Waiting for Guffman

This mockumentary shoots the making of a stage play celebrating a town’s 150th anniversary, and as with many comedic films, it doesn’t quite go as planned. But it lights a fire in this small town, as the prospect of impressing a Broadway producer (the titular Guffman) gets them to display their talents and the ambitions that they had ignored and thought impossible to fulfill. It gets funny as they bump into certain hurdles, though co-stars Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy keep the humor light, never poking fun at the expense of their characters, but highlighting the desires many would share. Waiting for Guffman is an underrated delight.

Aspiring director Corky St. Clair and the marginally talented amateur cast of his hokey small-town musical production go overboard when they learn that Broadway theater agent Mort Guffman will be in attendance.