Man in the Chair Page #3

It's a student film, and, um...

it's about... It's, uh...

Well, we start prep tomorrow,

and we start shooting next week.

Who's "we"?

Me and my friend...

my friend Murphy,

and it would...

and you, if you're in.

Hmm.

High school, huh?

Sounds like bullshit.

Well, it's...

[Flash sighs]

I could really use your help,

you know?

Hey, get out of here

and leave me alone...

you good-for-nothing

little prick.

Well, I saw you

at the Beverly Cinema and...

you seem to know

a lot about movies.

Get away, I said!

Maybe you're bullshit.

- Me, bullshit?

- Yeah.

Look, you little weasel...

I've made more movies

than you've been to.

Yeah, I heard that one.

[Mutters]

Yo, Murph, what's doin'?

Makin' $6.75 an hour,

that's what's doin'.

Ah... this movie's so dope!

Witness?

Peter Weir, cool director.

BOTH:
Money!

- How's your film coming?

- It's coming.

Yeah, check this out.

[Sighs]

Brett Raven is already

in production.

CAMERON:
Are you kidding me?

MURPHY:
His old man dropped

He's going full-tilt

for that scholarship.

CAMERON:
They must really

want him out of the house.

This is serious sh*t.

Is that... That's a Panaflex!

MURPHY:
Yeah, mmm-hmm.

Just thought you'd like to know

what you're up against.

But I gotta go.

- Thanks.

- Later.

Better get humpin'

on that film idea, man.

CAMERON:

Yeah, I'm humpin', I'm humpin'.

[Whooshing]

[Whispers] Aahh...

I told you no!

Leave me alone.

Cuban?

- Think so.

- Oh, no, no, no.

There ain't no "think so"

when it comes to Cubans.

Cohiba or Romeo and Juliet.

Damn Montecristos

are damn overrated.

O.K., then Montecristos are out.

But aren't Cuban cigars illegal

in this country?

I consider it

burning their crops.

Give it to me.

Nah, it's not Cuban.

Ah, it'll do.

So, uh, will you help me out?

Forget it, you little punk.

CAMERON:
Just give me a shot.

It would be like casting

pearls before swine.

CAMERON:

I don't know what that means.

Look, you're on your own, kid.

Get out of here.

Thanks for the cigar.

[Plane flies overhead]

[Birds chirping]

Is there a history of

mental illness in your family?

Does a crazy aunt

in Provo, Utah, count?

You'll keep

bringing me cigars?

O.K.

And a bottle of Wild Turkey

thrown in every week.

O.K.

O.K.

- Then we have a deal?

- We have a deal.

The name's Flash Madden.

Cameron Kincaid.

How'd you get a name like Flash?

It's none of your

goddamned business!

It's a skateboard film.

CAMERON:
He's awesome.

Freakin' idiot.

SKATER:
Oh!

No more idiot.

What else you got?

I have another idea about

a guy who, um...

he makes a motorcycle

from vacuum cleaner parts...

and he meets a girl.

You need a writer...

badly.

I'll fix the script up later

during filming and editing.

Look, kid,

you can't polish a turd.

I know a writer, a good one.

- What about a crew?

- A crew?

Well, they're closer than you think.

You see that geezer over there?

Hey, Richie,

how you doin' today?

Hey, not bad, Flash.

Same old, same old.

That's Richard Butler.

He won the Oscar

for art direction on Gigi.

No way.

Yeah, he sold it fifteen years

ago for seven grand...

[Coughs]

to pay his nursing home bills.

Now he lives here with us,

the dearly almost departed.

You can sell an Oscar?

Everything's for sale, kid.

It's either need or greed.

Meet me tomorrow

at the bus stop, 9 A.M.

Hey, leave me alone now.

Don't touch me!

I'm fine.

You still gonna help me out?

What's

your writer friend's name?

Mickey Hopkins.

Where's the kid?

Out screwing around again?

He's in his room

working on his computer.

Probably some internet scam.

No. Cameron's really focused.

Yeah, that is the word.

He's focused

on something these days.

Yeah, right.

So we got dessert?

[Sighs]

Holy sh*t, this guy's a legend.

[Dogs barking and whining]

[Clicking and hissing]

[Can clatters]

You pricks!

[Tires screech]

CAMERON:
Mickey is amazing.

I looked up his credits

online last night and...

Well, Roman Holiday. Jesus.

Now, you see

that building over there?

Used to be

Charlie Chaplin's studio...

when he was

running United Artists...

with Mary Pickford back in '23.

Wow.

Yes, may I help you?

Hey, Mickey... it's Flash.

Huh?

Flash...

You know, Flash Madden.

Flash Madden?

Oh, my God. How wonderful!

Well, come in, Flash.

Please make yourself at home.

Flash, it's been a hundred years

since I saw you last.

Two hundred.

[Laughs]

[Helicopter flies by]

FLASH:

That's a good idea, Mickey.

It's colder than

a well digger's rear in here.

[Flies buzzing]

Yeah, y...

You should turn up the heat.

Yeah, I will.

FLASH:
Uh...

the kid here is, uh...

He's about to make a movie.

It's a student film.

He asked me to help him.

I mean, what the hell?

But when I heard his idea,

I knew he needed a writer.

Really?

Yeah.

You know, it's that, uh...

"if it ain't on the page,

it ain't on the stage"...

[Chuckles] kind of thing.

I know exactly what you mean.

We had a similar problem.

First of all,

there are no problems...

only solutions.

We had a similar situation

on The Outlaw.

Howard Hughes could not

figure out how to end it.

Wait, here you go.

Here, I'll get it.

- Thank you, dear boy.

- Ah, no problem at all.

Yeah, just bring it over

here to the table.

[Mickey chuckling]

MICKEY, PANTING:

Yeah, uh, well... Uh...

I'll just get

the paper in and, uh...

we'll... we'll get started

on a brief outline.

[Paper crinkling]

FLASH:
Hey, kid...

give us a minute, will you?

Yeah, sure, Flash. I'll, um...

I'll go for a walk outside.

Stay away

from room twelve.

MAN:
? What's wrong ?

? With my nation? ?

? Can only call it mine... ?

It's been thirty-five years...

[Emotional] Thirty-five years

since someone asked me to write.

FLASH:
Can you believe it?

I don't think I can do it.

FLASH:
No, huh?

Well, I'm sorry, Mickey.

I thought you might get...

a kick out of this kid.

I mean, who else in this town...

is gonna give a couple

old farts like us a job?

[Tearfully] I'm sorry, Flash.

It's too long.

I've lost the gift.

Ah, we never lose our gifts...

only the opportunity

to open them.

That's pretty eloquent

for a gaffer.

Even us juicers have

our moments, huh?

Hey... pal.

Don't worry.

Think about it

for a few days, huh?

Take your time.

We'll get back to you.

"We'll get back to you."

[Chuckles]

That's the last thing...

I heard Louis B. Mayer

say to me in '57.

[Laughs]

But we're not M.G.M.

We'll be back.

? No redemption in sight ?

? No, not to the right ?

? So wrong ?

? Swinging further right ?

? So long ?

? So long ?

? Innocence o' mine ?

? And how long before... ?

Doesn't Mickey have any family?

He's got a daughter

in New Hampshire, I think.

Then how can she let him

live like that?

Well, I doubt if she knows.

Out of sight, out of mind.

I never knew places

like that existed.

Well, now you know.

This country's famous

for shitting on their elderly.

God help you

if you don't have family.

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