This Time Around 2003

Romance

Comedy

Runtime

120 mins

Language

English

Directed by

Megan Park

Made by

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This Time Around Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for This Time Around (2003). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

In eighth grade, Melissa Rochester is a shy, geeky girl who harbors a massive crush on Drew Hesler, the most popular boy in her middle school. When her missing notebook—stuffed with doodles of their names—finds its way to the school reception desk, it circulates until it lands in the hands of Drew Hesler and his in‑crowd. They decide to pull a prank: a note supposedly from Drew telling Melissa to meet him at lunch and wait to be asked out. Ecstatic at the prospect, and bolstered by her best friend Gabby Castellani, Melissa approaches Drew during lunch. But the moment she gets close, the group publicly reveals it as a joke, leaving Melissa humiliated and racing away. We later learn that both Melissa and Gabby Castellani transfer to a Catholic high school, leaving the public school behind.

Ten years pass, and Melissa has grown into a confident executive at a public relations firm, yet trust issues cling to her after the old humiliation. Her agency is tasked with handling the launch of Drew Hesler’s new restaurant, and at first she resists. Gabby encourages her to see this as an opportunity to exact a quiet revenge: make Drew Hesler fall in love with her and then break his heart.

The plan unfolds in stages. The two women employ a mix of charm, timing, and persistence to draw Drew back into Melissa’s orbit, and he eventually asks her out. They share a tender, intimate date at the still-new restaurant, where Drew explains that the venture is funded from his own money and that if it fails, he would be ruined financially. He also reveals that he has just ended a long relationship with Cara Cabot, the popular girl from their old school who had been by his side for a decade, and he’s ready to move forward. As the night progresses, a genuine spark seems to flare between Melissa and Drew.

Yet the back‑story haunts them. Cara Cabot appears, urging Melissa to step aside, and Melissa’s recent misgivings surface when Cara’s mother—having learned rumors about Melissa’s junior high identity as “Pissy Missy”—tells Cara that Melissa might be more trouble than she’s worth. Drew feels a twinge of guilt for the pranks of their past and heads to Melissa’s apartment, while Gabby realizes their sabotage may have gone too far. She and Cara conspire to push Drew away, but Drew insists that he isn’t the same kid he was back then and that he has moved on.

When Cara and her allies reveal the ruse to Drew, he confronts the truth: his actions in junior high were childish, and he’s not willing to repeat the same mistakes. Gabby recognizes her miscalculation and capitulates, inviting Melissa to join them for Drew’s grand opening that night. At the event, Melissa arrives, they clear the air, and Drew publicly acknowledges Melissa’s hard work. The evening ends with a heartfelt reconciliation and a kiss, signaling a fresh start built on mutual respect and a renewed sense of possibility. The story closes on a note of tempered redemption, showing two people who have learned to separate past wounds from present feelings and to choose a future together.

This Time Around Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of This Time Around (2003) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Melissa's crush and the missing notebook

In 8th grade, Melissa is a shy, geeky girl with a huge crush on Drew. Her missing notebook, with doodles of their names, is handed to the school reception and soon falls into Drew's circle. They decide to play a prank by leaving a note in Melissa's locker supposedly from Drew, telling her to come up to him at lunch and wait to be asked out.

8th grade Junior high school

The prank plan takes shape

Drew and the popular group finalize the prank, planning to make Melissa think Drew will ask her out. The note is presented as the chance for Melissa to be noticed, with the plan hinging on a lunch-time interaction. The moment is staged to maximize embarrassment.

Lunch period Junior high school

Lunch humiliation

Melissa approaches Drew during lunch, hopeful for a real confession. Instead, he and his friends reveal the note was a joke told to humiliate her in front of the entire school. The humiliation is crushing, and she tears away from the cafeteria in tears.

Lunch period School cafeteria

A fresh start elsewhere

The humiliation prompts Melissa and her best friend Gabby to transfer to a Catholic high school, away from Drew and the junior high crowd. They seek a new start without the memory of the prank looming over them. The move marks the end of Melissa's junior high era.

Shortly after the incident Catholic high school

Present day: a PR executive

Ten years later, Melissa has become a confident executive in a public relations firm. She still guards her trust, shaped by past hurt. Her firm is hired to work on Drew Hesler's new restaurant project, pulling her back into his orbit.

Present day Public relations firm

Gabby's revenge plan

Gabby convinces Melissa to use the restaurant project as a way to get revenge on Drew by making him fall in love and then break his heart. Melissa agrees, and they begin to plot to turn the situation into something personal.

Present day Office

First date at the restaurant

Drew starts pursuing Melissa, following the plan but showing genuine charm. He asks her out and they share a romantic date at his new restaurant before it officially opens. The chemistry hints at something real beyond the scheme.

Before opening Drew's new restaurant

Cara's interruption

During the date, Cara Cabot arrives and asks Drew to reconsider their ten-year relationship. Drew reveals he recently broke up with Cara, but Cara begs for another chance and Drew declines. The interruption complicates the budding romance between Melissa and Drew.

During the date Drew's restaurant

A next-day hint of closeness

The next day, Drew surprises Melissa at her office and asks her to shop for flowers together, signaling that their connection is growing beyond the professional veneer. They share a lighter, more personal moment as they deepen their bond.

Next day Melissa's office

False rumor and the fallout

Melissa visits Drew's restaurant only to be confronted by Cara, who lies that she and Drew are getting back together. The false rumor leaves Melissa disappointed and skeptical. Gabby nudges her to end the professional relationship, intensifying the emotional confusion.

Later that day Drew's restaurant

Revelation and confrontation

Cara confronts Drew with the junior-high nickname 'Pissy Missy,' hoping to drive a wedge between them. Drew feels guilty about the past and heads to Melissa's apartment to talk things through. The visit tests their tension and growing attraction.

Evening Melissa's apartment

Gabby realizes the plan went too far

Gabby recognizes that their scheme has hurt Melissa and Drew more than helped. She calls Melissa back and invites her to join Drew's grand opening that night, hoping to salvage the situation. The plan shifts from revenge to reconciliation.

Evening Gabby's setting and phone call

Grand opening and reconciliation

Melissa arrives at Drew's restaurant for the grand opening. The two reconcile as he toasts her for her hard work, and they share a kiss, sealing their evolving relationship in front of friends and the crowd. Hope replaces the earlier hurt as their romance finally blooms.

Grand opening night Drew's restaurant

This Time Around Characters

Explore all characters from This Time Around (2003). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Melissa Rochester (Carly Pope)

In present day, Melissa is a confident PR executive who still guards her heart after the middle school humiliation. She uses strategic thinking and wit to navigate work and romance, while secretly craving genuine connection. Her plan-driven approach to love tests her boundaries and forces growth.

💬 Rumors 🧭 Trust issues 💘 Romance 🌱 Growth

Drew Hesler (Brian Austin Green)

The once-popular boy who now runs a new restaurant, he carries guilt about harassing Melissa in junior high. He presents himself as changed and ready to move on, but his past actions complicate trust and romance in the present.

💬 Popularity 💔 Remorse 🍽️ Restaurant 🤝 Commitment

Gabby Castellani (Sara Rue)

Melissa's best friend turned ally in the revenge plot, Gabby orchestrates increasingly elaborate schemes at first. She underestimates the harm she causes until she sees the consequences for Melissa and Drew.

🎭 Manipulation 🗝️ Scheming 👯 Friendship 🔄 Change

Cara Cabot (Gina Tognoni)

The long-time girlfriend of Drew and a social force in their old school, Cara is wary of Melissa and uses information about the past to challenge their relationship.

💬 Popularity 💔 Heartbreak 🧭 Interference 🗣️ Gossip

Young Cara Cabot (Megan Park)

The younger version of Cara, seen in flashbacks; her social power and charisma during junior high color Melissa's memories and set the stakes for later events.

👧 Youth 👫 Cliques 🎀 Popularity 🗨️ Gossip

This Time Around Settings

Learn where and when This Time Around (2003) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Time period

8th grade era; present day

The story begins with Melissa in 8th grade, where a prank shapes her views on trust and romance. Ten years pass and the action unfolds in the present day, following her career, dating life, and evolving dynamic with Drew. The two-period timeline shows how childhood experiences influence adult choices and relationships.

Location

Junior high school, Catholic high school, Melissa's public relations firm, Drew's restaurant

The film shifts between a bustling junior high and Melissa's present-day PR world, highlighting where the humiliation began and how it echoes into adulthood. Catholic high school memories frame rivalries and loyalties that resurface later. The present-day settings—Melissa's office and Drew's restaurant—become the stages for romance, deception, and eventual reconciliation.

❄️ High school 🏢 Workplace 🍽️ Restaurant 🏫 Catholic high school

This Time Around Themes

Discover the main themes in This Time Around (2003). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

💔

Revenge

Melissa and Gabby concoct a plan to use Drew's affections to break his heart, mistaking revenge for empowerment. The scheme exposes the fragility of trust and the cost of manipulating someone’s feelings. As the plot unfolds, the consequences of revenge become a catalyst for self-reflection. The narrative questions whether hurt can ever truly be redeemed by retaliatory romance.

🌱

Growth

Melissa's transformation from a humiliated junior high student to a confident adult executive is central to the film. The present-day romance tests her boundaries, teaching her to trust again and balance ambition with vulnerability. The story tracks small developments—maturing boundaries, better communication, and resilience after social humiliation. Growth ultimately reframes old hurts as lessons.

🤝

Forgiveness

Drew's guilt over past cruelty and his willingness to change play a key role in the reconciliation. The romance becomes a testing ground for forgiveness, both for Melissa and for himself. The path to mending trust is gradual, requiring honesty, accountability, and a willingness to be different from who they were in junior high. The ending reinforces that forgiveness can reset relationships and offer new beginnings.

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This Time Around Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of This Time Around (2003). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In the tight‑knit world of a midsize suburb, memories of junior‑high corridors still echo for those who once walked them. Melissa Rochester spent those years on the sidelines, a shy, geeky student nursing an unreciprocated crush on the class’s golden boy. That infatuation, and the harsh prank that followed, left an indelible mark, shaping the way she views trust and vulnerability long after the lockers fell silent.

Fast forward a decade, and Melissa has reinvented herself as a confident public‑relations executive, mastering the high‑stakes rhythm of corporate campaigns. When her agency lands the account for a brand‑new restaurant, the project takes an unexpected turn: the venture’s owner is none other than Drew Hesler, the same charismatic figure who once ruled the schoolyard and whose name still stirs a mix of curiosity and unease for her. The assignment thrusts her into a professional arena where polished presentations clash with a past that refuses to stay buried.

Complicating the situation is Gabby Castellani, Melissa’s steadfast best friend, who nudges her toward confronting the old wound head‑on. Their dynamic, rooted in loyalty and a shared history of navigating teenage turbulence, adds both humor and tension to the unfolding scenario. As the restaurant’s grand opening looms, the trio finds themselves balancing ambition, old insecurities, and the subtle promise of a fresh start—without any guarantee of what that might look like.

The film’s tone blends nostalgic reflection with contemporary romance‑drama, inviting the audience into a world where personal growth is measured against the backdrop of a bustling cityscape and a culinary venture that could become a metaphor for second chances. It is a story about the lingering impact of youthful hurt, the courage required to meet it where it stands, and the possibility that the present can rewrite the script of the past.