Videos
The Big Picture
Hollywood beckons for recent film school grad Nick Chapman, who is out to capitalize on the momentum from his national award-winning student film. Studio executive Allen Habel seduces Nick with a dream deal to make his first feature, but once production gets rolling, corporate reality begins to intervene: Nick is unable to control a series of compromises to his high-minded vision, and it's all he can do to maintain his integrity in the midst of filmmaking chaos.
5.8
100 min
Release
1989-09-15
Cast
Kevin Bacon
as Nick Chapman
Emily Longstreth
as Susan Rawlings
J. T. Walsh
as Allen Habel
Teri Hatcher
as Gretchen
Michael McKean
as Emmet Sumner
Jennifer Jason Leigh
as Lydia Johnson
Kim Miyori
as Jenny Sumner
Dan Schneider
as Jonathan Tristan-Bennet
Jason Gould
as Carl Manknik
Tracy Brooks Swope
as Lori Pressman
Don Franklin
as Todd Marvin
Gary Kroeger
as Mark
Alice Hirson
as Mrs. Chapman
Grant Owens
as Mr. Chapman
Fran Drescher
as Polo HabelSuzy Cote
as Mindy Habel
Eddie Albert
as M.C.
June Lockhart
as Janet Kingsley
Stephen Collins
as Attorney
Roddy McDowall
as Judge
Vladimir Skomarovsky
as Man in Nick's Movie
Holly Fields
as DaughterYvonne Peattie
as Mrs. Feldzar
Stan Ivar
as CharlieC.W. Hemingway
as Joey
David Hayward
as George
Caitlin Clarke
as Sharon
Nancy Valen
as Young Sharon
Martin Short
as Neil Sussman - Nick's Agent
Robert Bauer
as Wounded SoldierWesley Pfenning
as Woman in Cabin
John Cleese
as BartenderRichard Blake
as Abe Lincoln
Walter Olkewicz
as Babe Ruth
Scott Coffey
as Waiter
Bruce Kirby
as Businessman
Richard Belzer
as Video Show Host
Beth Chamberlin
as StewardessMike Miller
as PEZ® PeopleMichael Jocum
as PEZ® PeopleTim Landers
as PEZ® PeopleMartin Lund
as PEZ® PeopleNovi Novog
as PEZ® PeopleTom Maier
as Building ManagerValen Watson
as Woman in RestaurantJennifer Karr
as Woman in RestaurantSue-Ann Leeds
as Woman in RestaurantBuddy Garion
as Man in RestaurantJim Pollack
as Man in RestaurantScott Williamson
as Restaurant ManagerVictor Steinbach
as Andres VargiakArlene Lorre
as CleopatraGeorge Rogan
as Security Guard / NaziPerla Walter
as HousekeeperPamela Morris
as CherylLulie Newcomb
as ReceptionistPatty Howeth
as Woman with FridgeBritta Wilson
as Stewardess
Suzee Slater
as StewardessBrad Zutaut
as SurferMatthew Eichler
as Piano PlayerNadine Lenore Patterson
as Twin
Elliott Gould
as Prosecutor - Trial of Janet Kingsley (uncredited)Director
REVIEWS
Wuchak
**_Satire on Hollywood and the filmmaking process with Kevin Bacon_** After a film student from Ohio (Bacon) wins an award for his short movie at the film institute in Los Angeles, he has to carefully traverse the minefield of the system to get his artistic vision made. JT Walsh plays a manipulative producer and Martin Short a dubious agent. “The Big Picture” (1989) is an amusing look at the moviemaking process in Hollywood. The humor is mostly droll or quirky and viewers not up on the business might not relate to some of it, which could explain why the flick flopped at the box office. I wouldn’t want to blow time & money on seeing it at the theater, but it works well enough for home viewing on a quiet night or whatever. Winsome Emily Longstreth stands out on the feminine front as the protagonist’s girlfriend, Susan. She was a minor female sensation at the time who worked with the likes of Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Rob Morrow, Molly Ringwald and James Spader, but she left acting entirely by the early 90s, reportedly falling into substance abuse, mental illness, and living in homeless shelters. It’s rumored she died in early 2015, but factual info is hard to find so I can’t verify this. Teri Hatcher is notable as wannabe starlet Gretchen; it was her movie debut. Meanwhile Jennifer Jason Leigh is on hand as hipster Lydia while Fran Drescher shows up as the producer’s wife, Polo. The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes, and was shot in the Los Angeles area. GRADE: B-
