The story is thin (viz., high flying Hollywood agent is diagnosed with lung cancer and dies -- no one seems bothered), none of the characters arouses any sympathy or interest, and the use of classical music (presumably to create a sense of tragedy) only adds to the bathos.<br /><br />Probably only comedy can do any sort of justice to what goes on behind the scenes in the film industry but the few decent comic scenes in Ivan's XTC are drowned out by the seriousness with which the film takes itself.<br /><br />I'm amazed the film ever got made. But then one of the industry's greatest failings is that it takes itself far too seriously, so perhaps it's not so surprising after all.