American Beauty Page #3

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CAROLYN:

I will sell this house today. I will

sell this house today. I will sell

this house today.

INT. SALE HOUSE - BATHROOM - LATER

Carolyn stands in front of the mirror, wearing her suit once

more, applying lipstick. She stares at her reflection

critically.

CAROLYN:

I will sell this house today.

She says this as if it were a threat, then notices a smudge

on the mirror and wipes it off.

EXT. SALE HOUSE - FRONT YARD - LATER

The front door opens to reveal Carolyn, greeting us with the

smile she thinks could sell ice to an Eskimo.

CAROLYN:

Welcome. I'm Carolyn Burnham!

INT. SALE HOUSE - FOYER - CONTINUOUS

Smiling, Carolyn leads a man and woman into the living room.

They're thirtyish, and they've seen a lot of houses today.

CAROLYN:

This living room is very dramatic.

Wait 'til you see the native stone

fireplace!

The man and woman glance around the dark room, unimpressed.

CAROLYN:

A simple cream would really lighten

things up. You could even put in a

skylight.

The woman wrinkles her face, skeptical.

CAROLYN:

Well, why don't we go into the

kitchen?

INT. SALE HOUSE - KITCHEN - LATER

Carolyn enters, followed by a different couple in their

fifties.

CAROLYN:

It's a dream come true for any cook.

Just filled with positive energy.

Huh?

INT. SALE HOUSE - MASTER BEDROOM - LATER

Carolyn stands with a different couple: African American,

late twenties.

The woman is pregnant.

CAROLYN:

...and you'll be surprised how much

a ceiling fan can cut down on your

energy costs.

EXT. SALE HOUSE - BACK YARD - LATER

Carolyn stands by the pool next to two fortyish WOMEN.

CAROLYN:

You know, you could have some really

fun backyard get-togethers out here.

WOMAN #1

The ad said this pool was "lagoon-

like." There's nothing "lagoon-like"

about it. Except for maybe the bugs.

WOMAN #2

There's not even any plants out here.

CAROLYN:

(re:
shrub)

What do you call this? Is this not a

plant? If you have a problem with

the plants, I can always call my

landscape architect. Solved.

WOMAN #2

I mean, I think "lagoon," I think

waterfall, I think tropical. This is

a cement hole.

A beat.

CAROLYN:

I have some tiki torches in the

garage.

INT. SALE HOUSE - SUN ROOM - LATER

Carolyn enters, alone. She's furious. She locks the sliding

glass door and starts to pull the vertical blinds shut, then

stops. Standing very still, with the blinds casting shadows

across her face, she starts to cry: brief, staccato SOBS

that seemingly escape against her will. Suddenly she SLAPS

herself, hard.

CAROLYN:

Shut up. Stop it. You... Weak!

But the tears continue. She SLAPS herself again.

CAROLYN:

Weak. Baby. Shut up. Shut up! Shut

up!

She SLAPS herself repeatedly until she stops crying. She

stands there, taking deep breaths until she has everything

under control, then pulls the blinds shut, once again all

business. She walks out calmly, leaving us alone in the dark,

empty room.

We HEAR CHEERING and APPLAUSE.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - NIGHT

We're at a high-school BASKETBALL GAME. Teenage boys play a

fast and furious game. One team wearing pale blue and white

uniforms scores a basket. Perky cheerleaders jump up and

down as the CROWD goes wild.

Seated in the bleachers, next to the high school BAND, is a

group of about twenty TEENAGE GIRLS, dressed in pale blue

and white uniforms. Among them, Jane sits next to ANGELA

HAYES. At sixteen, Angela is strikingly beautiful; with

perfect even features, blonde hair and a nubile young body,

she's the archetypal American dream girl.

Jane stands and scans the bleachers.

ANGELA:

Who are you looking for?

JANE:

My parents are coming tonight. They're

trying to, you know, take an active

interest in me.

ANGELA:

Gross. I hate it when my mom does

that.

JANE:

They're such a**holes. Why can't

they just have their own lives?

INT. MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 - CONTINUOUS

Carolyn drives. Lester is slumped in the passenger seat.

LESTER:

What makes you so sure she wants us

to be there? Did she ask us to come?

CAROLYN:

Of course not. She doesn't want us

to know how important this is to

her. But she's been practicing her

steps for weeks.

LESTER:

Well, I bet money she's going to

resent it. And I'm missing the James

Bond marathon on TNT.

CAROLYN:

Lester, this is important. I'm sensing

a real distance growing between you

and Jane.

LESTER:

Growing? She hates me.

CAROLYN:

She's just willful.

LESTER:

She hates you too.

Carolyn stares at him, unsure of how to respond.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - LATER

The uniformed girls now stand in formation on the gym floor.

ANNOUNCER:

(over P.A.)

And now, for your half-time

entertainment, Rockwell High's award-

winning Dancing Spartanettes!

In the crowded stands, Lester and Carolyn find seats.

LESTER:

We can leave right after this, right?

The HIGH SCHOOL BAND plays "ON BROADWAY." On the gym floor,

the girls perform. They're well-rehearsed, but too young to

carry off the ambitious Vegas routine they're attempting.

Lester, watching from the stands, picks out his daughter.

His POV:
Jane performs well, concentrating. Dancing awkwardly

next to her is Angela. Suddenly Angela looks right at us and

smiles... a lazy, insolent smile.

Lester leans forward in his seat.

His POV:
We're focused on Angela now. Everything starts to

SLOW DOWN...

the MUSIC acquires an eerie ECHO...

We ZOOM slowly toward Lester as he watches, transfixed.

His POV:
Angela's awkwardness gives way to a fluid grace,

and "ON BROADWAY" FADES into dreamy, hypnotic MUSIC. The

light on Angela grows stronger, and the other girls DISAPPEAR

entirely.

Lester is suddenly alone in the stands, spellbound.

His POV:
Angela looks directly at us now, dancing only for

Lester. Her movements take on a blatantly erotic edge as she

starts to unzip her uniform, teasing us with an expression

that's both innocent and knowing, then...

She pulls her uniform OPEN and a profusion of RED ROSE PETALS

spill forth... and we

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - CONTINUOUS

Angela, fully clothed, is once again surrounded by the other

girls. The HIGH SCHOOL BAND plays its last note, the Dancing

Spartanettes strike their final pose, and the audience

APPLAUDS.

Carolyn claps along with the rest of the audience. Lester

just sits there, unable to take his eyes off Angela.

EXT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - LATER

The game is long over. Jane and Angela come out of the gym.

JANE:

Oh sh*t, they're still here.

Her POV:
Lester and Carolyn stand at the edge of the parking

lot.

LESTER:

Janie!

CAROLYN:

Hi! I really enjoyed that!

She crosses reluctantly toward her parents, followed by

Angela.

LESTER:

Congratulations, honey, you were

great.

JANE:

I didn't win anything.

LESTER:

(to Angela)

Hi, I'm Lester. Janie's dad.

ANGELA:

Oh. Hi.

An awkward beat.

JANE:

This is my friend, Angela Hayes.

LESTER:

Okay, good to meet you. You were

also good tonight. Very... precise.

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