“Being Ben” Synopsis

Ben’s father and mother are finally divorced, but he is still hoping for some sort of reconciliation between them. After all, they’ve never even had a real argument. He just wants his old life back where everything was so normal he could just take it for granted. Ben, who has always wanted to be like his dad, can’t understand why he is acting so strangely now. In an attempt to help matters, Ben appoints himself the responsibility of trying to hold his family together and lure his dad back. His younger brother Dan, however, thinks life is much better without their dad. At first, Ben devotes his attention to keeping his brother in line, but this seemingly impossible task leads to more problems. When their cousin, Kendra, arrives for her annual summer visit, Ben hopes things will get somewhat back to normal, but this only continues to complicate matters. As he tries to juggle his family, friends, girls, and the class bully, Kyle Turner, Ben’s energy starts to run low. His mother is acting as if this divorce is all for the best, Dan has mounted an ongoing attack against their Dad, Peter and Scott, Ben’s best friends, are caught up in an all out war with Kyle, tomboy Kendra starts acting all strange and girly for no apparent reason, and Ben is trying to solve everyone else’s problems to distract himself from his own feelings. Things come to a head when Ben’s dad is with work-friends and a strange woman when he is supposed to be at Dan’s awards ceremony. To make matters worse, the woman turns out to be his father’s girlfriend. Just when Ben’s thinks his life can’t get any worse, it does. Ben’s dad comes over to visit, but instead of enjoying the long awaited family night Ben was hoping for, he realises his dad has really come to say goodbye. Though devastated to hear his dad is re-marrying, Ben completely comes unglued when he finds out that his dad is cutting his visitation time with Dan and him so that he can bond with his new wife’s kids. When his mom tries to comfort him, Ben turns on her. She knew about this all along and hadn’t bothered to tell him. Ben feels hurt, angry, and alone. He has been betrayed by everyone, even himself. When Ben finally lets go and gives in to his emotions, he is able to see that he never really knew his dad. He discovers he has made his ever-absent dad who he wanted him to be from the time he was a little kid. His brother had been right about their dad all along, but Ben refused to see it. With the support of his friends, family, and a very patient girl, Ben is able to say goodbye to his dad and finally begin discovering who he is out of his dad’s shadow.