My Big Break is a 2009 documentary film directed by Tony Zierra starring Wes Bentley , Brad Rowe , Chad Lindberg , Greg Fawcett and Zierra himself. The film was produced by MBB Group, Elizabeth Yoffe and Zierra. It mostly consists of footage taken by Zierra in 1999, when he and the other four were aspiring actors and roommates living in Los Angeles ; the film shows some of them (most notably Bentley) enjoying career successes, while others (notably Fawcett) struggle with rejection. Much of the footage had already been included in Zierra's 2001 documentary Carving Out Our Name , which played only once, at the Toronto International Film Festival . My Big Break shows the footage in re-edited form, and includes newer footage of Lindberg, Rowe and Fawcett, discussing their lives in the intervening years.
45-527: Tony Zierra is an American director and producer. He is best known for the documentaries: My Big Break (2009), in which he also appeared, and Filmworker (2017). From an early age Zierra's goal was to become a filmmaker. He attended film studies classes at NYU , Texas A&M and UCLA . His first documentary, Carving Out Our Name , premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to much acclaim. Shortly after, Zierra went on
90-624: A combination of factors, including changes in the market after the 9/11 and concerns by insiders in Hollywood that the film might have a negative impact on the actors' careers. In the early 2000s, filmmakers in Zierra's position were completely dependent on the tightly controlled Hollywood distribution system. There were no alternatives for independent filmmakers to distribute or market their own films because online outlets didn't exist. An independent film without Hollywood backing had no chance of being seen by
135-405: A critically acclaimed hit. My Big Break then follows Bentley through his fast rise to fame and his misgivings about the pressures of the film industry. The final cut of My Big Break incorporates Bentley's admissions to the press, a decade after American Beauty , that he became a heroin addict after his initial success and how his career is now getting back on track. Coincidentally, Ricky Fitts,
180-457: A few months later with the opening of Billy's "Hollywood Screen Kiss" series exhibition in Los Angeles, which includes his photos of Gabriel. The exhibit appears to be very successful, and Billy receives many congratulations from various visitors. Perry shows Billy a magazine with an underwear ad featuring Gabriel and suggests that Billy give him a call, but he decides against it. Towards the end of
225-503: A fiction film but while trying to find a script and secure financing he decided to film his roommates, Wes Bentley , Chad Lindberg , Brad Rowe and Greg Fawcett , who were struggling actors. He thought that their pursuit of success in the film business would make an interesting story. He self-financed the production through the money he made at various jobs and by other means such as holding garage sales. Zierra ended up filming almost every aspect of his roommates' lives. He thought that it
270-413: A film had become much more cost effective because of the introduction of the user friendly and affordable non-linear editing system Final Cut Pro . Still, starting the film over from the 200+ hours was a massive undertaking. Whereas Carving focused on the success of the actors and their personal relationships, the new film, My Big Break , focuses on the ups and downs of the film business and how fame – or
315-401: A humiliated and hurt Billy rebuffs him, going as far as making accusations that Gabriel used him to advance his modeling career before storming off. Perry later consoles Billy by telling him that he, too, had fallen for someone who did not return his affections; he confesses that man to be Billy. The next morning, Georgiana has ditched Gundy, and both she and Billy head back home. The movie ends
360-455: A leading man is crushed when he's repeatedly told he doesn't have the right look; Rowe ends up typecast as a pretty boy and can't break past his uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt; while Bentley, who has a fast career launch, is quickly drawn into the darker side of the L.A. lifestyle. As the actors struggle with life in the public eye, Zierra deals with constant obstacles while he tries to complete his film - including being scrutinized and blocked by
405-400: A lot. " Billy's opening narrative demonstrates his awareness that he is in a film and breaking the fourth wall . Several scenes in the movie are backed up by classic songs of bygone times sung by notable and lesser known divas; these are lip-synced by more or less the same troupe of drag queens, a running gag throughout the film. On the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes ,
450-529: A recreation of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr 's kiss on the beach in From Here to Eternity . Following the shoot, Gabriel tells Billy that his relationship with Natalie is over. Billy mentions the Kinsey scale , on which Billy describes himself as a "perfect six," but Gabriel admits he does not know where on the scale he falls. Back at Billy's apartment, they continue to talk and drink and Gabriel asks if he can spend
495-612: Is a 1998 American independent romantic comedy film written and directed by Tommy O'Haver and starring Sean P. Hayes , Brad Rowe , and Meredith Scott Lynn . The film was a breakthrough performance for Hayes, who would go on to gain worldwide fame for his portraying Jack McFarland on the hit television series Will & Grace . Midwest native Billy Collier is an aspiring photographer in Los Angeles , who has had little artistic success and much romantic frustration. While out for coffee with his roommate named Georgiana, he comes up with
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#1732901729507540-457: Is dedicated to Ledger. When Zierra first began filming his roommate Wes Bentley, the young actor had recently screen tested for the coveted role of Ricky Fitts in American Beauty but hadn't yet heard if he got the part. In My Big Break , Bentley discusses the experience of screen testing and his hope that he will be cast in the movie. Once Bentley landed the part, Zierra filmed him going to
585-523: Is on the rebound from a tumultuous relationship with her boyfriend Andrew. On the island, she hooks up with drug-addled island resident "Gundy". Billy crashes Rex Webster's underwear shoot looking for Gabriel, but does not find him. He eventually tracks him down later that night at Rex's party, and they talk on the beach. Billy relates to Gabriel how confused he was when he came out , saying, "I swore to myself that if I could ever be there for somebody, I would, so that that person wouldn't have to go through all
630-670: The Boston Film Festival and Raindance Film Festival in London. My Big Break has received strong support and glowing reviews from its fans and in the blogosphere. The film won Best Documentary at the Boston Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Artsfest Film Festival 2009. It was also an official selection of The American Cinematic Experience Festival (Acefest) 2009, and Raindance Film Festival 2009 where it
675-447: The 2001 Toronto International Film Festival and premiered on the evening of September 10, 2001. It was extremely well received by the audience of 1000 people and generated a great deal of interest from the media and potential distributors. At the film premiere afterparty, Zierra's agent, Cassian Elwes from William Morris Independent , wanted to discuss the deals that were being offered by distributors, but Zierra felt he should honor
720-450: The Los Angeles premiere of American Beauty before the actor had any idea how the film or his performance would be received. The filmmaker was given rare access by DreamWorks to film the premiere from the vantage point of the red carpet. Zierra subsequently filmed Bentley attending the film's premiere in Toronto as well as the media frenzy that surrounded Bentley after American Beauty became
765-979: The PCA/ACA national academic conference in Boston. Zierra's latest production is the documentary SK13:Kubrick's Endgame about the legendary filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick . The film deals specifically with the Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut , this being Kubrick's 13th feature film. His documentary Filmworker " about the life of Stanley Kubrick's longtime assistant, Leon Vitali was part of the Cannes Film Festival Official Selection 2017 premiering in Cannes Classics My Big Break Filmed over ten years, this controversial documentary follows five roommates trying to make it in Hollywood who face
810-406: The actors became successful, Zierra's project began to draw interest from the media and film industry insiders. However, that interest didn't immediately translate into financial backing which, as years passed, made continuing to film increasingly difficult. Additionally, the interest also brought problems as the people who handled the business end of the actors' burgeoning careers began to worry about
855-402: The actors' nervous agents. Each of the subjects is tested and changed by their encounters with the film industry. The documentary ends with a follow-up Zierra filmed when he returns to Hollywood after a five-year absence to find out what happened to each of his former roommates. 'The production of My Big Break was fraught with setbacks and challenges. Tony Zierra originally intended to shoot
900-490: The aforementioned From Here to Eternity and the films of Fred Astaire . Billy carries a Polaroid camera with him everywhere, and his reminiscences are illustrated with Polaroid photographs. The film in fact opens with such a monologue, with Billy relying on a series of Polaroids while relating how he grew up gay "in a small town in Indiana, where there's plenty of corn, fast cars, and straights. Lots and lots of straights. I mean,
945-432: The audience. Zierra was extremely affected by the experience and suffered an emotional breakdown. He destroyed all copies of Carving Out Our Name , left Hollywood, and cut ties with everyone he had known there, including his former roommates. Years later, Zierra decided to take the original footage out of storage and begin editing another film that would include his own experience making Carving . By this time, editing
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#1732901729507990-412: The band Ima Robot . Ebert and Anderson became the executive producers and wrote most of the score for the film. Carving emphasized the friendship among the roommates and their personal relationships with the women in their lives. The documentary was completed at a relatively high point in the actors' careers so it didn't show a full range of highs and lows in their lives. Carving was accepted into
1035-475: The careers and personal lives of those who become famous. In the film, Professor Mark Schaller, author of "The Psychological Consequences of Fame", discusses how celebrities often turn to the excessive use of drugs and alcohol to "escape the fishbowl of Hollywood" when they feel overwhelmed by pressure and scrutiny. Zierra decided to directly address the problem of substance abuse in Hollywood after Heath Ledger , who had been his friend, died in 2008. My Big Break
1080-861: The character Bentley played, became an iconic figure in popular culture because of his unusual habit of filming everything and everybody with his digital camera. At the time, the concept of people filming everything around them was strange and new . While Bentley was playing a character that represented the advent of a new digital media generation, his own life was being digitally chronicled by Zierra. The 2008 cut of My Big Break screened on September 26, 2008, at EYECON (the Supernatural convention) in Florida. Other pre-2011 cuts have screened at George Washington University , Bryn Mawr College , Bennington College , The Popular Culture/American Culture Conference, Artsfest Film Festival, The American Cinematic Experience Festival,
1125-538: The content of the footage that Zierra had of his roommates. The representatives of Wes Bentley at the William Morris Agency were particularly concerned. Zierra refused requests to show the footage to anyone until he had finished filming. In 2001, Zierra began to edit the 200+ hours of footage into a film titled Carving Out Our Name , a name taken from a line in the Counting Crows song Round Here . At
1170-686: The effects of success on young rising stars in Hollywood. My Big Break won Best Documentary at the Boston Film Festival , Best Documentary at Artsfest, Pennsylvania, was nominated for Best Documentary at the Raindance Film Festival in London and was an official selection of The American Cinematic Experience Festival in New York. Zierra has been a featured speaker at The Popular Culture American Culture (PCA/ACA) national academic conference in New Orleans, PCA/ACA Southwest/Texas academic conference and
1215-428: The film aside for periods of time. The ending of the film proved particularly difficult to lock down because the unresolved tensions between him and Bentley required him to construct Bentley's "update" in ways that never fully satisfied him. In 2010, Bentley came forward and admitted to the press that his sudden rise to fame had sent him into a spiral of drug addiction from which he was now recovering. Zierra felt that
1260-420: The film business. Despite Zierra's repeated attempts, Bentley wasn't willing to see him and communicated only through text messages. Bentley was reputed to be struggling with severe drug addiction but Zierra couldn't verify this. Zierra ended up re-editing My Big Break numerous times. During the process he once again found himself dealing with the emotional impact of delving deeply into the story and had to put
1305-454: The film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Insubstantial yet charming, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss tells a love story that's as rooted in classic Hollywood as it is in timely themes". Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss was released on Region 1 DVD on December 22, 1998. The soundtrack was released on compact disc on August 11, 1998. The track listing
1350-420: The friendship that Carving had captured over the years and just let everybody "enjoy themselves"; he decided to wait until the morning to discuss business with Elwes. The attacks on America the next day, September 11, 2001, brought everything to a halt and emotionally devastated all of the festival attendees. The Toronto International Film Festival was cancelled. Carving Out Our Name was never released due to
1395-491: The idea of recreating iconic screen kisses from Hollywood movies. That night at a party, Billy's friend Perry agrees to finance the project. Later, Billy serendipitously runs into their coffee waiter Gabriel, whom he recruits to model. Billy becomes infatuated with Gabriel, but cannot figure out if Gabriel is straight . Gabriel claims he has a girlfriend in San Francisco , but sends ambiguous signals. At Perry's invitation,
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1440-449: The lack thereof – affected all of them. Alex Ebert, one of the executive producers of "Carving Out Our Name" contributed to My Big Break by composing music for the film. Ebert subsequently won a Golden Globe for Best Original Score in 2014 for All Is Lost starring Robert Redford . After contacting his former roommates, Zierra shot an update with Lindberg, Rowe and Fawcett, each of whom had gone through disappointments and setbacks in
1485-471: The night on the couch. Billy suggests that Gabriel sleep in his bed (ostensibly because of Gabriel's height), to which Gabriel eventually agrees. When the two are in bed, Billy makes tentative overtures, to which Gabriel seems to respond initially; however, Gabriel suddenly pulls away, after which Billy apologizes and gets up to sleep on the couch. Gabriel gets the underwear modeling job and goes to Catalina. Billy follows after him to Catalina with Georgiana, who
1530-428: The night, Billy meets a handsome young man, Joshua, who enthusiastically admires Billy's work. It is suggested that along with his newfound artistic success, Billy may at last find romantic fulfillment as well. The film is a remake of writer and director O'Haver's earlier short film Catalina . The film is punctuated with Billy's fantasy sequences of himself and Gabriel in pastiches of romantic film scenes, including
1575-651: The road to capture America's reaction to the September 11 attacks . The film that emerged, USA The Movie , explores the cyclical nature of violence and retaliation. The film was the subject of an in-depth analysis from a Deleuzian perspective by scholar and commentator Dion Dennis. Zierra's award-winning documentary, My Big Break , is a cautionary tale about the darker side of celebrity and the consequences of fame that also includes his struggle to make his first film. My Big Break has received consistently strong reviews and has been repeatedly praised for its unusually candid look at
1620-404: The shit I went through. What I'm trying to say is, if you're having problems figuring out where you stand, even if you're not sure of what you're supposed to want-" Abruptly, however, before Billy can finish, one of Gabriel's fellow male models walks up to them. Billy instantly realizes that the two of them are in some kind of relationship with each other, and though Gabriel tries to soften the blow,
1665-454: The story finally had closure. He cut an ending that he was satisfied with and completed the documentary. From start to finish, My Big Break took 15 years to finish. My Big Break includes scenes of drug use as the aspiring actors and filmmaker get caught up in the negative side of the Hollywood lifestyle. The film deglamorizes what is euphemistically referred to as "partying" by showing the destructive consequences that substance abuse has on
1710-532: The time, there were no non-linear editing systems that could allow independent filmmakers a way to edit their projects on a modest budget. Editing costs were exorbitant, so from week to week Zierra had to find a variety of ways to raise money to continue with post-production. He bartered, negotiated percentages of ownership in the future finished film, and borrowed on credit cards. After dealing with repeated obstacles he finally completed Carving Out Our Name with backing from his friends Alex Ebert and Tim Anderson of
1755-419: The two attend an exhibit by photographer Rex Webster, who tries to poach Gabriel as a model (and potential trick). Webster offers to take Gabriel to Catalina Island for an underwear ad shoot, sparking Billy's jealousy. Back at Gabriel's place, Billy and Gabriel seem to be getting closer but their rapport is interrupted by a phone call from Gabriel's girlfriend Natalie. Billy shoots his first setup with Gabriel,
1800-458: The unexpected consequences of fame. Tony Zierra , an aspiring filmmaker with no money, stars or crew, resorts to filming the lives of his four struggling actor roommates. Three of the actors, Brad Rowe , Chad Lindberg and Wes Bentley quickly hit it big, while the fourth actor, Greg Fawcett , is nearly driven insane watching the others get famous. It doesn't take long for the unsettling reality of stardom to set in. Lindberg's hope of becoming
1845-478: Was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival . The film launched Rowe's career, he was featured prominently on the cover of US Magazine and labeled "The Next Big Thing". Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss also launched the career of actor Sean Hayes who played the main character, Billy, in the film and went on to play Jack McFarland on the long-running television series Will & Grace . Chad Lindberg
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1890-529: Was cast in the film October Sky and in many television shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer , ER and The X-Files . Wes Bentley won the coveted part of Ricky Fitts in the Oscar-winning film American Beauty and became an overnight sensation. Zierra, who had already been following his roommates lives before they got their break was able to capture their success on camera as it happened. Once
1935-413: Was nominated for Best Documentary. In order to build a buzz and test audience reaction an early cut of My Big Break was given an extremely limited release on DVD in 2008. This longer version is no longer available and did not include Wes Bentley's admission that he had been struggling with drug addiction. In 2009 a tightened cut of the documentary was shown at festivals, universities and conferences but
1980-485: Was not made available to a wider audience. The final cut of My Big Break released, in 2011, deals directly with issues of substance abuse. It also includes a text update of what the main subjects of the documentary are doing as of the release. The film was also nominated for Best Documentary at the Raindance Film Festival in London. Billy%27s Hollywood Screen Kiss Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss
2025-460: Was possible that one of them might beat the odds and get some kind of break but more likely they would all end up leaving Hollywood discouraged. Whatever happened, Zierra felt that it would make for an intriguing film. However, three of the roommates ended up becoming successful quickly. Brad Rowe was cast as the love interest in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss , an independent gay-themed romantic comedy that
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