Synopsis

Johnny Twennies is a newspaper reporter living in modern-day New York as though he were still in the 1920s. Speaking and behaving like a pulp-era hero, he navigates romance, workplace expectations, and criminal trouble while struggling to reconcile his nostalgic fantasy world with contemporary life. His unusual outlook attracts both bewilderment and affection from the people around him.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was released in 1999 and was also known by its working title, "Johnny Twennies."

• It was shot in black and white, reinforcing its deliberate connection to early sound films, pulp fiction, and 1920s and 1930s popular culture.

• Gibson Frazier, who co-wrote and co-produced the film, made his feature-film debut as Johnny Twennies.

• The movie had a longer 80-minute version at the Slamdance Film Festival, while the U.S. theatrical release ran approximately 77 minutes.

• Fine Line Distribution handled the U.S. release. The film opened in New York City and Los Angeles on October 29, 1999.

• The New York Times compared the film's nostalgic farce to early Woody Allen and noted its short running time as a strength.

• A period detail contains a historical anachronism: Johnny refers to the New York Journal American, although that newspaper was created in 1937, after the period in which he imagines himself living.