Synopsis
A failed New Jersey inventor embarks on a career as a standup comic, turns to drink, and labors to keep his family together.
Scores
Overall Score
14.8
Popularity Percentile (Year)
14.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
0.1%
Review Aggregate
42.2
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is largely negative, with 38% of 8 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize funny, gritty, character-driven. Many reviews cite execution consistency as the main reasons it falls short.
funnygrittycharacter-drivenemotionalvisually strikingthought-provoking
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Whaley | 2002 | $0 | $0 | (est) |
| Carla Gugino | 2002 | $0 | $0 | (est) |
| Ethan Hawke | 2002 | $0 | $0 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score40.0
RT critic review count10
Rotten Tomatoes audience score37.0
RT audience rating count500
IMDb rating5.3
IMDb votes643
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 2002 | $1,000 | $1,744 |
| International | 2002 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 2002 | $1,000 | $1,744 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 2002 | $500 | $872 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 2002 | $0 | $0 |
| Digital Purchases ? | 2002 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 2002 | $60,000 | $104,625 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 2002 | $112,000 | $195,300 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 2002 | $75,000 | $130,781 |
| Total Revenues | 2002 | $247,500 | $431,577 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 2002 | $250,000 (est) | $435,937 (est) |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 2002 | $80,000 (est) | $139,500 (est) |
| Participations | 2002 | $5,000 | $8,719 |
| Residuals ? | 2002 | $15,000 | $26,156 |
| Interest & Overhead | 2002 | $50,000 | $87,187 |
| Total Expenses | 2002 | $400,000 | $697,499 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 2002 | $-152,500 | $-265,921 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Up | 2009 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.7 | $103,203,507 |
![]() | Inside Out | 2015 | Shared genres: 2 | 97.4 | $115,137,542 |
![]() | Knives Out | 2019 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.6 | $77,594,197 |
![]() | Dead Poets Society | 1989 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.5 | $108,454,620 |
![]() | The Truman Show | 1998 | Shared genres: 2 | 96.5 | $82,922,197 |




