You’re a Big Boy Now

Bernard leaves his parents' home in Great Neck to start an independent life in a rooming house run by Miss Nora Thing. The building’s quirky rules include passing a fifth-floor rooster, signaling a bizarre new routine in his daily life. This marks the beginning of his exposure to a freer, more crowded Manhattan existence.

BernardFixates on Barbara Darling, a coldly beautiful actress who captivates him from afar. He follows her performances and becomes more entranced by her than by any other woman. The fixation pulls him away from his previous crushes and his parental expectations.

Amy Partlett, a former classmate, confesses she has a crush on Bernard. Raef Del Grado, a worldly coworker, pushes Bernard toward dating Amy because she’s a ‘sure thing’. The dynamic sets up a potential, if uncomplicated, romance.

Bernard and Amy go on a discotheque date, but Bernard becomes mesmerized by Barbara’s performance and loses interest in Amy. The go-go spectacle pulls his attention away from his date and toward Barbara. This marks a turning point in where his affections truly lie.

Amy offers to spend the night with Bernard, but the rooster attacks Amy during their attempt to reach his room. In the ensuing commotion, Miss Thing tumbles down the stairs and breaks her arm. Bernard’s mother then blames Amy, calling her a tramp and forbidding Bernard from seeing her again.

Bernard's father and Miss Thing are caught in a timelocked vault filled with rare erotica after she reports Bernard’s nocturnal absence. The experience horrifies Miss Thing and she dashes out, creating a scandalous impression of an impropriety. The vault episode adds tension to the family dynamics.

During the vault incident, Amy tells Bernard that his father has made a pass at her. This revelation compounds Bernard’s confusion and deepens the sense that the family dynamics are complicating his romantic life. The confrontation exposes hidden tensions at home.

Barbara invites Bernard to move in with her, a convenient option since Miss Thing has just evicted him. The arrangement hints at a smoother path, but the unstable foundation foreshadows future upheaval. Bernard steps toward a new living situation driven by Barbara's lure.

At Barbara's apartment, Bernard remains unable to perform sexually. His confusion grows, and he tentatively asks Barbara to marry him, though neither seems to take the proposal seriously. The moment captures his growing inner turmoil and reliance on Barbara for identity.

Bernard returns to the library where Amy and his parents discuss how to handle the situation. Barbara and Raef arrive with Bernard's dog and announce that they are engaged, shifting the power dynamics and intensifying Bernard’s sense of loss and displacement.

In a wild turn, Bernard grabs his father's prized Gutenberg Bible and bolts through a street parade, pursued into a department store. The chase mixes slapstick with danger as bystanders react to the spectacle. The Bible becomes the flashpoint for a costly mistake.

Barbara knocks Bernard out with a mannequin's leg, stopping the theft and saving the Gutenberg Bible for the City of New York. The newspapers celebrate her, giving her sudden fame. In the aftermath, she ends things with Raef.

Bernard is jailed for attempted theft, but Amy posts his bail. He realizes that Amy is the girl for him, and they leave together, signaling a tentative, more hopeful future away from the earlier chaos.