Back to Venice

Imagine what it would be like to go back in time to the 15th century Venice. And imagine what it would be like to meet your lifelong hero, Michelangelo. And imagine what it would be like if, on first meeting, you spill a tray of pasta and wine on that very same hero.Well, that's what happens to serious young artist Mark Breen. As the result of a drunken bet, Mark knocks out a painting of a toilet bowl. Much to his amazement, he sells it. In short order he's hailed as the new Andy Warhol and becomes an overnight sensation-and a very wealthy man. Soon, images of his toilet bowls are on more t-shirts, mugs, and calendars than Edvard Munch's The Scream.His friend and mentor, Hugh Connelly, afraid that Mark is in danger of losing his "artistic soul," advises him to go back to Italy and reacquaint himself with the "old masters." In Venice, Mark falls in love with Alexandra, a beautiful art restorer, but it's a one-sided affair. One night, hoping to win her over, he climbs up on a roof to find out who painted her favorite fresco. He falls off the roof and wakes up in 15th century Venice where he meets an innkeeper named Francesca, who looks exactly like Alexandra. And it gets curiouser and curiouser from there. During his stay-which is sometimes zany and sometimes frightening-he meet his hero, Michelangelo, who teaches him the true meaning of art.