At a fairground in rural Northern Ireland, IRA foot soldier Fergus (Stephen Rea) and a unit of other IRA fighters, including a woman named Jude (Miranda Richardson) and led by Maguire (Adrian Dunbar), kidnap Jody (Forest Whitaker), a black British soldier, after Jude lures him to a secluded area with the promise of sex. The IRA demands the release of jailed IRA members, threatening to execute Jody in three days if their demands are not met. Fergus is tasked to guard Jody and develops a bond with the prisoner, much to the chagrin of the other IRA men. During this time, Jody tells Fergus the story of the Scorpion and the Frog.
In 1985, Dallas electrician and rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDS and given 30 days to live. He initially refuses to accept the diagnosis, but remembers having unprotected sex with an intravenous drug-using prostitute. He is soon ostracized by family and friends, gets fired from his job, and is eventually evicted from his home. At the hospital, he is tended to by Dr. Eve Saks, who tells him that they are testing a drug called zidovudine (AZT), an antiretroviral drug which is thought to prolong the life of AIDS patients—and is the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for testing on humans. Saks informs him that in the clinical trials, half the patients receive the drug and the other half are given a placebo, as this is the only way they can determine if the drug is working.
The Irish American fraternal twin brothers, Connor and Murphy MacManus, attend a Catholic Mass, where the priest mentions the fate of Kitty Genovese. Later, while celebrating St. Patrick's Day with friends, the two get into a bar brawl with three Russian mobsters who want to close the pub and take over the land it is built on. The two brothers try to reason with the mobsters, but they respond with violence, only to be quickly and embarrassingly dispatched by the brothers and other patrons of the bar. The next morning, two of the Russians seek revenge on Connor and Murphy, who kill the mobsters in an act of self-defense.
After tying for the win in New York's "Drag Queen of the Year" contest, Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes) and Vida Boheme (Patrick Swayze) win a trip to Hollywood to take part in the even bigger, "Miss Drag Queen of America Pageant." Before they depart, Vida persuades Noxeema to take along the inexperienced "drag princess" Chi-Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) as their protégé (the duo initially refer to Chi-Chi simply as a "boy in a dress" rather than as a fully-fledged drag queen). To do this, they trade in their airplane tickets for cash and buy a stylish but old Cadillac convertible with money given to them by John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (Robin Williams). The three of them set off for Los Angeles by car, carrying with them an iconic photo of Julie Newmar (signed, "To Wong Foo, thanks for everything! Julie Newmar") that Vida purloined from a restaurant wall.
First-time crook Sonny Wortzik (Al Pacino), his friend Salvatore "Sal" Naturale (John Cazale), and Stevie (Gary Springer) attempt to rob the First Brooklyn Savings Bank. The plan immediately goes awry when Stevie loses his nerve shortly after Sal pulls out his gun, and Sonny is forced to let him flee the scene. In the vault, Sonny discovers that he and Sal have arrived after the daily cash pickup, and only $1,100 in cash remains in the bank.
In Madrid in 1980, Enrique Goded, a young film director, is looking for his next project when he receives the unexpected visit of an actor looking for work. The actor claims to be Enrique's boarding school friend and first love, Ignacio Rodriguez. Ignacio, who is using now the name Ángel Andrade, has brought with him a short story titled "The Visit" hoping that Enrique would be interested in making a film out of it giving him the starring role. Enrique is intrigued since "The Visit" described their time together at the Catholic school and it also includes a fictionalized account of their reunion many years later as adults.
In 1962 an eccentric scientist who, like so many people at the time, thinking that a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was possible, has built an incredibly large fallout shelter in his back yard deep underground. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, when he thought things were going to escalate, Dr. Calvin Webber takes his pregnant wife into the fallout shelter. When a fighter jet flying over loses control, the pilot bails out and the plane crashes into their house causing intense heat from the fire which "knocks out all of his surface indicators". Calvin then, thinking the worst has happened, sets and activates the shelter's locks (designed not to open for 35 years). Everyone assumes the entire family was killed in the accident as no one knew of Calvin's secret fallout shelter with two hidden entrances (both entrances are mentioned in the movie but the movie focuses on the entrance in his back yard with the service elevator. The other entrance is presumed to have caved in.). Calvin's wife Helen gives birth to a boy whom they name Adam. Adam grows up being taught and exposed to all culture up to 1962 such as watching reruns of The Honeymooners and listening to Perry Como and Dean Martin. When the locks open 35 years later, they're so shocked to see how the world has changed they decide to stay inside. However their supplies have run out, so Adam goes out to get some more but gets lost and is helped by a girl called Eve.
Three young women—Kelly MacNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella "Pet" Danforth (Marcia McBroom)—perform in a rock band, The Kelly Affair, managed by Harris Allsworth (David Gurian), Kelly's boyfriend. The four travel to Los Angeles to find Kelly's estranged aunt, Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis), heiress to a family fortune.
Celeste Talbert (Sally Field), the longtime star of the daytime drama The Sun Also Sets, is targeted by her ambitious co-star Montana Moorehead (Cathy Moriarty); Montana connives to supplant Celeste as the show's star by promising sexual favors to its producer, David Seton Barnes (Robert Downey, Jr.). To make the audience hate Celeste's character, Montana and David come up with a last-minute plot change in which she will accidentally kill a young, destitute deaf-mute, played by the newly-cast Lori Craven (Elisabeth Shue). Despite the strong objections of Head Writer Rose Schwartz (Whoopie Goldberg) and Celeste herself, the scene plays out, but is interrupted by Celeste's recognition of Lori as her real-life niece. Network honcho Edmund Edwards (Garry Marshall) sees potential in the relationship and makes Lori a regular cast member.
Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) is a smart-mouthed high school soccer player at Cornwall, which suddenly cuts its girls' team. After her request to join the boys' team is refused by the sexist coach, she finds a way to play for Cornwall's rivals, Illyria, an elite boarding school team that her twin brother, Sebastian (James Kirk), is supposed to enroll at as a new student. However, he is hoping to go to a contest in London with his fledging band, so he asks Viola to cover for him by telling the school that he is sick. She agrees but, unbeknownst to him, decides to pass herself off as Sebastian instead, in hopes of beating Cornwall and humiliating her cocky ex-boyfriend, Justin (Robert Hoffman). With the help of her stylist friend, Paul (Jonathan Sadowski), she is transformed into "Sebastian" and joins Illyria in his place.
Plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard was successful in cultivating an artificial skin resistant to burns and insect bites, which he calls "GAL", that he says he has been testing on athymic mice. He presents his results in a medical symposium but when he privately discloses he has also conducted illegal transgenic experiments on humans, he is forbidden to continue with his research.
Arthur Kirkland (Al Pacino), a defense attorney in Baltimore, is in jail on a charge of contempt of court for having thrown a punch at judge Henry T. Fleming (John Forsythe) while arguing the case of Jeff McCullaugh (Thomas G. Waites), who was stopped for a minor traffic offense but then mistaken for a killer of the same name and has already spent a year and a half in jail, as Kirkland continues his efforts to have the case reviewed against Fleming's resistance. Though there is strong new evidence that Jeff is innocent, Fleming refuses McCullaugh's appeal due to a minor technicality and leaves him in prison.
Viola (Imogen Stubbs) and Sebastian (Steven Mackintosh) are young twins who, on Twelfth Night (holiday) are performing on a ship and use their likeness to tease their audiences. During their journey, they are caught in a storm, shipwrecked and separated. Viola and other survivors end up on the shore of Illyria. A devastated Viola believes her brother dead. She later takes his appearance to join the court of the local Duke Orsino (Toby Stephens). The young woman has her long, beautiful hair cut by the sailor, conceals her breasts, and dresses like a young man. After that, Viola becomes a page, using the name "Cesario".
During a lunchtime tryst in Phoenix, Arizona, a real estate secretary named Marion Crane discusses with her boyfriend, Sam Loomis, how they cannot afford to get married because of Sam's debts. After lunch, Marion returns to work, where a client drops off a $40,000 cash payment on a property. Her boss asks her to deposit the money in the bank, and she asks if she can take the rest of the afternoon off. Returning home, she begins to pack for an unplanned trip, deciding to steal the money and give it to Sam in Fairvale, California. She is seen by her boss on her way out of town, which makes her nervous. During the trip, she pulls over on the side of the road and falls asleep, only to be awakened by a state patrol officer. He is suspicious about her nervous behavior but allows her to drive on. Shaken by the encounter, Marion stops at an automobile dealership and trades in her Ford Mainline, with its Arizona license plates, for a Ford Custom 300 that has California tags. Her transaction is all for naught - the highway patrolman sees her at the car dealership and witnesses her purchase of the newer car.
Kate Miller (Angie Dickinson) is a sexually frustrated housewife who is in therapy with New York City psychiatrist Dr. Robert Elliott (Michael Caine). During an appointment, Kate attempts to seduce him, but Elliott rejects her advances.