THAT IN-BETWEEN PERIOD follows PATTERSON, a 22-year-old creative writing major, as he navigates the transition to adulthood after graduating from college in 1994. His joy at being awarded “Best Senior Thesis” is cut short when he’s dumped by his girlfriend BETTINA, a sophomore who’s so focused on becoming an actress that she decides having a non-famous boyfriend is an obstacle.
Lacking job prospects, Patterson moves back to his suburban hometown of Summerlawn, New Jersey, where he clashes with his divorced parents – his pragmatic mother GENEVIEVE and distant father MORRIS, who runs the family business, a prosperous shoe store that’s been in business since 1905. While Patterson’s college friends encourage him to find a job in New York, his need for money leads him to become a waiter at chain restaurant Holy Moly It’s Saturday. He bonds with fellow waiter trainees GRAHAM, the former captain of their high school football team who plans to start a landscaping business, and PIETRONELLA, another old classmate who dreams of being a photographer and going to Sicily to document the village her parents immigrated from before it becomes a playground for wealthy celebrities. But Patterson must also deal with the cruel supervisor JUDITH, who has a profitable sideline charging the trainees money to take smoke breaks and to check their side work so they can leave at the end of their shifts.
Patterson and Pietronella bond over their desire to make art and escape their hometown, striking up an intense romance. But it falls apart when VINCE, another former classmate whose rage issues are exacerbated by steroid use, is abusive to Pietronella’s cousin CLAUDIA at a party. Pietronella, upset by Patterson’s failure to stand up for Claudia, breaks up with him.
Patterson is crushed by the end of his relationship with Pietronella and his inability to find meaningful employment, then is drawn back into his co-dependent entanglement with Bettina, who calls him for comfort after she’s dumped by an A-list actor. When he’s offered a job at a tabloid newspaper in the city as things heat up again with Bettina, he realizes the life he envisioned himself having is no longer the one he wants.
When Morris dies unexpectedly, Patterson is forced to confront his grief, his connection to his past, the type of person he wants to be and the future he hopes to have. At Morris’ funeral, he makes amends with Claudia and reconnects with Pietronella. He decides to use his inheritance to pursue a new beginning with Pietronella in Sicily and they set off together, excited about their adventure and nervous about their uncertain futures.
