The TV Set (4 Stars)

Mike Klein, a Hollywood screenwriter, is commissioned to write a pilot for a dark sitcom based on the death of his brother. The problem is that the higher-ups have a different vision, and they want to know what his masterpiece would be like “if the brother didn’t have to die,” despite that being the premise of the whole series.

This is a brilliant allegory of the crap that happens in Hollywood, (which I say, having actually worked on several sets myself), and the comedic timing is brilliant. The film contains every classic difficult personality type that you meet on the set. There’s the director, who likes to come up with ridiculous shots that look strange, and alienate the story, but of course, the director thinks he’s being artistic and clever. There’s the cinematographer, who complains about how hard it is to set up each shot, and tends to take twice as long as he needs to, ‘cause hey, he’s unionized. Then of course, there’s the actor who believes he’s getting into the moment, can never remember how he did a scene the previous time, and ad-libs in weird accents, and then denies it.

This film would be entertaining to everyone, but doubly so for writers, other industry workers, and anybody else who likes a sardonic view of the inner-working of Hollywood. 4 stars