Unscripted, 2005

HBO Series with 10 Episodes
Directors: George Clooney & Grant Heslov
Staring: Krista Allen, Bryan Greenberg, Jennifer Hall, Frank Langella
IMDB Link:  Unscripted

sez says--this series has a Cinema Verite feel to it. It is not a documentary--but you feel like you are watching people in real life situations struggling to find their way into the the world of professional acting. Much of the story takes place in an acting class--where Frank Langella, as the 'instructor' creates a grossly exploitative character who is also strangely sympathetic. He bobbles around trying to help his students, being jealous of them, and using them (esp the women) -- all the while he struggles to explain what it takes to be an actor and how deeply within yourself you must delve to find the strength and commitment to excel in the craft.  But the class is only one aspect of the series, there is the everyday lives of people in the class--each more compelling than the next. It is real easy to recommend this. It is real easy to watch. And it is real easy to like the characters. You leave it feeling you know something of the soul and the underbelly of the world of the actor--or at least of the aspiring actor.

mjc says:  this  was so simple in its execution and yet delved deeply and realistically  into the struggle of aspiring actors.  I say this knowing nothing about the "reality" of that life, but the series was so persuasive of its point of view that it convinced me of its authenticity.  Powerful piece.

GRADE: B+