Manhattan

"Chapter one."

"He adored New York City.

He idolized it all out of proportion."

Uh, no. Make that "He romanticized it

all out of proportion."

"To him,

no matter what the season was..."

...this was still a town

that existed in black and white...

"...and pulsated to the great tunes

of George Gershwin."

Uh... no. Let me start this over.

"Chapter one."

"He was too romantic about Manhattan,

as he was about everything else."

"He thrived on the hustle, bustle

of the crowds and the traffic."

"To him, New York

meant beautiful women...

...and street-smart guys

who seemed to know all the angles."

Ah, corny. Too corny

for a man of my taste.

Let me... try and make it more profound.

"Chapter one. He adored New York City."

"To him, it was a metaphor

for the decay of contemporary culture."

"The same lack of integrity to cause so

many people to take the easy way out...

...was rapidly turning the town

of his dreams..."

No, it's gonna be too preachy. I mean,

face ft, I wanna self some books here.

"Chapter one. He adored New York City...

...although to him it was a metaphor

for the decay of contemporary culture."

"How hard it was to exist in a society

desensitized by drugs, loud music...

...television, crime, garbage..."

Too angry. I don't wanna be angry.

"Chapter one."

"He was as tough and romantic

as the city he loved."

"Behind his black-rimmed glasses

was the coiled sexual power

of a jungle cat."

I love this.

"New York was his town

and it always would be."

I think the essence of art is to provide

a kind of working-through situation...

...so that you can get in touch

with feelings you didn't know you had.

Talent is luck.

The important thing in life is courage.

They've had this argument

for 20 years.

Listen to this example.

If the four of us are walking home over

the bridge and a person was drowning...

...would we have the nerve...

Would one of us have the nerve to dive

into the icy water and save them?

It's a key question.

I, of course, can't swim,

so I never have to face it.

Oh... God.

Which of us?

- You want a little more?

- No.

Mm. Oh, man. That is so great.

You don't smoke.

I know I don't smoke. I don't inhale

because it gives you cancer, but...

...I look so incredibly handsome with

a cigarette that I can't not hold one.

- You like the way I look?

- Mm-hm.

Provocative.

- I'm getting through to you?

- Yup. You have to excuse me a sec.

- Jesus, she's gorgeous.

- Mm.

But she's 17.

I'm 42 and she's 17.

I'm... I'm older than her father.

Can you believe that?

I'm dating a girl

wherein I can beat up her father.

That's the first time

that ever occurred in my life.

- He's drunk.

- You're drunk. You should never drink.

Did I tell you... that my ex-wife...

- Who, Tina?

- Mm-mm. My second ex-wife...

...is writing a book about

our marriage and the break-up.

- That's really tacky.

- It's really depressing, you know.

She's gonna give all those details out,

all my little idiosyncrasies...

...and my quirks and mannerisms, and...

Mm, mm, not that I have

anything to hide because, you know...

But there are a few disgusting

little moments that I regret.

It's just gossip.

Gossip is the new pornography.

- You should never let me drink.

- I know.

You should never let yourself drink.

We oughta go

'cause I've got an exam tomorrow.

Oh, do you? The kid's gotta get up...

She's got homework.

I'm dating a girl who does homework.

What is it? What's the matter with you?

You... you... Where are you now?

Your mind is like a million miles away.

I have something I wanna say.

I, uh, I just didn't know

quite how to... get into it.

Um, I, uh...

About seven or eight weeks ago

I went to this dinner party...

...and I met a woman there.

And...

And I've got

kind of involved with her.

You're kidding?

It started out very casually.

I mean, we had lunch a couple of times.

And now it's, you know,

it's getting out of hand

and I don't know what to do about it.

I mean, I'm... It's scary.

Well, who is she? What are the details?

- Well, she's a journalist.

- Uh-huh.

She's very...

- ls she married, too?

- No, no.

- She's very beautiful.

- Mm-mm.

She's very kind of

nervous, high-strung, illusive.

Great. It sounds wonderful.

Oh, she is wonderful.

I mean, she's on my mind all the time.

What are you telling me?

That your marriage is...

I mean, how serious is it?

I don't know, but it's pretty serious.

But you haven't

said anything to Emily?

No! God, no.

It's amazing. I'm stunned

because, of all the people I know...

...I always thought for sure that you

and Emily had one of the best marriages.

We do! I mean, I love her.

- But you're seeing...

- I know it.

But in all the years

that we've been married...

...I've had, what... one or two

very minor things with other women.

I mean, very... I hate the whole idea.

I hate myself

when I'm doing this sort of thing.

But this is just, you know...

This is not like that.

It's terrible. Listen,

you shouldn't ask me for advice.

When it comes to relationships, I'm the

winner of the August Strindberg Award.

Well, I don't think 17 is too young.

Beside that, she's a bright girl.

You'll get no argument from me.

I think she's terrific.

He could do a lot worse.

He has done a lot worse.

I just think he's wasting his life.

He writes that crap for television.

Yale, have you ever thought

any more about having kids?

Oh, my God. Kids.

Listen, I've gotta get this book

finished. it's never gonna get done.

I've gotta get the money

to get this magazine started, huh?

Kids...

We always talk about moving to

Connecticut. You could do it there.

- Connecticut.

- Yeah.

I can't go to Connecticut.

It's not practical.

All my stuffs here.

My work's here.

It's just the wrong time.

What about Isaac?

We can't abandon him, you know?

He can't function anywhere

other than New York, you know that.

Very Freudian.

Mm-mm...

Are you writing a book

on our marriage?

Leave me alone.

- Are you writing about our break-up?

- We've said all that needs to be said.

I know you are because

I have a friend at Random House.

- I'm free to do as I please.

- Yeah, but this affects me.

So you're gonna tell everybody

everything? Our life, our sexual life?

Do you spy on me?

No. I was at a party and a guy said

he read an advance chapter...

...of a book my wife was writing,

and it was hot stuff. He said that!

- I spilled wine on my pants.

- I don't care to discuss it.

- You won't discuss it. How's Willie?

- Fine.

Well, give me some details. Does he

play baseball? Wear dresses? What?

He doesn't wear dresses.

You'll find out the details

when it's your turn to see him.

Don't write this book.

It's a humiliating experience.

It's an honest account of our break-up.

Jesus, everybody that knows us

is gonna know everything.

Look at you. You're so threatened.

I'm not threatened because I was not

the immoral, psychotic, promiscuous one.

I hope I didn't leave out anything.

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