[2] In 1956,[2] after losing his job as a traveling salesman of children's furniture, down-on-his-luck Tommy Wilhelm leaves Massachusetts for New York City.

[4] The Philadelphia Inquirer critic, Ken Tucker, praised the performances, but wrote that the film was "a little boring in its relentless depression".

[4] The New York Times critic, John J. O'Connor, praised Wiseman's performance, and said that Stiller "steals the film".

He wrote that Williams's performance was excessively intense, and that the portrayal of Jewish people whose only yardstick is money is "a scenario calculated to unsettle, possibly even offend".

[2] Writing in New York magazine, critic John Leonard called the film "ugly stuff", but said that Williams "is, for the most part, up to it".