Shaun Brumder (Hanks) is content to be a bright, talented, but unfocused Southern California surf slacker- until the day he discovers a novel by acclaimed author Martin Skinner. Inspired, he suddenly realizes his life's ambition: to leave behind mind-numbing Orange County and study creative writing with Skinner at Stanford University. But after being denied enrollment due to an admissions error, Shaun is forced to seek help from not only his girlfriend Ashley (Fisk) but also his hopelessly dysfunctional parents (O'Hara & Lithgow), stoner brother Lance (Black), and a hilarious circumstances to make his dream of escaping his hometown nightmare a reality.