Living in Oblivion Movie Review

Tom DiCillo's Living in Oblivion began life as Scene 6, Take 1 (manically well acted by Steve Buscemi as director Nick Reve), all about the technical nightmares that occur on a low-budget film where the six-day-old milk is the most experienced member of the crew. The 17-minute segment, shown at the San Francisco International Film Festival, wound up as the first sequence in the finished film. The second sequence, interestingly, is about an egotistical, not very bright star (James LeGros as Chad Palomino), who tries to manipulate the shoot and everyone on the set to his own advantage. Watch this on a double bill with 1992's Johnny Suede and connect the dots: Brad Pitt starred in that first directorial effort by DiCillo, along with Catherine Keener, who's also in Oblivion as Chad's co-star Nicole. The third segment involves Nicole, a dwarf, and Nick's mother. Oblivion is a very funny flick about what it's like to make an indie, with great work by Dermot Mulroney as the cinematographer with an eye patch, and by Rica Martens as a motherly looking actress delivering sharp asides re: the mise-en-scene between takes. Rent it and laugh till you cry.

1994 (R) 92m/C Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, James LeGros, Dermot Mulroney, Danielle von Zerneck, Robert Wightman, Rica Martens, Hilary Gilford, Peter Dinklage, Kevin Corrigan, Matthew Grace, Michael Griffiths, Ryna Bowker, Francesca DiMauro; D: Tom DiCillo; W: Tom DiCillo; C: Frank Prinzi; M: Jim Farmer. Sundance Film Festival ‘95: Best Screenplay; Nominations: Independent Spirit Awards ‘96: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (LeGros). VHS, LV, Closed Caption