Living in Oblivion

A darkly comic, low-budget independent film depicting the making a of low-budget independent film, for which director Tom DiCillo won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival.

Related Topics:
Independent film - Director - Tom DiCillo - Sundance Film Festival

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Tom DiCillo got inspiration for this film from the frustrations he experienced when making Johnny Suede and his long struggle to make Box of Moonlight, the film he intended to make after Johnny Suede. Living in Oblivion was rejected by all producers but the actors and friends of the director felt so strongly about the project that they financed it.

Related Topics:
Johnny Suede - Box of Moonlight

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Living in Oblivion is divided into three parts. The first part was shot in five days and after DiCillo realized that it was to short to be a feature and too long to be a short he expanded it into a full feature film with parts two and three.

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The film follows the troubles of independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) as he struggles to keep the film going in the face of a seemingly neverending series of setbacks.

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It's rumoured that the pompous character Chad Palomino (played by James LeGros) is based on Brad Pitt. DiCillo denies this however and says that Pitt was in fact intended to play the part but canceled because of a scheduling conflict. James LeGros (who was brought into the film by Catherine Keener) told the director that he based his portrayal of Chad Palomino on someone he had recently worked with on another movie (they will not say who to avoid a defamation lawsuit).

Related Topics:
James LeGros - Brad Pitt - Catherine Keener - Defamation - Lawsuit

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• Starring: Steve Buscemi, Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney and James LeGros
• Directed by: Tom DiCillo
 
Living in Oblivion: External Link ►