The Out of Towners

Henry and Nancy are a long-married couple living in a quiet Ohio town. Unbeknownst to Nancy, Henry has just lost his job due to corporate downsizing and he has an interview in New York, which sets their plan in motion.

Their plane bound for New York is rerouted to Boston because of bad weather. The detour foreshadows the chaos to come as they scramble to adjust to new plans.

Upon arrival, their luggage is lost and their attempt to continue to NYC is thwarted. They end up renting an overly expensive car after missing the train to NYC.

The couple is mugged at gunpoint, introducing theft and danger into their misadventure. Their daughter Susan has used the only credit card Henry still had, pushing the card to its limit.

They are thrown out of their hotel by the pompous manager Mersault. With nowhere to stay, they are forced to improvise and keep moving.

Nancy decides to locate Susan at her apartment, but unfriendly neighbors drive them away. Their attempt to reconnect with their daughter fails in the face of suspicion.

They duck into a church and stumble into a Sexaholics Anonymous meeting. When pressed to share, Nancy confesses they have not had sex for months, and Henry reveals the source of the strain—the layoff.

They return to the hotel to search for their bags and realize they still have no luggage. At a bar, Nancy lets a man named Greg flirt with her to obtain his room key; they order room service, but Greg catches them and calls the police.

Sneaking onto a balcony, they slip onto the floor below and witness Mersault secretly cross-dressing in guests' clothing. Forced to live with limited options, the couple ends up in a stolen taxi and must jump from the moving car.

In Central Park, the couple become amorous and are quickly discovered, chased by mounted police. They fall asleep in a lean-to, and in the morning Henry is arrested for indecent exposure.

Nancy uses leverage to blackmail Mersault into helping them. Mersault's cooperation becomes pivotal to their escape from trouble.

Henry aces his job interview and secures a fresh start. The couple, with Mersault in drag, begins to settle into a new life in New York City.

They take permanent residency at a hotel in NYC, choosing to stay together. They and Mersault (still in drag) go to see their daughter Susan perform on Broadway.

Mersault remains openly in full drag as the family embraces their new life, underscoring the movie’s theme of resilience and unconventional happiness.