Plot: Michael Taylor is a New York based author of romance novels. The bend toward what is generally regarded as a female genre may be due to the strong relationship he has with his mother, Lisa Taylor, and in large part a measure of survival against his tyrannical father, English professor Charles Taylor. The problems he has with his father stems from as far back as childhood, when he would do things purposefully to set his father off, knowing that some sort of retribution would be coming. Michael also has a strong relationship with his only slightly older aunt, Lisa's sister Jane, who lived with them one summer, the year Michael's sister Ryne was born. Michael and Jane's bond was also a joint front, similarly subversive, against Charles. Michael has divorced his wife Kelly, something he has told no one in the family except Jane. Michael's trip home to celebrate Lisa and Ryne's graduation from college changes due to unexpected circumstances which add an extra dimension to Michael's confusion about his feelings toward his family. Michael's latest book, an exposé of the family masquerading as fiction and meant as a means to cleanse himself from his past, is currently sitting with the publisher, although he has given Jane an advance copy of the manuscript. His mother, the glue that held the family together, kept many of the issues of the family solely to herself. However, Michael stumbles across some materials among his mother's belongings that may provide a road to reconciliation, and not only with Charles.
Alternative Plot: Successful novelist Michael (Ryan Reynolds) visits his family in the Midwest, only to learn that his mother, Lisa (Julia Roberts), has died in a tragic accident. Along with his father, Charles (Willem Dafoe), a college professor, and his sister, Ryne (Shannon Lucio), Michael attempts to come to terms with his grief. Lisa's absence revives many old wounds, however, and the emerging tensions threaten to destroy the family just as they make an effort to come together and mourn.
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