Product Details

• Actors: A.J. Benza, Clancy Brown, Jon Chardiet, Darlene, Miriam Flynn
• Directors: Steve Burrows
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: January 20, 2004
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000E32V3
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,103 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Funnyman Jerry Stiller (ZOOLANDER, TV's THE KING OF QUEENS), Tim Matheson (VAN WILDER, ANIMAL HOUSE), Traci Lords (BLADE), and Fred Willard (AMERICAN WEDDING, A MIGHTY WIND) poke merciless fun at the overblown culture of Hollywood in this award-winning comedy (Audience Award –- Best Feature and Best Actor, HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival 2001). When TV’s Merv Griffin sues him, a frustrated commercial actor called "Milwaukee Steve" (Stephen Burrows) unwittingly stumbles into the notoriety he's longed for! As he rides the wave of undeserved popularity, Steve discovers that life in Hollywood’s fleeting limelight can be just as maddening as rejection! But even though a return to his childhood home of Milwaukee doesn’t give him what he’s looking for ... it might just get him what he needs! In the irreverent tradition of JAY & SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK, you’ll laugh out loud as this hilarious comedy dares to compare the insane business of Hollywood with the equally insane, but completely mundane, routine of Midwestern life!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Comedy in Recent Memory, November 19, 2003

By	"tmarkus" (janesville, WI, United States) - See all my reviews

This is a remarkably funny and scathingly sarcastic tale of a dreamer, "Milwaukee" Steve (Steve Burrows), who's bound and determined to make it in Hollywood as a writer/director. Locations are based between LA and Milwaukee, and the contrast couldn't be more ideal. Traci Lords is excellent as the unlikely love interest, as is the surprisingly well-known and first-rate supporting cast for an indie of Tim Matheson, (Otter in Animal House, playing a hyper-lunatic composite of every sleazy producer Milwaukee Steve's dealt with in Hollywood), Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Fred Willard and A.J Benza as Steve's hilarious ass-kissing and fair-weather-friend agents, even Abe Vigoda as a French Spy. We grew up in the Milwaukee area, so we couldn't get enough of hundreds of quirky location shoots, eccentric corner quarter-tap bars and hangouts (Hollar House, tons more) that truly made the city fun and famous, and it doesn't matter if you're not from the area -- we brought friends with that weren't who still thought it was the funniest film they'd seen in years. To top it off, Steve spoke at the premiere and said the film is "roughly 98% true." I'm buying several copies of the DVD for gifts. Steve Burrows is a rare fresh force in comedy, his style unlike anything else in the tired stand-up/sitcom-star field. To paraphrase Tim Matheson, "I just love you, love your film...what was it called again?" What an incredible debut, expect great things from this guy.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best DVDs ever released!, January 20, 2004

By A Customer

Stephen Burrows' comedy masterpiece, Chump Change, delivers one hilarious laugh after another. The talented up-and-coming director captures great performances by all, including Jerry Stiller, Traci Lords, Tim Matheson, Fred Willard, and even Abe Vigoda. Even the most serious of all will find themselves laughing out loud as the film traces Burrows' adventures from the West Coast to the Midwest. Not only is the film itself tremendous, but the DVD is by far one of the best I own. Jam-packed with extras, including Director's Commentary, Director's Commentary on the Director's Commentary, and Focus Group Low-Lights (actual comments made by real people about the film), this DVD promises to entertain for hours! You won't be disappointed!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film with tons of laughs, February 21, 2004

By A Customer

Too inde to be mainstream, too mainstream to be inde: this is a great look at the absurdity of our obsession with pidgeon-holes and similar nonsense... I tend to think there is a lot less exageration in this film than would appear on the surface. The cover shot is goofy and misleading: this is a film about Steve Burroughs and his attempts to crack the Hollywood system, Tim Mathison is a supporting character. Anyhow, funny on a variety of levels. Destined to become a cult classic! Interesting soundtrack as well!