A powerful behind-the-scenes man in politics and show business finds himself skidding into a very public scandal in this taut drama. Eli Wurman (Al Pacino) was raised in the deep South, attended Harvard Law School, and has devoted his spare time to progressive political causes since working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. However, Wurman now makes his living as a press agent and PR man, and while he's near the top of his profession, years of overwork, constant smoking and drinking, and ceaseless tension are taking their toll, leaving him on the verge of collapse, with only the prescriptions of his friend Dr. Napier (Robert Klein) keeping him on his feet. One of Wurman's biggest clients is Cary Launer (Ryan O'Neal), a fading film star with political aspirations who, after attending a disastrous Broadway opening, asks Wurman to do him a big favor -- bail Launer's girlfriend, Jilli (T?a Leoni), out of jail and keep an eye on her. Wurman manages to get Jilli out of stir, but she insists upon being escorted to a decadent after-hours club, and a night of heavy drinking and drugging wipes away most of Wurman's memories of the evening. This turns out to be especially problematic when Jilli is found dead in a hotel the next morning. Meanwhile, Wurman is trying to set up a political fundraiser, but has a hard time getting the right A-list celebs to appear, just as many of New York's power brokers aren't especially interesting in working with Wurman or Launer. In the midst of this chaos, Victoria (Kim Basinger), who was married to Wurman's late brother, arrives in New York and urges him to leave the city and his career behind while he still can. People I Know was screened in competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
Synopsis: Eli knows everything, suddenly realizes he knows too much. Smart, resourceful and uncommonly devoted seasoned publicist Eli Wurman has smoothly managed the public lives of the rich, the famous and the incredibly powerful throughout his long career. There has never been a crisis he couldn't handle--until now. Cary Launer is a famous actor--he's as good at manipulating and controlling those around him as he is at giving award-winning performances. Yet Launer is in trouble over a young starlet, Jilli, and enlists Eli to discreetly escort her out of his life. It seems just one more celebrity baby-sitting job, until they arrive at an after-hours party where Eli experiences a shock that will change his life forever. The crime he's witnessed involves the most powerful and influential people in the country.