A factory foreman (Brian Dennehy) with 36 years experience becomes despondent after being laid off by his company which has just been taken over by a Japanese conglomerate and is unable to find any other work. Meanwhile, his son (Matt Damon) uses his father's unemployment as an excuse to drop out of the pre-med program his father pressured him to enter. Written by John Sacksteder

Rising Son revolves around a young American who proposes to his Japanese-American girlfriend just as they are traveling to visit her estranged family. He must complete a number of challenges in order to win the respect of her family -- in particular his future father-in-law. Written by anonymous