Dogfight

In the fall of 1963, Lance Corporal Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix), an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer bound for Vietnam, and Rose Fenny (Lili Taylor), a shy waitress, meet at a coffee shop in San Francisco. As part of a high school tradition called a "dogfight," where Marines compete to bring the ugliest date, Eddie invites Rose to a party, but begins to question his cruel plan after meeting her. The two spend time together, and despite initial awkwardness, they form a connection that blossoms into romance before Eddie ships out to Vietnam.