Like watching a train wreck in slow motion, Matt Mulhern's bittersweet, psychologically savvy feature will have you whispering "oh no" at almost every turn. David Schwimmer, doing his best acting since "Friends," plays the titular Hopwood, a divorced father of two. His alcoholism has destroyed his marriage and now threatens his relationship with his two young daughters. Duane works as a bouncer in a tacky Atlantic City casino but his impulsiveness and bad judgment prove his undoing there as well. Avoiding melodrama, Mulhern makes Duane's plight moving and real. Although Schwimmer is at the center of almost every scene, he's supported by an unusually strong cast, in particular Janeane Garofalo as Duane's ex-wife and Judah Friedlander as his casino co-worker who yearns for a career as a stand-up comedian. Mulhern's understated, empathetic directing style allows us to appreciate the complexity of characters and the mix of pathos and humor in their tangled lives. (Amy Taubin)

Director/Writer: Matt Mulhern
Producer: Lemore Syvan
Cast: David Schwimmer, Janeane Garofalo, Dick Cavett

Lemore Syvan produced THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE, SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, a Sundance Lab project in post-production, and KING OF THE CORNER. She recently finished filming the psychological thriller FIRST BORN. Her long list of credits include CASA DE LOS BABYS, PERSONAL VELOCITY, SPRINGALL'S SANTITOS and ANGELA. Projects currently in development include THE WOODY and HUMAN CAPITOL, with Noam Murro of Biscuit Filmworks attached to direct.