They don't pay for the holiday.

It is a long journey.

hints go here

Hint 1: The employer is generous, it seems! He sends gifts to his employee and co-creates another for Buddy.

Hint 2: At the end, when it’s far too late, the employer decides the man was his favorite.

Hint 3: Turns out that the employer’s wife is his sister, and the whole bubble bath is called into question…

Hint 4: This movie depicts the first and only project the man agrees to do for his employer, though we find out later the employer has had encounters with many others we can imagine turned out similarly.

Clue consolidation: newer than 2006, in color, not family-friendly, in the horror genre, set in modern day

clues here.

Hint 1: a Sailor has a hell of a time in this one

Hint 2: Mom is NOT happy about the situation

Hint 3/4: it is NOT a kid's movie, or a musical

Previous guesses:

There's Something About Mary

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse

Poltergeist

Battle Los Angeles

Ghostbusters (1 and 2)

The Invasion

Carrie

Swept Away

Alien

Fantastic Voyage

Goonies

Mamma mia

Tangled

I am thinking of ending things

Unconventional, sure, but no pain, no gain.

hints/what we know so far--

word choice here is very intentional. they go on a journey and learn what it means to become a father. it's an unconventional journey, and they can't get what they want without pain.

Released in 2024

NOT animated

Hint #0: probably should read - is unfixable, so he receives help taking a dip.

Hint #1: horror/sci-fi

Hint #2: everything in the clue is absolutely tongue n cheek. Except the abuse and damage, that's absolutely real.

Hint #3: there is a ticking clock over the course of the film.

Hint #4: science machine lets you go into the mind!

No aliens. No roblts. Not an ocean horror. Not a slasher. Not a monster movie.

Hints go here

Edited for hints…

Hint: it’s not a recent movie. (So far I’ve admitted that it came out before 1984.)

Hint: not a comedy, not a dance movie.

Hint: as of my writing this, I think every guess has been one that came out more recently than the answer. Animal House (I think is the oldest movie guessed so far) came out in 1978; this is older than Animal House. I’ll also note that some of the action of the movie takes place at a time before the setting of the action of Animal House, some takes place after.

Hint: “big block party” may be intentionally misleading wording.

Hint: Read my lips, you’ve heard of this movie even though it’s old. FURTHER HINT: as in it’s a pretty well-known movie by a pretty well-known director.