The Hollars

1 INT. BATHROOM, HOLLAR HOUSE. DAY. INT. BATHROOM, HOLLAR HOUSE. DAY. 1

A woman stands in front of a bathroom mirror, curling her

hair. Her name is SALLY HOLLAR, 58. Sally is dressed in a

pink nightgown and robe. She is a kind looking woman.

Heavy set and motherly with lines of distinction on her

face. She takes a breath and faces herself in the mirror.

A troubled look flutters across her eyes.

An out of shape man opens the door to the bathroom. His

name is RON HOLLAR, 36. Ron is Sally’s son. He looks

surprised to see his mother there.

RON:

Oh. Sorry. I thought you were...gone.

Sally looks annoyed.

SALLY:

Ronald. This is my bathroom. If you’re

going to stay here, you have to use the

downstairs bathroom.

RON:

Dad’s in that one.

SALLY:

Well, then you’re going to have to wait.

Ron goes to leave... then comes back.

RON:

How long?-

SALLY:

Close the door.

Sally picks up her curling iron.

2 INT. KITCHEN, HOLLAR HOUSE. DAY. 2

Ron holds himself as he looks around the kitchen. He

takes a container for juice out of a cupboard and pees

into it. A look of relief comes across his face as he

urinates into the container.

MAN (O.S.)

What the hell are you doing?

Ron jumps, almost spilling everywhere.

RON:

Jesus, Dad, you scared me!

(CONTINUED)

2.

2 CONTINUED:
2

Ron looks over his shoulder at his father, DONALD HOLLAR,

62, staring at him. Don is a taller, angry looking man.

He is dressed in flannel pajamas.

DON:

Your mother puts orange juice in that

thing.

Ron can’t stop peeing.

RON:

I’m going to wash it.

Don looks upset. But before he can say anything else

Sally screams in the bathroom. Glass breaks.

Don and Ron give each other a look.

3 INT. BATHROOM, HOLLAR HOUSE. DAY. 3

Ron and Don find Sally shaking on the floor.

DON:

(totally confused)

Sally! What-- What are you doing on the

floor?

SALLY:

I don’t know.

DON:

What do you mean you don’t know?

SALLY:

I think I’m having a stroke.

DON:

A stroke?! You’re only fifty eight.

RON:

Dad! The curling iron!

The curling iron is burning her wrist.

A MUSIC CUE BEGINS

DON:

Get up, chief.

SALLY:

I can’t. I can’t move.

(CONTINUED)

3.

3 CONTINUED:
3

Ron goes over to his mother and moves the curling iron

away from her. Her wrist is badly burnt.

RON:

Oh, my god.

Don stares in terror. He doesn’t know what to do.

RON (CONT'D)

Dad, call an ambulance!

Don doesn’t move.

RON (CONT'D)

(screams)

Dad, call an ambulance! Now!

Don stands still. Ron gets up and runs out. We stay on

Don, lost. Then off camera we hear...

RON (O.S.) (CONT'D)

(into phone)

Hello? Hello?

4 INT. OFFICE CUBICLE, NEW YORK CITY. DAY. 4

THE SAME MUSIC CUE FROM THE LAST SCENE CONTINUES as we

come in on a man, 34, sitting at a cubicle talking on the

phone. He is of average height and weight. He has a

common face with a good natured grin. He wears a blue

oxford with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark

grey slacks. His name is John Hollar. Hanging on the

cubicle walls are a few pictures of him with his

girlfriend and many, many comic book-esque drawings.

John wears a head set as he seemingly draws something.

Suddenly the music stops. We hear a very southern voice.

VOICE (O.S.)

Hello?

JOHN:

(Speaking into head set)

Hi.

VOICE (O.S.)

I’m sorry about the wait.

JOHN:

Oh... that’s no problem. I was

actually... kind of enjoying being on

hold. What music was that?

(CONTINUED)

4.

4 CONTINUED:
4

VOICE (O.S.)

The hold music? I have no idea. We

don’t have access to that.

JOHN:

You don’t have access to music?

VOICE (O.S.)

No, we don’t have anything to do with

programming the hold music. Someone else

does that.

JOHN:

How do you get that job?

VOICE (O.S.)

Is there something I can help you with?

JOHN:

Uh, yes. Yes. This is John Hollar.

No response.

JOHN (CONT’D)

From Routlege Publishing?...We spoke last

week.

There is no answer. John looks for an invoice number on

his desk. As he turns we see what he’s been drawing... A

bizarre cartoon of a baby in an ultra sound photo. The

baby looks angrily out at John with a word bubble above

it’s head. “Oh, great!”

JOHN (CONT’D)

Anyway, I’m calling about order number

6849-49-494-8464-9494-8602.

VOICE (O.S.)

What’s the last part?

JOHN:

8602.

VOICE (O.S.)

No! The part before that!

JOHN:

Oh, 9494.

VOICE (O.S.)

Uh huh.

JOHN:

You found it?

(CONTINUED)

5.

CONTINUED:
(2) 4

VOICE (O.S.)

I said “Uh huh”!

JOHN:

Oh ok, can you just tell me, is that

order finished? Because it was scheduled

to be at our interior printer yesterday.

VOICE (O.S.)

No, that order is not finished.

JOHN:

It’s not... Well, can I ask why?

VOICE (O.S.)

Because... I guess I forgot to put it

through. I’m sorry. *

JOHN:

You forgot to put it through? I see.

Hmmm. But you didn’t forget to send us an

invoice?

VOICE (O.S.)

I said I was sorry! I’m the only person *

in this department. And I’ve only been *

here three weeks. *

JOHN:

No, no. I understand.

VOICE (O.S.) *

It’s hard to keep everything straight all *

the time, you know. *

JOHN *

Yes, it is hard to keep things straight

all the time. *

VOICE (O.S.)

Look, you don’t need to talk down to me. *

I only took this goddamn job cuz I got *

fired from my last one for being late!

JOHN *

Oh, geez, I’m sorry I didn’t realize that-*

VOICE (O.S.) *

They didn’t care that my boyfriend was *

dumping me that morning!

JOHN:

Oh God, I’m so sorry I-- *

(CONTINUED)

5A.

CONTINUED:
(3) 4

VOICE (O.S.)

Yeah, we were havin’ breakfast and he *

just stood up! Like some kinda zombie. I *

looked up and asked him what was wrong

and he said... (She begins to cry)

Youuuuu....

JOHN:

Oh, no. No, no. Please don’t-- What was *

your name again?

(CONTINUED)

6.

CONTINUED:
(4) 4

VOICE (O.S.)

Nancyyyy...

JOHN:

Nancy, please don’t cry. Please don’t do

that. It’s okay. Listen, we all have *

stuff, right?... I mean, hey, if it makes *

you feel any better, I think I’m in the

middle of a some kind of life crisis *

myself. *

VOICE (O.S.)

... Yeah?

JOHN:

Oh God yeah! Are you kidding? I’m *

anxious, like, all the time. I have no *

idea what I’m doing with my life. I mean, *

for starters what is this job? Am I *

right? Do you even know what we do? Of *

course not. But it’s funny how little *

money it takes to give up on a dream *

isn’t it? I thought I was an artist. *

What about you? *

VOICE (O.S.) *

Um... I’m sorry. *

JOHN *

No, I’m sorry! About your boyfriend. *

I have a girlfriend who I don’t deserve. *

She’s beautiful and smart and runs her *

own company. We’ve been together for 3 *

years! She’s amazing! But, that doesn’t *

stop my insane brain from consistently *

questioning and over analyzing our *

relationship. I’m sure that’s fun for *

her. Oh and did I mention she’s eight *

months pregnant??? You have kids? *

VOICE (O.S.) *

...No. *

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