Two Weeks to Live

Two Weeks to Live

Year: 1943

Runtime: 76 mins

Language: English

Director: Malcolm St. Clair

ComedyActionAdventure

When a small‑town duo known as the “Back‑Home” boys discover that their friend Abner has been mistakenly diagnosed with only two weeks left to live, his partner devises a plan to profit by staging a series of increasingly dangerous stunts for city audiences, turning their misfortune into a chaotic hustle.

Two Weeks to Live (1943) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Two Weeks to Live (1943) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In the sleepy crossroads of Pine Ridge, Arkansas, the modest Abner Peabody tends the Jot ’Em Down general store with a quiet pride that belies the town’s lingering hardships. Beside him is his ebullient partner Lum Edwards, a dreamer whose boundless optimism turns every ordinary transaction into a promise of something larger. Their friendship is the kind forged in long, idle afternoons and shared ambitions, a bond that makes even the most mundane errands feel like the first steps toward a grander destiny.

When a routine doctor’s visit delivers a shocking misdiagnosis—only two weeks left to live—Abner suddenly faces a ticking clock that reshapes his outlook. Rather than succumbing to despair, he and Lum decide to wrestle fate into something outrageous: they head for the city with a plan to turn their looming tragedy into a chaotic hustle. The duo begins plotting a series of increasingly daring, crowd‑pleasing stunts, hoping that the thrill of danger and the promise of quick cash can eclipse the shadow of the diagnosis.

The film swings between bucolic charm and frenetic city energy, stitching together slapstick humor with a touch of dark absurdity. Abner’s grounded sensibility clashes delightfully with Lum’s flamboyant scheming, creating a partnership that is simultaneously earnest and reckless. As they chase ever‑riskier opportunities, the story captures the tension between small‑town simplicity and the glittering, unpredictable lure of urban spectacle, inviting the audience to wonder just how far two friends will go when time itself seems to be on sale.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 09:59

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Movies with chaotic get-rich-quick schemes like Two Weeks to Live

Stories driven by naive characters pursuing ill-advised money-making plans.Find more movies like Two Weeks to Live featuring naive dreamers and their absurd money-making schemes. If you enjoyed the fast-paced, slapstick chaos of characters stumbling through misguided hustles, you'll love these similar comedies and adventures.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern revolves around a simple, flawed premise—often a get-rich-quick idea or a well-intentioned lie—that snowballs into uncontrollable chaos. Characters are propelled by naive optimism through a rapid sequence of escalating events, where each attempted solution only creates a bigger, funnier problem.

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Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared focus on comedic chaos born from simple, bad ideas. They feature a fast pace, light tone, and a sense of mischievous fun as characters navigate the ridiculous consequences of their own actions.

Movies with farcical domino effects like Two Weeks to Live

Where one small misunderstanding triggers an avalanche of ridiculous situations.Discover films similar to Two Weeks to Live that feature absurd chains of events sparked by a simple mistake. If you liked the escalating stunts and chaotic fallout from a misdiagnosis, you'll enjoy these comedies built on a foundation of farcical escalation.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative structure is defined by a foundational comic misunderstanding that logically, yet absurdly, leads to a series of increasingly improbable events. The plot relies on cause-and-effect, but the effects are wildly disproportionate to the causes, creating a sense of controlled, hilarious madness.

Why These Movies?

These movies share a specific comedic rhythm where the plot escalates in a predictably unpredictable way. The joy comes from watching a simple situation spiral into glorious, chaotic nonsense, all while maintaining a lighthearted, optimistic tone.

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Two Weeks to Live Summary

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