This was one of the two or three movies I really liked at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival (another being the very funny "The Tao of Steve").
I actually can't remember that much about the plot, etc, but there were a few extremely clever, fabulous things that I haven't forgotten.
I can't really describe them effectively, because they just have to be seen to have the right effect.
One example:
There's a scene in which Jeff (Rob Morrow) takes John (Campbell Scott) and out to lunch at the latest hot restaurant in New York.
This is no ordinary restaurant.
It is an outdoor restaurant located on the tiny sliver of land between 5th and 23rd in New York right in front of the great Flat Iron Building.
It's an incredibly busy intersection.
The restaurant is nothing more than white linen-covered tables and velvet ropes which make up the "walls."
While diners eat gourmet food and try to have intimate conversations, they have to scream at each other because their voices are constantly drowned out by passing loud cars and buses.
When one of the characters decides to leave, he just raises his hand while sitting at the table and flags down a cab.
This is such an outlandish, wonderful concept, and the scene really encapsulates the New York mindset (at least before September 11, 2001).
New York is (maybe still) so consumed with the newest and the hippest and everyone wants to jump on the latest thing before anyone else, leading to more and more outlandish "it" places and things.
I have no idea how the makers of this small film ever got permission to pull this stunt off.
Just think of the imagination needed to come up with this idea, and to actually be able to make it happen, cheaply and without digital gimmickry, no less.
This is just a few minutes of the movie, but the imagination behind this scene permeates much of the rest of the film as well.
There's another scene which involves a helicopter on the roof of a skyscraper that's interesting, too.
What's even greater about these moments is that they are presented completely matter-of-factly.
Another movie or director with set pieces like that, and I can't think of many, might have a "aren't we clever?" way about them.
Not this one.
Some other scenes made me laugh at out loud, which is something maybe I shouldn't be proud to admit.
The Jeff character has Tourette's Syndrome, and maybe I should feel embarrassed that some of his outbursts cracked me up.
I can't imagine how difficult it would be to actually have this problem, not knowing when and if you might next loose control and what you'd do could be devastating.
However, I might be able to justify my laughter in this case.
If Jeff didn't have Tourette's he would probably still be a not so pleasant guy. It may also be possible to argue that he is at least partially responsible for his difficulties, since he's not always responsibly taking his medication.
Also, it is just a movie, so you are given some permission to laugh inappropriately on occasion. Our dormant sophomoric selves feel more comfortable making themselves known, and some of the laughter comes from knowing we probably shouldn't be laughing at all. For a perfect example, think of much of "There's Something About Mary."
Maybe if you're laughing at an actor in a movie, and not in real life at someone who actually has impairment, it might not be the worst thing in the world.
