October 15, 1980
Alex had initially wanted a quiet seventeenth birthday, maybe just dinner with Aunt Nancy and her family. The idea of celebrating felt strange; he hadn't really marked the day since his mother passed away. But Nancy had insisted. "Honey," she'd said gently, "your mother would want you to celebrate this. You've achieved her dream for you – you starred in a movie! That's huge. We need to mark this."
So, here he was, in Nancy and Edward's comfortable Los Angeles home, the air filled with the low murmur of conversation and the scent of birthday cake. It wasn't the quiet evening he'd first envisioned. His father, John, had flown in from Texas, bringing Martha Lopez, his mother's close friend, with him. Seeing them together, relaxed and smiling, stirred a mix of emotions in Alex.
His father found him nursing a soda near the fireplace. "Seventeen," John said, clapping a hand gently on Alex's shoulder. "Quite a year you've had. Are you happy, son?"
Alex met his father's gaze. "Yeah, Dad, I am," he admitted honestly. "Finishing the movie... knowing Mom would have been proud... it makes me feel closer to her, somehow. It's good. Challenging, but good." He paused, then turned the question, albeit carefully. "Are you happy?" He wasn't asking about Mom; he was asking about Martha, about the quiet companionship he saw between his father and her.
He knew his concern wasn't about Martha replacing his mother – Martha had been like family for years. His worry stemmed from imagining them back in Eagle Lake, Texas. Martha was half-Black, half-Spanish, vibrant and kind, but their small town wasn't always welcoming to differences. He pictured the raised eyebrows, maybe even hostile words, directed at an interracial couple.
John seemed to read his mind, a small, knowing smile touching his lips. "You forgetting who I am, Alex?"
Alex couldn't help but smile back, the image of his father – the quiet strength, the unwavering resolve – coming sharply into focus. This was a man who had endured the jungles of Vietnam as a Navy SEAL, who had faced challenges Alex couldn't even comprehend, and had come through mentally intact, grounded, and tough. A few eyebrows and hostile glances are nothing to him. John's quiet confidence was reassuring. "No, Dad," Alex said. "Guess I'm not."
Later, after the cake was cut and "Happy Birthday" sung, Aunt Nancy led him outside with a flourish. "We have one more surprise for you, birthday boy!" Parked in the driveway, gleaming under the porch light, was a 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback, deep Highland Green. Alex's jaw dropped. It was his absolute dream car.
"No way..." he breathed.
"Happy Birthday!" Nancy beamed. "It's from all of us – me, Edward, your Dad."
Alex was momentarily speechless, running a hand over the car's smooth lines. He turned and pulled Nancy into a tight hug, then did the same with his father. "Thank you," he managed, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you all so much. It's incredible."
The party was a small affair, mostly family. His demanding schedule and taking exams remotely meant he hadn't made many school friends in LA. As he admired the Mustang, Nancy's husband Edward came over, chuckling. "Enjoy it, Alex. God, it's good to be young. Makes me wish I was seventeen again."
Edward's words, meant casually, struck a chord deep within Alex. Suddenly, a fragmented image flashed in his mind – one of those strange visions he sometimes had, seeing things from the perspective of that actor, Keanu Reeves. This time, it was a fleeting glimpse of a different movie, one Reeves had been in, something called Young Again. The feeling associated with the vision, combined with Edward's wistful comment about wanting to be young again, sparked something. An idea began to form, hazy at first, then rapidly gaining clarity. Standing beside his dream car on his seventeenth birthday, Alex Hayes suddenly knew exactly what his next script was going to be about.
*******
The excitement from his birthday party, the thrill of the Mustang, lingered into the next morning, but Alex's mind was primarily occupied by the idea that had sparked so vividly the night before. Edward's comment about wishing to be seventeen again had unlocked something, connecting to those recurring, strange visions – the ones where he seemed to inhabit Keanu Reeves's perspective. He first recalled the Young Again concept he'd glimpsed: a successful but unhappy older man getting his wish to be a teenager again, only to find it wasn't the easy fix he'd imagined.
Interesting, Alex thought, but maybe a bit simple. What if, he pondered, turning the idea over in his mind, the middle-aged guy wasn't just successful and unhappy, but already had a family? What if his life was already complicated, facing difficulties with his wife and kids? As that specific thought took shape – the image of a man struggling not just with personal dissatisfaction but with familial responsibilities – another flash hit him. This vision felt more potent, more layered: a man whose marriage was failing, whose kids thought he was a loser, getting that miraculous chance to be seventeen again. The core idea was similar – second chances, returning to youth – but the stakes felt higher, the potential for both comedy and emotional depth richer, more like the concept later known as 17 Again.
It was this second, more complex vision that Alex knew he wanted to pursue. He spent the morning sketching out notes, capturing the general outline of the 17 Again concept. But the limitations were clear. He had the emotional core, but executing the intricate plot and, crucially, landing the comedic beats required a seasoned hand. This wasn't just a feeling; it was a certainty.
Knowing he needed professional collaboration, Alex headed over to the CAA offices later that day. He navigated the bustling reception area and made his way to find Aunt Nancy. He caught her between meetings, briefly outlining the sequence of his thoughts and the resulting idea, the excitement returning as he spoke.
"So," he said, "it's this idea about a guy getting to be seventeen again, fixing his life... I think it could be really funny, but also have heart. But I only have the basic story." He looked at her hopefully. "Nancy, I need help again. Can you find me someone? A really good screenwriter, someone who knows how to write comedy?"
Nancy listened intently as Alex finished outlining his request for a comedy screenwriter. She tapped a pen thoughtfully on her desk in the bustling CAA office. Finding the right collaborator, especially one skilled in comedy who could mesh well with Alex's vision and personality, wasn't something to rush. "Okay, Alex," she said finally, "I understand what you're looking for. Good concept. But I don't have the perfect name immediately top of mind. Let me think about it, make some calls. Give me some time to find the right fit."
Alex nodded easily. "Yeah, no problem, Nancy. Take your time. I'm in no hurry. After the shoot, I was planning to just relax for at least a couple of weeks anyway, decompress a bit." He felt good having planted the seed for his next project but was content to let his aunt work her magic while he took a much-needed break.
The end of October passed quietly for Alex. By the time Nancy was ready to circle back with potential writer options, it was already the first week of November. In the interim, the film that had started it all, My Bodyguard, had completed its impressive theatrical run. Having played through the late summer and early fall, its time on the big screen came to a close.
The final numbers solidified its legend as one of the year's biggest sleeper hits. Against its modest $3 million budget, My Bodyguard ended its domestic run with a stunning $34 million gross. The calculation was simple and staggering: the film had earned back more than 11 times its production cost. It was an unqualified financial success for everyone involved.
Note:' Young Again' is a 1986 tv film starring Keanu Reeves.