This So-Called Disaster is Michael Almereyda's lively and intimate chronicle of the debut production of Sam Shepard's play "The Late Henry Moss." The film is a happy mixture of behind-the-scenes theatrical reality and a fair measure of celebrity ogling. Shepard is featured as a quiet, sensitive and effective teacher and motivator, while the likes of Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Woody Harrelson, Cheech Marin and the title character James Gammon are fascinating to watch. The film is being touted as a fly-on-the-wall look at big Hollywood egos clashing, sparks flying kind of affair - something the title would lead one to expect, but this is not the case at all. The only morsel of this kind comes when Penn teases Harrelson by saying "this isn't White Men Can't Jump," to which Woody goes for the jugular with the killer rejoinder, "would it be more like Shanghai Surprise?" Which shut the notoriously difficult Penn up toot sweet.

This So Called Disaster is ultimately a flattering and well-intentioned tribute to Shepard himself, who has always been a mysterious commodity - both an award-winning playwright and ruggedly handsome movie star. To peek behind the curtain and watch the way he shapes his stage creations from the script (which he constantly critiques and amends) to the blocking, to working with T-Bone Burnett who writes and performs the production's musical accompaniment - it's all very watchable, regardless where you stand in terms of your interest in live theater.

The play itself, "The Late Henry Moss," is yet another of Shepard's hard-boiled, testosterone-infused examinations of the male psyche. In biographical flashbacks and casual interviews (a la The Last Waltz) we are given insight into how close Shepard's own life mirrors his most important plays, and "The Late Henry Moss" is no exception. Shepard stalwart James Gammon plays the abusive, alcoholic (and dead) father to Penn and Nolte's embattled brothers. Mostly set in the dimly-lit auditorium, the film offers an intimate look at these no-nonsense professionals at work. Shepard gives direction and watches with intense concentration while the actors struggle, experiment and slowly grow comfortable with their characters. The actors' openness at revealing themselves at this vulnerable stage is admirable if not astonishing - and the evolution of the thing as it comes together under the pressure of the ever-advancing opening night is reason enough to recommend the film to anybody with an interest in the theater.

Another thing that makes "This So-Called Disaster so winning is the fact that the subjects of the film are all very famous in their own right. To see Sean and Woody razz each other, to hear Nolte talk freely about his nervous breakdowns, and to witness them all battle off opening-night-butterflies allows for star-gazing that truly feels like time wisely spent. These celebrities, far from being lightweights, also reveal themselves as consummate craftsmen with a genuine commitment to their art. At the end of the film the real meaning behind the title "This So-Called Disaster" is revealed by Shepard and it's a very poignant moment to say the least. Author, Author . . .