Publisher's Synopsis
Jim Broadbent and John Cusack star in this comedy directed by Woody Allen. Set in New York in the 1920s, the film follows intellectual playwright David Shayne (Cusack) as he struggles to find a backer for his latest project; that is, until he runs into mobster Nicky Valenti (Joe Viterelli), who sees Shayne's play as the ideal vehicle for his dizzy, shrill-voiced mistress Olive (Jennifer Tilly). As the rehearsals begin, Shayne is further hampered by precious actresses and hammy actors choking on their lines. Events take a more dangerous turn when Olive's hired protector Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) starts contributing his own lines to the play, and takes violent exception to their poor onstage delivery.
