At Christmastime, an upbeat family man preoccupied with a work deadline must suddenly deal with an onslaught of cringe-worthy gaffes from his out-of-touch father, who meets his son for the first time after living in isolation for the last 45 years.

SYNOPSIS:

“Dad, You Can’t Say That Anymore” is a heartfelt 120-page, medium budget Christmas comedy that challenges the boundaries of political correctness, yet does so in an innocent manner.

Jim Wright is an upbeat realtor and family man whose new boss has set a sales quota his employees must meet by Christmas morning. Even though he is one sale short two days before the deadline, Jim is confident he can sell a house and keep his job. Also two days before Christmas, Jim opens a letter (that arrived a week earlier) from his father, who has requested to be picked up at the bus station. Jim has never met his father, Larry, who spent 45 years in isolation at the North Pole collecting weather data for the U.S. Government after serving 10 years in Vietnam.

To say the least, Larry is out of touch. Away from normal society for the last 55 years, what was perfectly acceptable in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s is no longer politically correct in year 2020. Jim attempts to steer his well-meaning father in the right direction, but Larry just doesn’t know any better, resulting in a number of embarrassing and precarious moments for Jim and his family.

The climax comes on Christmas Eve at the home of Jim’s in-laws, who are raging prudes. Told it is no longer appropriate to say “Merry Christmas” in certain circles, Larry leaves. Jim must then decide what is more important, selling a house to keep his job or tracking down his father in a snowstorm so they can spend their first Christmas together.

I’ve sent “Dad, You Can’t Say That Anymore” to five readers. Their feedback was all the same: very funny, I found a niche, and they loved the final scene. One reader compared the script to “Christmas Vacation,” while another thought it was closer to “Bad Santa.”