As Lucy Sherrington says "You think about doing something and it's always different than what you thought". I believe that phrase is key to what Director: Nick Wernham is bringing to light in this lite hearted comedy with a message.
The plot revolves around Lucy Sherrington - the high school art teacher - and the numerous men in this quiet idealized American small town, who have convinced themselves that each is the perfect lover for her. Lucy does not share the interest in their enthusiasm and when she finally gives into Clint - the high school coach - it's a disaster for her and him. In doing this the coach descends into a state of abstraction.
Then into Lucy's life walks the stranger Rydell, who is in that small town to do something that is completely contrary to his nature, but his family expects him to do it. Rydell is the only man to enter into Lucy's life that actually has some level of self awareness because he opens his true thoughts to Lucy and explains to her how he feels about his own life.
When the town discovers what has happened to Clint they all gather together in friendship to bring the coach back into reality. Lucy makes a public confession and Rydell's brothers arrive to take him home. Rydell decides he must be true to himself and abandons his rather hateful brothers and goes to find Lucy.
Throughout this film Clints state of abstraction is symbolized by a bottomless hole in Lucy's living room. When the hole is discovered everyone has a different interpretation to it's meaning. At movies end we see Lucy and Rydell standing before another hole but this hole is a natural formation on the earth and at cliff's edge they stand. Rydell has obviously fallen in love with Lucy but we are left not knowing if Lucy feels the same for Rydell. Lucy now faces her own state of abstraction as symbolized by the vast opening beyond the cliff. There is a difference between Clint's mysterious undefinable abstraction and Lucy's highly defined state of abstraction.
This is a fine movie for the thinking viewer!
