a whole host of wonderful character actors. This is both the best thing about the movie, and perhaps ultimately, it's downfall. On the plus side, all the performances are spot on: Bridges is typically generous in underplaying his Dude-like lead, allowing Pantiliano and Fichtner in particular to shine, while Ted Danson builds on his recent great performances in Curb Your Enthusiasm, this time playing Moose, a closeted homosexual whose barely-concealed secret is brought to the surface once filming the porn movie gets underway. The presence of so many talented actors though perhaps meant that work on the script was suspended - it certainly seems so, as once the hilarious first thirty minutes is out of the way, the story flags badly and the laughs gradually give way, replaced by sickly sentimentality. Still a great first half hour though.
First-time writer-director Traeger suddenly found he was making a moderately budgeted mainstream movie once Jeff Bridges agreed to star in his film, leading to the casting of a whole host of wonderful character actors. This is both the best thing about the movie, and perhaps ultimately, it's downfall. On the plus side, all the performances are spot on: Bridges is typically generous in underplaying his Dude-like lead, allowing Pantiliano and Fichtner in particular to shine, while Ted Danson builds on his recent great performances in Curb Your Enthusiasm, this time playing Moose, a closeted homosexual whose barely-concealed secret is brought to the surface once filming the porn movie gets underway. The presence of so many talented actors though perhaps meant that work on the script was suspended - it certainly seems so, as once the hilarious first thirty minutes is out of the way, the story flags badly and the laughs gradually give way, replaced by sickly sentimentality. Still a great first half hour though.
