Waiting for Tom Hanks 1
Kerry Winfrey
1. Annie grew up with her mother’s obsession with romantic comedy movies. Her dad died when she was still a baby, but her mom said he adored her and Annie expects the same from her significant other. Her mother died when she was a teenager. Her uncle moved into the old Victorian house she lived in so she wouldn’t my have to switch schools in the middle of high school. Now that she is out of college with a degree in film, she writes online articles to pay the bills and hopes on day she’ll get to write a great romantic comedy. She currently isn’t sure how to write one as she has never been in love. Annie still lives in the same house with her Uncle Don. She comes home on a Thursday night to him and his friends playing Dungeons and Dragons. Don greets her, but quickly get called back to the game by his dungeon master friend. Chloe goes to the same room she has had since she was a kid.
2. The next day, Annie walks to the coffee shop down the street. Her best friend, Chloe works there (and goes to business school). Annie finds the atmosphere perfect for writing except for Chloe distracting her. Chloe wants Annie to be more realistic when looking for a significant other. She thinks Annie doesn’t give guys a proper chance. Annie refuses to settle for less than what she really wants. She doesn’t think she’ll meet someone through a setup or dating app and insists it be organic. Chloe tells her there was an article in the Dispatch about a romantic comedy being filmed locally starring Drew Danforth. She jokes about Annie and him meeting and falling in love, but Annie protests he is not the Tim Hanks type of guy she is looking for. He is known as a prankster and doesn’t seem to take his Hollywood responsibilities seriously. The coffee shop owner, Nick, tells Chloe to get back to work and they have a bit of a flirty exchange. Annie has been basing her screenplay off of their relationship even though she doesn’t think they know they are into each other. When Chloe gets back to work, Annie gets back to writing her fluff article.
3. After Chloe’s shift is over, Annie walks home with her. Chloe lives in the apartment above their garage and has since they were undergraduate students. She claims it was cheaper than the dorms, but Annie knows it was to watch over her and Don. Luckily for them, Annie’s mom owned the house free and clear and they didn’t have to worry about a mortgage. When they get to the house, Annie invites Chloe in for dinner and she accepts. Don has made chicken cajun pasta and gives them both platefuls of it. Chloe tells him about the movie that is going to be filmed near them in German Village being directed by Tommy Crisante. Don reveals that he was roommates with him their first year of college at OSU before Tommy transferred to NYU. Chloe tells asks if he could get Annie a job on set. He finds the number in his phone and goes to the pantry for some quiet to talk to him. Annie is embarrassed about asking for a job using nepotism. When Don returns, he says she will be Tommy’s assistant because his last one just quit for a different job. Don tells Annie her mom would have been proud of her. She thanks him. They both miss her.
4. The next day, Annie is in the coffee shop listing to Chloe and Nick (the owner) bicker back and forth about the movie closing down a city block and the music selection in the shop. When it is time for her break, Chloe grabs Annie and drags her down to the set that has been taped off. There isn’t much to see, so Annie suggests they go back to the shop for the rest of Chloe’s break. When she turns around, she runs into and spills her coffee down the front of Drew Danforth.
5. Drew pulls her off the ground and Annie is at a loss for words. He asks if she is alright, but she cannot seem to answer. Chloe says she is French and doesn’t speak any English. Annie snaps out of it, says she isn’t French, apologizes for ruining his coat, and then takes off back to the coffee shop. Chloe is questioning whether or not this was Annie’s “meet-cute.” She thinks Drew could be the Tom Hanks she has been waiting for and starts planning their imaginary future. Annie isn’t convinced an actual movie star could be her Tom Hanks, but she thinks about how the world seemed to fall away when she looked him in the eyes. She realizes it is his job to make women swoon and she just fell for it. She hopes he will forget the whole ordeal before she starts her new job on set the following Monday.
6. The night before she starts work on set as Tommy’s assistant, Annie debates whether or not she should settle. She decides she wants rom-com movie love and is willing to wait for it. The next morning, she takes the short walk to the filming location and introduces herself to Tommy. He takes her over the to the crew and when he introduces her to Drew, he says, “bonjour” with a chuckle. She refuses to look at him as Tommy takes her off to meet the people in the props department. Annie finds that her job is mostly running back and forth from Nick’s with fresh coffee for Tommy because he doesn’t like what they have at the craft services table. She enjoys watching the flirty banter between Chloe and Nick while she is there. When she takes it back to Tommy, he is talking to a few of the crew members. Drew takes the opportunity to tell his on-screen best friend that she spilled a cup on him. She offers to pay for his dry-cleaning, but he declines, calls her coffee girl, and walks away. She isn’t sure he will be able to pull off his role as the lead in the romantic comedy.
7. On Thursday, Tommy stops shooting early for a meeting. Annie tries writing her article on hemorrhoid remedies from bed, but ends up researching Drew instead. She doesn’t learn much, but she does find a picture of him visiting his elderly grandfather and being very uncomfortable in front of the camera. She decides to go down to the coffee shop and starts working on her screenplay while the customers around her enjoy game night playing monopoly. When she hears the door open again, she closes out her screenplay because she feels like it would reveal too much of her for anyone to see. She allows herself to go back to her search on Drew. Drew walks in and orders a coffee and an almond bar. Nick doesn’t recognize him, but Chloe does. Drew sees Annie in the corner and looks at her screen to see himself. She closes out the window and he sees her article on hemorrhoid treatments. He mocks her a bit more before she leaves. She is embarrassed and mad enough to tell Chloe to go ahead and set her up with the guy from her business class she has been talking about.
8. The next day, Annie is back on set. Tommy needs Drew, but he isn’t around. Annie is sent to his trailer to retrieve him. She knocks twice with no answer before she enters. She catches him insulting someone on the phone and he explains they are terms of endearment for his 10-year-old brother who is having bullying issues because of his speech impediment. She tells him Tommy needs him and leaves, but she does compare his compassion to the Tom Hanks characters she loves. When they are done filming for the day, Drew immediately goes back to his trailer. The other actors, Tarah and Brody are talking dinner and intended to invite Drew because they think he needs to have some fun. Tommy pulls Annie aside and asks her to take Drew out. He has a feeling she can get him out of his funk, which would improve his acting. Annie is reluctant at first, but agrees because she wants the movie to be good (since it is the first movie her name will be on). She gets into his fancy car and is surprised he doesn’t have a driver. He says she is overestimating his net-worth. She is surprised when he drives her to a McDonalds. He opens the car door for her saying he was raised to have souther hospitality. They go in and order and he is excited to be eating a Big Mac. He explains he ate nothing but chicken breast and broccoli for years because of the last action film he was on. She asks him why he is doing this romantic comedy when he is always hiding away in his trailer. He tries to defend his actions, but Annie points out everyone has noticed. She points out he doesn’t really fit the bill for a rom-com movie and gives her credentials as a rom-com expert. He asks her what movies he should watch for research and she tells him When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail. He agrees to watch them and report back to her. He then explains that most high-budget rom-coms do not have diversity. Tommy chose to do this specific movie because his wife is black and he wanted it represented. He then mockingly says how much he likes Columbus, Ohio. Annie tries to defend the city she loves and accuses him of being a big city person that feels only LA and NYC qualify as great cities. He points out he is from Shreveport, Louisiana. As they leave, he says goodbye to a few teenagers that were filming him on their phones. Annie still isn’t convinced as she gets back into his fancy car to leave.
9. Annie gets ready for her date with Barry. They texted back and forth until they agreed to meet at Nick’s coffee shop. She waits for him for 20 minutes before he arrives and is covered in sweat. He explains that he runs everywhere. Chloe offers to get him a drink and recommends the black coffee. Barry says he doesn’t drink hot beverages because it upsets his metabolism. She gets him a water and returns to the table where he talks about dumpster diving for food. Annie gets distracted when Drew walks in, gets a coffee and sits at a table to face her. She excuses herself to go to the bathroom and goes up with him. She asks what he is doing there. He is wondering why Tom Hanks has an expensive houseboat and why so many guys in rom-coms are architects. She is infuriated and tells him rom-coms are not about the characters circumstances, but hope. He excuses himself to go watch the last of her movie recommendations. Before he goes, he tells her she looks nice. Annie tries to go back to her date with Barry, but after finding out he doesn’t live anywhere and is staying on his ex-girlfriend’s couch, she gives up and goes home. She replays her conversations with Drew in her head and thinks she was too hard on him.
10. Annie has to be on set early the next morning and walks with Chloe to the coffee shop. She tells her best friend how awful her date with Barry was. Chloe admits she didn’t know him very well and only had his number because they worked on a project together . She is worried Annie is going to pass up on a good relationship while waiting for something perfect. When Annie gets to set, her Uncle Don is there talking to Tommy and Drew. She joins them but is really focused on how Drew will also use her uncle to continue making fun of her. After Tommy goes to take Don around the set, she tells Drew to stay away from her uncle. He sarcastically salutes her and takes off. Later that day, she is taking a stack of papers to Tommy’s trailer when she trips over a wire. Carter, the gaffer, helps her gather the papers and admits he is responsible for the wire. She introduces herself and he says he has seen her around set. As they part, she admits to herself it felt like something out of a rom-com. Later, Tommy asks her to get him a book that he saw on a morning TV show. He only remembers it is blue with a wolf in the cover. She rushes to the Book Loft and starts looking for tue book in the new releases. She is surprised to find Drew thee looking for the Wheel of Time. She tells him it is an old book and he won’t find it in the that section before she tells him about the book Tommy sent her out for. They start looking together and go from room to room. Drew tells her how he and his grandfather would watch episodes of Frazier for escapism when his grandfather was dying from bone cancer. He wanted to act to help other people that needed an escape. Annie explains how her parents had a rom-com like romance, but her father died when she was a baby. She would watch rom-come with her mom who would always tell her not to settle. They are very close together in a small room when someone reaches between them to grab a book. Annie realizes it is the book they have been looking for and begs the person to let her have it. The other customer agrees and leaves them. She looks at the book and sees it is about animal mating habits. She leaves Drew to take the book back to Tommy.
11. The next morning, Annie goes to get Tommy’s coffee before work. When she gets into set, Carter comes up to her to ask her out for coffee that night. She agrees and then asks if he drinks hot liquids. He says he does and then discloses he has a 13-year-old son. Annie thinks she has met her Tom Hanks. Chloe is excited when Annie tells her she has a date, but is less enthusiastic when Annie says he has a kid like Tom Hanks. That night, she puts on a low cut dress and heads out to Nicks. She is surprised Drew is sitting in the corner he was at on her last date. She goes up to talk to him and says she has a date with the gaffer. He makes a comment about her going on two dates in one week. She goes to a table and waits for Carter. When he arrives, they start talking and are having a good time. When he says he has a houseboat, Annie says she is going to refill her coffee so she can tell Chloe how this could be her Tom Hanks. Suddenly Barry is behind her looking for Annie to give him another chance. She goes to meet him at the counter and tells him they just aren’t compatible. He leaves, but Drew is standing next to her and puts in an order. To get her attention, he says he watched When Harry Met Sally. He has a skeptical view in the relationship and Annie storms off to rejoin her date. Carter points out that Drew is flirting with her. She denies it and says it usually isn’t like that for her. They finish their date without further interruptions. The next day, Annie gets a text from Steve at Hollywood Gossip asking about her date with Drew. Chloe calls and tells her to check their website. She opens it to see herself with Drew at McDonalds. She rushes to the coffee shop to talk with Chloe about it. Tobin overhears and admitted he gave Annie’s name to Steve. Annie asks him not to do that anymore and to hang up on him if Steve called back. She means to talk to Drew about it, but he is either filming or hiding while she is running errands for Tommy.
12. Towards the end of the day while doing something for Tommy, Annie is stopped on the street by a lady from wardrobe. She thinks Annie’s feet are about the same size as the lead female’s and asks her to try on a pair of heels to see if they will fit. She does and then is asked to walk in them. Annie doesn’t get very far before she falls and twists her ankle. A crowd rushes around her including Drew and Carter. Tommy tells her to take the rest of the day off and come back in the morning. Drew and Carter both offer to take her home, but Tommy still needs Carter on set. Drew carries Annie the entire way to her house. On the way, she tells him about the gossip site having pictures of them and she mentions some things she saw when she Googled him. He tells her his previous girlfriend tried to use everything as a publicity stunt. That was how the picture of him and his grandfather got posted online. That was why he broke up with her. He apologizes for making fun of rom-coms because he didn’t realize it was her way of connecting to her deceased parents. When he walks in the door with her, Uncle Don asks what happened. They explain the situation and he asks Drew to take Annie up to her room. He does and as he looks around her room, they get closer and closer. Don interrupts them and asks Drew to help him expand the table by putting in the leaf. He follows Don while Annie changes. Annie calls Chloe to tell her she and Drew almost kissed and they can talk about it later that night. She starts putting on lipstick, but realizes it looks a little like she is trying too hard. She wipes it off and puts on her usual gloss. She hobbles down the stairs and finds Drew listening to Don explain Dungeons and Dragons. When he sees Annie, he tells them he has to leave for an early call time the next day. She walks him to the door and he admits thought Dungeon Master Rick was a sex thing. They laugh and he takes off. Annie blushes thinking she may finally be in her own rom-com.
13. The next morning, Morning, Annie’s ankle is mostly better from icing it. She sees Carter a bit at work and has a date with him that night. He offers to pick her up, but she says she is okay to walk herself to the little Italian restaurant. She keeps thinking about her moment with Drew the previous night. She doesn’t feel the same way about Carter. She wonders if they need to kiss to realize their feelings for each other. She is distracted throughout dinner and Carter notices. When they go outside, she throws herself at him to kiss him, but he turns so she gets his cheek. He explains their time together has been fun, but he is looking for a serious connection and he doesn’t think they have it. She agrees. He tells her if she is as in love with Drew as she seems to be, she should go for it. Annie goes to the coffee shop and tells Chloe (with everyone else there listening in) what happened with Carter. When Chloe gets back to work, Annie scrolls the Hollywood Gossip site and sees a rumor saying Drew is having a thing with his costar, Tarah. She shows Chloe and everyone else ends up see in as well. She ends up in the middle of a sympathetic group hug before she leaves to go home. She is convinced she hates Drew and knows what she will say to him the next day.
14. Annie decides that if her rom-com has started, she must be in the beginning montage where it shows how her life is a bit of a mess before she meets her Tom Hanks. This thought and the weather brighten her mood a bit. When she goes downstairs, she finds Don debating his costume for the convention he and his friends are going to in Chicago over the weekend. She goes down to Nicks to get coffee for herself and Tommy and acts overly cheerful so Chloe wouldn’t worry. She explains her theory about being at the start of the movie and the. Has to get to set. Later that day, Drew approaches Annie. She tells him off for the Hollywood Gossip article and tells him he is just part of her opening montage. That night she sneaks down to the kitchen, but hears an extra voice coming from the dinning room. She pokes her head in to see Drew playing D&D with Don and his friends. She quickly goes to the fridge like nothing happened, but Drew saw her and comes into the kitchen. He tells her he came to learn about the game, but quickly admits he wanted to see her. He tells her he and Tarah are just friends and she is married but keeps her life very private. He wants to hang out with her and go in a date, but she doesn’t ever want to feel like she did when she read that article again. She wants a guy that would never make her doubt him and will be around. He tells her they can he friend and she can send him her screenplay when it is done.
15. The next day as Don is getting ready to leave for Chicago, Annie has Chloe come over to discuss what happened between her and Drew. Chloe points out that Annie might be self-sabotaging the relationships by finding little things that don’t meet her expectations in each guy. She thinks Annie is trying to avoid the risk of change and losing someone since she has already lost so much in her life. Annie realizes she might be right. She may get a bit lonely sometimes, but she isn’t alone
16. The next morning, Annie wakes up in the quiet of the house. Don left before dawn to head to Chicago, so the house was empty besides her. This is the last day of shooting in Columbus, so it is very busy trying to complete everything in one day. Annie doesn’t get much time to see or even think about Drew. She gets ready for the wrap party and then heads to Nick’s. Chloe thinks she is underdressed, but it is sort of her intention to not appear attractive. She only intends to go to ask Drew to read her screenplay. Chloe says she wants details if they hook up. When Annie gets to the bar, she hesitates to go in. Brody shows up and asks if she needs someone to go in with. She admits she does and they walk in together. He steers her towards Drew. Brody excuses himself and Annie asks if they can talk. She grabs a table for them while Drew gets them drinks. Tommy stops by the table and asks Annie to consider continuing to be his assistant. Drew mentioned to him that she is writing a screenplay and asks her to send it to him. She admits she wants to work in film, but doesn’t want to leave Don and her Columbus life behind. He tells her her uncle wants her to get out and live her life rather than staying cooped up in the house. He asks how things are going between her and Drew and admits he was trying to set them up from the start. When Drew arrives at the table, he excuses himself. Annie is a bit upset with Drew about telling Tommy about her screenplay, but he points out he was just trying to help her as a friend. They talk a bit, but after a couple drinks, Annie goes to the bathroom to freshen up. When she comes out, Drew is there to greet her by the door. While she tries to remind him he is leaving soon, he keeps getting closer to her. She kisses him and he pulls her close. She is embarrassed and decides to leave. As she is saying goodbye to everyone, Drew comes up to tell them he is going to walk her home. She isn’t sure what is going do happen, but in the moment, she doesn’t care.
17. As soon as they walk out of the bar, they walk into a world of snow. As they walk through the park, Annie asks Drew questions. She asks him why he does pratfalls and he admits he was bullied as a kid and wanted to make them laugh rather than have them laugh at him. He’s tried to pass the knowledge down to his little brother, Ryan. He tells her about how he has a big family and they all get together for Christmas. Annie thinks about her last Christmas where it was just her and Don. She enjoys the time with him, but she wishes there was a bit more. She asks if Drew wants a big family and he says he does. When they get to her door, she invites him in.
18. Drew offers to start a fire in the fireplace, but quickly realizes he has no idea what he is doing. Annie takes over and he asks if she wants to watch a movie. She goes to get wine and he tells her a show called Chopped is on. They drink wine and watch it together while laughing at the crazy situations in the cooking show. After a while, Drew says he should leave and Annie agrees. When he opens the door, there is about a foot of snow and Annie tells him it would not be safe for him to leave. They drink more wine and watch more Chopped. After the second bottle of wine is gone and they have eaten frozen pizza and popcorn, Drew takes Annie to the kitchen for water. She is drunk and finally admits she likes him. He says he has been wanting to kiss her since they first ran into each other. She is overwhelmed with the idea that she got her rom-com and kisses him. He pulls back to let her know it can’t go any further because she is drunk and he doesn’t want either of them to regret anything. He sends her to bed with a granola bar and tells her to come back to him as soon as she wakes up. Annie falls asleep instantly. When she wakes up, she hopes it all wasn’t a dream. She brushes her teeth and goes down stairs to see Drew scrolling through his phone. He tosses it aside when he sees her and asks if she is feeling better. She says she is and he rushes to her and picks her up.
19. They have sex in Annie’s bed and Drew falls asleep. She is reeling about him wanting her to go to New York with him and visit him in LA. He said he wanted her to meet his family down in Shreveport. Annie take a picture of him and sends a text to Chloe with the details she wanted on his penis being circumcised. Annie goes to get dressed, but Drew is gone. She goes downstairs and finds him getting ready to leave. He is furious and she doesn’t understand why. He says he woke up to notifications about the picture and his penis on Hollywood Gossip. He asks her how much she was paid for the information. She tries to explain it was an accident, but he is hurt because he told her how much he hated those gossip articles. He says he needs time and leaves. Annie thinks about running after him, but instead she starts to cry.
20. Annie calls Chloe and interrupts her studying so her best friend can comfort her. Chloe asks if she wants to watch a rom-com and Annie decides she wants to watch one on VHS like she did with her mom. She leaves Chloe on the couch and heads up to the attic. While going through the boxes, she finds letters addressed to her mom and figures they must have been from her dad. But they are from a man named Edwin Smith ending their affair and telling her he wanted to work things out with his wife. They are dated the year before she died.
21. Chloe come up to the attic to check on Annie and finds her crying. Annie explains what she found. Chloe tries to explain her mom was a regular human that made mistakes rather than the idealized image Annie had of her. Chloe explains everyone had to go through this realization about her parents. Chloe’s was when she was a kid and her friend mom left the state to be with her boyfriend and when her dad had to be put into assisted living because he wandered out of the house and was missing for an hour. Chloe goes to get Annie some snacks. Annie takes the letters downstairs with her and throws them into the fire.
22. The girls drink wine and watch bad TV. Annie wakes up in the early morning and realizes they must have fallen asleep on the couch. She untangles herself from Chloe and checks her phone. She is surprised to have text messages from Drew. He is sorry about the way he left and he knows she isn’t the kind of person that would sell his secrets. He wants to talk to her. She tosses her phone across the room. Annie is confused about what to do. She doesn’t believe in love anymore and thinks she has wasted too much of her life in rom-coms. She puts a blanket over Chloe and goes to bed.
23. When Annie wakes up the next day, it is 4pm and Chloe is in the kitchen making breakfast. Annie is happy to have her there and considers changing her screenplay to be about best friends. Don comes in the door with his girlfriend, Tyler. Annie is surprised to see her. Don explains Chloe called him to tell him Annie found the letters. He asks to talk to Annie alone and Chloe leads Tyler into the living room. Don tells her that her parents did have the true love relationship she thought they did. When her mom tried again, she had her heart broken by a married man. He tells her every relationship has potential for heartache, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth taking the risk. She tells him what Tommy told her about leaving Columbus to get more jobs in film. He tells her he will be fine and he has a group of friends and a girlfriend to keep him company. He likes Annie’s company, but he doesn’t need her to stay for him. Annie realizes she messsd things up with Drew and decides to go to his hotel to apologize. Chloe takes Don and Tyler to Nick’s. When Annie gets to the hotel, she runs into Tarah and tells her the whole story. Tarah explains Drew is one of the nicest men she has ever worked with. She traded plane tickets with Drew because her husband arrived to surprise her. She suggests Annie get to the airport quickly. Annie rushes to the coffee shop and announces she needs to get to the airport before Drew’s plane takes off in 35 minutes. Chloe volunteers Don and Tyler to go with them, but Tyler says she is too tired and wants to go back to the house. Don tells her to go. Chloe grabs Nick as a replacement and they head off to the airport.
24. When they arrive, Annie and Chloe rush to the ticket counter to get a ticket for Drew’s flight, but it is full and already boarded. They buy 4 tickets to the next flight and Nick and Don get on the plane with them to go to NYC. Annie gets a text from a Tommy telling her he thinks her screenplay has potential. She is excited, but Chloe asks why she hasn’t been allowed to read it. Annie admits it is about Chloe and Nick. Chloe is taken aback at first, but eventually is okay with the idea of Annie writing fan fiction about her life. Annie falls asleep. When she wakes up, Nick is next to her. She tells him he should tell Annie how he feels about her. When they land, they get into a taxi and head to the set of Good Morning USA where Drew is going to be a guest. The set is outside and they are dropped off at the edge of the crowd. Annie starts shouting his name. He hears her just as extra security is being called to take her away. He jumps into the crowd and comes to talk to her. She apologizes and admits she has come to some realizations. She is ready to move out of Columbus and start working in film. She wants to take a risk on him. She tells him that she loves him. She is worried at first when he doesn’t say anything, but then he smiles and says he loves her too. They kiss.
25. One Year Later. They are engaged. Annie’s screenplay is being made into a movie called Coffee Girl and Drew is going to be in a Frazier reboot. Hollywood Gossip wishes them the best.