Living in Oblivion

Released 1994
Stars Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James LeGros, Danielle Von Zerneck
Directed by Tom DiCillo

Living in Oblivion details one day in the life of director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi), who is trying to put together an independent film on a shoestring budget. This particular morning, he's due to shoot scene six. Little does he know that Murphy's Law is in full force. Nightmares -- real, figurative, and cinematic -- will plague the production, and what eventually emerges will be nothing like what anyone envisioned.

Reve's leading lady, Nicole (played by a shining Catherine Keener), is fraught with angst about her career choice. Does she belong in front of the camera or behind the counter at some greasy dive? The male lead, a stuck-up star by the name of Chad Palomino (James LeGros), has no worries about his ability. With an ego too big for the tiny set, Chad spends most of his time complaining to Reve and flashing smiles at the assistant director and script girl. The cinematographer (Dermot Mulroney, Keener's real-life husband), an eye-patched character who looks like Rambo but has the emotional sensitivity of Alan Alda, rarely lets a take go by without arguing the choice of shot. The mishaps of scene six provide ninety minutes of unbridled fun. Amidst all the humor is an opportunity to learn a little about the difficulties of creating an independent feature -- a process far less glamorous that some might believe it to be.

Summary by James Berardinelli