Synopsis
An introverted garbageman writes his thoughts in a notebook after Henry Fool, writer and ex-con, rents the basement and gives him a notebook and the idea. He writes poetry and Henry helps him along.
Scores
Overall Score
45.9
Popularity Percentile (Year)
37.3%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
36.0%
Review Aggregate
82.4
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely positive, with 75% of 8 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, thought-provoking, political. Most critics frame the film as an effective delivery of its core style and intent.
funnythought-provokingpoliticalemotionalgrittydark
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Jay Ryan | 1998 | $69,000 | $133,000 | (est) |
| James Urbaniak | 1998 | $43,000 | $82,000 | (est) |
| Parker Posey | 1998 | $32,000 | $62,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score89.0
RT critic review count28
Rotten Tomatoes audience score83.0
RT audience rating count5,000
IMDb rating7.1
IMDb votes8,150
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1998 | $1,338,335 | $2,575,679 |
| International | 1998 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1998 | $1,338,335 | $2,575,679 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1998 | $669,168 | $1,287,840 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1998 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1998 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1998 | $7,640,000 | $14,703,484 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1998 | $10,687,000 | $20,567,557 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1998 | $535,334 | $1,030,272 |
| Total Revenues | 1998 | $19,531,502 | $37,589,152 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1998 | $900,000 | $1,732,086 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1998 | $810,000 (est) | $1,558,877 (est) |
| Participations | 1998 | $781,000 | $1,503,066 |
| Residuals ? | 1998 | $1,373,000 | $2,642,393 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1998 | $180,000 | $346,417 |
| Total Expenses | 1998 | $4,044,000 | $7,782,839 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1998 | $15,487,502 | $29,806,313 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Up | 2009 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.7 | $103,203,496 |
 | Inside Out | 2015 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.4 | $115,137,525 |
 | Knives Out | 2019 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.6 | $77,594,195 |
 | Dead Poets Society | 1989 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.5 | $108,454,614 |
 | The Truman Show | 1998 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.5 | $82,922,196 |