Altman finishes off the evisceration of modern-day Los Angeles that he began in THE PLAYER with this epic, episodic film inspired by the work of Raymond Carver. A cavalcade of damaged, often reprehensible characters are followed throughout—their lives often interconnecting in sometimes tragic, sometimes inconsequential ways—to create a funny, poignant, and shocking portrait of a city constantly on the brink of disaster. [NH]