Consider renting it

Before there was "The Office," "Extras," "Reno: 911" or any comedy driven mainly by improvisation, there was Christopher Guest. With a résumé that features classics such as "This is Spinal Tap" and "Best in Show," Guest helped set the standard for both improvising and his patented "mockumentary" style.\nWhile his newest film, "For Your Consideration," is not a mockumentary, it is still not conducted in the traditional way, but rather is a behind-the-scenes look at the production of a low-budget film called "Home For Purim." As the movie within the movie, "Home for Purim" is one of the funnier concepts throughout the film -- a story about a Southern family in the mid-'40s wartime whose two children come home to visit their dying mother on her favorite holiday, Purim (arguably the least important Jewish holiday of the year). The driving force of the plot occurs when "Home for Purim" begins to get an Internet-started Oscar buzz that blows up and gets the flick all over the Hollywood media.\nWhile "For Your Consideration" has several funny moments, they aren't really laugh-out-loud types, but more subtle humor -- like you might see on one of the shows mentioned earlier. There's a lot of great concepts and ideas that I wish they had shown more of -- like more scenes from "Home For Purim," more scenes from a Fred Willard-anchored "Access Hollywood" type show (as usual Willard stole the movie and a barelyused hilarious Ebert & Roeper-type critic show complete with scenes from fake movies they are reviewing). These segments are diamonds in the rough -- a lot of the movie is mired in quaint little character exchanges that are often hit-or-miss.\nAs for the features, the DVD is actually quite entertaining. Since much of the film was improvised, there are tons of deleted scenes full of good stuff. There's also a commentary by Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy, who would be funny to listen to on their own, let alone over the movie. There's also the theatrical trailer and a gallery of poster options for "Home for Purim," which are hilarious.\nThe biggest flaw of "For Your Consideration" is that it operates in its own world of nothingness. While the film is an obvious parody of several aspects of Hollywood, there's nothing that really connects it to the outside world. Nearly the entire film takes place on set, and when we get to leave the set, it's to go to an office or TV show. The characters have little to no background at all, and as a result they are hard to connect with and understand. There are many funny bits and pieces, but there's not much cohesiveness as a whole, including a sub-par ending that doesn't really go anywhere. Watching Guest and his cronies do what they do best at least makes "For Your Consideration" enjoyable but not memorable.