Synopsis

Two women waiting outside a Manhattan loft discover that they have both been dating the same man, an ambitious actor who has professed love to each of them. They break into his apartment and confront him together, forcing a volatile conversation about deception, desire, emotional dependency, and the stories people tell to justify their behavior.

Factoids & Trivia

• James Toback wrote the screenplay after seeing Robert Downey Jr. being led away in handcuffs on television. The film reunited Toback and Downey, who had previously worked together on The Pick-Up Artist.

• The script was written in approximately four days, and production was completed in about eleven days. Much of the movie was filmed inside a single SoHo apartment, giving it the feel of a filmed stage play.

• A bathroom interrogation scene was improvised and developed with input from the performers. It became one of the movie's most revealing showcases for Downey's rapid shifts between charm, panic, and emotional aggression.

• The film initially received an NC-17 rating because of its explicit sexual material. Fox Searchlight required changes, and the movie reportedly went through 14 editing-room submissions before securing an R rating.

• Both the R-rated theatrical version and the original NC-17 cut have been released on home video.

• Originally produced as an independent film, the movie was screened at the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and later acquired for theatrical distribution by Fox Searchlight.

• The production had a reported budget of about $1 million. Its domestic theatrical release began on April 24, 1998.