No Regrets
Alex Wheeler and Suzanne Kennerly were college sweethearts in the early seventies whose romance ended badly. Today, Alex is a filmmaker who, at age 54, has come to read his latest screenplay to Suzann…
No Regrets
Alex Wheeler and Suzanne Kennerly were college sweethearts in the early seventies whose romance ended badly. Today, Alex is a filmmaker who, at age 54, has come to read his latest screenplay to Suzanne. He's changed some of the facts (i.e. making his character an architect), but the script is based on the complex relationships between the two of them and the people they married after college. As Alex reads the script, we see the film (which is set in 1988) come to life, with actors playing the parts of the characters. The actor playing Alex at age 39 is handsome, quite successful, married to Cheryl, a beautiful woman with whom he has two gorgeous daughters. He's also tormented by the notion that he married the wrong woman. After years of wondering, Alex finally decides to seek out his college sweetheart, Suzanne, whom he hasn't seen in eighteen years. Alex lived with Suzanne when they were students at the University of Chicago in the early seventies. They shared an apartment with another student couple, Phil Welch and Cheryl Meyers. Phil and Alex were best friends and so were Suzanne and Cheryl. The four of them had a unique bond. After their junior year Alex got a summer internship at a local firm. Suzanne had a chance to spend the summer traveling with a girlfriend. They ended up visiting Phil in Berkeley and Suzanne and Phil slept together. Suzanne came back to Chicago at the end of the summer and confessed her infidelity. She and Alex tried to get back together, but Alex could never get over the feeling that he'd been betrayed -- both by Suzanne and by Phil. So, for comfort, and maybe out of spite, Alex and Cheryl turned to each other. Then Phil and Suzanne moved in together. Three months later Phil and Suzanne got married. Alex and Cheryl weren't invited to the wedding. Six months after that Suzanne had a baby boy. Alex has always wondered if he's the father. Now it's 1988 and Alex locates Suzanne working in a museum in Boston. Lying to Cheryl by claiming it to be a business trip, Alex travels to Boston and surprises Suzanne at work. Suzanne immediately gains control of the situation, even surprising Alex by telling her husband Phil that Alex is in her office. After a visit in which Alex reconnects with Suzanne to a certain degree, she invites him to dinner with her family. At dinner we meet Phil and their daughter Jessie. (Their son Eric, the one Alex has always wondered about, is off at college.) The dinner goes well, with the three old friends relieved to be demystifying their explosive break up of so long ago. Finally, Phil suggests that they call Cheryl at home in Nashville. Alex is now caught, having to tell his wife he's with his old girlfriend and her old boyfriend. On the call, Phil and Suzanne surprise Cheryl and Alex by inviting them up for the weekend to a vacation house they've rented. Alex wants to go. Cheryl acquiesces. Back at his hotel Alex calls Cheryl and she lets him have it. She now doubts her husband and his story. Ultimately, she decides to come to Boston. When Alex meets her at the airport, he confesses that there was no client, that he came to Boston to seek out Suzanne. Before they can delve too deeply into all the questions this raises, Phil joins them. The four old friends are reunited, piling into Suzanne's car for the drive to the vacation house. When they reach the house, the women get their first chance to speak privately as the men go outside. Suzanne and Cheryl reconnect, with Cheryl warning Suzanne not to steal her man again (as she did years ago with Phil) and Suzanne apologizing for her past actions. Meanwhile, the men connect on a less personal level, mostly discussing their work. We discover that Phil is increasingly disenchanted with his career. After dinner the two couples dance to music from their college days. When they switch dancing partners the tension builds. There are powerful attractions and danger is in the air. The two couples end up making love in their respective bedrooms with their spouses, but we're left to wonder what's going through their minds. The next day Alex and Suzanne go into town together and end up having a true heart to heart. Suzanne confesses that she has also thought of Alex over the years, even wondering herself if he's Eric's father. Now Alex must deal with the fact that he'll never know if Eric is his son. Somehow the uncertainty seems appropriate. Alex has come seeking answers and they continue to elude him. Suzanne's honesty has brought them closer. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Phil have had their first time alone, and Phil uses it to confess his powerful attraction to Cheryl. Their conversation is fraught with possibilities and ends with a kiss. When the four of them sit down to dinner the conversation raises more questions than it answers. They have a great deal to sort out. After dinner an old photo of the four of them as college students sleeping in front of a campfire prompts them to repeat the scene in front of the fireplace. Even though they remain fully clothed, more boundaries are crossed as the four of them sleep together all night. In the morning Alex and Suzanne wake first and end up having a heartfelt conversation outside. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Phil are still lying together. When Phil wakes and caresses Cheryl she feigns sleep, later admitting as much to Phil. The scene ends with Cheryl realizing what's truly important to her...Alex and her marriage. She goes in search of him, the first of the four to call the question. Cheryl finds Alex and Suzanne and challenges Alex, forcing him to choose between the two women. When Alex does, he recommits to Cheryl and their marriage. Throughout the film we've seen several scenes from the present day, allowing us to see how the relationships between the characters have evolved in the ensuing fifteen years. Alex and Cheryl are still married and they are still friends with Suzanne. In fact, both Cheryl and Suzanne are involved with the making of the film, offering their thoughts on the story and script. Both are present for some of the filming, discussing their characters with the actors who play them at age 39. Phil, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found. He and Suzanne divorced three years ago. Ultimately, what Alex discovers is that he did marry the right woman in Cheryl, and yet he and Suzanne also share a love that is central to who he is as a person. It's not a marital love, but a spiritual love that allows Alex to better understand himself and find his place in the world. He's truly blessed to finally discover that he doesn't need to choose between Cheryl and Suzanne. He will love them both for the rest of his life. And now he can.
No Regrets
Drama,Romance
Film Details
Alex Wheeler and Suzanne Kennerly were college sweethearts in the early seventies whose romance ended badly. Today, Alex is a filmmaker who, at age 54, has come to read his latest screenplay to Suzanne. He's changed some of the facts (i.e.
making his character an architect), but the script is based on the complex relationships between the two of them and the people they married after college. As Alex reads the script, we see the film (which is set in 1988) come to life, with actors playing the parts of the characters. The actor playing Alex at age 39 is handsome, quite successful, married to Cheryl, a beautiful woman with whom he has two gorgeous daughters.
He's also tormented by the notion that he married the wrong woman. After years of wondering, Alex finally decides to seek out his college sweetheart, Suzanne, whom he hasn't seen in eighteen years. Alex lived with Suzanne when they were students at the University of Chicago in the early seventies.
They shared an apartment with another student couple, Phil Welch and Cheryl Meyers. Phil and Alex were best friends and so were Suzanne and Cheryl. The four of them had a unique bond.
After their junior year Alex got a summer internship at a local firm. Suzanne had a chance to spend the summer traveling with a girlfriend. They ended up visiting Phil in Berkeley and Suzanne and Phil slept together.
Suzanne came back to Chicago at the end of the summer and confessed her infidelity. She and Alex tried to get back together, but Alex could never get over the feeling that he'd been betrayed -- both by Suzanne and by Phil. So, for comfort, and maybe out of spite, Alex and Cheryl turned to each other.
Then Phil and Suzanne moved in together. Three months later Phil and Suzanne got married. Alex and Cheryl weren't invited to the wedding.
Six months after that Suzanne had a baby boy. Alex has always wondered if he's the father. Now it's 1988 and Alex locates Suzanne working in a museum in Boston.
Lying to Cheryl by claiming it to be a business trip, Alex travels to Boston and surprises Suzanne at work. Suzanne immediately gains control of the situation, even surprising Alex by telling her husband Phil that Alex is in her office. After a visit in which Alex reconnects with Suzanne to a certain degree, she invites him to dinner with her family.
At dinner we meet Phil and their daughter Jessie. (Their son Eric, the one Alex has always wondered about, is off at college.) The dinner goes well, with the three old friends relieved to be demystifying their explosive break up of so long ago. Finally, Phil suggests that they call Cheryl at home in Nashville.
Alex is now caught, having to tell his wife he's with his old girlfriend and her old boyfriend. On the call, Phil and Suzanne surprise Cheryl and Alex by inviting them up for the weekend to a vacation house they've rented. Alex wants to go.
Cheryl acquiesces. Back at his hotel Alex calls Cheryl and she lets him have it. She now doubts her husband and his story.
Ultimately, she decides to come to Boston. When Alex meets her at the airport, he confesses that there was no client, that he came to Boston to seek out Suzanne. Before they can delve too deeply into all the questions this raises, Phil joins them.
The four old friends are reunited, piling into Suzanne's car for the drive to the vacation house. When they reach the house, the women get their first chance to speak privately as the men go outside. Suzanne and Cheryl reconnect, with Cheryl warning Suzanne not to steal her man again (as she did years ago with Phil) and Suzanne apologizing for her past actions.
Meanwhile, the men connect on a less personal level, mostly discussing their work. We discover that Phil is increasingly disenchanted with his career. After dinner the two couples dance to music from their college days.
When they switch dancing partners the tension builds. There are powerful attractions and danger is in the air. The two couples end up making love in their respective bedrooms with their spouses, but we're left to wonder what's going through their minds.
The next day Alex and Suzanne go into town together and end up having a true heart to heart. Suzanne confesses that she has also thought of Alex over the years, even wondering herself if he's Eric's father. Now Alex must deal with the fact that he'll never know if Eric is his son.
Somehow the uncertainty seems appropriate. Alex has come seeking answers and they continue to elude him. Suzanne's honesty has brought them closer.
Meanwhile, Cheryl and Phil have had their first time alone, and Phil uses it to confess his powerful attraction to Cheryl. Their conversation is fraught with possibilities and ends with a kiss. When the four of them sit down to dinner the conversation raises more questions than it answers.
They have a great deal to sort out. After dinner an old photo of the four of them as college students sleeping in front of a campfire prompts them to repeat the scene in front of the fireplace. Even though they remain fully clothed, more boundaries are crossed as the four of them sleep together all night.
In the morning Alex and Suzanne wake first and end up having a heartfelt conversation outside. Meanwhile, Cheryl and Phil are still lying together. When Phil wakes and caresses Cheryl she feigns sleep, later admitting as much to Phil.
The scene ends with Cheryl realizing what's truly important to her...Alex and her marriage. She goes in search of him, the first of the four to call the question. Cheryl finds Alex and Suzanne and challenges Alex, forcing him to choose between the two women.
When Alex does, he recommits to Cheryl and their marriage. Throughout the film we've seen several scenes from the present day, allowing us to see how the relationships between the characters have evolved in the ensuing fifteen years. Alex and Cheryl are still married and they are still friends with Suzanne.
In fact, both Cheryl and Suzanne are involved with the making of the film, offering their thoughts on the story and script. Both are present for some of the filming, discussing their characters with the actors who play them at age 39. Phil, on the other hand, is nowhere to be found.
He and Suzanne divorced three years ago. Ultimately, what Alex discovers is that he did marry the right woman in Cheryl, and yet he and Suzanne also share a love that is central to who he is as a person. It's not a marital love, but a spiritual love that allows Alex to better understand himself and find his place in the world.
He's truly blessed to finally discover that he doesn't need to choose between Cheryl and Suzanne. He will love them both for the rest of his life. And now he can..