Jason Staebler, The King of Marvin Gardens, has gone directly to jail, lives on the Boardwalk and fronts for the local mob in Atlantic City. Read more …
He is also a dreamer who asks his brother, David, a radio personality from Philadelphia to help him build a paradise on a Pacific Island - asking him to believe in yet another of his dreams, yet another of his get-rich-quick schemes. But luck is against them both and the game ends badly - real life reduced to radio drama.
Rather than playing up the madness, Rafelson plays it down; his laidback direction is deliberately, brilliantly at odds with the colourful chaos on display.
The King of Marvin Gardens shows the last gasp of a crumbling America
General release. Check local listings for show times.