Plot
Dutch Dooley attends a ritzy party with his girlfriend, Natalie Standish. He stands out terribly among the upper-class guests as he makes boorish comments and wears a cheap suit. Natalie's relaxed, less rigid personality also does not fit with the other attendees. Dutch meets Natalie's snobbish, wealthy ex-husband Reed, who tells Natalie that he will have to break his Thanksgiving plans with their son Doyle for an unexpected business trip to London, and that Natalie will have to tell Doyle.
Natalie calls Doyle at his private school in Georgia and invites him home for Thanksgiving, but Doyle refuses the offer; he blames her for the divorce. Despite the refusal, Dutch sees an opportunity to get to know Doyle and further his relationship with Natalie, so he offers to go to Georgia and bring Doyle back to Chicago for the holiday.
Upon arriving in Georgia, Dutch finds Doyle to be much like his father: snobbish, selfish and elitist. Mistakenly believing his father has arrived to retrieve him for Thanksgiving, the boy throws a book at Dutch, hits him with a golf club, kicks him, and shoots him in the groin with a BB gun, for which Dutch promises revenge. Dutch ultimately restrains Doyle and carries him to the car to start their journey to Chicago.
The pair endures several mishaps, including an impromptu fireworks show which ruins Dutch's coat. Later, after Doyle throws a lit cigar in Dutch's lap, Dutch throws Doyle out of the car and makes him walk to their motel. Doyle gets even by parking Dutch's car in the middle of the highway, where it is hit and destroyed by a truck. They hitch a ride with two prostitutes who steal their luggage and Dutch's wallet, leaving them stranded.
Doyle calls his father, whom he discovers has lied about his trip to London; he instead spent the holidays with a girlfriend. Stunned by his father's betrayal, and wounded by Dutch's accusation that Doyle "hates his mother", Doyle begins to regret his callous attitude. Dutch initially relents and wants to call Natalie for assistance, but Doyle refuses and insists on getting home on their own. They sneak a ride on the back of a semi-truck. When they are assaulted by security guards at a trailer drop yard, Doyle brandishes his BB gun and feigns insanity, pretending that voices in his head are telling him to kill the guards, which frightens them enough to allow their escape.
Dutch and Doyle enter a restaurant, where they meet a married couple who take them to a homeless shelter in Hammond, Indiana for the night. At the shelter, Doyle grows fond of a young girl and her family. While becoming acquainted, he finally realizes that he has been neglecting his mother and indeed wants to be with her for the holidays.
On Thanksgiving Day, the family drives Dutch and Doyle to Natalie's home, where Reed is waiting. Dutch explains that he owns of a large construction company, and he hires the family's father so they can afford to leave the homeless shelter. Doyle reunites with his mother and reveals to Reed that he knows the truth about his supposed trip to London. When Doyle decides to stay with his mother instead of Reed for Thanksgiving, Reed evicts Natalie from the house, which he owns. Dutch follows Reed outside as he departs and hits Reed. He demands that Reed show more respect to Natalie and become a better father to Doyle, to which a dazed Reed agrees.
As Natalie, Dutch and Doyle sit to begin their Thanksgiving feast, Dutch asks Doyle to retrieve Dutch's coat, as it contains a very special gift for Natalie. As Doyle walks away, Dutch shoots Doyle's BB gun at Doyle, receiving his revenge by shooting him in the groin.
