Genre: Drama
Director: Spike Jonze
Writer: Mo Buck & Chad Taylor
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Jason Bateman, Wyatt Russell, John Goodman, Richard Jenkins, Brooklynn Prince
Plot: In 1957, Stan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mary-Anne Griffin (Anne Hathaway) are a quiet suburban couple in Akron, Ohio. Stan works from home as a typewriter repairman while Mary-Anne recently started a break from her job as a schoolteacher as she very progressed in her first pregnancy. While there is not much animosity in their marriage, there does appear to be a lack of intimacy, which they are hoping the kid will be able to re-kindle. While alone, it is revealed that Stan is in large debt and has been cheating on his taxes but does not tell Mary-Anne this. An avid outdoorsman, Stan tells Mary-Anne he is going on a fishing trip to Lake Erie on the weekend and kisses her and her baby bump goodbye.
Stan went on a fishing trip by himself, only him and his thoughts, he thought. He didn’t even rent a room. He arrived with his suitcase, some cash and his fishing gear. There were heavy clouds on the horizon and a man initially refused to rent him a boat at first, as Lake Erie was supposed to become really agitated when the storm sets in. He said that he’ll be back before it gets dark and he to convince the man to rent him the boat even more, he even paid a supplement. The man couldn’t help but notice his huge wad of cash when he paid. Stan got on his boat and went fishing.
The water started to get a little agitated when a coast guard noticed Stan’s little boat. He went to see him and asked him to reach the ground in no time. Stan agrees and says he just wants to get another fish before leaving. The coast guard goes back to the little shop where the man rented him his boat. A couple of minutes later, the guard decides to go get him before it’s too late. He doesn’t find Stan on the lake. He continues to look for the boat. He eventually finds the boat, empty knocked down on the ground, with no trace of Stan Griffin.
The following day, policemen are actively looking for any traces of Stan Griffin. The man at the boat shop told them about all the money Stan had on him and he suggested that maybe he got robbed and it turned wrong. The officers are also looking with dogs all over the place. They finally conclude that he disappeared and he’s not within the area. The coast guard can’t believe that something happened to him in the five minutes he left him alone.
Mary-Ann Griffin was knitting when she heard someone knocking at her door. A policeman came to announce her husband’s disappearance. She’s absolutely devastated. She starts crying in the officer’s arms. As soon as they get out, she collapses on the ground, crying, completely destroyed by the horrible news.
Four days later, Fritz Holland (Leonardo DiCaprio) a man who looks exactly like Stan Griffin enters a bar in Omaha, Nebraska. He gets behind the bar and starts serving people, he works there. He also likes to drink all night with his clients, telling them various stories about the memories he had while serving in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War. He started to tell these stories when he noticed that it could be a way to get drunk without paying a cent, as people like to pay for a veteran’s drink. He gets wasted every night, drinking alcohol, talking loudly and making money. He was living his dream life.
Mary Ann had a tremendous difficulty to overcome the loss of her husband. She tried to share her grief with someone who was also deeply affected by the loss of Stan, his brother, Ken Griffin (Wyatt Russell). Together they decided that they want answers and since the police weren’t able to give them any, they decided to hire a private detective, who goes by the name Dick Russo (John Goodman). They arranged a meeting together and the man accepted to work on the case for a respectable fee, nothing that would ruin them. The talk around town is that he’s the best there is. During their first meeting, Russo gave himself a month to gather information before they meet again.
Fritz Holland took a day off a work to the devastation of the regulars to go to a swingers club. Sporting a mustache and a sport jacket, Fritz rapidly noticed a stunning blonde, alone in a corner of the room. Her name’s Jeanie (Margot Robbie). Fritz could listen to her talking all day. She described herself as a humanistic woman who loves to give chances to others, less fortunate. She also has the same outgoing personality as Fritz and she loves to get attention, to be desired. Fritz gives her the address of the bar he’s working at and asks her to come and see him tomorrow night. She accepts gladly and excuses herself to the bathroom. She never came back and Fritz leaves the club. He understood everything about and there’s no chance she’ll resist him.
The following day, Fritz stands outside the bar, in front of the United States of America flagpole. He announces to the clients that he will mix his two great love together: his country and helping others. This is why he’ll sit on top of this flagpole in order to raise money for a deadly disease known as polio. People are impressed by this feat and they all give money. Jeannie eventually arrives and she falls in love with him immediately, impressed by his incredible feat. She visits him day after day after day, during which they talk to themselves. He can’t wait to get down that flagpole to be with the woman he loves.
Mary-Ann called Ken to meet with Detective Russo. It’s been thirty days since they hired him, he must have news for them. They meet in a diner, where Russo likes to eat. He has a mountain of mashed potatoes in his plate, clearly he’s been here for a while. Mary-Ann asks for a milkshake, while Ken doesn’t order anything, he’s not hungry. He’s been really depressed since he lost his brother, who was not only his best friend, but also his role model. He lost a lot of weight too. Russo has bad news for them. He didn’t find Stan, but he found something else, Stan’s immense debts. Mary-Ann can’t believe that her husband had been hiding this financial burden from her. She starts to cry on Ken’s shoulder, who remains calm, but his silently devastated that Russo couldn’t find his brother.
Fritz Holland finally gets down his flagpole. He’s raised an hefty amount for polio, but the only thing he cared about was Jeanie. As soon as he got down, he went straight in her arms and it soon ended in the bedroom. They wake up from a night of passion and they embrace. Fritz is more popular than ever, drinking every night and coming back to Jeanie satisfies him way more than you can imagine. He plans on moving in with her, to leave his less than glorious apartment. He’s deeply in love with that woman.
Mary-Anne finds herself alone and pregnant at a diner. She just met with Russo who suggested asking the police to stop investigating and declare him legally dead. She juggles with that thought and goes to Ken’s to talk with him about it. He says he doesn’t really care what she does at that point, as he realized that nothing will bring back his brother. He cries with her again and she finally tells him that she’ll do it, in order to move on, to leave that part of her life behind. That way, maybe she could finally start living her life again and so will Ken. In a brief moment of happiness, he tells her that he has found himself doing more outdoor activities like fishing and archery, the same things that excited his brother, in order to help fill the void. They share a hug before she leaves. She goes to the police station and it’s with an heavy heart that Mary-Anne asks them to stop investigating the disappearance of Stan Griffin. He’s declared legally dead and she should expect his life insurance check soon. She goes back to the diner and starts crying. Lester Olsen (Jason Bateman) notices her. He asks her what’s wrong and, still a hot mess, proceeds to tell him her story. He’s clearly moved by her story and he shares his story with her. He too lost a loved one, his wife died a couple years back. He understands how she feels. He offers his shoulder for her to cry on and he pays for the lunch she barely touched. He brings her back to her home, where she invites him inside for coffee.
The following day, Mary-Anne goes to the post office and receives the life insurance check. She meets Lester at the diner and they go cash in together. She thinks Lester is really helping her dealing with all of this. He’s like a blessing from above. They cash in her check at the back and with Lester’s help, she pays off Stan’s debts. They leave the bank, holding hand. He buys ice cream cones at a shop and they eat them, hand in hand. It’s the first time she smiles since he disappeared. They leave together, her head on his shoulder. On the way home, Mary-Anne says that she might be falling in love with Lester and she asks him if it’s wrong. He says it’s not and he kisses her on the lips.
Fritz leaves the bar after admitting that he doesn’t feel so well. He did a drug with a client and he thinks it might be LSD. He goes back home to Jeanie. He stars to kiss her. They start to make out and he asks her if he can move in with her. She says the church wouldn’t approve it, but he doesn’t care. She accepts and she starts kissing him again. He passes out from the drug and the excessive alcohol consumption.
Mary-Anne and Lester were eating their daily ice cream together when Mary-Anne’s water broke. He rushed her to hospital. She delivers the baby and everything is a success, it’s a little girl. The doctor comes out and he asks Lester if he’s the father of the child. He says “no, but I’ll be the father of this child.” The doctor announces him it’s a girl and enters the room to finds Mary-Anne and her baby. They look at each other and you can tell they’re in love. She says her name will be Lucy, he smiles innocently and agrees.
In 1964, Fritz has parlayed connections around town and extroverted personality to become a popular radio personality in Omaha. Jeanie is seven months pregnant with their son. An outdoor enthusiast, Fritz heads off for the weekend to Chicago for an archery tournament. Also at the tournament is Ken, who has taken up archery as a hobby since his brother’s death. While taking in the sights, he spots Fritz – to his shock. He can’t believe what he sees. He tracks down Fritz and frantically says “Stanley?!” but Fritz only acts in confusion. Ken tells him he’s not dead, which confuses Fritz even more. Ken says that he is his brother Stan Griffin but Fritz shows his driver’s license to prove that he is not Stan Griffin. Ken starts to cry and pleads with him to come back to Akron with him, but Fritz apologizes and says there is nothing he can do. They go their separate ways.
Back in Akron, Ken hysterically tells Mary-Anne what he saw. Other than the eye patch and mustache, this man was a dead ringer for the missing loved one. While Mary-Anne is intrigued by Ken’s intense belief that this was Stan, she says they have finally moved from losing Stan and she doesn’t want to re-visit the grieving process if it is all for nothing. Disappointed, he decides to take matters into his own hands and gets back in contact with Dick Russo. He says he may have a potential lead on Stan’s location and is willing to pay him to travel to Nebraska. Unlike Mary-Anne, Dick is receptive to the idea that he may still be alive and says he will look into it.
In Omaha, Fritz debates telling Jeanie about his strange encounter in Chicago but he keeps it to himself. Meanwhile, Dick arrives in town and starts trailing Fritz. Like Ken, he is convinced that this is Stan and obtains Fritz’s fingerprint after following him at a diner. He uses a contact in the Navy to compare the print to the Navy’s database, as Stan once served with them in the 40s. The results are startling – it’s a direct match.
Upon receiving word from Dick, Ken breaks down in hysterics. He rushes to the home of Mary-Anne and Lester and delivers the news. Mary-Anne begins shaking and Ken embraces her, clearly more elated by the news than she. Ken says he has already contacted the Omaha police and informed them of the situation. Back in Omaha, Fritz is taken into the station and does a fingerprint test where he is confirmed to be Stan Griffin. He is visibly shaking in shock, unsure of what to say. Jeanie comforts him.
Upon the police’s request, he and Jeanie travel to Akron. They arrive at Mary-Anne’s home and there is a strange feeling in the atmosphere. No one in the room is sure how to approach the conversation as Stan is still adamant that he has no memory of a life before Omaha. Everyone is cordial, but it is difficult to break the tension. Mary-Anne holds Stan’s hands but it feels off for the both of them, and both of their new spouses. When Lucy (Brooklynn Prince) enters the room, Stan is friendly to her but still a bit awkward.
The next day, a police officer and lawyer arrange a meeting with the two couples. They are informed that now that Stan is declared alive, both of their marriages are nullified and that is recognized by law is Stan and Mary-Anne’s. All parties involved are angered by this and Jeanie reasons that that Stan and Mary-Anne could just get a divorce. Mary-Anne snaps back, saying that divorce goes against her Catholic faith and she will not do such a blasphemous act.
At their hotel, Stan swears his love to Jeanie and says that she is his true wife now and forever. She believes him when he says he has no memory of being Stan and similarly pledges a commitment to their marriage. Similarly, Mary-Anne tells Lester at their home that he is her true love and makes her feel more special than Stan ever did. She is clearly between her true feelings and her moral/religious obligations and Lester comforts her and tells her they’ll get through it. He says he’ll marry Jeanie if he has to, and they can all live in one big household, which gets her to laugh and quickly shoot down.
Stan meets with Ken at a diner. Ken, desperate, pleads with Stan to tell him that it is an elaborate hoax – he won’t care. Stan is obviously affected by Ken’s intense longing for his brother and feels disappointed that he cannot fully fulfill that role. He says that he really isn’t the Stan. Ken thinks he is and he is sorry to let him down. As they share a bond, brotherly or not, they share a long hug.
Meanwhile, Lucy – ever an astute 7-year-old - asks her mother who her real father is. Mary-Anne is clearly heartbroken by this question as she raised Lucy to believe Lester was her father but will feel guilty if she lies to her. Before they can answer, they are interrupted by a knock. It is a representative from her insurance company. He informs her that because Stan is now alive, she will have to pay back the $50,000 in life insurance payments that she has received steadily over the last 7 years. Mary-Anne feels numb to this news, with a simmering anger underneath. Lester tells her they can figure out and arrangement but Mary-Anne has finally broke. She says she will not stand for them becoming the victims of this.
Mary-Anne visits the police station and tells the detectives them of the staggering debt that Stan had when he died. Thus, she has reason to believe that this is a hoax and she should be relieved of the debt that his re-emergence has placed on her. The police agree that this could be a case of fraud upon which he could be charged for, but first they must put him through a psychological evaluation to see if he really has amnesia. They set up a session with leading University of Akron psychologist Dr. Edwin J. Jacobs (Richard Jenkins).
Stan and Jeanie walk along the streets of what is supposedly his childhood neighborhood. He talks about how strange it is that he grew up here but that he does not feel nostalgic for it at all. Jeanie tells Stan that she thinks she landed on the perfect name for their son – Charlie. He smiles and says it is perfect. Shortly after, they are approached a police vehicle and Stan is informed of court ordered psychological testing.
At the lab, Dr. Jacobs interviews Stan. After a lengthy session, he is unable to deduce that Stan has any memories of his past life. The doctor then informs the lawyers and Mary-Anne that they will now enter phase two: hypnosis. The psychologist’s assistant determines that Stan is too agitated to be able to be administered sodium pentothal –otherwise known as “truth serum”. Stan is hypnotized and starts receiving the questioning again. Just as before, there is no indication that he remembers his past life.
The psychologist hypothesizes that Stan likely experienced some sort of an event on his fishing trip that caused the amnesia, and his mind quickly made a fake backstory for his life on the spot. Additionally, the tumor behind his eye could have affected his brain and caused the amnesia. Upon hearing this news, and realizing the burden on her life is now very real, Mary-Anne blacks out and starts screaming hysterically towards Stan: “Tell the truth! TELL THE TRUTH!”. She is escorted out, while Stan is clearly shaken by the episode.
Back at his hotel, Stan informs Jeanie that the psychologist believes his amnesia is real and they are free to go back to Omaha. He then tells her about Mary-Anne’s meltdown and how guilty it made him feel. This angers her. She tells them she wants to give Mary-Anne some last words before they leave town.
They arrive at the home and Lester answers the door. He apologizes for Mary-Anne’s behavior from earlier and says it’d be best if they both moved on from this affair. Realizing they are not leaving, he then asks if they are going to help with the life insurance payments but Jeanie is determined to go inside. Once in, she viciously scolds Mary-Anne and says that she and Stan should not have to feel responsible for Mary-Anne’s hardships. Mary-Anne says that she knows Stan is lying as their boring marriage wasn’t enough for him and he always wanted more. This was his chance for a clean break. Jeanie says that if that was the case, why would he move to Nebraska and not L.A. or New York?
As the fighting continues in the background, Stan stands alone in the hallway. He slides down against the wall to a sitting position and is approached by Lucy. She stands next to him and asks if he is her father. He breaks down crying and mouths “I don’t know” but can’t get the words out amongst his tears. She hugs him, even with his inconclusive answer. She wanders back into the living room while he slowly explores the house in which he used to live. His hands slide amongst the countertops and furniture as he takes it all in.
He enters the master bedroom, the one he used to sleep in every night, and opens a bedside drawer. He pulls out a notepad and tears off five pieces of paper. The scene silently intercuts him writing on the pieces of paper with Mary-Anne and Jeanie arguing. After finishing his work, Stan stands up and takes his belt off. He goes to the closet, moves the clothes aside, and ties the belt to the elevated beam. The camera slowly pans away from him and back towards the bed, showing five folded pieces of paper, each addressed differently: “To Jeanie” “To Mary-Anne” “To Ken” “To Lucy” “To Charlie”.
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