Storytelling Movie Review 2001

Anthology explores the roles that sex and dysfunction play in creativity. First story, "Fiction" explores the complex relationship of writing student Vi (Blair) and her boyfriend Marcus (Fitzpatrick), who has cerebral palsy. The two are using each other for different ends, most notably to read each other's writing. Vi moves on to an intense one-night stand with her formidable black writing professor (Wisdom). Shaken, Vi weaves the graphic, brutal, but fascinating encounter into a story of her own. In "Nonfiction," feature documentarian Toby (Giamatti) goes to the burbs to document the life of a teen, his extremely dysfunctional family, and their Salvadoran maid. Solondz's characteristic black humor and social satire offers a range of hot topics, including homosexuality, political correctness, social stereotypes, the Holocaust, race, poverty, and the disabled.

Distribution

New Line Home Video, 116 N. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, Phone: (310)854-5811, Fax: (310)854-1824, URL: http://www.newline.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 87 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Campus Capers, Interracial Affairs, Writers, Filmmaking, Family Ties

Screenplay

Todd Solondz

Cast

Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Aleksa Palladino, Robert Wisdom, Noah Fleiss, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Julie Hagerty, Lupe Ontiveros, Franka Potente, Mike Schank, Mark Webber, Jonathan Osser

Director

Todd Solondz

Music

Belle & Sebastian, Nathan Larson

Other

Drew Kunin, Sue Jacobs, Alan Oxman, John Dunn, James Chinlund

Producer

Ted Hope, Christine Vachon, Killer Films, Good Machine, Fine Line Features