The TV Set (2006)

*Some spoilers ahead, since the ending is critical to my opinion of the movie*

Jake Kasdan's satirical exploration of the television business is funny enough to make me laugh but feels true enough to make me hopeless. Struggling writer Mike Klein's (David Duchovny) new, autobiographical TV script has been tapped by a major network for a pilot. The movie follows him through the stages of casting, filming, and being picked up amidst a sea of compromises. He sees his first choice for the male lead get handed to over-the-top Zach (Fran Kranz), but talented comedienne Laurel (Lindsay Sloane) gets the female lead. Abrasive station exec Lenny (Sigourney Weaver) is worried that because the comedic show involves a suicide, it won't sit well with audiences. Mike believes the suicide is an important part of the main character's personality and motivations, and is an incredibly personal issue since his own brother killed himself. New exec (I forget his exact job but it was Important) Richard (Ioann Gruffud) does his best to be on Mike's side.

When actually filming the pilot, Mike encounters more problems with the director's style, child labor laws, Zach's hamminess, debilitating back pains, and that looming downer of a suicide. Eventually he is persuaded to write an alternate script replacing the brother's funeral with his mother's ("and when the person who was your mom suddenly has a heart attack and dies slightly before her time, it really makes you think"); he intentionally makes it awful. Both versions are filmed and audience tests are run to decide which one is the final product. Guess which wins. Due to a programming glitch there's suddenly space for a new show, and Richard succeeds in getting Mike's on the air. Now Mike is the creator of a successful sitcom with absolutely none of the ingenuity, subtlety, wit, or heart he had written into it. Through it all he is pushed by his inept manager (I think that's what she was) Alice (Judy Greer) to make compromises, and prodded by his pregnant wife (Justine Bateman) to maintain his dignity.

I liked The TV Set, in general. It had some very funny moments made even better by its excellent cast. Judy Greer stands out as she does in any movie, and naturally Justine Bateman was adorable (though seldom onscreen). Ioan Gruffud provides the Welsh eye candy, and Duchovny offers a sympathetic, understated performance. But for me Sigourney Weaver was the most memorable. I haven't seen her in too many other movies besides like Ghost Busters, Dave, and Galaxy Quest (yeah, I haven't seen any Alien's, so sue me), but she was so funny and unapologetic as the ignorant, self-absorbed Lenny that I guess I instantly became a fan! Also, check out Seth Green's rad cameo at the end. Other good things about the movie... it's a realistic (or so I've heard) but interesting look into the apparently awful world of television programming. I know a few people hoping to get into this business and I guess I'll just have to root for them harder.

The main thing I didn't like was the ending: I understand that Kasdan is making a point about how mainstream entertainment is all about compromise because the people in charge are afraid of originality and the audience is dumb. It's easy enough to see where the movie is heading after Mike gives in more and more to the powers that be. But to me it made the whole movie seem pointless. I'm not saying it needed a happy-go-lucky Hollywood ending, but some sort of clue to how Mike dealt with the show as it aired or something might have been helpful. Would he sell out completely or drop out and keep his pride? I think another problem was it came on quickly (or felt as such), so I just wasn't ready for it. The pacing was off, and a lot of time was passing between each segment. Further drawbacks include Zach, who was too annoying to be funny, and Richard's family subplot, which wasn't bad but felt out of place, especially since none of the other side characters got much for their own stories. Anyway, I'm rambling. The TV Set was good and funny but had a rushed and lackluster ending and was sort of forgettable overall.

3.5/5