Based on a semi truthful account of the meeting between Melvin Drummer and the reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. When I say meeting what I actually mean is that Melvin found Howard laying in the desert and offered him a lift. Then said Howard told Melvin who he was and Melvin laughed it off. However some 20 years later, Hughes died and left him a substanial sum of money in a will. Problem is that said will was never seen before. Truth of the matter was no one believed him or his story and that meant they also didn’t believe the will.  So Melvin had to fight to have the will recognised and have his share of the estate of that deceased billionaire.

A biopic has as much to gain from its exploration of a person as it does to lose from it. The opening up of a life that is documented and based in reality is hard. If the person is still alive then it becomes even harder. Truth and lie coalesce in this film. Demme wants that to be the case. Hughes is a mythical figure and is treated as such. Melvin Drummer is a Putz and is treated as such. Both are valued and given range this way.

So to the film and firstly its blend of reality and comedic tension is well balanced and played. It is well directed, with Demme using his eye for those odd little moments in life. Some call this lyrical but I call it natural rhyme of life. The acting is excellent with the tension of family life and a spend a holic captured with gravity and humility. Melvin comes across as a loser in life and it feels once again like life has cheated him because that is his lot. Steenburgen deserved her oscar as she add layers to a charector that is fit for cut out performance. The star of the show is still Robards, who opens the film and spends five minutes on screen but in the end makes you want to know about his life and his characters being.