neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Lisa Picard Is Famous
	Griffin Dunne Laura Kirk, Mira Sorvino, Sandra Bullock, Spike Lee, Charlie Sheen 2001 Widescreen		Filmmaker Griffin Dunne's quasi-verité opus about a struggling actress in New York City is billed as a "mock-umentary" — the clever coinage that aptly described "This Is Spinal Tap" and "Waiting for Guffman." The decision to promote the project with that appellation comes off as smug and self-conscious. The warning flags should be unfurled. But the result is a pointed, fiercely funny and occasionally poignant peep at the solipsistic world of a would-be star on the make. In addition to directing the film, Dunne plays the director of the fake documentary. As he and his cinematographer intrude deeper into the life and career of fictional ingenue Lisa Picard (Laura Kirk), her job prospects and personal relations begin to spin out of control. It's all here: nerve-wracking auditions, clips of Lisa in commercials and B movies, scenes from her pal's pretentious way-off-Broadway solo show and cameos from Hollywood's Mira Sorvino, Sandra Bullock, Spike Lee and Charlie Sheen. And it's a hoot.