My Name Is Buttons

When perpetually disgruntled twentysomething Hunter Reeves is fired from a chain bookstore, his best chance at regaining some semblance of financial security is by offering himself to Pharmakhem, which, despite being exactly the type of pharmaceutical conglomerate Hunter is prone to despise, is paying good money for human test subjects. Along with his fellow unemployed friends Nicki and Greg, Hunter agrees to set aside his most recent Noam Chomsky book and swallow an experimental anti-depressant. Unlike Prozac, however, this drug doesn't encourage proper brain chemistry as much as it induces stupidity. Ignorance really is bliss for Hunter; while he finds himself increasingly unconcerned with the state of the world, he's also becoming progressively dumber.

Directed by John Merriman, Courtney Davis, My Name Is Buttons leans on a strong ensemble — John Merriman, Lowell Bartholomee, Jennifer Bryan — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 2002.