The Best You Can is a movie about two people who find each other when their lives are complicated. Kyra Sedgwick plays Cynthia, a urologist caring for her aging husband. Kevin Bacon plays Stan, a security guard trying to fix his relationship with his daughter. The film shows how they form an unexpected connection.
The story deals with love, responsibility, and regret. Cynthia is married to Warren, a much older former Watergate lawyer who is now struggling with dementia. Stan is a divorced father trying to support his daughter Sammi’s music dreams while dealing with his own mistakes. When a home invasion brings Stan to Cynthia’s house, they start talking and become friends. This friendship changes both of their lives.
The ending of the movie answers whether Stan and Cynthia end up together after everything they go through. It also shows how they deal with grief, guilt, and the chance for a new start.
How Stan and Cynthia’s Relationship Begins
Cynthia and Stan meet because of a security problem. A burglar tries to break into Cynthia’s house one night when her husband, Warren, forgets to set the alarm. Stan, who works for a private security patrol, responds to the call. This is their first meeting.
Cynthia is a urologist. During this first meeting, she learns Stan is having prostate problems. She tells him to visit her clinic for help. Stan gives Cynthia his number and suggests she get a doorbell camera for better security. This starts their communication.
They begin to text each other often. They talk about many things, from music and TV shows to stories about their lives. For Cynthia, who feels lonely caring for her sick husband, these conversations make her feel alive again. For Stan, who feels stuck in his life and has a strained relationship with his daughter, talking to Cynthia is a bright spot.
Stan creates a nice little distraction for her awful state of mind, and they crash a wedding. Stan remembered the song young Cynthia used to dance to on Friday nights.
Their friendship has clear romantic feelings from the start. Cynthia even accidentally sends Stan a text meant for someone else, saying she finds him attractive. This creates some awkwardness but also shows their mutual interest.
The Complicated Affair and Its Consequences
The relationship takes a big step when Cynthia faces a crisis. Her stepdaughter, Rosemary, suggests moving Warren to a care facility in Cleveland. Cynthia agrees to visit the facility, but Rosemary cancels at the last minute, leaving Cynthia to go alone and feel very isolated.
When Stan hears Cynthia is upset and alone, he drives through the night to surprise her at her hotel in Cleveland. To cheer her up after a depressing visit to the care home, Stan convinces Cynthia to crash a nearby wedding with him. They dance and share a moment of joy. That night, they sleep together.
This decision leads to immediate guilt for Cynthia. Soon after their trip, she gets a call that Warren has had a heart attack. Filled with regret, she pushes Stan away. At a follow-up appointment, she tells Stan his prostate infection is better but that he should see a different doctor for future care. Stan realizes she is ending their relationship.
Cynthia tells Stan she feels she has betrayed her husband and violated her ethics as a doctor. Stan is angry and hurt because he wanted to pursue their connection. This creates a painful distance between them.
Warren’s Decline and Legacy
While Cynthia deals with her guilt, Warren’s health continues to get worse. His dementia progresses, making it impossible for him to write the book about his Watergate experiences he always wanted to finish.
Earlier, Cynthia had hired a home nurse named Pramila to care for Warren. To protect Warren’s pride, Cynthia asked Pramila to pretend to be a PhD student helping him with his book research. Pramila agreed.
Over time, Pramila did more than just care for Warren. She listened to all his stories about his life as an athlete and a lawyer. She recorded these stories and secretly turned them into a written manuscript.
After Warren’s heart attack, Pramila gives this manuscript to Cynthia. It becomes a complete book compiled from Warren’s memories. This gift is very important to Cynthia. It lets her remember the intelligent, strong man she fell in love with, not just the frail man he became at the end.
This helps her look past the grief of his inevitable end and focus on the parts of him that made her fall so deeply in love in the first place.
Warren passes away not long after. The movie does not show the exact medical cause, but it is related to his old age and declining health. His death leaves Cynthia to grieve not just her husband, but also the life they once had.
The Emotional Reunion After the Funeral
Stan and Cynthia see each other again at Warren’s funeral. Stan feels out of place, but he stays. After the service, he finds Cynthia alone in her house, breaking down with guilt.
She cries, telling Stan she feels she was not a good wife to Warren in his final days. To comfort her, Stan lies down on the floor next to her and tells a story from his past.
He shares a memory about a camping trip with his young daughter, Sammi. Things went wrong: he accidentally got peroxide in her eye, then splashed some in his own eye to see how much it hurt. In a panic, he ran toward the car with Sammi, tripped over a picnic table, and they both fell into a muddy patch.
In that muddy, painful moment, all Stan could do was apologize to his crying daughter. Sammi’s response was, “It’s okayโฆ you’re doing the best you can”.
This story makes Cynthia laugh and cry. She understands what Stan is trying to say. The story’s message is that people make mistakes, especially when trying to care for someone they love. What matters is the intention to try your best.
Stan’s story helps Cynthia forgive herself. She realizes that caring for Warren as he faded away was incredibly hard, and seeking comfort with Stan was a human response to loneliness, not a betrayal of her love for her husband.
Cynthia reaches out and holds Stan’s hand. She calls him “Mr. Wizard,” a reference to his favorite old cartoon, Tooter Turtle, where a wizard always saves the day. This moment shows she accepts his help and his comfort. They decide to be together.
What Happens to Stan and His Daughter Sammi?
Stan’s storyline is not just about Cynthia. A major part of his journey is repairing his relationship with his daughter, Sammi. Their past is strained because Stan moved away to Colorado for a time when Sammi was young, which she resents.
Stan tries hard to support Sammi’s music career, but he often pushes too hard. When he gets her a gig at a club, she gets anxious and refuses to perform without a stage riser. Stan gets frustrated, not understanding her fear.
After Cynthia breaks things off with him, Stan channels his angry energy into building a stage riser for Sammi himself. This act of supportโdone in a way that finally meets her needsโhelps them reconnect. Sammi starts performing again with new confidence.
The movie ends with a full-circle moment. At a performance, Sammi sings a song she wrote. Stan sits beside her, playing guitar. In the audience, Cynthia watches them both, smiling. This scene shows that Stan has successfully rebuilt his most important relationship while also starting a new one with Cynthia.
The Final Outcome for Stan and Cynthia
At the end of The Best You Can, Stan and Cynthia do end up together. Their relationship begins after Warren’s funeral, when they are both in a place to start anew.
Their future is presented realistically, not as a perfect fairy tale. The movie shows that the road ahead will have challenges. Cynthia is grieving her husband. Stan is still working on being a better father. They will have to navigate the normal complications of a new relationship with this heavy baggage.
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However, the film’s final message is one of hope and connection. It shows that love and partnership can be found at any stage of life, often when you least expect it. Their story is about two imperfect people who find solace and understanding in each other.
Cynthia publishes Warren’s book, which was created by the nurse Pramila. She titles it A Bookcase, preserving her husband’s legacy. This allows her to honor her past while moving forward with Stan.
The title, The Best You Can, reflects the film’s core idea. Everyone in the storyโCynthia, Stan, Warren, Sammiโis flawed and makes mistakes. But they are all trying their best to love, to care, and to live with the consequences of their choices. The ending suggests that sometimes, trying your best is enough.
