As Jon Gordon, the increasingly beleaguered executive V.P. of production at Miramax, points out a few episodes later (once Jones' "passion" has started to become problematic), "This is not like putting on a little play in your backyard."

From the very first, Jones shows his inexperience and general lack of a clue. During the first production meeting, Moore has to remind him -- twice -- to take notes. Preparing for a meeting with "Clerks" director Kevin Smith, Jones says, "I need to know from Kevin Smith, A) How did he do it on no budget, B) How did he compromise what shots, and C) How do you deal with Miramax?"

There are some people who are allowed to complain about studio politics and call a million-dollar movie a "no budget" movie; Jones is not one of them. (Smith's semi-serious reaction: "They're letting him make a movie and already he's got a gripe! Usually you wait until your second movie bombs.") Jones manages to remain blissfully ignorant of the finer points of both politics and production, but our boy goes Hollywood quicker than you can say Don Simpson. Within a week, he is name-dropping to his wife. ("Hi, Babe, I'm still not out of here. I've got to write a letter to Sean Penn." Babe's underwhelmed response: "OK.")

When things don't go his way, he sarcastically condescends to a studio executive (overestimating her place in the Miramax food chain and underestimating her place in relation to him); questions Harvey Weinstein's general business acumen ("It's a weird way to run a company"); and petulantly wonders why Emma Thompson hasn't called him back the day after receiving his script.

"We didn't hear anything from Emma," Jones frets.

"That's good," replies line producer Pat Peach. "No news is always good news on that front."

"I don't belong to that philosophy."

"You think she wants to read your script tonight? That she got it and she can't wait? She's Emma Thompson, man."

"I still don't understand why she didn't call me."

Of course, by now, we do. In the third episode, the discussion over the budget with Miramax heats up, as Pete insists on shooting on location in Chicago and setting the film in 1976, bumping up the budget to $1.5 million and planting a blooming minefield of technical difficulties for himself down the road. "This is Sophie's Choice," he says of his budget-inflating creative choices. "I need them both. Miramax, you have to understand that."

Around him, doubts bloom. "Pete is getting a tremendous opportunity," Miramax's Gordon points out grimly. "All of a sudden, to be consistently whining that the process is not to his liking? Two months ago he would have had to pack up and go back to Chicago. We're not a bank." (There are hints along the way that Miramax was concerned about being portrayed as somehow disruptive to the creative process; but "Project Greenlight" has the distinction of perhaps being the first movie about making movies in which the studio comes across as the good guy, at least for now.)

My favorite moment so far occurs when Jeff Balis, a co-producer at LivePlanet, attempts to give Pete notes on his script. Balis, who is Jewish, is concerned about a particular line in the script.

Balis: "It's a little heavy-handed."

"That line," Jones sighs, "has moved more people than any other line in the script."

Balis frowns. "Pete says to the Rabbi, 'Rabbi, if Jewish people are uncomfortable praying to Jesus because they're uncomfortable with the name Jesus, then why don't you just come up with your own name to represent the good that Jesus does?"

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