Jake Briggs (Kevin Bacon) has been in love with Kristy Bainbridge (Elizabeth McGovern) since he was a teenager. They marry right after college and embark on their new life together, with all of its ups and downs. Told largely through the eyes of narrator Jake, a would-be author who is prone to fits of fanciful, humorous hallucination--such as lawn-mowing neighbours breaking into song--this John Hughes film deals with the trials and tribulations of growing up and the responsibilities that come with marriage, adulthood, jobs, and children. Alec Baldwin appears as Davis McDonald, Jake's best friend, who is living life in the fast lane in New York, making Jake doubt his complacent, suburban lifestyle. Bacon and McGovern are believable as wide-eyed newlyweds dealing with the realities of "happily ever after," such as finding a job, paying the mortgage, and dealing with in-laws.