Customer Reviews

My Big Break

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the very great honor of attending the debut of this film at EyeCon in Orlando, FL, September 27, 2008, with actor Chad Lindberg and director Tony Zierra in attendance. It was an unforgettable experience.

The movie starts off with the hi-jinks and madcap behavior one would expect of a house full of aspiring young *male!* Hollywood actors. They are crazed, they are irreverent, they are risque, they are up for anything you can imagine because they are all here looking for that Big Break. Living with the four aspiring actors is a young film maker, Tony Zierra, who takes it upon himself to chronicle the landmarks of their journies. The results are ... unexpected.

Never have I imagined such an unflinching look at what it takes, what it means to reach for stardom in Hollywood. We watch these youngsters strive and struggle, we watch them crash and burn, we watch them get up and keep slugging until ... hey. Look at that. The cameras and the lights are looking at not one, but *three* promising actors who just happen to be friends and house mates. The parallels of their upward climbs is dizzying, exhilerating, amazing, even while the not-so-upward battle of the fourth friend just can't quite get that break. It seems like just the luck of the draw ...

Until it dawns on us, the viewers, just how funny this all is not. In the end, it is brutally, painfully apparent that "success" in show biz is sometimes just as bad as, if not worse than no success at all. It would be a troubling film if it were fiction. It's downright unnerving to realise that everything we see ... is real. These are actual people, these are actual lives, and the young man pensively *not* looking in the camera, speaking softly about wanting "something real," is not an actor in his own life.

The closing scenes of the movie pick up the foursome several years down the road, when their fellowship is long sundered and their paths have diverged, and one of them isn't even returning the others' calls. For anyone who has ever thought, "Hey, they're celebrities, they should be used to it," or who has ever wondered why our best and brightest stars burn out too young ... you need to see this film. It will change the way you view the industry forever.

I hope to see this in general release soon. Best of luck, Chad and Tony. Thank you for coming to EyeCon. It was awesome to see you both. :-)
Cheers ~

Gloria
aka "ErinRua"

I watched My Big Break for the first time last night, and loved how the director was able to capture the essence of what it takes to make it in Hollywood - perfectly weaving you through the good and bad times of life in L.A. as a young actor. The DVD also includes many wonderful extras that really put the viewer behind the camera during the making of the film. Along with the interested moviegoer, I would also recommend this film to actors in the industry and anyone who has the desire to be a director in Hollywood. This film shows the truth about what can happen to you in Hollywood, cutting through all the BS and getting straight to the point. Recommended!!

I can't believe the makers of this movie haven't promoted it as being Entourage in real life--except if Turtle and Eric are successful actors, too. In My Big Break, you follow the (real-life) careers of four young aspiring actors who live together in a messy house in LA. Three of them make it fairly big--and one of them, unbelievably big (Wes Bentley, who did the amazing job as the troubled kid in American Beauty). Then things start to fall apart, and Wes's career (among others) starts to crumble. (Vincent Chase, anyone?) This movie is an amazingly honest, searching portrayal of the Hollywood star machine, and how it eats people up. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I loved it.

"My Big Break" is an astonishing achievement in documentary filmmaking. In telling the true story of the struggles of four actors and one filmmaker trying to make it in Hollywood one might say this is the most raw, honest, and enduring tale of tinsel town since the mythic and fictional "Sunset Blvd."
It not only chronicles the rise of three young actors to sudden breathtaking fame but also the flatline of the fourths attempts at a career. And of course what the film is ultimately presenting is the fascinating tale of the film itself being made and trying to make it within the insular and cannibalistic land of the lotus-eaters.
Brilliantly shot, edited and narrated by director Tony Zierra this is a must see for anyone with the slightest interest in Hollywood behind the scenes. (Or in pursuing a career there.) It is harrowing, funny, and deeply moving. I never expected to get sucked in by this but I must admit by the last entry from Wes Bentley juxtaposed by what the ultimate outcome of the tale turned out to be, well I nearly wept at the loss that was presented. Whether it is Hollywood, Hong Kong or San Francisco and you are a movie star, or an average Joe on the street it all boils down to what life is and what it can do to a dream and ultimately the dreamer.
The score for the film is by a young rising talent out of Liverpool, David Ben Shannon. His contribution to the film is impressive. The score ranges from hip Hollywood sound to a few well places musical homage to films of the past. See if you can spot them. The score soars and supports the film just where and when it needs to. Overall a fine debut by an artist we will be hearing more from in the future.
And I am sure more great things will come from Director Tony Zierra. A strong, passionate filmmaker who deserves at last his "Big Break"! Five stars and Bravo!

Being an actress I personally really enjoyed this documentary.
You get to see the highs and lows of making it or not making it in the tough acting Hollywood industry.
You get to see behind the scenes, everything past the hair, make up, designer clothes and flashing cameras. You see tears, anger, depression, drug addiction. Everything!

It's truly fantastic that it was documented and caught on camera. A true honest look at the industry and the affect on the actors lives.

I love this!!!

I watched the re-released film My Big Break last night. For anyone interested in the Hollywood Dream and "making it" in the Business it's a must see. Remember Wes Bentley, the camera guy from American Beauty? Or how about Chad Lindberg from The Fast and the Furious and October Sky? Or maybe you recall Brad Rowe, who starred opposite Sean Hayes in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss? These were the hot young actors, and they were going places!

You might ask, "What happened to those guys?" The answer is not pretty. Filmed over ten years, director Tony Zierra, captures four struggling actors in Los Angeles as they attempt to break into the industry, auditioning, screen testing, and goofing around at their apartment in Miracle Mile. Amazingly, Rowe is given his big break in the film Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss. Lindberg and Bentley are quick to follow with October Sky and the Academy Award winning American Beauty. The fourth roommate, Greg Fawcett, jealously looks on as his roommates are driven in limos and flown to sets around the world. He breaks down in the climax of the film, screaming and running around naked in an open field. He is a man alone, chasing an unrealized dream.

The illusion and fame slowly fades for the three movie stars. Brad Rowe orders Zierra to turn the camera off him after his subsequent films fail to match the success of his first movie and Wes Bentley starts to become increasingly aloof and existential about the meaning of fame and reality. Chad becomes so obsessed with being a leading man that he attempts to have plastic surgery to alter his chin and nose. And that's only the beginning. We're left to watch as these three actors fall as quickly as they've risen.

My Big Break is an excellent documentary. The film joins the ranks of other great Hollywood myth shattering classics: What Makes Sammy Run, All About Eve, and Day of the Locust. Zierra is to be applauded for having the gumption to get this film made and have it distributed after failing to find a backer in LA. As for the actors, I won't ruin it by telling you how Bentley, Lindberg, and Rowe end up. The funny thing is, you wouldn't believe any of this story if it wasn't real. The pull of the dream is so strong. But as they say, "that's Hollywood."

I had the great honor of being among the first people to see this movie at the first screening in Orlando and was blown away. Tony Zierra shows a unique view of Hollywood and the rise and fall of aspiring actors. This roller coaster of a film almost never saw the light of day due to pressure from Hollywood to keep it from being released. Congratulations to Mr. Zierra for continuing to press ahead and finally making this film available to us the viewers. Follow the lives of these four actors and one director... the highs of initial success, the crushing disappointment of watching your friends and housemates succeed while you continue to struggle for recognition, the cataclysmic fall from the public eye... It's a heartbreaking, raw and at times terrible look behind the scenes that will shock and disturb you. You must see this film!

I've been waiting for a while now and Amazon still says "Out of Stock" I saw the movie in Orlando and Loved it! Please Amazon get it in stock. Thank you........

Now I get why the slogan for this documentary is "Are You Ready?". I can tell you that I wasn't. I assumed that it would be a fun maybe juicy trip through what it's like to get exactly what so many of us would like to have: fame and fortune. think about how many people, myself included, have wished we could trade our ordinary "normal" lives for the glamour of Hollywood. Not that I ever thought I would really go for it but we can dream, can't we? This documentary was a real wake-up call for me. Funny but watching it made my holiday better because it made me appreciate my life and my family more than I usually do. I felt like this hype about how great celebrities lives are is just that...hype. There's nothing real about it. Obviously getting famous messes with people big time. I was always confused about that. For instance, why do so many big stars from Marilyn Monroe to Owen Wilson seem so self-destructive when they have everything? This documentary helped answer that question for me. Honestly though, it also made me feel guilty for pushing my daughter, who is 19 toward being an actress. She's really talented and I guess I felt a little bit like she might have a chance to live out the dream I always had but didn't go after. We watched this movie together and afterwards she told me that she'd rather go into nursing and I'm glad. On a kind of funny note: the guys in the movie are all really good looking in different ways so there's that to add to your viewing pleasure.

If you are living as a human being you can relate to this movie. Seeing the entertainment industry as it really is; a job. A hard job that you might not be hired for even if you have all the right stuff. The passion that these men have for their craft is admirable. I felt as though I was there with them through every step. I wish only the best for all of them. I think people can take great messages from this film. Life is not easy. If you want something you have to fight for it everyday. Sometimes, just wanting something isn't enough and you have to know what is right for you to do. I will watch this movie again. Especially when I'm struggling and I need to be reminded that I just need to keep pushing through and things will change.