Ripped from the obituaries of Variety! Love, friendship, and careers collide when a down on his luck writer creates a fake manager to jumpstart his stalled career.

SYNOPSIS:

Title:

Play By The Rules, Keith Marshall

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Co-writer: Brian KurlanderThe Bronx, New York, 1968. STEVE KRIEGER and his best friend TONY (teens) are scouring the coin returns of phone booths and vending machines for loose change. Their mission, break free from the reality of their home lives and the oppressive summer heat and enter a world of entertainment and movie theater air-conditioning. The boys resort to pan-handling when the coin returns come up empty. ALI LEE (tween), a wise cracking Jewish-Asian American completes this triumvirate. She meets up with the boys and has just enough money for one ticket. Steve is chosen to buy a ticket, then sneak the other two inside. There is nothing Steve won’t do for them. He never met a rule that he couldn’t break. We cut from their childhood scams to Hollywood humiliation in 1995. As adults, the trio are stuck in their careers unable to break into the industry that they love but isn't loving them back. After losing his job, girlfriend and home Steve winds up in the wine aisle of a local supermarket with a cold bottle of chardonnay pressed against his head. It's there he has a brief encounter with attractive, self possessed, industry professional, CAROL ARMSTRONG.

With no place to live and no money, Steve is now working for Tony's show business cleaning service where he gathers inside industry information. Regardless, he is still unable to gain traction. In an act of desperation Steve creates the fictitious manager, KEITH MARSHALL. Keith begins submitting Steve's scripts and representing Tony and Ali. While accompanying Tony to a life changing audition, he runs into Carol. Steve has to balance his dual existence as both Keith Marshall and Steve Krieger. Steve falls in love with Carol who falls in love with Keith. Steve is jealous that Keith has launched the careers of his two best friends but not his own. Steve’s conscience drives him to come clean with Carol. His confession is derailed when Carol hands him his big break. She has landed his script with a major production company. Good news all around as we celebrate Tony's and Ali's successes at a wrap party. This prompts Carol to invite Keith and the gang to a party at the Malibu beach house of her boss VINNY VERA. Carol insists that Steve and Keith both attend Vinny's party to meet the backers of his script.

With Steve and Keith forced to be at the same place at the same time, Steve is completely vulnerable. All he has are his motley band of friends and rivals to block and tackle for him. A discarded dinosaur costume provides just enough cover for Steve to make a clean get-a-way. Unfortunately, an inopportune oyster foils his plan. In an emotionally crushing moment, Steve is revealed to Carol as a fraud in front of the entire party.

Steve and Carol are forced back together at a production meeting for his screenplay. Desperation created Keith Marshall but realization now kills him off. Steve is ready to give up everything for Carol. A well placed obituary in Variety (this actually happened) does the trick. They have it out in front of a crowd and Love along with a good story idea wins the day.