Bullets Over Broadway (1994)

New York, 1928. Struggling playwright David Shayne (John Cusack) considers himself an artist, and he and his girlfriend of 10 years, Ellen (Mary-Louise Parker), surround themselves with like-minded people, most struggling financially as they create art for themselves, not the masses.

David believes the failure of his first two plays was because he gave up creative control to other people who didn’t understand the material. As such, he wants to direct his just completed third play, God of Our Fathers.

With David having no directing history, his producer, Julian Marx (Jack Warden), can’t find any investors willing to take the risk, until big-time mobster Nick Valenti (Joe Viterelli) comes on the scene and offers to finance the entire production – on the condition that his dimwitted girlfriend, non-actress Olive Neal (Jennifer Tilly), is given the lead role.

David and Julian talk Nick into Olive taking one of the two female supporting roles instead and hope that the three other actors hired will be able to make up for any deficiencies posed by Olive.

Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest), who has the lead, is a theatrical grand dame who hasn’t had a hit in years. She is slyly manipulating David to make her role more glamorous, befitting her real-life persona rather than the frigid character he has written.

Happy-go-lucky actress Eden Brent (Tracey Ullman) has a constant companion in her pet chihuahua, Mr Woofulls, whose presence is a constant thorn in Helen’s side.

Warner Purcell (Jim Broadbent), the only male in the cast, has a rollercoaster of a weight problem. He tends to eat and eat and eat when he is stressed. He’s currently gaining weight by the hour, stuffing his face with pastry and chicken.

Worse still, he’s struck up an affair with Olive, which could be very dangerous for his health given the reputation of Nick Valenti.

During rehearsals, it becomes apparent that Shayne’s play isn’t very good. The characters aren’t adequately motivated, the dialogue is wooden, the plot is preposterous, Olive is terrible (Tilly uses a heavy Bronx accent, tinny, high-pitched and irritating), and can barely read, let alone act.

Nick has sent a bodyguard named Cheech (Chazz Palminteri) to look after Olive. He’s a seasoned killer and a constant presence at the theatre during rehearsals.

Appalled at how bad a particular scene is, he hollers out a suggestion. Shayne scoffs, but the actors conclude that the change makes perfect sense.

Pretty soon, Cheech is helping out Shayne a lot, curing the many ills that beset the script in long sessions at Cheech’s pool hall “office”.

Gradually, the script becomes more his than Shayne’s, a shift that Shayne greedily accepts – after all, he wants a hit.

But now Olive poses a problem once more. Cheech is supposed to be her bodyguard, but she’s ruining his play. What to do?

David Shayne
John Cusack
Helen Sinclair
Dianne Wiest
Olive Neal
Jennifer Tilly
Cheech
Chazz Palminteri
Ellen
Mary-Louise Parker
Julian Marx
Jack Warden
Nick Valenti
Joe Viterelli
Sheldon Flender
Rob Reiner
Eden Brent
Tracey Ullman
Warner Purcell
Jim Broadbent
Sid Loomis
Harvey Fierstein
Rita
Stacey Nelkin
Lili
Margaret Sophie Stein
Rifkin
Charles Cragin
Josette
Nina Sonya Peterson
Lorna
Edie Falco
Hilda Marx
Hope W. Sacharoff
Violet
Debi Mazar

Director
Woody Allen