Based on the play of the same name by screenwriter and director Craig Lucas, this film is about gay screenwriter Robert Sandrich (Peter Sarsgaard) who has a tragic affair with bisexual movie executive Jeffrey Tishop (Campbell Scott) . Robert's lover has just died of AIDS and Jeffrey offers a fortune for his autobiographical screenplay. Of course it must be changed into a heterosexual script. Jeffrey says, "America hates gay people", although he approaches Robert for sex and and his wife Elaine (Patricia Clarkson) learns of their affair--leading to deceptions, confessions and betrayals. A pessimistic movie with three unsympathetic characters viewers will love to hate, it's about what happens when people choose money over integrity and sell out. There are no easy answers regarding compromised principles, the price of greed, and the closeted nature of Hollywood. Scott, Clarkson and Sarsgaard give great performances, but the film is too complicated, with a tragic climax. The title is taken from an ancient Roman statue, which is a copy of an earlier and lost Greek statue. Steve Reich composed the music.
