The Amateurs

This article is about the film. For the English rock band, see The Amateurs (band). For other uses, see Amateur (disambiguation).

The Amateurs, originally called The Moguls, is a 2005 comedy film written and directed by Michael Traeger and starring Jeff Bridges.^[3] The story revolves around six friends in a small town in the United States who decide to make a full-length amateur adult film.^[4]

The Amateurs
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Traeger
Written by	Michael Traeger
Produced by	Scott Kroop Adam Merims Scott Strauss
Starring	Jeff Bridges Tim Blake Nelson Joe Pantoliano William Fichtner Ted Danson Patrick Fugit Lauren Graham Jeanne Tripplehorn
Cinematography	Denis Maloney
Edited by	Raúl Dávalos
Music by	Nic. tenBroek
Distributed by	First Look Studios
Release date	February 2005 (2005-02) (Santa Barbara Film Festival)[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$64,253[2]

The film was released under the title The Moguls in the United Kingdom on April 28, 2006. The film was released under the title The Amateurs and opened in limited release in the United States on December 7, 2007.

Plot

Six friends come together to try to find fame and fortune by making the world's most innocent adult movie ever made. Although they have literally no idea what they're doing, they keep at it and are determined to accomplish their goal...no matter what gets in the way.

After the clueless crew finally completes the film, they screen it for the first time at the local bar. The brother of a girl whose scene ultimately was not used (besides some brief shots of her face) barges in, takes the reel off the projector, covers it in whiskey and sets it aflame.

It is revealed that this was the only print they had and that all their work has been lost. However, the cinematographer had been videotaping the entire production process on mini DV tapes. He then edits these down into a completely innocent documentary, minus the nudity and sex scenes, about the trials and tribulations of making (and then losing) their original film. This new version is released as the titular The Amateurs which becomes a critical and financial success on the independent film circuit.

Cast

• Jeff Bridges as Andy
• Tim Blake Nelson as Barney
• William Fichtner as Otis
• Joe Pantoliano as Some Idiot
• Patrick Fugit as Emmett
• Isaiah Washington as Homer
• Steven Weber as Howard
• Ted Danson as "Moose"
• John Hawkes as Moe
• Jeanne Tripplehorn as Thelma
• Glenne Headly as Helen
• Tom Bower as Floyd
• Lauren Graham as Peggy
• Dawn Didawick as Clara
• Norm O'Neill as Clara's Man
• Alex D. Linz as Billy

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 19% of 26 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Amateurs is a largely unfunny sex comedy that squanders a talented cast."^[5] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[6]