The movie spends a lot of time on their ups, downs, near-misses and false starts. Trouble is, it doesn t establish much of a reason to care about them or their shallow ambitions. But they live behind shiny surfaces that drugs, sex and setbacks cannot scratch. When we see them years later, only their haircuts have changed. Yet for all the action, the movie is chronically turgid.
Every conversation seems punctuated with awkward silences and dull stares.
The only revealing performance comes from Mr. Myers as club king Steve Rubell, a steakhouse owner who suddenly finds himself at the center of a world without rules. Like his patrons, he drinks, dances, has sex and consumes vast amounts of pharmaceuticals. His appetite for power and money exceeds his ability to handle either. At one point, he literally rolls in a pile of money spilled on his bed while he tries to seduce a bus boy. It is not a joyful moment.