Line #11 Film/LivingInOblivion


1	[[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Living-in-Oblivion_2649.jpg]]
2	Tom [=DiCillo=]'s 1995 film, starring Creator/SteveBuscemi, Creator/CatherineKeener, Creator/DermotMulroney and Creator/PeterDinklage is a quintessential movie about movies. It tells the story of Nick, the director of a low-budget indie film, trying to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalomaniac star, a pretentious, [[ArtsyBeret beret-wearing]] director of photography, and lousy catering. Divided in three acts, each representing a different scene to shoot, this film is essential for amateur filmmakers.
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4	No relation to [[Blog/LivingInOblivion the blog]] where Chris Livingston plays a NonPlayerCharacter in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''.
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6	----
7	!!Troping in Oblivion:
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9	* AbusiveParents: In the first segment, Nicole's character Ellen had an abusive father while her mother looked the other way.
10	* AccidentalMisnaming: When they get introduced, Nicole mistakenly addresses Tito as [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Toto]].
11	* AccidentalPublicConfession: Type 3. Via a room microphone, Nicole overhears Chad bragging about bedding her.
12	* AllJustADream: The first two acts of the films are Nick's, then Nicole's dream. The third act is real, but the scene being filmed is a dream sequence.
13	* AngerMontage: Nick's freak-out towards the end of the first segment.
14	* ArtsyBeret: Wolf wears a beret. And as if wasn't pretentious enough, he adds an EyepatchOfPower later on. During his AngerMontage, Nick calls Wolf out for his choice of fashion.
15	-->'''Nick''': You fuckin' pretentious, beret-wearin' motherfucker!
16	* AnxietyDreams: Twice. In the second sequence, the driver tells Nick that his dream was this. In the third act, Nick tells Nicole that her dream sequence is an anxiety dream the night before her wedding.
17	* BaitAndSwitchComment: Nick during his [[IndulgentFantasySegue imagined]] award acceptance speech.
18	--> '''Nick''': "To all these people and many more, I would love to say thank you... but I can't, because what I really feel like saying is... go [[CurseCutShort fu...]]"
19	* BrickJoke: The first conversation of the film discusses the state of the milk opened almost a week ago. Thirty minutes later, Wolf is seen puking his guts out.
20	* CatharticScream: Nick lets one out at during his CreatorBreakdown at the end of the first segment.
21	* ClusterFBomb: When a watch starts beeping and Nick can't find it, he goes completely ballistic on the cast and crew before screaming his head off in frustration. [[EnforcedMethodActing Their look of shock is genuine]] because Buscemi ad-libbed the entire rant.
22	* CrashingDreams: The sound of Nick's alarm clock creeps into his dream and eventually makes it come to an end.
23	* CryIntoChest: Nicole cries into her "mother's" chest in the first segment, after their heartwarming reconciliation during the run through.
24	* CurseCutShort: Nick's BaitAndSwitchComment is cut short when he snaps out of his fantasy.
25	* DeadpanSnarker: Nicole.
26	-->'''Script Girl''': I wonder what his sign is. Do you know his sign, Nicole?
27	-->'''Nicole''': No, I don't know his sign. But I think [[UranusIsShowing his moon is in Uranus]].
28	* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The behind-the-camera scenes of the first sequence are shown in black and white.
29	* DoorClosesEnding: Each of the three segments starts with a door opening [[BookEnds and concludes]] with a door closing.
30	* DumbassHasAPoint: Maurice suggests for the oil and the gas to go in the same inlet of the smoke machine. It works out at first but then the machine explodes which raises the question if this was really a smart idea after all.
31	* FilmWithinAFilm: ''Living in Oblivion'' is the name of the film the characters are all making.
32	* EyepatchOfPower: Chad thinks wearing Wolf's eyepatch will make his character more of a badass. Nick, who doesn't like the eyepatch, dissuades Chad by telling him it looks gay.
33	* TheFoodPoisoningIncident: Guess why Wolf couldn't film the perfect take.
34	* GermanExpressionism: The stage setting of the third scene is reminiscent of this.
35	* HellIsThatNoise: The unnerving ring tone of Nick's alarm clock towards the end of the first dream.
36	* HitlerCam: Wolf in his PowerFantasy towards the end.
37	* {{Hypocrite}}: Chad tells Nicole that he is a gentleman and won't brag about the one-night-stand. Later he does exactly that to Nick.
38	* IndulgentFantasySegue: Towards the end, several characters have extended {{Fantasy Sequence}}s, all of which are revealing about their hopes:
39	** Nick dreams of [[WishFulfillment Chad presenting him an award for the movie]].
40	** Wanda dreams of Chad worshipping her.
41	-->'''Fantasy!Chad''': Oh Wanda. [[CharacterShilling I love your power]]. It's like an aphrodeezhak to me.
42	** Nicole dreams of applying for a [[WaitingForABreak job as a waitress]].
43	** The Gaffer dreams of...[[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking eating a nice hamburger]].
44	* ItsBeenDone: When Nick wants the "Ellen talks to Mom" scene be shot as TheOner, Wolf replies sarcastically that it's been done.
45	* LetsJustBeFriends: Part of Wanda's breakup speech to Wolf.
46	* LittlePeopleAreSurreal: Tito gets particularly offended by this trope.
47	-->'''Tito''': Why does my character have to be a dwarf?
48	-->'''Nick''': He doesn't have to be.
49	-->'''Tito''': Then why is he? Is that the only way you can make this a dream, to put a dwarf in it?
50	-->'''Nick''': No, Tito, I...
51	-->'''Tito''': Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it? Do you know anyone who's had a dream with a dwarf in it? No! I don't even have dreams with dwarves in them. The only place I've seen dwarves in dreams is in stupid movies like this! "Oh make it weird, put a dwarf in it!". Everyone will go "Woah, this must be a fuckin' dream, there's a fuckin' dwarf in it!". Well, I'm sick of it! [[TakeThisJobAndShoveIt You can take this dream sequence and shove it up your ass!]]
52	* LoveDodecahedron: Nick likes Nicole, who slept with Chad, who asked out Wanda, who's dating Wolf. This only applies to Nicole's dream, in which Nick confesses that he loves her. [[spoiler: After she's woken up and is in the real world, there's no evidence that Nick is in love with her; she just wishes that he did.]]
53	* MeaningfulName: Nick Reve. "Rêve" is French for "dream".
54	* MethodActing: In-universe. In the first sequence, Nicole mentions that the reconciliation scene hit close to home. And sure enough, her acting becomes stellar when she has a FlashbackCut to a moment of her and her dying mother in hospital.
55	* MirrorMonologue: Nick practices asking Nicole out in front of a mirror.
56	* ModestyBedsheet: Partially averted with Nicole: after making love to [[spoiler: Chad]] she's sitting on the bed with her back to the camera and the sheet around her waist. Then when he's gone, she flops onto her back without covering herself, because she's alone.
57	* NoBudget: Nick's film project is an in-universe example of a low-budget indie film.
58	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Tom Di Cillo's first film ''Johnny Suede'' was a low-budget TroubledProduction starring a then-unknown Catherine Keener and then-rising-star Creator/BradPitt. This, his second film, is ''about'' a low-budget Troubled Production which stars an unknown actress (played by Catherine Keener) and a rising star called Chad Palomino.
59	* OminousFog: Nick wants it for his dream sequence but the smoke machines gives troubles. At the end, they shoot it without the fog.
60	* PlotParallel: In the second act, the dialogue between Chad and Nicole's characters mirror how Nick feels about Nicole [[spoiler: or rather how Nicole dreams Nick feels about her]].
61	* PottyEmergency: Maurice bumps into Tito in the bathroom because he cannot hold it.
62	* PowerFantasy: Wolf is imagining Wanda [[TheGrovel pleading to stay with him]] while he himself is shown from a HitlerCam angle.
63	* ThePrimaDonna: Chad Palomino.
64	* ShoutOut:
65	** The LittlePeopleAreSurreal sequence is obviously a nod to the works of Creator/DavidLynch, in particular ''Series/TwinPeaks''.
66	** [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Toto]].
67	* SpitTake: Wanda spits her coffee when Nicole pulls her UranusIsShowing joke on the script supervisor.
68	* StayInTheKitchen: Discussed. When Nick tells his mother to not move from her chair, she replies that he sounds just like her father.
69	* StuntCasting: In-universe example. When they have their fallout, Nick mentions to Chad that he only hired him for his name.
70	* TakeThisJobAndShoveIt: Tito gets fed up with the shoot and quits with the line "You can take this DreamSequence and shove it up your ass!"
71	* ThisIsAWorkOfFiction: The statement after the end credits reads: "The characters and incidents portrayed and the names herein are sort of fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is sort of coincidental and unintentional."
72	* TroubledProduction: InUniverse example including HostilityOnTheSet and RomanceOnTheSet.
73	* UnrequitedLove: It's hinted that Nicole has this for Nick.

Context Film / LivingInOblivion