There's regular childhood IOUs such as a buck for the snack machine or $10 for a movie ticket, but I never really envisioned that line of thought when I first read the logline.

I understand that it's reading between the lines, but couldn't IOUs also encompass payouts to childhood bets?

Quick example, but what if our hapless hero grew up next door to the present-day world's most famous NASCAR driver... What if as kids our protagonist and the driver had a bike race - winner gets $10,000? Unless he's Richie Rich, no 8-year-old is going to pay that out for real. But what if there was a contract signed in crayon all these years later? Our hero is now on a quest to cash in on this IOU and a handful of others like it.

Charles, that's a great bit of brainstorming there - yes, could certainly work. The contract signed in crayon - nice touch.

Also I commend you in using those two hugely important words for the creative process: What if? The art of possibilities!

The trick is to make the IOUs have meaning to the people from which you're trying to collect.

The slacker can terrorize his old friends or prey on sentiment but ultimately, even with a box of IOUs, he has little or no power unless he hurts people.

My suggestion would be to de-age all the participants and set it in high school. Your slacker wants a girl/a car/money to record a demo record and he has a shoebox full of IOUs that could unravel the entire social network of the junior class.

Archie, that's another good suggestion. And by making the characters younger, you play more to the critical target demo: Males, 15-30.

Five people in a room.

When I first read the logline the movie Broken Flowers popped into mind.

A definite road movie feel, and a once generous man has to turn around and try to collect on his IOUs. Maybe a movie about generosity/friendship, or the lack their of. Ending idea: He gets so much more back in the end, and just gives it away. But only this time he doesn't sign an IOU.

For more of a mainstream fast paced comedy a younger protagonist seems it would sell better.

Yay brainstorming!

"Desperate for cash to save his family home, a slacker sets out to collect on all his childhood IOUs from his now adult debtors."

The IOU's could be indirect. e.g
A owes P a handjob say - thing is though A's now a DA (read: someone rich and/or powerful) and any photos of said hand job would demand money B - well P hid B when he escaped from prison - he now calls on B to sort some (illegal) stuff for him. C is his real Father whose never been there - this guy wakes up and breathes and he owes the world something... even if it's just a hug.

Obviously that's me takin' 5 minutes out of your day... but I've loved this discussion and all the insights that have come along with it.