SINGLED OUT
Twenty-somethings are pranked when a married couple sets up their single friends.

Getting back into the dating game doesn’t always come easy after divorce. But having friends with good intentions helps. Sometimes….

But sometimes not.

Rick Hansberry’s “Singled Out” gives us a comical view on what goes through the mind of a nostalgic divorced guy when he’s urged by his married BFF to visit a single’s bar for “his own good”.

INT. RYAN’S HOUSE / BEDROOM - NIGHT

A different 80’s classic rock tune PLAYS. Ryan walks in front of the mirror, inspects a different look, mimes his internal dislike by the following reactions:

SERIES OF QUICK CUTS:

Jacket and tie - What am I thinking?

Business casual - Too geeky.

Tossled hair and open shirt - Who are you kidding?

Hollister - Doesn’t cut it with a mid-thirties waist line.

Sweater vest - Tags still on. Who gave this to me?

GQ - Straight out of a magazine ad.

After years of married “bliss” (or otherwise), can Ryan even pick out come-hither clothes….?

Let’s find out. Fast forward to a jumping nightclub scene:

INT. DIG’S NIGHTCLUB - MOMENTS LATER

Ryan strides toward the bar, gains confidence with each step. He claims his stool. The BARTENDER approaches.

BARTENDER
Are you kidding me with this GQ wannabe look? This ain’t Halloween.

The girls poor Ryan encounters next seem all-too-eager to shoot him down. Worse than the Bartender’s fashion critique, their words cut like a don’t-go-there knife:

- Make room. Desperate Man walking.

- My eyes are up here, Marco Polo.

- Looks like somebody forgot to DVR Jeopardy again.

Dating’s never easy, even in one’s prime. But have Ryan’s moves become this lame? Will he ever find his groove? What limbo level of relationship hell has his friends lure him into… and can they fish him out?

If you’re looking for a fun and lively short with a… happy ending, approach “Singled Out” with confidence. You just might find your perfect match and mate!