The Man from Elysian Fields

Byron Tiller is a novelist whose books have not found an audience. Money is tight, his marriage to Dena is under strain, and when his latest manuscript is turned down, he cannot get his old job back or borrow from his father-in-law. An encounter with the elegant Luther Fox leads Byron to Elysian Fields, an escort agency that supplies male companions to wealthy women. Byron tells himself the work amounts to accompanying clients to the opera or playing tennis, and that it will not mean betraying his wife. His first client is Andrea, the wife of a celebrated novelist Byron admires, and his new double life begins to encroach on his family.

The 2001 drama was directed by George Hickenlooper and written by Phillip Jayson Lasker. It is the fifth of the six features Hickenlooper directed, following Persons Unknown and Dogtown and preceding Factory Girl. Andy Garcia plays Byron and also produced the film; Julianna Margulies plays Dena, with Olivia Williams as Andrea, Anjelica Huston as Jennifer Adler, James Coburn as Alcot and Mick Jagger as Luther. The credited cast runs to thirty-two names.

Made for about seven million dollars, the film took roughly two million at the worldwide box office, a return well short of its cost. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.6 from around 4,700 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.9 from a much smaller number of votes.