Chump Change

Entertainment Weekly - 02/13/2004
"Sometimes you can find polished gems in the direct-to-video bin -- like this Tinseltown satire."

This directorial debut by actor/playwright Stephen Burrows takes a humorous look at the business of show business. Steve (Stephen Burrows) returns to his hometown of Milwaukee, WI, eager to show off his Hollywood career to his old friends. However, his career, after years of struggling, consists of starring in a commercial for a product called "Crotch Fresh." Undeterred, he strikes up a relationship with a beautiful woman (Traci Lords), and commence a series of funny stories about crazy acting coaches, pompous producers, and inexperienced studio heads. In the vein of films like Robert Altman's THE PLAYER and the independent LIVING IN OBLIVION, CHUMP CHANGE provides funny, insider anecdotes about the people we depend on for our entertainment.

Chump Change

Funnyman Jerry Stiller (ZOOLANDER, TV's THE KING OF QUEENS), Tim Matheson (VAN WILDER, ANIMAL HOUSE), Traci Lords (BLADE), and Fred Willard (AMERICAN WEDDING, A MIGHTY WIND) poke merciless fun at the overblown culture of Hollywood in this award-winning comedy (Audience Award '- Best Feature and Best Actor, HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival 2001). When TV's Merv Griffin sues him, a frustrated commercial actor called "Milwaukee Steve" (Stephen Burrows) unwittingly stumbles into the notoriety he's longed for! As he rides the wave of undeserved popularity, Steve discovers that life in Hollywood's fleeting limelight can be just as maddening as rejection! But even though a return to his childhood home of Milwaukee doesn't give him what he's looking for ... it might just get him what he needs! In the irreverent tradition of JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, you'll laugh out loud as this hilarious comedy dares to compare the insane business of Hollywood with the equally insane, but completely mundane, routine of Midwestern life!

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