Logline
After a stubbornly romantic teenager discovers her widowed father is in a new relationship, she follows her first kiss across the state only to realize “true love” is not always what it seems.
Synopsis
It’s the big, end-of-the-school-year bash, and Ariel gets her chance. Jacob, the handsome jock she’s been sighing over the whole year has finally noticed her. But just as they share her first kiss, her curfew bell tolls, and Ariel is rushed home by her cousin—and best friend—Finley. It doesn’t matter. Nothing can lessen the excitement of the moment for this stubbornly romantic teenager.
At home, Ariel happily shares her news with her widowed father, Joaquin, who has inadvertently reinforced her idealistic views of love. The next morning, still high on the first rush of “true love,” Ariel leaves with Finley for her first day of work at Amoeba Records only to find Jacob waiting outside her door. But he isn’t there to kick-off the romance of her fantasy, he’s come to tell her he’s moving to Palo Alto. That afternoon.
Though Ariel is shocked by this unexpected dilemma, she’s in no way cowed and goes on to have an interesting first day of work. At Amoeba Records, she meets Rowan, a serious and mature young man who can’t seem to get to work on time and is often bemused by Ariel’s bubbly nature and seemingly unflappable optimism.
The relationship between Ariel and Rowan is believable and sweet, especially since Rowan’s reason for not immediately admitting his feelings… is surprisingly respectful and kind. – The Black List
But the confidence she has found while merchandising—her new artistic outlet—is challenged when Ariel arrives at her family’s car restoration shop to discover her father wrapped in a torrid embrace with a strange woman. He reveals he has been seeing her in secret for months. Devastated by what she sees as a betrayal of her dead mother—and the trust she shares with her father—Ariel decides she has only one choice: She’s going to chase Jacob halfway across the state and prove that “this is true love!”
Saving up her paychecks to fund her madcap road trip, Ariel also takes on the project of restoring an old Corolla waggon, worrying her father who thinks she should be focusing on her art school applications. But with their relationship so strained, he doesn’t push and Ariel’s motivation to finish the car remains a mystery.
Throughout the summer, Rowan and Ariel develop a deeper friendship, despite their opposing ideas on love (he can’t believe she thinks stalking is a valid romantic gesture!) and find common ground in their interest in music and art. When Ariel learns that Rowan and Jacob are both attending a concert in Palo Alto the same weekend she has an art school interview in San Francisco, she sees it as a sign and pulls Rowan into her ridiculous adventure.
Just before the summer ends, Ariel, Finley, and Rowan hit the road. Hours spent in the confines of a car draw the three even closer together. Ariel learns that Rowan—a DACA recipient struggling with the deportation of his father—is studying to become an immigration lawyer. Rowan learns that Ariel’s mother was a police officer killed in the line of duty. They both learn that no one’s life is perfect and that everyone meets their struggles in their own way.
There are many excellent moments that make this project stand out, including the funny takes on romantic comedies by both Ariel and Rowan… – The Black List
By the night of the concert, the three friends have devised a plan: Ariel and Rowan will pretend to be an item to make Jacob jealous and make it seem that he’s the one doing the chasing. The plan works all too well, but Jacob isn’t everything he had seemed and Ariel ends up with a horrible expectation-hangover. Too embarrassed to tell Rowan the truth—especially now that she’s discovered she has feelings for him—she pretends everything went perfectly to plan.
But something has shifted inside Ariel. Everything she learned about herself during her misadventure helps her nail her art school interview and she’s able to return home feeling like she’s accomplished exactly what she needed to. She gains perspective on her father’s new romance and reconciles with him. Then as Ariel gets ready for her last day at Amoeba, she reveals that the Toyota she’s been working on all summer had been intended for Rowan all along. How is he supposed to keep his feelings for her to himself after such a grand gesture? He can’t, of course, and decides to reveal his heart in Ariel’s own language: declaring his feelings in song before the entire record store. This time, Ariel’s first kiss means everything she dreamed it would.