The Real Howard Spitz (1999) ***

Directed by Vadim Jean. With Kelsey Grammer, Genevieve Tessier and Amanda Donohoe. A very original, iconoclastic comedy about a failed pulp fiction writer (Grammer) who tries to make it big in the kiddie book business. He enlists the help of a precocious little girl (Tessier) and falls in love with her mother (Donohoe). Grammer and Tessier have great chemistry together, and the little moppet steals every scene she's in. An amazing mixture of odd-ball satire and warm sentimentality, this is a minor gem that seems to have fallen between the cracks of the film distribution system.