Series 7: The Contenders

Year: 2001

Writer: Daniel Minahan

Director: Daniel Minahan

Budget: ?

Gross: $171 478

have you ever seen that reality show where they go into a town, hold a random lottery to select five individuals, then they give these people a gun and the last one alive wins?

ok, well the reason you haven't seen it is because it doesn't actually exist.  however, it is the premise to the great film, Series 7: The Contenders - and lets be honest.  it doesn't actually sound that far fetched.

the television show is called 'The Contenders' and the movie is produced as if it is doing a marathon of the entire 7th series (or season).  there is an announcer, television graphics and even teasers with clips from what will be coming up next when they get back from commercial (no, they don't actually go to a commercial, but it sure feels like they could).  for a film with, what i assume, was a very low budget, the production design is almost perfect.

each contestant is provided with their own cameraman who follows them everywhere they go and the movie is edited together with such a great understanding for how reality tv works.  i have often watched reality tv and thought about how much it felt like a scripted show/movie, and Series 7 captures that without it feeling like a scripted movie. this might have something to do with the fact that director minahan got the idea for the film while working on a real reality show (i'm not sure which one).

while there are still quite a few reality shows on tv today, this film came out back in 2001 when the craze was just hitting its stride - Survivor premiered in 2000 and kick started the gluttony of reality shows that followed, from Temptation Island and Big Brother to I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Lost, there was that one where contestants had to burn their passports and agree to live on the resort/island for an in determinant amount of time (all while hooking up and double crossing people of course).  the need for each show to be more extreme, sexual, and conflicting then the last was a trend that made them ripe for satire and The Contenders took them on brilliantly - hey, and don't forget that there was actual talk years ago about broadcasting an execution on live tv...

the performances in the film are great.  the main character is played by brooke smith - who you might remember as buffalo bill's prisoner in Silence Of The Lambs. brooke plays dawn lagarto who is the reigning 2-time Contender champion as well as being 8 months pregnant.

i caught this movie during its short run in the theater back in 2001 and did my part to get as many people i knew to go check it out as well.  this was minihans directorial debut (he has a co-writer credit on I Shot Andy Warhol) and he hasn't made another movie since.  instead he has been working in tv, directing episodes of The L Word, Deadwood, Six Feet Under, Grey's Anatomy, Commander In Chief and Big Love.  i don't know if he will ever make another movie, but i do know that the one he has made is well worth remembering and seeking out.  

Comments

[Cam]

I really liked this movie! I think one of the reasons it came and went soooo fast was that it was just a nanosecond before it's time. Reality TV was just starting to gain momentium but hadn't yet gone completely out of control. The Contenders was a really well done parody. It's like a cross between Survivoir and that old Maury Povich show what was it called...I think it was something like "A Current Affair".Great job picking out Brooke Smith as the "It puts the lotion in the basket" lady. I totally missed that but I see her all the time in movies these day and always call her out as the "Series 7" girl. I don't want to give too much away, but my absoulute favorite part is in the movie theatre and how they have to deal with technical difficulties.I also loved the gung ho parents as well as the nurse. This whole movie is black comedy at it's finest.

It's funny though, I always save up movies like this to show to my family whenever we get together. My sister's have pretty good taste and mostly get a kick out of the same things I do. However, at about 2am when the end credits for this movie rolled my sister exclaimed, "That was the worst movie ever made" and left the house. I guess it hit a nerve.If you haven't seen this one I also highly encourage you to see it...ya might love it, ya might hate.

Along the same lnes is a brillant film out of Japan called "Battle Royale". If you like "Series 7" then you have to see "Battle Royal"....No Excuses!

[Eaglewing]

I remember seeing this a few years back on The Movie Network here. It was pretty good - like Cam said above, a total black comedy. The satire of the extreme nature of reality TV and the nature of "we must top it" marketing thinking and general direction of society is spot on. Its an excellent little hidden gem flick...

[jesse]

i'm surprised a number of people have seen this one. i thought this would be one of the least seen of the ones i have mentioned so far.... i would really like to see minahan make another movie, but, unfortunately it doesn't look like that is going to happen anytime soon

and ya, cam is right: Battle Royal is one worth checking out as well

[celine]

This is being shown on the sundance channel April 7 at 11:45PM EST and the 11th at 10PM in case anyone wants to catch it.

[Jesse]

thanx for the heads up celine. anyone who hasn't seen it and has the sundance channel should check it out or at least set your tivo.