A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
A recent high school graduate is faced with two options, either go to a business school where his father wants him to go to, or get a full time job. However he decides to defy his father and go to Hawaii. Trouble is he has no money. Along the way he comes to understand his parents and eventually bonds with his father.
The film earned $6.3M at the global box office.
1 nomination
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) exemplifies strategically placed narrative design, characteristic of William Richert's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 33 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Jimmy Reardon
Lisa Bentwright
Denise Hunter
Joyce Fickett
Al Reardon
Faye Reardon
Fred Roberts
Main Cast & Characters
Jimmy Reardon
Played by River Phoenix
A charming but directionless high school graduate who manipulates women and resists his parents' plans for college, seeking escape through romance and rebellion.
Lisa Bentwright
Played by Meredith Salenger
Jimmy's wealthy love interest who represents his dream of escape and status, but ultimately reveals his superficial motivations.
Denise Hunter
Played by Ione Skye
Jimmy's best friend who genuinely loves him and sees through his facades, offering authentic connection he initially rejects.
Joyce Fickett
Played by Ann Magnuson
An older divorcée who becomes involved with Jimmy, representing another avenue of escape and adult complications.
Al Reardon
Played by Paul Koslo
Jimmy's working-class father who wants his son to attend business school and achieve stability he never had.
Faye Reardon
Played by Jane Hallaren
Jimmy's mother who struggles between supporting her husband's plans and understanding her son's resistance.
Fred Roberts
Played by Matthew Perry
Jimmy's best male friend who provides comic relief and represents the typical teenage perspective.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Jimmy Reardon, a charming high school senior in 1962 Chicago, lives as a smooth-talking womanizer who uses his looks and wit to navigate relationships with wealthy girls while hiding his working-class background.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Jimmy learns he doesn't have enough money for college in Hawaii and his father refuses to pay for anything other than business school. His carefully constructed plans begin to crumble, forcing him to find $2,000 for tuition on his own.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Jimmy makes the active choice to pursue a desperate plan: he will seduce and manipulate multiple women in one night to try to get the money he needs. He commits to this morally questionable path, crossing into a night of escalating schemes., moving from reaction to action.
At 47 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Jimmy's schemes begin to collapse as his lies catch up with him. Multiple girls discover his manipulations, and he realizes that his charm is no longer working. What seemed like a manageable hustle has become a crisis, raising the stakes significantly., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 70 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Jimmy's entire façade crumbles publicly. He is exposed, humiliated, and loses everything he thought mattered: his reputation, his relationships, and his schemes. The charming persona that protected him "dies," leaving him vulnerable and alone with no escape route., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 74 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Jimmy has an honest conversation (likely with Lisa or a moment of genuine self-reflection) where he realizes that authenticity and vulnerability are not weaknesses but strengths. He understands that he must stop performing and start being real, even if it means giving up his manipulative ways., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs structural analysis methodology used to understand storytelling architecture. By mapping A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon against these established plot points, we can identify how William Richert utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon within the comedy genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Jimmy Reardon, a charming high school senior in 1962 Chicago, lives as a smooth-talking womanizer who uses his looks and wit to navigate relationships with wealthy girls while hiding his working-class background.
Theme
Jimmy's father tells him that he needs to stop coasting on charm and face real responsibility, stating "You can't just charm your way through life forever." This establishes the central theme of authenticity versus performance.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Jimmy's world: his juggling of multiple romantic relationships, his strained relationship with his business-minded father who wants him to attend business school, his friendship with his wealthy peers, and his secret aspiration to be a writer and attend college in Hawaii instead.
Disruption
Jimmy learns he doesn't have enough money for college in Hawaii and his father refuses to pay for anything other than business school. His carefully constructed plans begin to crumble, forcing him to find $2,000 for tuition on his own.
Resistance
Jimmy debates how to get the money, considering various schemes and manipulations. He attempts to borrow from friends and contemplates stealing from his girlfriend Lisa's family. He struggles with whether to be honest or continue his pattern of deception.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jimmy makes the active choice to pursue a desperate plan: he will seduce and manipulate multiple women in one night to try to get the money he needs. He commits to this morally questionable path, crossing into a night of escalating schemes.
Mirror World
Jimmy reconnects with Lisa Bentwright, an authentic and genuinely caring girl who sees through his facade. She represents the honest relationship and authentic self that Jimmy has been avoiding, serving as the thematic mirror to his performative existence.
Premise
The "fun and games" of Jimmy's one-night odyssey: he navigates parties, attempts various seductions, tries to steal money, deals with jealous boyfriends, and bounces between different girls and schemes. The premise delivers on watching a charming rogue try to talk his way through increasingly complex situations.
Midpoint
Jimmy's schemes begin to collapse as his lies catch up with him. Multiple girls discover his manipulations, and he realizes that his charm is no longer working. What seemed like a manageable hustle has become a crisis, raising the stakes significantly.
Opposition
Everything tightens around Jimmy: angry boyfriends pursue him, his girlfriend discovers his betrayals, his parents' disappointment deepens, and his friendship network begins to fracture. Each attempt to fix one problem creates two more, and his web of lies becomes unsustainable.
Collapse
Jimmy's entire façade crumbles publicly. He is exposed, humiliated, and loses everything he thought mattered: his reputation, his relationships, and his schemes. The charming persona that protected him "dies," leaving him vulnerable and alone with no escape route.
Crisis
Jimmy sits in the wreckage of his life, confronting the emptiness of his performative existence. He faces the reality that his charm and manipulation have cost him genuine connection and self-respect. This dark night forces him to question who he really is beneath the act.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Jimmy has an honest conversation (likely with Lisa or a moment of genuine self-reflection) where he realizes that authenticity and vulnerability are not weaknesses but strengths. He understands that he must stop performing and start being real, even if it means giving up his manipulative ways.
Synthesis
Jimmy takes genuine action: he confronts his father honestly, apologizes sincerely to those he hurt, and makes a real choice about his future based on authenticity rather than manipulation. He combines his natural charm with newfound honesty to repair what can be repaired and accept what cannot.
Transformation
The closing image shows Jimmy in a moment of genuine connection—perhaps with Lisa or in a honest conversation with his father—where his charm is now paired with authenticity. He has transformed from a manipulative performer into someone who can be both charismatic and real.