Tagline – “Who Will Win?”
“25 words or less” – An eternally
single man in his mid-30s can’t decide whether he wants to finally settle down
or continue his life as a rambunctious playboy
Full Summary:
Henry “Hank” Bennett is conflicted. A tall, handsome, man in his mid-thirties living
a comfortable life in New York City, Henry constantly struggles between the
idea of settling down or continuing his life as a playboy.
This conflict practically creates a
split personality within Henry. He’s
Henry when pitching a million dollar deal at work or on a nice date at one of
the city’s many upscale restaurants, but he easily switches to his “Hank”
persona when out on the prowl with friends at a neighborhood dive bar looking
for his next one-night stand.
Towards the beginning of the pilot
episode, Henry delivers an internal monologue the morning after another one of his
many one-night stands which frames the basic dilemma he has in life.
“…I’m a 37 year old sales director at Parker & Putnam, the
world’s largest publishing company. For
better or worse, my job defines who I am; but it’s not just a job it’s my career. If I didn’t do this, I don’t know what I’d be
doing, it’s not like I have any other talents.
But I can sell, oh boy can I sell.
Obviously it’s a great skill to have for my professional life but it’s
just as important in my personal life as well.
I’ve been known to charm the pants off some nice young ladies,
literally; take the girl from this morning for instance. Apparently I can be so good at my game that I
bring girls home without even realizing it.
That was no joke earlier, I didn’t remember meeting her, let alone
taking her home. I must admit, I do have
a few vices – women, the thrill of the sale, and drink, lots and lots of
drinks.
I have a nice, modest apartment in downtown New York City, I
pay for location rather than space. I’m
well dressed, well spoken, well-heeled, well-endowed and, well, let me put it
this way, I’m a guy’s guy who loves spending twelve hours straight in a bar
watching Sunday football with his buddies but is also definitely a “take home
to mom” kind of guy. I’m a parent’s wet
dream…and that’s not cockiness, that’s a fact.
Lest you think I’m all style and no substance, I’m involved in
fundraising for the local chapter of the MS society which my grandmother
suffered with for most of her adult life and I am a big brother to my little
buddy Tyrese from the Bronx. I see him once
or twice a week, depending on my travel schedule; I take him to ball games, go
out for ice cream and to the zoo, things like that. Good kid I just hope he stays out of trouble,
it’s not easy where he’s from.
I love the ladies but I feel like it’s always an eternal
struggle with me. What type of guy do I
want to be? Some days I see my friends
out with their significant others and they seem happy, I notice how they don’t
have to go through the bullshit and drama that comes with dating and I think
about how it might be finally time to settle down. Then I go on a date or I’m in a bar surrounded
by young women with loose morals and realize how much fun it is to be single
with no emotional ties to anyone. It’s
almost like I have a split personality when it comes to girls. Take Molly for instance, or Sally, whatever
her name was. Did you notice she called
me Hank? Not that many people call me
Hank, barely anyone does, professionally I go by Henry because, well, because
who’s going to take someone seriously named Hank? But that’s exactly the point. Look, when I go out to a bar or a club with
the boys and we’re out cruising for ass and an easy hook-up, I take on my fun-loving,
“I don’t give a fuck, let’s party” persona of Hank. But when I meet a nice, lovely young woman
out at an upscale lounge and ask to take her to a Danny Meyer restaurant, I’m Henry
Bennett.
What’s the difference between the two? Well in all honesty, one’s more of a
douchebag and one’s an alright, stand up gentleman. And this is the thing, although I have fun
being single, I’m envious of my friends in a strong relationship; but as much
as I romanticize the idea of settling down, I’m not quite sure it’s for me. And
that’s my struggle.”
Hank! and Henry Screenplay
