That's What I Am

Synopsis: A coming-of-age story set in 1965 that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers. Everyone's favorite teacher, Mr. Simon (Ed Harris), pairs Andy with the school's biggest outcast and social pariah, Stanley, aka "Big G" (Alexander Walters), on a critical term project. Sporting thick orange hair, a head too big for his body and ears too big for his head, "Big G" has been the object of ridicule since grade school. Before long, Andy will learn that there was truly a method behind Mr. Simon's madness as to why he teamed these two up. As the story unfolds, Mr. Simon finds himself the target of a malicious rumor after Principal Kelner (Amy Madigan) suspends a school bully for brutally beating up a female classmate whom he thinks has "cooties." When Andy watches "Big G" fearlessly confront the school bully, a series
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director(s): Michael Pavone
Production: Samuel Goldwyn Films
  1 nomination.
 
IMDB:
7.1
Metacritic:
53
Rotten Tomatoes:
60%
PG
Year:
2011
101 min
Website
222 Views


Unbelievable.

Dallas police arrested Lee Harvey Os...

- solemn moment that marks

the continuity of the president's office.

Jet pilots wear them.

Skydivers wear them.

Joined in nonviolent protest...

...of the widespread discrimination

throughout the country...

How does a train go?

Miss America contest.

From 54 lovely hopefuls, down to 10.

Train track.

- Terrific.

- The Army-Navy game.

Grassy setting for...

You can both have the glasses.

They come in Duz.

- In Duz?

- In Duz?

Gerry and the Pacemakers.

- Powered big shot comes complete

with three rubber- tip missiles.

Protests against the war persisted.

A growing voice however

call the demonstrations treachery.

As the year began, the quarter million

Americans face the communists in...

"Joan looked at the generals and said:

'My business is not with you.

You have not craved a council of war.'

Then she turned toward the king's

privy council and continued.

'No, it is with you. A council of war.'

It is amazing.

Councils of war have no value...

...but to decide between two

or several doubtful courses.

But a council of war

when there is only one course?"'

Big G had a head of flaming red...

No, make that orange hair.

The G stood for ginger.

A derogatory term for redheads.

Big G was easily a foot taller

than anyone else in the school.

Even so, his head was still too big

for his body.

And his ears too big for his head.

One might think

in order to compensate...

... Big G might have been blessed

with a handsome face.

After all, Clark Gable had big ears.

Lucille Ball had orange hair, yet for them,

there was compensation.

Not so for Big G.

"...the march upon Paris."

Did I say children were cruel?

Apparently,

even God has his moments.

"She replied, 'Indeed?

And will Your Excellency

be good enough to utter them?

Cowardice and treachery,'

said Joan scornfully."

That's where we'll finish today.

Okay, so the last few minutes of class,

I wanna talk to you about your final project.

You'll be working in teams of two.

To make it fair and so each of you

won't be picking your friend to work with...

...I have decided to pair you up myself.

Each team will receive one grade.

So you must work together.

Discover each other's strengths

and capitalize on them.

All right? Here we go.

Miss Tyler will be working

with Mr. Wiley.

Miss Archer will be working

with Mr. Valero.

Miss Katzman will be working

with Miss Franz.

Mr. Nichol will be working

with Mr. Minor.

All right, class, I would like to have it

absolutely quiet. Please.

There's no reason

for that kind of behavior.

I'll put this list up on the board so the rest

can see who you're teamed with.

The assignment will be due

at the end of the semester.

And I will see you tomorrow.

Thank you.

Good luck.

Mr. Nichol?

I want you to know

I paired you with Stanley for a reason.

You're very fortunate,

so please don't disappoint me.

Andrew?

Your thoughts?

Well, Mr. Simon, I just don't think

I'm the right partner for Big...

- I mean, Stanley.

- And why is that?

Well, he's a lot smarter than I am.

And I'm not a very good writer.

I could screw him up.

Well, I beg to differ from you, Andrew.

I find your writing fascinating.

You're a keen observer

with a colorful perspective.

In fact, underneath the poor grammar

and the atrocious spelling...

...I believe there lies the heart and soul

of a great writer.

- Really?

- Really.

Do you enjoy writing?

Sort of. Sometimes.

The making-up-the-story part at least.

Well, if you enjoy something

and you're good at it...

...then first you must define yourself

as what you wanna be.

- I don't...

- Repeat after me.

I am a writer, that's what I am.

I am a writer, that's what I am?

Let's try that again. Stand up straight.

Shoulders back.

Deep breath.

I am a writer, that's what I am.

I am a writer, that's what I am.

Excellent. Now go, Andrew.

- And write.

- Yeah. Yes, sir.

Despite all that was so painful

and humiliating in his life...

... Big G seemed to command respect.

No matter what, he maintained

a certain nobility about him.

At least in the eyes of those few

sensitive enough to look.

Unfortunately,

I was not one of those few.

It looks like he wet his pants.

Freak.

Oh, my God.

Everybody, Big G wet his pants.

- I want a sandwich.

- Sam, look at me.

If I ask my mom for an extra sandwich,

she's gonna know something's up.

- She gives me two as it is.

- Sandwich and candy bar.

Candy bar? Candy bar. Are you nuts?

My mom won't give me a candy bar no

matter how many times you beat me up.

Hello? My dad's a dentist, remember?

Why don't you just cut off my arm

and snack on that, Sam?

Go ahead, cut it off.

What are you doing?

Please, Sam, easy.

You've gotta work with me here.

This is counter-productive.

I'll do your homework.

- Hinkle does my homework. I'll take cash.

- Okay. Okay.

Cash is not a problem. Cash will work.

There you go.

- Hey, Nichol.

- Hey, Sam.

- Can't believe you paid him money,

- What part didn't you believe?

Part where I handed him money?

Or the part where he had my underwear

around my neck?

Sam's all bluff.

I mean, he's not actually gonna hurt you.

- Not like Ricky Brown.

- Is that right?

So I guess you were sick that day...

...Sam shoved my head into a toilet

and broke my tooth.

Wait. Norman, hold on.

- Do you know where Big G is?

- Why? A little low on cooties?

Or you just wanna see

if he really did wet his pants?

We're partners on a project

for Mr. Simon's fourth period English.

We've gotta work together.

- Bet your friends got a big kick out of that.

- Shut up.

You don't even know how lucky you are,

Nichol.

Stanley's the smartest in the school,

next to me.

Do you know where he is or not?

He's down in the corner

waiting for his crotch to dry.

Hey, Nichol.

Stanley's my best friend.

He's not like anyone else.

Don't...

Never mind.

Geek Corner. No Man's Land.

The Grand Canyon of Cooties.

It was referred to by many names.

One step into this dreaded ground

and there would be no going back.

Big G.

- What is that?

- What?

My God, they're talking.

- When do you wanna work on the report?

- What is he doing?

I don't have much time.

I go home right after school.

- I have stuff I have to do.

- We've gotta get it done somehow.

I know you don't wanna work

on the report with me.

I can do the work and you can turn it in.

- Your friends don't have to know.

- My God.

I have a strong feeling

Mr. Simon would know.

We have to do it together.

My father was a good man.

He just wasn't very user- friendly.

He worked in computers and everything

had to be done a certain way.

He was very good at computers.

But then again,

computers came with a handbook.

Yo, hey. Andy, shut it off. Shut it off.

Shut it off.

Come here. A little quicker please?

I don't have all day.

Come here. Come here.

Look at this. Look at this.

You telling me you can't see this?

- I was gonna go back over it.

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Michael Pavone

Michael "Mike" Pavone is an American film director, screenwriter, television producer/writer and former executive vice president of WWE Studios with WWE before his departure from the company in August 2011. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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