Paradise East

Paradise East is a dark comedy about a desperately dysfunctional, lower middle class family, fiercely struggling to make it in the twentieth century. Lucky, not your typical dad, runs a coffee shop and has a difficult time dealing with the idiosyncrasies of his two sons. Ernie, the oldest, is a wannabe pimp and street hustler forever searching for the perfect angle. Chip, the baby, is unemployed with a passion for french fries and underaged girls. He is forever starting greasefires in the kitchen, driving his father completely up the wall. David, Lucky's fairhaired nephew, is somewhat normal and the Marilyn Minster of the group. A drifter in between jobs, he's been dealing, unsuccessfully, with the fact that his mother was recently murdered. Enter Jane, the luscious older woman who is renting an apartment from David. She is in a relationship with Lisa, a beautiful college girl, but is also deeply interested in her troubled landlord. After several attempts, she successfully seduces him, ending his relationship with Gina, a waitress who works in his uncle's restaurant, and the two begin an intense, passionate affair. This is frowned upon by our pious, slightly unorthodox, parish priest who does his best to interact with the members of his flock, assisting them at times in ways that may surprise you. "Faith is a blessed gift," he reminds them, "pray to the Holy Spirit for forgiveness. Turn from the serpent," he warns, "swim in the Blood of our Savior. Resist Temptation." Sounds like good advice.