Artie Shaugnessy is a songwriter with visions of glory and the lead character of this delicious black comedy. Toiling by day as a zookeeper, he suffers in seedy lounges by night, plying his wares at piano bars in Queens, where he lives with his wife, Bananas, much to the chagrin of Artie’s downstairs mistress, Bunny Flingus, who refuses to cook until they are married. On the day the Pope is making his first visit to the city, Artie’s son Ronny goes AWOL from Fort Dix. Also arriving are Artie’s old school chum, now a successful Hollywood producer, Billy Einhorn, and his starlet girlfriend who holds the key to Artie’s dreams of getting out and away from the life he so despises. But like many dreams, this promise of glory evaporates amid the chaos of ordinary lives.

Rating: PG-13