Breakfast Of Champions

The work of author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. has never lent itself accesibly to film. That being said, I've enjoyed all the attempts. Probably the most maligned filmed adaptation is also one of my favorites, 1999's Breakfast Of Champions.

Bruce Willis stars as car dealer Wayne Hoover, one of the most respected men in Midland City. Even though there's a lot of love for Wayne, he is suffering from a nervous breakdown and suicidal thoughts. When he gets word that his favorite author, the eccentric Kilgore Trout, Albert Finney, is paying his town a visit, Wayne see's this as an opportunity and hopes that his beloved scribe might hold the answers he's looking for.

Directed by the underappreciated Alan Rudolph, Breakfast Of Champions might seem to be an incoherent mess to some, I think there's a certain method to the madness however. The movie has a lot of laughs and a terrific cast, that includes Nick Nolte, Barbera Hershey, Glenn Headley, Lukas Hass, Omar Epps,Buck henry, Vicki Lewis and Jake Johannsen. Nolte really stands out as Wayne's cross dressing salesman. Plus the score from Martin Denny gives the film a funky vibe.

Supposedly Vonnegut hated this movie, but I think Rudolph and the cast handle the tricky material beautifully.

Unfortunately the dvd is out of print.