Drama: A twenty-five-year-old becomes involved with two women: One whom he had a
crush on during high school, the other the mother of a dead friend he can't remember.
PLOT:
Tom Thompson (DAVID SCHWIMMER) is a depressingly immature twenty-five-year-old
unemployed guy who one day is notified of the death of a high school classmate of his, Bill
Abernathy. The problem is he doesn't remember the guy but ends up going to the funeral and acts
as if the guy was his best friend. At about the same time the girl of his dreams, Julie DeMarco
(GWYNETH PALTROW) who he secretly loved back in high school, returns to town. While
trying to spark some romance with Julie, he ends up having a "Mrs. Robinson/The Graduate"
affair with the dead friend's mother, Ruth Abernathy (BARBARA HERSHEY). He then must
deal with the two women, a bunch of friends who alternately support or disappoint him, and his
own insecure immaturity.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
David Schwimmer (Ross in TV's "Friends") will probably draw some, but the movie's nowhere near the comedy it's made out to be, and most kids will find it boring while parents will
remember a similar story in the far superior "The Graduate."
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For some sexuality and language.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
DAVID
SCHWIMMER plays an immature, uncertain, twenty-five year old, who's unemployed and still living
at home. He also has sexual relations with two women (one much older) at the same time.
GWYNETH
PALTROW plays his love interest, a woman who's trying to find herself.
BARBARA
HERSHEY plays the mother of the dead friend and she has an affair with Tom and then gets
upset when he tries to call it off.
Tom's friends break up in laughter at Bill's funeral (they're laughing because they
know that Tom, who's giving the eulogy, doesn't remember the dead man).
Tom, helping carry the casket to the hearse, diverts the other pallbearers away so
that he can ask Julie out.
Tom spies on Julie with binoculars while she's working (which wouldn't be so bad if
he was fourteen, but he is twenty-five and this borders on obsessive behavior).
Tom's married friend gets the hots for Julie and ends up kissing her.
After having slept with Ruth several times, Tom tries to blow her off since he's now
sleeping with Julie.
Julie's father is rude to Tom (he's upset that Julie wants to "find herself" and takes
out his anger on Tom).
Tom thinks about killing himself and ends up sitting in a running car in a closed
garage.
There is thick sexual tension between Tom and Ruth Abernathy which ends up with
them sleeping together (nothing seen but kissing and then the two of them in bed together).
Tom rolls off of Ruth after they've had sex again (nothing seen).
Julie states that she and her old boyfriend were living together.
Tom and Julie make out on his bed.
Tom and Julie are in bed together the next morning (implying that they had sex).
Ruth confronts Tom in a restaurant (with Julie and her parents) and says "Sex, sex,
sex. Is that all you think of?"
There are scantily clad women dancing on tables at a bachelor party.
Suicide (his "best friend" kills himself and later Tom almost recreates that earlier
scene).
Tom's overall behavior and how kids shouldn't grow up to be that way (depressed,
immature, unemployed, simultaneoulsy sleeping with several women, etc...).
A young man is found dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning (a suicide).
A woman friend is fed up with Tom's complaining and she goes after him and has to
be restrained.
Tom is forcibly removed from carrying the casket and is pushed to the ground (after
he's led the pallbearers away from the hearse in order to ask Julie out).
Tom's drunken friend punches Tom in the stomach.
Tom sits in a running car in a closed garage (thinking about killing himself).
In anger, Ruth throws her coffee cup which shatters on the floor.
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