Listen to Me

---

Father

Listen to me

I'm a lot like you

I must live my life

and live it true

Like you said

you have to do

Mother

Listen to me

There's so much to tell

It's important

that you listen well

When the pain...

Put me down, you idiots!

(EXCLAIMS)

ALL:
(CHANTING) Go, Tomanski!

I'm almost there...

Hey! Hey, Tomanski!

You don't take no crap

from no rich kids, huh!

(EXCLAIMING)

Monica, bring home a diploma,

or bring home a husband.

The richer the better.

But don't get pregnant.

Have a little more

faith in me than that,

Aunt Lorraine.

I'm not you.

ALL:
(CHANTING) Go, Tomanski!

I'll miss you, Monica.

Oh, I love you, sweetheart.

-You be careful, okay?

-Okay.

-Who's your buddy?

-You.

Yeah. Who's your buddy?

Knowing love is all

I am in you

And you are in me

Through each other's eyes

We see

Listen to me

(DOG BARKING)

Hold me

I will hold you

Listen to me

while I speak my heart

You can talk to me

We're all looking

for a place to start

Where we tell

the truth again

Tell the truth again

Love me

Listen to me,

life is not that long

And we don't have time

to get it wrong

Let's believe

and let's begin

Let's begin

Won't you listen to me

For we know how we fall

MAN:
Come on, Tucker.

I got to get these

chickens to the market.

Hey, Pop, (CLEARS THROAT)

I got something for you.

You shouldn't spend

your money on me.

Hey, come on. Open it up.

It's no big deal.

And you are in me

Through each other's eyes

We see

Just how good our lives

Could be

Through each other's eyes

We see

Listen to me

Listen to me

Listen to me

Excuse me, can you tell me

where the administration...

Thanks a lot, buddy.

Excuse me, can you tell me

where the administration

building...

Yeah, it's over by the

ice hockey rink over there.

-Ice... Thanks!

-Yeah, no problem.

(BAND PLAYING MUSIC)

TUCKER:
Excuse me, uh...

Pardon me.

Could you tell me

where the ice hockey rink is?

MAN:
Yeah, it's over

by the pool hall.

TUCKER:
Hey, thanks.

(CHEERLEADERS CHEERING)

TUCKER:
Excuse me,

could you tell me where

the pool hall is?

No, but maybe I can recommend

a nice clothing store?

-Nathan, you're mean.

-Look at his hat!

It's not that bad.

He's probably from the south.

Well, I don't know.

Look at his haircut.

(ENGINE REVS)

(HORN HONKS)

Hey, surfer man!

I'll see you in the dorm.

-Gar!

-Hi, Gar!

How you doin'?

Hey, hey Christine.

I don't suppose

any of you would tell me

where the administration

building is.

-GARSON:
Yo! Master debaters.

-That's what I thought.

-Number one.

-GARSON:
The

inscrutable Mr. Chin.

How was your summer?

GARSON:
It was all right.

How was yours?

Great. Just great.

Come on, guys.

Help him with his things.

-Hey, girls.

-GIRLS:
Hi!

How was your summer?

We have to talk

about our summers.

How about some extra gravy

with those mashed potatoes?

Can I have some carrots, too?

I'm starving.

Anything your heart desires,

just ask.

-I'm the man.

-I'll remember that.

There you go.

Well, boy,

looks like you could use

all the fuel you can get.

Hey, man. Thanks.

Better stop giving away

the extra helpings.

-The cook's

got his eye on you.

-TUCKER:
Oh, thanks.

-Here, help me with this.

-Right.

Okay.

-Oh.

-There we go.

Tucker Muldowney,

Watonga, Oklahoma.

-Monica, Chicago.

-Hi.

Watonga?

Yeah, well, the reason

you haven't heard of it is

'cause I haven't made it

famous yet.

-I think you're serious.

-I am.

See, I'm here

on a debate scholarship,

and they only give out

two a year, you know?

-Really?

-No talking in the ranks.

Dishwasher duty. Move it.

(TUCKER SIGHS)

How may I help you?

TUCKER:
Not too

many people know this,

but 88% of our congressmen

and senators

were all in their college

debate teams.

You want to go into politics?

Well, actually,

it's my intention

to become the President

of the United States one day.

But I don't tell

too many people about that.

Of course not.

-So you here

on scholarship, too?

-You got it.

-What for?

-Debate.

You're Tomanski?

You're supposed

to be brilliant.

(STAMMERS)

Look, uh, I'm sorry about...

I feel really stupid.

Hey, boss!

My name's Tucker.

Nice guy.

It's gonna be fun.

(MOANING)

(DOOR OPENING)

MIA:
Who's that? Who's he?

Oh, boy, uh...

Um, I'm your roommate,

but I can leave

and come back later.

No, it's cool. Come on in.

Come on, Gar.

I was almost there.

What's one last orgasm in your

life on me?

Next to the threat of war

in the Middle East,

-how much does

that really matter?

-(GIGGLES)

MIA:
Well, can't we go back

to my room and finish?

You have to

finish by yourself.

-I have to meet

my new roommate.

-(MIA SIGHS)

Hey, uh, Gar...

How about I get Tasha

and come back?

-GARSON:
Goodbye, Mia.

-Tasha?

-Bye.

-(MUMBLES).

That, uh...

That going all the time?

Welcome to Kenmont.

Tucker Muldowney.

Pleased to meet you.

-Garson McKellar.

-Hi.

How do you possibly find time

to study in this place?

Coach Nichols says

you're terrific.

I've been trying to figure out

if he set us up as roommates

for your sake or mine.

Are you kidding?

You're the best.

You know, I have studied

all your big debates on video.

And for a long time,

I copied your style

right down to a gnat's ass.

What kind of style

do you have now?

Well, I'm kind of working

on my own thing.

It's lots of home-spun candor,

my best Southern drawl,

but it's still

a long, long way

from your league, believe me.

Oh, is that what you mean by

"home-spun candor"?

To me, it sounded like

good old false modesty.

You came here to

knock me off my pedestal,

didn't you, country boy?

(LAUGHS)

All right.

All right.

SCHWIMMER:

If at UCLA or Notre-Dame

the hero of the hour

is the football coach,

our hero is a man

most of you know

simply as Charlie.

I give you

the winningest debater

in collegiate history,

the man who has

coached Kenmont

to seven conference titles

in 12 years,

Professor Charlie Nichols.

(ALL CHEERING)

Whoa!

TUCKER:
Coming through.

Excuse me.

Sorry.

Hi. Sorry, I'm late.

Atilla made me stay and

clean the meat locker.

Tucker Muldowney, Donna Lumis.

-Hey, how you doin'?

-Nice to meet you.

(AUDIENCE HOOTING)

Well, it's nice to be loved.

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

And I should like to warn you.

A debate, as practice here,

is rougher than football.

-CROWD:
Ooh!

-Meaner than ice hockey.

CROWD:
Yeah!

Much more strenuous

than wrestling.

(CROWD LAUGHING)

And because women

can play at it

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

just as down and dirty

as the men,

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

it's probably the scariest,

most fascinating sport

on the face of the planet.

-(CROWD CHEERING)

-Let's debate.

(AUDIENCE HOOTING)

Resolved. That sex education

should not be taught

in our public schools.

-(FEW PEOPLE CHEERING)

-Resolved!

That condoms

should never be sold

on our high school

and college campuses.

-(PEOPLE BOOING)

-(SCATTERED APPLAUSE)

Resolved. That abstinence

is the best way to avoid AIDS.

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