Mamet is known for his dialogue, but this film reveals his proficiency with structure and theme as well. It’s a deceptively simple story about a Hollywood production company trying to make a movie in a small town without getting overcharged. Each character has their own arc, mostly related to the idea of “second chances” as stated up front, and the film does come to an “expected but surprising” conclusion that almsot seems to be written for other writers to appreciate. The cast, headlined by Phillip Seymour Hoffman and William H Macy is frequently great, and the dialogue exchanges are expertly written. It’s too light and fluffy to be ranked as a great work, but it’s always interesting. Strangely, this has some similarities to The Big Picture, and almost seems like the kind of film Guest wanted to make, but didn’t pull off.