SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

POSSIBLE SMALL SPOILER -- I have to say, parts of this movie sort of dragged for me. I watched it again a while later, and actually wound up fast-forwarding through a few of the scenes with David Duchovny. It wasn't him, especially, it was more the writing, the scenes he was in, it just seemed to slow down the movie. But I want to say -- and this is my reason for writing this review at all -- I've never been a huge fan of Sigourney Weaver. I thought she was okay, just okay, in "Ghost Busters." I sort of liked her in "Alien." But in this movie, to me she is brilliant. She makes the movie. When she's on screen the movie is wonderful. I don't know her (unfortunately), I've never met her (I'd be nervous), so she's a total stranger to me, but I could watch her scenes in this movie over and over and over again, she's that good! The movie itself is another of these "they totally fu--ked up my film" movies (see, "The Big Picture," e.g.). But, despite the fact that I guess you're supposed to hate her character for ruining poor David's TV pilot, she's marvelous. I read somewhere that originally the character ("Lenny") was supposed to have been a guy -- whoever decided to make it Sigourney Weaver is a genius. P.S. Since this is supposed to be a review -- a TV writer (David Duchovny) finally writes a pilot that has a chance, but the execs change his basic premise to make it entertaining, and he's very depressed, The End. Forget that. Laugh out loud at the satire. And applaud Sigourney Weaver's incredibly smart and wonderful (and probably totally accurate) TV exec of all TV execs. B-minus for the movie, A-plus-plus-plus for Signourney Weaver!!!

Mike Klein (David Duchovny) is pitching a new TV show based on his brother's real life suicide. Only manager Alice (Judy Greer) seems to be on his side. Everything goes wrong except the show keeps getting picked up. He doesn't get his choice of lead actor with the very broad Zach (Fran Kranz). Network heads Richard McCallister (Ioan Gruffudd) and Lenny (Sigourney Weaver) keeps changing his vision. His pregnant wife Natalie (Justine Bateman) isn't easy either with her fears of losing the job, and it's all giving him back pains.This reminds me of Robert Altman's 'The Player' with all the inside ball and Hollywood cameos. Except this one seems to be trying a little too hard. Written and directed by Jake Kasdan, he certainly has all the inside info that's needed. However it actually feels like a TV show of the real TV world. Kasdan needs to hold back on some of the all encompassing TV world. The movie needs to get the audience to relate to it with a story that has a life outside of the TV world. This is way too insular. It may be more interesting for industry people than regular folks. The other big problem is that I found the TV show really boring and tiresome. It grinds the movie down.

I can always tell if i like a movie if I never look at my watch while I'm watching it and I'm genuinely disappointed when it ends and that was the case here. David Duchovny was well cast as the writer of a book/screenplay seeing first hand that the transition from paper to TV screen is never a smooth one. This had just the right level of angst and flakiness which you can imagine would be so typical at a network studio level. In some ways, the movie reminded me of office space, with sigourney weaver being the gary cole character, always avoiding confrontation but never letting get duchovny get his way but doing it in such a way that you could never shout at her. Everything in this movie was done with great subtlety which is a very underestimated skill and Kasdan jr should take credit for never letting this descend into schmaltz and silliness. I would have loved to have seen what would have happened to the show after a few more episodes and seen how much of duchovny's creation would have been bastardized further by the network but as it is, you're left wanting more which is a good way to end any movie.

Its a simple, true story that pulls everybody in, who wants to see the reality of that business and who wants to take for the leading character. When this tragicomedy touches you, you are on the right way, leaving the standard comedy besides you and heading towards the easy listening of truthfulness moments. David Duchovni is much better than I thought and well, you haven't to complain about Sigourney Weaver and Ioan Gruffudd. Also Fran Kranz comes to grips with his role, sometimes more than you can take:). He and Duchovni stands for the best laughters and the most embarrassing moments. Go out and see that movie.