A slacker is forced to work for his father-in-law after his pregnant wife steps away from her high-paying job.
In Manhattan, Sofia's an attorney and Tom's a cook who has a hard time holding a job. When their first child is born, they agree that she'll be a full-time mom and he'll get a promotion. When he gets fired, he takes a job in Ohio working at the ad agency where her father is assistant director. Tom's assigned to report to Chip, a competitive, hard-driving guy who's in a wheelchair and who's Sofia's ex-boyfriend - from high school. Chip still carries a torch for her, so he connives to make Tom's work life miserable. As Tom's frustrations mount, it may be that Sofia will take Chip's side. Is Tom doomed to fail yet again?—<[email protected]>
Married Sofia Kowalski and Tom Reilly are a high powered environmental lawyer and a chef respectively in New York City, although being a chef is only college-educated but unfocused Tom's latest job in he usually getting fired in standing up for himself and others to unfair bosses or job situations. Despite the inequality in their paychecks, they've decided that Sofia will become a stay-at-home mom when their yet unborn son arrives, making Tom the sole household breadwinner. But when Tom gets fired yet again on the day that Sofia gives birth to son Oliver, Tom believes he has to do the inevitable and take Sofia's father Bob Kowalski's open offer to work at an advertising firm in Sofia's Ohio hometown, the firm at which Bob is a senior manager, with Tom being in an entry-level position in the creative department. Bob has assigned Chip Sanders to be Tom's mentor, Chip who is one of Sofia's high school friends and who Bob treats like the son he never had. Tom not only has to get used to the "touchy-feely" M.O. of the company under the direction of its new president Don Wollebin, but also working under wheelchair-bound Chip, who has been been in a wheelchair since he was a child and who seems quietly to dislike Tom. As Chip subversively tries to ruin Tom in every aspect of his life, Tom begins to believe that Chip's end goal is Sofia when he learns that Sofia and Chip dated and had sex with each other in high school. Tom, who hates almost everything about their new life except Sofia and Oliver, has to convince Bob, but especially Sofia about how horrible a person Chip really is, he who everyone else seems to love and admire. Meanwhile, Sofia too is miserable in Ohio hanging out with the other mommies, especially former classmate, Abby March, although she keeps these feelings to herself in dealing with Tom seemingly going off the rails more so than usual.—Huggo
Living in Manhattan, Tom (Zach Braff) is a cook who has a hard time holding down his job. His wife, Sofia (Amanda Peet), is an attorney and Karen (Marin Hinkle) her assistant. When their first child is born, they agree that she will be a full-time mom, and he will work to get a promotion. Sofia is the more organized one and does her research on every topic thoroughly before making a decision. Tom leaves things till the last minute and relies more on feelings and intuition to make decisions.
Sofia had refused epidural for her surgery, but when the first contraction hits, she begs for the medicines. The anesthesiologist Hakeen Oliver (Romany Malco) had rolled off duty and refused to Tom's request to attend to Sofia. To get Hakeen's attention, Tom steals his car keys and runs all the way to Sofia's room. Hakeem agrees to help Sofia, and, in his honor, they name the baby Oliver.
Tom is a cook who works at the restaurant owned by Leon (Paul Rudd) who is a tough taskmaster and denies leaves to people even for their genuine requirements. Tom's friend Paco stands up to Leon and Leon fires him. In retaliation, Tom pours sauce all over Leon.Tom gets fired over defending his friend Paco (Yul Vazquez). Now Sofia was counting on Tom's promotion to pay the bills with the baby and panics when she hears that Tom has been fired instead. Sofia says that Tom is incapable of making compromises and has this habit of calling things the way it is, that gets him fired. Tom says that this might be a sign from God to move out of New York City.
Tom takes a job in Ohio working at the ad agency where his father-in-law is the assistant director. Sofia's parents are very intrusive and try to control her and Tom's life by making all the decisions on their behalf. Sofia stops having sex with Tom as she says she is breastfeeding their son Oliver.Tom is assigned to report to Chip (Jason Bateman). Chip is a competitive and hard-driving wheelchair-using man who is coincidentally Sofia's ex-boyfriend from high school.Manny (Romany Malco) and Carol (Amy Poehler) are Tom's co-workers. Carol warns Tom to run out of the door as fast he can. Don (Donal Logue) is the owner of the company.
Chip still carries a desire for her, so he conspires to make Tom's work life miserable. Chip makes underhanded comments like Tom got the job through family connections and did not have to earn it like the rest of the staff.Sofia tells Tom that her father loves Chip, as he is the son he never had.On his 2nd day, Tom blows off a lucrative account when he contradicts Chip and says that Direct Mailing is part of the strategy, even though the client had specifically asked not to do junk mail.
When Sofia comes to the office, Chip makes a big deal of doing his cheer-leading routines with her, and calls Tom a loser. Sofia tells Tom that she and Chip had sex once, as he is not completely paralyzed from the waist down.Chip takes Tom to a wheelchair basketball game, where Tom manages to beat Chip. But then Chip tells everyone at the game that Tom can walk, and they all feel that Tom misled them. In the locker room Tom sees that Chip has a large penis and then Carol tells him that Chip has great sexual prowess.As Tom's frustrations mount, Chip begins to sway Sofia to his side. Meanwhile Sofia joins a mother's group with hippie Abby (Amy Adams).
Tom begins to suspect that Chip isn't handicapped at all and goes through his desk. He finds a photo of Chip playing tennis and rushes to his in-laws' house to see his wife and show her the picture. He finds Chip having dinner with Sofia and her parents (Bob (Charles Grodin) & Amelia (Mia Farrow)) and holding Tom's child.
Tom angrily tries to prove that Chip is not actually paralyzed and pulls him up a flight of stairs and drops him, expecting him to stand up to prevent falling. Chip doesn't stand up (the photo actually being his late twin brother) and Tom is humiliated in front of his family.Later, he apprehends Chip outside and fights him, where Chip reveals that he really can walk, but can't fight outside of his chair. After sitting back down, Chip beats him soundly and reveals that he plans to sleep with Sofia, much to Tom's already-increased anger.
Paco, Tom's friend, had called Chip under the guise of being an ad agency boss in Barcelona, telling Chip that he got a job and convincing him to fly to Spain. Excited by the news, Chip goes to Sofia about the news and asks her to come with him. However, Tom confronts them both and convinces her not to go with Chip.
Chip, not liking that Sofia chose Tom over him, callously insults Tom and reveals he "faked his orgasm" to Sofia before gets out of his chair and walks out. While mocking them from outside, Chip is hit by a bus and ends up breaking both his legs.
Tom and Sofia move out of Ohio and Sofia's dad is helping Tom start his own ad company. Tom and Sofia are shown to have switched positions, Tom becoming a stay-at-home dad while Sofia becomes a full-time worker.
Chip is shown in Barcelona in a wheelchair with two broken legs, only now the passive-aggressive routine that worked so well for him when faking paraplegia in Ohio is ignored in Spain. Still insisting he works there, Chip is tossed out of the ad company, and later on Tom's friend sees him on TV in the middle of the running of the bulls.
