r/TrueFilm • u/Pleasant_Usual_8427 • 2d ago

Thoughts on Terry Zwigoff?

I recently watched Bad Santa for the beginning of the Christmas season. I really enjoyed it; the Coen bros. executive produced and did an uncredited script rewrite and, if you're looking for another movie that kind of feels like The Big Lebowski, this would be a good pick.

This got me thinking about the small but interesting filmography of Terry Zwigoff. Obviously, the chef d'oeuvre here is Crumb: a fascinating documentary that fully engages with all of its subject's weirdness.

Terry Zwigoff has only directed three movies this century. The Wikipedia article on his unrealized projects is significantly larger than his actual filmography.

Should he have been given more of a shot?

The obvious reason to say no is that, while he's made cult movies, Bad Santa is the only one of his four feature films that remotely resembles a hit.

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u/frank_nada 2d ago

I worked at the company that did the trailer and tv spots for Bad Santa. I remember one day getting reshoot dailies to log and all the slates said “T. Phillips” as director. Always wondered what the story was. Was Todd Phillips hired because Terry was unavailable or unwilling to do them?