Paradise, Texas

After a lifetime spent acting in television and film, Mack Cameron (Timothy Bottoms), appears to have everything: fame, wealth, and a successful career in Hollywood. But despite it all, he is miserable and he doesn't know why. Long hours, relentless travel, and constant hustling for new jobs keep him from his wife,Liz (Meredith Baxter) and their sons e. To make matters worse, his pushy mother/publicist Beverly (Polly Bergen) has an uncanny knack for appearing when Mack feels most aggrieved, grating his nerves raw. Mack accepts roles in two films with overlapping schedules, a big action flick filming on location in Canada and a low-budget independent film shooting in his hometown of Littleton, Texas. The indie doesn't pay much but the prospect of spending quality time with the family while still working is reason enough for Mack. Far away from the lights of Hollywood in Littleton, CJ Kinney (Ben Estus) is struggling with his own problems. Although a gifted performer, he is misunderstood by just about everyone. Bullies rough him up at school, while his rancher dad Cal (Brandon Smith) pushes him to play baseball like other boys his age. Cal is convinced that 12-year-old CJ will grow up and take over the family business-even his wife Betsy (Sheryl Lee) cannot persuade Cal otherwise. CJ's electrifying dance routine is enough to prove to everyone, including his father, that he is doing what he truly loves. CJ gets his first shot at the big screen when he is cast opposite Mack Cameron. Liz's patience runs thin during the shoot. She loves Mack's boyish charm, but sometimes he misses the mark as a husband and father. When he loses his juicy role in the big studio picture, he lashes out at everyone on set, tumbling his relationships and almost taking CJ's burgeoning career as a casualty. Liz, furious with Mack's behavior, grabs her boys and heads back to L.A., leaving Mack alone with the one person he doesn't want to see: his mother. He is forced to confront his shortcomings as a husband, a father, an actor, and a man. Mack realizes for the first time--after witnessing CJ dance with a forgotten joy--he has been pursuing someone else's dream. It is through CJ's innocent eyes that Mack sees a new path unfolding before him. As Mack discovers, all roads lead back to Littleton, his own piece of Paradise.