A former child star is forced to reboot his career with the help of his no-good brother to settle his debt to the mob, finding that dirty money goes a long way in Hollywood.

SYNOPSIS:

In present-day Beverly Hills, former child star Jackie Shirley spends his days smoking weed with his no-good brother Roddy, being a pain in his famous neighbors’ butts, and occasionally getting stalked by the quick-witted paparazzi Lola. One day the brothers get a surprise visit by a couple of gangsters who kidnap them. Unknown to Jackie, Roddy has raked up quite some debt with cartel boss Hector, who demands his money back. However, having no money after his messy divorce and no movie roles since he has grown out of his child star phase, Jackie sees himself forced to make a movie using Hector’s dirty money, starring him and Hector’s wannabe-actress Rosita in the lead roles. Jackie and Roddy set out to meet Jackie’s washed-up agent Rhonda, and after some sucking up from her former protege she agrees to help them. She manages to get a veteran director on board for the movie, who, despite the terrible script written by Hector himself, sees the potential of making a good old-fashioned blockbuster.

The team begins the shoot, and Jackie gets back on track by chumming up with his co-stars and handsome stuntman. Roddy, who has once hoped to become a stuntman himself but decided to support his brother’s career instead, feels left out. He decides to host a party to celebrate his birthday while Jackie goes out of town, during which he bonds with Rosita. At the same time, Jackie gets abducted again and gets confronted with his brother’s alleged advances to Rosita as Hector explicitly forbade any funny business with his sister. Jackie gets released in the middle of the night in the hills of Griffith Park. Luckily for him, Lola has witnessed the kidnapping and comes to his rescue, and they start to bond. Back at his villa, Jackie and Roddy fall out over Roddy’s reckless behavior and Jackie’s ungratefulness for all the support his brother has given him throughout his career. Roddy leaves and shacks up with a befriended fast food vendor. To make ends meet Roddy starts working for him, where he overhears Hector’s lawyer discussing how they plan to kill Jackie on the night of the premiere to not only cash in on his life insurance but also use the unscreened movie as a tax write-off. Roddy tells Jackie and Lola about the plan, and the three decide to take matters into their own hands.

On the night of the premiere, Lola uses her camera equipment to see an explosive device attached to Rosita’s brooch. It soon explodes and fires a bullet into Jackie’s chest, though he remains unharmed as he is wearing a bulletproof vest. Hector escapes in a limo, and Roddy, finally being able to flex his stuntman muscle, follows him on an exhilarating chase through Hollywood, passing by various veteran action heroes who are more than happy to enjoy their retirement, save for two badass leading ladies who come to his aid.

A couple of months later Roddy is finally doing his own thing by opening a stunt school and moving into the house next door to his brother. Jackie, on the other hand, is back on Hollywood’s A-list and expecting his first child with Lola, learning that despite all the fortune and fame, family matters the most, even in Tinseltown.

* Table Read My Screenplay Hollywood Quarterfinalist Scriptation Showcase Script Competition Quarterfinalist

Emerging Screenwriters Screenplay Competition Quarterfinalist*

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THE SHIRLEY BROTHERS COMEBACK