TITLE:             FALL RUSH

FORMAT:        Feature | Comedy

LOGLINE:        When her professor husband’s fired for having sex with a student, a timid, middle-aged secretary battles the prickly dean for control of her beloved, on-campus home as she goes back to college and turns it into a sorority house.

COMPS:            LIFE OF THE PARTY meets NEIGHBORS

SETTING:         A difficult school to be accepted to (and pay for), the social life on campus revolves around the Greek system. The culture is conservative and traditional, traits reflected in the dean himself.

MAIN CHARACTERS:

Timid, insecure secretary EMILY PHILLIPS (39) dropped out of college senior year to give birth to her daughter. The act of not finishing tasks soon became a terrible habit. Married to a brilliant professor, Emily’s a devoted mom and spouse.

The pompous, prideful dean of the college DR. ANDREWS (60s) sacrificed any semblance of a personal life – he has no wife or children – for academic achievement. In fact, Dr. Andrews values education over God Herself…and disdains those without sufficient credentials.

The lone daughter of two successful doctors, ANNA CHEN (18), Asian-American, never had any semblance of a social life growing up. Now a freshman in college, Anna spends all her time in the study room, hitting the books. But she yearns for friendship. And boys.

Emily’s husband STEVE PHILLIPS (40) is a charming, boyishly handsome professor adored by his students. Steve’s earned the ultimate prize: residency in the campus treasure, an elegant colonial house. But Steve’s bored with Emily and his eye has been wandering as of late.

Collegetown, PA – Present Day…

A doting mother and wife, EMILY ’s world is crashing down. Her daughter’s leaving the nest, attending an out-of-state college. While Emily helps her move in, her husband STEVE fondles a sexy coed in their hot tub. Emily comes home early – her daughter all but shoved her out the door – nearly catching them! But the kid next door snaps photos of the tryst…sharing them with the dean, DR. ANDREWS, who suspends Steve for the school year.

Steve tells an unwitting Emily that the dean granted him time off to finish his novel. So he’s off to Paris for the semester, leaving Emily all alone. After a long day at work, Emily relaxes in the hot tub… and finds the coed’s bra. She’s devastated.

Emily’s friends console her. Her bestie, a brash lawyer, suggests that Emily go back to school and finish her degree – it’ll take her mind off Steve and combat the loneliness. Emily resists, claiming that she’s too old. But when Dr. Andrews serves her with an eviction notice – the beloved house, after all, is school property – Emily’s life spins even more out of control.

After some research, Emily discovers she can stay in the house… if it’s used for a school function: a sorority, for instance. Emily scoffs at the notion. But after visiting a crappy one-bedroom apartment, she has a change of heart. Look out, college. Here she comes!

Excited, Emily and her friends brainstorm names for the sorority, settling on Pi Omega in a drunken game of “name that sorority.” Her daughter rains on her parade, though, thinking she’s suffering a mid-life crisis. What’s more, Dr. Andrews recruits the other sororities to sabotage Pi Omega’s rush. And they do. Only one nerdy girl in Emily’s class, ANNA, shows up.

Emily’s about to give up on the whole idea when her bestie challenges her, declaring that she never sees things through. That’s when Anna shows up with ten of her friends from the dorm – hell, they’re even geekier than her. But hey, Pi Omega’s saved!… for now.

At the behest of Dr. Andrews, the Greek Council votes them down. Then Emily delivers a poignant speech about the need for a sorority that includes misfits and outcasts. Moved, the Council accepts Pi Omega on a trial basis – but they need a national chapter to sponsor them.

The Pi Omegas throw a fundraising party for breast cancer. And it’s an epic rager, all the girls cutting loose – including Emily. But she’s failing her classes. When the sorority’s turned down by every national chapter, she has one last option – and it’s not a good one…

Emily pleads with Dr. Andrews for Pi Omega to be accepted as an independent sorority. Holding all the cards – he alone can grant her wish – he talks down to Emily. She retaliates, stinging his precious pride. Aware that she’s failing, he grants her wish. On one condition: every Pi Omega must get a 3.0 GPA. Now when the sorority’s not sanctioned, it’ll be all Emily’s fault, as the rest of the girls are all geniuses.

Anna and the girls help Emily study. In turn, she dispenses motherly advice.  Then Steve returns from Paris, a bestselling novel under his belt. Dr. Andrews rewards him by giving Steve not only his job back for the spring semester but also the treasured house when Emily fails her final exams. What’s more, Steve declares his love for Emily, wanting to start over.

Emily’s offered an easy way out: drop her classes and have her old life back. But she rebuffs Steve, choosing the sisterhood instead. She takes her exams. Strangely, Dr. Andrews hands them out. And her exams are noticeably longer – more difficult – than the other students. Certain she flunked, Emily tells the girls how sorry she is and how much they mean to her.

With all the girls huddled around, Emily checks her grades online… an A and a C. The final class is the one she’s failing… scrolls down the screen slowly… the top half of a D. Emily’s upset, having let the girls down. But scrolling down further… it’s a B! That’s a 3.0! The girls go WILD.

Emily graduates to thunderous applause. Having earned his respect, Dr. Andrews gives her a rare compliment. Steve hands her a present: two tickets to Costa Rica, all expenses paid, hoping she’ll take him with her. But at her graduation party, Emily invites her daughter instead. She also hands over the Omega Pi presidency- and the beloved house- to Anna. We close on Emily and her daughter hiking a mountain, towards the Great Unknown, fearless.