An unfinished novel, a stolen car, a murdered pet, an unstable student, a failing marriage and a pregnant lover are among the crises piling up like a log-jam in this often hilarious story bright promise gone awry. Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas) is a college professor and award winning novelist whose latest book is seven years overdue, so it's hardly surprising that his college's annual literary festival fills the former wonder boy with more than his usual weekend, he must scramble to gather together a life that has suddenly spiralled out of control.'