Years ago Byron Tiller (Andy Garcia) junked his career in advertising to become a writer. His novel Hitler's Child garnered some prestigious reviews but didn't become a bestseller. His adoring wife Dora (Julianna Marguiles) thinks his latest work about migrant workers is very good. His publisher thinks it has no possibility of success and tells him to scrap it completely and start afresh with something else. With no money coming in to support his wife and young son, Byron tries to get his old job back but is rejected outright. His wealthy father-in-law, who doesn' think he'll ever do well, takes pleasure in turning down his request for a loan. Then, by chance, the melancholy Byron meets Luther Fox ( Mick Jagger), head of Elysian Fields, a male escort service for wealthy women in Pasadena, California. He gives him a job.
Thanks to his new employer's sensitivity to his trepidations about this new position, he is hooked up with Andrea Alcott (Olivia Williams), the young wife of Tobias (James Colburn), a Pulitzer Prize winning author who happens to be one of Byron's literary heroes. On their first time out, they go to the opera; the second time they end up at her mansion where they make love. The aged and dying Tobias meets Byron and assures him that he cannot service his wife any longer and is understanding of her sexual needs. Meanwhile, at home Byron deceives his wife with stories about late night meetings on his new book with an editor.
Everything seems to be going Byron’s way when Tobias offers him a chance to co-author his final book with him. The younger man takes over and does most of the work. He is paid handsomely and soon has those old dreams of national success and literary fame dancing in his head. Tobias suddenly dies and Andrea, out of loyalty to her husband, comes up with a surprise that leaves Byron whirling around in despair. Even more depressing, Dora finds out about his work with the escort service and walks out on him taking their son with her.
George Hickenlooper directs from a screenplay by Philip Jayson Lasker. This deft morality play provides a dramatic exposition of an observation by mythologist Joseph Campbell: "Any disaster you can survive is an improvement of your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!" Down in the dumps, Byron realizes that it can go either way for him after his self-inflicted fall: he can become bitter and alienated or he can use what he has experienced as material for a new novel. He takes a job as a waiter and begins writing again. When Eclipse, a novel about the failure of his marriage, is published, Dora shows up at a public reading. He has been transformed by his growing down and she sees it. Perhaps there is hope for their reconciliation.
The DVD includes audio commentary with star Andy Garcia, director George Hickenlooper, and writer Philip Jayson Lasker.
