Trama

Jerry Falk learns a lesson the hard way when he falls in love with the beautiful but flighty Amanda.

Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) and David Dobel (Woody Allen), who meet at a business meeting, become fast friends. Their commonality is that they are both fledgling New York City based comedy writers, largely writing material for stand-ups, are Jewish (although David is an atheist), and are each of bundle of different neuroses. Their big difference is that Jerry is twenty-one, while David is sixty, with forty more years worth of life experience, knowledge, and neuroses. While Jerry writes full time - he is also working on a novel - David has kept his day job as a public school teacher just in case. In their relationship, David becomes somewhat of Jerry's mentor, providing advice on Jerry's life issues, most which revolve around the fact that Jerry is a product of inertia, having trouble leaving anyone. That's why Jerry's still with the only manager he's ever had, Harvey Wexler (Danny DeVito). Jerry not only being Harvey's only client (which is a testament to his effectiveness in the job), Harvey also has a twenty-five percent take as stipulated in their contract, which he wants to extend for another seven years. That's why Jerry is still in therapy with a psychiatrist who has done him no good, and who advised Jerry to stay in therapy with him as opposed to taking a job in Los Angeles, California. But that not being able to leave largely applies to his love life. Jerry already has one divorce. He is having problems with his current girlfriend Amanda (Christina Ricci), who he believes is the love of his life. He fell in love with her at first sight, when he was already in a cohabitational relationship with Brooke (KaDee Strickland), and Amanda dating Jerry's friend, Bob Stiles (Jimmy Fallon). Even after Jerry began sleeping with Amanda, he could not be up front with Brooke about the situation, leaving her to figure out his lies. What Jerry is unable or unwilling to see is that Amanda not only manipulates him, but that he focuses on the things between them that make them truly compatible, while disregarding those many more things which make them incompatible. What has made their relationship more difficult of late is that her mother, who is trying to find herself, has moved in with them in their small apartment. Despite David's unique view of life, he may be able to see Jerry and Amanda's relationship more clearly as an objective bystander. The question becomes how much of David's advice Jerry will take in its entirety.—Huggo

Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) is madly in love with Amanda (Christina Ricci). However, she is rather fickle and strange and Jerry is not sure he can trust her. David Dobel (Woody Allen), a fellow comedy writer, is the man Jerry generally turns to for advice, but he can be a bit paranoid at times.—grantss

Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs), a fledgling comedy writer with an inept agent, is about to celebrate an anniversary with his girlfriend Amanda (Christina Ricci). There's trouble in paradise: she's late (and has already eaten), she's been uninterested in sex for a few months, and her quixotic mother is moving in with them. Jerry looks back to meeting Amanda and dumping Brooke (KaDee Strickland). A constant is his friendship with another wannabe comedy writer, a sixty-year-old teacher named David Dobel (Woody Allen), prone to long walks and advice filled talks. As Amanda's and Jerry's relationship flounders and her mom's noisy presence makes writing difficult for him, he and David plan something different. Wouldn't anything else be better?—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) is an aspiring writer living in New York City who falls in love at first sight with Amanda (Christina Ricci) and dumps his girlfriend to get with her. Seeking advice, Jerry turns to the aging struggling artist who acts as his oracle - and that includes trying to help sort out Jerry's romantic life.—behemuthm

Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs), an aspiring writer living in New York City, has a girlfriend, Brooke (KaDee Strickland). Jerry and Brooke run into Jerry's friend Bob, who at the time is dating Amanda. Jerry and Brooke go on a double date with Bob and Amanda as Jerry wanted to see Amanda. Amanda picks up on this. She is opinionated and this attracts Jerry, as he feels that he and Amanda have the same tastes in music, books and art. Jerry behaves completely different in front of Amanda. He hates mosquitoes but is willing to go on a trip to the amazon with Amanda. He pretends to love snakes and be a nature lover, when he has seldom been outside of NYC. Amanda says that she is taking diet pills that reduce hunger but increase her sexual appetite. Jerry meets Amanda when Bob is out for work and takes her shopping for old records that she loves. Amanda admits that she has a problem with commitment. Jerry falls in love with Amanda (Christina Ricci) and has an affair with her. They end up having sex in hotels.

Jerry is also still in therapy with a psychiatrist who has done him no good, and who advised Jerry to stay in therapy with him as opposed to taking a job in Los Angeles, California.

Amanda leaves her own boyfriend Bob Stiles (Jimmy Fallon) for Jerry. Even after Jerry began sleeping with Amanda, he could not be up front with Brooke about the situation, leaving her to figure out his lies. Brooke learns of Jerry's infidelity (she finds bite marks on Jerry that he claims came when he fell on a comb) and leaves him.

Amanda is always late, she is disorganized, and she drives Jerry crazy. Amanda is an aspiring actress and is completely self-absorbed. Amanda comes to dinner dates with Jerry but has already had dinner as she had a bad day. Amanda is already living in Jerry's apartment and helps herself to all his food. Now she says that her mother Paula (Stockard Channing) is moving in with them as she broke up with her boyfriend. She has no money and nowhere else to go. Amanda makes Jerry put a bed for her in his office, over his vehement protests.

Jerry turns to aging, struggling artist David Dobel (Woody Allen), who acts as his mentor, which includes trying to help sort out Jerry's romantic life. Jerry had met David at an agent's office, and they were both comedians trying to break into the business. Jerry is 21, and David is 60. They meet in the park for long talks. Dobel does most of the talking. Jerry writes full time. He is also working on a novel. David has kept his day job as a public-school teacher just in case.

Harvey Wexler (Danny DeVito) is Jerry's agent and Jerry is his only client. Jerry pays Harvey 25% of all his earnings, which is very high as the industry standard is 10%. Jerry says that he cannot leave anybody. He married early and it was his wife who left him. Dobel says that when he told a cab driver of all his anxieties and phobias in life, the cab driver told him, "It's like anything else".

Amanda has not had sex with Jerry for sex months and says that he can have sex with other women. Jerry doesn't believe that Amanda loves him. Paula duly moves in and starts working on putting together a nightclub act. She wants Jerry to write some material for the pauses between her acts. Paula moves in a rental piano to rehearse her act. Jerry is inconvenienced as he has a book to finish, and he has taken deposits from comedians to deliver them some comic material.

David tells Jerry to learn to depend only on himself. He convinces Jerry to start masturbating and even get a firearm. David gifts Jerry a surplus Russian army rifle, and then helps him put together a survival kit including a compass, fishhooks, water purifying tablets, flares, snakebite stuff and a flashlight that glows when it comes in contact with water. Amanda is livid and refuses to stay in a house that has a loaded rifle in it. Dobel tries to convince Jerry that his manager is only holding him back and his relationship with Amanda is the most destructive force in his life.

A sexually frustrated Jerry suggests to Amanda that they check into a hotel like they used to before they moved in together. She agrees but has a body reaction whenever Jerry gets near her that requires seeing a medical doctor. The medical doctor feels her up as he examines her.

Harvey calls Jerry for a lunch meeting. Harvey wants to extend his original contract of 3 years for an additional 7 years. Jerry feels pressured as Harvey's whole life is invested in him.

Amanda introduces Jerry to her friend Connie (Erica Leerhsen), while she flirts with her friend Ray Polito. She makes Jerry drive to Montauk at midnight to see Ray's old theatre posters and to walk on the beach while Ray plays the guitar. Jerry introduces Amanda to David. David's verdict is instantaneous: "She's cheating on you." He advises Jerry to spy on her, which he does by lurking in stairwells and skulking in doorways for hours at a time, until finally he thinks he has enough proof to confront her. Jerry does not realize that in matters of cheating the worst thing you can do is expose the other person because then they have their excuse to leave. Amanda rationalizes her affair with fellow actor Ray Polito (Adrian Grenier) as therapeutic sex which was designed to see if she could still enjoy such intimacy. Amanda continuously cheats on Jerry. Amanda leaves and then comes back. Jerry's neuroses start to worsen.

Paula is without resources and wants to start over as a torch singer. She has a young boyfriend she met at an AA meeting which was apparently not a successful one, since they're soon doing coke together. Jerry has a girl who doesn't want to live with him and her mother who does.

David suggests he dump everything so that just the two of them can leave for Los Angeles, where all the jobs are anyway. Eventually, Jerry leaves town as Dobel gets him a job writing for television in California. David tells Jerry in a remote part of Central Park that he can no longer go to California with him implying that he may have shot a state patrolman after he made an Anti-Sematic remark. Harvey feels so strongly about the agent-client relationship that when Jerry hints it may be ending, he pulls a scene in a restaurant that more or less defines the notion of a public spectacle

Amanda has an affair with the doctor who was treating her and runs off with him. He sees them together laughing as she once did with him as the cab is taking him towards the airport. Jerry talks to the cabby of love and relationships. The cabby simply replies, "It's like anything else".