Unscripted DVD Review:

The world of entertainment is a world which is foreign to a majority of the population. Watching the way movies are made is nearly the same as watching a show about am underground drug ring. It is something unfamiliar to most, and therefore fascinating. Unscripted follows the less successful side of Hollywood, and the biggest problem with this as well as the greatest asset, is that this is not unfamiliar to many people in Los Angeles. With the large amount of unemployed actors in Hollywood, desperately trying to make their careers spike up, Unscripted is bound to be remarkably familiar, and almost too much painfully so, but at the same time it has such an accurate portrayal that only those involved in the process will truly relate to the painful humor of the situations. Struggling actors will understand the humor, but it may be too true to completely enjoy, and those who have never seen this world may be fascinated, but they can’t completely understand the feelings behind it.

Essentially playing themselves in a mockumentary style show, Bryan Greenberg, Jennifer Hall, and Krista Allen all struggle to create a worthwhile acting career. They share a common tie of attending an acting class taught by an eccentric coach (Frank Langella). They all struggle to go on auditions, take classes, and perform as best they can. Greenberg seems to be doing well getting guest spots on television shows, despite the ridicule by the show’s stars, being cut from the episodes, and other cruel catastrophes involving auditioning. Hall is fairly new in the business and she makes all of the common mistakes of a beginner as she tries to find representation and set herself up with a career. Allen struggles to escape her past as the star of an Emmanuelle film, attempting to become a serious actress, but not able to get substantial offers. One of the most predictable, and still humorous moments, is when her six year-old son is cast while she is cast aside.

The entire show works on the fact that all of the situations are painfully familiar, which is also why the documentary style in which the show is filmed works so well. It seems as though Hollywood has found a solution to the reality show threat by creating a show in the familiar format.

There are ten episodes which are about thirty minutes each over two discs. Although there is some change within the lives of the actors, each episode remains consistently disturbing. It is easy to watch the episodes separately without needing a whole lot of backstory, but watching them in order works even better.

George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh created the series, and Clooney directs most episodes as well. Because of the connections there are a bunch of appearances by stars, many times on the set of actual films and television shows, giving a bizarre real feeling to the show. It has an uncomfortable truth to it, which is what makes it successful as much as it is unpleasant at times.



Ryan Izay