A waspish, small-time paparazzo (Steve Buscemi) adopts a good-natured, homeless, and seemingly clueless actor (Michael Pitt) as his live-in assistant, only to find his protege quickly outclassing him. This 2006 comedy by Tom DiCillo purports to give us the lowdown on Manhattan celebrity life, yet it depends so consistently on plot contrivances and other movies (The King of Comedy, Midnight Cowboy, even All About Eve) that it often comes across as wannabe muckraking. Alison Lohman plays the most conspicuous celebrity, a pop diva, but Gina Gershon is a lot sexier as a world-weary casting director. 107 min. (JR)