Rob Harlan (Rob Lowe) was expecting a promotion but gets laid off from his 15 year radio sales job. He is encouraged by his wife (Paget Brewster) to finish his novel. The book, A Perfect Day, is a heart-wrenching story inspired by his wife and her father. They grow disillusioned with the piling rejections, and then they are surprised by book agent Camille Bailey (Frances Conroy). The success of the book slowly drives a wedge in their marriage. A mysterious stranger (Christopher Lloyd) warns him over and over again.
I don't like Rob Harlan and that starts right from the beginning. I have grown more hesitant about Rob Lowe as a public figure over the years but this is mostly about this character. He's selfish even in the beginning. I don't love the wife either but she has other people in her mind. I do get the idea of adapting A Christmas Carol into a modern story but then the twist goes off the rails. It could have been a simple clunky morality tale but even that is taken away by the final twist. It's not good but at least, it could have been functional.