Based on the play by Shepard, SIMPATICO is the tale of a childhood friendship gone sour. When Lyle, a successful horse breeder in Kentucky, receives a desperate phone call from Vinnie, a troubled barfly living in Southern California, their shady past threatens to ruin them both once and for all. As the film unfolds, a series of flashbacks explains the reasons for this betrayal, and it is up to each man to take responsibility for his individual actions before it's too late. Filled with a star-studded cast, including a wonderful turn by Keener as a sincere checkout girl.

The story of three old friends, Lyle, Vinnie, and Rosie (Bridges, Nolte, and Stone), whose lives have taken very different paths. Lyle, a successful horse breeder in Kentucky, has married Rosie, while Vinnie has become a down-on-his-luck California barfly. Thirty years earlier, when the pair fixed races -- and Vinnie was dating Rosie -- Lyle unfairly ruined the professional career of Mr. Simms (Finney). Vinnie has kept the evidence from the set-up (a graphic hotel encounter with none other than Rosie) and has used these photographs to bait Lyle into financially supporting him in exchange for Vinnie's silence. Vinnie naively believes that the only way to redeem himself and conquer his inner demons is by blackmailing Lyle and clearing Mr. Simms' name, while winning back Rosie in the process. After Vinnie manages to convince Lyle to fly out to California, he leaves him behind with his girlfriend Cecilia (Keener), and flies to Kentucky to implement his plan. Upon confronting Simms, who is now operating under a different name, he discovers that not everyone holds grudges from the past. Simms wants nothing to do with Vinnie's schemes, nor is Rosie interested in his love. He dejectedly returns to California only to find that Lyle has adopted his own worn, beaten persona. Together, the two must come to terms with their past actions, and confront their present lives head on.

DVD Features:

Region 1
Snap Case
Letterboxed
Pan & Scan - 1.33
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital Surround - English
Additional Release Material:
Trailers - 1.Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Text/Photo Galleries:
Filmographies - 1.Cast & Crew

Nick Nolte: American Actor, AFFLICTION
Jeff Bridges: American Actor
Sharon Stone: American Actress, BASIC INSTINCT (1992)
Catherine Keener: Actress
Albert Finney: British Actor - Shoot the Moon/Miller's Crossing/Simpatico
Shawn Hatosy: Actor: JOHN Q/FAITH OF MY FATHERS
Kimberly Williams: American Actress
Liam Waite: Actor

Matthew Warchus: Director

Dan Lupovitz: Producer
Jean-Francois Fonlupt: Producer
Timm Oberwelland: Producer

Matthew Warchus: Director
David Nicholls: Screenwriter

Stewart Copeland: Ex-Police drummer

Pasquale Buba: Editor

"An unbeatable cast lends satisfying emotional texture to SIMPATICO....[Finney's scenes] are especially sharp..."
"...Gripping performances by Nick Nolte and Albert Finney....[The film] stays true to the work's quirky, renegade spirit..."
"...It's paced with the speed and grace of the Kentucky Derby....Nolte, Bridges, Stone and Finney give their roles some flair..."
"...Keener has considerable charm....Much effort and expertise have gone into the making of SIMPATICO..."