Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Although this is a very good movie, it's hard to say I "enjoyed" it because it's so painfully accurate. The world is full of dreamers and predators. This movie uses the music industry (perfect setting!) to illustrate the sad state of this "food chain".How, you ask, could this be a comedy? It doesn't have many big zingers, no silly hijinks, it's not a satire. The best description is to say it's like a documentary or reality show, exposing the two-facedness of good intentions. not exactly "haha funny" but funny in a sinister way that's hard to describe.The comedy comes mostly from the colorful characters and sheer bizarreness of the situations. In that respect it's kind of like "Pulp Fiction", the hyper-violent, disturbing Tarantino film which manages to be a comedy due to the colorful characters in the story. Like in "Pulp Fiction", here we get a lot of corny banter between the main characters Martin & Clarence, and all the while they're doing horrible things to innocent people's dreams.Unlike Pulp, this movie carries a strong moral statement which is what makes it even more serious. There are some powerful dramatic scenes where Martin & Clarence come to grips with what they're doing, each in his own interesting way. There is a stunningly powerful speech delivered by Clarence near the end which basically sums up everything that's wrong with the music industry and the human race. Don't miss it.There aren't many movies like this, so if you're in the mood for something original, do not hesitate to watch it. Also if you're in the music biz (particularly a fledgling artist wondering how to break in to the big time) SEE THIS MOVIE. You most definitely will encounter these types of con artists in the business, and this movie serves as a great warning. Or you can thank your lucky stars that you never met anyone like them.Movies I'd compare this to include: "Pumpkin" a pseudo satire of sorority life (and human society) starring Christina Ricci, "Believe!" a funny film about self-help salesmen, and maybe the Matt Damon flick "The Informant!" which isn't much like this movie, but it carries the same subtle humor where there are no big laughs but instead the bizarreness of it all makes you smirk throughout.Oh a final word about the music. Not talking about the satirically mediocre performances in the on-screen auditions, but the actual soundtrack itself is quite nice. Simple yet powerful brooding songs that really add to the atmosphere. Again, if you're a musician or a fan of music, definitely check this one out.

To tell the truth- this is one of my favorite films. I've watched it time and time again. Two ex-sales people get recruited to become A&R people for a new record label. In their journeys they learn to sell dreams to hopeful artists until the main character's conscience wakes up and he doesn't go through with a sale out of compassion for a talented singer. Along with being a commentary on sales in general and a callousness and/or naiveté that is apparently needed to be a salesperson, it also is a sort of parody of the current state of the music business or indeed the arts in general. This is made clear through glimpses of the life of the salesman's girlfriend-she is an artisan who makes crafts for the love of it, puts hard work into them and sells them at craft fairs and as a character she is stable, creative and carefree. He however endeavours to sell the dream of instant fame, believing it sincerely. Until he realises that the people he work for don't- they only do it for the money. In a time where most pop music is brought into the fore by shows such as x-factor, American idol, etc. it is a really thoughtful film, along with being amusing.

This movie is disarmingly good. I first saw it at the Atlanta Film Festival (where it won top honors) and got to participate in a Q&A with the director and one of the producers. He said some of the music performers in the movie answered an actual ad promising record label auditions. Some of them are also legitimate talents who knew they were acting in a movie. Also, his father actually was a "song shark" in the 70s for a bogus company like Great World of Sound. Also, the two leads are amazing. I'm officially watching anything with Pat Healy in it (Just caught In Memory of My Father and loved every minute of it). I'm unsure as to why this didn't take off like Little Miss Sunshine and Napolean Dynamite. I know it premiered at Sundance and got bought. It even has a strong musical element and I feel like Once was a big sensation that year as well. Very puzzling.Regardless, this one outlives the hype --- definitely a must see.

Very well done and entertaining film that shows the worst side of the music business (is there a good side?). The character who played Clarence did an amazing job and really carried the film. The film is about fly by night music producers and the salesmen they hire to swindle would be musicians out of their money. You are left feeling a little sick about the subject matter, as you know it goes on everyday. Not just in music - this structure can and is applied to many different types of businesses. It targets both the folks looking for a career on the business end and the ones looking to create a career in the business.Obviously a low budget film, but it's shot pretty well and the casting was great, as mentioned "clarence" played by Kene Holliday, was standout. Hopefully this opens some doors for him, as he's a very entertaining actor. His co-star, Healy (martin) does a good job as well, however a tad on the stiff/boring side.