Synopsis
When actress Annabelle Gurwitch was fired from a play by Woody Allen, she wondered how she would cope with being downsized by a cultural icon. Turning to friends in show business, she was assured she was not alone. Everyone she knew, from her rabbi to her gynaecologist, had their own account of getting the boot. Featuring interviews with comedians, economists and regular working folks, and drawing on her hugely popular book, Fired! is a humorous look at downsizing in America.
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Cast
- Stephen Adly GuirgisHimself
- W. Bruce CameronHimself
- Tim AllenHimself
- Andy BorowitzHimself
- Annabelle GurwitchHerself
- Fred WillardHimself
- Illeana DouglasHerself
- Anne MearaHerself
- David CrossHimself
- Andy DickHimself
Recommendations
- 63
TV Guide Magazine
Just when the film seems to be getting bogged down in "before I made it big" anecdotes -- around the time she and Andy Dick, who was once dismissed from a food-service gig, spend a day operating a mobile lunch stand -- Gurwitch wisely broadens her focus, interviewing ordinary victims of corporate "right-sizing," plant closings. - 63
Chicago Tribune
A pleasant, leisurely 71 minutes, frequently beguiling thanks to Gurwitch's soft-sell version of the urbane, Second City-esque female noodge. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
While unlikely to set the documentary market afire, is entertaining enough. - 50
Variety
Modestly amusing in fits and starts, Fired! proves most potent when on-screen interviewees are playing for keeps, not for laughs. - 50
Village Voice
While "maybe it's for the best" proved happily prophetic for her actor pals, those words of comfort sound more like a clueless bromide when you consider the 30,000 people laid off in Lansing after the film wrapped. - 50
Christian Science Monitor
Having written a book about being fired, Annabelle Gurwitch has now made a documentary as well, and it's something of a mess. - 33
The A.V. Club
At one point, David Cross tells Gurwitch to enjoy being unemployed, because "When you're fired, you're interesting." But as Fired! proves, that ain't necessarily so. - 30
The New York Times
Feels like a desperate attempt to stretch a flimsy half-hour made-for-cable concept into a feature film.
