"The Idea of Him"
THE STORY IS ABOUT ONE WOMAN’S REALIZATION THAT WE ARE ALWAYS FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE “IDEA OF THE GUY” WE NOT ONLY BELIEVE HIM TO BE BUT WANT HIM TO BE. LANEY WILLIAMS IS A SMART, ATTRACTIVE 30-SOMETHING WHO FALLS IN LOVE WITH TWO MEN SIMULTANEOUSLY. ALONG WITH A HOST OF FRIENDS, LANEY DISCOVERS THAT IN ORDER TO REALLY FALL IN LOVE WITH ONE SPECIAL GUY, YOU NEED TO FIRST KNOW YOURSELF. IT’S A MOVIE ABOUT LOVE, CHOICES, KNOWING YOURSELF AND LOVING THE OTHER PERSON FOR WHO THEY TRULY ARE.
SYNOPSIS
Laney Williams (attractive 30 something) would really like to meet the guy of her dreams. She’s now in her early 30’s and has been in and out of relationships since elementary school. She works at a music law firm in LA, with girlfriends Tina and Nicole who have their own set of issues about men. Roger, her boss is quite attractive, seems to date a lot, but very ‘right cornered’ about his life, liking everything in it’s place. Laney doesn’t have any idea that Roger is available or even interested until she comes into work one day, dismayed about last night’s date. Roger’s hints go unnoticed. Tina and Nicole lament constantly about Jack, one of the other lawyers in the firm who is quite the gossip, perpetually on the prowl, or so it seems. Where are all the good men?
Her married friends, Melissa and John, set her up with one of their best friends, Mike, who is a very attractive, outgoing, firefighter by day, partier by night. After Laney’s bad date of the week, she decides not to show up for the ‘set up.’ Mike, in turn, plays the same game back. Kismet plays the headliner and they meet by coincidence shortly thereafter. The problem now becomes she is falling in love with her boss, Roger, and now having just had the most amazing night with Mike.
Her closest friend is a therapist, Synthia, who meets Mike’s best friend, Tommy, at the coincidental meeting. She empathizes with Laney’s situation, which now becomes every girl’s nightmare when you fall for two very different men. If only you could put them together to have the best of both worlds. Mike is so engaging and charismatic with a great sense of humor, jeans, tattoos and yet Roger is so commanding, brilliant, polished and impeccable dresser. How could she be involved with two complete opposites?
Laney, a compulsive journaler, decides to choose Mike but as soon as she does, she feels Mike pull back. She then runs to Roger. Mike of course, then wants her back. When Laney is with Roger, she clearly misses Mike and vice versa. Synthia, still going strong with Tommy, explains “the idea of him” as a commonality among the sexes.
More determined than ever, Laney chooses Mike, but shortly thereafter, mourning everything Mike isn’t and Roger is. The idea of Roger haunts her. Her therapist girlfriend Synthia talks more sense into her about the attraction of Mike as something unattainable and unreliable. She can’t resist another rendezvous with Mike and Roger finds out about Mike when he catches Laney in a lie about being sick. Roger turns up unannounced at her door after leaving chicken soup and realizes Laney wasn’t’ sick at all and has been seeing someone else all along. Roger, succinctly and directly, calls her out on her biggest issue being that Laney will never allow anyone to love her for her, because she doesn’t even know who she is or what she wants. She has now officially lost both Mike and Roger, for good. She can no longer work at the firm for Roger.
Synthia convinces Laney to meet out for coffee and Nicole comes along. They console her and discuss all the reasons Roger and Mike wouldn’t’ work and how there’s nothing wrong with that until…. Laney notices Mike across the street having breakfast with another woman. Not being able to control herself, despite Synthia’s smart psycho babble, Laney marches across the street and walks right into a really cute guy, spilling coffee on not only the cute guy but his dog as well. Distracted and embarrassed, she takes another look for Mike and he is in his car, looks right at her, smiles, shakes his head and moves on. It’s done. And now the finale with Roger – to go clean out her office.
Roger is working in the law library; writing on an iPad but Laney doesn’t see him. She preps all her belongings and goes into Roger’s office. Grabs some gum, sits back in his hair, sadly reminiscing. Picks up the remote for his music and presses PLAY. Roger appears in the doorway, watching Laney who is now has her head down, banging her head on the desk ever so slightly to the music. Roger slides into the seat where Laney used to sit to face him. He grabs the gum and starts throwing them on Laney’s head. No reaction. A bit of a gum fight brings them close enough to kiss, passionately, longingly. Laney wants to know when you really know yourself, how do you know? Roger tells her that you just know. And with that, he puts moves her box aside and walks her home, for the very first time.