Scorched

Sheila Rilo, Alicia Silverstone, is a bank teller at Desert Savings Bank in a quiet desert town. Her boyfriend, Rick Becker, the bank manager who has been warned he could be fired if ATM robberies continue, has spent years juggling their on‑again, off‑again relationship and using her loyalty to cover his flings. After Sheila covers most of Rick’s education, he leaves her for his tutor. In response, Sheila devises a cold, calculated plan to exact revenge by robbing the bank and ensuring Rick’s dismissal, turning her hurt into an act of defiance.

On the same night, Stuart ‘Stu’ Stein and Jason ‘Woods’ Valley spark their own schemes to hit Desert Savings. Stuart, craving a rush, aims to steal $250,000 from the bank and gamble it all on a single Las Vegas roulette wheel. It’s a hare-brained plan fueled by the encouragement of his friend Max, David Krumholtz, who plays a sharp, persuasive voice in the duo. Meanwhile, Jason—a nature lover who shares his life with an orphaned duck—has just earned a promotion to assistant bank manager, though the raise is modest. He believes years of underpaid labor have left him owed something bigger, and he targets the safety deposit box of a local tycoon to settle the score.

That tycoon is Charles Merchant, John Cleese, a flashy businessman who made his fortune selling infomercials and get-rich-quick real estate schemes. Merchant’s wealth and power have made him a recognizable figure in town, and his sharp edge leaves a personal mark on Jason—Merchant had shot Jason’s duck’s mother, giving Jason a personal motive for revenge. At the same time, Shmally, a disgruntled clothing store employee, teams up with her friend Carter to vent their own anger at Merchant’s world. Carter, meanwhile, is in the process of cleaning up his life and is on his way to a fresh start at Desert Savings Bank, a path that Rick interrupts when he hires him on the bank’s new Monday morning.

All three robbing plans unfold with surprising success, each thief operating independently and unaware of the others’ activities. Sheila’s bold heist marks a turning point in the town’s quiet rhythm, while Stuart’s gambling dream edges toward a flashier, more dangerous end. Jason’s theft targets the safety deposit box of the stern Merchant, and Shmally’s egg‑throwing vigilante act adds a domestic counterpoint to the night’s capers. As the night progresses, Rick learns of his impending firing and begins to offer each robber a route back into the bank—staff repositioned as managers—prompting a tense dance of allegiance and betrayal.

When the dust settles, they quit one by one, leaving Rick to extend an offer to Carter to take the assistant manager role. In the epilogue, trajectories diverge in telling ways: Carter works his way up to the assistant manager position; Max and Stu relocate to Las Vegas to pursue new chances; Jason heads south and is never seen again; Sheila enrolls at UCLA, seeking a chance to redefine her future. The film closes on a portrait of choices made under pressure, where revenge, ambition, and opportunity intersect in a small desert town.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:22