An ex-office worker becomes a ventriloquist, leading to a date with his unemployment counselor; but his quirky family and a gauche female friend may thwart his new career and love life.
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Writer:
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Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Adrien Brody | ... |
Steven
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| Milla Jovovich | ... |
Fangora
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| Illeana Douglas | ... |
Heidi
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| Vera Farmiga | ... |
Lorena
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| Jessica Walter | ... |
Fern
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| Ron Leibman | ... |
Lou
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| Jared Harris | ... |
Michael
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Mirabella Pisani | ... |
Bonnie
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| Helen Hanft | ... |
Mrs. Gurkel
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Richmond Hoxie | ... |
Sorensen
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| Adam LeFevre | ... |
Theater Director
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Poppi Kramer | ... |
Jen Freed
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Alan Demovsky | ... |
Talking Mime
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| Lou Martini Jr. | ... |
Unemployed Italian
(as Lou Marini Jr.)
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| Gabor Morea | ... |
Unemployed Frottager
(as Gabor Mobea)
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| Edward Hibbert | ... |
Unemployed Actor
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Robert Larkin | ... |
Pharmacist
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Alan Semok | ... |
Professor Parlepancia
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| John Elsen | ... |
Cop
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Debbie Ross | ... |
Le Bagel Waitress
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Jason Batchko | ... |
Tardy Vent Student
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Tom Plotkin | ... |
Magic Store Clerk
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| Andy Senor | ... |
Arab Caterer
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Alix Korey | ... |
Mrs. Freed
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Paul Wallfisch | ... |
Fangora's Band
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Oren Kaplan | ... |
Fangora's Band
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Tim Otto | ... |
Fangora's Band
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David Wm. Sims | ... |
Fangora's Band
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Mary Ann Hannon | ... |
Diner Waitress (uncredited)
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| Lawrence R. Leritz | ... |
Groom (uncredited)
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| C.J. Marsini | ... |
Joey (uncredited)
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Billy Nolan | ... |
Vent Student (uncredited)
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Natalia Paruz | ... |
Musical Saw Player (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Greg Pritikin | ||
Written by
| Greg Pritikin | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Jellybean Benítez | ... | associate producer |
| Bob Fagan | ... | producer |
| Jose Gilberto Molinari-Rosaly | ... | associate producer (as Jose Gilberto Molinari) |
| Valerie Romer | ... | line producer |
| Richard Temtchine | ... | producer |
Music by
| Paul Wallfisch | ||
Cinematography by
| Horacio Marquínez | ... | director of photography (as Horacio Marquinez) |
Editing by
| William Henry | ... | (as Bill Henry) |
| Michael Palmerio | ||
Editorial Department
| Elizabeth Kling | ... | supervising editor |
| Katie Mcquerrey | ... | assistant film editor |
| Terel Gibson | ... | assistant film editor (uncredited) |
| Stuart Macphee | ... | post-production coordinator (uncredited) |
| Kent McGrew | ... | color timer (uncredited) |
Casting By
| Cathy Sandrich Gelfond | ||
| Amanda Mackey | ... | (as Amanda Mackey Johnson) |
Production Design by
| Charlotte Bourke | ||
Art Direction by
| Amanda Carroll | ... | (as Amanda Caroll) |
Set Decoration by
| Jon Nissenbaum | ... | (uncredited) |
Costume Design by
| Marie Abma | ||
Makeup Department
| Lorrie Ann Dobbins | ... | additional hair stylist (as Lorie Anne Dobbins) / additional makeup artist (as Lorie Anne Dobbins) |
| Persefone Karakosta | ... | assistant hair stylist / assistant makeup artist |
| Julia Lallas | ... | additional hair stylist / additional makeup artist |
| Sanna Riley | ... | hair stylist / makeup artist |
Production Management
| Taylor Lawrence | ... | production manager |
| Valerie Romer | ... | unit production manager (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Karen Kane | ... | second assistant director |
| B.J. Owens | ... | second second assistant director |
| Tom Self | ... | additional second second assistant director |
Art Department
| Christi Catalpa | ... | graphic designer |
| Gonzalo Cordoba | ... | additional set dresser |
| Gimili Glavin | ... | scenic artist / set dresser |
| Mary Hawkins | ... | art department production assistant |
| Jason Kadlec | ... | set dresser |
| Nick Marden | ... | additional scenic |
| Jon Nissenbaum | ... | set dresser |
| Jose Pavon | ... | set dresser |
| Diana Puntar | ... | prop master |
| Alan Semok | ... | builder: Steven's dummy (as Alan 'The Dummy Doctor' Semok) / designer: Steven's dummy (as Alan 'The Dummy Doctor' Semok) |
Sound Department
| Kentaro Abe | ... | foley artist |
| Mitthun Dalal | ... | sound intern |
| Jesse Ehredt | ... | sound recordist |
| Sean Garnhart | ... | sound effects editor |
| Seth Granger | ... | boom operator |
| Lisa Gabriella Keppler | ... | assistant foley artist |
| George A. Lara | ... | foley mixer / foley supervisor |
| Skip Lievsay | ... | sound supervisor (as Skips Lievsay) |
| Joe Mendelson | ... | sound designer |
| Chris Navarro | ... | adr recordist |
| Theresa Radka | ... | sound mixer |
| Fred Rosenberg | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Joram Schwartz | ... | additional boom operator |
| Rick Van Benschoten | ... | additional sound designer |
| Katharyn Yew | ... | additional adr artist |
| Marko A. Costanzo | ... | foley artist (uncredited) |
| Tom Efinger | ... | re-recording mixer (uncredited) |
| Sean Huff | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Jim Rider | ... | optical supervisor |
Stunts
| Roy Farfel | ... | stunts |
| Roy Farrel | ... | stunt department |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Hashim Al-Mashat | ... | additional electrician |
| George Bianchini | ... | steadicam operator |
| Ariel Boles | ... | best boy electric |
| Jared Boles | ... | electric intern |
| Herb Brooks | ... | company electrician |
| Greg Canicio | ... | additional grip |
| Philippe Casseus | ... | additional key grip |
| Pierrot Colonna | ... | second assistant camera |
| Catriona 'Cat' Crosby | ... | third grip (as Cat Crosby) |
| Jonathan Cupina | ... | additional key grip |
| Ben D'Andrea | ... | additional key grip |
| Christine DeSavino | ... | still photographer (as Christine De Savino) |
| Burke Grantham | ... | camera production assistant |
| Tom Guiney | ... | additional grip (as Thomas Guiney) |
| David Harges | ... | gaffer |
| Susan Heller | ... | company electrician |
| Dan Keane | ... | best boy grip |
| Ted Lehane | ... | key grip (as Ted Le Hane) |
| Vincent Mangano | ... | additional key grip |
| Pete McGill | ... | additional electrician (as Pete Mcgill) |
| Chris Neff | ... | key grip |
| Deb Peterson | ... | grip intern (as Deb Krahulec) |
| Rick Pierson | ... | camera loader |
| Ron Travisano | ... | assistant camera |
| Ezra Venetos | ... | additional key grip |
Casting Department
| Sig De Miguel | ... | casting associate |
| Jaime Jacobs | ... | extras casting |
| Karen Meisels | ... | casting associate (uncredited) |
| Wendy Weidman | ... | casting associate (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Justine Jones | ... | wardrobe intern |
| Rachel Leek | ... | additional wardrobe supervisor (as Rachel J. Leek) |
| Zairi Malcolm | ... | wardrobe intern |
| Rachel L. Medina | ... | wardrobe supervisor |
| Sherri Kohl Owles | ... | wardrobe supervisor |
| Amy Renstein | ... | additional wardrobe |
| Elizabeth Roles | ... | wardrobe supervisor |
| Abigail Stowe | ... | additional wardrobe |
| Susan Wachsler | ... | additional wardrobe |
Location Management
| Kim Marie Cicione | ... | location scout (as Kim Cicione) |
| Eric Cohen | ... | location scout |
| Roni Deitz | ... | location scout |
| Thomas Hanna | ... | location manager |
| Brad Huddleston | ... | assistant location manager |
| Joseph Zolfo | ... | location supervising consultant (as Joseph N. Zolfo) |
Music Department
| Catherine Bent | ... | musician |
| Jellybean Benítez | ... | executive music supervisor (as Jellybean Benitez) |
| Chris Berger | ... | musician |
| Christian Bongers | ... | musician |
| Matt Flynn | ... | musician |
| Steve Haas | ... | musician |
| Alex Kadran | ... | musician |
| Oren Kaplan | ... | musician |
| Tamir Muskat | ... | musician / score mixer / score recordist |
| Tim Otto | ... | musician |
| James Parker | ... | musician |
| Natalia Paruz | ... | musician: musical saw |
| Charlie Rafalides | ... | musician |
| Dom Richards | ... | musician |
| Danny Schotsky | ... | score mixer / score recordist |
| Antoine Silverman | ... | musician |
| David Wm. Sims | ... | musician |
| Paul Wallfisch | ... | score arranger / score producer |
Script and Continuity Department
| Veronica Mulero | ... | additional script supervisor (as Veronica Molero) |
| Anthony Pettine | ... | script supervisor (as Tony Pettine) |
Additional Crew
| Kentaro Abe | ... | production associate |
| Roni Armstrong | ... | craft service assistant (as Ronnie Armstrong) |
| Alice Bertay | ... | assistant: Mr. Pritikin |
| Daniel Bronstein | ... | production assistant |
| Marcus Cano | ... | intern |
| Beatriz Cardenas | ... | intern |
| Christi Catalpa | ... | titles |
| Cortney Cooper | ... | intern |
| Tobias Core | ... | production assistant |
| Anthony DiDonato | ... | intern (as Tony Didonato) |
| Ben Dotson | ... | additional production assistant |
| Allyson Drucker | ... | intern |
| Jesse Fellus | ... | production assistant |
| Dave Ginsberg | ... | production assistant |
| Maura Griffin | ... | intern |
| John Kaufmann | ... | production assistant |
| Janice Kay | ... | intern |
| Julie Kuehndorf | ... | publicist |
| Lili Lambert | ... | intern |
| Nicholas Lorden | ... | intern (as Nick Lorden) |
| Pamela Morejon | ... | title designer |
| Tracey Moulton | ... | intern |
| Eric Oden | ... | accountant |
| Joe Parvis | ... | teamster |
| Jack Rizzo | ... | prints: Metropolis Film Labs |
| Nom Ruminstein | ... | additional production assistant |
| Ariel Enriquez Saulog | ... | digital supervisor |
| Jonathan Schwartz | ... | additional production assistant |
| Robert L. Seigel | ... | legal services (as Robert L. Seigel Esq.) |
| Beverley Self | ... | production assistant (as Beverley Ellar) |
| Yann Sobezynski | ... | assistant production coordinator (as Yan Sobezinsky) |
| Greg Spencer | ... | additional production assistant |
| Greg Stillman | ... | additional production assistant |
| April Taylor | ... | key set production assistant |
| Ian Tenenebaum | ... | intern |
| Stephan Ursu | ... | production assistant |
| Jan Luc Van Damme | ... | additional production assistant (as Jean Luc Van Damme) |
| Verna Vittles | ... | craft service |
| Brad Waskewich | ... | intern |
| Paul Winchell | ... | special technical advisor |
| Jonathan Dana | ... | producer's representative (uncredited) |
| Taylor Lawrence | ... | production coordinator (uncredited) |
| Pete Michaels | ... | ventriloquism instructor: Mr Brody (uncredited) |
| Timothy Scott Ralston | ... | studio projectionist (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Paul Anka | ... | special thanks |
| Barbara Avnet | ... | special thanks |
| Jon Avnet | ... | special thanks |
| Al Bardin | ... | special thanks |
| Burt Batchko | ... | special thanks |
| Fern Batchko | ... | special thanks |
| Jason Batchko | ... | special thanks |
| Wendy Becker | ... | special thanks |
| Neal Bellet | ... | special thanks: Wayne Township |
| John Bernstein | ... | special thanks |
| Silvia Black | ... | special thanks: Fed Ex, for saving our lives! |
| Botanica | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Debbie Brennan | ... | special thanks: Wayne Township |
| Jillisa Brittan | ... | special thanks |
| Rudolph Callegari | ... | special thanks |
| Frank Carari | ... | special thanks |
| Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni | ... | special thanks |
| Christi Catalpa | ... | special thanks |
| Joel Chestler | ... | special thanks |
| Lynn Chestler | ... | special thanks |
| Genevieve Coleman | ... | special thanks |
| JoAnne Colonna | ... | special thanks |
| Betty Comden | ... | special thanks |
| Coralina | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Charles Cusumano Jr. | ... | special thanks |
| Rex Daisy | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Peter Dante | ... | special thanks |
| Robert Davies | ... | special thanks |
| Betty Demovsky | ... | special thanks |
| John Diaz | ... | special thanks |
| Charmagne Nicholas Feuillette | ... | special thanks |
| Jon Fields | ... | special thanks |
| Lisa Fishman | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Arnie Frank | ... | special thanks: art contributions |
| The Girls | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Mary Glucksman | ... | special thanks |
| Shirley Grady | ... | special thanks: New York Department of Citywide Administrative Services (as Shirley Ann Grady) |
| Adolph Green | ... | in memory of / special thanks |
| William Harris | ... | special thanks |
| Ginger Hege | ... | special thanks |
| Steven Heliotes | ... | special thanks |
| Paul Hendrickson | ... | special thanks |
| The Highland Park High School Band | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Jim Hile | ... | special thanks |
| Regina Hopkins | ... | special thanks |
| Annette Insdorf | ... | special thanks |
| Bill Jenkins | ... | special thanks |
| The Joy Poppers | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Adam Kallish | ... | special thanks |
| Elizabeth Kallish | ... | special thanks |
| Steven M. Karras | ... | special thanks |
| Luisa Kazanas | ... | special thanks |
| Chris Keefe | ... | special thanks |
| Lisa Gabriella Keppler | ... | special thanks |
| Peter Keppler | ... | special thanks (as Pete Keppler) |
| Aleen Keshishian | ... | special thanks |
| Jerry Lane | ... | special thanks: art contributions |
| Julia Lane | ... | special thanks |
| Barbara Lavin | ... | special thanks |
| Michel Legrand | ... | special thanks |
| Diane Levitt | ... | special thanks |
| Mickey Levitt | ... | special thanks |
| Allan Loeb | ... | special thanks |
| Kevin MacLeod | ... | special thanks (as Kevin McKleod) |
| Keith Markinson | ... | special thanks |
| The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band | ... | special thanks: Band musicians |
| Jennifer McGarigle | ... | special thanks |
| Enrico Mirabelli | ... | special thanks |
| Robert H. Montgomery Jr. | ... | in memory of |
| Pamela Morejon | ... | special thanks (as Pam Morejon) |
| Sean Mulroney | ... | special thanks |
| Melissa Nusbaum | ... | special thanks |
| Marsha Oglesby | ... | special thanks |
| Reed Paget | ... | special thanks |
| Linda Palham | ... | special thanks |
| Steven Pearl | ... | special thanks |
| Carrie Polonsky | ... | special thanks |
| Jonny Polonsky | ... | special thanks |
| Timothy D. Popularum | ... | special thanks |
| David Pritikin | ... | special thanks |
| Jim Pritikin | ... | special thanks |
| Mary Pritikin | ... | special thanks |
| Alan Quasha | ... | special thanks |
| Jill Quasha | ... | special thanks |
| Jim Rider | ... | special thanks |
| Jack Rizzo | ... | special thanks |
| Gary Rosen | ... | special thanks |
| Ben Rosenstein | ... | special thanks |
| David Rothstein | ... | special thanks |
| Brad Ruben | ... | special thanks |
| Mike Ruekberg | ... | special thanks |
| David W. Schoner Jr. | ... | special thanks: New Jersey Motion Pictures/Television Commission (as David Schoner) |
| Alan Semok | ... | special thanks: art contributions |
| Meyer Shwarzstein | ... | special thanks (as Meyer Schwartzstein) |
| Diana Silvius-Gits | ... | special thanks |
| Shawn Simon | ... | special thanks (as Shawn Hopkins) |
| Marc Skolnik | ... | special thanks |
| Chris Smith | ... | special thanks |
| Jerry Stoeffhaas | ... | special thanks: New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture and TV Development (as Jerry Stoeffhaaf) |
| Bill Swartz | ... | special thanks |
| Sabrina Swartz | ... | special thanks |
| Tom Szidon | ... | special thanks |
| John Tottenham | ... | special thanks |
| Doris Toumarkine | ... | special thanks |
| Jason Watkins | ... | special thanks |
| Thomas Weeks | ... | special thanks |
| Jordan Weisman | ... | special thanks |
| Señor Wences | ... | special thanks (as Senor Wences) |
| Paul Winchell | ... | special thanks |
| Dave Winslow | ... | thanks |
| Debra Yates | ... | special thanks |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Be Best in DVD (BBI-DVD) (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Curb Entertainment
- I-On New Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
- Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2004) (United States) (DVD)
- Prooptiki (2003) (Greece) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (2004) (Finland) (tv)
Special Effects
- Film East (opticals)
Other Companies
- A.B.S. (wardrobe)
- Agatha (wardrobe)
- All Payments Services (payroll services)
- American Foliage (artwork)
- Antenna (sound mixed at)
- Asics (wardrobe)
- Atomic Pictures (special thanks)
- BCBG (wardrobe)
- Bisou Bisou (wardrobe)
- Bright Pictures (special thanks)
- C5 (additional sound)
- Camera Service Center (camera)
- Classy Tuxedos (wardrobe)
- Coast to Coast Catering (catering)
- Cynthia Rowley (wardrobe)
- D.R. Reiff & Associates (insurance)
- Daniel, Seigel & Bimbler LLP (legal services)
- Dessy Creations (wardrobe)
- Dr. Martens (wardrobe)
- Echo Post (special thanks)
- FedEx (thank you: for saving our lives)
- Film East (titles)
- Halloween Adventure (special thanks)
- Hamilton Beach/Proctor Silex (special thanks)
- Heller (special thanks)
- Howard Johnson (special thanks)
- Impact Product Placement (product placement)
- International Fireworks Mfg. Co. (special thanks)
- Julia Santos (wardrobe)
- KMS Hair Care (special thanks)
- Laura Mercier Cosmetics (special thanks)
- Lenox (artwork)
- Looking Glass Studios (additional music recorded at)
- MAC Cosmetics (special thanks)
- Mackey/Sandrich Casting (casting)
- Mario & Luigi's, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn (special thanks)
- Massive and Associates (parking coordinator)
- Max Incorporated (special thanks)
- Mazur's Bakery, Lynhurst, NJ (artwork)
- Mini Jive (additional music recorded at)
- Nanette Lepore (wardrobe)
- New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission (locations)
- New York Department of Citywide Administrative Services (special thanks)
- New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture & Television Development (locations)
- Paris Film Productions (grip and electric equipment)
- Pottery Barn Kids (special thanks)
- Pottery Barn (artwork)
- Reebok (wardrobe)
- Revell-Monogram (special thanks)
- Specialty Retail Enterprises (special thanks)
- St. Supery Wine (special thanks)
- Stage Shows International (artwork)
- Target (II) (special thanks)
- The 13th Street Repertory Theater (special thanks)
- The 7th Floor (production space provided by)
- The Firm (special thanks)
- The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (film commission)
- The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (locations)
- The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting (permits)
- The New York Department of Labor (locations)
- The Town of Kearny (locations)
- U-Save (vehicles)
- UPP (wardrobe)
- Universal Pictures (copyright: "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man")
- Universal Studios Licensing (film clip courtesy of: "You Can't Cheat an Honest Man")
- Vibromonk Studios, Brooklyn (score recorded and mixed at)
- Victory Diner (special thanks)
- Visual Icon (exclusive clip and still licensing)
- Wayne Manor (special thanks)
- Wayne Police Athletic Club (locations)
- Wayne Police Department (locations)
- Wayne Township (locations)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Steven, nearly 30 and living with his parents, sees an old Edgar Bergen movie on TV and decides to fulfill his longtime dream of becoming a ventriloquist. His beautiful unemployment counselor Lorena finds him work, but puts out a restraining order on him when he paints a thank-you note on her door. Later, this young mother agrees to date him anyway, but finds his bickering family, and his inexperience with women, daunting to a relationship. Steven's sister Heidi is a wedding planner with a drunken ex-fiancé who keeps showing up at the door. His friend Fangora is a pseudo-punk rocker whose sex does not prevent her from giving him terrible advice about women. The wedding of a Jewish girl, who wants Klezmer music and gets something unexpected, will become a turning point in everyone's lives. Written by J. Spurlin |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The story of a dummy and his man. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Opening Weekend United States | $30,120, 14 Sep 2003 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Jessica Walter and Ron Leibman, who play Adrien Brody's character's parents, were married in real life. See more » |
| Goofs | Steven returns the dummy to the magic shop where he bought it. However, when he leaves the shop, a sign reading "All sales final" can be seen on the door behind him. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Features You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Years See more » |
| Crazy Credits | All puppetry and ventriloquism performed live by Adrien Brody. See more » |
| Quotes |
Heidi:
Because every klezmer band in town is booked and I desperately need a band. But if I hire you, you have to be willing to "hora". Is that a problem? Fangora: Oh man, at this point I'd fuck anyone. See more » |