In the Soup

Running time: N/A

Fade in: A rundown New York apartment. We find Adolpho Rollo (Steve Buscemi) and his five hundred-page script. It's obvious to us that Adolpho and the script both need something. Adolpho needs a dose of self confidence, and the script...well, it needs a producer. Tortured by self-doubt, financial ruin, and unrequited passion for his next door neighbor (Jennifer Beals), Adolpho places an ad offering his mammoth screenplay to the highest bidder. In steps Adolpho's "guardian angel," a fast-talking, "shyster" who promises to produce the film but complicates things with his own designs. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, director Alexandre Rockwell's absurdist comedy was a runaway hit amongst film aficionados. Offering high-caliber performances by its entire cast, especially the absolutely marvelous ones from its three mains (Beals, Buscemi, and Cassel), In the Soup never dodges its goal - to make us laugh. --Mike Rabehl