Beautiful Disaster: The Movie

Losing a bet is usually a terrible misfortune.  But it can also turn out to be a “Beautiful Disaster”.

Abby Abernathy (Virginia Gardner) is eager to make a fresh start as a freshman college student.  As a child, she was a prodigy in poker, and her irresponsible father would use her in his shady dealings. All she wants now is to focus on her studies and have a decent social life. But then, she crosses paths with a rebellious guy and he won’t leave her alone.

Travis “Mad Dog” Maddox (Dylan Sprouse) is known for two things: being a champion bare-knuckle boxer and hooking up with women. When Abby blatantly tells him that he’s not her type, Travis challenges her into a bet: if he gets hit by his boxing opponent, he’ll abstain from sex for a month, but if not, she’ll come live with him for the same amount of time. 

Soon, Abby finds herself sharing not just a room with Travis, but his bed as well. Though Abby insists on just being friends, Travis can’t help falling in love with her. She also realizes that he’s not a bad boy after all. Can she let herself love him back and open up about her past?

Directed and screenplay by Roger Kumble (After We Collided, Cruel Intentions, The Sweetest Thing) and based on the best-selling book by Jamie McGuire, “Beautiful Disaster” blends romance, comedy, drama and suspense.

Dylan Sprouse (After We Collided, Banana Split) says that he immediately agreed on playing Travis because the script clearly showed that the scenes would be “poppy, quick, and fun”. There’s also more to his character than it appears.  

Director Kumble says that Travis is “respectful and loyal” to his family and friends. “He has a code of honor, and that’s very important for this story.”

Before filming began, Sprouse focused on getting in shape, which involved about four hours a day of physical training. He wanted to not just look the part of a MMA fighter but also develop the stamina required for long fight scenes.

Virginia Gardner (Fall, Marvel’s Runaways), who plays Abby, was attracted to the story because the characters are “well fleshed out”.  To prepare for the role, Gardner studied poker and took lessons. Between scenes, she’d work on her card-shuffling skills.

The movie was shot in Bulgaria, but the actors first bonded in Los Angeles. “You just want to build that trust, and that friendship just makes it a lot easier to make the movie,” Kumble says. 

Gardner enjoyed working with Sprouse as he was “always cracking jokes”.  Meanwhile, Sprouse says he’d “definitely want to work with Gardner again” because she’s “super-collaborative, and plays off emotions well in a scene.”

Click here to watch the official trailer.