The Deal
The Deal
R | 20 November 2008 (USA)
The Deal Trailers

Charlie Berns is a veteran Hollywood movie producer who has given up on his career and life. That is until his idealistic screenwriter nephew comes bearing the script of a lifetime and Charlie decides to give his career one final shot. The only thing standing in his way is Diedre Hearn, a sharp-witted studio executive brought in to keep Charlie in line.

Reviews
TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Helloturia I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
candidcamel I have never met a Meg Ryan Movie that I didn't enjoy. Simply the best movie about making movies that I have seen. This movie is simply hilarious with pretty much NON STOP Hilarity! Another romantic comedy to add to my short list. Meg in You've Got Mail, French Kiss and the highly under-rated Addicted To Love. Macy plays to type. The only criticism I would render is that Jason Ritter could have had more lines and face-time, however when on screen he is a joy to watch. A cross between Val Kilmer and his dad of course, so cute! I have never seen too many movies with scenery from The South of Africa, now on my bucket list to visit. It was honest and showed the poverty mixed directly in with the wealth set with a landscape that only God could have created and only your wildest imagination could dream.
writers_reign One of the snags with the 'seven basic plots' syndrome is that although it IS possible to isolate and identify seven disparate strings in the fabric of world literature in many instances there is more than one present in a given story and/or elements within plots turn up right across the spectrum. So it is here with yet another take on Shakespeare's Benedek and Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing), the two people who start out loathing each other and wind up in the sack. Yet that is only one element, albeit at the forefront, of this delightful satire on movie making Hollywood style. Never mind that the movie business is now beyond satire given that nothing a satirist can devise hasn't been or is being done in Hollywood even as the satirist's words strike the computer screen, this is a vastly entertaining film in which the ridiculous - and how about Benjamin Disraeli as a black Jewish freedom fighter - truly is sublime. Double-threat William H. Macey co-wrote the screenplay and stars as a perennial loser who finally, against both the odds and the run of play hits one out of the park. Meg Ryan is Beatrice to his Benedek and also delivers a fine performance. It's a crying shame that after being screened at Sundance this went straight to DVD but with luck it will find the audience it deserves.
chf_2258 No, this movie was not vying for any major awards or trying to teach lessons about humanity. But if you want to get a mostly entertaining/mocking look at the making of a movie and the people involved you could do worse. Macy didn't quite pull off his witty, wise, and blithe (?) character but he is still fun. The rest of the cast hold their own as well(I've never seen much of LL but he was good). Along with the over-the-top characters(Soapdish comes to mind) you may enjoy the not so mainstream humor. I did and I'm sure I may have missed some of the jokes. So for a movie that I happened upon while surfing I was satisfied.
lynk37-862-650071 I saw half this film by accident on cable TV, and then went out and bought a copy the next day for 3$ (Sorry Bill). And was very happy to watch it twice. Although i had never heard of it. Look, it's a good movie. 99% of all films being made these are rubbish or you could say 99.9%! The Deal was a few cameos short of brilliant and a bit light on the darker sides. Macy was great as usual, when is not. I feel Macy's character had to be more depressed and a little more crazy and the film needed more of The Player and less Bowfinger. Satire is not laugh out loud comedy it is often just relief that you are finally watching something good. This film would have been a very hard sell, with a smaller budget than Bill and Ben and I'm sure Ryan was working for free or being blackmailed into making the film. This being said they had very good chemistry, although anyone could with Macy, he is probably the best actor working in America-period!!!!! This film type is now a genre with Entourage and Tropic Thunder etc... It is a great shame this film suffers from what is exactly this film is about-the B.S in Hollywood- the out-door luney bin!!! Bill Macy needs to have his own T.V show where he is a producer!!!