Plot
Richard Haig sits across from his young son Jakey, explaining some difficult news. He tells him about his childhood, in which he so much admired his philandering university professor father, he followed in his footsteps.
Also a successful and well-respected Cambridge English professor, outside the classroom Richard indulges in a steady stream of beautiful undergraduates. One of them is Kate, a stunning, athletic, 25-year-old American.
The evening Richard is to meet Kate and her father in a hotel bar, he strikes up a conversation with a woman. As they are flirting Kate arrives, revealing she's her sister Olivia who's come as a surprise. As they are chatting, the women explain their shared father was a secret polygamist. When they met they became best friends, and made a total honesty pact.
After Olivia insists Richard is most likely just seeing her because Kate's leaving for LA, she theorizes that Kate sees him as a father-figure. His girlfriend then tells them she is pregnant, and he is shocked. Visiting his father, looking for support he vehemently opposes Richard's idea of settling down.
This opposition inspires Richard to put his wandering eye behind him, he marries her and agrees to move to Los Angeles to start their family. He is only able to get an unfulfilling job at a local community college where his students are disinterested.
When Jakey is a young boy, he spots Kate riding with someone in a Hummer. So she tells Richard she loves someone else. They separate, Brian moves in and he moves into the pool house.
Two years later, Richard is now telling Jakey about the recent slew of events leading to the present. Having severely hurting his teeth while playing ball with him, a dentist prescribes a medication incompatible with alcohol. Disregarding the warning, at an evening gathering to meet ULA staff Richard drinks, causing him to act strangely at the function, then drive erratically. He's pulled over by the police, who take away his license.
Meanwhile, Olivia catches her author husband Alan cheating, so Kate invites her to stay and help Richard look after Jakey as she is going away with Brian for four days. She has to the driving, while he tries to attend all ten of his mandatory AA meetings, as his immigration meeting to renew his green card is in a few days.
As Richard and Olivia interact while looking after Jakey, their mutual attraction grows. She's impressed by his fathering skills, while he finds himself jealous of Tim, who is in fact her publisher. The chemistry they've had since first meeting resurges and they have a night of passion in the pool house.
Kate and Brian return earlier than expected, taking them by surprise. Sneaking out of Richard's, she jumps naked into the pool, pretending she had been skinny-dipping. Richard comes out nonchalantly to greet them. Next his father shows up, who noone's met, neither his ex daughter-in-law nor his grandson.
When Richard finishes his tenth AA meeting, the coordinator refuses to certify he's done so as he hasn't been repentant. Then the ULA rep sits on his lecture to his disinterested students, so he mixes it up. Thinking he's screwed it up, as Richard's leaving his father a voice message to that effect, the rep presents him with a job offer.
Elated, Richard bursts in at the house, telling Olivia and alluding to their intimate connection, not realizing both Brian and Kate have heard everything. Kate both kicks him out and refuses to support him in the immigration interview, so he loses his case.
As the hour of explaining to Jakey the circumstances of his deportation is up, Richard and he have a tearful goodbye. Deported back to the UK, he resumes lecturing. Soon, his father is hospitalized. When Robert visits him he admires him for his parenting and suggests he go after Olivia.
The will stipulates his ashes be scattered in LA, so Richard sneaks back, making peace with Kate. Then the family go together to Olivia's book launch, where the sisters reconcile. After spreading his father's ashes, he proposes to Olivia.
