Widower and professor Porter Waide has his life turned upside down with the arrival of his football player brother, Bobby, who's gotten into so much trouble that he's been contracted to live with a responsible relative. This move also disrupts the lives of Porter's impressionable son, Oscar, and Bobby's perpetually annoyed agent, Dena.
When Bobby mocks Porter for putting encouraging notes in Oscar's school lunches just as their mother did to him, Porter realizes that his parents treated their sons very differently and had very different expectations of them.
Porter becomes depressed after he gives a talk on Abraham Lincoln to Oscar's class and literally bores the students to sleep; Bobby hopes to shine up his brother's image in class.
Porter scares off his blind date Gretchen; Bobby, Oscar and Rose try to convince Porter to ask Rose's mother Marilyn out.
Porter is very proud of his trophy date, gorgeous model Amy, who has a thing for sensitive intellectuals. Trouble is, she fancies herself a brain herself, even though her head is obviously mostly air. Porter claims he is interested in her for her mind.
The brothers' mother sends them a box of stuff from their childhood, reviving ancient rivalries; The box also contains a sweater which belonged to Laura, Porter's first girlfriend.
Porter accidentally ruins Bobby's priceless championship-game football; Bobby gets kicked out and moves in with Dena.
