Search - Dead Simple on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 08/21/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 38 mins Studio: Live/Artisan Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Comedy, Crime, Black Comedy, Crime Comedy

A small-time loser who dreams of the big time discovers just how far wrong a good deed can take him in this black comedy. Frank Jacobs (Daniel Stern) is a guy with perennial bad luck living in a small town in Kansas, where he runs a gone-to-seed motel and is married to Helen (Patricia Richardson), a shrewish woman with a sharp tongue and little affection for her husband. Frank's great dream is to make a career for himself as a country and western singer, and while scrambling for a spot during an open mike night at a roadhouse, he makes the acquaintance of Julie (Lacey Kohl), a fellow singer who is married to past-prime C&W star Roy Baker (James Caan). After a quarrel, Roy leaves Julie by the side of the road, and Frank offers to give her a place to stay for the night. Helen is certain Julie's a home wrecker, and a serious argument erupts between Helen, Frank, and Julie; a gun goes off, and Helen is dead. Certain there's no easy way to explain Helen's death, Frank and Julie bury her in the backyard, and Frank soon finds himself having a fling with the attractive young singer. But before long, Roy arrives, eager to take Julie back whether she likes the idea or not, and matters are complicated when Helen's twin sister Wanda (also played by Richardson) arrives, determined to find out what's become of her sister. Viva Las Nowhere (also shown as Dead Simple) also stars Sherry Stringfield as another aspiring singer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Daniel Stern - Frank Jacobs
Patricia Richardson - Helen/Wanda
James Caan - Ray Baker
Sherry Stringfield - Marguerite

Jason Bloom's 2001 direct-to-video crime comedy Dead Simple (aka Viva Las Nowhere) comes to DVD from Artisan with a widescreen anamorphic transfer. The English soundtrack is available in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 2.0 Stereo. Closed captions are accessible. An audio commentary track is provided by director Bloom, composer Andrew Gross, production designer Alexander Hammond, and editor Luis Colina. Optional subtitles are available in Spanish. Other special features include behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, trailers, filmographies, and a photo gallery. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide