You would expect some cut-rate Hollywood cheese when teaming Nora Ephron with John Travolta. One might note that there's undoubtedly something about working with Ephron that sends Travolta running for craft service. Apparently the lifestyle of a weatherman just isn't enough for Russ Richards. As his snowmobile dealership side-venture struggles through a December warm front, Russ can't make ends meet any more and the Denny's thing apparently doesn't make up for it. Of course, it helps that Richards is shacking up with the slutty lotto girl.
Black comedy provides a simple solution to such a problem.
You kill 'em. You kill him. Apparently, it's that easy. Ephron has taken the black comedy blueprint and embarrassingly simplified it, ending up with a poor, dumb-humor comedy that just can't achieve what it strives for. Maybe it's Ephron.