Brad’s Status Page #5

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BRAD:

(reading)

Okay, tomorrow Harvard - interview

and tour.

TROY:

And then I’m supposed to meet up

with this girl from high school who

goes there. She’s in the music

department so...

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 25

44 CONTINUED:
44

BRAD:

Wednesday - Tufts interview and

tour. That’s gonna be weird - I

haven’t been back there in so long.

(shrugs)

Okay, then Thursday - we rent the

car - drive to Amherst - then

Williams...

(looks up)

These are all competitive schools,

Troy. You have some safety schools

you’re applying to?

TROY:

Yeah, sure.

BRAD:

Just try not to get too caught up

in the game. The brands. Don’t

put too much pressure on yourself.

It all works out. In the end, you

end up at the right place.

TROY:

I’m not worried.

BRAD:

You shouldn’t be.

TROY:

I’m just stoked to get out of Sac.

Everything else is gravy.

BRAD:

Ahh, Sacramento’s all right.

Troy lets out a little laugh.

BRAD:

You’ll miss your parents.

TROY:

That’s true.

BRAD:

When I was your age, I was so

freaked out about college. I

wanted to go to Yale. I was

obsessed. I don’t even know why.

Why Yale? Then I got wait-listed -

and then I didn’t get in. But it

all worked out. I loved Tufts.

Tufts was a fantastic school.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 26

44 CONTINUED:
44

BRAD (cont'd)

Made great friends. I had a

professor - Bob Connor - took me

under his wing - blew my mind -

changed my life - made me want to

save the world.

Brad’s mind drifts for a bit, then he returns.

BRAD:

Anyway, f*** Yale. You know what

I’m saying? And if you don’t get

into Tufts, f*** Tufts.

TROY:

My counselor thinks I’ll get into

Yale.

It takes Brad a moment to process this.

BRAD:

She does?

TROY:

He does.

BRAD:

He does?

(off TROY’s nod)

Why does he think that?

TROY:

I don’t know. My grades. My

scores. My compositions - I guess

a lot of these schools want to fill

orchestral spots.

(shrugs)

My counselor’s pretty confident

I’ll get in everywhere I apply.

(off BRAD’s look; laughs)

What? You look stunned.

BRAD:

No. I just... do you think this

guy knows what he’s talking about?

TROY:

He’s been doing it for twenty

years.

BRAD:

He thinks you’ll get into Yale?

(off TROY’s nod)

That’s amazing. Really? Wow.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 27

CONTINUED:
44

BRAD (cont'd)

I mean, I knew you had good grades.

I’ve always thought you were a

genius. But I just... That is so

awesome, Troy.

(beams, then...)

But we’re not visiting Yale.

TROY:

I don’t want to go to Yale.

BRAD:

Why not?

TROY:

I’m hoping I’ll get into Harvard.

There’s a music professor there -

this guy, Jerome Backaly. And he’s

doing really cool stuff. And I

don’t know - it’s a cool program.

I just have this feeling...

BRAD:

You should meet him while you’re

here!

TROY:

I’d like to. My friend from school

-she says, there’s a concert

Wednesday night she’s playing - and

he might be there. So...

BRAD:

(amazed)

You’re going to Harvard.

TROY:

Well, maybe - I don’t know.

BRAD:

Does your mother know this?

TROY:

She knows I want to.

BRAD:

I just can’t believe I didn’t know

this.

TROY:

You knew we were coming here.

*

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 28

CONTINUED:
44

BRAD:

I knew we were checking out the

school - but I didn’t know you were *

actually gonna get in.

TROY:

I might not get in.

BRAD:

But it sounds like you might?

TROY:

(smiles)

Yeah, I might.

BRAD:

(elated)

My kid’s going to Harvard.

TROY:

Well, don’t f***ing jinx me, dude.

Brad is soon full of emotion. He works to keep it in check.

TROY:

You okay, Dad?

Brad nods, composing himself.

BRAD:

Life’s crazy. How cool. Proud of

you.

Brad looks like he might cry. The WAITRESS arrives.

WAITRESS:

What can I get you?

BRAD:

(looks up)

Hi. We’re here visiting colleges.

My son’s first choice is Harvard.

Troy rolls his eyes, embarrassed.

WAITRESS:

Okay. And what would he like to

eat?

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 29

45 INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 45

Brad and Troy lie back on their twin beds, both illuminated

by the glow of their laptops.

On Brad - he is wide-eyed, energized - as he stares at the

computer screen. We can HEAR classical piano leaking from

his ear buds.

NARRATOR:

Brad was electrified by this latest

development. Here - suddenly - an

unexpected lifeline - something

tangible - an outward proof.

ON COMPUTER - Brad is watching a home video of Troy playing

piano. He’s clearly a prodigy.

NARRATOR:

Of course. His child. His son.

Brad has tears in his eyes as he watches the video.

NARRATOR:

A genius. With substance. His

heart could burst with this deep

satisfaction.

He looks over at...

...Troy, watching GAME OF THRONES on his laptop.

NARRATOR:

Brad realized along the way, he’d

somehow lost the plot. Cured of

his amnesia, he now remembered what

he’d been doing for the last

seventeen years.

Troy senses he’s being watched. He looks over.

Brad gives Troy a big, prideful grin.

NARRATOR:

Planting and nurturing and modeling

for this miraculous creature.

Troy smiles back, bemused, then turns back to the show.

Brad looks out into the middle distance, contemplative.

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - Blue Revision - Sept 26, 2016 -Page 30

CONTINUED:
45

NARRATOR:

It occurred to Brad that BillyWerstler and Nick Pascale didn’t

even have kids.

46 EXT. NICK PASCALE’S HOUSE - DAY 46

Nick and his Husband have a pool party at their LA mansionwith a bunch of YOUNG, ATHLETIC GUYS.

NARRATOR:

The pleasures in their lives werelike candy, Brad thought.

47 EXT. MAUI BEACH 47

Billy makes out with an attractive GIRL in the ocean.

NARRATOR:

Sugary, addictive, but ultimatelyempty, even potentially harmful.

*

48 INT. HOTEL - NIGHT 48

Brad puts away the laptop, smiling to himself.

NARRATOR:

Not like the profound andsustaining pleasure Brad wasexperiencing right now.

Troy is now crouching in front of the mini-bar cabinet.

TROY:

Dad, can I have this Toblerone?

BRAD:

Of course.

As Troy opens the Toblerone...

NARRATOR:

In this new light, Bradreconsidered all his regrets.

49 INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY 49

It’s mayhem in the Hatfield family’s private plane.

are all acting bratty, complaining and arguing.

The kids

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - Pink Revision - Sept. 29, 2016-Page 31

CONTINUED:
49

Jason Hatfield looks irritated, ignoring the chaos as hetries to work on his computer.

NARRATOR:

If he had pursued money and powerlike Jason Hatfield, Troy mighthave ended up spoiled and entitled.

One of the young boys snorts a line of COCAINE off a tray.

NARRATOR:

Maybe on hard drugs.

50 INT. NEW YORK RESTAURANT - DAY 50

Craig and Diane Fisher and their TWEEN TWIN GIRLS, in theirBrooklyn hipster fashion, have a discussion over brunch.

NARRATOR:

And if he had married a striver

like Diane Fisher and stayed in NewYork, his kids could have been self-

important and unbearable.

TWEEN TWIN ONE:

We need capital for our digitalnewsletter. You must know

investors.

CRAIG:

Well, what is it exactly?

TWEEN TWIN TWO:

We’ve told you, Dad. Feminist

theory and shopping tips.

51 INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 51

Troy hands Brad the last chunk of Toblerone.

his mouth.

Brad pops it in

BRAD:

(to himself; chewing)

Thank God for Sacramento.

Hunh?

TROY:

Brad suddenly tickles Troy.

Troy pushes Brad away.

They rough house a bit before *

*

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