A young advertising writer struggles with life, love, and career in New York City, only to have his life completely upended by the arrival of an unexpected new roommate: His Uncle Ron, an eccentric outlaw Texas cowboy on a mission to finish his bucket list and atone for his beer drenched past.

SYNOPSIS:

“Like I always say, sometimes you handle life, sometimes life handles you,” UNCLE RON tells RYAN, his young nephew as they fish in their home town of Kilgore, TX back in 2003. And now in 2019, life as an entry level ad writer in New York City is definitely handling Ryan, as he struggles to navigate multiple issues. There’s his buzzword spouting boss RAZOR, the living embodiment of Axe Body Spray. There’s his talented, yet oft-absent art director OSAMA, who is less interested in work, and more interested in partying at various protests around town. There’s his rocky relationship with his girlfriend EVE, who laments Ryan letting the pressure of NYC crush his individuality. There’s Ryan’s own wandering imagination, which lends itself more to bizarre daydreams than usable advertising ideas. And to top it all off, there’s the financial pressure of keeping up with his huge student loans and NYC rent on an entry-level salary.

And just as all this is coming to a head over Razor’s assignment for Ryan to come up with a “sensual, exciting” ad campaign for MutualCo Life Insurance, Ryan’s life is completely upended by an unexpected visitor: His UNCLE RON, an outlaw Texas rebel cowboy type, who’s on a mission to see the world and finish his bucket list.

The two embark on a series of misadventures throughout New York City, with Uncle Ron as the ultimate fish-out-of-water as he tries to help Ryan patch things up with Eve and raise money to pay off Ryan’s student loans, along the way trying fulfill a promise he made to Ryan’s deceased Medal of Honor winning father, to teach Ryan about “bein’ a man.”

Throughout, we find that Uncle Ron’s Texas-drenched cowboy antics and lust for life fit into the cultural mashup of New York City better than anyone could have expected. And by following Uncle Ron’s lead, Ryan learns a bit about the power of trusting his instincts and embracing spontaneity, as best expressed by Uncle Ron’s motto and favorite Waylon Jennings lyric, “I’ve always been crazy, but it’s kept me from goin’ insane.”

Much like the character of Uncle Ron, Uncle Ron and The Ryan Express pushes the boundaries of acceptability, while the relationship at its core manages to remain both endearing and hilarious. And with its theme of red-state/blue-state mentalities coming together and building on each other, it’s particularly relevant to this unique moment in our country when we seem to be so divided, but long to find common ground.

UNCLE RON & THE RYAN EXPRESS