Watch The Real Howard Spitz

The Real Howard Spitz is a comedy film from 1998 starring Kelsey Grammer as the eponymous character, a washed-up Hollywood screenwriter. The film takes a lighthearted look at the business of screenwriting and the cut-throat nature of Hollywood. Howard Spitz is not having a good time. He is a screenwriter who has tasted success in the past but is now struggling to make ends meet. He lives in a cluttered apartment with his girlfriend, which doubles as his office, where he spends his days trying to come up with the next big idea for a movie. To make matters worse, his girlfriend has grown tired of his lack of success and is pressuring him to find a real job.

One day, Howard gets a call from a producer who wants him to write a screenplay for a children's movie. Howard is initially hesitant, as he usually writes dark and moody thrillers, but ultimately decides to take on the job. The catch is that he only has two weeks to write the script. Howard thinks that this will be a piece of cake, but things quickly take a turn for the worse. He learns that he has been hired to write a movie for a precocious 10-year-old girl named Emily (Genevieve Tessier), who has very specific ideas about what she wants in her movie. Howard quickly realizes that writing a movie for a child is not as easy as he thought it would be.

As Howard tries to navigate the waters of child-friendly content, he starts to uncover some shady dealings in the movie industry. He discovers that the producer who hired him is a con artist who has made a living ripping off unsuspecting writers. Howard decides to take matters into his own hands and sets out to expose the producer's scams.

It's not all bad news for Howard, though. He starts to develop a relationship with Emily, who is smarter than her years and starts to inspire him with her creative ideas. Howard also starts to realize that writing a children's movie might actually be his calling, and he starts to pour all his efforts into the project. With Emily's help, Howard finishes the screenplay just in time for the deadline.

Although The Real Howard Spitz might seem like a standard Hollywood comedy on the surface, it has some deeper insights into the industry. The film explores the idea that art and commerce don't always mix, and that sometimes creators have to compromise their vision in order to succeed. It also highlights the importance of perseverance and believing in oneself, even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Overall, The Real Howard Spitz is an enjoyable film that showcases Kelsey Grammer's comedic talents. It's a lighthearted look at the world of screenwriting that manages to pack in some deeper themes without losing its sense of fun. For anyone who's ever wondered what it takes to make it in Hollywood, or just wants to watch a good comedy, this movie is definitely worth a watch.