On a quest to find his bliss, an artsy California surf bum flies to Melbourne to woo an Australian architect he was madly in love with years earlier, and reinvents his life Down Under.

SYNOPSIS:

Donovan Skirkin, a 39-year-old Southern California surfer and handyman in Venice, California, is a talented but unmotivated artist, and on a spiritual quest to find his bliss. He is being taught via a Twelve Step Blissful Affirmations CD, by an Indian guru named Raji Newman. While riding his bicycle to a gallery he's scheduled to remodel for a hotshot New York painter's opening show, (a gig he sorely needs to avoid being evicted from his beachfront pad), he's hit by a car, driven by an elderly Asian man. While recovering in a hospital, surfing online, he finds Darlene, an Australian woman he fell madly in love with seventeen years earlier, in London. They Skype, and Donovan, bolstered by visions and advice from Confucius, and his Affirmations CD, decides his bliss lies in Melbourne, Australia. Darlene, unaware of Donovan's crazy romantic travel plans, is a widow, and mother to two teenage girls. Unlike Donovan, Darlene is financially successful, and the head architect in a high profile firm in Melbourne. Despite Darlene telling Donovan she is involved with a married man named Alec, and the advice of Carl, Donovan's friend and occasional employer, Donovan maxes out his credit card and buys a ticket to Melbourne. After getting out of the hospital, Donovan and Carl attend the opening of the hotshot New York painter's show, and learn he is not only Australian, but his niece works in a gallery in Melbourne. Convinced it's another sign from the universe, Donovan leaves for Australia. When Donovan arrives in Melbourne, he's befriended by Nick, a part-time taxi driver and owner of a billboard company. On Christmas Eve, Donovan and Nick unroll a love note banner on an adjacent building to Darlene's office. While doing a presentation to a client, they see Donovan's banner. Darlene is furious, thinking he's ruined her presentation. A helicopter sees the banner and suddenly Donovan, and Darlene, are thrust into the media spotlight. Darlene's boss sees an opportunity for promoting the firm and forces Darlene to act chummy for the cameras, and meet with Donovan at the Blackman Hotel in Melbourne. Donovan has made festive decorations for Darlene and her two girls, and in front of the TV camera crew, proposes marriage. Darlene rejects him and leaves with her girls. Discouraged, and out of money, with a maxed out MasterCard, and no hope of a quick insurance claim settlement, Donovan seeks solace in surfing and painting canvases in Nick's studio. He has an epiphany, and discovers he isn't a loser no talent surfer dude with no options. With the help of Lucy, the niece of the painter he met, who works at a Melbourne gallery, Donovan has a one man show and is again thrust into the limelight and appears on a local TV show. Darlene attends Donovan's show and buys one of his paintings, and Donovan and Darlene go on a date. Darlene's jealous lover, Alec, assaults Donovan but with Nick's unexpected help, Donovan knocks out Alec. Donovan and Darlene make plans to give love a second try Down Under.

A LOVE DOWN UNDER