2007 Athens Film Festival
'TV Set' fun to watch
By Corinne Minard, Staff Writer
May 2, 2007 | 9:20 p.m.
Most of us see only the events that happen during a television show, but it is the things that occur behind the scenes of the making of a television pilot that make "The TV Set" so much fun to watch.
In the film, writer Mike Klein (David Duchovny) is trying to create the pilot for his script, “The Wexler Chronicles.” However, the studio doesn’t understand the dramedy format of the script, has different people in mind for casting and wants to take the show in a completely different direction. Lenny (Sigourney Weaver), president of the network that bought Klein’s script, oversees all of the show's creative decisions. Unfortunately, she also oversaw the creation of “Slut Wars” and doesn’t understand the creativity inherent in written shows. Richard (Ioan Gruffudd), who was recently hired to the network, is on Klein’s side but is having issues balancing this with his obligation to the network to make money and provide for his family. Along with these studio problems, Klein’s lead actor, Zach (Fran Kranz), has little talent and a touch of insanity. The movie follows the development of the pilot as it unsuccessfully navigates these obstacles.
As amusing as the plotline is, it is Weaver that makes the film so funny. She talks about how almost dying made her realize how important it was to have a competitive Thursday lineup, and the audience believes her. The character will talk about something completely ridiculous, but Weaver makes it seem acceptable. Weaver gives Lenny the voice of someone so disconnected from the world that the audience believes that this woman sees a world with too much originality. The movie clearly belongs to Weaver.
”The TV Set” makes one question the television he or she watches while still making the audience laugh. The events shown in this movie show that, sometimes, there is more going on behind the scenes than what is going on in front of it.
"The TV Set" plays again 5:15 p.m. Wednesday and 7:45 p.m. Thursday at the Athena Cinema.
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Go to the official web site of the Athens Film Festival for more films.
Speakeasy rating: A-
Running time: 1 hour, 27 minutes
MPAA rating: R, for language
Genre: Comedy