Breakdown Page #3

EARL:

Air, C.D., leather --I guess you

sprung for the whole nine yards.

JEFF:

I guess.

EARL:

Then again, out here, what you

really need’s a C.B. radio.

JEFF:

Is that right?

The oil bottle empties out. Relieved, Jeff pulls it away

and screws back on the crankcase cap. He shuts the hood

with a thunk and moves around to the side of the car to

remove the gas nozzle from the tank. Earl blocks his

path.

EARL:

’Course, if you use a C.B., you

gotta have a handle.

Jeff says nothing. This is not a friendly conversation.

EARL:

How about Sh*t-for-Brains?

(beat)

You damn near killed us back

there, boy.

JEFF:

Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.

You pulled out in front of me.

EARL:

The hell I did. I saw what

happened.

Looking past Earl, Jeff sees Amy come out of the minimart

with a bag of groceries. He speaks carefully,

anxious to avoid a confrontation.

JEFF:

How about if we just forget it,

okay? I’m sorry it happened. I

don’t want any trouble.

EARL:

(snorting)

Yeah. I bet you don’t.

(CONTINUED)

14.

CONTINUED:

Earl glares at Jeff before turning away. He passes Amy,

gives her a broad smile.

EARL:

Howdy, ma’am. Caught this fellow

tryin’ to steal your Cherokee.

Amy takes in the situation. She nods politely. Earl

continues into the mini-mart. She approaches Jeff,

puzzled.

AMY:

What was that about?

JEFF:

Nothing. Guy in the truck.

Thinks I tried to hit him.

Jeff glances apprehensively at the man in the pickup, who

has not moved during the scene. He looks back at the

mini-mart.

JEFF:

C’mon, let’s go.

AMY:

You want me to drive?

JEFF:

Later. Just get in.

AMY:

Is something wrong?

JEFF:

No, let’s just go.

Jeff climbs in behind the wheel. Amy glances at him and

gets in the car. Jeff keys the IGNITION and pulls away.

INT. CHEROKEE -DRIVING -DAY

As Jeff steers back onto the highway, he glances in the

rear-view mirror, sees -

MIRROR POV:

Earl coming out of the mini-mart, staring after the

disappearing Jeep.

(CONTINUED)

15.

CONTINUED:

Jeff shifts in his seat, relieved to be getting away from

there. Amy watches the speedometer as it climbs to 75,

then 80, then 85.

AMY:

This isn’t the Grand Prix, you

know.

Jeff releases his foot from the accelerator. The needle

sinks back down to 65.

She gives him a long contemplative look.

AMY:

What’s bothering you?

JEFF:

I told you. Nothing.

(pause)

The guy was an a**hole.

Keeping an eye on the rear-view mirror, Jeff nods toward

the grocery bag, trying to change the subject.

JEFF:

What’d you get?

Amy pulls out an assortment of candy bars and junk food.

AMY:

Junk food fiesta. Sno Balls, Yoo

Hoo, Moon pies... can you believe

they still make this stuff?

JEFF:

You kidding. It’s probably

gourmet cuisine around here.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY -AERIAL -DAY

Far below us, the Cherokee traces the empty highway.

There are no buildings, no houses, no other vehicles.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. CHEROKEE -DRIVING -FEW MINUTES LATER

Jeff drives in silence. Amy stares out the window,

bored. Looking for a distraction, she picks up a

cellophane package of doughnuts and peruses the label.

(CONTINUED)

16.

CONTINUED:

AMY:

(trying to brighten

the mood)

This is crazy. Look at this.

Says if you win this mail-in

contest, you can choose either

ninety thousand dollars or ninety

thousand doughnuts.

She gives him a playful glance.

AMY:

What would you do with ninety

thousand doughnuts?

Jeff shrugs, disinterested.

JEFF:

I dunno... Sell ’em for thirty

cents each and pay off this car.

AMY:

Very funny.

(beat)

Alright, what about ninety

thousand dollars? What would you

do with that?

Jeff stares out the window. He’s not into this.

JEFF:

I don’t know. Look, Amy, I’m

not -

Suddenly his eyes drop to the console between them -

JEFF:

Sonofabitch!! My camera!He

stole my camera!

AMY:

(startled)

Who?

JEFF:

The redneck at the gas station!

He lifted it right under my nose!

My brand new Nikon.

(pounds wheel

in frustration)

Goddammit.

AMY:

Should we go back?

(CONTINUED)

17.

CONTINUED:

JEFF:

What’s the use. He’s probably

halfway to Bumblefuck now, the

bastard.

AMY:

Look, maybe if we call the cops -

Jeff is about to reply when suddenly the car bucks.

JEFF:

What the hell?

The car gives another jolt.

AMY:

What’d you do?

JEFF:

Nothing. I -

A warning light flashes on the instrument panel. The

brakes and steering lose power. The engine quits cold.

JEFF:

Hang on --I can’t steer!

The CAR bucks and SCREECHES. After a few HICCUPS, it

jerks to a halt, just beyond a crest in the road.

For a moment, they sit there dazed, staring ahead at the

empty road.

the Nikon.

Then Amy notices an object on the floor -She

picks it up.

AMY:

(deadpan)

Found your camera.

He rolls his eyes. He yanks the hood release and gets

out.

EXT. HIGHWAY -DAY

Steam pours from under the hood of the Cherokee. Amy

gets out and looks around at the scorched wasteland.

Jeff goes to the front of the car, gropes under the hood

for the release latch. He yanks his hand away, burned by

the hot metal.

JEFF:

Ow!

(CONTINUED)

18.

CONTINUED:

AMY:

Are you okay?

JEFF:

I’m fine.

Amy moves to Jeff to examine the burn. She reaches out.

JEFF:

(annoyed)

I said I’m fine, okay?

Jeff lifts the hood, examines the engine. He tugs on a

cable, checks the battery connection and radiator.

He goes to the passenger’s side and takes a hand-held

cellular phone from the glove box. He dials zero and

hits "send." The PHONE BEEPS.

AMY:

Out of range?

Jeff grunts, tosses the phone on the seat. It bounces

and lands on the floor. Amy watches as he returns to the

engine and begins unscrewing the radiator cap.

AMY:

What’s going on, Jeff?

JEFF:

What’s it look like? I’m trying

to fix the car.

AMY:

Not the car.

JEFF:

What?

AMY:

What’s going on with you?

Jeff busies himself with the engine, not answering.

AMY:

It’s been a month since you got

back. You can’t keep shutting me

out like this.

Jeff says nothing.

AMY:

Jeff, I’m talking to you.

(CONTINUED)

19.

CONTINUED:

JEFF:

(flaring)

Look, I really don’t want to go

into this right now. I’m changing

jobs, our finances are f***ed, and

we’re stuck in the middle of

nowhere. So could we maybe just

fix the -

He stops in mid-sentence. There is a RUMBLE in the

distance. They look down the road.

JEFF:

Christ, not these guys...

JEFF’S POV -DODGE RAM PICKUP

approaching fast on the road. As it streaks past, Earl

yells and launches a beer bottle from the window. The

BOTTLE SHATTERS on the asphalt.

BACK TO JEFF:

watching the Ram speed away.

JEFF:

A**hole...

AMY:

(looking down

the road)

Jeff -

A quarter-mile away, the pickup is slowing. It pulls a

U-turn and stops, facing the Cherokee. It just sits

there, ENGINE IDLING.

JEFF:

What the hell?

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