Synopsis
A comedy about a screenwriter (Wuhl) whose old movie script is read by a producer (Landau) and the search for financial backers begins. But it seems that each money source (Aiello, DeNiro, Wallach) has his own mistress that he wants put into the film. Gradually, the screenwriter is forced to make changes to his script to accommodate these backers until he finally sees no semblance of his original ideas in the writing.
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Cast
- Robert WuhlMarvin Landisman
- Martin LandauJack Roth
- Jace AlexanderStuart Stratland Jr.
- Robert De NiroEvan M. Wright
- Laurie MetcalfRachel Landisman
- Eli WallachGeorge Lieberhof
- Danny AielloCarmine Rasso
- Sheryl Lee RalphBeverly Dumont
- Jean SmartPatricia Riley
- Tuesday KnightPeggy Pauline
Recommendations
- 88
Boston Globe
It'll make a natural double-feature repertory-house companion to The Player for years to come. It's filled with humor that has paid its dues. [21 Aug 1992, p.38] - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
The movie lacks the cleanedged economy of the screenplay for The Player, and it could have benefitted from less talkiness and fewer characters, but as a portrait of a particular Hollywood strata it is bittersweet and knowledgeable. - 70
The New York Times
Mistress abounds with sharp comic performances that never stray into caricature or sentimentality. - 63
Washington Post
Landau and Wuhl give especially heartfelt performances under the obviously sympathetic direction of Barry Primus, who based the story on his own attempts to finance a project. - 60
Washington Post
Although Mistress has the spirited participation of De Niro et al, the in-jokiness seems to wear itself out. The tedious journey the movie has to go through to get made is well-defined. But there's something hackneyed about the thematic plight of artists in this modern, commercial world. - 50
Austin Chronicle
The performances are all strong (particularly Landau's) but, as a whole, the movie suffers from competing impulses that push and pull Mistress from comedy to drama and back again. It can't quite seem to make up its mind and as a consequence loses a lot of its steam and momentum. - 50
Time Out
Despite sturdy acting from a starry cast, actor Barry Primus' directorial debut is a lacklustre affair. - 50
Variety
Pic, co-produced by Robert De Niro’s Tribeca outfit, looks to fade fast. The Player it’s not.
