Hi Life (1998)

Set in Manhattan during Christmas, a struggling actor (Eric Stoltz) owes his bookie (Charles Durning) money which he doesn't have. To avoid a beating, he tells his girlfriend (Moira Kelly) that he needs to raise money for his sister's (Daryl Hannah) abortion. In order to help him, the girlfriend tells her brother (Campbell Scott) that she's pregnant and needs money for an abortion and the brother spends the night trying to raise the money. Written and directed by Roger Hedden (his only directorial credit), this quirky roundelay of a romantic comedy must have looked pretty good on paper so how does one account for the inertia up on the screen? The cast is game but they're left floundering like sailors on a ship without a captain. Heddon had some critical success with his screenplay to BODIES REST AND MOTION which he didn't direct so I suspect blame for the movie's stagnation falls at the feet of Heddon's direction. That being said, it's quite watchable if you're in an undemanding mood. LOVE ACTUALLY would do this so much better five years later. With Katrin Cartlidge, Peter Riegert, Anne De Salvo and Saundra Santiago.