Excellent Ensembles
America loves famous people. We love them when they make movies. We love them when they wear fabulous dresses. We love them when they make sex tapes. If given the option, most people would choose to be famous. And those who say they wouldn't are probably lying.
There are so many upsides to fame. You get constant praise for doing a job that's already enjoyable to begin with. Companies shower you with free samples of their products in hopes of an off-the-cuff endorsement. At dinner parties you can refer to Martin Scorsese as Marty or Robert De Niro as Bobby.
Of course, there are also downsides to fame. The paparazzi make it impossible to leave the house in sweatpants. There's always someone younger and prettier lining up to take your place. Plus, you're inextricably tied to Los Angeles for the rest of your life.
Overall, though, the pros far outweigh the cons. Audiences live vicariously through a movie star's fame. The only thing more exciting than one movie star is several movie stars. How else to explain the glut of award shows that crowd the first two months of every year? It's fun to watch Natalie Portman pull off glamorous pregnancy dress after glamorous pregnancy dress.
Hollywood studios know we can't resist stars. That's why they make movies like "New Year's Eve," which has so many famous people they can all barely fit on the poster. The cast includes Halle Berry, Hilary Swank, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sofia Vergara, Lea Michele, Katherine Heigl, Abigail Breslin, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jessica Biel and Jon Bon Jovi, among numerous others.
It's only proper to start a gallery of great ensembles with a Robert Altman movie. Giant assemblages of famous actors were his thing. So was having all of them talk over each other to simulate realistic conversation.
The idea of stuffing a movie with stars was unheard of until "Grand Hotel" came along. The hesitation from movie studios at the time was understandable. You have lots of people under contract. Why not have them all working on separate projects so that you make more money from many different movies?
When you get a bunch of famous actors together, there's always the worry that egos will clash, drama will ensue and hair weaves will get pulled out in front of TMZ cameras. When you get a bunch of comedians together, the potential calamity is even worse. Everyone's trying to be the funniest person in the room. Plus, everyone's comedy style is different. You could potentially end up with an unfunny mash that's trying too hard without ever achieving any real laughs.
But somehow "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" works. Even with the unwieldy title. This comedy about a group of people desperately searching for hidden treasure features Milton Berle, Sid Caesar Phil Silvers, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Spencer Tracy, Jonathan Winters and Jim Backus.
Speaking of distinct comedy styles, Christopher Guest pioneered and popularized the mockumentary. You should probably send him a thank-you note the next time you watch "Parks and Recreation."
Since 1984's "This Is Spinal Tap," Guest has created a series of hilarious deadpan comedies. Like Robert Altman, Guest creates an outline for his movies and allows his actors to improvise from there.
Guest's actors are a true repertory ensemble. The same performers appear again and again in his films, which include "Waiting for Guffman," "For Your Consideration" and "A Mighty Wind."
But the real gem remains "Best in Show," a mockumentary about the Kennel Club competition circuit. It features all the usual Guest suspects, including Michael McKean, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Jane Lynch, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard.
If you know anything about "Happiness" writer-director Todd Solondz, then you know to take that title with a grain of salt. The provocateur behind this NC-17 black comedy pulls no punches. Dylan Baker plays a pedophile obsessed with his son's friend. He eventually drugs and rapes the boy. And he's one of the nicer, more well-adjusted characters.
The cast also features Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lara Flynn Boyle, Jon Lovitz, Jared Harris, Ben Gazzara and Molly Shannon.
"Happiness" is probably the most unlikely movie ever to spawn a sequel. 2009's "Life During Wartime" featured different actors playing the same characters. That ensemble featured Ally Sheedy, Paul Reubens, Allison Janney, Ciaran Hinds and Charlotte Rampling
Murder mysteries have always employed a lot of actors. You need lots of potential suspects and lots of potential victims. But the cast for "Murder on the Orient Express" is one for the ages.
Albert Finney stars as Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He's investigating a murder on a train full of shifty types. They are played by Anthony Perkins, John Gielgud, Vanessa Redgrave, Michael York, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery, Jacqueline Bisset and Ingrid Bergman. The film won Bergman her third Oscar.
A spoof of "Orient Express" and murder mysteries like it, "Murder by Death," hit theaters in 1976. The cast features Peter Sellers, Eileen Brennan, David Niven, Peter Falk, Truman Capote and Maggie Smith. The two films would make a terrific double feature.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" is quite similar to "Margin Call." Both feature desperate salesmen trying to unload undesirable product. Both feature Kevin Spacey. Both have basically no roles for women.
"Glengarry Glen Ross" takes place at a Chicago real estate firm. The film is based on David Mamet's hit play of the same name. The cast features Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin, Alan Arkin, Al Pacino and Jonathan Pryce. That's a lot of machismo for one movie. Just imagine what the shoot must've been like.
Finally, some roles for the ladies. There isn't a single male speaking role in "The Women." Men aren't even seen on-screen.
This dramedy centers on the private lives of Manhattan women. There's backstabbing, undercutting and showboating galore. The film was based on the very popular stage play of the same name by Clare Boothe Luce. It's like an old Hollywood "Real Housewives." It was really decades before its time.
The cast includes Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and Marjorie Main.
The film was remade in 2008. That cast featured Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Carrie Fisher and Jada Pinkett Smith.
Finally, some roles for the ladies. There isn't a single male speaking role in "The Women." Men aren't even seen on-screen.
This dramedy centers on the private lives of Manhattan women. There's backstabbing, undercutting and showboating galore. The film was based on the very popular stage play of the same name by Clare Boothe Luce. It's like an old Hollywood "Real Housewives." It was really decades before its time.
The cast includes Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine and Marjorie Main.
The film was remade in 2008. That cast featured Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Cloris Leachman, Bette Midler, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Carrie Fisher and Jada Pinkett Smith.
"Magnolia" is a three-hour drama about marginally related characters searching for meaning in their lives. The film's odd beauty is difficult to capture in writing. It's one of those movies that's about everything. And it's got a finale you have to see to believe.
Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson was given free creative reign after the success of "Boogie Nights," and, boy, did he take it. The film stars Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Ricky Jay and Jason Robards. Tom Cruise received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing a chauvinistic self-help guru.
In one of the movie's most memorable sequences, all of the characters sing Aimee Mann's haunting rock ballad "Wise Up." They literally just start singing out of nowhere and know all the lyrics for no particular reason. It's a weird, beautiful moment in a weird, beautiful film.
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