The Banger Sisters

As Suzette's (formerly) carefree days as a bartender at Los Angeles' iconic Whisky a Go Go come to an abrupt end, courtesy of a young, nostalgia-averse corporate manager, she finds herself adrift, struggling to reconcile her dwindling youth with the harsh realities of growing older and the pressing need for financial stability. On a whim, Suzette sets off for Phoenix, Arizona, seeking refuge in the arms of her erstwhile best friend, Vinnie (now Lavinia Kingsley). Stranded at a service station with no funds to fill up on gasoline, she hitches a ride with Harry Plummer, a neurotic writer mired in agoraphobia and desperate to exorcise the negative influence his father has had on his life. In exchange for fuel, Suzette agrees to join Harry on his journey to Phoenix.

Upon arriving in the city, Suzette's chance encounter with Vinnie's 17-year-old daughter, Hannah, sets off a chain of events that will forever alter her perspective. After rescuing Hannah from a group of callous acquaintances who abandoned her after a traumatic experience with LSD, Suzette brings the distressed teenager back to Harry's hotel room, where she tends to Hannah's physical and emotional wounds. As the morning sun rises over the city, Suzette returns Hannah to her parents' opulent suburban home, spinning a cover story about the teenager's sudden illness resulting from an ill-advised mix of red and white wine the previous night.

As Suzette steps into Vinnie's (now Lavinia's) newly minted life, she is struck by the radical transformation that has taken place over the past 20 years. Gone is the carefree, free-spirited Vinnie; in her place stands a poised, conventionally perfect wife and mother, carefully crafted to fit into the mold of societal expectations. Raymond, Lavinia's lawyer husband and aspiring politician, remains blissfully unaware of his wife's tumultuous past.

Initially wary of Suzette's sudden reappearance, Lavinia (Vinnie) attempts to buy her silence with a bribe. However, as their old bond begins to rekindle, Lavinia starts to reminisce about the good old days and warms up to Suzette's presence. One night, she casts off her expensive but stifling attire and cuts her hair, reliving the reckless abandon of their youth by hitting the dance floor with Suzette. As they return to Vinnie's home, Lavinia retrieves a treasure trove of memorabilia from their previous life, including a collection of Polaroids featuring the genitalia of various musicians and roadies. Over a shared marijuana joint, they inadvertently trigger the smoke detector, jolting the household awake.

As the dust settles on Ginger's minor fender bender, a sense of unease settles over the group gathered at the hospital. Meanwhile, Vinnie is grappling with an existential crisis amidst the chaos of a heated family argument, where Hannah's biting words have left Suzette feeling like she's bearing the brunt of their tumultuous lives. In a moment of desperation, Suzette makes her exit, phoning Harry to reveal her plans to retreat back to Los Angeles. But Vinnie is hot on her heels, and the two of them find themselves perched atop a "Got Milk?" billboard sign, watching the sun rise over the city as they engage in a heart-to-heart that slowly dissolves their animosity.

As Suzette and Vinnie head to Harry's hotel room, they're met with an empty space - it seems he's made his exit, leaving behind only his cryptic note. Suzette's anxiety spikes as she fears the worst, given Harry's sudden departure with a gun in tow. The pair tracks him down to a local cemetery, where they find Harry seeking closure at his deceased father's grave. As Suzette tries to reason with Harry, Vinnie reaches her breaking point and inadvertently bumps into him with the car - sending Suzette rushing to grab the gun and fire off the single bullet into the air. It's only then that Harry begins to confront the demons of his past.

As the dust settles on this tumultuous period, Lavinia's husband and daughters alike come to a profound realization: she is, after all, only human. In her graduation speech, Hannah takes aim at the notion of "fake" and urges her peers, teachers, and parents in attendance to strive for authenticity - to do things "true".

The next day, Suzette sets off on the return journey to Los Angeles, accompanied by Harry who has come to regard her as his creative muse.