Fandango

In 1971 at a University of Texas fraternity house, Gardner Barnes and the Groovers celebrate a graduation party as the draft looms. Kenneth Waggener announces his own draft notice while Gardner has already received one weeks earlier. The moment sets the group on a last-bash-before-destiny plan, fueling their sense of youth and rebellion.

The Groovers decide to mark their last days before the draft with a road trip toward a notorious roadhouse and the rumored dig for someone named Dom near the Rio Grande. The mood is reckless as they vow to squeeze one last taste of freedom from their youth before war changes everything. They hit the road after the party, barely containing their nerves.

Phil's car runs out of gas, forcing a choice between walking to town or hitching a ride. A bold idea of lassoing a passing train leads Dorman to attach the bumper to the train with fence cable, and the front end is ripped off as the car is dragged along the tracks. The group salvages the wreck and pushes the car toward the nearest town.

The Groovers push the damaged car to a local garage, grab a bite at a Sonic Drive-In, and mingle with townie girls. They wander into a cemetery operated by one of the girls’ undertaker father and stumble upon a fallen Vietnam War soldier's tombstone, a sobering moment amid their adventures.

They sleep at the former movie set of Giant, a quiet interlude before continuing their journey. The eerie setting contrasts with the wild rush of their trip and hints at dreams and legends they chase on the road.

Next morning, the car is repaired with a front end from a different make as they resume toward the border. Gardner admits he only allowed Phil into the group out of pity, sparking tension as Phil asserts he will take on any challenge to prove himself.

They spot a parachute school offering lessons and Gardner cons the instructor, Truman Sparks, into giving Phil a free lesson. Phil is terrified but eager to prove himself, and the group toys with the idea of daring stunts as a rite of passage.

Phil boards the plane with Truman's dirty laundry instead of a parachute, and from the ground the others scramble to warn him. Truman pushes him to activate the emergency chute, and Phil ultimately lands safely with the instructor's help, a chaotic moment captured in a survived photo.

They discover the roadhouse burned to ashes and press onward to a bluff above the Rio Grande. There they dig up Dom, a magnum of Dom Pérignon champagne, and drink to youth and freedom as the landscape stretches toward the border.

Kenneth begins to doubt the engagement, and Gardner decides to intervene by reuniting him with Debbie, Kenneth’s girlfriend who is also Gardner’s ex. He orchestrates a plan that will culminate in a wedding proposal involving a flight to the border town.

Gardner arranges for Truman Sparks to fly Debbie from Dallas to the border town and back, facilitating the wedding scheme and bringing Debbie into the picture at the last moment. The arrangement foreshadows the ceremony that will test loyalties and friendships.

Debbie arrives as Kenneth's girlfriend, revealing the tangled history with Gardner. Through a trickier plan, Gardner sets up the wedding of Kenneth and Debbie in the border town, reshaping the group’s dynamics and testing everyone's feelings.

After the ceremony, Gardner and Debbie share a bittersweet last dance. Gardner leans in for a kiss, but Debbie kisses him on the cheek and walks away, signaling an unresolved goodbye and a line between friends and lovers.

Phil gifts Kenneth and Debbie his car as a wedding present, and he and Dorman share a final handshake. Dorman wishes them well with a quiet 'Have a good life' as the road crew parts ways.

Gardner heads off to hitch a ride anywhere, while Phil and Dorman shake hands one last time. The final shot shows Gardner atop a cliff overlooking the town, lifting a beer to salute his friends and the life he’s left behind.