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The Big Picture

The Big Picture

Comedy · Romance · Drama · 1989

Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.

Movie details

The Big Picture

“Film school prepared Nick for everything... everything but Hollywood.”

1989 Comedy · Romance · Drama 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Big Picture?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Christopher Guest

Written by

Michael McKean · Christopher Guest · Michael Varhol

Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon

Nick Chapman

Emily Longstreth

Emily Longstreth

Susan Rawlings

J.T. Walsh

J.T. Walsh

Allen Habel

Teri Hatcher

Teri Hatcher

Gretchen

Michael McKean

Michael McKean

Emmet Sumner

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Lydia Johnson

Kim Miyori

Kim Miyori

Jenny Sumner

Court is in session

Put The Big Picture on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.