A renowned actor named Otto is the epitome of the problematic but beloved ladies man. Even when drunk he still knows more about filmmaking than does the amateur who is directing him in his latest movie. But what should the unreliable star do when a local actor joins the crew as his understudy? Comic situations arise not only because of the well-known environment, but also from an inclination to authentically capture the various relationships. These introduce a hint of harsh reality into the filmmakers’ glittering atmosphere. Otto portrays a highly distinctive character whose ambiguities attract attention, and whose obstreperousness isn’t merely a lot of hot air. And if at first his problematic behavior evokes antipathy, it isn’t difficult to find a way of approaching the character as the film progresses. The retro touch of the “film within a film” doesn’t overshadow the emphasis on the authentic tone of the situations, and it even lends vigor to a work whose melodramatic plane is noticeably deeper than its openly confrontational surface might make it seem.