Straight Up

At one point, multiple distributors were interested in acquiring Straight Up, but none of them would accept the film in its intended aspect ratio of 4:3. James Sweeney was instructed to deliver in 16:9, excise 25 percent of the frame. He refused to give up his creative vision and eventually found a distributor who agreed.

Although not impossible, the opening conversation between the Todd and Rory (not a give-away because it is literally the opening of the movie) develops from Rory saying Todd might generally be mistaken for an employee based on his putting things (for instance organizing books) in order.

Todd replied that no, someone mistook him for a Staples employee, asking where the paperweights are, and he wasn't doing anything, just standing there.

Perhaps it is a dig at Staples employees who just stand there, or a play on the fact that he was not doing anything and was asked about paperweights. Yes, there are decorative desk things they sell as 'paperweights' at Staples, but nobody ever went to Staples to buy a paperweight. Inventing some scenario that didn't happen or joking is out of character.

References Sein Freund Jello (1957)