Uncut Gems Page #9

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SECURITY GUARD:

I didn’t see you arrive.

HOWARD:

This is crazy. The guy works for me!

55.

HOWARD hammers away at text on his phone. Mumbling to himselfin shock. He’s furious.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - EVENING

In a crowded auditorium filled with Long Island Families,

HOWARD stares at his phone. A string of hostile texts toDEMANY have all gone unanswered. The one-sided exchange showshis anger escalating.

HOWARD is seated between his sons BENI and EDDIE. EDDIE is

watching a stuttering live-stream of the Heat vs Indiana gameon his phone. DINAH sits on the other side of EDDIE, talkingwith AMY and ERIC GOLDFARB in the row in front of them.

AMY:

Is Marcel excited?

DINAH:

Yeah, she’s nervous but she’ll do

great. Danny has a part too, right?

AMY:

Just a small one. Nothing phases him.

(beat)

So what are you guys doing for thebreak?

DINAH:

Uh... We’re not really doing anythingthis year.

ERIC:

Wow.

AMY:

That’s not like you guys.

ERIC:

Howard, how come?

HOWARD is in the middle of forming another text to DEMANY.

DINAH:

Howard.

HOWARD:

(looking up)

Oh, uh...

ERIC:

No vacation?

56.

HOWARD:

Yeah, we’re saving up for a big tripnext winter. Want to take the kids to

Europe, do a little culture. My kidsare becoming morons.

AMY:

Well, we’re gonna be morons in Cancun.

ERIC:

Especially on the trapeze.

HOWARD:

Danny in the show?

DINAH:

(annoyed)

We just talked about Danny.

HOWARD looks over at BENI. He leans forward and taps the mansitting in front of him on the shoulder. When the man turnsaround HOWARD acts like he had nothing to do with it. BENIfinds this hysterical.

HOWARD:

(to EDDIE)

Who do you got?

EDDIE:

I told you, it doesn’t work like that.

Right now I have seven players playingin six games.

HOWARD:

How do you keep track?

EDDIE:

I can’t when I’m in a stupidauditorium with no reception.

HOWARD:

We’re all making sacrifices to behere.

Jokingly, BENI leans back and over and taps HOWARD on theshoulder. In jest, HOWARD turns around, looks for who tappedhim, he looks over one shoulder.

HOWARD (CONT’D)

Who was it? Who tapped me?

Then he turns over his other shoulder. Entertaining Beni.

57.

When he glances over the second time, keeping the joke alive,

he notices PHIL and another guy, BUDDY [40’s, degenerate,

sunken face], sitting by the aisle some 10 rows back. HOWARDlooks away, waits a few seconds, and looks back. The two menare still staring at him. HOWARD turns back in his seat. He’sin shock, he can’t believe it. Fed up at the mere notion, hestands up.

DINAH:

Where you going?

HOWARD:

Daddy’s gotta use the bathroom.

DINAH:

Marcel is about to get on stage-

HOWARD:

I’ll be right back.

HOWARD moves up to the aisle.

INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - 10 ROWS BACK - CONTINUOUS

HOWARD approaches PHIL and BUDDY.

HOWARD:

(quietly)

This is f***ed up.

PHIL:

What’s so f***ed up about it?

A pause.

HOWARD:

Would you guys mind coming out to thehall for a second?

PHIL:

You sure you wanna do that?

PHIL and BUDDY get up and follow HOWARD out of the auditorium.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

HOWARD calmly walks down the hallway. The two men follow.

PHIL:

What’re we gonna do about this?

HOWARD fumes ahead of them.

58.

BUDDY:

Hey, yo.

PHIL:

Howard-

Suddenly, HOWARD spins around and bodyslams PHIL into alocker.

HOWARD:

This is my family!

BUDDY grabs for him. HOWARD bites BUDDY’s arm as hard as hecan. BUDDY lets out a loud scream and HOWARD throws him into

PHIL and takes off down the hall at full sprint turning intothe first hallway he comes upon.

INT. SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - BACK STAGE - CONTINUOUS

Costumed teenagers wait by the side of the stage. HOWARDcrosses through the space. A female DRAMA TEACHER reprimandshim for intruding.

HOWARD:

Wow! Everything looks fantastic!

His daughter MARCEL, 16, notices him.

MARCEL:

Dad! What the hell are you doing!?!

HOWARD:

Marcel! Break a leg, we’re all herefor you!

HOWARD exits. MARCEL is embarrassed and confused.

INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

HOWARD races like a rat through a maze of hallways till hereaches a set of double doors and slams them open.

EXT. SCHOOL SIDE ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS

HOWARD rushes down a path to the sidewalk. A big black SUVraces towards him. HOWARD locks eyes with ARNO [mid 50s,

Armenian, curly hair] who is seated in the front passengerseat. ARNO points at HOWARD and inaudibly yells to the driver.

HOWARD takes off in the opposite direction towards the parkinglot. The SUV makes a violent U-turn over a concrete median.

59.

PHIL exits the school and runs after HOWARD. HOWARD pulls hiscar keys out and repeatedly presses the unlock button. He cansee his car blinking in response in the nearby lot. BUDDY isnow visible too, sprinting towards him from across the way.

The SUV closes in and screeches to a halt. MICHAEL (TheDriver) comes running out of it and whacks HOWARD in the backwith a mini souvenir baseball bat. HOWARD falls to the ground.

BUDDY, PHIL and MICHAEL carry HOWARD to the SUV.

INT. SUV - CONTINUOUS

They all pile into the SUV. HOWARD is flanked by PHIL andBUDDY. NICO Sits in the back row. ARNO sits in the front

passenger seat. MICHAEL jumps back behind the wheel.

ARNO:

Go, drive, NOW!

HOWARD:

What the f*** are you doing, Arno?!!

This is f***ing outrageous!

OUTRAGEOUS!

PHIL:

Gimme the keys to your car.

BUDDY:

The f***ing Jew bit me!

HOWARD:

ARNO!

ARNO turns around. His eyes are red, bloodshot.

ARNO:

Don’t “Arno” me! I tried to tell youhow things were gonna go if you didn’tstart to behave.

HOWARD:

How have I not behaved!?!

ARNO:

I thought I was perfectly clear on thephone with you, but apparently Iwasn’t! Now do you get it????

HOWARD:

Arno, wait

60.

PHIL:

Give me the f***ing keys before Istrip off all of your clothing andsend you back into the school.

HOWARD:

What? You’re gonna have him steal myMercedes? Seriously? What the hell iswrong with you?

PHIL:

(to ARNO)

Don’t listen to him, Arno.

BUDDY shows HOWARD his arm and smacks him.

BUDDY:

You broke f***ing skin, a**hole.

HOWARD hands the keys to PHIL.

HOWARD:

Arno, please. Can we just talk alonefor a little bit?

PHIL:

You had six months to talk to him.

HOWARD:

Arno, please, listen to me, I haveevery intention of paying you back.

I’ve been totally broke, I-

PHIL holds up his phone and displays the picture of the cashthat HOWARD had sent ARNO the day before.

PHIL:

You wanna explain this? Huh?

HOWARD:

What? That money wasn’t mine. I sentyou that pic cause I knew you wereupset and I wanted to calm you down!

ARNO’s face grows red.

ARNO:

We know for a fact you placed a betwith that money.

HOWARD:

What are you talking about?! I neverplaced any bet

61.

ARNO:

(exploding)

I heard Eddie and Beni are going toTimberlake this summer, huh? I heard

you just resurfaced your swimmingpool!!!

HOWARD:

What? I never resurfaced anything! Idon’t know who said that-

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