“We live in a cynical world, and we work in a business of tough competitors…”

So says Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire right before the infamous “You complete me—You had me at hello” exchange in Cameron Crowe’s “Jerry Maguire”.

Whether you are a Cruise fan or not, this is a good celluloid moment—heartfelt, revealing, truthful. It is a good moment—in a script full of good moments—because it actually takes the time to acknowledge and explore the plight of modern man in today’s “lowest common denominator” culture. By showing Cruise realize his predicament, Crowe shines a light on man’s struggle to be authentic in a world that does not value authenticity. (This is important stuff, especially for those of us who are members of Generation X). How to be successful without betraying oneself—it’s the ultimate question of our generation.

Jake Kasdan picks up on this thread in his smart new film called “The TV Set”. On the surface , it’s about the making of a TV pilot and all the BS Hollywood baggage that comes with it. Wickedly funny and chock full of insider wit and observation, Kasdan—using a never better David Duchovny as his guide—takes us down the “appointment TV” river and into the heart of darkness that is American Television, circa 2007. It’s not a pretty sight and Kasdan knows of where he speaks (he grew up in “the biz”, his father is writer/director Lawrence Kasdan of "The Big Chill" and "Body Heat" fame).

Funny, mean, preposterous, infuriating, insightful—the characters and jokes fly by like changing channels on the remote, but as we plunge deeper into the pilot season we begin to see that “The TV Set” has bigger fish to fry then market shares and reality-TV dominance. Kasdan has his sights set on more elusive game, namely the artist’s inner battle to stay true to oneself when the entire system around him is pushing him to do otherwise.

That system is represented by Lenny (Sigourney Weaver in a tour de force turn), a high powered, ratings obsessed, network executive whose #1 show is the reality series “Slut Wars”. Duchovny plays Mike Klein, a gifted writer who knows the score but still wants to do good work. His proposed series, “The Wexler Chronicles”, is his baby-- a dramedy with deep, personal significance that revolves around the suicide of the main character’s brother.

Lenny wants to “tweak” Klein’s work to make it more sexy and palpable to the masses—“suicide is such a downer”, “original scares me a little” —and Klein, being a realist, understands this process, but it gnaws away at his very being each time she takes a bite. And chomp away she does, ditching the suicide storyline altogether and changing the title to “Call Me Crazy!”to fit her focus group obsession. Klein’s “demise” is both painful and funny to watch, and it’s hard to tell if this is mainly due to Kasdan’s dead on writing, Duchovny’s layered portrayal of cynicism and hope, or Weaver’s hilarious bitch-on-wheels glamour. Probably a little bit of each, which is the sign of a good film-- when all cylinders are clicking and contributions are coming from every angle.

Ioan Gruffudd, as Lenny’s right hand man Richard McAllister, and Judy Greer, as Klein’s manager Alice, also shine in juicy supporting roles (a hilarious and telling bit between Klein and Alice regarding “Taxi Driver” is not to be missed).

Like Klein, we all must compromise and swallow our pride and make concessions to survive in “this cynical world full of tough competitors”, but the more important question is-- how do we do this and still hold on to some of our original integrity? Can it be done? Isn’t there some middle ground between “artist” and sell out…does it have to be a black and white choice?

I don’t know-- and it feels to me that Kasdan and Klein aren’t sure either. But they are still trying. They aren’t completely giving in or giving up. And, this is what makes “The TV Set” glow and resonate after leaving the theatre. This forging ahead, this refusal to completely sell out.

The final shot of the film is of Klein’s face staring back at us. We know what he is feeling, and this frustrates us and lifts us up at the same time. It is truthful and this is something we can all grab on to, even if it just an image on a movie screen about a TV show…

by Matthew Sidney Long