Outline:
In the “Mad About You” episode titled “The Finale” (airing on May 19, 1998), Paul (played by Paul Reiser) is fully immersed in his newest documentary, “The Making of the Making of Titanic,” a project he strongly believes in. During May 1998, “Titanic” was still showing in cinemas (!), having already earned over a billion dollars worldwide. The “Titanic” phenomenon was sweeping the country, and many had watched the “HBO First Look” episode “Heart of the Ocean: The Making of Titanic,” which premiered in December 1997. Paul thought that if “The Making of Titanic” was so captivating, he could go even deeper and explore the process behind creating that documentary. He had also managed to get Maynard (portrayed by Steven Hack), the editor of “The Making of Titanic,” to be involved.
(It is important to mention that Maynard is a fictional character, and the real editors of “Heart of the Ocean” were named Douglad Blush and Peter G. Parise.)
Paul quickly realizes there is a major flaw in his concept, however. Maynard had access to director James Cameron, of course, but when searching for something fresh and intriguing about the director, there was no new or captivating footage that Maynard had previously removed. All the quality material, he explains, was already included in his film. The extra footage essentially consisted of James Cameron’s downtime or random conversations unrelated to “Titanic.”
It could have been due toPaul Reiser collaborated with Cameron on his 1986 successful movie “Aliens,”but as a favor, Cameron actually made a brief appearance (on a television screen) in “Mad About You.” He spent a few minutes doing nothing, and also discussed “Austin Powers.” It’s quite amusing.
Read more: The Top 15 Movies That Are So Poor They’re Amazing
James Cameron mentions nothing in his appearance on Mad About You
As Paul speaks with Maynard, they shift their focus to a video monitor to discover what insights can be gained from James Cameron’s B-roll. They simply watch him scratching his butt and picking his nose. Cameron briefly employs small cartoon voices to reenact a scene from “Titanic.” He orders lunch. Then he decides to change his mind and orders something different. After that, he changes his mind once more and goes back to his original choice. The more ordinary the actions are, the funnier they become. We find ourselves laughing at the Paul character for his unfortunate situation of being unable to utilize this footage, but also at the fact that Cameron consented to appear in such a manner.
Then Maynard shows a second clip of Cameron, this time when he was talking to a man at the “Titanic” catering table. Cameron is loading his plate with food, chatting away to a bored “Titanic” crew member aboutthe 1997 comedy “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”Cameron appeared to be quite pleased with the term “Shagalicious,” attempting an Austin Powers-style performance, which clearly annoyed his companion. It’s all very amusingly uncomfortable.
Cameron could be the most successful filmmaker in terms of box office earnings, but his appearance on “Mad About You” showed that he’s open to poking fun at himself. It’s unclear if Cameron is a fan of “Austin Powers,” but he was ready to play along for a 1998 television show. The next year, Cameron once again made fun of himself in Albert Brooks’ 1999 comedy “The Muse,” where he — once again portraying himself — had to be convinced that creating “Titanic 2” was not a good idea. What a great sense of humor.
“Mad About You” made a comeback in 2019.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.