Living in Oblivion

Tom DiCillo must be a terribly nice guy. His films are a concentrated mixture of pleasant feelings, love for his profession, sincerity and witty life observations. This story is full of that, too. As a man who's been in the film industry for a while and knows his way around it, and through an endless spiral of absurd and very funny situations, he takes the piss out of a bunch of people trying to make their own indie film, all while paying tribute to them, especially in the character of director Nick (played with infectious enthusiasm by the flawless Steve Buscemi), for their passion and dedication to the cause. At the same time, as an astute observer, DiCillo's portrayal of the blonde movie star Chad Palomino (could he really be Brad Pitt's alter-ego?) parodies the prima donna mannerisms of Hollywood stars and their arrogance, and the scene with the dream sequence and the midget struck me as an allusion to David Lynch. I've grown so fond of Buscemi's character Nick that I wish with all my heart that his dream of winning the award for "Best Movie Ever Made by a Human Being." to become a reality. But just dreaming, living your "life of infatuation" isn't bad either :) (11.12.2005)

The fans of indie movies (and indie artists in general) must be really enchanted by this one. A magical metafilm about crazy fools who are so crazy that they want to make films :-) (25.11.2013)

Tom DiCillo’s best picture so far. A splendid screenplay, perfect actors and an evident love for movies makes Living in Oblivion an unforgettable experience. A group of enthusiasts and their endeavor to create the perfect movie. Too bad that their abilities don’t correspond to that. And add to that arguing on set and technical problems, well... This results in one of the best independent movies of the nineties. (01.07.2007)

There have been many films made about filmmaking and I can't remember all of them that I've ever seen. Therefore, I can't say whether Living in Oblivion is the best in its category, but I can confirm that it is one of the best. It has a good point, is well-acted and directed, and is a homage to the creators of the American independent film scene. With a series of pleasant and clever gags, the film maintains a light parodic exaggeration throughout and practically has no dull moments. The alternation of black and white and color sequences makes the film more interesting and keeps the one's attention. Among the actors, the traditionally excellent Steve Buscemi and the distinctive Catherine Keener stand out. Her terrifying portrayal of a premature ending to her career, as she tries to find a job as an unsuccessful actress at McDonald's, is one of the most enchanting scenes. A delightful film. Its biggest shortcoming is that it's too short. Overall impression: 95%. (19.11.2008)

En halua sanoa, etten pitänyt elokuvasta, koska ei se ihan niinkään ole, mutta silti minusta tuntuu, että tämä elokuva on aivan liian yliarvostettu. Kenties siksi, etten itse kuvaa elokuvia, vaikka se onkin jo käynyt mielessä. Mutta en voi hyvällä omallatunnolla antaa elokuvalle viittä tähteä, kun en ole varma edes niistä neljästä. Mielestäni tämä ei kerta kaikkiaan ollut niin maailmoja mullistava, vaikka siitä pidinkin... (20.04.2007)

Living in Oblivion is probably the best and funniest film about filmmaking I've ever seen. Steve Buscemi, as usual, did not disappoint and clearly enjoyed his role as the frustrated director. But the biggest surprise for me was Dermot Mulroney, and I often teared up with laughter during his scenes. (85%) (22.08.2021)