"The Cool Kids"

Tagline – “Coolness Has Its Price”

“25 words or less” summary – A naïve college graduate from a small town changes completely when he moves to New York City and enters the nefarious world of advertising

Full summary:
Tommy Parker, a wide-eyed, innocent college grad from small town America - Lynchburg, TN to be exact - moves to New York City to make a name for himself and gain independence and freedom from his overbearing family. Although ambitious, he has no idea what he wants to do until he stumbles into the world of advertising.

Tommy falls in with a wild group of friends soon after he enters advertising and his life quickly devolves into a haze of drugs, booze and womanizing as the city, and his environment, turns the once naïve kid into a rough, cynical douchebag.

His life revolves around long hours of hard work during the day and all night drinking binges, late night trips to strip clubs, and casual hook ups at night. This behavior leads Tommy to routinely make questionable decisions and do questionable things – like passing out on the Coney Island beach in the middle of the night, getting a “tramp stamp” tattoo on a dare, or doing coke off the body of a stripper in a random VIP room.

After months of nonstop partying, it all comes crashing down one night in Atlantic City when Tommy accidentally punches a police officer in a drunken haze during a scuffle. He lands in jail and is sentenced to community service and forced into rehab. While in rehab, Tommy reflects on what his life has become and no longer likes who he sees in the mirror. Luckily, he is inspired to change after listening to someone that addresses his rehab group. The man is a few years older than Tommy and he tells everyone the troubles he’s had in his life due to his addictions. Realizing that this guy could be him in a few years, Tommy’s eyes open up and he sees the light.

Not liking who he is anymore or what he’s become, Tommy decides to leave the city and his dreams behind to head back home where he belongs. He resigns from his job and moves back down to Lynchburg, TN immediately to go back to his old life and work at his father’s general store. As Tommy leaves, the question in his mind remains, “Was I always capable of this bad behavior and is this the real me or was it the environment that changed me?” He might never know for sure.
The Cool Kids Screenplay