In terms of living the American Dream, Alex (BEN STILLER) and Nancy (DREW BARRYMORE) have it pretty good. They're a young, vibrant couple in New York City with bright futures ahead of them. Nancy works for a prestigious magazine, Alex is working on his second book and most importantly, they have each other. But one thing is missing: a home of their own.

That is, until their realtor (HARVEY FIERSTEIN) leads them to Brooklyn where they unexpectedly find their dream house: a charming old duplex. It 's perfect. Beautifully appointed, caringly refurbished; it's a gem. Alex and Nancy will have to dip a lot further into their savings than they had planned, but who can resist two floors, a butler's pantry, and three fireplaces with the original glass tiles?

But their new home comes with one feature they didn't expect: an upstairs rent-controlled tenant named Mrs. Connelly (EILEEN ESSELL). In light of her advanced age and apparent poor health, Alex and Nancy figure the inconvenience of this sweet old lady will only be temporary.

However, dear Mrs. Connelly isn't quite as easy going or frail as Alex and Nancy originally anticipated. Her slow trickle of demands picks up in a steady volume until Alex and Nancy are running themselves ragged fixing, attending, reassuring, and putting more time and energy into their tenant than humanly imaginable.
As their blissful life begins to seriously fray around the edges, their dream home is anything but. It's then they start to realize: all's fair in love, war and real estate. [Pressetext]

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