‘Full Frontal’: Less Overhead, and Drama

When a set of pre-shooting guidelines a director came up with for his actors turns out to be cleverer, better written and of considerable more interest than the finished film, that’s a bad sign. A very bad sign.

The guidelines came to light because of how director Steven Soderbergh shot “Full Frontal.” Needing, he’s told interviewers, a change of pace from recent logistics-heavy studio films such as “Ocean’s Eleven,” Soderbergh wanted his next film to be as close to the bone as possible. That translated into a brief 18-day shoot done primarily with a hand-held digital video camera on unlit locations.

So the actors, who included such names as Julia Roberts, would understand what they were getting into, Soderbergh crafted his amusing 10-point memo, which told the cast they were responsible for their own transportation, costumes, hair and makeup and included the following stipulations:

“If you are unable to drive yourself to the set, a driver will pick you up, but you will probably be the subject of ridicule.”

“There will be no trailers. If you need to be alone a lot, you’re pretty much screwed.”

“You will have fun whether you want to or not.”

From a technical point of view, “Full Frontal,” with a rough, ragged, grainy look that intentionally doesn’t resemble film, is of interest, and Soderbergh’s willingness to try something different is certainly understandable and even commendable.

But, perhaps because the physical challenges captivated him to the exclusion of everything else, Soderbergh has failed to understand or even notice how undernourished, pretentious and completely devoid of dramatic heft “Full Frontal” is. His cast might have had fun, but audiences won’t be in the same position.

The first produced screenplay by playwright and poet Coleman Hough, a friend of the director’s, “Full Frontal” takes us through 24 hours in the L.A. life of some truly tedious people, all of them connected to the movie business and each one less interesting than the one who came before.

Francesca (Roberts) and Calvin (Blair Underwood) are movie stars acting in a new film called “Rendezvous.” It was scripted by the team of Carl (David Hyde Pierce), a writer for Los Angeles magazine, and Arty (Enrico Colantoni), a theater director who is directing an actor playing Hitler (Nicky Katt) in a play called “The Sound and the Fuhrer.”

Carl is afraid he’s boring his wife, Lee (Catherine Keener), a corporation’s vice-president for human resources who believes in torturing employees before she fires them. Lee’s sister, Linda (Mary McCormack), is a masseuse who’s had a hard time sustaining a relationship. And almost all these people are looking forward to a 40th birthday party for Gus (David Duchovny), “Rendezvous’ ” powerful producer.

One of the conceits of “Full Frontal” is that it cuts back and forth between these videoed stories and sleek 35-millimeter footage of “Rendezvous,” an equally tiresome tale of the relationship between a journalist (played by Roberts’ character) sent to interview a TV star transitioning into movie roles (played by Underwood’s character).

While this movie-within-a-movie stuff is minimally involving, it also creates a sense of confusion as to who is exactly who at any given moment. But with dialogue that sounds painfully improvised and a story line that pointlessly meanders among self-involved people and their secondhand thoughts, it mostly seems not worth the effort to clear up the misunderstanding.

Probably the most noteworthy thing about “Full Frontal” is the insider nature of some of the casting. It’s diverting to see an uncredited Brad Pitt as an action star, to watch veteran producer Jerry Weintraub masquerading as a magazine editor, to see David Fincher playing a director and have director Soderbergh show up with his face blacked out by a big black square. There’s even a character, played by Jeff Garlin, called “Harvey, probably,” an homage to Miramax topper Harvey Weinstein.

These pleasures, such as they are, are fleeting in nature. So much so that when Keener’s character pleads near the close, “I just want this day to end,” there’s no one who’s lasted through this exercise in banality who won’t second that emotion.

MPAA rating: R, for language and some sexual content. Times guidelines: sexual situations photographed through opaque glass.

‘Full Frontal’

David Duchovny...Gus

Nicky Katt...Hitler

Catherine Keener...Lee

Mary McCormack...Linda

David Hyde Pierce...Carl

Julia Roberts...Francesca/Catherine

Blair Underwood...Calvin/Nicholas

Enrico Colantoni...Arty/Ed

Released by Miramax Films. Director Steven Soderbergh. Producers Scott Kramer, Gregory Jacobs. Screenplay Coleman Hough. Cinematographer Peter Andrews. Editor Sarah Flack. Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes.

In limited release