Great World of Sound

2007 dramedy

Rating: 14/20

Plot: Martin gets a job as a music producer, a sort-of talent scout in charge of locating prospective artists and getting them to fork over some money in exchange for some time in the studio. If it sounds like a shady operation, that's because it is. Clarence, a father of six, is simultaneously hired and trained by Shank (yeah, that sounds like the name of an honest businessman) and becomes Martin's partner. They travel to Birmingham, Louisville, Nashville, and Indianapolis to discover new talents, and even though they make a pretty good team, Martin's conscience starts to get in the way.

I spent much of the movie wondering how the scenes with the "try-outs" (there are lots of them, maybe even too many) looked so natural. I'm guessing the performances were real and the lines from the two leads were improvised. At least two of the auditions had to be written and staged, but the others were surely from actual aspiring musicians/singers who answered some sort of ad. Lots of subtle humor in this, but there's also a heart to the film. As the drama unfolds, it's almost impossible not to empathize with Martin as he struggles with his new job and his relationships. The movie's far from perfect and really falls apart at the end, but I do like the actors who play Martin and especially Clarence a lot and think it's a promising start to Craig Zobel's career as a filmmaker. Unlike with Brown Bunny, I didn't recognize Indianapolis in this one.