Magnolia Page #25

CYNTHIA:

Let's go, c'mon, get up --

RICHARD:

Did we win or lose, I mean --?

CYNTHIA:

I don't know, Richard, they need

to talk it over --

LUIS:

You lost, kid. They go to the score

at the time it was called --

JULIA:

That's not an official rule.

LUIS:

That's the way it goes.

RICHARD:

Bullshit. Who says that, what rule book,

in what sport? This is different, it's a quiz show,

they don't go by sports rules --

MIM:

Let's all just settle down --

CYNTHIA:

Richard, shut it and keep it down.

RICHARD:

If he hadn't pissed his pants, we woulda

won. We f***ing had this game.

LUIS:

You didn't have sh*t, kid.

CAMERA with Jimmy and Mary as they head off, down the HALLWAY

and towards some elevators -- He's really out of it --

CUT TO:

INT. CLAUDIA'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT

She sits in front of the coke and in front of the television.

CU. TELEVISION IMAGE - THAT MOMENT

A still card with the "What Do Kids Know?" logo and the credits

still running. At the end a logo that reads:

This has been a Big Earl Partridge Production

CUT TO:

EXT. WASH AREA/APARTMENT - DAY

CAMERA (HAND HELD) with Jim Kurring. He's searches around

frantic for his revolver....looking everywhere...RAIN IS POURING.

He does tearful "cops" dial. Ref: "I'm not goin' back

to the Station House without my god damn gun." etc.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREETS/BURBANK - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA tracks with Stanley as he runs and runs down the streets

in the RAIN. CAMERA holds a ECU as we move.

CUT TO:

EXT. SMILING PEANUT/PARKING AREA - THAT MOMENT

Donnie walks out and gets in his car -- he goes to start it,

but it won't start. HOLD outtside the car. Rain pouring down.

He gets out and walks. A Pedestrian walking in to the bar recognizes

him and smiles, says:

PEDESTRIAN:

Smart Kid Donnie Smith! Quiz Kid! He.He.

Donnie keeps walking straight past.

CUT TO:

INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENT

Linda is bedside with Earl. She cries her eyes out. She

speaks to him in mumbles about "...sorry..." "...my love..."

"...you've lived a long, good life..." She prepares the

bottle of liquid morphine and sets it next to the him...HOLD.

Earl comes out of it a bit, pets her head, mumbles a few words that

don't make sense. Phil in the b.g. Linda can't administer the drops,

she turns quickly to Phil;

LINDA:

listen...listen to me now, Phil:

I'm sorry, sorry I slapped your face.

...because I don't know what I'm doing...

...I don't know how to do this, y'know?

You understand? y'know? I...I'm...I do things

and I f*** up and I f***ed up....forgive me, ok?

Can you just...

PHIL:

....it's alright....

LINDA:

Tell him I'm sorry, ok, yes, you do that,

now, I'm sorry, tell him, for all the things

I've done...I f***ed up and I'm sorry....

And I'm Gonna Turn Away And Walk Now And Not

Look At Him Not See My Man, My Earl, I'll

leave now...and tell him it's ok and I'm ok.

The whole thing was ok with me -- and I know.

She turns quick and walks out of the house.

HOLD ON PHIL. He paces around a moment or two, looks at the side table.

CU - THE BOTTLE OF LIQUID MORPHINE.

It's ready to go.

CU - PHIL. He looks at it.

CUT TO:

INT. HOLIDAY INN - SEMINAR ROOM - THAT MOMENT

CAMERA holds on the image of a slide that reads:

"How To Fake Like You Are Nice And Caring"

Frank steps into FRAME. HOLD. OC we hear the audience applaud.

FRANK:

Welcome back. Back from break.

I hope you guys stayed away from those

little nacho bits I saw out there...

I know...I know...hey, you're not payin'

for the snacks....

Slight laughter. Frank slows down.

FRANK:

"How To Fake Like You Are Nice and Caring."

This is...obviously...quite an important

section...I mean, let's face it...face the

facts...Men Are Sh*t, right? I mean,

that is what they all say. We've all done

bad things...bad things that no woman

has ever done...that's what they say.

We As Men are taught to apologize: "I've done wrong."

"I'm sorry." "My needs as a man made me..."

Something, something...bullshit....well what

I would like to say....

Frank references some note cards, a bit of a daze is clear now:

FRANK:

If you feel, made to feel like you need

them, like -- like you can't live if

you're without them or you need, what?

They're p*ssy? They're love? F*** that.

Self Sufficient, gents. That's the truth.

What you are -- we are -- you need them

for what? To f***ing make you a piece of

snot rag? A puppett? huh? Hear them

b*tch and moan? b*tch and moan --

and we're taught one thing -- go the other

way -- there is No Excuse I will give you,

I'm not gonna apologize -- I'm not gonna

apologize for my NEED my DESIRE...my, the

things that I need as a man to feel comfortable...

You understand? You understand? You need

to say something, "my mommy hit me or

daddy hit me or didn't let me play soccer,

so now I make mistakes, cause a that -- something,

so now I piss and sh*t on it and do this."

Bullshit. I'm sorry. ok. yeah. no. f***.

go. f***. alright. go make a new mistake.

maybe not, I dunno...f***....

Frank drops the microphone and walks off stage...Audience rumbles

with confusion, etc. Doc and Captain Muffy frantic, etc. Frank

heads off -- slight look across the reception hall to see Gwenovier --

He's gone.

CUT TO:

INT. EARL'S HOUSE - THAT MOMENTSequence H

CAMERA on Earl. He opens his eyes a bit....looks over to Phil.

EARL:

Phil...Phil...

Phil comes over and takes a seat next to him.

EARL:

I'm onna try and talk...I'm atryan

say some thing some thing...

Earl begins to talk. (Director's Note: Following is the story

Earl tells, it is to be more broken and elliptical, factoring

in Earl's state of mind and health, etc, but here's the concept

in its entirety;)

EARL:

Do you know Lily? Phil..do you know her?

PHIL:

No.

EARL:

...Lily...?

PHIL:

No.

EARL:

She's my love...my life...love of it...

In school when you're 12 years old.

In school, in six grade....and I saw her

and I didn't go to that school...but we met.

And my friend knew her...I would say,

"What's that girl?" "How's that Lily?"

"Oh, she's a bad girl...she sleeps with

guys..." My friend would say this....but

then sometime...I went to another school, you see?

But then...when high school at the end, what's

that? What is that? When you get to the end?

PHIL:

Graduation?

EARL:

No, no, the grade...the grade that you're in?

PHIL:

Twelve.

EARL:

Yeah...So I go to her school for that

for grade twelve...and we meet...she

was f***in...like a doll...porcelain

doll...and the hips...child bearing

hips...y'know that? So beautiful.

But I didn't have sex with anyone,

you know? I was not...I couldn't

do anything...always scared, y'know...

she was...she had some boyfriends...they

liked her y'know...but I didn't like that.

I couldn't get over that I wasn't a man,

but she was a woman. Y'see? Y'see I didn't

make her feel ok about that....I would

say, "How many men you been with?"

She told me, I couldn't take it...take that

I wasn't a man....because if I hadn't had

sex with women...like as many women as

she had men...then I was weak...a boy....

But I loved her...you understand?

....well, of course, I wanted to have

sex with her...and I did and we were

together....we met...age twelve, but then

again...age seventeen...something, somethin...

I didn't let her forget that I thought she

was a bad...a slut.....a slut I would call

her and hit her....I hit her for what she

did...but we married...Lily and me and we

married...but I cheated on her...over and

over and over again...because I wanted

to be a man and I couldn't let her be

a woman...a smart, free person who was

something...my mind then, so f***in'

stupid, so f***in....jesus christ, what

would I think...did I think....?

...for what I've done...She's my wife for

thirty eight years...I went behind her...

over and over...f***ing a**hole I am

that I would go out and f*** and come

home and get in her bed and say

"I love you..." This'z Jack's mother.

His mother Lily...these two that I had

and I lost .... and this is the regret that

you make...the regret you make is the

something that you take...blah...blah...blah...

something, something.....

(beat)

Gimme a cigarettee?

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