And so to the fifth and latest satirical mocumentary from Christopher Guest and friends. Funny? Well, by and large yes. Revealing? Hardly. Having moved from community theatre to Hollywood, one would rightly expect riches galore from the skewed wit that brought us Waiting For Guffman and Best In Show. People look forward to these spicy offerings rather like Bond fans or Trekkies line up for their next course. Sadly, this rather bland dish won’t have anyone queuing for long. The rabble of wowsers who call themselves film artists – from producers through actors to bottom feeding entertainment shows – are lined up for pot shots. The story of an unlikely Jewish drama – Home For Purim – that gains Oscar buzz is rich comic territory.

There are a number of great gags and great supporting roles: Fred Willard and Jane Lynch as inane TV hosts provide the film’s best moments. But it’s a brief respite amid an amiable onslaught, and an all too familiar one at that. A business held aloft by big egos and bigger neuroses might well be an easy target, but is one that provides all the ingredients for a class-act savaging. Yet Guest backs off from biting the hand that feeds in favour of a mild nibbling instead. Characters who deserve a beating are given a slap on the back for their crazy ways. Fused with such an overwhelming air of self-congratulation, For Your Consideration suggests a swansong. Indeed, it is certainly time for a new formula. Even when you turn it up to eleven, this is regrettably tame. Entertaining enough, but far from Guest at his best.

// COLIN FRASER