Christopher Guest movies, you may not have realized, are very hit-or-miss. The reason you may not have realized this is that, starting with This is Spinal Tap through A Mighty Wind, they’ve all “hit.” For Your Consideration sadly just doesn’t fit together like the others have. The quirky characters and absurd plot turns are there, but it seems like there’s something missing. According to this interview with Guest and Eugene Levy, they write the plot for the film and then let the actors improvise all of the dialog. The actors who usually work in his films are good enough that usually it works, but here it never quite adds up to a complete story. The plot of the movie is about how the studio tinkers with the film they’re making, and about how a marketing buzz leads to some high expectations, but neither story is fleshed out properly. I wonder if maybe they had to cut some of those scenes because they weren’t working. There are lots of great moments, but they don’t all add up to a great movie. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the film, but it’s not one I need to have on my shelf alongside the others.