| Director | Edward Zwick, Steve Pink |
|---|---|
| Budget | $12.5 million |
| Box office | $50.5 million |
Danny is a salesman working in the restaurant supply business along with his friend, ladies' man Bernie. Bernie invites Danny on a double date, where he meets Debbie, a friend of Joan, Bernie's latest girlfriend and sexual partner. He is still pining over his ex-girlfriend Alison, but begins a relationship with Debbie. They have a more conventional romance, while Bernie and Joan are constantly antagonistic towards each other, and eventually mutually end their relationship.
Several months later, Danny and Debbie move in together. Bernie regularly mocks Danny about his relationship, accusing him of being emasculated and under Debbie's control. Danny and Debbie begin to argue more frequently about a variety of topics, but particularly about Danny's apparent lack of commitment to their relationship. He is fired from his job for extending credit to bar owner Casey, and begins working at Casey's as a bartender.
While working, Danny is surprised by Alison. After she gets too drunk and refuses to go to her own home, Danny brings her to his apartment, where she flirts with him. The same night, Debbie, who is on a business trip, is propositioned by her coworker and ex Steven; both reject their exes.
After another argument at a New Year’s Eve party, Debbie breaks up with Danny and moves out. Both of them continue to be emotionally affected by their relationship, and have difficulty being with other people. Meanwhile, Bernie and Joan rekindle their relationship, based on their mutual enjoyment of antagonizing each other. Danny calls Debbie hoping to meet up, but is rejected.
Bernie and Joan's relationship continues to grow, eventually leading them to move in together, despite both of them having had discouraged Danny and Debbie from moving in while together. Walking the dog that he and Debbie got as a couple, he runs into her, they having been set up to run into each other by Bernie and Joan. They talk and agree to give their relationship another chance.