HANDLE WITH CARE PITCH DECK

PROJECT TITLE: HANDLE WITH CARE

Logline:

When a clever, street-smart Serbian thief flees to America with a Mafia fortune hidden on a laptop, she turns to a businessman caught in a custody battle—and discovers that winning his heart might be her riskiest heist yet.

Amélie meets Catch Me If You Can meets Charade.

Genre:

Romantic-dramedy/Crime/Espionage

Tone:

Playful, romantic, and delightfully offbeat — this story mixes heist thrills with heartfelt romance, where clever thieves, hapless bureaucrats, and over-the-top obstacles collide in a charming, fish-out-of-water story.

It fuses the quirky warmth of Amélie, the romantic awkwardness of Notting Hill, and the playful intrigue of Catch Me If You Can.

Target Audience

Primary:

• Adults 25–54 who enjoy elevated thrillers with emotional stakes, romantic tension, and real-world danger.
• Viewers drawn to films where ordinary people are forced into extraordinary circumstances.

Secondary:

• Fans of international crime thrillers, cat-and-mouse suspense, and action dramas with a heart.
• Audiences who respond to stories about protecting family, fighting corruption, and unlikely partnerships turned intimate.

Comparable Films & TV

• Amélie (2001) – Whimsical romance where a shy, kindhearted heroine transforms the life of a guarded man.
• Knight and Day (2010) – High-energy romantic action where danger, flirtation, and comedy collide.

• Catch Me If You Can (2002) – A charming globetrotting cat-and-mouse fueled by charisma, deception, and emotional undercurrents.

• Ghosted (2023) – A mismatched romantic duo thrown into globe-spanning espionage chaos.
• Charade (1963) – Sparkling wit, romance, and intrigue as a woman is pursued through a web of deception.

• To Catch A Thief (1955) – A suave master thief forced into espionage, blending charm, danger, and romantic adventure.

• Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024) – Spy-fueled romantic comedy where marital tension meets high-stakes action and unexpected chemistry.

Synopsis:

Nick Canaday—a struggling import/export business owner locked in a bruising custody battle for his young daughter—has his life thrown into chaos when he crosses paths with Tatiana, a beautiful and resourceful migrant on the run. Tatiana carries a stolen laptop exposing a high-level Balkan trafficking pipeline operating through Nick’s own shipping docks, and foreign Secret Service Agents will stop at nothing to bring her home. As immigration officers tighten their net, Nick’s ex-wife seizes on every misstep to strengthen her case, forcing Nick to choose between risking his freedom, his reputation, and the custody of his daughter or protecting a woman whose survival may rest on him alone. What begins as a reluctant entanglement becomes a dangerous partnership that challenges Nick to confront the man he is—and the father he hopes to become—before the forces aligned against them destroy everything he’s fighting for.

Key Characters:

Nick Canaday – Our everyman hero, a dedicated import/export owner battling for custody of his young daughter. Principled, determined, and yet conflicted, he’s the heart and grit audiences will root for.
Tatiana Bedrosian – Loyal, fearless, and clever. A resourceful migrant on the run, she’s the romantic and action-driving force who challenges Nick to be bolder, smarter, and braver.
Emma Canaday – Nick’s sharp, loving daughter. Her safety and happiness heighten the stakes, giving Nick a personal reason to fight.
Terry Canaday – Nick’s ex-wife. Ambitious and opportunistic, she adds domestic tension and complicates his fight for family.
Derek – Terry’s new partner. Arrogant, irresponsible and smug, he’s the foil in Nick’s personal life.
Sheldon Haskell – Immigration agent and Terry’s protective brother. By-the-book, relentless, and morally rigid, he’s both an obstacle and unlikely ally, adding tension and urgency to Nick’s quest.
Dragan – Ruthless Balkan agent hunting Tatiana. Cold, precise, and relentless, he’s the story’s primary external threat.
Slavko & Danko – Dragan’s bumbling but dangerous sidekicks. Equal parts menace and dark comedy.
Eddie Warshaw – Street-smart, sympathetic family lawyer. Sharp and supportive, he helps Nick navigate the legal chaos around Tatiana.
The Laptop / Trafficking Plot – Not just a MacGuffin: it’s the ticking engine of the story, raising stakes

Themes:

Family & Responsibility: Nick’s battle for custody highlights the lengths a parent will go to protect and provide for their child, balancing love, duty, and moral choices.
Trust & Loyalty: The story explores whom to trust when lives are at stake, and how loyalty can defy legal, social, and national boundaries.
Courage Under Pressure: Ordinary people pushed into extraordinary circumstances must confront fear, risk, and personal limitations.
Justice vs. Survival: Characters must navigate morally gray areas, weighing ethical ideals against immediate survival and the greater good.
Love & Connection: Amid danger and deception, unexpected romance forces the characters to risk everything for emotional fulfillment and human connection.

Why Now? (Market Relevance):

Heightened Global Awareness: Themes of human trafficking, immigration struggles, and international corruption resonate strongly in today’s socially conscious landscape.
Relatable Stakes: Audiences connect to stories about family, love, and ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
Action-Driven Drama with Heart: Combines suspense, romance, and thriller elements—an audience-tested formula proven to draw broad demographics.

Fresh Take on Popular Genre:

Unlike traditional action-thrillers or espionage tales, Handle With Care blends high-stakes crime, emotional depth, and a romance that feels earned, delivering both pulse-pounding suspense and heart.
The story humanizes global crime and immigration issues without sacrificing tension, creating a contemporary, commercially appealing twist on the action-romance genre.

Closing:

Handle With Care is a high-stakes romantic action-thriller that blends pulse-pounding suspense, international intrigue, and heartfelt family drama. When Nick Canaday, a struggling import/export owner locked in a grueling custody battle, crosses paths with Tatiana, a resourceful migrant on the run, his carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. With stolen evidence exposing a high-level Balkan trafficking operation, foreign agents, immigration authorities, and personal enemies closing in, Nick must risk everything—his freedom, his reputation, and the custody of his daughter—to protect Tatiana and prove he’s the man he hopes to become.

Equal parts heart, adrenaline, and romance, Handle With Care delivers the thrilling pace of Knight and Day and Catch Me If You Can, the cunning charm of Charade, and the emotional stakes of a true family drama. It’s smart, suspenseful, and stylish—a cinematic ride that keeps audiences invested in both the action and the love story at its core.

Whether you’re drawn to espionage, romantic tension, or action-packed thrillers…this is a story that refuses to let go.

CASTING SUGGESTIONS:

Tatiana Bedrosian

Sadie Soverall

Ruby Rose Turner

Sophia Lillis

Diana Silver

Sophie Thatcher

Nick Canaday

Chris Pratt

Glen Powell

Nicholas Hoult

Alden Ehrenreich

Chris Evans

POTENTIAL DIRECTORS:

James Mangold – Versatile director of Logan, Ford v Ferrari, and Knight and Day. Excellent at character-driven action with emotional stakes. Could ground the story while keeping it thrilling and romantic.
Paul Feig – Known for Spy, Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters (2016). Strong comedic sensibility with action chops and great at chemistry-driven relationships.
Doug Liman – Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Edge of Tomorrow. Experienced with action-romance mashups and globe-trotting thrillers; can balance humor and high-energy sequences.
Shawn Levy – Night at the Museum, Free Guy, The Adam Project. Skilled at family-friendly yet adventurous storytelling with comedic timing and heart.
Marc Webb – 500 Days of Summer, The Amazing Spider-Man. Can capture quirky romance and emotional intimacy, with a stylized flair for visuals and pacing.

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