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TRYING TO REACH 100
By Mari Bengston
Los Angeles executive turns Dukes of Hazzard and Smokey and the Bandit on the road with his father, car chase included.
SYNOPSIS:
Act I: Pushing boundaries in Los Angeles
Landon “Son” Barrett thrives in a culture of pushing boundaries and loves to push back, working at a high level in the entertainment industry, especially when other guests at a yacht party catch Son and his fiancée having sex at the party and decide to stay to watch. He is at a critical moment in his life as he asks Dylan Taylor to marry him and as he comes closer to the end of his father’s life.
Act II: Reliving old pain
Time on the road and moments with Ralph “Pops” Barrett causes Son to relive his old pain of watching his mother die in the hospital, Dylan seeing Drag Queens overdosing at awards shows, Pops’ bar fights in Tijuana as a Marine, running away from the Police in an epic car chase that ends in an oil well explosion and trying to close a chasm of anger and pain with hurtful accusations that should have been resolved earlier. The story is told with a feminine yet somewhat harsh perspective through Dylan’s narration.
Act III: Saying goodbye
It’s a poignant goodbye as Son and Pops finally reach the nursing home, at least until Pops sees the lady love of his dreams.
TRYING TO REACH 100
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Mari Bengston This feels like a very unconventional blend of road movie, family drama, and chaotic Americana. The mix of emotional heaviness with almost wild, outlaw energy gives it a unique tone like a story constantly balancing between grief, absurdity, and rebellion.
What interested me most is the father-son dynamic underneath all the larger-than-life moments. The car chases, fights, explosions, and outrageous situations sound less like spectacle for its own sake and more like emotional avoidance people outrunning pain, aging, regret, and unresolved history.
I also think Dylan’s narration adds an interesting perspective because it sounds like she’s observing both the madness and the vulnerability of these men from slightly outside their emotional world.
Tonally, it feels intentionally messy and human in a way that could either become deeply moving or completely chaotic depending on execution which honestly makes it intriguing.
And that final detail about Pops still chasing love near the end of life gives the story a strangely bittersweet warmth beneath all the madness.