Jon Favreau

A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

A mannered businessman travels only to confront a charming but a deceptive woman and it leads to much drama and mayhem.

Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate agent, just got engaged to his girlfriend Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones). Zooey is ecstatic about the engagement and calls her friends Denise (Jaime Pressley) and Hailey (Sarah Burns) to tell them about it, but Peter does not seem to have any close friends to share the good news with. Peter is apparently more adept at getting along with women and has a history of allowing his male friends to fall by the wayside when he is involved with a woman. Peter realizes he needs to find male friends in order to have a best man for his upcoming wedding. Peter turns to his gay younger brother, Robbie (Andy Samberg), for advice on dealing with men. He attends a Major League Soccer game with a man named Lonnie (Joe Lo Truglio), who has a rather loud and annoyingly high-pitched voice. He has dinner with another man named Doug (Thomas Lennon), who he soon discovers is bisexual. He also has lunch with an elderly man named Mel (Murray Gershenz). He even joins Denise's somewhat hostile husband, Barry (Jon Favreau), and his friends for their poker night. Peter inadvertently projectile-vomits on Barry after winning a beer-drinking contest, prompting an angry Barry to kick him out of his house. Feeling rejected, Peter is about to give up, when during an open house at Lou Ferrigno's mansion which Peter is trying to sell, he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), an investor who is attending the showing simply to pick up divorced women and take advantage of the free food. The two hit it off very well and exchange business cards. The two quickly become friends, and Sydney eventually invites Peter into his "man cave," a space in his garage where he keeps his collection of musical instruments and various other belongings. Peter finally introduces Sydney to Zooey at their engagement party, where Hailey makes advances on Sydney, who appears uninterested. The meeting takes an unfortunate turn when a nervous Sydney makes a very awkward toast. The next night, Peter is watching TV with Zooey, when Sydney calls and talks Peter into joining him for a Rush concert. Hesitant to break his plans, Peter reluctantly agrees to go on the condition that he can bring Zooey. During the concert, Peter and Sydney bond, leaving Zooey feeling ignored. The next day, while shopping for tuxedos, Sydney asks Peter why he is marrying Zooey, and also asks for an $8,000 loan. After some thought, Peter decides to lend Sydney the money, and later grants him the honor of being best man at his wedding. Zooey, meanwhile, has become suspicious of Sydney, especially after he gets into a fight with Lou Ferrigno (as himself), which may cost Peter the exclusive sales rights to Ferrigno's house. Peter tells Zooey that he lent Sydney money and asks her if she knows why they are getting married, Zooey leaves to stay at Denise and Barry's house. Peter leaves for work the next morning only to discover that Sydney has used the $8,000 loan to purchase several ridiculous billboard advertisements promoting Peter's real estate business. Still upset over his fight with Zooey, Peter confronts Sydney and decides to end their friendship. Peter then patches things up with Zooey. Upon arriving at work, Peter discovers that Sydney's billboard advertising campaign was successful, as he immediately begins receiving more clients and offers on the Ferrigno house. Encouraged by this career boost, Peter finally stands up to his insufferable colleague, Tevin Downey (Rob Huebel), who has been badgering Peter for half the selling rights to the lucrative Ferrigno property. When Tevin makes one final attempt to get a piece of the Ferrigno listing, Peter slaps him across his face and tells him to stay away from it. While Zooey and Peter prepare for the wedding, Sydney finds himself alone and desperate to hang with someone, but phone calls to his other friends, who all have wives and children, prove futile, and he even out of boredom and depression, watches Chocolat, which is a movie Peter mentioned watching with Zooey on what he felt was the best night of his life in the last couple of years. Peter feels bad about fighting with Sydney but does not re-invite him to the wedding. Instead, he assembles an array of random groomsmen that includes Robbie, Father Oswald (J. K. Simmons), Doug, Lonnie, Mel, and Ferrigno. Before the wedding, Zooey sees Peter looking forlorn, clearly missing his friend Sydney. She calls and invites Sydney, who is, unbeknownst to them, already en route to the wedding. Just before the vows are to be taken, Sydney makes a dramatic entrance via moped. He informs Peter and Zooey that he is, in fact, a successful investor and returns the money he borrowed from Peter, stating that the billboards were the couple's wedding present. Peter and Zooey declare their love to each other, Sydney assumes the role of best man, and the wedding commences. As the end credits begin to roll, we see the wedding reception, where Peter and Sydney join the hired band (played by OK Go) in a rendition of the Rush song "Limelight" and even pull Zooey on stage to join them. Meanwhile Hailey and Lonnie get together, Denise ends up throwing up on Barry, whose anger over it subsides when she mentions she's pregnant, and finally when the song ends, Sydney attempts to toast the newlyweds and Peter runs to frantically stop him as the screen cuts out (still remembering Sydney's ill-advised toast at the engagement dinner.)

A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas. Brad and Kate have been together three years, in love, having fun, doing all sorts of things together with no intention of marriage or children. Christmas morning, they're on their way to Fiji, having told their two sets of divorced parents that they're off to do charity work. Through a fluke, they have no choice but to visit each of their four idiosyncratic parents. As the day progresses, Brad and Kate remember growing up, each learns more about the other, and Kate realizes that her life may not be as good as it could be. Do they know each other well enough to weather the storms families bring? —<jhailey@hotmail.com> To escape Christmas and their divorced parents with their dysfunctional families, happily unmarried Brad and Kate have been successfully pulling off the same trick for three years: a little bit of charity work in a far-off place at the end of the world is always the perfect alibi. However, not this year--and as the young couple is forced to spend Christmas with all four of their estranged parents--the ultimate Yuletide disaster is at hand. Can Brad and Kate survive not one, but four Christmases? —Nick Riganas Until now, Brad and Kate had always managed to avoid spending Christmas with their family by escaping to exotic lands to enjoy heavenly vacations. But this year, they failed. When they arrive at the airport, all the flights have been canceled. Even worse, a television news crew interviews them, revealing to their family where they are. This time, there's no way out and no excuses. Brad's father is waiting for them at his house. So is Kate's mother. And Brad's mother and Kate's father. Four family Christmases, the same day! Brad and Kate expect the worse... and they won't be disappointed. They will be spared of nothing. In between humiliations, the secrets each one of them had carefully kept from the other, the hard feelings and impossible situations, the couple will live through a day that might be the last their relationship can stand. —Happy_Evil_Dude

Brothers Walter (Josh Hutcherson) and Danny (Jonah Bobo) never get along with each other, or with their older sister, Lisa (Kristen Stewart). One day, when their father sets off for work, they quarrel yet again while Lisa is in her bedroom upstairs. Danny is banished into the house's basement by older brother Walter for hitting him in the face with a baseball. There he discovers a clockwork-driven space-themed board game called "Zathura". It is a race game, and the objective is to reach a space location called Zathura. At each turn, one of its two markers moves along or back on its track, and the game issues a card (all of which are read primarily by Walter, as Danny cannot read properly) of which the effects happen immediately. The boys start playing the game. When he starts playing, the game produces a card that warns of a meteor shower. After an actual meteor shower occurs in the living room, Walter and Danny realize the game is affecting reality and discover the house floating in outer space. On looking out, one of them sees that it has become night, and that the house is no longer on Earth but on a small rock floating in space. According to the instructions, the house will not return to Earth until the game is finished. During the story, the brothers must overcome their ill will toward one another to survive. Danny and Walter try to tell Lisa, who is in bed, about what happened, but she believes that it is nighttime and refuses to believe the two. When Danny takes his next turn, they receive a card saying that Lisa is frozen in Cryonic sleep, leaving the two brothers to fend for themselves. When Walter takes a turn, a toy-sized robot is brought into existence, but grows larger and becomes programmed to attack him. After being chased through the house, the robot becomes disabled falling into the basement as the house falls into the gravitational field of a star. Without explanation, the house stops falling into that star. When Danny takes another turn, Zorgons, which are lizard-like aliens, appear in a ship from nowhere and attack the house. Amid the chaos, Walter receives a 'Reprogram' card (which he tries to use on the Zorgons to no effect), and Danny receives a card "Rescue stranded astronaut". An Astronaut (Dax Shepard) appears and must be rescued. The Astronaut helps the two to get rid of the Zorgons by turning off all heat in the house, as the Zorgons' vision is thermal and therefore can only see heat signatures. The Astronaut sets a couch on fire and pushes it into space and the Zorgons leave to follow it. The astronaut tells them of the dangers of Zorgons and telling them that they travel the universe to find heat. After an argument, Danny allows the Astronaut to stay to help the two through the rest of the game, much to Walter's disappointment. Returning to the game, Walter notices Danny has illegally moved his piece forward and accuse him of cheating. He forcibly moves it back while berating Danny, resulting in two arguments one before the move and another after that. The game interprets only Walter's action as cheating and the game punishes him by getting him sucked out into space, but he is rescued by the Astronaut, who has a jet-pack. The incident increases the tensions between the two brothers. When Walter takes another turn, he receives a '"Shooting star, make a wish as it passes"' card -which triggers yet another argument ending with Danny angrily throwing the game down- and Walter wishes for a football signed by Brett Favre. Having feared that Walter wished for Danny to not exist, the astronaut tells the two that he played the game with his brother many years ago, and him and his brother also despised each other. The Astronaut received a "Shooting star, make a wish as it passes" card, and wished for his brother to never be born, therefore leaving him stuck in the game. This story prompts both Danny and Walter to reconcile, and the Astronaut promises to protect the two from any future threats in the game. By now, Lisa has come out of her Cryonic stasis. The boys and the Astronaut see her turning up the thermostat to heat the house because she felt cold, and the resulting heat and light draw Zorgon ships back. The Zorgons shoot at the house, further damaging it, and anchor to it with grapples, and suck the game into their ship along with miscellaneous house debris, which they shovel into their ship's engine in order to use them as fuel. Lisa, now knowing what has happened, joins the trio. Danny, Walter, Lisa, and the Astronaut take refuge in a small room upstairs, which was at that point the safest area in the house as the Zorgons boarded the house in the basement. The Astronaut heads downstairs to try to retrieve the game but is forced to return upstairs in vain. Danny reluctantly decides to retrieve the game by heading down the basement via a dumbwaiter, which is large enough for only him (out of the four of them) to fit into, and riskily going through a boarding passage into the Zorgon ship where he frees a group of four-eyed goats to distract one of the Zorgons. He rescues the game at the last moment before it would have been shoveled into a furnace. Meanwhile, a Zorgon arrives upstairs to inspect that part of the house, and at the same time, another Zorgon spots Danny getting into the dumbwaiter. The Zorgon alerts the others and a group of them attacks Danny as he tries to head upstairs. Danny is rescued by Walter, but the two are surrounded on the stairway by Zorgons. The robot, having revived, tries to attack the boys. Walter uses the "Reprogram" card (which he had drawn earlier) on the robot, which then attacks the Zorgons. Of the two Zorgon spaceships, one flees, and another explodes. One Zorgon survives the robot's kamikaze attack and sneaks up behind Walter and Danny as they are wondering where Lisa is. Before the Zorgon can kill them, Lisa crushes and kills it by shoving Danny's piano down on it. Walter, drawing another "Shooting star, make a wish as it passes" card, wishes that the Astronaut had his brother back. A copy of Danny appears. The Astronaut apologizes to the copy of Danny, who appears to be his brother. It is revealed that the Astronaut and his brother are Walter and Danny from an alternate time-line which started when Walter at the first wish card wished otherwise: "I wish my brother had never been born." The Astronaut's brother disintegrates into sparks which enter Danny when the two touch. The Astronaut thanks Walter and tells him to take care of Danny, then touches Walter and turns into a copy of him, which smiles at him and disintegrates into sparks which enter him. Thus, the two time-lines merge, and the future caused by Walter wishing Danny away is erased. Lisa is alarmed to find that she had fallen for an older version of her brother, Walter. In the last throw of the game, the Zorgons, who are now on the warpath against the humans, return with a large fleet, and start blasting the house. Danny scores a move which brings his marker to Zathura, and the Zorgons stop firing. Zathura turns out to be a black hole, which sucks up the Zorgons along with the house, Lisa, Walter and Danny. Moments later, the house is back on Earth, whose structure and furnishings are as they were before the game began and in perfect condition. As the trio's mother arrives to take them to her house, Lisa orders Walter and Danny to never speak of what happened but as they leave, Walter's bike which appeared floating in space several times drops onto the lawn.

Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), an English professional Tennis Player in his thirties (he is 32 years old) whose ranking has slipped from 11th to 119th in the world, considers he never really had to fight for anything. His wealthy but not close family (including brother Carl (James McAvoy), father Edward (Bernard Hill) and mother Augusta (Eleanor Bron)) easily put him through studies and allowed him to pursue his Tennis ambitions. Peter bravely exchanges jokes with his German sparring partner Dieter Prohl (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who is in a similar position. For a tennis player, winning a Grand Slam title is the pinnacle of their sporting career. Though, he earns a wild-card spot to the Wimbledon tournament, but internally feels that it's time to admit he's getting too old to compete with fitter coming men (or boys) and intends, after this last Wimbledon, to take a job with the prestigious tennis club instead. The job offered to him by club manager Ian Frazier (Robert Lindsay). However, as Wimbledon begins, by accident, he bumps into Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), the American rising star of female tennis, falls in love with her and finds her interest in him changes his entire perception, even gives him the strength to win again. Peter finds that his game gets better as he spends more time with Lizzie. Meanwhile, Lizzie comes with a reputation of arguing with the chair umpires as a tactic to disrupt the game. Lizzie invites Peter up to her room, and they have sex as Lizzie believes that this can help one relax and help with their game. After an unexpected win in the first round, Peter is about to lose his second match (against an opponent who had won the French Open previously) but turns it around when he hears Lizzie cheering for him in the crowd. In his third match, he unexpectedly comes up against his training partner and best friend, Dieter Prohl. Peter beats Dieter, who comments that Peter has developed a 'killer instinct', the ability to win the match no matter the cost or the method. Peter's unexpected success makes him a sensation in Britain, as many place their hopes on either him or his next competitor, Tom Cavendish, to deliver a British win at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Carl had been betting against Peter on every match and kept losing. Carl is mystified as Peter has always come through for him previously. Ron (Jon Favreau) is Peter's agent who asks him to capitalize on his fame before his next match with Tom. As their love grows, Peter's game becomes better and better, but her game starts worsening as she spends too much time with Peter, ignoring her practice and tiredness. However, her overprotective father-manager Dennis Bradbury (Sam Neill) proves determined to nip their relationship in the bud, believing it detrimental to her career. At a reception for the Wimbledon players at the London Eye, Lizzie is approached by an old flame, arrogant American star and world number 1 Jake Hammond. Hammond deduces that Peter and Lizzie are seeing each other when Peter defends her. When Hammond insults Lizzie, Peter punches him and the couple run away to Peter's flat in Brighton. They spend the entire day together and their picture was taken by Carl, who sold it to the media to make good on his betting losses and to put more against Peter in his upcoming game. That next day, Dennis comes to Peter's apartment and yells at him for spoiling his daughter's game. She overhears this and decides to leave him. Lizzie says that they can be together after the tournament. Both of them play several games with different opponents and win. Peter faces off against Tom Cavendish and beats him when Cavendish sprains his ankle, demonstrating his ability to go all the way. But without Lizzie's support, Peter's confidence and concentration start to shake. Lizzie enters into semi-final while Peter also manages to reach semi-final but with difficulty. The night before their semi-final games, Peter sneaks into Lizzie's hotel room and persuades her to have sex. Initially, she denies as she requires more rest and sleep for her semi-final game next morning, but later on agrees to. Next day, he performs quite well and wins his semi-final match in straight sets, whilst Lizzie loses her match due to tiredness for lack of sleep and losing her focus after last night together with Peter. Lizzie gets upset and breaks their relation while accusing his madness and last night greed for sex as cause for loss of her match, her dreams and perhaps her career too. She leaves before he can say or explain anything and decides to immediately return to USA. Peter has to play the final match against Jake Hammond (Austin Nichols), an arrogant American star who Peter has already had an argument with involving Lizzie but finds himself out classed. At the airport, Lizzie watches an interview on TV in which Peter apologizes to her and declares his love for her openly. She drops her idea to go home and comes back to Wimbledon. Before Lizzie reaches the stadium, Peter has already lost two sets and is running behind in the third one due to the fast and forceful tricky serves by Jake. He has lost all of his focus due to breakup with Lizzie. Before the game is interrupted by rain, his back muscles get stressed, and he has started thinking about quitting the game rather than face a sure defeat. Suddenly, Lizzie comes to him in the dressing room and tells him that she has forgiven him and prepares him to play and face the fate rather than quit. She tells him the secret about Jake's tricky serves. With Lizzie cheering him on, Peter makes a recovery in the game and wins the title (3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 {7-5}, 6-4) with a diving volley. After the game he retires. He and Lizzie get married, and with his support, Lizzie goes on to win the U.S. Open and Wimbledon twice, ultimately achieving her dreams. In the last scene, Peter is with their youngest child, a boy, watching Lizzie and their eldest child, a girl, playing tennis together on a neighborhood court in New York City.

On Christmas Eve, an orphaned baby crawls into Santa Claus's sack at an orphanage and is accidentally taken back to the North Pole. The elves discover the infant and name him Buddy, inspired by the label on his diaper. Papa Elf adopts Buddy and raises him as one of his own. Despite his large size and lack of elf-like skills, Buddy grows up believing he is an elf. However, as an adult, he learns the truth: he is human. Papa Elf reveals that Buddy's birth parents are Walter Hobbs and Susan Wells. Susan put Buddy up for adoption before she passed away, and Walter, now a children's book publisher in New York City, is unaware of Buddy's existence. Determined to find his father, Buddy travels to New York. He tracks Walter to his office at the Empire State Building, but Walter mistakes him for a Christmas-gram messenger and has him escorted out. Buddy wanders into Gimbels department store, where he meets Jovie, a jaded store employee who catches his eye. When Buddy learns Santa is scheduled to visit the store, he stays overnight and transforms the space into a winter wonderland. The next day, Buddy exposes the store Santa as a fraud, leading to a chaotic brawl that gets him arrested. Walter reluctantly bails Buddy out of jail and agrees to a DNA test, which confirms that Buddy is his son. Encouraged by the doctor, Walter brings Buddy home to meet his wife, Emily, and his son, Michael. While Walter and Michael are unsettled by Buddy's eccentric behavior, Emily insists they give him a chance. Over time, Michael warms up to Buddy, especially after Buddy helps him defeat a group of bullies in a snowball fight. Encouraged by Michael, Buddy asks Jovie on a date, and the two grow closer. Meanwhile, Walter's publishing company is in trouble after the failure of their latest book. Under pressure from his boss, Fulton Greenway, Walter scrambles to produce a successful pitch in time for Christmas Eve. Walter arranges a meeting with renowned ghostwriter Miles Finch, but Buddy unknowingly disrupts the meeting. Mistaking Finch's dwarfism for elf hood, Buddy inadvertently insults him. An enraged Finch storms out, leaving Walter furious. In a moment of frustration, Walter lashes out at Buddy, prompting Buddy to leave the meeting room heartbroken. Before departing, Buddy writes an apology to the family on an Etch A Sketch. And goes on his way. Walter and his team discover Finch's abandoned notebook, which contains ideas for a new book. As Walter presents the pitch to Greenway, Michael interrupts with news of Buddy's disappearance. Realizing his mistake, Walter quits his job and sets out to find his son. Meanwhile, Buddy stumbles upon Santa's sleigh, which has crash-landed in Central Park due to a lack of Christmas spirit. Santa explains that without the engine, the sleigh cannot fly. Buddy retrieves the engine and reunites with Walter and Michael. Walter makes things right with Buddy and they embrace. They accompany him to meet Santa, and Michael uses Santa's list to prove his authenticity to the news crews gathered outside the park. As Buddy attempts to repair the engine, the Central Park Rangers chase the sleigh. Jovie steps in to save the day, leading the crowd and viewers at home in a spirited rendition of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. Their collective belief restores enough Christmas spirit to power the sleigh without the engine, allowing Santa to complete his deliveries. By the following Christmas, Buddy and Walter have started their own publishing company, with their first bestseller being a children's book based on Buddy's adventures. Buddy marries Jovie, and they have a daughter named Susie, whom they bring to visit Papa Elf at the North Pole.

Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson) is a wealthy New York music mogul who has had a 40-year habit of dating women under 30, including his latest conquest, Marin Klein (Amanda Peet). Harry finds younger women very uncomplicated and extremely satisfying. Harry tells the girls that women above a certain age do not date him, so it is not his fault. The two drive to her mother's Hamptons beach house expecting to be alone, but are surprised by Marin's mother, successful playwright Erica Barry (Diane Keaton), along with her sister Zoe (Frances McDormand). Harry was in the kitchen chilling the champagne when Erica and Zoe walked in from outside and assumed that Harry is a burglar. Only when Marin comes into the kitchen, is when the situation is clarified, and Erica cancels her 911 call. Harry offers to leave, but Zoe says that they are all adults, and there is no reason why all four could not stay for the weekend. Together they go shopping to a local supermarket. Erica learns that Harry owns a records company called Drive-By Records which produces hip-hop albums. Erica says she hates hip-hop as she finds it violent and misogynist. Harry already regrets agreeing to stay over. Harry and Marin met at a wine auction at Christie's. Harry and Marin had restrained from having sex and this weekend was when they were both looking forward to having it. The dinner is awkward as it is revealed that Harry has never been married and Zoe remembers an article on Harry in the New York Magazine. The article was titled "the escape artist". Harry was once engaged to Diane Sawyer, which impresses Erica. Zoe is amazed that Harry is 63 and never married. If he was a woman, he would be consider cursed, and yet as a man he is celebrated as elusive. The whole over 50 dating scene only looks like older men dating women as young as Marin. The night turns disastrous when, during foreplay with Marin, Harry has a heart attack and is rushed to a hospital. The doctor, Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves), tells Harry to stay nearby for a few days, so Harry ends up staying with Erica. Their personalities clash and make for awkward living arrangements at first until they get to know each other. The fact that Harry is dating her daughter, and that Julian has fallen for Erica leave the two struggling to deal with relationships. Marin tells her mother that she will break up with Harry, but he ends things first. He and Erica spend more time together and eventually consummate their relationship. Harry discovers that his improving health means that he no longer has to stay with Erica, so he heads home. He and Erica share an awkward goodbye, as despite their strong feelings, Harry is clearly hesitant to enter into a relationship. Marin receives news that her father, Erica's ex-husband, whom she still allows to direct her plays, is getting remarried. Although Erica is unaffected by the news, Marin is devastated and pressures her mother into accompanying her to a family dinner. Erica is the life of the party until she sees Harry at another table with another woman. An argument follows and Erica confesses that she is in love with him, but he does not seem to reciprocate, so she ends things between them and leaves. Harry suffers from what he believes is another heart attack, but he is told by the young ER physician, Dr. Martinez (Rachel Ticotin), who treats him like her father, that it was only a panic attack. Devastated, Erica returns home where she cries almost nonstop for several weeks. She pours her heartbreak into a new play about a woman who falls in love with her daughter's boyfriend, titling it "A Woman to Love," a phrase Harry had used to describe Erica. Harry hears about it and rushes to the NYC theater where it is being rehearsed. Despite her denials, it is quickly obvious that she has used the most personal details of their affair in the play. When Harry tells her he still cares about her, she rebuffs him. After learning his character dies in the play, he suffers another panic attack. At the hospital, he is told he needs to reduce stress, and he relocates temporarily to the Bahamas. Six months pass. Erica's play is a huge success. Harry pays Marin a visit to apologize for anything he ever did to hurt her. She replies that he was nothing but nice to her and happily tells him that she is pregnant and has a new husband. Harry expresses a desire to see Erica. Marin tells him that her mother is in Paris to celebrate her birthday. Harry decides to surprise Erica. Remembering how they had once planned to spend their birthdays together there, he shows up at the Parisian restaurant where she is seated at a table. Harry explains that over the past six months he reached out to all of the women he ever had affairs with, and even though repeatedly rebuffed at first, finally broke through. They all had identical harsh stories that helped him learn how "I arrived at being me." He tells Erica that his trip to find her was the last and the farthest. Julian appears. All along, Erica has been waiting at the restaurant for Julian, whom she is now dating. Harry and Erica get along well during the dinner, but they part outside the restaurant. While he is gazing in heartache over the river Seine, Erica pulls up in a taxi. She explains that Julian figured out what was happening between them and decided to step aside to let Erica be with Harry. Harry explains that his search the last six months has made him realize he truly loves Erica. He tells her that at age 63, he is in love for the first time in his life, and they embrace. Harry and Erica kiss. A year later, at a New York restaurant, Erica and Harry, now married, are out with Marin and her husband and new baby, as one big happy family.

Two aspiring boxers, life-long friends, get involved in a money-laundering scheme through a low-level organized crime group. Bobby is a struggling boxer and bodyguard for his stripper girlfriend. But he hates his work and wants to move up. So he agrees to go to New York City for his boss to help in the delivery for a money laundering scheme. His partner in crime is his best friend Ricky, an obnoxious loudmouth who has seen one too many mafia movies. Bobby tries to keep it cool and get the job done, but Ricky's antics threaten to blow the entire situation. —<jgp3553@yahoo.com>

The film opens with Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves), a former star quarterback at Ohio State University who choked in his final college game and failed to succeed in the pros, doing his job cleaning the bottoms of peoples' boats. While underwater, he finds a metal trophy football labeled "Shane Falco: All American" and pretends he is playing football again. Meanwhile, the fictional Washington Sentinels are shown playing a game in which commentators John Madden and Pat Summerall mention a players' strike taking place over salary disputes. As the game winds down, Sentinels quarterback Eddie Martel chooses to slide to the ground instead of scoring the game winning touchdown to avoid getting injured. Later that day, the owner of the Sentinels decides to hire Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), the Sentinels' former coach who was fired after getting into a fight with the team's star quarterback, to recruit replacement players during the strike and coach the team for the rest of the season. He tells McGinty that all they need is three wins out of their final four games to advance to the playoffs. McGinty tells the owner he will only do it if he promises not to interfere with his coaching style. McGinty recruits many different ragtag players, and eventually convinces Falco to come off his boat and play quarterback again. Falco soon becomes attracted to the team's head cheerleader, Annabelle Farrell, who likes him as well, but doesn't want to date him because of her stereotype that all pro athletes are Prima Donnas. In the Sentinels' first game using replacement players, they trail by four with only a few seconds left to play. McGinty calls a passing play, but Falco gets scared and changes the call to a running play. Cochran, the team's running back, gets tackled just before he reaches the end zone, and the Sentinels lose. That night, the actual Sentinels players taunt the replacement players at a bar, leading to fight between the two teams. The replacement players get arrested, but are beginning to build team chemistry, which is something they lacked in the first game. The newfound team chemistry leads to a last second field goal victory in the next game, and then another last second victory the next week, leaving the team needing only one more victory to make the playoffs. The team's owner tells McGinty that Eddie Martel has crossed the picket line and will be re-activated by the Sentinels for the final game of the season. McGinty protests at first, saying that he will use Falco as his quarterback, but the owner convinces him that the team cannot afford to have Falco choke with the game on the line, especially since they are playing the best team in the league who has had their entire team cross. A heartbroken McGinty tells Falco that he has been cut in favor of Martel, but Falco accepts the news, saying that it's best for the team since Martel is better than him, to which McGinty says that Falco has heart and Martel does not. Falco stands Annabelle up on a date because of his depression. In the final game of the season, Martel has trouble connecting with the team due to his Prima-Donna attitude and scolds them whenever he makes a mistake. At halftime, the Sentinels trail 17-0, and reporter asks McGinty what they will need to win the game, to which he replies "miles and miles of heart" meant as a message to Falco. Falco hears him say this and comes to the game during halftime, and the rest of the team kicks Martel out of the locker room. Falco runs onto the field at the start of the half and draws loud and thunderous applause from the fans. He apologizes to Annabelle and kisses her on national TV. Cochran is able to run for a touchdown at the beginning of the half before injuring his leg. The Sentinels then score again to cut the lead to 17-14. With only a few seconds left in the game, McGinty calls for a field goal to tie the score and then go into overtime. But when Nigel 'The Leg' Gruff, the kicker, gets set, he tells Falco that he cannot kick the field goal, because several men in the audience will "take his pub". Falco then takes the snap then runs it all the way for a touchdown, only to have it brought back for a holding call. Falco then goes to the sidelines and tells McGinty that he wants the ball, implying that he has gotten over his fear of choking with the game on the line. Falco throws a pass to tight end Brian Murphy for a touchdown, and the Sentinels win 20-17, advancing to the playoffs, and the Sentinels begin dancing in synchronized formation. The film ends with a voiceover from McGinty saying that when the players left the game that night, there were no endorsement deals or victory parades waiting for them, just a locker waiting to be cleaned out, but it didn't matter, because they each got a second chance at glory, which lasts forever.

What would you do if you knew that in a few days a comet would collide with Earth and humanity could be annihilated? The countdown to doomsday is underway in this end-of-the-world thriller.

Kyle Fisher (Jon Favreau), days away from his wedding, welcomes his bachelor party weekend as a chance to break free from his control-freak, Bridezilla fiancée Laura (Cameron Diaz). Along with his best friend Charles (Leland Orser), his friends Michael (Jeremy Piven), and Boyd (Christian Slater), and Michael's brother Adam (Daniel Stern), they celebrate in a Las Vegas hotel room complete with drinking, drugs, and a stripper (Kobe Tai). However, trouble begins when Michael accidentally kills the stripper in the hotel bathroom after paying her extra money to have sex with her. Michael, in his sexual aggression, accidentally flings her across the bathroom and she hits the back of her head against a towel hanger, killing her instantly. A hotel security guard shows up to respond to complaints about the noise from the party. He starts to leave after the guys promise to quiet down but spots the hooker's body in the bathroom. He prepares to call the police but is killed by Boyd who stabs him with a corkscrew and prevents him from leaving the bathroom until he dies. Boyd takes charge of the group and devises a plan to dispose of the bodies by burying them in the desert. Everyone grudgingly goes through with the plan, but soon guilt and nerves begin to destroy the group. Upon returning from Las Vegas, during Kyle and Laura's rehearsal dinner, Adam cracks under the pressure, leading to a confrontation between Adam and Michael in the parking lot. The rest of the group breaks up the fight, convincing Michael to leave, but instead he decides to crash his Jeep into Adam's beloved minivan. Seeing his brother's intentions, Adam darts in front of the Jeep at the last moment and is crushed in the collision. At the hospital, Adam whispers something to his wife, Lois (Jeanne Tripplehorn), before he dies. Soon afterward, Lois calls everyone over to her house. Lois states that Adam mentioned that something had happened in Vegas, but died before he was able to tell her. Seeing Michael in a state of despair, Lois prods him for information, threatening to call the police if she is not told the truth. As Michael is about to crack, Kyle quickly makes up a story about Adam having sex with a prostitute in Vegas. Lois appears to believe him, and the group leaves. After dropping Kyle, Michael, and Charles off at a nearby bar, Boyd returns to Lois' house, where a violent fight ensues after Lois realizes that Boyd intends to kill her. After they struggle, it is implied that Boyd succeeds in killing Lois. Immediately afterwards, Boyd calls Kyle, telling him that Lois wishes to speak to Michael. Kyle and Charles then take Michael to Lois' house, and, moments after Michael goes inside the house, a loud noise is heard and Boyd enters the car without Michael. Boyd then concocts a false love triangle story to explain Lois and Michael's deaths, in case any of the remaining three friends are questioned by the police. The next day, Kyle and Laura discover that they have been awarded custody of Adam and Lois' two disabled sons and their dog. This angers Laura, but even more so after they learn that Adam's life insurance policy is only worth $14,223. This new stress proves to be too much for Kyle, who confesses to Laura what happened in Vegas. Instead of being horrified at the confession of the murders, Laura is enraged that there is yet another distraction from her wedding, dismissing his confession. On the day of the wedding, Boyd confronts Kyle about Adam's insurance money. Kyle attempts to tell Boyd that there was no money, but Boyd attacks and begins strangling him, only to be bludgeoned from behind by Laura, knocking him unconscious. During the wedding, it is discovered that Boyd had the rings for the ceremony. Charles goes to retrieve them as Boyd is crawling up the stairs towards the wedding hall, leading Charles to inadvertently knock Boyd down the stairwell. Reaching into Boyd's coat for the rings, Boyd once again wakes and grabs his hand. However, he quickly loses consciousness and dies, as Charles retrieves the rings and rejoins the ceremony, which ends without further incident. Later, Kyle attempts to talk to Laura about his confession and is horrified to hear that she wishes more loose ends were tied up, ordering Kyle to kill Charles. She also orders him to kill Adam's sons and their dog to rid her of her responsibilities towards them. Kyle takes Charles, the dog, and a suitcase containing Boyd's body back out to the Vegas desert. After burying Boyd, Kyle appears to be preparing to bludgeon Charles with his shovel, however, the next scene shows them all driving back from the burial site. On the way back, Kyle loses focus while daydreaming, crashing head-on into an oncoming car. Some time later, Laura is scrubbing and cleaning her house, living the life she always detested. Kyle, Charles, the dog, and one of Adam's sons are now all disabled in some way and rely on Laura to take care of them. Kyle has lost both of his legs and is now a paraplegic; Charles is a quadriplegic; and the family dog now has only three legs and one eye. Laura, distraught over the pressures of all her unwanted responsibility, runs out into the street and falls down, crying and shrieking in anguish at this fate worse then death that she has landed into for the rest of her miserable life.

Mike Peters (Jon Favreau) is a struggling actor who left New York, and a girlfriend behind, to find success in L.A. The move caused his girlfriend of six years to split up with him six months earlier and left him feeling alone and heartbroken. In the opening scenes of the film, Mike talks about his situation with his friend Rob (Ron Livingston), another thespian from back east. Mike feels miserable about their conclusions. Afterwards, while on the phone, Mike is coaxed into an impromptu Las Vegas trip by his new best friend, and also actor, Trent (Vince Vaughn) to help Mike get over his ex. The trip starts out on a high note with excitement and anticipation but soon takes a turn for the worse when Mike crashes and burns at the casino. Soon after, the guys manage to meet some ladies and just when it seems as if though Mike can make some progress and salvage the trip, it all falls apart again and this time Trent goes down with him. On the ride home, Trent gets Mike to feel better about himself and to look at the positive side of things. Mike promises to try his best to move on. Now back in L.A., Mike and Rob get together for some golf and to talk shop. Later that night, Mike and Trent are getting ready to hit the Hollywood hills, at their actor friend Sue's (Patrick Van Horn) apartment. With the vibes feeling right and things going well, Mike and Rob meet up with Mike's pal Charles (Alex Désert), yet another starving actor, at a local bar where they admire the beautiful women. Soon afterward they rendezvous with the others and they all finally make it to a party where Mike makes an ill-fated attempt to get back into the game, while Trent gives the guys a lesson in how to handle the opposite sex. The guys agree to head to their favorite after hours spot and after watching Trent and Sue effortlessly meet some girls, Mike is clearly shown feeling lower than ever but not yet defeated. Trent and Sue convince Mike that he is in control so he finally makes his move like he's got nothing to lose and he actually meets Nikki (Brooke Langton) and gets her phone number. Success at last or so he hopes. The swingers leave the lounge and narrowly miss getting into a brawl in the parking lot caused by Sue's temper yet averted by Sue pulling a gun which no one else was aware was even a part of his attire. The group splits up but not before angry words are exchanged among friends. Mike is left feeling desolate once again. To make himself feel better, Mike decides to call Nikki but he blows any chance he has with her when he goes overboard in their "conversation". Now he feels as if he has truly hit bottom and he sits alone in his apartment, missing his ex more than ever and contemplating a move back to New York. Rob comes over to console him and, after some serious talk, he feels like it's time to get back in the saddle again. Mike meets up with the guys at Sue's, where he discovers that he has missed some changes in the group dynamic. That aside, apologies are exchanged, and the nightlife once again awaits them. The next stop is a Hollywood night club for swing night. The guys enter through a makeshift VIP entrance in a style that pays homage to Director/Writer/Producer Martin Scorsese. Once inside, the guys let the good times roll and Mike spots a beautiful woman whom he decides he wants to meet. He gathers all his courage and approaches her confidently. He finds himself in an actual interesting conversation with the young and single Lorraine (Heather Graham). They are soon swing dancing and the chemistry between them is incredible. The night ends well and Mike, Trent and Sue head to an after-hours meal to discuss the particulars. Mike finally appears to be on his way to moving on and feeling good about himself. The following morning Mike receives a phone call from his ex. She wants to talk about their state of affairs, but when Mike decides to answer another incoming call, he is greeted by Lorraine. He has to make an immediate decision as to which path he wants to go down and in a moment that solidifies his regained self-esteem, he puts his past behind him and chooses to take a chance on someone new. In the closing scene, Mike meets Trent for coffee and they enjoy one more good heart to heart while Trent is brought down to earth by a reminder that even when you've got it, you can't win 'em all, in an ending that suits the swingers perfectly before we leave them on another sunny L.A. day.

Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger grows up in Joliet, Illinois dreaming of playing college football at the University of Notre Dame. Though he is achieving some success with his local high school team (Joliet Catholic), he lacks the grades and money necessary to attend Notre Dame, as well as the talent and physical stature to play football for a major intercollegiate program. Ruettiger takes a job at a local steel mill like his father Daniel Sr., who is also a Notre Dame fan. He prepares to settle down, but when his best friend Pete is killed in an explosion at the mill, Rudy decides to follow his dream of attending Notre Dame and playing for the Fighting Irish. He resolves to do everything he can to get into the football powerhouse. He travels to South Bend, Indiana to the campus but fails to get admitted to Notre Dame. With the help and sponsorship of a local priest, Rudy enrolls at Holy Cross College, a nearby junior college, hoping to get good enough grades to qualify for a transfer. In keeping with his football dream, he approaches a Notre Dame stadium groundskeeper named Fortune and volunteers to work for free. Rudy sneaks in and out of Fortune's office at night through a window and sleeps on a cot, having no place to live of his own. At first, Fortune is indifferent toward Rudy but gradually sees his sincerity and later provides Rudy with a key of his own to the office. Rudy learns that Fortune has never seen a Notre Dame football game, despite having worked at the stadium for years. Rudy befriends D-Bob, a graduate student at Notre Dame and a teaching assistant at Rudy's junior college. The socially awkward D-Bob offers to tutor Rudy in exchange for help in meeting girls. Suspecting an underlying cause to Ruettiger's previous academic problems, D-Bob has him tested and Rudy finds out that he has dyslexia. Rudy learns how to overcome his disability and becomes a better student. Meanwhile, Rudy's efforts at setting up D-Bob with attractive girls at Holy Cross prove fruitless, until one girl offers to set D-Bob up with Elsa, a shy co-ed. At Christmas vacation, Rudy returns home to his family's appreciation of his report card but is still mocked for his attempts at playing football and loses his fiance to one of his brothers. After numerous rejections, Rudy is finally admitted to Notre Dame during his final semester of transfer eligibility. He rushes home to tell his family, with his father announcing the news to his steel mill workers over the loudspeaker. Rudy persuades Fortune to promise to come see his first game if Rudy is permitted to suit up. After "walking on" as a non-scholarship player for the football team, Ruettiger convinces coach Ara Parseghian to give him a spot on the practice squad. An assistant coach warns the players that 35 "scholarship" players will not even make the "dress roster" of players who take the field during the games but notices that Ruettiger exhibits more drive than many of his scholarship teammates. Rudy is part of the practice team & puts in a lot of effort every day on the field & even earns the disrespect of the regular team members for "making them look bad". But the coaches notice Rudy's effort & dedication. Coach Parseghian agrees to Rudy's request to suit up for one home game in his senior year so his family and friends can see him as a member of the team. Rudy has accepted that he will never be a regular member of the Notre Dame team & is happy to get a chance to dress up. However, Parseghian steps down as coach following the 1974 season and is replaced by former NFL coach Dan Devine. D-Bob announces he is leaving for law school in Miami with Elsa, now his fiance. Coach Devine keeps Rudy on the team but refuses to list him on the active playing roster. When Rudy sees that he is not on the dress list for the team's next-to-last game, he becomes angry and quits the team. Fortune sees Rudy at the stadium and asks why he is not at practice, then chastises Rudy for giving up. Rudy learns for the first time that Fortune has seen his share of Notre Dame games because he was once on the team but has never seen one from the stands. Fortune had quit the team because he felt he was not playing due to his skin color. Fortune reminds Rudy that he has nothing to prove to anyone but himself, and that not a day will go by when he will not regret quitting. With that, Rudy returns to the team. Led by team captain and All-American Roland Steele, the other seniors rise to Rudy's defense and lay their jerseys on Devine's desk, each requesting that Rudy be allowed to dress in his place for the season's final game. In response, Devine lets Ruettiger suit up for the game against Georgia Tech. Steele invites Ruettiger to lead the team out of the tunnel onto the playing field. Fortune is there to see it, as promised. As the game nears its end with Notre Dame up 27-3, Devine sends all the seniors onto the field but not Rudy, despite urging from Steele and the assistant coaches. As a "Rudy!" chant begins in the stadium, the offensive team, led by tailback Jamie O'Hare, overrules Devine's call for victory formation and scores another touchdown instead, providing defensive player Ruettiger with one more chance to get into a game and thus be entered onto the official roster of Notre Dame football players. Devine finally lets Rudy play on the final kickoff, to the joy of his family. Rudy stays in for the final play of the game, sacks the Georgia Tech quarterback, and to cheers from the stadium, is carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders.