Social Animals

Zoe Crandle's life is a mess. Having worked a series of dead end jobs, she saved enough money to buy House of Wax, a body waxing business in a commercial strip of primarily independent businesses in Austin. But the business is failing especially against the flashy competition, Lazer Town, across the street. As such, she is behind in rent - she renting a small plot of land on which she parks the mobile trailer in which she lives - with her request for a commercial bank loan denied. And unlike her best friend Claire, a successful music manager, who believes in making relationships work, such as with her fiance Jim despite their relationship not feeling quite right, Zoe has never been in love, she taking Polaroids of all her bed partners just as a reminder of her failed love life. As she approaches her thirtieth birthday, she never sees herself married with kids. Paul's life is an equal mess. He owns Vulture, the video store across the street from House of Wax, it which is also failing in he arguably running it to satisfy his own love of movies rather than as a means to put food on the table. His wife Jane, a very serious lawyer, is the household breadwinner, and in that role takes control of everything in their lives. Jane also can't help but focus on the things that bother her, which seems to be everything. While Paul still professes to love Jane, she seemingly cannot stand the thought of him even touching her anymore in they not having had sex in months. Paul does admit that their three kids, despite the youngest Nate currently going through a phase of acting like a dog, are the best things in their lives. Zoe and Paul meet as mutual friends of just married Lana and Peter. With both an emotional connection and physical attraction between the two, the questions become what will happen between Zoe and Paul as they individually deal with the plethora of issues plaguing their lives.