![Suitable For 18 Years And Over. Suitable For 18 Years And Over.](./images2008/certifications/18.gif)
Stars:
Danny Huston,
Peter Weller,
James Merendino,
Adam Krentzmann,
Lisa Enos,
Alison Taylor
Director:
Bernard Rose
Summary: Danny Huston delivers a staggeringly heartbreaking performance as a highly successful yet tragically doomed Hollywood agent in IVANS XTC. An adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH, Bernard Rose's drama relocates the original story to the fast-paced, cutthroat world of Hollywood, where debauchery and work go hand in hand. Ivan Beckman (Huston) lives life in the fast lane as a cocaine addict and a womanizer, yet nevertheless he continues to thrive as a successful talent agent. But when his coworkers discover that he has passed away unexpectedly, Ivan's honor is put to the test. Most people who knew him suspect that the hospital's claim that he died of lung cancer is just a cover-up for something darker. But as the film returns in flashbacks to the days leading up to Ivan's demise, the truth is gradually revealed. As Ivan uses his cunning to sign superstar Don West (Peter Weller), he discovers that he is, in fact, dying from lung cancer. Rather than share this information with friends and family, he withdraws further into himself, continuing to party at a breakneck pace, hoping that his misfortune will simply go away. Shot on digital video, Rose's film is a moving meditation on death and Hollywood.