P.J. Posner directs the romantic comedy The Next Big Thing. Struggling painter Gus Bishop (Chris Eigeman) gets involved in a scam to make it into the cutthroat New York art world. Con man Deech Scumble (Jamie Harris) dreams up the identity of Geoff Buonardi (inspired by the name of Chef Boyardee), an outsider war veteran artist. The fictitious Buonardi becomes Gus' alter ego personality, and soon his paintings become an overnight success. This scam leads Gus toward a romance with art critic Kate (Connie Britton), who, of course, does not realize that Geoff is really Gus. Soon, Gus is being pursued by a private eye (Mike Starr) and a rich art vixen (Janet Zarish), who both desperately want to meet the mysterious artist.