▁D iane ▁Ke aton ▁and ▁st arring ▁ ▁And ie ▁Mac D ow ell , ▁John ▁T urt ur ro , ▁Michael ▁Rich ards , ▁and ▁Ma ury ▁Ch ay kin . ▁The ▁screen play ▁by ▁Richard ▁La G ra ven ese ▁is ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁mem oir ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁name ▁by ▁journalist ▁Franz ▁L id z . ▁ ▁Plot ▁syn opsis ▁When ▁young ▁Steven ' s ▁mother ▁Sel ma ▁is ▁diagn osed ▁with ▁o var ian ▁cancer ▁and ▁becomes ▁increasing ly ▁ill , ▁his ▁ecc ent ric ▁and ▁em otion ally ▁distant ▁invent or ▁father ▁Sid   — ▁despite ▁deep ▁res erv ations   — ▁allows ▁him ▁to ▁live ▁with ▁his ▁d ys function al ▁un cles , ▁pack ▁rat ▁Arthur ▁and ▁del us ional ▁par ano id ▁D anny , ▁in ▁their ▁cl utter ed ▁a partment ▁in ▁the ▁rund own ▁King ▁Edward ▁Hotel . ▁The ▁two , ▁who ▁live ▁in ▁a ▁setting ▁worthy ▁of ▁the ▁Col ly er ▁brothers , ▁re ch rist en ▁the ▁boy ▁with ▁the ▁more ▁color ful ▁name ▁Franz ▁and ▁help ▁him ▁co pe ▁with ▁his ▁emot ions ▁by ▁teaching ▁him ▁to ▁value ▁his ▁own ▁uniqu eness . ▁Learning ▁from ▁the ▁odd ▁pair ▁that ▁even ▁though ▁hope ▁and ▁science ▁may ▁fail ▁us , ▁art ▁always ▁surv ives , ▁Franz ▁secret ly ▁begins ▁to ▁create ▁a ▁mem orial ▁to ▁his ▁mother ▁before ▁she ▁dies , ▁filling ▁a ▁box ▁with ▁personal ▁m ement os   — ▁a ▁t ube ▁of ▁lip st ick , ▁an ▁empty ▁Ch