Fool’s Paradise(2023)

Plot Summary

• A mute John Doe with the mental capacity of a five-year-old is released from a mental hospital when the state cannot afford his treatment. He begins living on the streets and taking direction from whomever he comes across. While making a biopic about Billy the Kid, the Producer is incensed that method actor Sir Tom Bingsley refuses to leave his trailer. Since this costs the film time and money, the Producer resorts to using a stand-in. The Producer comes across the John Doe selling oranges on the street and hires him due to the striking resemblance to Bingsley. Meanwhile, Lenny is a struggling publicist who has not been able to maintain one client since moving to L.A. and bribes his way onto studio lots to look for talent. Lenny sees John Doe filming the biopic and misunderstands his name to be "Latte Pronto" due to the Producer demanding coffee. After Bingsley dies in a misguided method acting technique of hanging himself, "Billy the Kid" is forced to continue filming with Pronto as the star. Although hindered by Pronto's lack of acting talent and his continued looks directly into camera, his co-stars Christiana Dior and Chad Luxt are inspired by the supposed avant-garde performance and emulate his acting style. Lenny plans to propel Latte Pronto into stardom by getting him an agent and representation. Pronto is befriended by Luxt taking him to wild parties and showing him the Hollywood lifestyle. Simultaneously, Dior becomes infatuated with Pronto due to his sincerity. Dior convinces Pronto to marry her and they adopt several children, increasing their profiles in the media. "Billy the Kid" is a massive success, with critics praising Pronto's performance of breaking the fourth wall by looking into camera. At the after party, Lenny asks Pronto to confirm they will never end their business relationship. When Pronto cannot respond to Lenny's request, a security guard tries to escort Lenny out for disrupting the party. A fight breaks out with Pronto being blamed and sued by the security guard. The Agent asks Pronto to lay low from the media, while informing him of an offer to star in "Mosquito Boy" directed by Lex Tanner. While filming "Mosquito Boy", Pronto is taken out by Luxt for a night on the town which ends with the two in jail after assaulting a paparazzo. Even though Luxt was the aggressor, Pronto is blamed in the media. This further strains his relationship with his representation. While filming "Mosquito Boy", Pronto is injured and a stand-in is used for the majority of the movie. Lenny promises to publicize the film into a big hit regardless. The movie is a colossal failure at the box office and Pronto's representation leaves him. Dior is frustrated with her husband's failing stardom and controversies, so she divorces him, takes the children, and begins dating Luxt. Pronto is forced to move in with Lenny and the two bond over their mutual hardships. Lenny has a heart attack following his consumption of dozens of energy drinks. Pronto stays by his hospital bedside but leaves the room when a fan wants a selfie. Due to a mix-up with a nurse and a deceased patient, Pronto believes Lenny died while Lenny believes Pronto abandoned him. Lenny resolves to become a better person and successful publicist. Meanwhile, Pronto goes back to living on the street. Pronto befriends a homeless man named Dagger and saves his life, gaining media acclaim and is awarded the Key to the City by the Mayor of Los Angeles. The Mayor privately encourages Pronto to run for office on an anti-corporate platform since his acting career is over. The rich and powerful Cote brothers have Pronto kidnapped to discourage his political career. Ed Cote threatens his life should he oppose any of the Cotes' business interests. In return for abandoning politics, Ed Cote arranges for Latte to get his representation back (minus Lenny) and another chance at a movie career. Disillusioned with filmmaking, Pronto abandons his representation and wanders the streets aimlessly. Lenny sees Pronto and chases after him. Lenny apologizes for using his friend as a meal ticket and tells Pronto he loves him. Saying his first words, Pronto responds, "I love you too." The two leave to get dinner together and catch up.

Storyline

• Fool's Paradise is a satirical comedy following a down-on-his-luck publicist (Ken Jeong), who gets his lucky break when he discovers a man recently released from a mental health facility (Day) looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer. With the help of a powerful producer (the late Ray Liotta), Ken helps the man become a huge star, even marrying his beautiful leading lady (Kate Beckinsale). Their adventures lead them to cross paths with drunken costars (Adrien Brody), irreverent unhoused action heroes (Common), unpredictable directors (Jason Sudeikis), a super-agent (Edie Falco), and power-mad moguls (John Malkovich). Fame and fortune are not all they are cracked up to be, and the two men must fight their way back to the things that matter the most. — Deadline Hollywood The story follows a mute man named John Doe, who has the mental capacity of a five-year-old. After being released from a mental hospital due to the state's inability to afford his treatment, John Doe ends up being homeless and takes directions from whoever he encounters. Meanwhile, a film producer, frustrated with actor Sir Tom Bingsley's refusal to leave his trailer during the shooting of a biopic about Billy the Kid, hires John Doe as a stand-in due to their uncanny resemblance. On the other hand, Lenny, a struggling publicist, aims to find talent by bribing his way onto studio lots. He mistakes John Doe's name for "Latte Pronto" due to a coffee-related demand from the producer. When Bingsley's method acting goes awry and he dies, John Doe, now referred to as Pronto, is forced to continue filming as the star. Despite his lack of acting skills and tendency to look directly into the camera, Pronto's co-stars, Christiana Dior and Chad Luxt, find inspiration in his supposed avant-garde performance and begin emulating his acting style. Lenny plans to catapult Pronto to stardom by securing him an agent and representation. Pronto befriends Luxt, who introduces him to the extravagant Hollywood lifestyle and takes him to wild parties. At the same time, Dior develops feelings for Pronto due to his genuine nature and convinces him to marry her, leading to increased media attention. The film "Billy the Kid" becomes a huge success, with critics applauding Pronto's unique breaking of the fourth wall by looking into the camera. However, conflicts arise during an after-party when Lenny asks Pronto to commit to their business relationship but receives no response. — Frank Liesenborgs