Collateral Beauty Page #6

There is, Howard.

There really is.

It'll never bring her back.

And it will never ever make it okay.

But I promise you, it's there.

Okay.

You need to talk to them, Howard.

Look, um...

Appreciate your story,

but I'm not really feeling

the "collateral beauty" thing.

I don't care!

Yell at them,

reason with them, challenge them.

Just engage!

(SIGHS)

I think this was a mistake.

- Hi.

- WHIT:
Hi.

What're you doing here?

Uh, Brigitte told me this is

where I could find you.

Of course she did.

Could we just go and talk somewhere

for 15 minutes by ourselves?

I'm... I'm actually working.

I'm rehearsing right now.

- You're rehearsing here, too?

- Yeah.

How many projects

are you doing at the same time?

I'm currently doing three.

Three. Wow.

- Yeah.

- That's really busy.

How are we gonna fit a dinner date in?

Whit...

Listen, listen, listen. Seriously...

I have to ask you

to reconsider what you said last night.

(STAMMERS) We need you one more time.

Just give us one more scene.

I am out.

Amy, what do you...

Wait, what can I say? What do you...

I'll give you $100,000. Not 20, 100.

You don't have $100,000.

You're right. I live with my mother.

But this is gonna work, and when it does,

I'll have much, much more.

And I'll give you a million.

- I don't want your money.

- I really will.

I do not want your money.

Do you know,

I've actually never wanted your money.

What can I say to get you to do this?

Because there's so much more

at stake here, you have no idea.

Oh.

You have a daughter, right?

Yeah.

Did we talk about that?

Tell me what it was like

the day that she was born.

What?

What it felt like for you.

Uh, it was scary.

It was very scary. I was terrified.

But then they gave her to me

and I had the most amazing

sensation run through me.

It... I can't...

What? Finish it.

It sounds... It's goofy.

No, it doesn't sound goofy.

Do you know, actually,

this is the first time that I felt

any attraction towards you, whatsoever.

- Really?

- Yes.

I looked at her and I...

I realized that I wasn't feeling love.

I had become love.

She doesn't talk to me now, though.

She blames me for the divorce,

and so she's angry at me.

And...

I deserve it.

I'm gonna make you a deal.

If you can take all of this,

frankly, aggressive determination

and extraordinary openness

and use it on winning your daughter back,

then I'll do it.

It's a deal.

See, you don't feel that?

Oh, wow. Give me my hand back.

You feel that though, right?

You feel it?

- That's sparks.

- Goodbye, Whit.

That's what that is.

Hey! What's up?

- What?

- You got something to say?

You got something you wanna say?

Oh, yeah. I got a lot of things

I'd like to say to you.

Well, say it. Say it!

See, you just waste time.

See, I give you a gift

and you just waste it!

I don't care about time.

This is a prison sentence!

I don't want your gift!

Because you took hers.

Oh, come on.

Are you here to take me?

No, Howard.

I'm here to ride the F train with you.

Oh, okay.

So, there are these two twins

in a womb, a boy and a girl.

You telling a joke?

No, no. It's a story.

So, these twins are happy.

They're fed, they're warm, they feel safe.

But they're outgrowing their space

and they realize this can't go on forever.

So they start thinking,

"What comes next?

"What if it's cold or lonely?

"What if we're not together?

"What if there's nothing at all?"

So, then the girl looks at the cord.

This cord that has fed them,

has nourished them,

this cord that they

can't possibly conceive

could be attached to anything else.

And she says,

"Well, we have no proof.

"All we have is this."

No.

Wow, that's deep.

So, it's like life after birth.

Hopeful.

All right, what do you want?

Why are you here?

I've heard all of your platitudes.

I got them, I know.

"She's in a better place."

And, "This is all

a part of a master plan."

Heard that one, too.

Here's my favorite.

"God looked down and

saw the most beautiful rose,

"so beautiful that he picked it

"to have it in Heaven all for Himself."

Then there's the science, biocentrism,

and we're all living and dying

in infinite universes

all at the same time.

And then the religion,

the Christians and their salvation,

and the Buddhists and their Samsara,

and the Hindus and their 41st sacrament.

And can't forget the poetry.

Oh, the poetry.

"To die is different

from what anyone supposed

"and luckier."

Whitman.

And, "Rage...

"Rage against the dying of the light.

"Though wise men at their end

know dark is right."

Thomas. And then...

(SINGING) Row, row, row your boat

gently down the stream

Merrily, merrily

merrily, merrily

Life is but a dream

I got it.

I got it!

It all basically says

that you're a natural part of life,

we shouldn't hate you,

we shouldn't fear you.

I guess we should just accept you, right?

That's it?

I get it. Here's the thing.

It's all a bunch of intellectual bullshit

because she's not here

holding my f***ing hand.

MEN:
(SINGING)

Oh, Lord, what a beautiful city

Oh, Lord, what a beautiful city

Twelve gates to the city

Hallelujah

Amen, amen

Who are all those children

All dressed up in white

Hi, Howard.

(GROANS)

You gonna cry again?

You don't like it when I'm sad?

- Ah, aren't you always sad?

- No.

No, I can be other things. I can be happy.

- I can be unexpected and unpredictable...

- Huh.

...and sexy and warm and mysterious and...

And home.

I can be home, Howard, you remember?

Do you remember me?

Listen. All the "fabric of life" bullshit,

save that for somebody else.

It's not bullshit.

(STUTTERS) I know you don't believe me,

but you have to trust me.

Trust you?

- Trust you?

- Yes!

I did trust you!

And you betrayed me!

I saw you every day in her eyes,

and I heard you in her voice

when she laughed,

and I felt you inside of me

when she called me "Daddy."

And you betrayed me!

You broke my heart.

No.

I'm in all of it.

I'm the darkness and the light,

I'm the sunshine and the storm.

Yes, you're right.

I was there in her laugh,

but I'm also here now in your pain.

I'm the reason for everything.

I am the only "why."

Don't try and live without me, Howard.

Please don't.

The deal with Omnicom's almost done.

What about Howard?

Well, they're aware of the situation

but we still have to prove

that Howard's ability to vote

is, uh, compromised.

I can't believe it's come down to this.

Yeah, well, believe it.

We have a competency meeting

with the board set for Thursday.

CHAIRMAN:
We're here to give you

a chance to explain this.

Howard, what are you doing in this video?

I do not care about time.

This is a prison sentence!

I don't want your gift!

CHAIRMAN:
What are you doing, Howard?

HOWARD:
Because you took hers.

Howard?

HOWARD:
You gonna cry again?

Aren't you always sad?

What about here?

HOWARD:
Listen.

All the "fabric of life" bullshit,

save that for somebody else.

Trust you?

Trust you?

I did trust you!

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