Catch and Release 2007

In Boulder, Gray Wheeler attends the funeral of her fiancé, Grady Douglas, on the day they were meant to be married, a moment that sets off a chain of disquieting discoveries and shifting loyalties. Seeking a private corner to grieve, she hides behind a shower curtain and unexpectedly overhears Grady’s best friend, Fritz, in a compromising moment with the caterer, a revelation that upends her sense of trust and impending future.

Providers and lawyers enter Gray’s world as well—Eve, Grady’s attorney, confirms that since they were not married, Gray won’t receive a cent. To complicate matters, Grady had a million-dollar investment account she didn’t know about, a secret nest egg that suddenly makes her financially independent in a way she never anticipated. The realization hits hard: the life they had planned may be impossible to sustain, and Gray is left pondering how to navigate her future without the security she expected.

With rent savings evaporating, Gray moves in with Grady’s two close friends, Dennis and Sam, and stores her belongings while trying to figure out what comes next. Fritz, who is between directing commercials in California, also comes to stay, and his presence stirs tension as old friendships collide with new relationships and unresolved feelings. Gray then uncovers another layer of Grady’s life: he had been sending about $3,000 a month to someone unknown, a detail that raises questions about where his money was going and why.

Her discovery deepens when she finds Grady’s phone filled with messages from a woman asking about money. Gray asks Fritz for answers, and he reveals that Grady had a son, and that the boy’s mother, a massage therapist, depended on the regular support. The boy is eight years old, indicating the child was conceived well before Gray entered Grady’s life. The revelation forces Gray to confront how thoroughly Grady had kept his personal life hidden.

A family escalation follows as Mrs. Douglas asks Gray to return the engagement ring—a request Gray refuses. Maureen, the woman connected to Grady’s secret life, arrives with her son, Mattie, searching for sums of money and a chance to understand Grady’s choices. Gray realizes Mattie is not Grady’s biological child; Mattie is four, and the situation clarifies that Grady had been cheating. A charged confrontation with Fritz ends in a passionate kiss, complicating Gray’s emotional landscape further.

Gray resists getting drawn into Maureen’s world, but the men insist on meeting the child who bears Grady’s shadow. They invite Maureen and Mattie to join them for a meal, hoping to find some sense of family amid the upheaval. Gray, in a moment of candor, blurts out a biting view about “catch and release” fishermen, remarking that they are cruel and should simply eat the fish—an impulsive line that underscores Gray’s disillusionment with Grady’s double life and her own hunger for authenticity.

As the group navigates tangled feelings, Sam and Maureen begin to form a connection, though boundaries are tested when an intimate moment with Mattie approaches. Gray and Fritz grow closer, while Sam grapples with his own unresolved affection for Gray, leading to a fragile rift as he retreats to Malibu. A trip to the river brings Mattie together with Sam, who teaches the boy to fly fish, while Dennis confesses his feelings for Gray; the confession unsettles Gray and strains the new dynamics among the four friends.

Reality returns with the DNA test that Mrs. Douglas insists on for Mattie. The result shows Mattie is not Grady’s son, which shifts the stakes for everyone involved. Maureen is left unsure how to proceed, particularly about Rafael, the man she had sex with days before Grady’s death, who might be the father. Gray urges Mrs. Douglas to direct any future support toward the boy Grady loved, or Gray will consider selling the family ring to help Maureen and Mattie.

The story moves toward a communal, quiet resolution at the dedication ceremony for a peace garden Dennis builds in memory of Grady. Mrs. Douglas gives Maureen a substantial gift—$1 million—while telling Gray to keep the ring, expressing that her true wish was to have her boy back. Dennis moves out; Maureen and Mattie relocate to live with Sam, keeping the financial windfall and finding a new sense of stability with their chosen circle.

In the end, Gray returns to Malibu and finds Fritz on the beach with his dog; they share a tender moment, embracing and kissing as dusk settles. The film closes on a note of tempered healing:Gray has confronted the illusion of Grady’s life, faced the consequences of the choices she witnessed, and discovers a path forward with new connections, a sense of money managed with purpose, and the possibility of genuine closeness with Fritz as part of her future.