Jealousy overwhelms a group of friends, particularly struggling writer Elliot, as they prepare for the homecoming of their old friend, a wildly successful L.A. producer.Jealousy overwhelms a group of friends, particularly struggling writer Elliot, as they prepare for the homecoming of their old friend, a wildly successful L.A. producer.Jealousy overwhelms a group of friends, particularly struggling writer Elliot, as they prepare for the homecoming of their old friend, a wildly successful L.A. producer.
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Quotes
Elliot: You know, I still can't picture you two having sex.
Paula: Oh, wait a minute! You can't picture me *making love* with my successful, clean-shaven husband, who wears Paul Stuart suits, but you can see me jumping into bed with a guy that I have to lend money to, pay alimony to, who hasn't washed that tee-shirt since, like, Christmas?
Elliot: Chanukah.
George: See you, Elliot.
Paula: See you, George.
[George leaves]
Elliot: Bet he never gave you eight orgasms.
Paula: Oh Elliot, when are you going to realize sex is only part of a well-integrated life? Besides, half of those were faked.
Elliot: Four is not so bad!
Weber effectively makes the case that there is nobility in the lives of the below-average and that the friendships that bind these people (for they have nothing else but friends) is of greater value and meaning than the worldly success they aspire to.
Pantoliano hasn't branched far from the tree of his typical roles. He plays Eliot, a wise-cracking, cynical, self-proclaimed loser with a broken marriage and a job selling menswear. He nevertheless is the catalyst for his gang of pals, one of which is a Hollywood mogul currently on top of the world. What's the allure? Eliot is a funny, interesting, original thinker who, in the end, we know to have a heart of gold. And even more important, they've been friends for life.
I wanted to like the movie, because it feels like an original theme and I cared about the characters. A little more plot would have been nice, though. I also began to weary of the Freudian obsession with sex in a group of 40-year-old men. And I never bought into the extraordinary insensitivity Eliot displays to his friends. And finally, the only remotely likeable female character is Eliot's mother, Barbara Barrie, who gives a nice comedic performance.
I am eager to see what Weber comes up with next.
- baho2
- Jan 16, 2004
Details
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color