Philadelphia Page #2

CUT TO:

ANDREW EKERGES FROM CITY HALL, ONTO DILWORTH PLAZA BUSTLING with

PEDESTRIANS (EXT./DAY) ...

... DARTS into the street, hailing a cab.

CUT TO:

THE CAB PULLS UP TO A BROWNSTONE ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET,

Andrew hopping out, stuffing papers into his briefcase

(EXT./DAY) ...

RUSHING to the door marked "Dr. Roberta Gillman, Internal

Medicine."

Coming out is a YOUNG ASIAN MAN with a cotton ball taped to

the inside of his elbow.

CUT TO:

CLASSICAL MUSIC (INT./DAY) ... AS CAMERA PANS PATIENTS

(MOSTLY YOUNG MEN) in a cheerful room... some, like a UPS

DELIVERY MAN, are attached to IV's, some sit with arms

extended, waiting to be hooked to an IV by TYRONE, a BLACK

PHYSICIAN'S AID.

CAMERA FINDS ANDREW sitting quietly, with an IV drip running

into his arm. Andrew is wearing a Walkman, the source of

the CLASSICAL MUSIC, and he's reading a legal brief. Most

of the people in the room look SICKER than Andrew.

DIALOGUE CAN BE HEARD under the CLASSICAL MUSIC (although

MUSIC dominates the SOUNDTRACK).

TYRONE:

(slapping a thin

PATIENT'S wrist)

Gonna have to start looking for

veins in your feet, sweetheart.

DR. ROBERTA GILLMAN, passes through, speaking to Andrew:

DR. GILLMAN

Andy. Can you stop at my office

on your way out?

ANDREW:

Sure.

Andrew is distracted by A HISPANIC MAN across the room,

rolling up his sleeve for an IV -- his bare arms, hands,

face and neck are marked with PURPLE BLOTCHES.

Andrew closes his eyes, concentrating for a moment on the

CLASSICAL MUSIC... then goes back to work.

CUT TO:

ANDREW HURRIES OUT OF THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, HAILING A CAB

(EXT./DAY) ...

CUT TO:

ANDREW HOPS OUT OF THE CAB, IN FRONT OF AN IMPRESSIVE

skyscraper in downtown Philly, at the end of the work day

(EXT./DAY) ...

Andrew pushes through glass doors into the plush "Wheeler

Building," pressing through the tide of WORKERS headed home.

CUT TO:

A BLACK PARALEGAL, ANTHEA BURTON, LEADS A YOUNG, BLACK LAW

CLERK (in suit and tie) to the elevators, at the sedate,

expensively appointed offices of Wyant Wheeler Hellerman

Tetlow and Brown (INT./DAY) ...

ANTHEA:

... up to Tax, on fourteen, and

get right back, I need you.

Andrew BLASTS out of the elevator, flashing Anthea a four-

star smile. They stride down the corridor together.

ANDREW:

Just the dazzling paralegal I

wanted to see.

ANTHEA:

(friendly)

I know what that means, and the

answer is no. I have a class

tonight. Exploit someone else.

And since you've asked ...

They pass a silver-haired partner, KENNETH KILLCOYNE.

KILLCOYNE:

Solid work on the Rockwell

situation, Andy. Top-notch.

ANDREW:

Thanks, Kenneth.

(to Anthea)

Your exam!

ANTHEA:

Thank you. 98. I gotta go...

ANDREW:

Ninety-eight?! Ninety-eight!

Andrew reaches the secretaries' station. A cheerful

secretary, SHELBY, shoves documents at him.

SHELBY:

Conference call's up. They just

started the roll call. Here's

the settlement agreement, the

red-lined copy's on your desk.

Need me in there?

ANDREW:

No. Great. Thanks, Shelby.

(checking his watch)

It's 6:
30, go home.

Andrew passes a colleague on her way out, RACHEL SMILOW:

ANDREW (CONT.)

Rach.

RACHEL:

I'm late, I have to pick up Amy

from her afterschool but I want

to talk to you about that Hansen

thing.

ANDREW:

Catch me later, I'll be here.

And tell Amy, I love her

painting, it's on my wall.

Andrew SAILS toward his office.

CONTINUOUS CUT TO:

ANDREW ENTERS HIS OFFICE, KICKING THE DOOR SHUT (INT./DAY).

... DROPPING the documents on his desk, SCANNING them.

... ADMIRING a child's painting taped to the wall.

... PUNCHING into the speaker phone on his desk.

The SCREEN SPLITS, REVEALING A TELECONFERENCE OPERATOR:

OPERATOR:

... Karen Hargreave, representing

Lloyd Management Corporation?

The SCREEN SPLITS INTO THIRDS: Andrew, the OPERATOR, and

HARGREAVE (a sharp, California lawyer.)

HARGREAVE:

Present.

As the OPERATOR continues the roll call, the SCREEN

CONTINUES TO SPLIT and HARGREAVE is replaced by a SERIES OF

LAWYERS in offices around the country, (MOSTLY WHITE MALES)

saying "Present" while in Andrew's section of the screen...

... Andrew dials a number on another telephone line,

OPERATOR:

Andrew Beckett, representing

Saunders International?

Andrew punches into the conference call

ANDREW:

Present.

The MULTI-IMAGE SCREEN is now joined by SARAH BECKETT, a

suburban, 60ish American MOM, in her backyard garden,

answering a portable phone.

SARAH:

Hello?

ANDREW:

Hi, Mom. It's me.

The LAWYERS are into the conference, in their portions of

the screen, (their VOICES HEARD underneath Andrew's

conversation with his mother).

SARAH:

Andy! This is a nice surprise.

How are you, hon?

ANDREW:

I'm fine.

SARAH:

What's Dr. Gillman say?

ANDREW:

Hold on, Mom.

(punching into the

conference call)

There's no way my client will go

along with that.

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