Plot summary

Happy-go-lucky advertising executive David Basner (Tom Hanks), who recently got a promotion at his Chicago ad agency, returns to work from a vacation. He is utterly carefree until his parents split up after 36 years of marriage.Out of the blue, he must care for his aging, bitter father Max (Jackie Gleason), as well as be there for his emotionally fragile mother, Lorraine (Eva Marie Saint). To add insult to injury, Max has just been fired from his 35-year career in the garment industry.At work, David is developing a commercial for Colonial Airlines, owned by the rich and eccentric Andrew Woolridge (Barry Corbin). A successful ad campaign would likely promote David to partner in his company. At the same time, David develops a romantic relationship with Woolridge's daughter, the no-nonsense Cheryl Ann Wayne (Sela Ward). His father is well aware of David's playboy nature. Asking at one point if his son is in bed with a woman, Max adds: "Anybody you know?"Over the next few months, the parents begin to rely more and more on David, calling him on the phone constantly. His mother needs help moving to a new apartment. His father needs to be driven to an eye doctor. Lorraine needs to be rescued in a bar after going out on a date with another man, having become frightened when he tried to kiss her goodnight.David's mother then confides to him that Max cheated on her and humiliated her. An enraged David goes to confront Max. Their argument ends with David saying: "Tomorrow I'm shooting a commercial about a family who loves each other, who cares about each other. I'm fakin' it."The next day, David is distracted by the deteriorating relationship with his father and it affects his work. As a peace offering, David offers to take Max to a nightclub to hear some of the jazz music Max likes. It is there that David accidentally discovers a secret Max has been hiding from the family: he has severe diabetes. When Max takes off his shoes to dance to the jazz music, David sees that his father's right foot is gangrened.Max must go to the hospital for his foot to be amputated. While awaiting surgery, he and Lorraine share their thoughts about their life together, with Lorraine condemning him for doing what he did to himself and to her. Max sobs over his mistakes once he is alone.At the agency, Andrew Woolridge insists that David go to New York with him to promote his new ad campaign. David refuses, saying he wants to stay with his sick father. Woolridge complains that it's unnecessary for business must come first. David tells him off and is quickly fired.The next day, David accompanies his dad to the operating room. His boss Charlie (Hector Elizondo) assures him that he will personally smooth things over with Woolridge, so David should take some time off.In the final scene, David goes back to the hospital where he learns from the doctor who performed the surgery that he managed to save Max's right foot, but had to amputate two toes. David enters Max's room to take him home. As David wheels Max through the hospital to his car to take him home, Max admits to his son: "You were the last person I thought would come through for me." Later, David gets his job back (although being fired earlier) and shows Max what he does for a living and Max is impressed at seeing what David does at work.