A working stiff in Los Angeles, nervous about his upcoming marriage to a nagging girl from his office, takes a sick day to be with his bachelor friend, an irresponsible swinger whose bills have piled up, his wheels repossessed and his unemployment benefits revoked. They end up driving north through California on a lark, but are unable to escape the responsibilities that come with being an adult. Screenwriter James Dixon wants to verbally juxtapose the grind of the grown-up world (marriage, a mortgage and bringing home a weekly income) with the more fanciful behavior of naughty 30-year-old boys out on a toot. It's an intriguing concept for a comedy-drama--and Beau Bridges and Ron Liebman are fabulously cast in the central roles--but neither Dixon nor director Douglas N. Schwartz offer much comment on the leading characters or on the journey they take (with an ending that frustratingly leaves us up in the air). These escapist episodes of bachelorhood are not exactly carefree--both men have a lot to answer for--so there isn't much to involve us other than the ultimate hangover to come. When reality sinks in, we've gotten the message long before the two buddies have. The depressing final act is obviously meant to make a point (don't let this happen to you!), yet Dixon also seems to be saying that life isn't "Easy Rider", and that 30-year-old men should be fiscally-responsible and not looking to spread their wings. ** from ****