The TV Set

Jake Kasdan
U.S., 2006
English
87 minutes • Color
Production: THINKfilm
Screenplay: Jake Kasdan
Cinematography: Uta Briesewitz
Music: Michael Andrews
Principal Cast: David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, Judy Greer, Fran Kranz, Lindsay Sloane, Justine Bateman, Lucy Davis

SHOWTIMES:
Fri Apr 27 7:45pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark)

Sun Apr 29 7:45pm NUVO Screening Room (Landmark)

The battle between creativity and marketability has been raging in Hollywood ever since Hollywood became Hollywood. The TV Set is a frontline comedy about one victim in the battle. Mike (a charming Duchovny) has created a pilot for a show about a young man who returns to his hometown following his brother’s suicide. You’ll think so when Lenny (Weaver) steps in. Lenny is network brass who has the ability to strangle with her smile. Over time, the idea for a nice one-hour comedy/drama evolves into a train wreck of a show – with over-the-top line readings, pratfalls, and fart jokes (after all, the network’s top-rated show is “Slut Wars”).

The resulting film is a fair-handed skewering of an industry built to feed the masses. Kasdan, and producer Judd Apatow should know. They’re the team behind the brilliant-but-cancelled “Freaks and Geeks.” Duchovny’s sincerity makes Mike easy to root for, even if you’re not hocking scripts for a living. And Weaver spits out cruelty with glee as Lenny. Newcomer Kranz is a find. His instincts are perfect for playing a bad actor (that’s a compliment). A lot of what happens in The TV Set isn’t pretty. Then again, a lot of what happens on the TV set isn’t pretty. Wm.Brian Owens