Halfway Home

Brendan is a road weary musician. He arrives in a yet another town for yet another small gig. Frustrated by the lack of momentum in his career, he calls his manager hoping for some good news about something. Anything. There is none to be had. After giving in to the lonely temptation of adult entertainment on the cheap TV in his room, there is a knock at the door. It is Grace. She has found a notebook that he dropped in the parking lot. She hears the TV. He's embarrassed. She's nonplussed. They have a laugh. He mentions his show the next night and she says she works at a nearby bar. There is a spark, especially for him. The next day while discovering the wrong show date on his poster at a local record store, Brendan meets Amber. She's a precocious teenager who challenges him to play at the store if she can secure an audience within an hour. Amber succeeds, and when Brendan arrives for the impromptu show in his aging van, hilarity ensues. On her phone, she captures video of the sliding door falling off and Brendan wrestling with it. Once inside the record store, Brendan is shocked by the size of the crowd and Amber's ability to pull a crowd together so quickly. He invites her to his show that night at a bar to capture some more footage of him and teach him more about social media. She agrees to come and record the show, but only if her mom can open for him. He reluctantly agrees. That night, Amber and her mother show up at the sketchy bar where Brendan is scheduled to play. Brendan is shocked to find that Amber's mother is, in fact, the woman he met the night before. They are visiting in the green room at the back of the bar when Amber leaves to get a Coke. She insults the bar owner who becomes belligerent with her. Brendan intervenes forcefully and the bar owner kicks them out. His show is canceled. They end up going to Carolyn's Place where Grace works. They have a magical evening of singing and getting to know each other. It ends with Brendan inviting Grace back to his motel, but she politely declines. She's been burned too many times by transient guitar players. The next day, the video she took of him and his van goes viral. A one-off show he had on his schedule to play with a former bandmate in a very successful band turns into an offer for a three month tour. He'll finally get to earn real money, but he'll be playing someone else's songs. He returns home to see his nine-year-old daughter, Dottie, and tell her the good news. She is happy for his dad and the possibility of having more money, but sad that he'll be still be gone so much. His mom, Janet, who he has a strained relationship with, isn't very impressed. She's busy watching his daughter while he has continued to pursue a failing musical career. In the meantime, Grace, is trying to decide if she wants to pursue a relationship with an out of town musician. But, at the very least, she decides to go see him play with the new band for one show. She brings Amber, Amber's friend Laura, and Grace's sister, Beth. After the show, Brendan introduces Amber to the band and says she's the one who made the van video that went viral. One of the bandmembers says, "that was hilarious and pretty much got Brendan the gig". Brendan winces at this, realizing the truth of it. There is a montage of the group on tour. It shows Brendan enjoying himself but eventually we see his growing frustration with his role as a sideman. He is shown struggling to write a song in a hotel room when Reid, the lead singer of the band enters. It is an honest conversation where Reid clearly lays out what he needs from Brendan, but Brendan states he cannot meet those obligations. There is an agreement to part ways. Brendan calls Grace on his way to see her at Carolyn's bar. He arrives late, after they've closed. Carolyn and Grace are happy to see him, but Carolyn excuses herself when Brendan starts to propose his big plan to Grace. He wants her to join him on the road as duet. She is flattered, but is not moved by what she clearly believes are flights of fancy. Brendan is disappointed, but not surprised. Eight months later, we see a happy moment between Brendan and Dottie in their kitchen making pancakes. She tells him that she's ok with his life on the road. It's the reassurance he needs. In the final scene, we see Lester at the bar. He introduces Brendan to the stage. Grace is surprised. Carolyn and Lester have set it up. He calls for Grace to join him on stage. Before they're about to play, he says, "Let's make some magic tonight." Fade to black.