Chump Change (2000)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Stephen Burrows

Writer (WGA):

Stephen Burrows (written by)

Release Date:

7 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Fame, Fortune, Cheese, and Beer.

Plot:

A failed Hollywood actor returns to his home town in Wisconsin and reminisces about his life in L.A. to a potential new girlfriend about his faults, auditions, misadventures, and confrontations with the evils of Hollywood.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Milwaukee Wisconsin | Script Writer | Filmmaking | Hollywood Sign

Awards:

6 wins

Cast

Stephen Burrows	...	Milwaukee Steve
Tim Matheson	...	Simon 'Sez' Simone
Traci Lords	...	Sam (as Traci Elizabeth Lords)
A.J. Benza	...	Steve's Agent
Fred Willard	...	Steve's Manager
Clancy Brown	...	The Man
McNally Sagal	...	Maloney
Jon Chardiet	...	Mr. C.
Willie Etra	...	88 Fingers
Stefane Zamorano	...	Coco Delapino
Theo Greenly	...	Chuckie Self
Mandy Levin	...	Bistro Waitress
Michael McDonald	...	Dack (as Michael James McDonald)
Jerry Stiller	...	The Colonel
Miriam Flynn	...	Bussler Waitress

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual humor.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Trivia:

Miramax Films acquired Chump Change (2000) after winning the HBO Comedy Film Festival.

Quotes:

Simon 'Sez' Simone: These are the rules of comedy. Ok? For instance: right place wrong time - funny. Wrong place right time - funny. Wrong place wrong time - not funny! Stupid - funny, retarded - not funny! Fat - funny, bald - funny, hair - not funny. But, toupees and wigs - very funny...

Movie Connections:

References Lethal Weapon (1987)

Soundtrack:

Today's As Good As Any To Die

One of the best comedy feature to come out of Wisconsin

Steve Burrows is a great story teller, comedian, author, writer, producer, director. I got to meet and know Steve while he was deciding to film about 1/3 of this movie in Wisconsin (the rest takes place in Los Angeles).

A hilarious rags to riches to rags story, it stars Steve actor in a semi-autobiographical film. Steve's been out in L.A. for over 10 years, and he's been able to get at least 15 named/known Talent to take part in this film, including: Abe Vigoda, Jerry and Mira Stiller,Clancy Brown, and Traci Lords (yes THE Traci Lords). Traci co-stars as a frumpy Wisconsinite in the Milwaukee area in the middle of winter, who wears big sweaters, mucklucks, and a tuke on her noggin. Although she portrays a bitter single woman, Steve charms her with his sad sack stories, discovers she has a heart of gold, and wins her over in the end of the film. Traci Lords has got great acting ability, and I'm glad to see her make the transition to feature films.

This film is filled with classic one liners (Arbys: Where the meats so shiny you can see yourself!), hilarious riffs on the LA film scene (Clancy Brown as the acting coach), and is a true testament that an indie actor/film maker from Wisconsin (Burrows)can make it out in Hollywood. Way to Go Steve! Let's see this soon at the Multiplexes, DVD, or on cable!