In America

There's some things

you should wish for...

and some things you shouldn't.

That's what my little brother Frankie

told me.

He told me I only had three wishes.

And I looked in his eyes...

and I don't know why I believed him.

- Remember, we're on holiday, all right?

- Knock it off, Christy, love.

Christy.

- Passports, please.

- We're on holidays!

- Are you, little girl?

- Yeah. And my dad's not working.

What's the purpose of your visit?

What are your purposes

in visiting the United States?

We're on holiday.

And how long have you been in Canada?

Just visiting.

Listening to my mom and dad,

I was scared we weren't gonna

get across the border.

And if I didn't talk to Frankie,

how were we going to get into America?

"Please, Frankie. "

"Please. Please help us," I said.

- How many children do you have?

- Three.

Two.

Two.

Says three here.

We lost one.

- What's your name, little girl?

- Ariel.

And who are you?

She's Christy.

- What age are you, Christy?

- She's ten.

- Welcome to America.

- Thanks very much.

And that was my first

wish used up.

But I still had two left.

1020 on your AM dial.

We heard Manhattan

before we ever saw it,

a thousand strange voices

coming from everywhere.

And you're not going to believe this,

but we had to go under the water

to get to the city.

No, I swear it.

It was a real alien.

And we lost contact

with everything.

It was like we were on another planet.

...classics from

the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

We looked all over Manhattan

for a place to live,

till finally we found the house

of the man who screamed.

What are you doing

with the camera, little girl?

- You the police?

- What?

Are you the police?

- No. We're Irish.

- All Irish are police.

- We're not.

- Are we going to live here now?

- You gonna live in here, in this building?

- Yeah.

All right.

Keep an eye on their car.

Papo's gonna keep you safe now.

All right?

Come on in.

Welcome to your new mansion.

Come on.

Look! A lift!

That hasn't worked forever.

Come on, come on.

- Are we going to live here now?

- Yeah.

- Why?

- Nowhere else will take us.

Why?

- They don't want kids in Manhattan.

- Why?

Why do you think they call it "Manhattan"?

Papo!

Yo, Papo. Don't come any further, man.

Yo, relax, Tony. It's just me.

I know who the hell it is, man.

Go back downstairs to your apartment.

I'm clean, man. I'm showing this family

the empty apartment.

- No way, Papo!

- All right!

All right, Papo.

We'll take over from here.

- Why does he scream?

- Maybe he sees ghosts.

Is this a haunted house?

- It's like Fort Knox.

- Cool!

- Where did you learn that?

- What?

- "Cool. "

- I just heard it.

You're American already.

It's disgusting.

- Race you in, Christy.

- Wow!

- It's huge!

- I know, it's enormous.

- This is my room.

- This is my room.

I get top bunk.

I get top bunk.

Look, Dad!

There's a bath in the middle of the room.

Wow! There's pigeons!

Ariel, come and look at this!

- It's a bit of a hole.

- It'll be fine when we do it up.

It'll cost us, Sarah.

How are we gonna pay for this place?

We'll sell the car.

- Are you OK?

- Mm.

- Are you?

- I'm great.

Are you?

- Dad?

- What?

Can we keep the pigeons?

Dad, can we keep the pigeons?

Dad?

Can we keep the pigeons?

No. We have to leave 'em go.

It seemed like

all our problems were flying away.

Dad, can I help?

Go and ask your ma.

- Mom, can I help?

- Why don't you go on your skates?

I'll fast-forward through this bit.

Ariel got to know

everybody in the neighborhood.

My mom couldn't get a job teaching,

so she got a job in the ice cream parlor

so Dad could go to auditions.

I really like the character.

I'm glad you asked me back. I just

wanna say I'm real pleased about that.

How about the part of Vinnie?

Has he looked at that?

New York guy.

He's a bit of a stereotype,

but if you want him, you got him.

Can you do a London accent?

What? You 'avin'

a laugh? He's only got two lines.

Do you want me to come up there

and sort you out?

- Do you like him?

- Yeah.

But acting's about more than just accents.

I wanted to cast you, but you've got to

give me more. Much, much more.

Don't you understand?

Get it out of your head.

It's from here and from here.

Just give me one more chance.

But he didn't get another chance.

And then summer came,

and with it the heat.

And a new word:
humidity.

- Dad, it's still not working.

- Wait.

Wait.

It's too hot.

It's still not coming

through the holes, Dad.

Hang on there.

Wait.

Wait. It's coming.

It's coming.

It's working.

- Well done, Dad. It's lovely and cold.

- I love youse.

Shh, Ariel. Dad has an audition.

- Dad?

- What?

- What are you doing?

- I'm reading me script.

- Why?

- 'Cause I'm learning me lines.

- Dad, can we stay here all day?

- Mm-hm.

- Dad, America's OK.

- Great.

- Dad?

- What?

Nothing.

What are we doin' here?

Huh? What are we doin' here?

What are we doin' here?

What are we doin' here?

What are we doin' here, huh?

What are we doin' here?

What are we doin' here?

Dad, Dad, Ariel's upset.

She spent too long in the bath.

- What's wrong with you?

- My feet are like prunes.

- What?

- They're like prunes.

Oh, Jesus. Where's your ma?

Are you OK?

It's too hot.

Dad, how are you gonna get

that air conditioner up and down the path?

- Dad, how are you gonna...

- Jesus!

Come on.

Come on.

Dad, they're gonna shoot you.

- Dad, look out!

- A**hole!

Mom!

Look! It's Dad!

You're using, Papo.

You're using. No, no.

No, don't you walk...

Argh!

Hey, can I have some of whatever he's on?

Crazy freaked-out Irishman.

Christy, open the door.

Mom! Mom, Dad's got

an air conditioner!

He's coming!

He's coming!

Walk away from me!

Go on!

Jesus, Johnny!

You'll have a heart attack.

- Open the window.

- Open the window, Mom!

Open the window!

- Mom, open the window.

- Open the window!

Open the window!

What's wrong?

Wrong plug.

25 cents short.

That's no use to me.

I gotta make a living. $1.99.

I'll give it to you tomorrow.

- You're from the junkies' building, right?

- So?

Look at that.

That's from holding the knife of a junkie.

I got 25 stitches.

He got probation.

Do I look like a junkie to you?

$1.99.

- What's that?

- There's five cents on each of those.

Where's the $100 I gave you?

I put it in the bank like you insisted.

And 25 cents.

And $2, Mr. American Dream.

And one plug.

And one cent.

Dad, don't worry.

Mom's breathing's OK.

Is it OK?

It's the lemon drops. They're magic.

You take them

and you forget about your breathing.

Say your prayers.

Scary, Dad.

It's all right.

Let's get your head in there.

Is that good?

Is that good for you?

Yeah? Whoo-hoo!

Come on, get your face in there.

Look at that.

You're a genius, Dad.

Hey, gringo!

Gringo, what the hell is goin' on up there?!

We got out of there

as fast as we could.

We went to the bank, took out our money,

and went to the movies,

where it was lovely and cool.

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