Playing for Keeps

18-year-old Danny d’Angelo, an alumnus of Benjamin Franklin High School in New York City, shares a small apartment with his mother Tracy and a charitable sister Marie. One July day they learn they have inherited the long-closed Hotel Majestic in Bethany, Pennsylvania, along with a debt of $8,000 in unpaid taxes (equal to about $22,948 today). The property had belonged to Danny’s great-aunt Theresa, who died before she could settle the bill. What they don’t know is that a firm called Pritchard Chemicals plans to buy the site to push a Fox River project and turn it into a chemical waste dump.

To figure out their next move, Danny turns to two friends: Silk Davis and Spikes McClanahan. They try a sequence of schemes to raise cash: Danny makes a bid to open a bank account to stash what he can, while Silk and Spikes pursue giggy suburban sales—yet neither path yields results. In a bid to stay afloat, the trio even dresses as Boy Scouts and starts selling mint cookies to office workers, a playful ruse that briefly brings in money and notice.

The trio’s efforts soon win Danny some tangible support from those around him. He proves to Marie that he can bring in supplies and help neighbors in need, delivering a bundle of food to a few needy households. Encouraged, they press onward, loading up a decorated van and driving to Hawley to inspect the Majestic in person. What greets them is a building worn down by time, its once-grand silhouette now a source of dismay rather than opportunity.

A tour guide named Rockefeller G. Harding, a reclusive local resident, shows them around the place and leaves the newcomers unsettled. His candid tour reveals more problems than solutions and plants the seeds of a bold, risky plan: renovate the Majestic and reopen it as The New Hotel Majestic…For Kids Only, complete with a promise of “MTV in every room.” The idea draws mixed reactions from the town. Some residents fear what this youth-driven project could do to Hawley’s character and economy, while others worry about change coming too fast or too loud.

Despite the backlash, the boys press ahead. Rockefeller hints that Danny should recruit stockholders to help run the hotel, a move that could both provide capital and legitimize the venture. Inspired by the prospect, Danny heads back to New York to recruit partners and enlist more of his friends as ready-made backers. The reorganization becomes a new mission: Majestic Enterprises must be built from the ground up, with a cadre of investors who believe they can revive the property and make it work.

As Hawley’s residents watch the unfolding drama, the promise of a glittering, modern youth-led revival collides with the town’s nostalgia and skepticism. The stockholders, arriving with ambitions of luxury and a bustling, buzzy future, quickly discover that the Majestic is far from a finished product. They are faced with a demanding timetable: they must repair and upgrade the property within a single month, and then survive an impending inspection that could decide the hotel’s fate. The contrast between the flashy vision and the practical, sometimes stubborn realities of a small town forms the core tension of the story.

Throughout the process, the film threads in moments of humor and pushback, showing how a well-meaning but inexperienced group of youths navigates money, governance, and community sentiment. The debt, the legal questions surrounding the property, and the pressure to deliver a spectacle for a new generation all weigh on Danny, Silk, and Spikes as they try to transform a shuttered landmark into a place that families can call home, at least for a while.

In the end, the Majestic project becomes more than a simple business venture; it becomes a test of character, resilience, and the balance between wishful thinking and practical planning. The friendships forged during this turbulent reawakening mark a turning point for each of the young principals, and for the town that watches, waits, and decides how much change it will embrace. The story blends ambition with community, and it asks whether a neglected relic can be revived not just through money, but through vision, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt to the hopes—and fears—of the people it aims to serve.

Note: Dancer appears in Spikes’ fantasy sequence, adding a lyrical aside to the tale and enriching the film’s look at imagination fueling youth-driven schemes. The cast also includes Steinberg and Cromwell in supporting roles that help populate the world of Hawley as the plan unfolds.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:39