An aspiring karaoke singer enamored with Frank Sinatra, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, discovers that in order to fix his life, and find true love, he must put his abnormally large thumb on the line by trying to catch a legendary walleye at a Fisherama.

SYNOPSIS:

We see a CLOSEUP of a BIG THUMB against the deep blue New Mexico sky. As the camera pulls back we see a somewhat pudgy white guy, in his late twenties, standing by the side of the road hitching a ride. He is dressed for work in his usual wardrobe of a light blue leisure suit. Behind him we see his old white Cadillac. The car’s hood is up, and steam rises from its engine. So begins another day in the life of Joe Bloughstein, an office worker and aspiring karaoke singer in Las Cruces, NM. Joe is picked up by a farm truck filled with Mexican-Americans, who are in awe of Joe's enormous thumb. Their leader challenges Joe to a thumb-wrestling contest, in exchange for bottles of his cousin's homemade beer. Joe initially refuses, due to his drinking problem, but succumbs to temptation. Ten minutes later, having pinned everyone's thumbs, Joe gets out and soon is picked up by a VW hippie type van, driven by Billie, a new young hippie office worker at Hargrove and Svenson Real Estate, where Joe also works. Joe is in no condition to go to work, but assures Bille he is the Michelangelo of office workers. He notices Billie has a photo of Frank Sinatra on her dashboard. Joe is enamored with Frank's songs, and learns Billie's dad was also a fan. Joe also sees a mural of the Virgin Mary on the roof of the van and overwhelmed by the vision he barfs out the van's passenger window. Billie pulls over and demands Joe wash off the barf. At work, Joe continues his singing fantasy life, and imagines seducing Connie, the sexiest woman in the office who is involved with Mr. Hargrove. Leon, Joe's Hispanic sidekick, notices Joe's fixation and Joe says he's sure Connie has the hots for him. Billie, meanwhile, covertly puts an ad about a karaoke contest in Joe's inbox. Joe thinks Connie has done it. Joe wins the karaoke contest and Billie sneaks in and sees him perform, and falls hard for him, but leaves before Joe is finished. On a Friday night, Joe and Billie meet by accident at a laundromat. There is a chemistry between them, and Billie is jealous that Joe ogles Connie. Joe helps his dad, Duke, at Duke's LottaBurger. Billie comes in and asks Joe to go rock climbing. They seem to be getting along, but a few days later, Joe, Billie, and Leon attend an office party, and Joe wanders off and gets drunk. Connie finds him upstairs at a piano singing songs, and tries to seduce him. Billie discovers them and Joe and she get in an argument. Leon and Joe decide the only way out of their boring lives is to win a Fisherama at Lake Caballo, and hope to catch a legendary walleye. Joe and Leon get drunk and the big fish takes Joe's bait. In the ensuing chaos, Joe get his big thumb lopped off by the boat's propeller. The fish goes after the airborne thumb and lands in the boat. Joe has won the Fisherama! Joe awakens in a hospital with Duke, Billie, and Leon by his side. Joe and Billie confess their love and along with Leon, start Thumbs Up Records.

JOE'S THUMB