On the way home after seeing this, I figured out why it wasn't so funny: It had too many regular actors doing semi-improvisational roles.
Christopher Guest's movies work--when they do--because he uses comic actors & writers. Particularly skit comic actors (SNL, Second City) like Guest, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levi, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, and Catherine O'Hara. They're used to performing semi-improv and as writers of sketch comedy. They're at home with the style. Regular actors in this movie don't far as well. Even stand-up comedians don't seem to do as well with this stuff, though somewhat better.
Dennis Farina was bad, Richard Kind wasn't (esp. bad), etc. Ray Romano was decent, but not quite good. Chris Parnell was really good, but his character was too limited, too one-dimensional. What would have been better was to have a regular actor play the role, and just do what Parnell came up with. Let Parnell do it, write it, and then hand it over to someone to do the part. Then Parnell could've been used for a better part where more improv was possible. A waste of his talent.
Michael McKean is a highlight--a Guest regular, but his role wasn't given much screen time. Ditto for Hank Azaria--very good, but very, very limited time on screen.
Gabe Kaplan was the worst. He wasn't funny at all, and he just sort of stood there with little to say. You could tell in one looong scene in particular where he was with the bald(er) guy with a beard--a highlight he was--where he was given set-up after set-up but came up blank. Painful. His scenes ran way too long for them joke-to-time ratio.
Woody was good.
The concept of having some good, lively characters played by good comic actors a la Guest, sitting around a poker table could be a great set-up for improv. No go here.
Prescription: Sketch comics who write--maybe for some semi-improv stuff--or others who are very glib and verbally gifted, like Azaria.
Will never watch again.
Christopher Guest's movies work--when they do--because he uses comic actors & writers. Particularly skit comic actors (SNL, Second City) like Guest, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levi, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, and Catherine O'Hara. They're used to performing semi-improv and as writers of sketch comedy. They're at home with the style. Regular actors in this movie don't far as well. Even stand-up comedians don't seem to do as well with this stuff, though somewhat better.
Dennis Farina was bad, Richard Kind wasn't (esp. bad), etc. Ray Romano was decent, but not quite good. Chris Parnell was really good, but his character was too limited, too one-dimensional. What would have been better was to have a regular actor play the role, and just do what Parnell came up with. Let Parnell do it, write it, and then hand it over to someone to do the part. Then Parnell could've been used for a better part where more improv was possible. A waste of his talent.
Michael McKean is a highlight--a Guest regular, but his role wasn't given much screen time. Ditto for Hank Azaria--very good, but very, very limited time on screen.
Gabe Kaplan was the worst. He wasn't funny at all, and he just sort of stood there with little to say. You could tell in one looong scene in particular where he was with the bald(er) guy with a beard--a highlight he was--where he was given set-up after set-up but came up blank. Painful. His scenes ran way too long for them joke-to-time ratio.
Woody was good.
The concept of having some good, lively characters played by good comic actors a la Guest, sitting around a poker table could be a great set-up for improv. No go here.
Prescription: Sketch comics who write--maybe for some semi-improv stuff--or others who are very glib and verbally gifted, like Azaria.
Will never watch again.