Framed by a classroom tale, Marci Campbell recounts a wild summer in Buzzsaw, where she believes her stepfather, the mayor, was murdered by his twin brother Matt Skearns (portrayed by Jeffrey Jones), who then attempts to impersonate the missing mayor. The story unfolds with a mix of small-town charm and oddball danger, as Marci’s vivid account sets the stage for a chase that blends comedy with a hint of intrigue.
To help uncover the truth, Bill Campbell (played by Matthew Broderick) returns to Buzzsaw, hoping to expose the crime and clear up the confusion that surrounds the mayor’s fate. On the road, his car, clothes, and wallet are stolen by a woman named Sally (played by Heidi Kling), leaving him to hitchhike home naked. His luck changes when two drunken brothers—Jim Jr. (played by John C. Reilly) and Jim Sr. (played by Michael Monks)—pick him up, turning a moment of humiliation into a chance to regroup. The wallet he must recover holds a crucial phone number, sending Campbell on a frantic search through Buzzsaw while he dodges the wily Skearns, the twin brother who seeks financial compensation after spending 15 years in prison for a crime his sibling committed. Skearns (Matt Skearns / Peter Van Der Haven; portrayed by Jeffrey Jones) looms as a constant obstacle, adding tension to a pursuit driven by money, memory, and motive.
The endgame arrives as Skearns drops his glasses and careens off a cliff to his death, a shocking turn that settles the immediate danger but leaves the town’s dynamics unsettled. Bill, who has fallen in love with Sally, remains in Buzzsaw with her, planning to run for mayor and to shape a future that once seemed improbable.
