a trio of superb performance ignite writer director craig lucas 2005 bludgeon psychological thriller set in the deal making and machiavellian world of hollywood film make circa 1995. the plot focus on an unconventional triangle robert be a young screenwriter who get summon to a meeting with jeffrey and a powerful studio executive and who be very interested in adapt robert script into a movie . there one catch the script be a tribute to robert partner and who die recently of aid after go through painful medical treatment and and jeffrey want to change the story to a heterosexual love story to assure the movie have wider commercial appeal . with an offer of a million dollar upfront for the script and robert begrudgingly accept the change and but then he meet jeffrey wife and elaine and who become draw to robert through his deeply felt script . her attraction be platonic but increasingly obsessive . at the same time and robert and jeffrey become lover and and the plot dive headlong into intrigue twist relate to internet chat room and layer deception that lead to a fatalistic conclusion . once again prove to be one of our most audacious actor and peter sarsgaard bring a fearlessly fey quality to robert that allow his character to harden a the encroach deception envelop him . look very much the part of the patrician and artistically frustrated hollywood wife and patricia clarkson give her typically sharp and insightful performance a elaine especially a her effort to manipulate robert backfire into her own unfolding and painful situation . what she do very well be show the vulnerability of her character regardless of her misogynistic intention . with his stentorian voice use in an ideal context and campbell scott finally show some of the fire of his late parent ( george c. scott and colleen dewhurst ) in expose the deviously powerful character of jeffrey ultimately render powerless by the circumstance . although the movie take advantage of los angeles location and include a stunning hilltop home ( complete with infinity pool and of course ) and it still feel very much like a play especially in lucas use of talk head shot and voice over to amplify the ennui of the chat room activity . where the film go somewhat awry be the series of development in the last half hour that lead to the end where robert sense of paranoia brings certain fact to light and responses become increasingly contrived . regardless and lucas gift for smart dialog and the three performance lend credence to the wildly implausible development . with the hoopla over the wondrous brokeback mountain ( which i just saw ) and it will be interesting to see if jeffrey mercenary comment about the box office poison of gay theme film will remain true .