Jimmy (Steve Guttenberg), a failed writer and actor, comes home on New Years Eve to find his girlfriend has left him, his cat has died and a gay burglar (Lombardo Boyar) is robbing his place...for the third time that month. He captures him, ties him up and things get strange.
James Kirkwoods' play was an off-Broadway hit in the 1970s. I never saw it but I read the script and it was wonderful. This film comes far too late--the play was very much of its time. The gay character (which was pretty revolutionary when the play came out) is old hat by now and the movie feels washed out. Basically the comedy doesn't work. Boyar is VERY good in his role but Guttenberg (who can be good) was pretty bad. Maybe both directing and acting for the movie was too much. The two actors have no chemistry at all (even though Boyar is trying). The movie isn't unwatchable...it's just no big deal. Also Guttenberg's apartment was WAY too big and beautifully decorated for a starving artist. They also (badly) changed the ending of the play.
So it's worth seeing for Boyar alone. Also he's got guts--he spends half the movie tied down with his pants cut wide open showing his back side. I give it a 7 for him alone.