Tag Archives: Live Action

January 17, 2014 – The Disney Channel Original Movie Cloud 9 Premieres

“Now this is what I call fashionably late.”

On January 17, 2014, the Disney Channel Original Movie Cloud 9 premiered. It was written by Justin Ware, Don D. Scott, and Katie Wech, and directed by Paul Hoen. It starred Dove Cameron as Kayla, Luke Benward as Will, Mike C. Manning as Nick Swift, and Kiersey Clemmons as Skye Sailor.

The movie begins with Kayla Morgan, a spoiled teenager, arriving home to find a present from her father before remembering that she’s late to arrive at her snowboarding competition. Kayla is a snowboarding champion, and although she manages to score well, her prima donna behavior frustrates her teammates and her coach. Meanwhile, Will Cloud is working in his family’s kennel, wishing to put his snowboarding past behind him. He runs into Kayla and her boyfriend Nick on the slopes, with Kayla revealing that Will was a legend in the making, but had to leave it all behind after an accident. Will’s friends try to convince him to snowboard again, but he still refuses. That night, Kayla and Nick arrive at a special party for the team, and Nick’s father, Coach Swift, thinks that Nick’s best isn’t good enough. But the excitement still rises when Coach Swift reveals that the upcoming Fire & Ice competition will be broadcast on national television, but Kayla soon finds Nick being berated by his father.

Kayla and Nick head out after the party, with Nick admitting he wants to try the dangerous move, the “Cloud 9”

Later that night, Kayla and Nick talk more about the competition, with Nick wanting to do the “Cloud 9” – the move that cost Will his snowboarding career. They find Will’s sled behind the sign for the resort and decide to take it for a ride, which ends with Kayla crashing through the sign and destroying Will’s sled. Nick and the rest of the team abandon Kayla, leaving Kayla to take the blame. To pay for Will’s sled, her parents decide that Kayla’s punishment is to work at Will’s family kennel every day after school. Will isn’t happy about the arrangement, and tells Kayla that she’s not good at anything except shopping; furthermore, she’s decent but lazy on the slopes, and only made the Swift team because her father owns the resort. The next day, Kayla heads into the kennel, but argues with Will from the beginning. Things get worse for Kayla when Coach Swift kicks her off the team for her antics, even though the boys on the team were also guilty, and Nick tells her that she’s only a champion because the competition was fixed so her father would keep financing the team. Kayla is crushed, as she feels she’s a fake.

Kayla continues to work at the kennel, but runs into trouble every which way, especially as one of the dogs manages to free the others and they all escape. Kayla chases them to the nearby hangout, and finds her boyfriend with his friends. At her low point, he decides to dump her, as he says he needs to focus on her training. She arrives back with all the dogs and starts to cry about her misfortune, and is even more crushed when she is not fired from the kennel job. She confides in her friends that she really liked Nick, but Pia reassures Kayla that this can only mean that something incredible could come out of all of this. Inspired, Kayla strikes up a deal with Will: she’ll help fix up the kennel if he’ll train her for Fire & Ice. Will refuses, however, as the injury the other year nearly cost him his life. Kayla continues to badger him, although he doesn’t think she’s serious enough to compete. Kayla is even more determined to win when she finds that she’s already been replaced on her old team. Will finally decides to help her, and she joins his old team.

Kayla’s world collides with Will’s after she joins his old team

Kayla’s friends are surprised to hear of Kayla’s plans, but Kayla is ready to take on her old team and their new teammate, Skye Sailor. Kayla and Skye have a confrontation at the resort lodge, with Kayla challenging her. Kayla decides, with Will’s lecturing, that she needs to show Skye what she’s made of on the slopes, and starts practicing. Kayla gets better and better, much to Will’s surprise. Kayla also renovates the kennel, with Will and his mother loving the change. Will’s mom thanks Kayla for making Will happy again, as it was thought that he’d never be the same after his accident. Later, Will and Kayla get ice cream, with Will admitting that Kayla looks like a real threat. Kayla tries to convince Will to try boarding again and competing in Fire & Ice, and he promises that he’ll think about it. The next morning, Kayla overhears her father saying that there’s no way that Kayla can win against Team Swift, but that only makes Kayla want to win more, and asks Will to teach her the Cloud 9. Will refuses, and tells her that she doesn’t believe in herself enough. She then decides to head up to the top of the tallest peak so she can snowboard down and prove that she has no fear.

Kayla is nervous when she reaches the top of the peak, but keeps telling herself that nothing’s impossible. The helicopter films her performance, sending the feed live back to the resort, with everyone watching as she makes her way down. She does well for the first part, until an avalanche basically follows her down the peak, and she wipes out. Will hurriedly makes his way up the resort to save her with one of the dogs from the kennel, and manages to pull her out unharmed. She once again tries to convince Will to teach her the Cloud 9, and he reluctantly agrees. Will also agrees to get back on the board, and heads out on a practice run. Kayla gets slightly distracted when she finds her old boyfriend Nick dating Skye, but realizes that she may have feelings for Will. Will begins teaching her the Cloud 9, which is a move with three rotations in the air. Kayla tries again and again to get the move, but continues to fall. She continues to practice into the night, with Skye and Coach Swift watching. Skye tells Coach Swift that Kayla isn’t the pampered princess he made her out to be, but can actually ride.

Will is afraid of Kayla getting hurt, and decides to stop teaching her the Cloud 9

Will decides not to let Kayla practice the Cloud 9 anymore, as he’s afraid that she’ll get injured the way he did. The two finally share a kiss, and Kayla reassures him that she’s all in, and needs him to believe in her. She runs into Coach Swift on her way home, and he apologizes to her for kicking her off the team and asks her for another chance, inviting her back on the team before Fire & Ice. Although it looks like Kayla is rejoining Team Swift, she decides to stay with Team Hotdoggers. The Fire & Ice competition begins, and the teams are doing really well. Finally, it’s time for Kayla’s competition, and Kayla has an incredible first run, beating Skye Sailor. For the second run, Skye takes the lead, with Kayla needed a near perfect score to beat her. Before Kayla heads up, her father finds her to apologize for not believing in her. Coach Swift berates the scene between Kayla and her father, and Nick loses it, as he’s tired of his dad not giving him any praise, and tells her the truth: on Coach Swift’s orders, Nick steered the sled into the sign so there was a reason to kick Kayla off the team. This news makes Kayla all the more determined to win the competition with the Cloud 9. She heads out on her run, and nails the Cloud 9, achieving the perfect score necessary to win not only the women’s division, but the overall competition for her team.

January 12, 2001 – The Disney Channel Original Movie Zenon: The Zequel Premieres

“However, Zenon is also 15-years-old, and everything in her stellanarious life is about to change forever…”

On January 12, 2001, the Disney Channel Original Movie Zenon: The Zequel premiered. It was a sequel to the highly successful Disney Channel Original Movie Zenon: Girl of the 21^st Century, both of which were based on the book by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. This film was written by Stu Kreiger and directed by Manny Coto. It starred Kristen Storms as Zenon Kar, Shadia Simmons as Nebula, Lauren Maltby as Margie, Philip Rhys as Proto Zoa, and Stuart Pankin as Commander Plank.

Zenon is walking along the corridor of the space station with her friend Nebula, still able to cash in on her status as a hero and enter restricted zones. Zenon thinks she’s discovered a new game, but doesn’t realize that she’s actually managed to destroy the office of Commander Plank by opening and closing the emergency airlock doors, sending everything out into space. Plank manages to see the remnants of his office float past the space station doors, landing Zenon in a world of trouble. Things get worse when Zenon’s boyfriend Greg dumps her, and she believes that her old enemy Margie had something to do with it. Zenon is called to Plank’s new office, and punishes her by making her work in the Alien Patrol Lab. Lab Worker Orion has been working there for five years, and had no signals from aliens the entire time. Zenon doesn’t want to work with Orion, as she finds the task pointless, but Plank gives her no other option.

Zenon is startled her first night in the lab, thinking an alarm clock noise was contact from aliens

Zenon begins her first night in the lab, bored out of her mind, when the alarms go off. She panics, thinking she’s found an alien signal, only to find that the sound was an alarm clock to wake her up. She heads home and vents to her mom about the downturn in her life, which gets worse when her favorite singer Proto Zoa hasn’t been since the concert at the space station. The entire space station is soon called to an emergency meeting, with everyone finding out that the US Military will now take over the station. Everyone panics, as they think this means the end of the space station. Zenon is soon called to meet General Hammond, who is leading the space station project, and is tasked to take care of his daughter: Zenon’s enemy, Margie. Margie threatens Zenon that, should Zenon not bend to every whim of Margie’s, she’ll ask her father to throw Zenon and her family off the station and back to Earth. Zenon plays along at first, but then decides to get even after she’s had enough.

Zenon continues her work in the lab, when one night she observes some signals spiking the meter. She calls Commander Plank, but everyone thinks that she has just heard a satellite from another country. Zenon gets more dejected when she finds her friends hanging out with Margie while Zenon has to work in the lab. Back in the lab, she sees another spike, bigger than the one before. She calls Commander Plank again, and General Hammond shows up with him. Not only does Hammond not believe Zenon, but he thinks that the lab should be considered for deactivation. Zenon’s world seems to be crashing around her, with everyone mocking her and losing her best friend to Margie. Later, she gets a message on her phone about the spikes, and realizes that the sound she’s been hearing is reminiscent of the famous Proto Zoa song “Supernova Girl.” After talking it over with Orion, both realize that the aliens want to meet the missing rocker. While trying to solve this mystery, Zenon finds out that Nebula and her family are about to be sent back to Earth. Zenon ups her plan to save the station so she can save her best friend. As the two set up their plan, Margie is seen spying on them.

Nebula and her family say their goodbyes, although Zenon is suspiciously nowhere in sight

The next morning, Nebula and her family are saying their goodbyes, while Zenon is off setting their plan into action: stowing away and heading to Earth. Zenon breaks out of her crate, only to find Margie there waiting for her. Zenon is furious that Margie followed her, but nevertheless they continue to Zenon’s aunt’s house. While there, they come up with a game plan to find Proto Zoa and bring him back to the space station, after using his lyrics to track down his location. Proto Zoa has been in recluse mode since the space station concert, as he believes that he’s reached the peak of his career and can’t go any further. Back at the space station, Margie has left a message for her father saying that Zenon kidnapped her, and the General is furious enough to go confront Zenon’s parents. Zenon’s aunt calls, revealing the truth. Margie and Zenon finally find Proto Zoa’s house, and they explain to him what they’d heard. He doesn’t want to go as he thinks that there’s no challenge in heading back to space, but is convinced when she tells him he will be the first singer to perform before aliens. Zenon checks the message she received from the aliens again, and finds that they had sent her a map as well, which she quickly sends to Orion. Things hit a snag when Zenon finds that Margie set her up to look like a kidnapper, but Zenon convinces Margie to call her father, tell him the truth, and send a shuttle to take all three back to the space station. When Margie calls, however, she ends up watching her father in a meeting, relaying the true intention of the military’s presence on the shuttle: destroy the entire space station and scrap the entire mission.

Aunt Judy relays all of the news back to Commander Plank, and finally convinces him to believe in Zenon’s story. Orion is able to decipher the map, and Plank convinces Hammond to let him pilot the shuttle that will be used to pick up the trio. Zenon and Margie finally have it out with each other, with Margie admitting that after moving around so much due to her father’s job, she doesn’t know how to fit in. Zenon chastises Margie, telling her to consider that other people have problems as well. Margie, Zenon, and Proto Zoa head to the rendezvous point at Carlson Beach, although they are warned to stay out of sight, as Hammond’s men are looking for them. Unfortunately, as Plank prepares to go, Hammond overhears his plans, and places him under full military arrest. Zenon is undeterred by this setback, and asks the only other person who can fly a shuttle to help: her mother, who ironically has a great fear of flying. After much deliberation, she agrees to fly, picking up Judy, Zenon, Nebula, Margie, and Proto Zoa, and heading to the spot on the map to meet the aliens.

The group waits at the rendezvous point, with Zenon confident that the aliens will show

The group arrives at the rendezvous point, but there are no aliens around. Zenon is a little worried, but has a strong feeling that they will find them. Unfortunately, they completely run out of fuel, as Orion forgot to fill the auxiliary tanks, leaving them floating around in space to get pulled in by the moon’s gravitational field to crash. As they speed towards the moon’s surface, Zenon spots something in the sky, and the aliens pull the ship out of danger to bring them back to the space station in exchange for their navigational information. One of the aliens materializes into the ship and greets Zenon. Zenon is able to understand them for some reason, and they thank her for her help in getting them home. Everyone on the space station is stunned by the view of the aliens, although Hammond is still bent on dismantling the space station. Fortunately for the space station residents, the aliens put the space station back together again and move it back into orbit, disrupting Hammond’s plans and reasons for tearing the station apart. The story ends with Proto Zoa giving another concert in space and dedicating his new song to her, Commander Plank marries Aunt Judy, and Zenon has a new best friend in Margie.

December 2, 2011 – The Disney Channel Original Movie Good Luck Charlie: It’s Christmas Premieres

“Mom, I’m pretty sure Dad’s going to overeat and get heartburn no matter where we are.”

On December 2, 2011, the Disney Channel Original Movie Good Luck Charlie: It’s Christmas premiered. Based on the hit show Good Luck Charlie, it premiered to over 7.1 million viewers. The movie was written by Geoff Rodkey, and directed by Arlene Sanford. It starred Bridgit Mendler as Teddy, Leigh-Allyn Baker as Amy, Bradley Steven Perry as Gabe, Mia Talerico as Charlie, Jason Dolley as PJ, Eric Allan Kramer as Bob, Debra Monk as Petunia, and Michael Kagan as Hank.

The film begins at the Duncans’ house in Denver, 62 hours before Christmas. The family is heading to Palm Springs to visit their grandparents, and Teddy’s mom Amy is stressed out of her mind because she worries that the family will lose their traditions. The rest of the family, however, is excited about heading somewhere warm. Teddy is keeping a secret from her parents: she planned on going away for spring break with her friend Ivy, and hasn’t asked for permission yet. When she asks Amy, she continues to refuse, but Teddy continues to ask. Her father Bob says Teddy can go – providing she can raise the money and buy the ticket before the deadline. Ask they head through the metal detectors, Gabe is noticeably nervous, as it appears that he’s smuggling his game system, but gets caught, delaying the family. As the family rushes to the plane, they just barely make it. The plane is overbooked, and the airline offers a free round-trip ticket to anywhere if someone gives up their seat; finding a way to get to Florida for spring break, Teddy accepts and quickly disembarks. Not letting her daughter get off the plane alone, Amy rushes off the plane, and soon gets in an argument with the airline when they find that the next available flight is in three days.

Teddy tries to convince her mom to take a bus to Palm Springs after getting kicked out of the airport

After Amy and Teddy are escorted from the airport, Amy is further stressed by the fact that they have no way of getting to Palm Springs. Trying to prove she is responsible, Teddy comes up with the idea to take the bus. Meanwhile, the rest of the family arrives in California, with Bob worried about spending eighteen hours alone with Amy’s mother Petunia, as she doesn’t care for Bob. Petunia has left several priceless Christmas decorations out, refusing to childproof her home for Charlie’s arrival, and berates Bob on his bad parenting when he asks nicely if some of the decorations can be put away. While taking the bus, Amy is continuously carsick, much to the disgust of the other passengers, and the pair are kicked off. Teddy tries to calmly reason with the driver, but Amy, once again, gets into a confrontation, leaving Amy and Teddy alone in the mountains. They then have to walk eight miles in the snow to the nearest car rental place. Back in Palm Springs, Charlie is left alone for two seconds, and nearly destroys Petunia’s crystal reindeer. While Bob manages to save the reindeer, Petunia believes that Bob was trying to ruin it. Meanwhile, Gabe teaches his grandfather Hank about the wide world of video games. The situation in Palm Springs doesn’t get better as Petunia continues to berate Bob for his “bad parenting,” at one point giving him a time out by locking him in a room.

As Amy and Teddy walk, Teddy asks her mom what is going on, as Amy has been having rather serious mood swings. They fortunately make it to the rental place, only to find that it’s not a rental place, and the only car they can find is a clunker for $50. The car goes so slowly, they fear they won’t get there in time. When they reach a large curved hill, the car begins to fall apart as it begins to snow. After a torturous drive, they manage to make it to a motel, where they sleep in the car overnight. When trying to adjust the seat, the car completely falls apart, leaving the two once again stranded, with the only option of hitchhiking. They meet a couple on their way to Las Vegas, and ask for a ride after buying them breakfast. In Palm Springs, all three Duncan boys end up locked in the same room, hiding away from Amy’s parents. Amy and Teddy are relieved to get a ride, only to find that their Good Samaritans are heading to an alien abduction convention. While trying to convince the couple that they haven’t been abducted by aliens before, Amy’s secret is finally revealed: she’s pregnant.

After arriving in Las Vegas , Teddy and Amy wish their saviors farewelll before Teddy asks why Amy didn’t say anything about being pregnant

The pair arrive at Las Vegas, and Teddy argues with her mom, wondering why Amy never told her. As they argue, they don’t realize that their luggage has been stolen. Amy calls Bob, and Bob, Gabe, and PJ head to Las Vegas to pick them up. In a fit of desperation, Bob leaves Charlie behind with Petunia, although Petunia doesn’t know how to stop Charlie from breaking things. In Las Vegas, Teddy and Amy wander the streets, and Teddy has finally had enough with her mother’s complaining, especially since she’s tried to be the grownup the entire time. Amy then blames Teddy for ruining Christmas, and Teddy walks off, leaving Amy alone. That evening, as Teddy is starving, she decides to sing and dance for some spare change so she can get a sandwich. Amy tries to help her, and the two inadvertently create a comedy routine to the delight of the people around them. As Bob and the boys head through the desert to pick the girls up, they are soon stopped by a horde of strange men with guns. After Teddy and Amy go to a buffet, they find they girl who stole their luggage and confront her, but are sympathetic to the poor girl’s plight and decide to listen to her story.

After the three Duncans are kidnapped, the strange men accuse the three of stealing some kind of stone. After they leave, Gabe reveals that they’ve stumbled upon a live-action role playing paintball game, and they will be trapped until after Christmas. The three manage to break free, and Gabe’s video game experience helps the three get back to their car, although Gabe would rather win the game. In Las Vegas, Teddy and Amy console the girl named Jordan, who reveals that her mom told her that if she went to a music festival, she could never go home. Amy manages to talk to the Jordan’s mom, and Jordan is able to go home, although she can’t afford any plane fare. Teddy gives up her round-trip ticket so Jordan is able to head home for Christmas, and Amy admits that she’s very proud of her daughter. When Amy receives a text from Bob that he’s running late, she and Teddy decide to find a car rental and meet them halfway. Unable to find a car rental, they use the next best thing: a tandem bicycle. Back at the game, Gabe is close to leading the Duncans to victory, although Bob is taken out, leaving Gabe to head all alone to the prize while PJ tends to Bob. Gabe then meets his hero, the creator of his favorite video game, and the creator pays them back for their win by giving them a ride in his helicopter to meet Amy and Teddy at a roadside cafe. Amy’s parents also arrive at the diner with Charlie, and they all head inside the café to celebrate Christmas.

November 20, 1999 – The Disney Channel Original Movie Horse Sense Premieres

“What has gotten into you? It’s as if you dropped any sense of responsibility.”

On November 20, 1999, the Disney Channel Original Movie Horse Sense premiered. It was followed by a sequel in 2001 called Jumping Ship. The film was directed by Greg Beeman, and written by Chad Hayes. It starred Andy Lawrence as Tommy, Joey Lawrence as Michael, Susan Walters as Jules, M.C. Gainey as Twister, Steve Reevis as Mule, and Freda Foh Shen as Arlene.

The film begins with life on Tommy Biggs’s family ranch, where his mom is making a hearty breakfast. He’s seen carving a whistle for his cousin Michael, and quickly heads with him mom to the kitchen, and admits that maybe he shouldn’t go as there’s a lot to worry about. His mom convinces him to go, although she’s hesitant to describe what Beverly Hills is really like. Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, Michael Woods is only getting up from bed after noon, and heads to the kitchen where he grabs a wheat grass from his housekeeper Arlene. His mom reminds him that he needs to pick up his cousin, but he has a date with his new girlfriend. She reminds him that Tommy’s had a hard time after losing his father. He finally gets to class, and gets a poor score on his exam about land trusts. Unfortunately, after spending time with his girlfriend, he’s over 30 minutes late in picking up his cousin. While he does pick up Tommy, he spends most of his time flirting with his girlfriend on the phone and shopping. Michael’s parents are heading out of town, leaving the two of them alone. Once again, however, Michael blows Tommy off to spend time with his girlfriend. Tommy bonds with Arlene while Michael continuously blows him off. Arlene then lets him have it when Michael enters the kitchen one morning, but Michael promises to take Tommy to Disneyland that day. On the way out, Michael apologizes for bailing so many times, but soon gets a call from his girlfriend, and once again bails on Tommy, dropping him off at a toddler day care.

Michael arrives home to find Tommy watching television, and they get into a huge argument

When he rushes away from meeting Gina, he ends up crashing his car; after this, he gets stuck in the kids’ playground looking for Tommy. Tommy in the end called Arlene to pick him up, and Michael arrives home to find a very hurt Tommy. The two have a huge fight, although Tommy covers for him in front of Michael’s parents. After Tommy goes to the airport, Michael arrives home that night to meet his very angry parents, as they found out the truth from Tommy’s mom. The situation gets worse when the cops show up, and his parents are sorely disappointed in him. The punishment they decide for him, however, is for him to grow up: work on Tommy’s ranch for the next month, and he will lose his trip to Europe if he slacks off just a little bit. Michael soon arrives in Montana, wearing a gaudy “western” outfit, much to the amusement of Tommy and his Aunt Jules. Tommy has more important things on his mind, however, when his mom gives him a sad look after her meeting at the bank. Arriving at the ranch, Michael meets Mule and Twister, two farmhands on the ranch; Mule is pretty easy-going, but Twister is much more critical of Michael. Tommy starts exacting his revenge on Michael the first night by telling him to stay up as late as he wants. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize he needs to get up at 4:30 in the morning, and is given a wake-up call in the form of a triangle. He blackmails Michael into getting up to work, much to Michael’s dismay.

Michael begins his first day on the ranch with no breakfast, as he’s not used to breakfast like Jules makes. Tommy then gives Michael some impossible chores to do, starting with shoveling manure from one area to another with nothing but a shovel and a wheelbarrow. Michael ends up falling into the manure at one point, and is embarrassed when he finds he could have used a tractor to move the pile. Later that evening, Tommy and Jules talk, and it is clear that their farm will be foreclosed, with everything sold at auction in four weeks. Jules thinks they should keep it from Michael, which Tommy agrees. Jules and Michael talk, and he asks about the treehouse in the corner, and Jules reveals that it was a project Tommy and his father started before he got sick. She gets visibly upset thinking about her husband, but Michael falls asleep before he can notice. The next day, Michael helps with the branding of the cattle, and Tommy gives Michael a horse called Slingshot, although Michael picks another horse, simply called Black. Black, however, is rather temperamental, and does not like to be kicked; after Michael kicks him, Black bucks him off into the pen with Goliath, the bull, who attacks him. Finally, Tommy, Michael, Mule, and Twister, and Jules head out to herd the cattle, with Michael having obvious trouble. That night, as they set up camp, Michael is given more tasks, including being on first watch for wolves. He is warned not to spook the cattle, and is given jerky and a flashlight for his trouble.

While on watch for wolves, Michael talks to his girlfriend, complaining about everything once again

Michael calls his girlfriend while on watch, and ignores the sound of a wolf. He gets a call on his cell phone, which spooks his horse and the cattle, and they stampede. Michael gets stuck in a tree, and when the group finds him, they are all but disappointed in his antics. The next day, Michael is told that he has to repair all the fences that were destroyed in the stampede. Tommy tricks Michael into loading the poles for the fence into a broken down truck, and after learning the truth, he heads out to where Tommy is to confront him; he makes the situation much worse when he tells Tommy that he never cared about him, and that at the reunion he had no choice but to hang out with a “snot-nosed seven-year-old,” as he was so bored. As Michael lays about, he is confronted by Twister, who informs him that Tommy and Jules are going to lose their ranch, and no one told him because he wouldn’t give a damn anyway. Troubled by the news about the farm, Michael can’t sleep, and decides to try and take things a little more seriously, starting with riding Black and fixing the entire fence. One evening, he sees Tommy watching a herd of wild horses, and he apologizes for the cruel things he said, as they weren’t true. The two bond over talking about the wild horses, and Michael asks he never said anything about the ranch. Tommy admits that one by one bad things happened, and so they’re moving into one of his uncle’s old trailers, but why would Michael care, as he’s soon heading to Europe with his girlfriend. Michael rushes back home to call his father, asking for advice. Michael’s father admits that he knew and offered to help, but Tommy and Jules refused, as they didn’t want to take the easy way out, believing that rewards should come from their hard work.

The next day, Michael tries to convince Twister to start a pyramid scheme to save the ranch, although Twister sees right through the plan. Michael doesn’t understand the pride that Jules and Tommy have, and Twister explains that this situation happens to a lot of ranchers and farmers. Michael and Jules see Tommy working on the treehouse, and Michael decides to help finish it while Tommy is away at a family gathering. When Tommy gets home, he’s furious, as it was Tommy’s and his dad’s, not for Michael to touch, and starts to disassemble it. When Michael talks to his girlfriend, she is horrified to hear of all the things he has to do, and he is frustrated with her shallow personality. The next day as he works, he sees the wild horses run past, and Tommy runs to get him, as one of the wild horses, named Tommy Boy, is stuck in the mud, and is going to die if they don’t help. Michael helps Tommy get close to Tommy Boy, and Tommy helps guide the horse out, keeping him calm. After this, Michael quickly packs to head back to Beverly Hills, and apologizes once again for his poor behavior when Tommy visited. As Jules drives Michael to the airport, they are followed by Tommy on his horse, and he gives Michael a hand-carved whistle. Back in Beverly Hills, Michael heads to the race track again with his girlfriend and her father, and is reminded of all the wild horses on Tommy’s ranch. As they try to get a picture with the horse, it gets spooked, and Michael steps in to calm it down. Later, as they arrive at his house to take him to Europe, he hesitates, as he’s no longer convinced that he should go. He tells his girlfriend he’s not going, sells his car, and liquidates some of the assets in his trust fund.

Thinking that there’s nothing else they can do, Jules and Tommy start packing up their home

Back in Montana, Tommy and Jules are packing up the house, when Michael arrives, giving them a check to help them save the ranch, but Jules turns him down. Michael claims that it’s an investment, but Jules thinks that it’s time to move on. She reassures him that they will be fine, but Michael isn’t convinced. The auction for the items in the house begins the next day, and everyone is depressed. As he helps Tommy pull out a trunk, they talk about school, and Michael realizes that his class on land trusts could help save the farm. Michael talks with his father, then heads into town on Black, stopping by the bank. He convinces the bank that Jules’ ranch qualifies for a land trust, and heads back to the ranch. He ends the auction, and tells Jules that he got them a 30-day extension, as they can be certified as a land trust, and their debt will be cleared. They won’t own the land, but they will be paid to stay on the land and manage it. Jules and Tommy let Michael stay with them as long as he would like, and the film ends with Tommy asking Michael to work on the treehouse.