Comedy drama starring Crispin Glover as Joey, an awkward and unsuccessful writer who dates playwright Stella (Tatum O'Neal) while sharing a room with unsuccessful actor Timmy Smith (Steven Schub). He steals the poems of his mute friend Marty (Matthew Hutton) and, claiming them as his own, shows them to literary agent Mathias (Rik Mayall) - who is so impressed that he immediately offers him a huge advance - but success comes at a price, especially when it is built on such dubious foundations.