The star-struck denizens of backwater burg Blaine, Missouri, gear up for their chance in the limelight when their community theatre impresario promises them that talent scout Mort Guffman will attend the opening of their sesquicentennial gala, a musical revue called "Red, White, and Blaine." A charming "mockumentary" co-scripted and directed by that genre's unofficial kingpin, Christopher Guest (of THIS IS SPINAL TAP fame).
This mock documentary, set in the fictional town of Blaine, Missouri, chronicles the attempts of its talent-free residents to put on a show celebrating the burg's 150th anniversary. From the fey director Corky St. Clair to the Dairy Queen girl, the cast and crew scream incompetence. Furthermore, St. Claire has invited Guffman -- a Broadway producer -- to see the production, with the hopes that they will eventually make it to the Great White Way. Can the local yokels make something out of nothing?
Co-produced by Pale Morning Dun.
Shown at the 1996 Boston Film Festival.
Although the film is set in Missouri, it was shot in Lockhart and Austin, Texas.
Review 1:
"...The nonstop amusing mockumentary WAITING FOR GUFFMAN does to small-town acting troupes what THIS IS SPINAL TAP did to heavy-metal..."--3.5 out of 4 stars
Source: USA Today
p.3D 01/31/1997
Review 2:
"...[This] mockumentary from SPINAL TAP alumnus Christopher Guest has genuine laughs..."
Source: Variety
09/16/1996
Review 3:
"...A sly and gleeful comedy showcase that pokes clever fun at the American musical, amateur theatricals and anything else that's not nailed down..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.F1 01/31/1997
Review 4:
"...It proceeds with a certain comic relentlessness from setup to payoff, and its deliberation is part of the fun..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.35 02/21/1997
Review 5:
"...Sly....[Posey] steals yet another movie....[She] is headed for big things..."
Source: New York Times
p.C6 01/31/1997
Review 6:
"...A madcap gem....A veritable triumph of tackiness..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.43 02/14/1997
Review 7:
"This send-up of amateur theatrics was directed by the master of the mockumentary, Christopher Guest."
Source: Wall Street Journal
07/10/2009
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