Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine, a young actor who falls in love with Alana.Alana Haim as Alana Kane, a photographer's assistant.They reunite and head for the arcade, where they kiss and run out into the night. Alana goes to Gary's arcade to see him, but he has left to look for her at Wachs' office. Alana apologizes to Matthew and they share kind words after she takes him home. He asks her to take Matthew home as a beard, despite Matthew's hurt feelings. She arrives at the restaurant and learns Wachs is gay after being introduced to his partner, Matthew.
As Gary prepares to open his arcade, Alana is invited for drinks with Wachs. In an argument, Alana implies that Gary is immature and he calls her old in retaliation. Gary briefly joins her, but after overhearing that pinball has been legalized in California, decides to open an arcade. The waterbed business fails as a result of the gas crisis.Īlana begins to work on the Joel Wachs mayoral campaign. Alana maneuvers the truck backwards down a hill to a gas station. Alana and Gary leave him behind, and Gary stops to attack Peters' car, but they soon run out of gas as well. They drive him to a gas station, where he threatens a customer. They are waved down by an agitated Peters, whose car has run out of gas. After setting up the bed, Gary floods the house before leaving with Alana. An irritated Peters leaves to see a film, but not before threatening to murder Gary's brother if the group ruins his house. Gary, Alana, and Gary's friends deliver a waterbed to Jon Peters' house as a gas crisis begins to sweep the country. An inebriated Holden brings Alana along, but she topples off the bike Gary runs to her to make sure that she is unhurt while Holden performs the stunt. Blau convinces Holden, an avid motorcycle enthusiast, to recreate a stunt on a local golf course involving a jump over a fiery ramp. After her audition, Alana accompanies Holden to a restaurant, which Gary and his friends, as well as film director Rex Blau, are also patronizing. When Alana decides she wants to try acting, Gary's agent gets her an audition for a film starring Jack Holden.
While selling beds at an expo, he is falsely arrested on suspicion of murder and soon released.
Gary starts a waterbed company with Alana as an employee and assistant. On the plane, Alana meets Lance, one of Gary's co-stars in a Doolittle film they begin dating, but break up after an awkward dinner with Alana's family. Gary attends auditions and appears in a variety show with Lucy Doolittle, and when Gary's mother Anita cannot take him to perform in New York, Alana chaperones him instead. She rebuffs his advances, but meets him for dinner and they begin a friendship. He notices 25-year-old Alana Kane, a photographer's assistant, and strikes up conversation with her. In the San Fernando Valley in 1973, 15-year-old Gary Valentine prepares for his high school picture day.