24 hours in L.A.; it's raining cats and dogs. Two parallel and intercut stories dramatize men about to die: both are estranged from a grown child, both want to make contact, and neither child wants anything to do with dad. Earl Partridge's son is a charismatic misogynist; Jimmy Gator's daughter is a cokehead and waif. A mild and caring nurse intercedes for Earl, reaching the son; a prayerful and upright beat cop meets the daughter, is attracted to her, and leads her toward a new calm. Meanwhile, guilt consumes Earl's young wife, while two whiz kids, one grown and a loser and the other young and pressured, face their situations. The weather, too, is quirky.
Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
In one of the early versions of the script, Paul Thomas Anderson proposed making it clear to the audience that all the events took place in a very small area, like one square mile or ten square blocks. It was later decided this would take too long to clarify and would confuse people.
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Goofs
Incorrectly regarded as goofs:
WDKK is not a (geographically misplaced) TV station, but the abbreviation of the program, "What Do Kids Know?"
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Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator:
In the New York Herald, November 26, year 1911, there is an account of the hanging of three men. They died for the murder of Sir Edmund William Godfrey; Husband, Father, Pharmacist and all around gentle-man resident of: Greenberry Hill, London. He was murdered by three vagrants whose motive was simple robbery... See more »
Crazy Credits
As the credit for Robert Downey Sr. scrolls up the screen, the words "(a
prince)" appear next to his name.
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