Anxiously awaiting the publication of his second novel, narcissistic author Philip Friedman (Schwartzman) leaves his long-suffering girlfriend Ashley (Moss) to spend time at the home of Ike Zimmerman (Pryce), one of the few writers he admires — other than himself.
For all of Philip’s developing anger, Perry’s film is as rambling and laid-back as the jazzy score, relying too heavily on Eric Bogosian’s narration to convey emotions. Ultimately, it has the feel of a lazy literary adaptation of a half-remembered novel, and not a particularly fresh or compelling one.
