Dying for You

Dying for You is an unassuming, fast-paced comedy of errors with a weighty message: a little death need not get in the way of a good love story. This action-packed comedy with an ensemble cast of unique characters is “Ghost on crack meets Crazy Stupid Love” or a funny Sixth Sense. Annoyingly enthusiastic, Jewish and a little too 80’s, ALECTH FORRESTEIN rushes her high school bestie, FRANCINE DEMPSEY, Black, fastidious, not a hair out of place, down the hall to what she thinks will be the moment she is asked to prom by high school heart throb, GORDON SPENCER. Turns out he asks Francine to prom instead. Alecth swallows her disappointment to support her friend on the prom date she thought would be hers. Prom night arrives and Alecth, overcompensating with enthusiasm, insists Francine try the ‘piggy in a blanket’ while slow dancing with Gordon. Francine reluctantly obliges and almost chokes. Alecth performs the Heimlich maneuver causing Francine to projectile vomit on Gordon. Humiliated, Francine declares to her now ex-bff, “You are dead to me.” Fast forward 20 years to another bad day for Alecth. After an aborted date with her online match, DR. SCHLOMO EPSTEIN, an insecure author of bad self-help books, her 70ish mob-connected mother, MA, sends her on a new job. As an unwitting mule, Alecth carries contraband hidden in sporting equipment. Today, it’s a bowling ball artfully concealing Princess Di’s stolen engagement ring promised to ANDRATTI FERRARI, the Don Corleone of Central Nassau County. Followed by a hunky, conscientious FBI agent, JOHNNY ROMANIELLO, onto the Mineola commuter train, her day gets worse when the train derails and the bowling ball whacks her in the head… dead. Her ghost falls in love with Johnny as she watches him try to revive her. Unable to find the stolen ring, he aborts his mission and leaves the scene unaware that he is followed by Alecth’s love-struck ghost. Not realizing that she has died and believing she has found the love of her life, Alecth follows Johnny home and encounters Francine, his wife. Not recognizing each other as high school bffs, Francine finds Alecth in bed with her sleeping husband. She accuses him of cheating. Unaware of Alecth, frustrated and confused, Johnny leaves. Francine confronts Alecth who believes she is still alive and embarking on a meaningful relationship with Johnny. Apparently, since Alecth saved Francine’s life, Francine is the only one who can see or hear Alecth in her ghostly condition. Francine throws Alecth out of her house then elicits support from her unscrupulous marriage counselor, Dr. Schlomo. Overtaken by her vulnerability, he kisses a distraught Francine. Just then, Alecth returns and finds Francine in the arms of her previously aborted online date. A wild fight erupts. Schlomo flees and Francine discovers that Alecth is a ghost. To make matters worse, they finally recognize each other as their high school ex-besties. Johnny returns home and finds Francine in a state of drunken shock. As he tries to convince her that she is crazy, Schlomo and Alecth come back to make amends. Boom! All hell breaks loose - Alecth realizes she is dead, Francine realizes she is the only one who can see Alecth, Schlomo realizes Alecth is his online soul connection who he stood up on their first in person date, and Johnny simply freaks out. As they grapple with their new normal, Alecth’s cell phone rings – It’s Ma with a message for her daughter, “Get that bowling ball to Andratti Ferrari in the next 3 hours or she’ll be cleaning my brains off the carpet.” Ferrari?!? Johnny snaps into high gear - the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only can he recover Di’s ring, but nab the biggest mob boss in Nassau County. BUMFORD, his boss, tells him to fly solo until he’s got something. Alecth, fearing Ma’s demise, pleads with Francine to take action. Francine makes Johnny go ahead with the mission using her and Schlomo as back up. They head to the Morgue to get the bowling ball. Gone! A hospital worker borrowed it for the big tournament. Finding the bowling ball on tournament night? Impossible until Alecth divinely intervenes with her newly discovered “other-worldly” ability. After a case of mistaken identities and bowling balls at the bowling alley, they recover the right ball. At Ma’s apartment, they find her held at gunpoint by Ferrari’s thugs. They subdue the thugs and break the news of Alecth’s death. Ma agrees to help take down Ferrari in exchange for witness protection. A mistress of disguise, Ma outfits them to crash Ferrari’s daughter’s Princess Di-themed engagement party. Dressed as servers, Johnny and Francine don the required Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip masks. In the kitchen, as Ma and Schlomo complete the exchange with Ferrari, Johnny pulls his gun and badge – “F.B.I.!” Ferrari pulls his gun, takes Francine hostage and instigates a gun stand-off between goons and Johnny’s team. As Alecth summons her power to knock out Ferrari with the bowling ball, Schlomo musters up his courage and takes the bullet meant for Johnny. Johnny arrests Ferrari and his goons. Alecth is not only a hero of the night, she finally gets her man, Schlomo, now a ghost. The last scene is a double date: Johnny and Francine and the ghosts of Schlomo, who Johnny can see since he saved Johnny’s life, and Alecth, delighted with her new life after death. We need original comedies filled with the hope that anyone can change and find love and courage dead or alive. This quirky original story will not only get people laughing but renew their faith that anything can happen if you just stay in the game. Dying For You is the kind of comedy we need right now: LOL funny, oddly romantic, hopeful and completely entertaining.