Schizopolis (1996)

Fletcher Munson, the lethargic employee of a pseudo-religious self help company, and his doppelganger, the friendly but dull dentist Dr. Jeffrey Korchek.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh (uncredited)

Stars:

Steven Soderbergh, Miles Hardy, Scott Allen

Cast

Credited cast:
Miles Hardy	...	Baseball player

Storyline

Fletcher Munson is a lethargic, passive worker for a Scientology-like self-help corporation called Eventualism. After the death of a colleague, he is promoted to the job of writing speeches for T. Azimuth Schwitters, the founder and head of the group. He uses this as an excuse to be emotionally and romantically distant from his wife, who, he discovers, is having an affair with his doppelganger, a dentist named Dr. Jeffrey Korchek. As Munson fumbles with the speech and Korchek becomes obsessed with a new patient, a psychotic exterminator named Elmo Oxygen goes around the town seducing lonely wives and taking photographs of his genitals.

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Plot Keywords:

doppelganger | black comedy | absurdism | satire | experimental film | 

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Taglines:

Come early! Come often!

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese Italian French

Release Date:

9 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Steven Soderbergh's Schizopolis

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$250,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,580, 9 April 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

.406 Production, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Mono)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Soderbergh cast his ex-wife, Betsy Brantley, to play his character's wife. Their two characters were a husband and wife who had drifted apart and could not communicate.

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Goofs

The word "circumcised" is misspelled on Elmo's truck.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Man: And action.
Filmmaker: Ladies and gentlemen, young and old, this may seem an unusual procedure speaking to you before the picture begins but we have an unusual subject.
Filmmaker: [instructs the cameraman] Turn.
[camera zooms closer]
Filmmaker: When I say that this is the most important motion picture you will ever attend, my motivation is not financial gain but a firm belief that the delicate fabric that holds all of us together will be ripped apart unless every man, woman and child in this country sees this film ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

No fish were harmed during the making of this film.

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Connections

References No Way Out (1950)

User Reviews

Its hilarity is absolute!

Soderbergh apparently worked on this movie with a video camera and several friends. The movie was an effort on Soderbergh's part to return to the most basic elements of film making, without the big budget, big lights, and big names. He succeeded ten times over. I've seen the movie many, many times and it only gets better. Its humor is at times subtle and at others out-right raucous. Each time through you'll be certain to notice something new and amusing that you'd missed before. Fantastic!