Mike O'Connell Movies

A self-proclaimed artist and genius who has elevated his drab existence into a personal mythology organizes his final party, a living wake, in director Sol Tryon's absurdist black comedy. K. Roth Binew (Mike O'Connell) is about to live his last day. Abandoned by his father (Jim Gaffigan) as a young lad, Binew was raised by his nanny, Marla (Diane Kagan), and gradually grew to gain an appreciation for the arts. Though he would personally never complete a single work of art, he nevertheless considers himself an artist and has recently been told by his doctor that he will shortly expire of some mysterious, unnamed disease. Upon being informed of his dire situation, Binew boards his rickshaw and requests that his biographer and driver, Mills Joaquin (Jesse Eisenberg), transport him around town so that he may make his final arrangements. As the day wears on, Binew and Joaquin visit the local "liquirsmith" to procure spirits, arrange a Viking-style funeral for the eccentric "artist," and steal a goat for a personal picnic. Later, after Binew is attacked by his neighbor (Eddie Pepitone) and has his attempt to donate books at the local library refused, he hands out invitations to his final party. It is there that Binew will perform a short piece for his audience, and summarily drop dead on the spot. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Michael O'Connell ran several video stores in Denver, CO, before taking up screenwriting, and the endless stream of direct-to-video thrillers that littered his shelves inspired his script for this satiric black comedy. Hutch Rimes (Steven Weber) runs an insurance company, and even though he's married, he's developed a bad habit of getting involved with his secretaries. Hutch's latest Girl Friday, Holly (Nina Siemaszko), is also married, but often finds herself being used as a punching bag by her loutish husband Cotton (Gregg Henry). Holly persuades Hutch to help her kill Cotton, but things don't go as planned, and Cotton pulls a gun on Holly; Hutch manages to escape just before Cotton kills his wife. Ten years later, Cotton is released from prison just as Hutch begins receiving a series of anonymous letters from someone who wants to kill him. But since Hutch is having an affair with his stenographer Olivia (Gail O'Grady), he's not sure if the angry party is Cotton or Olivia's husband, Dewey (Stephen Tobolowsky). Things get even stickier for Hutch when Olivia decides she wants out of her relationship with Dewey -- and asks Hutch to help murder her husband. Sleep Easy, Hutch Rimes also features Swoosie Kurtz as Binny, one of Hutch's few female employees that he never gets around to sleeping with. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide