I Am Sam Page #9

LUCY:

Try again. You must have dialed the

wrong number.

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

Rita and Sam walk through the lobby at Rita's Olympic pace.

She passes the elevator and heads for the stairs.

RITA:

Look, we've got a lot to go over and

I've got five minutes.

SAM:

(pointing to elevator)

Rubel Bly Harrison and Williams thirty

second floor, thirty-two floors up.

Rita heads up the stairs. We hear a BEEP. Then another.

Rita checks her heart rate watch. Starts walking up the

stairs.

RITA:

One-twenty. Gotta get to one-twenty

five to make it count. Okay okay okay.

I'm gonna need that list of people who

can testify that you're a good father

despite your handicap. I didn't mean

your handicap I meant your disability -

I mean the fact that you're retarded.

That's not the right word. I mean...

What do I call you?

SAM:

Sam. I am Sam.

Rita looks at Sam as she bounds up the fourth floor.

RITA:

Yes you are.

(he hands her a list - her CELL

PHONE RINGS)

Hello Ted how you doing/ Whattaya mean

what's that supposed to mean?

(her heart beep rate goes up)

Put Danny on... You're supposed to be

taking him to karate. No it is not my

day it's your day. I took your day last

Wednesday - are you eating no I will not

hold. Go pick him up! What? I can't

hear you I'm in the car - they put you

through to me here...I'm losing you --

(clicks off phone)

I get paid for this memory - I know I

took him last.

A look of horror falls across her face. She does a 180 and

starts RUNNING down the stairs reading the list.

RITA (CONT'D)

We're making progress. Three character

witnesses. That's a good start. What

does Ifty Bhutto do?

SAM:

He works in a bank.

RITA:

(tripping down the stairs)

Excellent.

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - THE VERY NEXT DAY

Ifty sits across from Rita who attempts to take notes.

IFTY:

Sam is a very concerned father. He

always saves his money at Bank of

America. Last year there was a lion on

the calendar. This year a gazelle. The

gazelle is national bird of Tunisia. We

have clients, not customers. At Bank of

America. Bank on us.

He looks up at her, lost. So is she.

IFTY (CONT'D)

What was the question again, please?

CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

ON BRAD:

Who sits across from Rita. She tape records him.

BRAD:

He always made a point of feeding her

breakfast when "Bewitched" was on and

lunch when "Jeopardy" was on so she'd be

smart. Is that Wonderbra you're

wearing? Because you look wonderful.

CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - DAY

Robert sits across from Rita, who records him.

RITA:

How long have you and Sam -

ROBERT:

Why are you recording this? Who's

listening?

RITA:

It's often necessary -

ROBERT:

Who are you really?

RITA:

I'm -

ROBERT:

What's that supposed to mean?

RITA:

Let's -

ROBERT:

I need to talk to my lawyer.

CUT TO:

INT. RITA'S OFFICE - LATER

Rita maniacally picks the frosting off a donut.

RITA:

Patricia, get Mr. Dawson on the line.

Over her INTERCOM, we hear SAM'S ANSWERING MACHINE.

ANSWERING MACHINE (O.S.)

Hi, it's Len's Auto Body Shop -

RITA:

I need this like a - call him at

Starbucks - no I don't know which

Starbucks. There's forty two between

here and the end of the block.

EXT. STREETS - DAY

Rita stands next to her Porsche. There are Starbucks in

every direction she looks.

INT. STARBUCKS - DAY

Sam is straightening Sweet and Lows. Rita barrels in.

RITA:

Look I don't think you understand what

you're up against we have to be in court

in three days and we don't have a decent

witness. Now you've gotta know someone

who can testify who's been to college -

or has a degree of some kind - or some

sort of way of expressing themselves

that's gonna make the court believe that

you deserve to get your daughter back I

need a coffee. Big. Tall.

SAM:

Tall's the smallest.

RITA:

Of course. Of course, whatever. Okay

okay okay. Damn! I forgot to call back

no I did and once you think of this

person and there has to be one person -

I want you to call me at work - because

I'm going back there now to my seven

other cases --

(her cellphone RINGS)

What? Mrs. Robeck? I'm on my way, the

traffic's horrible on the 405. Dorothy,

we put in five months lets not let a

three car pile up..I know it's been

enormously stressful.. Your Esczema?

Oh, honey, nobody notices..AH! They

opened a lane!

SAM:

(too loudly)

Do you want it here or to go?

RITA:

(dial tone)

Dorothy? Dorothy? No no no I didn't

stare at the eczema for five months for -

She takes out her car beeper, clicks it towards the window

and realizes that they're towing her car!

RITA (CONT'D)

Sonuvabitch!

INT. ANNIE'S APARTMENT - EVENING

Annie is at the piano, lost in a Beethoven concerto.

SAM:

Annie, it's one day. One hour. Maybe

only 53 minutes. Lucy needs you.

(Annie keeps playing)

You went to college. You can give the

right answers.

Annie plays even harder. Frustrated, he POUNDS the piano.

SAM (CONT'D)

We can't lose her.

ANNIE:

I can't. I'd make it worse for you. I

can't do it. Don't you think I would if

I could?

CUT TO:

INT. COURTROOM - DAY

We HEAR A VOICE:

VOICE (O.S.)

All rise for the Honorable Judge Phillip

McNeily.

Sam stands along with others in the courtroom. The Judge

enters and sits. Everyone else sits now, too. Except Sam.

Who continues to stand until Rita pulls him down. Now we

see:

Ifty, Robert, Brad - and Brad's MOTHER, who sits several

seats behind Brad knitting. Robert holds up a handmade sign

from the back of the courtroom "Free Lucy Dawson".

INT. COURTROOM - ONE HOUR LATER

Turner, the prosecuting attorney, examines his first witness.

He's disheveled, but don't let the rumpled suit fool you.

This man is razor-sharp. The THERAPIST who evaluated Sam is

on the stand. Sam anxiously rearranges all the pens on the

desk he sits at with Rita. Projected on a SCREEN is a SLIDE

of the drawing Lucy made in school.

THERAPIST:

...there is an unhealthy reversal of

roles here.

As you can see from her drawings, she

has an exaggerated sense of

responsibility. Lucy feels she has to

take care of her father. Although at

her birthday party her true feelings

about her father were revealed.

RITA:

Objection. "True feelings revealed"?!

TURNER:

The state is paying Miss Geller for her

opinions -

RITA:

Then every child who rages because they

didn't get to stay up for that extra

hour of TV -

TURNER:

Objection your honor -

Sam TUGS at Rita's sleeve. She ignores it.

RITA:

...in fact any child who said they hated

their parents because they didn't want

to take a bath would be a prime

candidate for Foster Care.

TURNER:

Objection.

SAM:

I think they want you to stop.

RITA:

Really?! Thank you, Sam.

JUDGE MCNEILY:

We all appreciate your assistance Mr.

Dawson - continue with your witness, Mr.

Turner.

TURNER:

Now Ms. Geller, I assume in your therapy

session, Mr. Dawson extolled his

parenting abilities.

THERAPIST:

On the contrary, Mr. Dawson admitted he

felt profoundly inadequate - that he was

terrified he'd made and would continue

to make - and I quote: "Huge mistakes,

huge mistakes, mistakes that are huge."

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