The film is set in Manhattan and stars Radha Mitchell as the protagonist Melinda, in two storylines; one tragic and the other comic.

It premiered at the 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival and was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 18, 2005, by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

One of the four proposes a real story he heard somewhere else: a distraught woman named Melinda disrupts a dinner party held by a couple, and a series of events involving affairs and a suicide attempt ensues.

In the tragic story, Melinda, a widowed friend of the couple (consisting of failed actor Lee and wealthy socialite Laurel), ends up staying at their house.

In the comedic story, Melinda is a neighbor of the couple (consisting of failed actor Hobie and aspiring filmmaker Susan).

While at a store, he finds an old lamp and rubs it while wishing for a way to have a romantic relationship with Melinda without hurting Susan.

Without reaching a true conclusion on the value of tragedy and comedy, the writers realize that it is important to appreciate the tragic and comedic moments in life as one never knows when it will end.

He had to replace her with Radha Mitchell because no one would insure Ryder due to her arrest for shoplifting; this would have made it impossible to obtain a film completion bond.

[1] The film also stars Wallace Shawn (alluding to his dinner-philosophy argument in My Dinner with Andre) as the comic playwright, Larry Pine as the tragedian, and Brooke Smith as Cassie.

[5] Leonard Maltin gave the film two stars, calling it "meandering", with "echoes ... of earlier, better Allen movies".