She is a bank teller and single mom in small-town Scottsville in upstate New York. Sammy is thrilled, although she and Terry have had a somewhat rocky sibling relationship. One night, limiting Rory to two hours of television, she leaves Terry with him and goes on a date with Bob.
Terry turns the TV off after the allotted time, then takes Rory to a local bar to play pool.
I guess we are supposed to conclude from this that Terry will teach his sister a little spontaneity, because after that Sammy gets genuinely weird, rivaling her brother in irresponsible behavior. To keep from revealing the plot, suffice it to say it goes off the deep end and never quite recovers. Up to that point, though, the film is pleasant enough, and the sibling differences and dialogue will evoke shocks of recognition from brothers and sisters in the audience. Linney and Broderick do the best they can with badly-written roles. Ruffalo and Culkin have the best parts, and make the most of them.