Living In Oblivion is a low budget independent film written and directed by Tom DiCillo and starring Steve Buscemi and Dermot Mulroney.
Sure, these aren't A-list stars, but that lends itself to the story. If it was a film about the making of a film and you had George Clooney and Brad Pitt ... Read review
You won't find a smarter, more amusing, or more accurate send-up of low-budget filmmaking ... more
than Tom DiCillo's 1995 independent feature,Living in Oblivion, wherein a motley cast of would-be artistes blunders its way through a day on the set. Steve Buscemi plays goateed Nick Reve, a harried, sweating director whose crew of numbskulls and egotists seems hell-bent on ruining his film. The trials and tribulations of independent filmmaking are not foreign material for writer-director DiCillo, who cut his teeth as Jim Jarmusch's cinematographer on 1985'sStranger Than Paradisebefore going on to direct his own work, such as the offbeat 1992 comedyJohnny Suede. Like that film,Living in Oblivionrides a precariously thin line between the real and the surreal, featuring a midget actor and an exploding smoke-effects machine, as well as a ridiculously narcissistic Brad Pittesque character played by James Le Gros. While films likeGet Shorty, Frangois Truffaut'sDay for Night, and Jean-Luc Godard'sContemptsuggest that moviemaking is hip and glamorous,Living in Oblivionwill have none of that. The film within the film feels like a director's primer on what not to do, and this modest-budget gem both lovingly and caustically strips the "cool" veneer from the filmmaking process. They should show this one to kids thinking of entering film school. It might make them think better of it.--Nick Poppy
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Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Advantages: Well acted, keeps you engaged throughout Disadvantages: None
Living In Oblivion is a low budget independent film written and directed by Tom DiCillo and starring Steve Buscemi and Dermot Mulroney.
Sure, these aren't A-list stars, but that lends itself to the story. If it was a film about the making of a film and you had George Clooney and Brad Pitt pretending to be small time actors you wouldn't believe it. That's why it was better to use less well known actors, it pulls you more into the story. ...on set of a low budget movie, and documents all the problems that the director, Nick (Buscemi), and everyone else can encounter, from equipment malfunctioning to office politics to actors forgetting their lines. It's almost like a documentary, it is very realistic and gives you the complete story as to what it's like trying to get a film made.
There are a few dream sequences in the film too, so you're wondering if what you're watching ... more
Living In Oblivion is a low budget independent film written and directed by Tom DiCillo and starring Steve Buscemi and Dermot Mulroney.
Sure, these aren't A-list stars, but that lends itself to the story. If it was a film about the making of a film and you had George Clooney and Brad Pitt pretending to be small time actors you wouldn't believe it. That's why it was better to use less well known actors, it pulls you more into the story.
The film takes place during one day on set of a low budget movie, and documents all the problems that the director, Nick (Buscemi), and everyone else can encounter, from equipment malfunctioning to office politics to actors forgetting their lines. It's almost like a documentary, it is very realistic and gives you the complete story as to what it's like trying to get a film made.
There are a few dream sequences in the film too, so you're wondering if what you're watching is really happening. It mirrors the dream sequence in the actual movie the characters are making, except, funnily enough, the 'real' dream is a lot more bizarre.
I think this should be required viewing for anyone about to make a film. It shows all the pitfalls involved so they can try and prepare themselves, but it also shows how happy everyone can be when it all comes together.
Steve Buscemi is one of my favourite actors. He seems comfortable doing huge action blockbusters (Armageddon, Con Air) or here, in a low budget indie film. He can fit in anywhere, and that's part of his quality, he has an 'everyman' quality about him, of course being a great actor doesn't hurt either.
Overall a funny, well made and well acted film that seems to have gone below most peoples radar, which is a shame as it is a lot better than some indie films I could name, four stars!
Advantages: Very funny film- with great performances Disadvantages: Not availiable on Region 2 DVD- only VHS!
Living In Oblivion remains one of 1990s cinema's most overlooked gems Coming out at the tale end of the late '80s/ ealry '90s US indie revival, which launched the careers of Jim Jarmusch, Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh to name but a few, this was overshadowed by many other great films of '94, including Pulp Fiction.
Steve Buscemi stars as a budding auteur, facing crisis after crisis on his latest film. Not only is his "star" (leGros) trying ... ...Mulroney) is suffering from a personal crisis, the female lead, played by Catherine Keener, is suffering from a breakup and his supporting cast, including Peter Dinklage (recently seen in The Station Agent) is not co-operating. Are these recurring nightmares, prophecies or what is really happening?
Released shortly after Robert Altman's "The Player", this is a far more effective spin on the working of the film industry. The claustrophobia and constantly ...
Rosebud1985 07.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Living in Oblivion DVD
Contains strong language and moderate sex references
Video Category
Feature Film
Release details
Studio(s)
SECOND SIGHT FILMS LTD.; METRODOME; SONY DADC
DVD Region
DVD
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Special Features
Director's commentary, Deleted scenes, Interviews with director Tom DiCillo and actor Steve Buscemi
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
Ingenius (Time Out, 20/11/2007)
DVD Description
The comical story of an inept film crew in which the cameraman wears an eye-patch, obscuring vision, the sound-man never listens, and the script-girl keeps prompting the male lead - but not about the script...
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