New Suit (2002)

71% of critics liked it
(31 reviews)
34% of users liked it
(905 ratings)

A guy looking for a break in the movie biz discovers the power of word of mouth in this satirical comedy. Kevin Taylor (Jordan Bridges) is an aspiring screenwriter who has pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream. While working a day job, Kevin meets Marianne Roxbury (Marisa… More A guy looking for a break in the movie biz discovers the power of word of mouth in this satirical comedy. Kevin Taylor (Jordan Bridges) is an aspiring screenwriter who has pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream. While working a day job, Kevin meets Marianne Roxbury (Marisa Coughlan), who is trying to work her way up the Hollywood ladder as a production executive. Biz-savvy Marianne advises Kevin that it makes more sense to spend his days schmoozing and making contacts rather than writing if he actually wants to get paid for his work and see it on a screen. With this in mind, Kevin takes a job as an assistant to Muster Hansau (Dan Hedaya), a once-powerful producer whose career is in a downward spiral. Kevin comes to realize he's merely a glorified errand boy for a washed-up blowhard, and the only people he meets are fellow lackeys with little real pull in the business, so he decides to have some fun and starts talking up a screenplay called "The New Suit" by Jordan Strawberry, even though both the script and the writer exist only in his imagination. Not wanting to sound out of the loop, no one admits they don't know anything about Strawberry and his work, and before long gossip has turned "The New Suit" into the most sought-after project in town, and Kevin finds himself controlling the destiny of a hot new writer who doesn't exist. The first American film from French director François Velle, New Suit also features Heather Donahue, Paul McCrane, and Amber Smith. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: François Velle
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 1, 2005 Wide
On DVD: Mar 15, 2005
Studio: Trillion Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
An acidic satire that transcends its one-joke premise to skewer, with a fair amount of accuracy and great, biting humor, the emptiness of so much contemporary moviemaking.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Doesn't have much new to say about Hollywood.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It's funny and has an interesting edge of bitterness to it.
Michael Booth, Denver Post
Velle takes a high-concept script from Craig Sherman and makes an enjoyable -- if disappointingly shallow -- coming- of-age story set in Tinseltown.
Tom Long, Detroit News
An old story, The Emperor's New Clothes turned inside out, but screenwriter Craig Sherman and director Francois Velle have such fun with the material that it's completely contagious.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
It's strangely unsatisfying, a Hollywood tattletale best suited as a subplot to some yet-to-be-made Woody Allen film.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
a decent film, just one that's hard to take seriously
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
What we have here is a fun little story -- well executed, attractively cast and well acted. Jeez... is anyone from Hollywood taking notes?
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina
Economical, slick, entertaining, and only 5 people in my audience? Inexcusable. Go see it.
Diana Saenger, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
'New Suit's' satire works well; its characters are engaging, and the film comes across as sweetly amusing.
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
An enjoyable film that's nonetheless flawed.
William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Velle ... brings a perceptive outsider's view to the world of contemporary Hollywood that catches all the nuances of hypocrisy.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
This sort of thing has been done better ... but it's still pretty entertaining.
Laura Kelly, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
There have been plenty of sendups and self-satires about the insanity inside the Hollywood machine, and this one doesn't add enough new curves.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
A good-spirited comedy that's a real charmer.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
(Craig) Sherman solidly sets a counterpoint to the comedy, by creating a palpable whiff of desperation emanating from everyone concerned
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
An oddly sweet and effective satire.