Synopsis/Details
It's the summer of 1982 in Yuma, AZ and 14 year-old Calvin finds that life as
he knows it is about to be uprooted. The home he lives in with his Aunt Cynthia and
Cousin Joel, is being put up for sale by Todd, the original homeowners son, to pay for
his mothers medical bills. Given this news, Cynthia decides to take a job transfer out of
state, moving Calvin with her much to his chagrin.
While organizing the basement to get the house ready to show, Calvin finds a letter
from the father he never knew. He makes out the name, but the address is smudged
besides the city: San Diego. Cynthia confirms the letter is from his father, and that she
had been searching for it after his moms car accident to help her locate him.
Believing this to be an opportunity to change his fortunes, and after discovering two
addresses in the phone book that match the name in his letter, he convinces his quick-witted best friend Noah that they need to go to San Diego to find him. Noah is all for it,
as he would love to get out of the Arizona heat for the summer given his pale skin.
When Noah wins two tickets to Comic-Con after guessing the right answer to The
Jefferson’s (TV Show) trivia question on the radio, they now have more motivation, but
just need a ride. This is where they enlist Calvin's rigid cousin Joel. They entice him with
the potential of reconnecting with a long lost middle school love, Penny, who moved to
San Diego, before Joel heads off to boot camp the next month. Their persuasion works
and Joel is intrigued, agreeing to take the boys.
In San Diego, the boys discover much more than they had planned when they run into
former Cosmo Crusades actor Ben Eaton at Comic-Con. Ben is looking to repair his
image, and when the cameras catch him and Calvin together, he believes being seen
with Calvin is just the way to do that. He decides to offer the boys his beach house for
the weekend, as long as Calvin will do interviews with him. At the same time Joel finds
out that Penny has moved to Canada with her fiancée from her "girl next door"
stepsister, Lyla. Lucky for him, he and Lyla have a natural connection, but when an old
nemesis from Joel’s past shows up, he gets caught in a love triangle. In order to win the
heart of Lyla he competes in a skateboard competition where he'll have to take down
his old rival. It also turns out that Todd lied about needing money for his mothers
medical bills, as the boys catch him house hunting near the beach. Not to worry though
as Noah devises a plan to spoil his realtor interactions that proves comically successful.
Meanwhile, Calvin goes around town to find his dad, but it proves futile, leaving him
disheartened. On the boys' last day in San Diego, with Calvin and Ben's most important
interview on deck... LucasFilms, Ben sacrifices his big opportunity to spend the day
cheering up Calvin by taking him and the boys to a Padres game. With the game and
their trip coming to an end, Calvin gets a divinely timed revelation into who his father is.
Turns out he was closer to his father than he ever knew, and their relationship will
forever change both their futures!
All Accolades & Coverage
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Story & Logistics
Story Type:
Pursuit
Story Situation:
Pursuit
Story Conclusion:
Surprise Twist
Linear Structure:
Linear
Moral Affections:
Reward, Selfishness
Cast Size:
Many
Locations:
Several
Characters
Lead Role Ages:
Male Young Adult
Hero Type:
Ordinary
Villian Type:
Bully, Corrupted
Stock Character Types:
Boy next door, Girl next door, Hotshot, Jock, Nerd
Advanced
Subgenre:
Comic-Book, Nostalgia, Parenthood, Quest, Sports
Equality & Diversity:
Diverse Cast, Minority Protagonist
Life Topics:
Adolescence, Middle school/Junior High, Parenthood
Time Period:
The Eighties (1980–1989)
Country:
United States of America (USA)
Time of Year:
Summer
Sport Topics:
Baseball
Relationship Topics:
Bonding