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The gang from Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind are all back and raring to go. Each actor once again comes up with their own unique character quirks and personalities--some, of course, more outrageous than others. Stand-outs in that department include Higgins as the uptight, militaristic publicist Corey; Willard as the bombastic TV host with a "faux" Mohawk, with the plastic Lynch, smiling sweetly--and completely insincerely—by his side; and Coolidge as yet another dumb, hat-wearing, push-up bra-strapping blonde who delivers some of the funnier lines in the movie. But the real surprise is O'Hara as Marilyn, the veteran actress who has all but given up on the dream of making it big—until she gets caught up in all the excitement and starts to believe again. It's actually more than a little heartbreaking to watch, as O'Hara provides an emotional core amidst the sea of cut-ups.

t's difficult to truly knock Dwayne Johnson--he currently shuns the name that begat his celebrity, The Rock, in favor of his birth name--for taking the pledge of serious actordom. After all, when any highly bankable actor makes such a decision--not to be confused with the comedy-to-drama crossover--isn't it more admirable than the alternative of staying the same, finance-driven course? Alas, however, Gridiron is absolutely not a serious actor's vehicle. Johnson has a few surprisingly tender close-ups, but most scenes feature him from afar, shouting his best chest-bump voice. Xzibit, attempting another kind of crossover (rapping to acting), is in almost every scene yet says almost nothing. Maybe the best performance comes from youngster Jade Yorker, who plays the team's hotheaded star.Yorker's emotional range (and shirtless prancing...for the ladies) makes him one to keep an eye on in the future.

Dench and Blanchett give tour-de-force performances yet again. Blanchett's natural effervescence provides the beacon for all the wanted—and unwanted—attention Sheba receives, but it's her fragile emotional state that draws you in. Played like a wounded butterfly, Sheba is too weak to either stave off a dalliance with the young gent—played with convincing lustfulness by newcomer Simpson—or tell the stifling Barbara to bugger off, despite the consequences. Then there's Dench as Barbara, representing the opposite end of the spectrum as Notes' driving force. She's a bull dog, whose withering glares stop her students in their tracks and cutting remarks slice her fellow colleagues to bits, all punctuated by her caustic running commentary. Still, when Barbara turns madly obsessive, with her soft underbelly eventually exposed, she crumbles with the best of them. And the best part of Notes is watching these two brilliant actress go toe-to-toe for the first time on film. The underrated Nighy also does a fine job, ditching his Pirates of the Caribbean's tentacles to play Sheba's down-to-earth yet hapless husband. A top-notch cast all around.