Low-budget independent filmmaker Nick Reve tries to keep everything together as his production is plagued with an insecure actress, a megalomaniac star, a pretentious beret-wearing director of photography, and lousy catering.

Johnny Suede (Brad Pitt) longs to be a teen-age idol like Ricky Nelson. He has a pair of black suede shoes, an impressive pompadour, a guitar, and some pals who will play backup for him. Yet he doesn't have much talent or drive.

A young man sets out on a journey to the Ogre's lair, in search of a feather with the power to save a dying king.

We're alone in a car with the director and Tom Jarmusch, Jim's brother, who tells us stories — about the 1990s, about the city, about cinema — as we drive through New York.