My Big Break (2009)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Now I get why the slogan for this documentary is "Are You Ready?". I can tell you that I wasn't. I assumed that it would be a fun maybe juicy trip through what it's like to get exactly what so many of us would like to have: fame and fortune. think about how many people, myself included, have wished we could trade our ordinary "normal" lives for the glamour of Hollywood. Not that I ever thought I would really go for it but we can dream, can't we? This documentary was a real wake-up call for me. Funny but watching it made my holiday better because it made me appreciate my life and my family more than I usually do. I felt like this hype about how great celebrities lives are is just that...hype. There's nothing real about it. Obviously getting famous messes with people big time. I was always confused about that. For instance, why do so many big stars from Marilyn Monroe to Owen Wilson seem so self- destructive when they have everything? This documentary helped answer that question for me. Honestly though, it also made me feel guilty for pushing my daughter, who is 19 toward being an actress. She's really talented and I guess I felt a little bit like she might have a chance to live out the dream I always had but didn't go after. We watched this movie together and afterwards she told me that she'd rather go into nursing and I'm glad. On a kind of funny note: the guys in the movie are all really good looking in different ways so there's that to add to your viewing pleasure.

Tony Zierra has pulled back the curtain and challenges anything you might think you know about Hollywood. This raw roller-coaster of a ride follows the fates of 4 actors from when they first set foot in Hollywood. The meteoric rise of three, the gut-wrenching pain of the fourth as he watches his friends succeed. It is a must-see for anyone who has ever thought about entering the world of television or movies. It will leave you conflicted, but glad that you had this unique view into the lives of these men. Kudos to Mr. Zierra for continuing to fight the fight and for finally getting this movie released, and grateful thanks to the rest of the group for allowing us this exquisitely personal look into their lives.

Tony Zierra magnificently puts to screen the real story of four roommates trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood. While one maybe "destined" for greatness, others struggle through their potential - that may never surface… This is a genuine movie, featuring a world within Hollywood we all wish to have an inside look at.The film takes the viewer through so many emotional levels, you can't help but feel the pain that success brings to someone who is not quite ready for it. Brilliantly directed and masterfully set up. This is one of the best true Hollywood films, and it will remain that way.

This film was ten years in the making and in fact, it was trashed by Tony Zierra (the producer) before he went back to the drawing board and sorted through some 200 hours of film to ultimately have this film. It's a one of a kind documentary that gives us a very raw and heartbreaking view into the workings of the film industry and what can happen when dreams do come true. The documentary chronicles the journey of five men who come to live together in a Los Angeles home. Tony Zierra is the aspiring director who embarked on this journey to film the lives of the four actors he lived with and document for the world the struggles both internal and external that fledgling actors encounter. I truly feel that what started out as a project turned into a labor of love for him. Tony is able to give us, from his most distinctive view point, a true look into the face of stardom and how it works. He offers up in poignant form a journey in stages and throughout the documentary, we watch the lives of all five men unfold just much like a Hollywood movie. He follows these four men from the pursuit of the Hollywood dream, to the euphoric stage of attaining it, watches as they try to shoulder the weight, and then gives us the final stage of the pain of losing it.In rapid succession, three of the men begin their ascent to stardom. Brad Rowe's meteoric rise proceeds to take him on an almost reluctant journey to being labeled as the next 'big thing'. His uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt captures the industry's attention and he easily becomes typecast as the 'pretty boy' and becomes the target of gossip. All this ultimately leads to his eventual decline.Chad Lindberg's sensitivity, charm, and raw talent make him perfect for films like "The Velocity of Gary" and "October Sky". Eventually his rise is thwarted by being constantly perceived, at least outwardly, as a supporting character by the powers that be in Hollywood who are really only focused on image and not the inner qualities that transcend the marketable package. His fight gives voice to the struggle that we all deal with when our value is attached to looks.Wes Bentley's Hollywood story truly captures the too much too soon cautionary tale as you watch what happens when he becomes an overnight sensation from his role in the Oscar winning film American Beauty. He was touted as the next Tom Cruise at one point and we watch as he drowns in his instant fame. He becomes paralyzed by it, unable to make a decision regarding his future roles and options. As Hollywood was banging on his door, he was trying to escape out the back and retreat from the weight of his own fame.The fourth house-mate was the aspiring actor Greg Fawcett. He seemed destined to provide the counter-point to the various success stories unfolding in front of him. He may have been the exception to the rule in the house, but definitely represents the majority of the Hollywood stories. His is the side of story that no one wants to discuss, the despair of failure to ever achieve the goal. His is the documentary's strongest source of tragedy; he provides a face to so many emotions from seeing his friends succeed as he eagerly awaits his turn, his growing resentment and frustration when things continue to go well for the others yet nothing comes his way, and the dogged determination to keep going. We watch as he struggles with the questions "Am I good enough" "Am I just fooling myself" but he never quits. Listening to him speak to the camera you come to realize that he never recognized any of his shortcomings and therefore never would overcome them. He's so vulnerable, such an optimist, and his own worst enemy. Never could it be scripted how his life turned out.Lastly, we have the man whose journey of self discovery became this odyssey. This documentary was originally slated for release in 2000 under the title "Carving Out Our Name" and has undergone a massive transformation from that film to the one we see today. It's become a story of not only the people residing in that house, but a story of his struggle to get the film made and ultimately released by an industry that doesn't want it out there. His narration sets the tone and gives prophetic voice to the heartbreak, ecstasy, and ultimate tragedy that is shown frame by frame.We all know that there's a hidden underside to Hollywood, but we tend to ignore that and only focus on the glitz and glamour that's force fed to us at every opportunity. We see the beautiful people every day showing us exactly what they want us to see.Sure Hollywood is great at allowing us to see the massive implosions of our superstars due to the shocking headline grabbing reasons of drugs and alcohol, but it's fighting tooth and nail the release of this movie which shows how Hollywood itself sets in motion the destruction of these ordinary people with dreams. It sets them on this path, only to watch them be done in by what does most of us in… fear, isolation, desperation, and self-doubt and it stands back to watch it happen as it moves onto the next big thing. The bright side of Hollywood under all those beautiful lights has a much darker side This is a story that needs to be told and there is a world that needs to be shown it in all its heartbreaking glory.