FOREVER MY GIRL

NOTE: This spoiler was submitted by Kristin

The movie opens outside a small community church in Saint Augustine, Louisiana. A woman is urging the guests to go inside the church because the wedding is about to start. A couple of people make comments to her about hearing Liam singing on the radio. The woman agrees that it’s wonderful, but right now they are going to see him marry her daughter.

The bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), is inside, getting ready with her bridesmaids. Four older Southern ladies watch the activity from a couch, enjoying the excitement. Josie’s brother enters the room and asks her if she’s ready for him to walk her down the aisle. A few minutes later two groomsmen come in and, after telling Josie she looks beautiful, one of them (Mason) asks to speak to the maid of honor in the hall. As they whisper outside the room, Jose is sure something is wrong but everyone assures her it’s all fine. Then her friend returns and tells her that Liam is not coming.

Cut to eight years later, an aerial view of a stadium in New Orleans, the marquee reads “LIAM PAGE TOUR.” Liam (Alex Roe) is on stage, finishing up a concert packed with adoring fans. After the last song, he walks off stage and makes a comment to his manager (Sam) that he wants a girl from the front row. Sam says they’re already on it, but first Liam needs to get to the after party and meet with some label reps. Liam tells him he isn’t going, and to send the girl and a gallon of vodka up to his room.

The next morning Liam wakes up, and the girl is standing in his hotel room, singing one of his songs. She gets so excited to see him awake; she steps on his phone that is lying on the floor. Liam freaks out, jumps out of bed, pulls on some clothes and runs barefoot out of the hotel room with phone in hand. Downstairs at the concierge desk, fans take pictures as he asks where the closest phone store is. After receiving directions, he runs down the street, barefooted, to the store. Fans are taking videos and pictures and chasing him.

When he gets to the store, he announces that he will give $10,000 to the person who can fix his phone. Several starstruck employees surround him before the store manager comes out and takes Liam into his office. The manager fixes his phone, commenting that it’s a classic. The old-style flip phone is being held together with duct tape. When he hands the phone back to Liam, he says there must be some very important messages on there for Liam to want it fixed so badly. Liam says, “just one.” Left alone in the office, Liam accesses the saved message - from Josie.

When Liam returns to the hotel, Sam is waiting - furious that Liam took off and videos of him running down the street in his bare feet are being played all over the TV and internet. Liam lies down on the couch and tells Sam to get him an espresso. Then he notices a news story on the TV. Mason, his groomsman from the opening scene, has been killed in a car accident. Liam just stares at the TV in disbelief.

Later, Sam is trying to get Liam to the airport so they can get to the final concert of the tour. While alone in the car, Liam tells the driver he’ll pay him $1,000 to get him out of there. They peel out of the parking garage.

In the next scene, Liam gets out of the car in front of the St. Augustine church, telling the driver that he better leave and not to tell anyone where he is if he wants to keep his job. Liam walks to the door of the church but doesn’t go in. He sits on the steps and listens as the preacher talks about what a good man Mason was. His head is down, and he turns away from the door, bumping into Josie and a young girl who are rushing into the service. Josie and Liam lock eyes, but then she grabs the girl, and they go inside the church. She sits next to her brother and tells him that Liam is there. Her brother is obviously not happy about it.

Later, Liam watches the cemetery burial from a distance. When the graveside service is over, Jose tells her brother to take her daughter so she can go to Liam. He doesn’t want her to, but she does anyway. She walks up to Liam and punches him hard in the stomach, walking away without saying a word. Doubled over on the ground, Liam looks up and sees the preacher. “Hi Dad,” he says.

Liam stays at his dad’s house, but there is palpable tension between them. His dad is bitter that Liam has not been home in 8 years and hasn’t had any contact since becoming famous. Liam wants to know if there’s a car he can use while he’s there and his dad tells him that his bike is still in the garage. His dad leaves for work, telling him that he’ll make dinner if Liam sticks around that long.

Liam calls Sam and, asks him for credit cards and if he can buy a car. At first, Sam is really upset because Liam missed the concert and no one knows where he is. His publicist is sending out press releases making up stories to explain his absence. Liam tells him that his friend was killed and he’s in his hometown. Sam softens and tells him he will take care of everything.

Liam gets his bicycle out and heads into town to buy alcohol. The clerk at the store mentions that she went to high school with him and appears disgusted that he doesn’t remember her. He takes the bottle and the bike and sits down on a bench. Just then, he notices Josie going into a flower store across the street, so he follows her.

Josie is not pleased to see Liam, and he tries to be apologetic, and they exchange awkward small talk. She tells him that the flower shop is hers, that she bought it a few years back, saying that she’s done pretty well for herself on her own. The door opens and a woman with a couple of kids, including Josie’s daughter, come in. Josie tries to get them out of the store, but Liam starts talking to the girl. She tells him that she’s seven and her name is Billie (same name as Liam’s mom). She also says that she knows who he is - he’s the country singer from the radio that her mom listens to sometimes. Josie asks her friend to take the kids for ice cream so she can talk to Liam. She confesses that she found out she was pregnant two weeks after he left her at the altar. She tried to contact him, but he never called back, and she promised herself that if he didn’t call back, she would never try to contact him again.

Liam goes back to his dad’s house, where his dad is making dinner. Liam is angry, yelling at his dad for not telling him he has a daughter. Dad gets angry back and says “I did tell you!” Liam asks him what he’s talking about, and Mr. Page tells Liam how he tried to call many times, but Liam wouldn’t answer, so then he flew to Seattle to see him in person at a concert. He convinced security to let him backstage, but Liam was so strung out he told his dad to leave and never come back. He had decided then that Josie & Billie would be better off without him in their life. Liam doesn’t remember any of it and seems embarrassed by his behavior.

The next day, Liam returns to the flower shop and asks Josie if he can get to know Billie. He assures her that it will be on her terms, but that he deserves the chance to get to know his daughter. She reluctantly agrees.

Later, Josie & Billie are sharing waffles, and Josie says she wants to talk to her about her father. Billie says “he seemed nice.” Josie is shocked that Billie picked up on the fact that Liam is her father. Billie says they were too obvious, and he seemed very surprised to find out about her. She then suggests to Josie that they invite him for dinner.

Liam wants to buy something for Billie but is so used to other people doing everything for him, he has to call Sam to find out how to order something online. He tells Sam that he has a daughter and he’s nervous and scared. Sam tells him he’s going to be great.

At dinner, Josie’s brother is also there and is still being stand-offish with Liam. Next to Billie is a huge teddy bear, twice as big as she is. Liam is awkward, but Billie puts him at ease and then tells her mom to open her present. Josie opens the box, and it’s a beautiful necklace. Billie asks Liam if he wants to see her room and meet her pet rabbit. In her room, they talk, and she says she’s afraid to take the rabbit out of the cage because it might scratch or bite her. Liam asks if he can, and they sit on the floor with the rabbit. Billie tells Liam that he should pick her up from school the next day so they can get to know each other.

After dinner as Liam gets ready to leave, Josie gives the necklace back and says she can’t accept it. She also tells him that Billie doesn’t want things from him, she just needs to know him. Liam tells her that Billie asked him to pick her up at school. A little unsure, she finally agrees and tells him to meet her at 3 pm.

Sam has a convertible Mustang delivered, so Liam has a car, so the next day he goes to meet Josie and Billie at the school. He and Josie talk about how they went to the same school, and Liam teases Josie that he doesn’t know what a car seat is when she gives it to him. Just then, Mason’s widow calls Josie, and she’s not doing well, so Josie leaves to help her out. Liam greets Billie when she gets out of school, but Billie refuses to get in the car - reciting the low survival rates of crashes in convertibles. Liam finally calls his dad to pick them up.

Back at his dad’s house, Liam, and Billie bond some more while his dad makes dinner. Billie brings out Liam’s first guitar, given to him by his mom, and together they start to improvise a melody. When his dad burns himself in the kitchen, Liam jumps up to help. Billie picks up the guitar and starts to play, to the men’s amazement. Liam asks how long she’s played guitar and she answers that it’s the first time; she just watched what he did. He tells her that he’s going to take her guitar shopping.

Things are going well, and Liam is enjoying the time he’s spending with Josie and Billie. One night Josie even lets Billie stay the night with Liam. As Liam is tucking her in, Billie asks him why he left her mom. After a short hesitation, he says that he was confused and young and dumb. He knows it was wrong, but he was lost and didn’t know how to handle fame. Josie and Liam’s dad listen from the porch and the other room as Liam and Billie talk. They are both moved by Liam’s honesty. Billie tells Liam he’s back home now.

After Billie goes to sleep, Liam & Josie talk on the porch. When Josie stands up to leave, she realizes she’s a little tipsy and asks Liam to drive her home. When they get to her house, she tells Liam that she wants something from him: to go on a date with The Liam Page - the famous country singer. He asks her if she is ready for that and she says yes, so he agrees.

We see Josie getting dressed in a very fancy dress, Billie helping her with her lipstick. A stretch limo pulls up to take Josie to Liam. The driver tells her that Mr. Page wants it to be a surprise. He takes her to a field where Liam is waiting with a helicopter. They fly to New Orleans and are mobbed by press and fans. One reporter asks Liam who the beautiful woman is and he replies “She’s the one.” They have a romantic night and kiss on the dance floor.

One afternoon they are having a get together with friends, and Liam & Billie are pretending to be lions, tearing into the “bloody meat” (hot dogs with ketchup). Josie’s brother arrives and realizes that Billie is choking. He rushes over to help while Liam stands back, frozen. As Jake tries to perform the Heimlich on Billie, with Josie frantically telling Billie to hang on, Liam is still frozen. He is remembering walking into the hospital as nurses try to revive his mother. They try to get him to leave the room, but he stands there, in shock, as he realizes his mother is dying. Jake is finally able to get the food out of Billie’s throat, and she’s fine, but Jake is mad at Liam for not doing anything.

Next, we see Liam getting drunk in a bar, upset that he stood by while Billie almost died. Jake comes in and says he figured that’s where he’d find Liam. He tells Liam that he’s not fooled by him the way everyone else is and that Josie & Billie would both be better off without him.

The next morning, Liam’s father wakes up, and there is a note on the coffee machine that says “they’re better off without me. Say goodbye for me”. Then we see shots of Josie in tears and a sad Billie being held by Jake.

Cut to Liam on stage in Berlin, singing a melancholy song. After the concert, Liam, Sam, and the band are getting on their private plane to head to the next concert. Sam gives Liam an earful about leaving Josie and his daughter. Liam realizes he has to go back and he starts telling the steward to let him off the plane. His publicist is freaking out, saying NO! But Liam gets off the plane and runs to get a plane ticket to Louisiana. As he’s waiting in the airport, he listens to the saved phone message, and for the first time, we hear the whole message. It’s Josie, asking him to call her back because it’s really important. She says that she won’t try again, but not matter what he decides to do, she will love him forever. Liam calls Josie and gets her voice mail. He leaves a message saying that it’s taken him eight years to return that message. He said he has listened to the message every day for eight years. He tells her that he’s coming back and that he’ll never leave Saint again unless it’s with her and Billie.

Liam arrives back in Saint and goes to Josie’s house. No one is home, and he leaves, leaving his phone on the front porch.

In the morning, he is woken up by someone throwing rocks at the window. It’s Josie, and she gestures for him to come outside. She has his phone in her hand and asks if he really listened to her message every day for eight years? He says yes, he did. She asks if he really won’t leave again unless she and Billie are with him? He says that’s right. “Then, Liam Page, welcome home” and she kisses him passionately.

The movie ends with Liam and Billie on stage, performing a song together. Josie, Sam, Liam’s dad, Jake, and the publicist are all watching.