Overview: Three actors learn that their respective performances in the film "Home for Purim," a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz.

DVD Verdict: In 'For Your Consideration,' Christopher Guest and his always-funny group of improv actors go behind the scenes of a movie set where a struggling director is attempting to make his masterpiece. The film, Home for Purim, is about a 1940's family in the South and their struggles. The big plot of the film, however, comes from the actors' reactions to the news that their performances are generating Oscar buzz. They are unapologetically vain, with the exception of Catherine O'Hara who makes no secret of her desire for a little gold statute but at least has the grace to seem embarrassed whenever it's mentioned, and their frantic reations to the publicity are the funniest parts of the film.

I'm a big fan of Christopher Guest's early stuff (eg, Spinal Tap, Best In Show, Waiting for Guffman), but for some reason his last two efforts have left me disappointed. I fell asleep when I saw A Mighty Wind in the theater and For Your Consideration left me equally underwhelmed. I don't know what it is. It's the same stellar cast that has always worked for me before, and FYC even adds one of my favorite comedians, Ricky Gervais (from the British version of the Office), but it still just didn't do it for me. Don't get me wrong, it definitely had its moments: Parker Posey's monologue to her dying mother where she comes out as a lesbian was hilarious, and Catherine O'Hara's role as an actress who is quite openly in it for the Oscar was honest and amusing.

But overall, it just wasn't there. I've never laughed so hard as I do when I watch Best In Show, every single time even though I have to have seen it at least 20 times by now. Maybe the biggest difference between FYC and its predecessors is the sense of sadness. While Waiting For Guffman and A Mighty Wind had an element of disappointment, For Your Consideration openly examines the deflation of the characters as they find their dreams dashed. The ending, while quite funny, also has a morose sense of loss, as if Marilyn Hack can never go back to being the unassuming woman she was before her ordeal. Regardless, with FYC I could count the number of times I laughed out loud (less than 10), and I'm starting to think that Guest just not be one of my go-to funny guys anymore. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Commentary by: co-writers Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
18 Deleted/Alternate Scenes and Outtakes
'Home for Purim' Poster Gallery
Theatrical Trailer