The Next Big Thing

Amazon.com

This satire of the art world springs from this question: What matters more, the art or the artist? Floundering artist Gus Bishop (Chris Eigeman, Barcelona) can't get a gallery to even consider his work. Then a thief breaks into Bishop's studio and steals one of his paintings, which--after the thief concocts a dramatic and sorrowful life for the reclusive artist--sells for $10,000. The lure of easy money helps the thief convince Bishop to manufacture a hoax and turn this fictional artist into an art star. Before long, Bishop finds monstrous success that he can't take any credit for, and a girlfriend who dumped him when he was a failure decides to blackmail him for a share of the loot. Though The Next Big Thing has some lapses in logic, Eigeman's unique combination of innocence and cynicism carry the film along. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful movie for any artist.......2003-09-06

Simply said the art speaks for itself, watch the movie and find out what the heck I mean!

Entertaining with one big flaw.......2003-05-02

The premise is quite well carried off and the art even looks real, but there is one big logical flaw in the plot that bothered me. It is NOT fraud to use a "nom de brush" just as writers can legally use a "nom de plume". As long as the artist was not trying to pass off the work as an existing artist's work, there was NO law that was broken. As for embellishing the background of the artist, well just ask any Hollywood agent about that. Otherwise the story is provocative and does make you wonder...just what is being "valued" in a work of art..the work itself or the label, with the label being the artist's tortured bio.

Average customer rating:

The Next Big Thing
Director: Murray Battle
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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Release Date: 2006-10-24

Description

Comedy. The only business where you can die one night, only to kill the next. Shot over an unprecedented 18-month period, in noisy college cafeterias, smoky Toronto backrooms, legendary Los Angeles nightclubs and at Montreal's Just For Laughs, the world's largest comedy festival, The Next Big Thing tracks the budding careers of six young stand-up comedians. No staged reality show, this unique documentary series gives an insider's look at the competitive world of stand-up where we meet a cadre of casting agents, managers, television executives and yes, parents. Six young comics are eager to follow in the footsteps of fellow Canucks Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Martin Short, who have made it big in Hollywood. From self-deprecating observations and stilleto-sharp social commentary to shocking jaw-droppers, their humour takes no prisoners; fast food, cell phone companies, immigration, weight loss, babies and, of course, s-e-x are all fair game. We share in their anxieties as they wonder why the same joke bombs one night but charms the next. Or what talent scout might be sitting in the audience? Comedy, it turns out, is a very serious business!

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