Ed Sweet (played by Ed Sweet) wants to be famous. He wants to crap loads of money and pictures himself driving a BMW — the new American dream. Ed isn’t the typical movie a*****e, however. He’s a nice guy who just happens to be shallow. In order to live the lifestyle the media has brainwashed him into wanting, he decides to sign up with a talent agency, which, unknown to him, is little more than a scam. Fame is hard to come by, though, even for a benevolent doofus.
“How to Become Famous” has some promise. Sweet comes off as a less creepy Kyle MacLachlan, and the rest of the cast is fairly believable. Unfortunately, this movie falters every step of the way, as this is a story that’s humorous but played far too straight to be effective. And then there’s the main character, who is as lame as they come. Nobody with half a brain will care about this guy; he’s a moron who can’t see a fraud for what it is. To make it worse, he’s the epitome of what too many men are becoming … even the good ones. Didn’t Sweet watch Fight Club?” Hasn’t American Beauty taught him anything?
This film was an “official selection” of the Phoenix Film Festival, which makes me wonder about the caliber of the other selections. If this is any indication, Phoenix will not be the film festival to watch for cutting edge material, and if it was Sweet’s intent to become famous through this film, well, our local McDonald’s is hiring.
