Full Frontal - which Steven Soderbergh describes as a "satire" of
Hollywood - does a fine job of sampling the seedy, sexual, shallow and
sycophant side of the entertainment business. But the earlier Welcome to
Hollywood does an even better job skewering a different side of
Hollywood. Spend a few days following an actor/waiter/bartender around
town on the circuit of headshots, casting director workshops, agent
searches, auditions, and bit parts, and you will more deeply appreciate the
bitter sarcasm of this film. Tony Markes - a former casting director - nails the part of everyman Nick Decker - a talentless wannabe trying not to
drown in a sea of negativity. Adam Rifkin nails the role of the name
director who would cheerfully dump his friend in a trash bin in order to
advance his own career. Together, Markes and Rifkin manage to scam their
way into the Oscars and collect cameos from big-name Hollywood actors
who clearly think they are talking to the entertainment press, not two guys
trying to make a movie about Hollywood. It's a clever stunt with a clever,
funny script, and it is right on the money. Most of the "actors" in this film are real agents, real casting directors, real actors, directors and producers playing themselves. It's not a documentary in the strict sense, but it
accurately and gleefully depicts the reality of what goes on in Hollywood.
If you have any interest in seeing how the process works (or doesn't), see
this movie today.
