Arquette appeared in three films in 1996, the first the comedy film "Flirting with Disaster" (1996), about a young man's cross-country pursuit to find his parents. Critical reception was largely positive, with Todd McCarthy of "Variety" praising the film and the authenticity of Arquette's performance, highlighting that "Arquette very believably distracted and infuriated". "Flirting with Disaster" grossed $14 million at the American box office and was screened in the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. Her second film released that year was the period drama "The Secret Agent," an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel of the same name. The film received average reviews. "Infinity" was her third film that year, a biographical drama about the early life of American physicist Richard Feynman. The film received mixed to positive reviews. Although Emmanuel Levy of "Variety" said that Arquette was "miscast", he stated that she "registers more credibly in the first part of the film, when she plays an adolescent".