Well, I can't think of how to improve upon that, I like the "escaping the rest home" thing (though now I'm remembering that was one of the stories in Cloud Atlas), but my only concern with the WWII vet story is the age factor, the talent pool of actors who were alive and fighting in WWII is pretty small (think how old Scotty from Star Trek would be if he were alive today-- he fought at Normandy). Of course, that's only true if it takes place in the present. You have it be the 80s or something, then it isn't as big a factor, and you have that disconnected world thing going on, there's no internet, no GPS, no cell phones, no European Union, so you're really along when you go to these other countries... it could be more isolating and impersonal.

You put on your producer's hat there, Chris, because, yes, the age of actors is a consideration. OTOH I had a conversation once about this with a producer who said that basically you take a risk on any actor, even young ones who can get busted for drugs, drunk driving, etc. I just know there's a huge audience out there -- Baby Boomers, Senior Citizens -- who love movies. This story could appeal to them, an international flair with the U.K. and France. Plus intergenerational dynamic can help widen the audience.

People always act surprised when old folks go out to the movies in droves. "Really? The people with lots of money and nothing to do need entertainment?" And I feel so bad for older actors today, it seems like all the movies they get to do today are garbage, either lottery "I don't get it" old fogeys, parents or grandparents, crass seniors, or the wise old good or bad guy (Donald Sutherland in Hunger Games, Jeff Bridges in The Giver or The Seventh Son). I saw Richard Dreyfuss in a sitcom talking about scissoring! What a talent pool that's not being utilized. This could totally be a great family flick, sentimental Spielberg type of thing, young man helps his dad or granddad escape from the nursing home or get away from a self-obsessed family and travel along with him to Europe in the 80s. Robert Redford and Aaron Paul as the screw-up grandson (a little typecast-y but whatever) on a nostalgic road trip... with no money, they're sleeping in cars and hostels and get robbed, it's a real ODYSSEY to get from middle America to Paris, Aaron Paul gets his life in order and falls in love and learns about this side of his father/grandfather that no one else in the family sees because they're not really looking... And because you need an antagonist, you have a private detective trying to track them down (maybe we could get Ice to find them, I don't know what I'm saying!) just to make things complicated and keep the shrewish family in the mix while they bitch amongst themselves.

Dumb Story Idea #14 Marley and Me meets The Invisible Man--A physicist accidentally turns his rambunctious dog invisible causing major mayhem. Feel free to check out all the @DumbStoryIdeas on Twitter .