DOUBLE DATE

DOUBLE DATE

Synopsis ©2020
by
Thomas F. Galvin
yaleactors@gmail.com

(2020 Finalist. Good story analysis)
JACK DOOLEY, a sincere but naive guy, and his buddy, ARCHIE SHAW, who lives with his mother, have given up on women. But when Jack’s boss, KARL HOFFMAN, a philandering mysogynist, sends him to buy the Atlanta competition, Jack is smitten by JULIA MORRISON, the beautiful, savvy, Ivy League competition and CEO who has given up on men. At dinner, Jack makes his low-ball offer and Julia hammers him for a bad deal, drives him to the airport, and asks him to keep in touch.

Obsessed with Julia, Jack persuades his boss to make a better offer. Julia agrees to a double date, and maybe a little business at the end. Jack returns to Atlanta with Archie for a weekend of fun and games—and to close the deal. Archie, worried about everything, flips over Julia’s friend, MEGAN COOPER, a tall, beautiful, aerobics company owner (where her mother pumps iron) who prefers sincere, short, fat, bald guys like him. At the country club, Julia and Megan crush Jack and Archie on the tennis court. At Julia’s pool, Jack and Archie are dazzled by Julia and Megan in bathing suits. Megan is intrigued by Archie, even though his trunks slip to his ankles in mid air. Jack and Julia surprise each other with their honesty about their feelings and past relationships. Sexual fantasies abound as the foursome relax with weekend boating, biking, walks and talks. At the farewell dinner, Jack makes Julia a second offer and she hammers that, too. But a night cap at Jack’s hotel suite explodes into a love fest. Pale and drained, Jack and Archie return to Boston happy failures. Julia and Megan smile all day.

Angry that Jack failed to close the deal, Karl takes over. He steals Julia’s best sales people, offers Julia another bad contract and makes sexual advances. Julia bludgeons the bad deal and empties her cocktail into his eye. Angry that Karl stole her best sales people, and feeling Jack betrayed her, Julia calls Jack and tells him to stay away. Enraged, Jack confronts Karl over Julia, is punched to the rug and fired. Love-sick, Jack isolates himself from everyone, gets drunk and has a nightmare Julia is Karl’s sex slave.

Julia loses a small fortune in the stock market. The bank begins foreclosure of her family business and home. Megan’s land lord raises the rent and kicks her out. Desperate, Megan calls Archie. In a race against time, Jack and Archie develop a high-risk plan. Archie’s mother finds out and goes ballistic as Jack and Archie return to Atlanta. While pleading and explaining how Karl deceived and betrayed them both, Jack blurts out that he loves Julia. Julia forgives him in breathtaking make up sex. Megan shocks Archie at the hotel wearing only her bikini and top coat. As all seems lost, Julia gets her company back, her stock rebounds, and the octogenarian CEO fires Karl for having an affair with his secretary with whom he’s having an affair. Jack, Julia, Archie and Megan have a double wedding, and an elderly gentleman asks Archie’s mother for a date.