Don’t be scared.  It’s only Hollywood.
(Reviews of "Mini's First Time" and "The TV Set")

By Yuan-Kwan Chan

Alice (Judy Greer) and Mike (David Duchovny) on the set of a set in, well, "The TV Set."

The Tribeca Film Festival has very much become a New York institution in its fifth anniversary year.  But with so many offerings to choose from, it’s inevitable that the American film capital of Hollywood and the sun-soaked sprawl of Los Angeles play a role in this annual film stampede.  Here are two films from the festival that highlighted, in particular, L.A. poking fun of L.A. in a way that only Los Angelinos can.

“Mini’s First Time”: Not even a minute into director-writer Nick Guthe’s debut feature film, and the stage is already set for human beings doing despicable acts juxtaposed against the glossy, Technicolor veneer of Southern California.  Mini, played by “Thirteen” star Nikki Reed, is a saucy, confident teenager who definitely knows what she wants – devoid of moral judgment, that is.  Enter her never-quite-there mother – brilliantly played by Carrie-Anne Moss – and her stepfather Martin (Alec Baldwin), and the trio forms a nuclear family unit that spirals downward into an elaborate scheme of lies, sex, drugs and murder.  It is one thing to watch immoral acts being done in the context of immorality.  It is quite another when they are done to justify moral decisions, none of which the main characters (perhaps save the tentative cop, played by Luke Wilson) possess.  Despite the subject matter, this dark comedy is a fun race to see which of the lot wins out in the end.

TAKE TWO: The solid cast for “The TV Set” almost didn’t happen, according to director-screenwriter Jake Kasdan, who took six weeks to pen a script based on his experiences as a director for shows like “Freaks and Geeks” and “Undeclared.” “I actually had an odd experience on this movie,” Kasdan said at an event hosted by the Apple Store, SoHo, in New York City.  “I had cast the entire movie, and then for a variety of reasons, we ended up pushing back the [filming of the] movie by a couple of months and we ended up recasting the entire movie. “We ended up with a fantastic ensemble,” Kasdan added.  “I couldn’t have lucked out more.”

“The TV Set”:  What happens when a solid script touches the hands of too many people and degenerates into a mess?  Director Jake Kasdan has the answer in this hilarious film about the making of a TV show.  A nearly down-and-out writer named Mike (played by David Duchovny) has penned a script that is near and dear to his heart, but things go south in a hurry when the lead actor he wants doesn’t bag the job.  He gradually begins to lose control of his artistic voice when one too many executives – led by Lenny, a character perfected by Sigourney Weaver – decide that they need to put business decisions ahead of plot lines.  Add a slew of other players, including the clueless manager (Judy Greer), the hot lead actress (Haylie Duff look-alike Lindsay Sloane) and the impressionable new British network executive (Ioan Gruffudd), and the documentary-style feature takes a life of its own.