Record Man

Author(s): Sergio Requejo
Location: Seville, Spain

“Record Man”

Directed by Tim Burton
Written by John August
Music by Danny Elfman

Principal Cast:

Will Ferrell (Will)
Amy Adams (Will’s wife)
William H. Macy (Will’s Record Judge)
Frances Conroy (Will’s Mother in Law)
Freddie Highmore (Will’s son)
Albert Finney (Will’s father)
Lucy Liu (Will’s Local TV reporter)

Tagline: "The most important thing in life is not to take part but to make a record"

Synopsis: This is the story about Will, a family guy in the early 80s, with no inducements or goals. His life is monotonous and boring. He doesn’t have any interests. One Christmas night, his wife Jackie, gives him a gift that will change him forever, “The world book of records”. From this moment Will gets obsessed whit the book and proposes himself to be part of it. Each weekend, with the help of his son, he prepares a new record just to do it every Sunday in his own house. He will try all the records beginning from the A to the Z. Each Sunday he calls to the record judge, he prepares a barbecue and then he tries the record. He never gets the records because the book is constantly getting up-to-date, but he doesn’t give up, he leaves his job to devote himself fully to the cause. All his attempts turn into public events, thanks to the local television so he convinces his wife to leave her hairdresser's shop and to buy a caravan to make his record attempts for all over the country. His son receives classes in the van from his grandmother (Will’s mother-in-law, and biggest enemy). The record judge has to accompany them in opposition to his will, supporting all the rareties of this peculiar family. Will becames a local hero and a great celebrity though he never obtains any new record in the 20 years that he tries to be part of the book. He finally will be remembered just for being the person that has tried to do a record more times in history. But it did not last very much, of course.

What the press would say:

We all know that comedies do not have many opportunities in the prizes but it is known that it is much more difficult to make laugh that to make cry in films. When a movie is able to do both things at the same time we must bear in mind and think that there's something well done. The great support of the movie is the script. A script without the classic topics of comedy, in which the dialogue of the prominent figures flows naturally. A dynamic graceful script and simultaneously touching story with lovely characters. Will Ferrell is capable of endowing this complex character full of shades. He moves from de pathetic to the comical, evolving from the monotony up to the eccentricity in one of the best performances of this year. He is supported by a crazy family that never leaves him in spite of his continuous failures because his charisma. Amy Adams is perfect in this role, she is a very generous wife and a simple woman at first sight but that keeps a great dramatic quality inside. William H. Macy continues in his line of great interpretations and he obtains a great complicity with Will Ferrell, in spite of the fact that they can’t stand each other at first and they have to be a lot of time together, because he always fails the records. Tim Burton shows again that he can tell big stories, with a great sense of humor. He knows how to direct the actors in order to extract the best essence of each one, wrapping all of them into his particular and unique atmosphere.

“One of the most touching comedies of the latter week”
“One of the most hilarious drama in the last 24 hours”

FYC:

Best Picture
Best Director: Tim Burton
Best screenplay: John August (Big Fish)
Best actor: Will Ferrell
Best supporting actress: Amy Adams, Frances Conroy
Best supporting actor: William H. Macy