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PICTURE PERFECT
Life is anything but perfect for Kate (Jennifer Aniston). For reasons she initially can't quite fathom, the attractive and talented advertising director is having trouble advancing her career. Kate's boss, Mr. Mercer (Kevin Dunn), won't even consider her for a promotion because she is unattached, without responsibilities and, he fears, could subsequently leave the firm at any time. Then there is Kate's meddlesome mother (Olympia Dukakis), who wants nothing more than to see her daughter married. Despite her mother's pleadings, Kate, frustrated by a seemingly endless series of dates from hell, sets her sights on co-worker Sam (Kevin Bacon). Unfortunately for Kate, Sam is only interested in women who are unavailable -- i.e. already spoken for. How can Kate fulfill both her boss's requirements and her own romantic needs? Well, her best friend and colleague, Darcy (Illeana Douglas), has a plan. Darcy decides to take matters into her own hands by inventing a fictional fiancé for Kate. She even provides pictures of Kate with an attractive young man named Nick (Jay Mohr) as proof. Yet the truth is that Kate only just met Nick the previous week at the wedding of a mutual friend, where the fateful pictures were taken. Kate reluctantly goes along with the idea and, as a result of Darcy's scheming fabrication, she gets her promotion -- and her man: the previously unavailable Sam suddenly finds he is attracted to the now officially unavailable Kate. When circumstances force Kate into producing her "picture perfect" fiancé, she hunts Nick down and hires him for one evening to pose as her beloved. He agrees, and together they begin a crash course in each other's lives, creating a past history for their "relationship" -- and planning a convenient break-up to take place during a business dinner with her boss. But as Nick gets to know Kate, he becomes less happy with the situation -- he has truly fallen in love and realizes that Kate is the woman for him. Kate, though, is determined to stick with the original plan. A series of comic misunderstandings and mixed signals culminate with a crestfallen Nick deciding to head back home. With Nick preparing to leave her life as quickly as he was hurtled into it, Kate is about to learn what truly makes the perfect mate ... and that a picture is worth much more than a thousand words. |
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION...
Director/co-writer Glenn Gordon Caron is certainly no stranger to the world of romantic comedy. His landmark television series, "Moonlighting," helped re-define the genre with its sparkling banter, comedic sexual tension and strong male and female characters. Now Caron takes it into a new direction with his latest effort, PICTURE PERFECT. In addition to being drawn to the story's concept, Caron loved the idea of working with Jennifer Aniston. "Like everyone else in the country," says Caron, "I watch 'Friends' and think she is fantastic." From their first meeting they developed an instant rapport and decided to work together. "We understood each other very quickly and I knew she'd get to the heart of her performance right away," continues Caron. "You see, as a director, if you are really prolific, you make one film a year. If you are a motion picture star, you may make two or three films a year. Jennifer, on the other hand, has been doing a television show for three years which puts her in a heightened state of readiness as an actress. This is her first starring role, and she was in every scene, every day. She did a wonderful job." Aniston initially came to the project when her father, actor John Aniston, gave her a copy of the script by one of the original writers, his friend Arleen Sorkin. "My father thought it would be a great part for me," Aniston recalls, "and he was right. It is the kind of comedy I love, where everything stems from the truth." Aniston gave the script to her manager, Molly Madden, who read it with her partner at 3 Arts Entertainment, Erwin Stoff. "At the time, we were seeking out a character for Jennifer to sink her teeth into," remembers Madden. "'Kate' is a modern woman struggling with a career and personal life. I knew Jennifer as an actress would utilize both the irony and comedy of the character's situation." Stoff, in turn, was pleased when Caron came aboard. "Glenn created a truly cultural landmark with 'Moonlighting'," Stoff comments. "And I thought that the kind of smart repartee that had defined that series would be an important part of this film, as well. I think Glenn, as a director, has a tremendous sense of spontaneity, and he is able to capitalize on and bring to the fore the unique talents of the actors." Caron, who had spent years in the advertising field prior to becoming a filmmaker, felt it was extremely important that the backdrop of the film take place in Madison Avenue's high gloss world of instant gratification. "PICTURE PERFECT is about obsessing about being number one," he explains. "Not only is Kate obsessed with trying to find her number one man but also with trying to be number one at the agency." Continuing the advertising analogy, Caron states: "All the love stories I do always have a healthy dose of cynicism involved and advertising is a fairly cynical business. The whole concept of advertising is to present everything in 'picture perfect' form. And it only presents things that are, or are aspiring to be, number one." And given Caron's experience in the field, it is no wonder that he strove to give PICTURE PERFECT a strong feel of authenticity. Stoff similarly appreciated the story's approach to advertising. "I think what the world of advertising connotes," he says, "is a business that is concerned with manufacturing images and exteriors that in some way really mask the truth. And masking the truth is what this movie is all about. The false exterior that Kate manufactures ultimately leads her to discovering the truth about herself." To bring this story of career complications and romantic roundabouts to life, Caron enlisted the efforts of a young, versatile and talented cast. Central to the film, of course, is Aniston's performance as Kate, a character who is at a point in her life where she is just beginning to come into her own. Says Aniston: "What happens to Kate in this film really guides her through that journey. At first she's quite lost in the world. It's not until later that she finds out what she truly wants in life, and the right way and wrong way to get it. I think women all have issues similar to Kate's. She's always trying to get men she can't have and overlooking men she actually can; she doesn't have much luck." When Kevin Bacon, who portrays the office Lothario and the object of Kate's romantic attentions, signed on for the film, he was thrilled that Aniston would be starring opposite him. "We had a connection almost immediately," he remembers. "She has a real good sense of when something's not playing true. That's a great thing because when you're working with someone like that it always challenges you not to fall into your own traps." Aniston, likewise, found working with Bacon to be one of the highlights of her PICTURE PERFECT experience. "Kevin's very supportive," Aniston shares, "and he's always there for you when you need him. He also comes up with the most original characterizations to play off of." Caron couldn't agree more: "Kevin said to me, 'I come to work ready to play' -- and he does. He constantly had ideas." For Bacon, the character of Sam is a nice, successful guy who has only one fatal flaw. "When it comes to women," Bacon comments, "Sam only likes those that are unavailable -- that is, already attached. He has a fear of commitment, but is unapologetic about that aspect of his personality, and that's what makes him appealing. He is a very vain character, yet also very honest about who he is." Sam's rival for Kate's affections is Nick, played by Jay Mohr, who had a key role as an unscrupulous sports agent and Tom Cruise's rival in "Jerry Maguire." "Jay was really a wonderful discovery, a very talented young actor," enthuses Caron. "We thought if there was such a thing as an offbeat leading man, Jay was it. And we also felt that the juxtaposition between Jay and Kevin was a really interesting one." Mohr found much to admire in Nick. "Unlike Sam, Nick is a mild-mannered and even-tempered guy," says Mohr. "He'll go to the wall for someone he just met and respects. Even though initially he's been hired by Kate to play her fiancé, he's not in it for the money. He's doing it because he really likes her as a person. Deep down he's a real good guy." Nick's relationship with Kate begins as a ruse concocted by Darcy O'Neal, Kate's best friend and co-worker. Caron re-wrote the part of Darcy specifically for Douglas after seeing her performance in Gus Van Sant's black comedy, "To Die For." Says Caron: "I knew Illeana's Darcy would make a great counterpart for Jennifer's Kate. Their relationship reminded me of the relationship Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau had in 'The Fortune Cookie'." The role represented an intriguing change of pace for Douglas. "Usually," she points out, "I play characters that lack in confidence. But in this film, I play someone who has complete faith and belief in everything she says. And it was finally great to play a character who thinks that every moral decision she makes is the right decision and the way to go." To play the role of Kate's mother Rita, the filmmakers employed an inspired bit of casting, bringing on board Olympia Dukakis. This was yet another instance whereby the producers and director were fortunate enough to get their first choice. Comments Stoff: "We felt that Olympia would provide a certain earthiness that would help ground the movie. We also thought that she would make a wonderful contrast with Jennifer." Dukakis, a mother of three, found getting into character very easy. "Although I don't interfere the way Rita does," Dukakis explains, "I understand Rita's strong desire to see her daughter happy. Rita thinks Kate's way to happiness is to get married, settle down and have children. I think much of Rita's outlook is shaped by the fact that she doesn't want to worry about Kate anymore." Dukakis also enjoyed her character's sense of style. Running a hair salon in Long Island, Rita wears a lot of gold, leopard and chunky jewelry and speaks with a distinct accent. "I love to do this kind of role playing, especially with the New York accent." PICTURE PERFECT was shot entirely on location throughout New York City, primarily in downtown Tribeca and on Madison Avenue. It is an environment in which Aniston enjoyed working. "I grew up here so it was wonderful to be back," she explains. The production also was a homecoming of sorts for Mohr, who also grew up on the East Coast and loves the city's vibrant energy. "My career began here in New York," he shares, "doing stand-up comedy downtown in the village." Although the story was originally set elsewhere, Caron changed the setting to New York because he and the producers felt that the film needed a sense of neighborhood, place, history and family, in combination with a fast-paced, urban environment that defines the Big Apple. New York City was also chosen because it is home to Madison Avenue, the nation's advertising center. Under the watchful eye of production designer Larry Fulton, the filmmakers turned raw office space into an authentic replica of a modern advertising agency. Basing his idea for the look of the film on the photographs of Harry Callaghan, who would create multiple exposures into layers of people printed on windows and building surfaces, Fulton made sure that the interior of the agency had lots of faceted pieces of glass that could swivel and move. This was in keeping with his idea that the images in the film should not always be quite what they seem.
"You think you are looking at a particular image but then it turns out to be on a glass door that opens and makes you realize that the image you just saw was a reflection," says Fulton. "The design team wanted to accommodate a certain look of contemporary New York -- shiny, reflective surfaces, all smoke and mirrors. The longer you look at something, the more peculiar it becomes."
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