Pleasantville Page #2

WIDE ANGLE. SCHOOLYARD.

For the first time WE SEE THAT SHE WASN'T TALKING TO HIM.

David stands a good hundred yards across the schoolyard,

rehearsing this speech while the young woman stands face to

face with a much cooler boy. He has a cell phone and a very

hip haircut.

ANGLE. DAVID.

David watches as the girl throws her arm around the boy's

waist and heads out of the playground ...

CUT TO:

EXT. "LUNCHEON COURT". DAY.

David and his friends are all gathered around the plastic

picnic tables and vending machines that form the luncheon

court. The chess club meets at one end and there are some

teachers at the other. All the cool kids are on the other

side of the fence but David and his friends eat lunch at the

same table every day.

HOWARD:

Okay, whose window did Bud break when he

was playing with his father's golf

clubs?

DAVID:

Easy. Mr. Jenkins. What JOB did Mr.

Jenkins have?

Howard looks at him, puzzled.

DAVID (CONT)

Salesman. What did Bud and Mary Sue name

the cat they found in the gutter?

HOWARD:

Scout?

DAVID:

Marmalade.

They all nod--and murmur with admiration.

DAVID (CONT)

Okay--here's one: Why did their parents

come home early from their weekend at

the lake?

Everybody thinks.

Nobody knows.

DAVID (CONT)

'Cause Bud didn't answer the phone and

they were worried about him.

It's quiet for a beat.

HOWARD:

You're unbelievable. You'll win this

thing for sure. When is it on?

DAVID:

Marathon starts at 6:30. Contest's

tomorrow at noon.

HOWARD:

(weighing it)

A thousand dollars ... And it's on all

night?

DAVID:

Of course it is Howard. That's why they

call it a Marathon.

CUT TO:

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE.

David's sister, Jennifer, hangs out with her friends in the

parking lot. All the girls are dressed in the exact same

uniform:
Blue jeans, beeper on the belt, white V-neck T

shirt, car keys in their hand. (Even the girls WITHOUT a car

hold car keys in their hand). Jennifer is by far the

prettiest and, thus, is the leader of the group. They all

look toward the Luncheon Court where David and his friends

are hanging out.

KIMMY:

Omigod, it's so mortifying, being

related to him. I can't believe you're

like--

JENNIFER:

Only on my parent's side.

KIMMY:

I know, but you're like ... twins and

stuff.

(beat)

You must be from like, the cool side of

the uterus.

A group of VERY HIP boys strut through the parking lot. They

bop up and down with the self-confidence of all cool sixteen

year olds. The girls freeze when they see them.

KIMMY (CONT)

Omigod, omigod--here they come.

CHRISTIN:

Don't do anything. Just don't like--do

anything ...

JENNIFER:

(cooly)

Hi Mark.

DIFFERENT ANGLE.

He pauses then looks over at her. Jennifer slides sinuously

off the fender of the car, flicking her hair like a young

racehorse. She has a perfect 16 year old body and the whole

parking lot knows it. Mark heads over to her, followed by his

lackies. The two groups meet at the tail-gate of the Nissan

Pathfinder like a small summit conference.

MARK:

(to Jennifer)

Hey.

JENNIFER:

(right back)

Hey.

Beat ...

MARK'S LACKEYS

(to Jennifer's lackies)

Hey.

JENNIFER'S LACKEYS

(back to them)

Hey.

MARK:

Saw you at the mall yesterday.

JENNIFER:

Yeah ... Saw you too.

Everyone nods for a moment or two. No one says anything.

JENNIFER (CONT)

So you watching Pearl Jam on MTV

tonight?

MARK:

Yeah.

(beat)

Jennifer pauses, weighing the next statement.

JENNIFER:

My mom'll be out of town.

Kimmy and Christin positively GASP while Mark's Lackeys

mumble and glance around. The import of the thing isn't lost

on anybody. Mark bobs up and down a little faster.

MARK:

So uh ... Maybe we could uh ...

JENNIFER:

(smiling)

Cool.

MARK:

(nodding faster)

Cool.

VARIOUS LACKEYS:

Cool.

Everybody bobs and shuffles for ” beat, when Mark nods,

summoning his flock.

CUT TO:

EXT. WAGNER HOUSE. DUSK.

lt is a south-westem version of "Leave it to Beaver." The

uniformity of Suburbia has been washed in earth tones. There

is a red tile roof gracing every home. All the houses have

the same anemic palm tree. It's a urban planner's version of

hell.

JENNIFER (VO)

... I know, I know--He's just like so

FINE ... I'm still like: "Omigod."

INT. WAGNER HOME.

lt is just as sleek and impersonal as before. Maybe more so

at night. Jennifer crosses through the living room with the

cordless phone attached to her ear.

JENNIFER:

It was amazing, Daph ... I'm like:

"Well my Mom'll be out of town." And

he's like "Well then, maybe we could--

you know ..." And I'm like "Yeah, sure."

And he's like "Well, cool."

(beat)

I know, he's just so smart.

(pause ...)

I don't know. Maybe that black thing I

just got.

(pause ...)

It is not slutty, Daph, it's cute.

(pause ... )

Well, "hello?" He's not coming over

here to study ...

(beat)

I know. Well I'm jealous of you too

sometimes.

INT. DAVID'S BEDROOM.

lt is studious and academic--not joyless, but not colorful

either. David stands at his bedroom window, staring outside

with a cordless phone in his hand.

DAVID:

... He's not homeless Howard, they just

don't say where he lives.

(pause ...)

Well it's a silly question.

(pause ...)

Because nobody's homeless in

Pleasantville.

REVERSE ANGLE. HIS POV.

His mother loads the final Louis Vuitton bag into her

Mercedes.

DAVID:

... because that's just not what it's

like.

She fires up the car and pulls out of the driveway...

DAVID (CONT)

Listen Howard--it's almost six-thirty.

I gotta go.

INT. WAGNER LIVING ROOM.

The huge black TV sits like a monolith in the middle of the

room. All at once David comes bounding down the stairs making

a B-Iine for the couch. Jennifer enters just as quickly from

the other direction, fiddling with her clothes.

DIFFERENT ANGLE.

They hit the coffee table and reach for the remote control at

exactly the same moment. Both of them freeze then look up at

each other in shock.

JENNIFER:

(stunned)

What are you doing?

DAVID:

What are you doing?

Neither one moves. They clutch the remote together.

JENNIFER:

David, cut it out. Mark Davis is gonna

like be here in five minutes.

DAVID:

Well great. The Pleasantville Marathon

starts at six thirty.

JENNIFER:

Pleasantville Marathon?

DAVID:

(almost reverently)

Yeah. Every episode ever.

JENNIFER:

(getting hysterical)

Omigod, I don't be-lieeeeve this! He's

gonna like beeeee here!

DAVID:

Weil great. You can watch TV upstairs.

JENNIFER:

Upstairs! Up-staiiirs! There isn't any

STEREO!

Jennifer gets panicked and yanks at the remote. David yanks

back and before they know it, the remote goes flying out of

their hands, CRASHING onto the hardwood floor. lt smashes

into a million tiny pieces.

DAVID:

(breathless)

Oh my God ...

(sinking to his knees/

scooping up the remains)

Oh my God ...

JENNIFER:

David, stop stressing, you can like--

turn it on normally ...

DAVID:

No you can't, Jen! It's a new TV. It

doesn't work without a remote.

David cradles the pieces like a fallen comrade, when the

DOORBELL RINGS behind him.

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