In Retrospect, ‘Oblivion’ Was The Place To Start

In 1992, writer-director Tom DiCillo watched as his first movie, the studiedly bizarre “Johnny Suede,” was raked by critics.

Based on the way he acted last June in Seattle during a panel discussion of independent filmmakers, DiCillo must still be hurting from the experience. His residual anger hung heavy in the room.

“I have a really tough time figuring out what the critic does,” he snarled at one point.

It should be clear, even to such a Type A as DiCillo, that a critic’s job is, essentially, to say whether, in his or her opinion, a movie is going to put you to sleep.

And, to most critics, “Johnny Suede” reigns as the cinematic equivalent of Quaalude.

That said, however, it’s clear that adversity is good for DiCillo’s… well, if not his soul then certainly his skill. For his second effort, “Living In Oblivion,” is everything “Johnny Suede” was not: cleverly conceived, well-acted, funny to a fault and enthralling throughout.

It’s fitting, then, that the film involves one day on the set of a film production in which nothing seems to work the way it’s supposed to: Clearly, this is something that DiCillo understands well.

Director Nick Reve (Steve Bescemi) just wants to get through the day’s shooting schedule, the featured scene of which is an emotional moment between his leading lady (Catherine Keener) and the elderly actress portraying her mother (Rica Martens).

But every time Nick turns around, something is going wrong. The boom mike dips into the shot. A camera resists focusing. A car passes by outside. The actors forget their lines.

As the moments pass, you can see the energy of everyone involved gradually deflate, even as their tempers mount. One incredible performance, the one Nick has been begging for, gets lost when his cinematographer (Dermot Mulroney) falls asleep at the switch. And the day has just begun.

“Living In Oblivion” is told in sections from different points of view, some in black-and-white and others in color. And it comes from the same low-budget type of environment as the film Nick is trying to make. It includes dream sequences, failed love affairs, pompous actors, envious crew members, ego clashes and actual fistfights, all of which bear the ring of truth.

But despite - or maybe because of - its independent roots, “Living In Oblivion” is one of the most entertaining representations of a film shoot ever made. Less cute than Francois Truffaut’s “Day For Night,” more realistic than Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood,” DiCillo’s film strays rarely from the set. The film within is the film without.

And the actors carry the load. Buscemi, an independent favorite who has starred in everything from “Reservoir Dogs” to “Mystery Train,” captures everything that is Nick - the longing, the frustration and, mainly, the obsession.

Keener, Mulroney and Danielle Von Zerneck (“La Bamba”) all add to the action, although it is James LeGros as a primo prima donna who virtually steals the film (playing a character that, DiCillo insists, was not based on Brad Pitt, the star of “Johnny Suede”).

“Living In Oblivion” may not play well, say, to the “Assassins” crowd. After all, it doesn’t boast a single exploding car.

But if you like the art of film, and are intrigued with how movies come into being, then you might like what DiCillo has done here. If nothing else, it’ll explain why there are so many bad movies out there.

Movies such as “Johnny Suede.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: “LIVING IN OBLIVION” Location: Magic Lantern Cinemas Credits: Written and directed by Tom DiCillo; starring Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, Danielle Von Zerneck and James Le Gros Running time: 1:31 Rating: R