Brad’s Status Page #6

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BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 32

52

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 52

Troy and Brad sleep soundly in their beds. They both SNORE.

NARRATOR:

For the first time in months, Brad

slept through the night without

waking.

52A

EXT. HARVARD BRIDGE - MORNING 52A *

Troy and Brad walk the bridge from Boston to Cambridge. *

52B

EXT. HARVARD UNIVERSITY - MORNING 52B *

Troy and Brad enter the Harvard gates. *

53 EXT. HARVARD UNIVERSITY - MORNING 53

Troy and Brad walk to the ADMISSIONS BUILDING.

BRAD:

You nervous?

TROY:

Not really. I guess, a little.

BRAD:

I know you. You’ve got this.

TROY:

Thanks, Dad.

Brad opens the door to the ADMISSIONS OFFICE and they enter.

54

INT. ADMISSIONS OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 54

Brad looks at some photos on the wall:

An old photo of YOUNG, WHITE HARVARD STUDENTS from the

1800’s.

Another old photo of YOUNG, WHITE HARVARD STUDENTS from the

1950’s

A third photo of YOUNG, ETHNICALLY DIVERSE STUDENTS from the

present day.

Brad crosses and sits, next to another waiting MOTHER.

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 33

54 CONTINUED:
54

BRAD:

You have a son? Daughter?

MOTHER:

Yes, a son - he’s interviewing.

BRAD:

Mine, too. Where you from?

MOTHER:

St. Petersburg.

BRAD:

Russia??

MOTHER:

(shakes her head)

Florida.

BRAD:

Oh, right. Okay. My son is a very

talented musician. Pianist.

Keyboard. And he composes his own

music so...

MOTHER:

Wonderful.

BRAD:

Looks like he’s gonna have a lot of

decisions to make. I think Harvard

-is definitely in the running

though.

MOTHER:

(dry)

You think Harvard has a chance?

BRAD:

What does your son, uh, do?

MOTHER:

What does he do? He’s a student in

high school.

BRAD:

Right, right.

(sizes her up)

Okay.

Suddenly, a sheepish Troy appears.

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 34

54 CONTINUED:
54

TROY:

Hey, Dad.

BRAD:

(confused)

What happened? Is it over?

TROY:

I got the day wrong.

BRAD:

What?

TROY:

I got the day wrong. It’s

yesterday.

BRAD:

Yesterday. What do you mean?

TROY:

Yeah, I don’t know, I f***ed it up.

It was yesterday.

BRAD:

Did they give you a time to come

back?

TROY:

I think they’re pretty booked up.

They said I could do an alumni

interview back in Sacramento.

BRAD:

Noooo. You don’t want to do that.

You want to do it with one of these

guys. These are the guys that

decide.

(to the MOTHER)

Right?

The Mother shrugs.

TROY:

I’m just gonna go on the tour.

It’s not a big deal.

BRAD:

It IS a big deal. Let me talk to

them.

TROY:

No, Dad, no.

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 35

54 CONTINUED:
54

BRAD:

Yes, I’m going to. We didn’t come

all this way so you could have an

interview in Sacramento.

55 INT. ADMISSIONS OFFICE - RECEPTION AREA - DAY 55

An ADMISSIONS OFFICER talks to Brad. Troy hovers, anxious.

ADMISSIONS OFFICER

I’d love to be able to accommodate

you guys - but our schedule’s been

set - for months.

BRAD:

We flew from Sacramento.

ADMISSIONS OFFICER

We have a pretty small staff

here...

BRAD:

I just want you to get a sense of

my son. Harvard is his first

choice. So...

TROY:

Dad - it’s okay.

BRAD:

He’s a pianist. He does community

service. His counselor says he’s

Harvard material.

ADMISSIONS OFFICER

It’s not necessary to have an

interview here. Alumni interviews

are just as good.

BRAD:

Oh, come on. I know how important

face time is, okay? We’re here.

Come on. Don’t shine us.

TROY:

Dad!

BRAD:

Can’t you just sit with him for ten

minutes? What are you doing right

now?

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 36

55 CONTINUED:
55

ADMISSIONS OFFICER

I have a staff meeting.

TROY:

(grabs Brad’s arm)

Please, please, please. Please.

Brad registers Troy’s plaintive look and relents.

56 EXT. ADMISSIONS OFFICE - DAY 56

Troy and Brad have exited. They argue on the lawn.

TROY:

What the f***, Dad? You think

arguing with the admissions officeris gonna help my chances?

BRAD:

He won’t remember this.

TROY:

I think he will.

BRAD:

I don’t understand - how can

someone who has the brain to getinto Harvard, not have the brain to

remember what day he made anappointment -so he could get intoHarvard?!

*

*

TROY:

I don’t know. F*** off.

BRAD:

Don’t tell me to f*** off.

TROY:

I’m sorry. Can we walk somewhere

else please? They’re about to

start a tour.

So what?

BRAD:

TROY:

I don’t want everyone seeing me getbitched out by my dad, okay?

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 37

CONTINUED:
56

BRAD:

I’m not bitching you out. I’m

trying to solve a problem here.

You need to have an interview. I

mean, we’re here. That’s the

point.

TROY:

I thought the point was for me to

get a sense of the school.

BRAD:

No, the point is for the school to

get a sense of you. You need to

make an impression. I know you

think you have this in the bag.

But it’s Harvard. Even geniuses

get rejected, Troy.

Troy looks over and sees - a group of APPLICANTS and their

PARENTS gathering for a tour.

TROY:

Oh my god.

BRAD:

You realize we’re competing with *

kids from Hong Kong and everywhere! *

Okay? You’re a white kid from the *

suburbs without a sob story. And *

you’re not even a legacy. We’re *

underdogs here - we need to do *

everything we can.

TROY:

(embarrassed)

Dad - I’m about to flip the f***

out. Please shut up.

BRAD:

Let me think. Go on the tour - and

I will meet you back here when it’s

over.

TROY:

What are you gonna do?

BRAD:

I’m gonna make some calls.

Troy looks uneasy - but the tour is leaving.

(CONTINUED)

BRAD'S STATUS - WHITE VERSION - Sept 13, 2016 -Page 38

56 CONTINUED:
56

TROY:

Just don’t do anything uncool.

Brad grimaces and takes out his phone.

57 INT. BRAD’S HOUSE - MORNING 57

Melanie is feeding the BULLDOG, on her CELL PHONE.

Hey.

MELANIE:

INTERCUT PHONE CALL

BRAD:

Troy messed up - we’re here atHarvard and he doesn’t have an

interview. He got the day wrong.

Do we know anyone at Harvard? I

want to get him an interview. Theyneed to meet him.

*

MELANIE:

Who’s at Harvard? Like a... like

a... like a... dean?

BRAD:

(excited)

Babe, Harvard is Troy’s firstchoice. Did you know that? And

his counselor thinks he can get in?

Did you know that? Who do we know

at Harvard?!

*

MELANIE:

I don’t know. I mean... I gottathink. Toni Morrison?

BRAD:

Toni Morrison?

Morrison?

You know Toni

No.

MELANIE:

BRAD:

She teaches at Princeton, Melanie.

What the f*** are you talkingabout, Toni Morrison?

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