X

1997
R
Castle Rock Entertainment
1 h 24 m

1997
R
Castle Rock Entertainment
1 h 24 m

Summary A town of Blaine, Missouri is preparing for celebrations of its 150th anniversary. Corky St.Clair, an off-off-off-off-off-Broadway director is putting together an amateur theater show about the town's history, starring a local dentist, a couple of travel agents, a Dairy Queen waitress, and a car repairman. He invites a Broadway theater c...

Comedy

Directed By: Christopher Guest

Written By: Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest

1997
R
Castle Rock Entertainment
1 h 24 m

1997
R
Castle Rock Entertainment
1 h 24 m

Waiting for Guffman

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews

72

User Score Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings

6.8

My Score

Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary A town of Blaine, Missouri is preparing for celebrations of its 150th anniversary. Corky St.Clair, an off-off-off-off-off-Broadway director is putting together an amateur theater show about the town's history, starring a local dentist, a couple of travel agents, a Dairy Queen waitress, and a car repairman. He invites a Broadway theater c...

Comedy

Directed By: Christopher Guest

Written By: Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest

Where to Watch

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews

79% Positive
15 Reviews

16% Mixed
3 Reviews

5% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Generally Favorable Based on 19 Critic Reviews

79% Positive
15 Reviews

16% Mixed
3 Reviews

5% Negative
1 Review

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Entertainment Weekly

A madcap gem.

By Owen Gleiberman FULL REVIEW

The nonstop amusing mockumentary Waiting for Guffman does to small-town acting troupes what "This Is Spinal Tap did to heavy-metal bands."

By Susan Wloszczyna FULL REVIEW

Los Angeles Times

A sly and gleeful comedy showcase that pokes clever fun at the American musical, amateur theatricals and anything else that's not nailed down.

By Kenneth Turan FULL REVIEW

San Francisco Chronicle

Guest's boldest move is to present the revue in its entirety. It's as if Mel Brooks had shown the complete "Springtime for Hitler,'' the play within his 1968 movie, "The Producers.''

Chicago Sun-Times

The movie doesn't bludgeon us with gags. It proceeds with a certain comic relentlessness from setup to payoff, and its deliberation is part of the fun.

By Roger Ebert FULL REVIEW

The enterprise comes across like a bunch of talented friends making an elaborate home movie for their own amusement.

May be amusing if you feel a pressing need to feel superior to somebody, but the aim is too broad and scattershot to add up to much beyond an acknowledgment of small-town desperation--something Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis did much better back in the 20s and 30s.

By Jonathan Rosenbaum FULL REVIEW

See All 19 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings

78% Positive
14 Ratings

17% Mixed
3 Ratings

6% Negative
1 Rating

User Reviews

User Score

Generally Favorable Based on 18 User Ratings

78% Positive
14 Ratings

17% Mixed
3 Ratings

6% Negative
1 Rating

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

Production Company Castle Rock Entertainment, Pale Morning Dun, All Night Productions, Sony Pictures Classics

Release Date Jan 31, 1997

Duration 1 h 24 m

Rating R

Genres

Comedy

Tagline There's A Good Reason Some Talent Remains Undiscovered

Website https://www.warnerbros.com/movies/waiting-guffman

View All Details

Awards

Film Independent Spirit Awards

• 3 Nominations

Lone Star Film & Television Awards

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

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