Year: 2019
Runtime: 97 min
Language: English
Director: Fred Wolf
Frank and Nancy Teagarten appear to live a comfortable, affluent life, but a sudden financial crisis threatens everything they’ve built. Determined to maintain their image, the couple attempts to keep their struggles hidden. A night of excessive drinking and poor judgment leads to a series of increasingly chaotic events, jeopardizing their reputation and spiraling their lives into unexpected turmoil as they desperately try to avoid exposure.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Drunk Parents (2019), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Frank (Alec Baldwin) and Nancy (Salma Hayek) are a couple living in a grand British-style home, sending their only daughter off to college just a mere 5-hour drive away or a short 50-minute flight. However, underneath their affluent facade, they face a stark reality; their wealth is dwindling. The duo, innovators by nature, invested everything into a medical device aimed at heart surgeries—specifically artificial heart valves. Unfortunately, unfavorable media coverage labeled their creations as controversial, leading their business to a crashing halt and putting them on the brink of financial despair.
After dropping their daughter Rachel (Michelle Veintimilla) at college, they return home only to have their car repossessed. In a moment of vulnerability, they share their woes with the repo man, who, in a moment of kindness, agrees to delay reporting their absence. To keep up appearances and fund their daughter’s education, Frank and Nancy concoct a plan for a secret garage sale, hosted under the cover of night, fueled by alcohol to numb their sorrows.
Nancy grows increasingly frustrated with the expensive items cluttering their home, such as a $2000 Breville Coffee Machine, that they hardly utilize. Their snobbish neighbors, Bob (Joe Manganiello) and Betty (Natalia Cigliuti), represent the society they’re trying to impress while Jason (Ben Platt), a disabled resident on their street, adds to their quirky community backdrop. Another neighbor, Nigel (Aasif Mandvi), goes away for an extended business trip, leaving them in charge of his house for a fee. In a moment of misguided desperation, Frank decides to take some of Nigel’s expensive wine for their garage sale, and Nancy quips that they should just list Nigel’s property on Craigslist.
As the garage sale draws lackluster attendance, things take an unexpected turn. In a drunken stupor, they mistakenly publish an ad to rent out Nigel’s house. The next day, they meet Carl (Jim Gaffigan), who responds to the ad and ends up paying them $25,000 in advance rent. Unbeknownst to them, Carl’s past as a level 3 sex offender throws a wrench into their plans. Fearing repercussions, they ask Carl to relocate to their home while they camp out in Nigel’s empty house.
Their troubles escalate when masked goons mistakenly kidnap Frank and Nancy, believing they are the sex offenders. Upon their release, the couple faces yet another personal crisis—they can’t return home for fear of further attacks. Avoiding their family and friends to keep their financial troubles a secret, they seek refuge at Bob’s house, where sharing beds with Bob’s twins, Tristan (Eddie Schweighardt) and Trey (Jeremy Shinder), leads to a series of misunderstandings that get them kicked out.
Afterwards, they reluctantly rent Nigel’s house to a peculiar character named Wayne, ultimately ending up sleeping in a parking lot. Fortunately, a chance encounter with an old colleague, Tyler (Kelly AuCoin), offers Frank an interview opportunity with Randall (Dan Soder). Meanwhile, Nancy’s determination leads her back to check on their previous tenant’s house, only to find it ransacked. In an unfortunate twist, Carl attacks her, trapping her in a concealed bathroom.
Eventually, Nancy manages to escape and learns the real story behind Carl’s offenses—a comical misunderstanding involving swimming trunks and a panicked encounter with a shark. Meanwhile, Frank learns from Randall that the work opportunity involves stealing catalytic converters, but instead, he pivots when he notices their kidnapping video trending online. In a desperate measure, he steals Wayne’s truck to confront Jason, hoping to delete any incriminating footage.
As the chaos unfolds, they pitch a novel idea called “Yard Bay” to Frank’s affluent friends. The investment pays off, and two months later, a touching moment unfolds when Nancy arranges for Shone’s daughter, Rose ([JoJo Kushner]), to stay with them, showing how far they’ve come despite the chaos.
Last Updated: October 31, 2024 at 15:13
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