Comedian/actor-turned-writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait scores a direct hit with this darkest of dark comedies about a born loser. Robin Williams plays Lance, a talented writer who fritters away his skill teaching poetry at a small high school, and is ridden roughshod over by his girlfriend (Alexie Gilmore) and abused by his crude son (Daryl Sabara). But when the latter dies in unexpected circumstances, the opportunity for a new life arises. Bitter, twisted and full of witty dialogue, this is a film for everyone who thinks American movies are too nice, and always have a predictable ending. The cinematography and some of the performances are not stellar, but Goldthwait's script is extraordinary, examining the choices we make between surviving and really living.

In the wake of a freak accident, Lance suffers the worst tragedy and the greatest opportunity of his life. He is suddenly faced with the possibility of fame, fortune and popularity, if he can only live with the knowledge of how he got there.