An ex-office worker becomes a ventriloquist, leading to a date with his unemployment counselor; but his quirky family and a gauche female friend may thwart his new career and love…

While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.

At her husband’s funeral, Pearl (Shirley MacLaine), Jewish mother of two divorced and antagonistic daughters, meets an old Italian friend (Marcello Mastroianni) of her husband, whose advice years previously had…