Clear History

Clear History

Year: 2013

Runtime: 100 mins

Language: English

Director: Greg Mottola

Comedy

Nathan Flomm, desperate to conceal a significant professional failure, adopts a new identity and relocates to Martha’s Vineyard. His carefully constructed life is thrown into turmoil when his former business partner unexpectedly moves to the same exclusive community. Seeking retribution for past grievances, Nathan schemes to undermine his partner, leading to a complex web of deception and unexpected consequences.

Dark
Mixed feelings
Moderately emotional
Medium intensity
Steady pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Clear History (2013)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Clear History (2013). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

2003, 2013

The story opens in 2003, when Flomm's severance triggers a dramatic fall from grace. A decade later, around 2013, he returns to Martha's Vineyard with a changed identity and a long-repressed plan for revenge.

Location

Martha's Vineyard, San Jose, Chicago

Primarily set on Martha's Vineyard, the film follows Flomm's attempt to reinvent himself away from his San Jose ties. The narrative also touches on San Jose as the origin of his former life and Chicago as the setting of the fateful concert and social fallout. The island community frames the story's themes of second chances, loyalty, and the costs of revenge.

🏝️ Island 🏙️ City 🎭 Satire

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:39

Main Characters – Clear History (2013)

Meet the key characters of Clear History (2013), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Nathan Flomm (Larry David)

A once bold, abrasive business figure, Nathan Flomm's ego leads to a spectacular downfall when he renounces a stake in a hot new car. He retreats to Martha's Vineyard and adopts the alias Rolly DaVore, presenting a confident facade while hiding a guilty conscience. His evolution is defined by a struggle between pride and the longing for true connection.

💼 Business 🧠 Complex 🗣️ Reputation

Will Haney (Jon Hamm)

A self-made magnate and founder of an electric-car venture, Haney embodies wealth, vanity, and calculated confidence. He returns to the Vineyard with a wife and a grand architectural plan, unperturbed by the past. His success isolates him from the people around him, even as he seeks to cement a legacy.

💼 Business 🧠 Complex 🗣️ Reputation

Rhonda (Kate Hudson)

Rhonda is a glamorous social figure, Will Haney's wife, who becomes entangled with Flomm's attempt at reinvention. She navigates flirtation, status, and loyalty, offering a glimpse of grace amid a volatile social scene. Her choices reveal how appearances can mask vulnerability and desire.

💃 Glamour 🧭 Ambition 💞 Relationships

Wendy (Amy Ryan)

Flomm's former partner, now wealthy after inheriting millions, she holds a calm but wary presence. She represents the long arc of a friendship tested by distance and fortune, showing resilience and tempered perspective. Her role anchors the personal stakes beyond revenge.

💼 Wealth 🧭 Loyalty 🌿 Resilience

Frank (Danny McBride)

Flomm's outspoken, practical friend who provides blunt commentary and risky suggestions. He lightens the tension with humor while sharing the group's moral doubts. His loyalty to Flomm is tested as plans grow dangerous.

😂 Humor 🗨️ Loyal 💥 Risk

Joe Stumpo (Michael Keaton)

A down-to-earth explosives expert who helps turn Flomm's plan into a dangerous reality. He is pragmatic but becomes entangled in the consequences of the vengeance scheme. His expertise is essential, yet it underscores the potential for harm when friends conspire.

🧪 Expertise 🧰 Loyalty ⚠️ Danger

Jaspar (JB Smoove)

The party's sole Black guest who sees through Flomm's pretenses; he is outspoken and perceptive, quickly sensing a deeper racial tinge to Flomm's actions.

🗣️ Perception 🎭 Drama 🤝 Relationships

Tibor (Liev Schreiber)

A Chechen criminal with a tenuous hold on power who provides the detonator, his involvement tightens the noose around the plan.

💣 Danger 🕵️‍♂️ Underworld 🧩 Connection

McKenzie (Philip Baker Hall)

A local building contractor who becomes entwined in the schemes; He embodies the everyday man swept into bigger plans.

🏗️ Construction 🧭 Local 🪜 Influence

Jennifer (Eva Mendes)

An artistically independent member of the band who becomes entangled with Tibor; her relationship with Tibor and the rumor about her involvement fuels tension.

🎵 Music 💬 Rumors 🌀 Complications

Conan O'Brien

Cameo appearance by Conan O'Brien playing himself, adding a light meta-humor to the satire. The moment breaks the fourth wall and offers a playful counterpoint to the heavier themes of pride and revenge.

🎬 Cameo 🧠 Meta

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:39

Major Themes – Clear History (2013)

Explore the central themes of Clear History (2013), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💥 Revenge

Revenge drives the plot as Flomm devises a dramatic payback against Haney. The scheme pulls in allies, tests loyalties, and reveals how pride can escalate a personal grievance into public danger. The plan backfires, exposing the fragility of constructed identities and the harm caused when vengeance runs unchecked. The explosive climax forces each character to confront the true cost of revenge.

🕰️ Past

Past reputation and rumors intrude on the present. Old relationships, like Wendy and Jennifer, become centers of suspicion as gossip swirls about affairs and involvement with the band. The truth is blurred by deception and misread signals, showing how memory shapes current choices. The past remains a constant, shaping decisions and relationships despite attempts to escape.

🌴 Second Chances

On Martha's Vineyard, characters seek renewal and forgiveness, hoping to rebuild broken ties. The island setting offers a counterpoint to corporate excess and public shaming, highlighting the value of friendship and loyalty. Reconciliation requires admitting mistakes and facing the consequences, not simply escaping them. The conclusion suggests that second chances are possible, but require accountability.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:39

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Cringe social satire movies like Clear History

Stories where deeply flawed characters create painfully awkward situations.If you liked the anxious, cringey humor of Clear History, explore more movies where socially awkward or cynical characters bumble through life. These films blend satire with cringe-comedy, featuring protagonists who dig themselves into deeper holes with every well-intentioned but flawed plan.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a protagonist whose personality flaws or cynical worldview directly cause a series of escalating social blunders. The plot hinges on misunderstandings, failed schemes, and the mounting tension of watching a character repeatedly make the worst possible choice in any given situation.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared reliance on cringe-inducing humor derived from social awkwardness and character-driven folly. They share a tone that is both funny and uncomfortable, often using satire to highlight the absurdities of social norms through the lens of a misfit.

Revenge stories with consequences like Clear History

Schemes for payback that unravel in unexpected and consequential ways.Fans of Clear History's tale of a botched revenge scheme will enjoy these movies about plans for payback that spiral out of control. These stories explore themes of hubris, regret, and comeuppance, where the quest for revenge often hurts the seeker most of all.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a protagonist, motivated by past injury or pride, who meticulously devises a plan for retaliation. However, the plan is built on a fragile foundation of deception or misunderstanding, leading to a climax where it collapses, often harming innocent parties and ensuring the protagonist faces severe repercussions.

Why These Movies?

These movies are united by the thematic exploration of revenge as a self-destructive force. They share a mixed or bleak ending feel, a medium-to-high emotional weight from the consequences, and a tone that is often darkly comedic or satirical, highlighting the folly of the central vendetta.

Unlock the Full Story of Clear History

Don't stop at just watching — explore Clear History in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Clear History is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Clear History Summary

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Clear History Summary

Clear History Timeline

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Clear History Timeline

Clear History Spoiler-Free Summary

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Clear History Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Clear History

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