One can imagine then, that “Purim” has not attracted the attention of Hollywood’s A-List. Instead, the film stars Marylin Hack (Catherine O’Hara), an actress with one decent credit to her name- from thirty years ago, and Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), the commercial mascot of a hot dog company. Rounding out the cast of has-beens and nobodies are newcomers Brian Chubb (Christopher Moynihan) and Callie Webb (Parker Posey).

Things begin to pick up on set when a crewmember discovers an Internet posting that describes Marylin’s performance as “Oscar-worthy.” This one little shred of “wikiality” becomes the talk of the studio, as they feel they now have a film that people might actually pay to see, Granted, this is all based on a random anonymous mention on a website, but when an idea starts snowballing, it doesn’t really matter where the first flake happens to fall.

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Before long there are stories in Variety, PR heads and studio chiefs are nosing about, and the cast starts showing up on newsmagazine and interview programs. The Oscar buzz is not solely focused on Marylin either- soon Victor and Callie are caught up in the speculation as well. For the first time in their lives they are being treated like celebrities, a feeling which contains just enough “truthiness” for them to become ensnared by the trappings of fame, from lavish parties to Botox.

So, it comes as quite a surprise to everyone when only the seemingly overlooked Brian receives a nomination. For Marylin, Victor, and Callie, the sudden influx of actual reality into their truthiness-based wikiality is a crushing blow, sending them back to the obscurity of theater classes, infomercials, and performance art from whence they came.

That is perhaps the greatest strength of “For Your Consideration.” It has a keen eye for showcasing the differences between the characters’ fantasy of stardom and the reality of their movie. Even as the hype around “Purim” builds, Guest continually reinforces the superficiality of it all, exposing the conditions in which reputation and expectation are allowed to outpace veracity in importance.

Unfortunately, that strength comes at a price- because of the rather jolting nature of the reality check for the leads, this film has a much darker ending than the majority of Guest’s work, which may disappoint some of his audience. After all, the Flecks actually won the dog pageant in “Best in Show,” and the concert and play from “A Mighty Wind” and “Waiting for Guffman” were essentially successes.

Personally, I had a feeling that things would end badly in this one, but I had no idea just how far down “Sunset Boulevard” Guest and company would be traveling. However, while the ending may be harsh on Victor. Callie, and Marylin, it is the most honest and realistic outcome for these characters.

In general though, “For Your Consideration” is an entertaining film, full of the same quirky performances (and actors) one would expect from a Christopher Guest movie. It may not win any awards, but it’s definitely one to consider seeing.

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