A romantic comedy feature-length script
Now Streaming and On-Demand
Logline:
A pair of twenty-something friends decide to go through a one year “starter” marriage so they can practice for the real ones they hope to have later in life… only to let love get in the way.
Synopsis:
MARK is among a group out celebrating their mutual friend KEITH’s divorce. In the midst of a long, drunken night, Keith admits he made a lot of mistakes in his marriage, but if there is a silver lining at least he’s determined not to make them again if he ever remarries.
The idea plants a seed in Mark’s mind. After his mother passed away, his father RICKY became a serial “marry-er,” and is on wife number six. Ricky has no idea how to keep a marriage together, but has plenty of advice when it comes to the reasons why a relationship falls apart.
Chloe invites her friend, Trijah to join the group in a night of charades. That night Mark announces he is going to try a “starter marriage” – a marriage in which he can make all of his mistakes and learn from them, so when he gets married “for real,” it will work out.
To the surprise of all of them, Trijah agrees it’s a good idea, and wants to be his starter wife. Her life is in a rut, she never takes chances, and something big has to change. Trijah daydreams of a “happily ever after” marriage and this could be her chance to get it.
Mark and Trijah agree to get married for one year, with divorce papers dated for their first anniversary drawn up and ready to go. Ever the workaholic professional, Mark draws up a “for worse” list to make sure they accomplish all the mistakes of a marriage. Trijah counters with her “for better” list. The idea is they will work their way through both lists in the course of the year.
It’s a rocky start, and the first two months are definitely heavy on the “For Worse.” But as they spend more time on “For Better,” they grow closer and they realize they have feelings that weren’t mentioned in the contract. As the anniversary approaches, they wrestle with fulfilling the agreement and letting what they have get written off as a starter marriage.