So Fine
Jack Fine, owner/manager of Fine Fashions of Brooklyn, which solely produces women's dresses, has been having a difficult time the past year due to the company not keeping up with the changing fashions, so Jack is in debt to the tune of $1.5 million to loan shark/gangster Mr. Eddie, a hulking, flamboyant man who has a penchant for picking up and destroying things that bother him. Jack now falls into that category. Instead of figuratively or literally breaking Jack's legs or worse, Mr. Eddie decides to take over Fine Fashions until the debt is paid, naming Jack's son Bobby Fine, an English Literature professor at upstate Chippenango State College, to manage the operations. Not only does this new career, which Bobby has no option but to accept, threaten the possibility of Bobby obtaining this year's tenure track position in the department, but Bobby at the helm of the fashion house threatens to ruin it completely, as Bobby has no idea about fashion whatsoever. Complicating matters is that Bobby and Mr. Eddie's wife, seductive Italian Lira, fall in love at first sight--she doesn't love Mr. Eddie. Bobby's association with Lira accidentally leads to the latest fashion craze which could save Fine Fashions: coined "So Fine", they are jeans which expose the butt cheeks, that area of the pants covered with clear plastic. With Jack and Bobby potentially coming into a financial windfall because of So Fine as well as being the toast of the fashion world, the question becomes whether Bobby will get everything he wants, including the tenure position and Lira, without Mr. Eddie killing him.
The film earned $9.8M at the global box office.
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%)
So Fine (1981) exhibits strategically placed dramatic framework, characteristic of Andrew Bergman's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 11-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 30 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Bobby Fine teaches literature at a university, living a comfortable academic life far removed from his father's garment business world.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 11 minutes when Jack desperately begs Bobby to leave his teaching position and help save the family business from Eddie's threats and financial ruin.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 22 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Bobby officially takes leave from the university and commits to working in the garment district to save his father's business., moving from reaction to action.
The Collapse moment at 67 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Eddie confronts Bobby with violence, threatening to destroy him and his family; the fashion empire and romantic relationship both face ruin., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 72 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Bobby executes a clever plan to neutralize Eddie's threats, resolves the business conflicts, and finds a way to integrate both sides of his identity., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
So Fine's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 11 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping So Fine against these established plot points, we can identify how Andrew Bergman utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish So Fine within the comedy genre.
Andrew Bergman's Structural Approach
Among the 3 Andrew Bergman films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.9, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. So Fine takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Andrew Bergman filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Andrew Bergman analyses, see It Could Happen to You, Striptease.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Bobby Fine teaches literature at a university, living a comfortable academic life far removed from his father's garment business world.
Theme
Jack Fine tells Bobby that sometimes you have to get your hands dirty in the real world, suggesting the tension between intellectual idealism and practical survival.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Bobby's academic world, his father Jack's struggling dress business, and the loan shark Eddie threatening Jack over unpaid debts.
Disruption
Jack desperately begs Bobby to leave his teaching position and help save the family business from Eddie's threats and financial ruin.
Resistance
Bobby resists entering the garment world, debates leaving academia, and reluctantly begins learning about his father's business while trying to find solutions.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Bobby officially takes leave from the university and commits to working in the garment district to save his father's business.
Premise
Bobby accidentally creates see-through bottom jeans that become a sensation, navigating the fashion world, developing his affair with Lira, and experiencing unexpected success.
Opposition
Eddie discovers the affair and threatens Bobby, competitors try to steal the design, Bobby's double life becomes increasingly dangerous and unsustainable.
Collapse
Eddie confronts Bobby with violence, threatening to destroy him and his family; the fashion empire and romantic relationship both face ruin.
Crisis
Bobby must face the consequences of his actions, questioning whether success was worth the cost and how to protect everyone he loves.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Bobby executes a clever plan to neutralize Eddie's threats, resolves the business conflicts, and finds a way to integrate both sides of his identity.