Danny Collins Page #12

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69.

66 INT. DANNY’S HOTEL ROOM - LATER (NIGHT) 66

Danny sits at the piano, looking at the LETTER FROMLENNON.

Next to him he has his cheap pad and pen. We can see

that he’s written down LYRICS. A lot of lyrics.

He begins to play the song we’ve heard him start twice.

But this time, he plays it all the way through.

The SONG covers a...

MONTAGE - OVER THE NEXT MONTH

DANNY:

(singing)

It’s Spring in my Mind/But the

Autumn leaves, they fall...

We PAN to the lyric sheet and read (as we hear):

DANNY (O.S) (CONT’D)

(singing)

As I’m walking by/I collect them

all...

On “collect them all” we head to...

67 EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY 67

Tom leaves his site, signing off for the day.

Danny sits out front, in his car. Tom spots the Mercedesimmediately (hard not to spot at the construction site).

Danny waves him toward the car.

Tom shakes his head, puts down his TOOLS, and gets in thecar without a word.

We hang on the toolkit before heading to...

68 INT. ONCOLOGY OFFICE - DAY 68

A different type of toolkit - medical gear. A DOCTOR

gives Tom an IV. Danny stands by his side. We see that

Danny’s Hilton “lyric” pad has become a pad filled with

medical terms:
words like “Cladribine” and “Lymphocytic”

and “run down” and “prone to infection” now mingle with

lyrics about “spring” and “fall.”

(CONTINUED)

69A.

68 CONTINUED:
68

DOCTOR SILVERMAN

Okay, Mr. Donnelly, the next few

weeks aren’t going to be pleasant.

You ready for this?

Tom NODS. Danny watches, concerned. As the nurses go to

work on Tom, we RISE UP...

69 EXT. THE LEX HOTEL - AFTERNOON 69

STILL RISING, ON A NYC STREET... revealing a boutique

hotel. Expensive looking.

We watch from across the street as our familiar PIANO

MOVERS (and Van) once more try to navigate a piano into a

(new) hotel.

70.

70 INT. HOTEL ROOM - LATER (DAY) 70

ON THAT PIANO as Danny orchestrates the move of the

instrument into a hotel room (a bigger room, of course,

but needless to say - still a challenge).

Tom lies in a bed in the sleeping area of the suite.

DANNY:

I got the adjoining room but the

piano won’t fit. This okay?

Tom shakes his head and waves it in, giving up. Danny

walks past camera and...

71 EXT. TOM AND SAMANTHA’S HOUSE - MORNING 71

Across a familiar lawn. He avoids the broken doorbell

and just KNOCKS. Samantha OPENS the door. She’s

surprised to see him and, clearly, unsure what to do.

Danny holds up his recurrent peace offering: A BAG OF

BAGELS. Samantha hesitates, then... lets him inside.

72 INT. DANNY’S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT 72

We go back to Danny in his room, now playing the CHORUS

OF HIS SONG.

PULL BACK to reveal that Mary now sits in the room with

him, listening

PULL BACK FURTHER to reveal:

Danny’s CELL PHONE, VIBRATING on the nightstand next to

the Lennon letter. It’s “FRANK.” It goes to VOICE-MAIL.

A73 INT. FRANK’S OFFICE - NIGHT A73

Frank hangs up the phone, concerned. Looks at a photo of

he and Danny on his desk. From the photo of Danny to...

73 EXT. WOODCLIFF LAKE HILTON - AFTERNOON 73

REAL-LIFE DANNY, as he tentatively hands NICKY ERNST the

keys to his MERCEDES and watches JAMIE hop in the front

seat.

(CONTINUED)

71-72.

73 CONTINUED:
73

Nicky gives Danny a thumbs up, and TAKES OFF. Way too

fast.

Danny steps back. Mary stands there. She looks at him,

smiles, and MOUTHS the words:

MARY:

You’re f***ing crazy.

74 INT. TOM’S HOTEL ROOM - EARLY EVENING 74

Tom rests on a couch, recuperating. Danny sits adjacent.

They watch JEOPARDY together, in silence.

Danny looks at Tom, notices something. He gets up,

brings him some water, feels his forehead. Tom does what

he can to resist, but Danny is determined and wins out.

Danny motions to some SOUP (uneaten) on the table.

DANNY:

I got you chicken noodle soup.

TOM:

I don’t like chicken noodle soup.

Silence. From one “table” we head to...

75 INT. TOM AND SAMANTHA’S HOUSE - AFTERNOON 75

Another. Danny sits at the kitchen table with Hope,

DRAWING PICTURES with her. One of her pictures is a

drawing of HER FAMILY. She’s included “Gran Pa.”

Samantha cooks in the background, watching. She smiles.

We PUSH IN on the “Daddy” in Hope’s picture while it

leads us to...

76 OMITTED 76

(CONTINUED)

73.

76 CONTINUED:
76

77 OMITTED 77

(CONTINUED)

74.

77 CONTINUED:
77

78 INT. ONCOLOGY OFFICE - MORNING 78

Tom. Treatment completed, he gets final instructions

from Doctor Silverman.

As the Doctor talks, Danny writes everything down on his

STATIONARY PAD.

DOCTOR SILVERMAN

Okay, Tom, so three weeks from

today, we’ll look at results

together, hope for the best.

They SHAKE, say their GOODBYES.

79 INT. DANNY’S HOTEL ROOM - EVENING 79

Where Danny finishes the FINAL VERSE of the song, the

lyric sheet now completely COVERED by lyrics and cancer

terminology. Danny looks across the room at Mary,

nervously.

Mary CLAPS, steps forward.

END MONTAGE.

A80 INT. TOM’S HOTEL ROOM - EVENING A80

Tom and Danny sit in front of the TV in silence. The

uneaten soup sits in front of Tom. Danny stares at it.

Finally, he can take it no more.

DANNY:

You just don’t like chicken noodle

soup? Just unilaterally don’t

like it?

TOM:

No.

Silence.

DANNY:

How the f*** can you not like

chicken noodle soup?

TOM:

I don’t like noodles, okay!? They

get soggy and it makes me think of

worms.

(then, admitting)

(MORE) (CONTINUED)

74A.

A80 CONTINUED:
A80

TOM (CONT'D)

My uncle took me fishing once and

freaked me out about worms.

DANNY:

How did he-

TOM:

He ripped one in half with his

hands and then ate half the worm

to f*** with me. And now when I

see noodles I think of my big fat

slob of an uncle eating half of a

bloody f***ing worm, okay?

(then, meekly)

I like tomato soup.

A beat.

DANNY:

So you just never eat chicken

noodle soup?

TOM:

(exasperated)

Would you get the hell out of my

room please?

Danny storms out.

DANNY:

(enraged)

Doesn’t like chicken noodle soup.

What kind of person doesn’t like-

The door SLAMS. Tom shakes his head.

B80 INT. TOM’S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT B80

Tom lies in bed, reading. He’s finally got some peace,

quiet, and alone time. His eyes lock on...

Danny’s piano. Sitting in the corner of the room. Tom

stands, goes over to it.

Touches a key. Then another. He slowly begins figuring

out the basic chords of Danny’s recent song. It takes

him a moment to self-correct but soon... he’s playing it.

Quietly humming the melody. He smiles, slowly becoming

comfortable with the song. And just then...

DANNY (O.S.)

I got you tomato soup.

Tom jolts. Stops. Stands. Danny stands at the door,

with TAKEOUT FOOD, watching.

(CONTINUED)

74B.

B80 CONTINUED:
B80

DANNY (CONT’D)

Have you always been able to play

by ear?

Silence.

DANNY (CONT’D)

Started for me around eight years

old. My mother would sing, I

could play the chords. You?

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