Mistress (1992 film)

Mistress is a 1992 American comedy-drama film directed by Barry Primus in his directorial debut, written by Primus and J. F. Lawton, and starring Robert De Niro, Danny Aiello, Eli Wallach, Robert Wuhl and Martin Landau.

Plot
A down-and-out Hollywood screenwriter and director named Marvin Landisman is working on cheaply-made instructional videos when his years-old script is read by Jack Roth, a has-been producer who offers to help Marvin find investors for his movie.

Three men willing to put up the money are found — the ruthless businessman Evan, the disturbed war veteran Carmine and the eccentric millionaire George. But each has a mistress he insists be cast in the film in exchange for his financial backing. The women are the highly talented Beverly, the alcoholic flight attendant Patricia and the perky but talentless Peggy.

Marvin repeatedly is asked to compromise his standards and change his script to accommodate these backers until the script becomes almost unrecognizable from its original form. The project also puts a strain on the marriage of Marvin and his long-patient wife Rachel.

Marvin's screenplay is a bleak one about a painter who commits suicide, and was inspired by the case of an actor named Warren who abruptly committed suicide by jumping off a building in the midst of the making of a film Marvin had been directing. Roth brings in young Stuart Stratland to adapt the script for the investors' mistresses, but not only does Stuart constantly enrage Marvin with his suggested changes, he falls in love with Peggy and they have an affair.

When Marvin's wife demands he grow up and move with her to New York, where she is opening a restaurant, he breaks up with her instead, giving his loyalty to a film that, as she puts it, nobody wants to see. On the verge of signing contracts, everything falls apart, when Beverly discovers that the role she expected to play has been drastically reduced in Peggy's favor.

Marvin is left alone, a broken man, done with Hollywood for good. Or at least until the next time Jack Roth gets in touch.

Cast
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Critical response
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 72% based on 18 reviews.