O.C. and Stiggs

The frame story opens with O.C. and Stiggs narrating their exploits to President Omar Bongo. They describe a culture they despise and set up their goal of retelling the events as a revenge against the Schwab family. This framing establishes the summer-long caper as a self-justifying tale.

They hatch their first major plan to ruin Lenore and Frankie’s wedding. They obtain an Uzi from a deranged Vietnam veteran named Sponson and rebuild a barely functioning Studebaker into their weaponized 'Gila Monster'. The scheme is high-spirited but reckless, signaling the boys' willingness to escalate their pranks.

On the wedding day, they crash the ceremony and create chaos by coaxing Randall Jr. to fire into the presents, cake, and chandelier. Amid the mayhem, O.C. strikes up a romantic connection with fellow student Michelle. The stunt marks their first major clash with the Schwabs’ veneer of respectability.

Their next scheme involves enlisting King Sunny Adé and His African Beats for a wild road-to-party plan. They raft and walk to a Mexican fiesta where they hire Adé and also torment their drama teacher Garth for his homosexuality. The caper widens their circle of mischief and deepens Michelle’s distance from O.C.

Michelle, exhausted by their constant pranks, ends their romance. O.C. and Stiggs then seek a new angle by turning to Pat Colletti for fashion industry connections, hoping to gain influence and money. The dynamic shifts from romance to schemes of social climbing.

They later discover their drinking buddy Wino Bob has died, intensifying their sense of revenge. The loss fuels their determination to strike back at the Schwabs as a form of payback for their friend's death. They reorient their plans toward a more aggressive takeover of the Schwabs’ world.

The boys sabotage a kitschy dinner theater that the Schwabs attend by replacing the performing cast with Adé’s band. The Schwabs experience horror from the unfamiliar, while the audience responds warmly to the music. This act pushes the conflict toward the climactic confrontation.

They infiltrate the Schwab family home while the family is away and turn the house into a homeless shelter. In the process they uncover an elaborate doomsday bunker filled with guns, fireworks, and videotapes of Hal Phillip Walker. These discoveries set the stage for the dangerous showdown.

Upon the Schwabs’ return, chaos erupts as O.C. and Stiggs engage Randall in an underground gunfight. Sponson arrives by helicopter to rescue them, grabbing Randall and dropping him into a lake. The dramatic rescue ends the immediate threat and shifts the balance of power.

With the danger over, O.C. and Michelle reconcile and spend a moment alone together. They retreat to Michelle’s bedroom, seeking a sense of normalcy after the summer’s upheavals. The couple's bond is reaffirmed as the chaos subsides.

Pat Colletti informs them that his fashion line has become wildly successful and will pay them royalties. They use the money to hire a 24-hour nurse for O.C.'s grandfather, allowing O.C. to remain in Phoenix. The boys’ windfall cements their offbeat, money-fueled victory.

The summer ends with O.C. and Stiggs driving the Gila Monster through the streets of suburban Phoenix. They bask in their supposed triumph, a new windfall, and the unlikelihood of their young rebellion. The film closes on their triumphant glide through a city that barely understands them.