52-Week Challenge: Documentary a Week
Summary (from IMDB): For decades, film and television audiences have watched their favorite stars with little thought or concern for the people standing behind them. All of that is about to change as “Strictly Background” explores the charm and determination of some of Hollywood’s hardest working actors, professional “extras.” Turning industry convention on its head, this humorous & heartfelt documentary follows ten background actors as they navigate their way on and off the set. Both a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood and a character-driven film, “Strictly Background” is a dynamic exploration into the pursuit of stardom and the real life struggle to stand out.”
Phil’s Rating: 5/10 - As a person heavily involved in theatre, and expecting to somebody have something to do with movies or television, I thought I would check out this documentary. However, as is usually my problem with this kind of documentary, they have chosen the “oddest” and “quirkiest” people to be featured - not the most successful or most driven to succeed. While their stories may have been interesting (and, to a certain extent, showed that nearly anybody can be a background actor), the people they show are very specific types, some of whom don’t want to be seen as a “type.” Also, some of the advice they give is just plain bad, so don’t go into this documentary expecting to learn anything about the way Hollywood really works - they are skewed views to each person, and most of these people are actually not what I would call “successful” background actors
[sidenote: This is posted a few days late. My schedule last week was crazy, but I did watch this last Friday.]
