Griffin Dunne – a mild Manhattan computer worker – travels to SoHo to find a ‘nice’ girl (Rosanna Arquette) but encounters a surreal New York City nightmare.
Dunne encounters an eclectic cast including Teri Garr, Cheech & Chong, neighbourhood vigilante Catherine O’Hara and S&M-loving sculptor Linda Fiorentino.
Roger Ebert said: ‘The tensest comedy I can remember, building its nightmare situation step by insidious step. (This) film is so original, so particular, that we are uncertain from moment to moment exactly how to respond to it… For New Yorkers, parts of the film will no doubt play as a documentary. In what other city is everyday life such an unremitting challenge?’