Rich city folk live in fancy apartments,
but their air's so polluted, they can't even see the stars.
We'd have to be out of our minds
to trade places with any of 'em.
...and I have four sources saying that it is.
And what did he say?
He said, "Jeannette walls,
"you are nothing but a bottom-feeder
"with a silly little gossip column.
"If you print this story,
"i will have my lawyers crawl so far up your ass
"that you will taste their ink in your mouth."
Oh, my gosh! What did you say?
I thanked him for the perfect kicker quote
and hung up the phone.
The whole office gave her a standing ovation.
And you ran it?
Oh, heck, yeah, I ran it. Where I come from,
you never miss an opportunity to serve a bully
a slice of humble pie.
Could you box this up for me?
And maybe yours, too, if you're not gonna eat it?
Yeah.
She's just kidding.
No, I'm not. I never joke about food.
So, where are you from, miss walls?
I think I detect a slight twang in there somewhere.
Jeannette grew up in Virginia surrounded by trees
and fields of wild flowers. If we could all be so lucky.
Mmm. I own a mining company near Richmond.
Your folks still there?
Ah, yep, they are. They have
a little house there on a hill overlooking a river
and they love it, yeah.
And what do they do?
My mom is an artist.
My dad, um, is an engineer.
He's developing a technology that'll burn
low-grade bituminous coal more efficiently.
Wow.
You have him give me a call when he has that figured out.
I sure will.
And what do they think of you
hitching up with this big city boy?
Well, I haven't told them yet.
Well, Tiffany still hasn't told her parents about me,
and we've been together over a year.
Well, you better hurry up.
Who knows how much time he's got left?
That was unbelievable.
I can't believe he gave you the account on the spot.
I know. This is huge for the firm.
I'm taking you with me to all of these from now on.
I'm gonna be home soon.
I just wanna have everything ready for him
to sign in the morning.
All right.
Hey, when it comes to my family,
let me do the lying. Okay?
You got it.
Hey, don't forget your leftovers.
See you at home. Love you. Bye.
You in a hurry?
Come on, man!
You need to get out of the street.
Hey!
Hello? Hey, Lori.
Hey, Jeannette. What's goin' on?
I just saw mom and dad diggin' through the trash downtown.
Did mom find any new treasures?
I didn't stop.
What? Why not?
I don't know.
Are you okay?
Jeannette...
Mom, are we gonna have any lunch?
Go outside and play with Brian and Lori.
But I'm hungry.
Would you rather me make you some food
that'll be gone in an hour,
or finish this painting that'll last forever?
Go on. You know how to do it.
How many do you want, mom?
Two, please!
Rex!
Jeannette,
can you tell miss Kelly
why you were cooking hot dogs all by yourself?
I cook all the time.
You know, the address that your parents gave us
doesn't seem to be right.
Where do you live?
All over. Dad says our home goes wherever we go.
And where do you go to school?
That's how gray wolves call for their family.
Mountain goat, where the hell are you?
I'm in here!
Oh, sorry, doc, just havin' a little fun
gettin' those healing endorphins goin'.
Mr. walls, I'm doctor Taylor.
No offense, you got a lot of sick on that hand.
Uh, this here is miss Kelly.
She's our resident social worker.
These guys treatin' you okay?
There's so much food here.
You can eat as much as you want.
Maybe I should break my arm.
Me, too.
What happened here?
He fell off the couch
and cracked his head open on the floor.
He's fine.
There was blood everywhere.
You should check him in.
One kid in the hospital at a time is enough.
Besides, Brian's head is so hard,
I think the floor took more damage than he did.
Mr. walls, I don't find any of this very funny.
Any of what, doc?
These children need proper care,
and you're making a joke of it.
- Rex... - Dad!
A veteran of the U.S. air force
brings his little girl in here so you can wrap
her in a band-aid and hand him a bill
for more than a pilot makes in a year.
Now, my family won't eat for three months
so that you can drive a Cadillac.
You're part of a system that is gettin' rich
off of the human need to survive, doc.
You call that "proper care"?
Mr. walls, can we have a moment, please?
Dad's in trouble, mountain goat.
We'll be back.
Come on, kids, time to go.
Okay.
In order to pull this off,
every fiber in your being has got to believe
that this is real.
If you can convince yourself,
then you can convince them, too. You got it?
Good. Let's see that poker face.
Regular face. Poker. Regular. Poker.
Regular. Poker.
Incredible. Let's go.
Mornin', sunshine. You ready to skedaddle?
Ready to go! Brian, wrap it up!
Bye!
I've been lookin' into this new solarban glass.
It lets in the light, but blocks the radiation.
It will drastically reduce our energy demands.
Is it still gonna have glass walls and a glass ceiling?
Of course! How else we gonna see the stars at night?
You think my room can have glass stairs goin' up to it?
That's a great idea. Uh, baby, take the wheel.
Structurally, we could make that work
if it was a spiral with a steel stringer.
That way all the weight pushes in toward the middle.
Just don't let it block any light to my studio.
I need full exposure.
Oh, I like full exposure from you, dear.
You really think we'll build it?
Of course.
When?
You know, this running around is only temporary.
We just need the perfect location,
and then we can get to work on our castle.
- Okay, now who needs a book? - Me!
Me!
You can drive.
Here's a new Zane grey adventure.
And, oh, look...
You'll love this one, Jeannette.
Black beauty.
It's like uncle tom's cabin but for horses.
Doctor Taylor said
stayin' home and reading books on our own
isn't a well-rounded education.
Mmm. Really?
He said we should be goin' to a real school.
A real school, huh?
He's gonna kill us!
Everyone out!
Come on!
Look at this!
All those Juniper and Joshua trees
have adapted to survive
on only five inches of rainfall a year.
That inselberg was formed from cooling magma
over a hundred million years ago.
Pretty soon the sun's comin' down, we'll be watchin'
Orion and aquarius and horologium
rotate through the night sky.
This is as real as it gets, kids!
And don't let no dumb-ass doctor tell you different.
You learn from living!
Everything else is a damn lie.
Oh! Look at that!
What is it, baby?
That is the most beautiful tree I have ever seen!
Someone get my canvas!
Looks like we'll be sleepin' here tonight, kids.
This is actually great for your posture.
You know, the Indians never use pillows either,
and look how straight they stand.
Why that one?
The wind's been beatin' that tree down
since the day it was born.
But it refuses to fall.
It's the struggle that gives it its beauty.
Dad.
Dad?
Huh?
I think maybe I saw something out there.
All right. Did you get a good look at it?
Not really.
Was he a big ol' hairy son of a bitch
with the damndest lookin' teeth and claws?
Maybe. Mmm-hmm.
And, uh,
did it have pointy ears and evil eyes with fire in 'em?
You've seen him, too?
Oh, yeah, yeah. I been chasin' that demon for years.
Where'd you see him?
Ow!
We gotta get that off you.
It's okay. Fire can't get you here.
We're just gonna let this wound breathe a little. Yeah?
Now, I want you to just hold this puppy right there.
You see the top of the flames
where the yellow dissolves into the heat?
That zone is known in physics
as the boundary between turbulence and order.
It's a place where no rules apply.
Or at least they haven't figured 'em out yet.
That's all life is,
bunch of molecules bouncin' off each other at random.
So there's no point in tryin' to find a reason or pattern
for why you were born at a certain time
and why you got bit by that fire.
You just got a little too close to the chaos is all.
You understand?
I'm not sure I do either.
There. How's that feel?
Jeannette? Yeah?
I've got a surprise for you in here.
Okay!
You... you said it was fun.
No. I said it was funny.
Okay, well... And it's very overpriced.
It's Italian, that's why.
Just sit down in it. Enjoy the chair for a second.
Just wiggle around in it a little bit.
You're not wiggling... There you go.
I'll take it back. That's fine.
No, no, it's fine.
Don't worry about it. I'll take the chair back.
It's not about the chair.
I...
I'm gettin' lunch with my mom today.
I didn't tell you 'cause i didn't want you to worry.
Are you gonna tell her about us?
I'm gonna have to tell her at some point.
Okay.
Just please try to not let her
dump her crap on you this time.
That's what parents are for.
Can you just try, though?
Of course I'll try. Thank you.
Mom...
Yeah, your dad said he saw you pass by
in a cab the other night.
Acted like we weren't even there.
You shouldn't be ashamed of us just 'cause we choose
a different lifestyle than you.
Being homeless in New York City
does not count as a lifestyle choice.
Well, if we heard from you more,
you'd know that we found a lovely place
on the lower east side.
Lori says you're squatting in an abandoned building.
That does not sound safe, mom.
When did you lose your sense of adventure?
I have a little bit of money now.
I can help you if you want.
Mmm-mmm-mmm.
We're fine. You're the one who needs help.
Look at you. Your values are all confused.
Mmm.
So what did you want to talk about?
I'm gettin' married.
To the accountant?
David is a financial analyst.
Well, I... I don't mean to be rude,
but isn't he a little...
Mom, David is good for me.
You mean he's got money.
I mean I'm in love with him.
Hmm.
Can I see that again?
Hmm. Well...
I just hope you've got a good plan
for telling your dad, because this
is gonna kill him.
Shh, it's okay. I'm right here.
Everything's gonna be okay, Maureen.
I'm gonna take care of you.
Let's go, kids!
Time to pull up stakes and leave this hell-hole behind!
- What's going on? - Feds are on our tail!
Really? He means the bill collectors.
Truck leaves in 15 minutes!
Now, there's not enough room in the cab,
so you guys are in for a real treat.
You get to ride in the back.
What?
Hey, it's not an ideal scenario for anyone,
so we'll just try to make the best of it.
It'll be kinda like that rotor ride at the fair.
Except without any lights or oxygen.
Oh, don't be so dramatic.
It'll be an adventure.
Be careful.
There you go. Okay, scoot back.
How long do we have to be back here?
Don't worry.
This'll be the last time you have to do this.
Welcome to the oldest mining town in Utah.
I thought that was the last town.
Me, too.
That one was the oldest in Nevada.
People been strikin' it rich here
for a hundred years.
They must've all moved somewhere else
to spend their fortune.
Has a real frontier quality to it.
Think we might be able to stay here for a while?
Hmm, I got a good feelin' about this one.
I got it.
The kids are tired of movin' to a new town
every time you lose a job.
They'd love it in West Virginia.
I just think it'd be good for them
to see where their daddy grew up.
Mountain goat, let go! Try floatin' a little!
We're fine where we are.
Taking showers at the public pool?
I'll get the water turned on this weekend.
You said that two months ago.
Okay, Brian, don't be shy.
Everyone here is the same as us.
They just got different complexions.
Go on. Go play.
If we went, your parents
could help us out with some money.
I ain't moving back to Welch.
What are you so afraid of?
I ain't afraid o' nothin'.
Hey! Quit clingin' to the side!
Don't be scared. I got ya.
Come on. Yeah.
Kick your legs. That's not so hard.
It's all about movin' the water. Yeah?
Move your arms, go ahead. Move 'em in the water.
Push the water, push it.
Push it with your arms. That's good.
It's not so bad, is it?
Good. 'Cause you're gonna learn to swim today.
Catch your breath. Catch your breath. All right.
Okay, all right. Breathe. Nice.
Why'd you do that?
Okay. Okay. Now, sink or swim!
Rex!
It's okay! She's already gettin' it!
Pretty soon she's gonna be doin' the backstroke, right?
No. Yeah?
Okay. I wanna go back.
You did it, baby!
You were swimmin'!
Hey!
Mountain goat!
Mister, you're wrong for that!
Come on, kids. Let's go.
Stop, no! Hey! Hey!
Don't touch me! You tried to kill me!
Hey. I would never let anything bad happen to you.
But I can't let you cling to the side
your whole life just 'cause you're scared.
If you don't wanna sink,
you have to learn how to swim. Understand?
Hey, you were swimmin'.
You were swimmin'. I'm so proud of you.
Hey! Everything okay?
She's fine. Mind your own damn business.
What happens in my pool is my business.
Oh, so this is your pool?
As far as you're concerned, yeah.
Oh, so you're the one who limits the black families
to an hour in the mornin',
so that the whites can swim the rest of the day?
That's been a federal offense since '64.
Does he always act like this? Or just when he's drunk?
Dad, don't! Rex!
I can't let you talk to me like that
in front of my daughter!
Let go! Now tap out!
Was that a tap? I couldn't tell.
Was that a tap?
Rex! Will you stop!
Come on, man!
You're goin' to jail, asshole!
Get in the car.
We're leaving with or without you.
I'd rather be in hell with my back broke
than live in that godforsaken town.
Yeah, you should've thought of that before
you got every policeman in town looking for us.
I'm not gonna let 'em take our kids away.
We cannot live like this anymore.
Like what? This is freedom!
Freedom? You call this freedom?
Here we go.
Welch is gonna be fun.
We'll live in the mountains
with the squirrels and the chipmunks.
And you'll get to meet
your grandma and grandpa walls,
who are genuine hillbillies.
We don't need him.
Rex!
Come on, dad!
You're the head of this family!
Are you coming?
Negative.
Mountain goat, you know, your mama has convinced you
that we need to go
because she's in a state of fear.
Now, what you need to do is stand your ground.
You see, that's what I'm doin'.
This is a very important lesson for you.
You don't look like a very important lesson to me.
Come on.
Can I hold your ankle?
No.
Just for stability? I feel like I'm about to fall.
You're on the ground already!
All right, let's do it!
I got him!
He's alive!
Oh, thank god!
Oh, watch out! Don't squish Maureen!
Move over, baby. I'm driving.
Come here, give me some sugar.
Oh, Rex...
Jeannette?
Can I have another tissue, please?
Oh, jeez. David! I need another tissue.
You're sweating through your shirt!
Please don't point it out. You know
when you point it out, it only makes me sweat more.
I'm sorry. You have nothing to be nervous about.
Your dad already hates me.
When he finds out we're getting married,
he's gonna throw me through a window.
Hey, he's not gonna do that.
He might kick you in the stomach, though.
It's too real to be funny. I'm just not there yet.
Okay.
He's gonna try to make me get drunk with him again.
No, he's not. You know he is.
David, just tell him that you don't want it.
Maybe... maybe I will do that.
You know, I'm not to be bullied by him.
I know you're not. I will not be bullied.
Hey...
We're getting married. We are getting married.
We can get through this. This is nothin'.
Okay.
Hey, dad!
Oh, come on.
Hey, dad.
Oh, so you're acknowledgin' my existence now?
Well, you're not exactly the easiest man to ignore.
Well, I wanted to get this done before you got here.
I don't know who designs this junk.
Mechanics are all wrong.
Look at you.
Fancier every time I see ya.
Good to see you, Mr. walls. How are you?
Did you win that wet t-shirt contest?
Nice nips.
Cut it out.
It's really hot in the car. It's the humidity.
Humidity?
Okay, well, just try not to drip on my marble floor.
Grab that toolbox, if that's not too much for ya.
Okay.
Just finished hookin' every squat in the building
to an insulated cable
that I hot-wired off the utility pole
down the block.
Now the other squatters want to make me mayor of the place!
Your mama's traditional yellow door.
Still gotta get hinges for this thing.
This is my friend Eddie. Does he live here?
Hello!
Oh! There she is! Hey, sweetie.
Mom.
Oh!
Look at that! Food!
What a place! Anyone else feel like they're back in Welch?
I keep thinking we're gonna see
our yellow poop bucket somewhere.
Their bathroom's not that far off.
Maureen!
She's our new roommate!
Oh. I thought that you were livin' with that photographer.
Hmm. That was months ago.
She just broke up with rum tum tugger from cats.
What? Yeah.
David, you get started on this,
and I'll grab you a dry shirt.
I'm okay. I'm not gonna drink tonight.
Take it.
Yes, sir.
Rose Mary, grab a shirt
for Jeannette's sweaty boyfriend, will ya?
So did you hear officer walls
made his first arrest last week?
What?
Drug bust.
Whoa, really? Was that scary?
Well, actually, you got alopecia.
Not as scary as those two.
What about you?
Lori spilled the beans.
Lori! I'm sorry.
Yeah. Uh, we are doin' it.
What?
Why aren't you wearing the ring?
Because I haven't told dad yet.
Told me what?
That Brian made his first arrest.
Oh, goodie.
Got a son in the gestapo
and a daughter who writes gossip.
Never thought I'd see the day.
Never thought I'd see you livin' in New York.
Well, somebody's gotta keep an eye on you.
Have fun.
Hey, dad.
Actually, I have somethin' that I wanted to tell you...
So how long is this phase gonna last?
What do you mean?
I mean...
He's a nice guy and all,
but he ain't got an interesting bone in his body.
No.
He's got no fight. David's not a phase, dad.
Which is what i wanted to talk to you about.
Can you honestly tell me that you're happy right now?
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
But hopefully, couple more of these will loosen him up.
Maybe that stick'll fall out of his ass.
David, here's your drink!
Welcome to Welch, everyone!
Gosh, things have gone downhill a bit.
But I bet there's no other artists to compete with.
My career could really take off.
Welcome home, son.
Hey, there, Rex.
Hey, pops.
Thanks for lettin' me
see my grandchildren before I die.
This is your uncle Stanley.
Hi.
All right, here ya go.
- Can I have more? - No.
This one looks just like his daddy.
Only his hair was more curly.
You hated them curls, didn't you?
Used to wet his hair down, stand out in the snow,
see if he could freeze 'em straight.
Yep, that's your daddy.
Stubborn as a mule, dumb as a pigeon.
Ow!
Hey! Don't hit my brother, you dumb witch!
Hey!
Show your grandma some respect.
You listen to your daddy, girl.
That wasn't a good simile.
Pigeons are very smart animals.
Dad?
What are you doing? Hey.
Oh...
Put in your spiral staircase.
Wow.
We're finally gonna build it.
Really?
This is why we're here. It's our chance to start over.
First thing tomorrow,
I'm gonna search this whole town
for the perfect place to lay our foundation.
We're gettin' the hell outta here.
Now, it's not exactly palatial,
so there's gonna be a lot of togetherness.
And it's a little on the rustic side.
How rustic?
Welcome to 93 little Hobart street.
50 bucks a week, and in two years,
we'll own her outright.
Hard to believe one day this'll all be ours.
Hey, she may not look like much,
but wait till you see what I have in mind.
Come on.
We're gonna tear all this down
and replace it with your game room,
- ping pong, pool, foosball... - Trampoline?
Oh, yeah, trampoline goes right over there,
and then all these walls are gone,
replaced with three-inch glass,
glass, glass, glass. This can stay.
Doesn't that look lovely?
Yellow stands for happiness and creativity.
This place doesn't have any running water or electricity.
Ignore her. She was born without vision.
Since we're on the north face of the mountain,
enclosed by these two hills,
we ain't gettin' much sun,
so I'll have to do some serious
reconfigurin' to increase the size of our solar cells.
But before any of that can happen,
we need a good foundation.
Pick! Yes, sir.
Good man. Here.
Make some noise, kids. Make some noise.
Once it's deep enough, i can pour the slab,
and we can start framin' this damn thing.
We're gonna have the nicest house in the county.
You ain't just whistlin' Dixie there, little lady.
You know, we got the highest property
on the mountain, which means
that the heat can't burn us in the summer,
and the floods can't touch us in the winter.
We're just glidin' right in between all those extremes.
Things're gonna be different this time around.
I'm hungry.
Try that.
It's good?
What are you eating?
Butter and sugar.
Tastes kinda like frosting.
We haven't eaten in three days.
Maureen's so hungry, she's eating butter.
You ate the butter?
I was saving that for the bread.
We have no bread!
Well, I was thinking of baking some.
The gas is turned off.
What if it gets turned back on?
Miracles happen, you know.
We're hungry!
Hey, watch that tone, girl!
You said things were going to be different.
Can't we just get some eggs?
Or beans, or something? Nothing fancy.
I don't see why not.
What you got?
What about the other one?
Okay, I'll be back in an hour with a feast
you can tell your children about
your children's children,
your children's children's children,
and your children's children's children's
children's...
He probably just got stuck talking to someone.
For ten hours?
Dad?
Hey, kiddo. What are you doin' up?
What happened?
Oh. I got into a fight with the mountain.
Mountain won.
Dad, that looks really bad.
Yeah. That don't look good.
What can I do?
Don't worry about me.
I'm so thoroughly pickled...
I won't feel a thing.
Here.
Okay, go ahead.
Go on. I can't do it.
Sorry.
It's okay. It's all right.
We'll do it together. Okay?
It's all right. Come here.
Squeeze it together. That's it.
Now, push it through.
Yeah.
Good. Just push it right through.
Good.
Oh, that's good. Brave.
You are amazing.
Ah...
Push it right through, go on.
That's it. Yeah.
Oh, my god, that's beautiful! Oh, jeez!
You don't have to tug quite so hard on it.
It's not like tug-'o-war.
Okay.
One more. That's good.
Wow.
That's some mighty fine handiwork.
I swear...
There are times I think that you're the only one around
who still has any faith in me.
You know I'd do anything for you, right?
Anything.
All you got to do is ask.
Do you think...
You could maybe stop drinking?
It's just...
When you drink, you can't take care of us.
Must be awfully ashamed of your ol' man.
No!
I just think we'd have money for food.
Maybe even some extra for the glass castle.
You can do it if you want.
You're stronger than anyone.
If you don't mind, honey...
I think I'd like to just...
Sit here by myself a while.
Dad?
For the next few days,
I'm gonna be keepin' to myself upstairs.
And I, uh...
I need you kids to steer clear of me.
Take your brother and sisters outside,
do somethin' fun, okay?
And no matter what happens,
if I ask for a drink,
you can't let anyone give me one.
Not a drop. Okay?
Can you do that for me?
Yeah.
You promise?
That's a good girl.
You think we could start
building the house soon?
Probably.
Oh, please!
Ah! Ah, god! Make it stop!
Please make it stop!
Just breathe, honey.
Rose Mary!
God, help me! Shh. It's okay. It's okay.
Help me, please!
Oh, no!
Dad?
Oh, my god.
Please get me a drink.
I'll get you some water.
No, no, no. There's some
whiskey under the sink. Go fetch it for me.
Jeannette...
I'm dyin'.
If you don't get me a drink, I'm gonna die.
That is a scientific fact. Understand?
You don't want me to die? Do you want your daddy to die?
I can't, dad. I promised you.
I don't care about your stupid promise!
Go get me a drink right now!
You better go get me a drink!
Jeannette!
Foundation looks pretty good.
We're almost ready to start buildin'.
I missed you.
I missed you, too.
How 'bout that?
Look. That's wonderful.
Dad's leaving for work!
Stop! I'll help you put your hat on.
All right, make sure it ain't faulty.
Oh! Ow! Ow! Ow!
Okay, okay, that's fine.
Oh, thanks, bill, merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Rex.
Merry Christmas, ladies! You, too.
The foreman forgot his toolbox, and so I had
to use this macaroni noodle
to insulate these crosswires,
and now I got every damn person at work
tellin' me that I really know how to use my noodle!
I couldn't find a good one for you,
so you'll just have to write your own.
Careful. You might change the world with that thing.
Hmm?
It's so pretty.
Mmm, beautiful.
Rich city folk live in fancy apartments,
but their air is so polluted, they can't even see the stars.
We'd have to be out of our minds
to trade places with any of 'em.
Go on, pick out your favorite one.
It's yours for keeps.
You can't give me a star.
It's your Christmas present.
No one owns the stars.
Well, that's why you gotta claim 'em
before anyone else does.
Like Columbus claimed America for queen Isabella.
Claiming a star for your own
has just as much logic. Maybe more,
because you don't have to kill
and subjugate millions of people to do it.
So go ahead, pick out any one you want,
'cept for betelgeuse and rigel
because Lori and Brian already laid claim to them.
I want that one.
The bright one? Yeah.
That's Venus. She's a planet.
Kinda dinky compared to real stars.
She just looks brighter 'cause she's closer to us.
I like it anyway.
What the hell. It's Christmas.
You can have a planet if you want.
You know, her atmosphere
is a lot like the earth's, only, uh...
500 degrees hotter.
Really?
So when the sun starts to burn out
and the earth turns cold,
everyone might wanna move to Venus to get warm.
And now they're gonna have to get permission
from your descendants first.
I love you, kid.
Love you more.
I really like David.
You really what?
Yeah. He's not that boring.
I think he'd be a nice addition to the family.
Oh, by the way, i just found out
my brother is planning to sell his half of mom's land.
Uncle Jim? Yeah, and it's a real shame.
My father always taught me you never sell...
Free market, my ass!
The whole thing is a rigged game, and you know it!
It's a system created by all you fat cats
to make yourselves richer
and keep the poor where they are.
It's nothing more than legalized larceny.
Admit it, David.
On behalf of all the fat cats,
I'm not going to admit to something that's not true.
David...
Jeannette, it's fine. We're just talking.
Yeah, we're just talking.
You know what, Rex? Let's just agree to disagree.
On behalf of the 90% in our country
workin' for $4.75 an hour,
I will do no such thing!
How very noble of you. A real champion of the people.
How drunk are you?
How 'bout we settle this the way
they did in ancient Rome,
with a good old-fashioned arm wrestlin' match?
Pretty sure that's not somethin' they did in Rome.
Dad, enough.
Come on, mountain goat!
David's gonna fight for your honor.
This is ridiculous.
Yes, it's ridiculous. We are going home.
What? You're giving up already?
You're gonna just wander outta here
with your tail between your legs?
I'm not gonna arm wrestle you.
Oh, okay, so you admit it? I'm right and you're wrong.
Okay. Uh-uh.
What the hell.
Atta boy!
No, David.
This is a bad idea.
Babe, it's gonna be fun.
Dad, please.
Come on. Don't you wanna give him
a chance to prove me wrong?
Yes, Jeannette, let me prove him wrong.
Okay. You guys wanna be idiots...
Yes! Yes, yes, yes!
- Here we go! - Come on, Rex.
Put 'em up. All right.
- Let's do it. - Ready...
- Straighten up. - Set...
Go!
Come on, Rex! Come on, David!
Yay! Yay! Come on!
Come on. Give him what you got.
How's that feel, boy?
Pick it up, David! Come on!
You got it!
You're gonna lose to an old man.
Come on, honey! Bring it home! Bring it home!
Let out the wild man! Come on, Rex!
David, come on. You're stronger than this.
Come on. Let's go, David.
What'd I tell ya? No fight.
Come on, David! Kick his ass!
Stop helpin' him!
- Take him down! Murder him! - Come on!
Murder him, David!
Honey, don't lose this! Come on!
Murder that old dirty bastard!
Take him down! Take him down!
Go, go, go, go!
Yes, yes, yes!
Yes!
Whoo!
Dow Jones will live to see another day!
Left-handed rematch! I want a left-handed rematch!
No, dad. Don't be a sore loser.
You ready for a lefty rematch?
I'm ready for whatever you wanna throw at me, old man!
Oh!
What the hell, dad?
- Jesus! - Shit.
Well, you heard him. I mean, he said he was ready
for whatever i wanted to throw at him.
I think he broke my nose.
It's not my fault. I have a soldier's reflex.
I seriously thought you were ready.
Tell your boyfriend that he needs to be careful
about sayin' things he doesn't mean.
He's not my boyfriend, dad. He's my fiance.
Let's get you home.
It's not stopping. I don't know
where all the blood is coming from.
Please, I don't want that.
Why do you still have all these stupid boxes?
David, you're drunk.
Just drink some water. Let's go to bed.
He punched me in the face, Jeannette.
I know. You told me not to worry,
and then he punched me right in the middle of the face.
Everybody was shouting, it was so loud...
And you screamed at me.
You said "murder him,"
shouted it right in my ear. Like a madwoman.
Please just drink some water.
This is serious, Jeannette. Your dad is a total nut-job.
Hey, I can call him that, not you.
Your mom is delusional.
Poor Maureen. She's gotta be out of her mind that she's
choosing to live in that dump with them.
This is my family that you are talking about.
I know! And they are totally insane!
Jeannette, I...
I want to spend the rest of my life with you,
but if we're gonna try and do that together,
I can't have any more of whatever that was tonight.
I...
I gotta... I gotta go pee.
I'm gonna pee.
Don't worry. It's about a 20-hour drive to Texas.
I can do it in under 15.
We'll be back before you know it.
How did grandma Smith die?
My mother was an old woman. Old women die.
Did she leave you anything?
What kind of question is that?
Why can't we come with you? I don't wanna stay with erma.
Your dad hasn't had a drink in two months.
I think we deserve a little vacation.
But erma hates us.
Don't blame her for her misery.
It's all she knows.
She's a dumb witch.
Actually, she's very smart.
That's where your dad gets it from.
...he painted a self-portrait
with a bandaged ear.
Van gogh.
- Who is Van gogh? - That's right.
You eat what I put on your plate.
You spit that out, you're gonna eat that, too.
No runnin' in the house, no shoutin', no whinin',
no openin' the windows or the curtains.
Edgar bergen.
- Who is Edgar bergen? - Edgar bergen is right.
It's so weird that dad lived here when he was our age.
Yeah, I thought we had it bad.
Look at this.
You think dad really wrote all this?
Listen to this.
"There might be more than this blanket of black dust,
"the stench of the tug,
"the crunch of the coal-stained snow.
"More than the sound of her cackle,
"the cracks in her calloused hands.
"And there might be more, but I won't ever know
"because it's impossible to breathe
"when you're drowning in..."
He cusses.
"It's impossible to breathe when you're drowning in shit."
Keep it down!
This is gonna be a fun week.
You bring a sharpener?
Yeah, in my bag downstairs.
Okay.
- Stop worrying. - No, erma, please.
- You do what I tell you. - Stop it!
Just be quiet, boy.
Listen to your grandmother.
- No, stop it! - Where are you going?
Hold still! Hey!
Get away from him! Lori!
The boy's britches needed fixin'!
I know what I saw. She's a pervert!
You little bitch...
Hey, hey, hey! Let's just calm down, okay?
Come on, hold her down!
Stay the hell off of me, ya little beasts!
Nobody messes with our brother!
No! No! Put me down!
Dad,
we were just protecting ourselves.
Erma was grabbing his... Shut up!
I don't wanna hear another damn word
about whatever did or didn't happen!
It don't matter!
Brian's a man. He can take care of himself.
Can't you?
Let's go.
Are you comin'?
Come on, kids. Let's go inside.
Come on, guys, let's go.
Come on.
Get out.
Not if you're gonna drink.
You promised.
I'm not going.
Wait, wait.
Don't! Please, dad!
You...
See what you do?
It was one damn drink!
That's a lie, and you know it!
I can smell it on your sweater!
Come on, let's go.
You a bloodhound all of a sudden?
Why don't you go sniff your own butt for a change,
'cause that ain't smellin' too pretty these days!
That's very funny!
You're supposed to be at work right now!
You're gonna lose another job!
Why don't you go get a job
instead of wastin' your time on all this crap!
What the hell is this anyway?
Abstract expressionism!
Well, here's some realism for you!
Wow. You're just like your mother!
Don't you touch me!
Get back here, castrating whore!
- Get off me! - Come here!
Maureen, you wanna jump rope? Yeah.
Ready?
Go.
No! No!
- Come on! - No!
- Get up here, god damn it... - Mom!
- Rose Mary! - Hold on!
- Mom! - Help me!
Help! God, help me!
Don't let her fall!
What did you do to her?
I didn't do anything!
Get your hands off me!
I don't think you want me to let go... ow! She bit me!
- Pull me in! - God damn it!
He tried to kill me!
Mom, are you okay? I'm okay.
What do you mean, is she okay? Am I okay? She just bit me!
Well, why did you push her?
I didn't push her! She jumped! I swear to god!
You know, she's crazy!
You saw, she just bit me! I think she broke...
Jesus!
You are one hell of a woman, you know that?
And you're a stinking, rotten drunk.
But you love this stinking, rotten drunk, don't you?
Oh, Rex...
Hey, sweetie.
You have to leave him.
You know, when your dad first met my mother,
he asked her why she didn't have
any of my paintings on her walls,
and she said she didn't want to encourage
a habit with no future in it.
He looked her right in the eye and said,
"to hell with the future!
"Masterpieces like these
"should be on display right now."
So he took down all her paintings
and put up mine.
He's never going to change.
You have to leave him.
I can't.
Maureen, do you have any queens?
Go fish! Brian, do you have any nines?
Go fish!
We don't need them.
They're never going to take care of us,
so we have to do it ourselves.
We'll all go to school and start saving up
so we can move out when we're old enough.
If we're going to make it out of this,
we have to do it together.
Deal?
We are getting the heck out of here.
Miss bivens asked me to be editor of the paper next year.
What? That's amazing!
I swear, by the time you graduate,
you're gonna have every school in New York fightin' over you.
They're here.
Don't worry about us. We'll be fine.
Yeah.
Hey...
I left five bucks in there.
Start savin' up. You're next.
Dad's in the backyard.
I think it's clear.
I love you guys!
Love you.
- All right, bye! - Okay, bye!
Love you! Love you!
Lori, we need to go!
Hey! Where the hell you think you're goin'?
Guess it wasn't clear.
-Hey! Lori! -Talkin' to you, girl!
Get your ass outta that car now!
Drive, go!
You know why she left?
Huh?
Brian? You know why she left?
Maureen?
You gonna leave, too?
Answer me.
Answer me!
- Rex... - Shut up!
No, sir.
Somebody take out the damn trash!
- Lori? - Coast clear?
Yeah. He's passed out. How is everything?
Well, last night at the restaurant
I met a writing professor from barnard.
I told her you were gonna apply to her school,
and she was really nice about it.
She said she'd be happy to read your stuff.
Are you serious?
Yeah. She said to call her when you get up here.
That's amazing.
How's the escape fund looking?
Oh, it's getting close.
I think I've baby-sat every demon child in Welch by now.
You wanna hear? Mmm-hmm.
Sounds like freedom.
She sounds fat.
Oh, you're really gonna love it here, Jeannette.
It feels like you're breathing for the first time.
I don't think he's gonna let me go.
Hey, come on. Don't even think about that.
It doesn't matter anyway.
You can do whatever... What was that?
Hold on. Can you call me back?
Okay.
I'm sorry.
Erma died.
Do you think erma ever did something to dad?
Like what?
Like what she did to Brian.
You can't think about things like that.
It'll make you crazy.
I'm gonna meet you back at home.
Dad... I'm sorry about erma.
When it's time to go, you go.
I'm not talkin' about that.
"It's impossible to breathe when you're drowning in shit."
Ready to lose that 40 bucks?
You can pay me now or pay me later.
You still believe in your ol' man?
Do you wanna help me hustle this guy?
Make some money?
Yeah, okay, so...
Long as you stroke his ego, he'll keep playin'.
I'll pull the plug the second we've drained him.
You know the drill.
Robbie!
Hey, Rex.
Jeannette?
Name's Robbie. I didn't know ol' Rex had a daughter.
He has three.
Rex said you like to dance.
You like livin' in this town?
It's all right.
It ain't all right, and you know it.
We're all mudbugs in a boiling pot,
don't even know we're being cooked alive.
I'm headin' off to Chicago
soon as I can afford up savings for it.
What about you?
I'm savin' up to move to New York City
to be with my sister.
All right. Big apple.
I like that city. I been there a couple times.
You're gonna love it.
Yup.
Robbie! Do somethin' worthwhile
with those damn hands of yours.
Get over here, play me a game.
Well, all right.
...side pocket.
You sure about that, Rex?
Ooh! Damn!
That's four games in a damn row.
That'll be 80 bucks unless you wanna go double or nothin'.
No. Take it all. You deserve it.
Here you go. Wash down that humble pie.
To your daughter
and her big move to New York City.
New York City, huh?
Can't believe i let that old fart take me.
I don't know if I'm ticked or impressed.
Now, you know my apartment's right upstairs.
Got a bunch of records ain't on that jukebox
if you wanna come up and listen a bit.
Thanks, but I can't.
Rex, you mind if I bring your daughter upstairs for a bit,
listen to some records?
She's a big city girl now. She can handle herself.
Holler if ya need me.
You know, I can't stay long.
That's all right. Just wanna play you a tune or two.
I think you're gonna like this one.
Hmm.
Where were we?
Think for dancing it's sorta like this.
You tryin' to sniff my hair? No.
What are you doin'?
Oh.
That's what i was tryin' to do.
Oh. I'm not that kinda girl.
Well, we'll just dance, then. All right?
Whoa! How'd that happen?
Okay.
Robbie, what are you doing? This.
Stop.
I just wanna see what you got under this dress.
Robbie, stop!
Easy. Take it easy.
Robbie... It's all right.
Hey, hey!
Let me show you.
Mmm.
Okay. There you go.
Oh.
Mmm-hmm.
When I was a little girl, i lit myself on fire.
It gets worse down there.
I'm gonna go now.
I knew you could handle yourself.
It's like that time i taught you to swim
and you thought you were gonna drown,
but I knew you'd do just fine.
Okay, here.
Here's your cut.
Take it or not.
Might come in handy for the big move.
I don't care what erma did to you.
It's no excuse.
I am movin' to New York,
and there's nothin' that you can do about it.
You okay?
I need to get the hell outta here.
Somebody sure gutted your piggy, didn't they?
Any suspects?
That money was mine.
Why are you doin' this to us, dad?
New York magazine. This is Jeannette walls.
Hey, big shot.
Maureen?
How's your fancy life?
Just gettin' ready for my fancy engagement party.
We're excited to see you.
I can't make it tonight.
Why not?
'Cause I'm movin' to California.
You're not serious?
Maureen, you can't go to California.
That's the other side of the country.
We have to stick together. We always have.
That's not true.
I gotta go. I love you.
Why would she go to California?
It's as far away from them as she can get
without swimming to Hawaii.
It's our fault.
We should have never left her alone with them.
She would have hated this anyway.
David sure doesn't.
Thank you so much for coming. Who needs more bubbly?
We do!
Hi, handsome!
Did you invite them?
Oops.
Look who's here. Oh! Hey.
Okay, okay. Whoa! Thank you, thank you!
This'll be interesting.
Let's get this party started!
Oh, congratulations, honey!
What does an investment banker use as birth control?
His personality.
All right, one more.
What's the difference between a bag of manure on
your lawn and an investment banker?
Can I speak with you for a second?
I'm in the middle of a punchline.
Okay, hold that thought, gents.
Who is that guy?
Swanky. But I don't see one of your mama's paintings.
What are you doing here?
Just networking with all these fantastic people.
Every time someone leaves, you act like a child.
You'd think you'd be used to it by now.
What's that supposed to mean?
It's not a surprise, dad.
Maureen left because your bullshit drove her crazy.
You really wanna talk about bullshit right now?
Look around! This ain't you!
You ain't like those pawns, and you know it!
Don't turn this on me. You're a walls.
You were born to change the world,
not just add to the noise.
You cannot marry that fool! You're better than him!
And you're better than that goddamn gossip column!
You're a real writer!
I like my life, dad.
Then why is all your crap
still packed up in those boxes?
What's goin' on, guys?
We don't want to upset David.
Why do you care so much about David all of a sudden?
Well, he's like part of the family now. Right, honey?
This is not the time, okay?
Well, when's the right time? Not right now! Okay?
Look, there were three more offers today.
So you can wait till tomorrow...
I have to tell her! Tell me what?
Trust me, now is not the time!
Tell me what, mom?
Let me talk!
You know how I was telling you about my brother
selling his half of mom's land in Texas?
Well, now that you're gettin' married
and you have all these nice things,
we were thinkin' that maybe we could
borrow the money to buy it.
So the only reason why you're being nice to David
is because you want his money?
No, it's not the only reason. I'm also just a nice person.
You are a nice person. Thank you.
We wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent, honey.
How much?
No, let's not get into... About a million.
A million dollars?
A little under.
A little under...
If uncle Jim's land is worth that much,
then yours is, too.
Well, I don't know. I've never had it appraised.
My father taught me you never sell land.
- Good advice. - Right.
Grandma Smith died when I was 11.
Have you been sitting on a million dollars
since I was 11?
No, no! It appreciates over time. It escalates.
You knew about this?
Do you realize what we could have done with that money?
I don't want my kids raised on a goddamn handout!
What the hell?
What the hell is wrong with you?
Oh...
Nice, rose.
Hey, mountain goat!
Don't ever call me that again!
Uh, Jeannette...
David, please...
Come on. I know you're upset. But let's just go back
and talk about this. Come on.
Dad, why do you think all of us ran away from you?
We were drowning.
I still don't understand why you followed us here.
We wanted to be a family again.
We were never a family, mom. We were a nightmare.
Your mom and I did everything we could for you, okay?
We looked after you,
and it was a happy family! Bullshit! We did it!
We took care of each other
because you were too drunk to!
It was your job to protect us, and you didn't even try!
That ain't true, okay? It is true.
You got some kind of weird revisionist history goin' on.
You were a happy kid! Stop it, dad. Stop talking.
And they were happy kids! And we looked after you!
Stop talking! Talking is not trying!
You talked my whole goddamn life!
And I believed you.
Don't!
Hey, don't do this.
I don't want you in my life.
Jeannette, you do not mean that.
I don't want you to call or write
or show up out of the blue.
I don't want another one of your bullshit stories.
I don't wanna see you anymore.
I gotta go.
See you soon, little sister.
I think I figured out how to deal
with the lack of sunlight on the hillside.
We just need to install
specially-curved mirrors to all the solar cells.
See, what I was thinkin' was
you don't have to go right away.
You could just... Dad...
You could finish school here
and get a job at the Welch daily news,
and I would help you
write those articles. I am going.
Remember how we used to do that?
You remember that?
You are never going to build the glass castle.
Oh, I am. You're not.
I am. I got it right here.
And even if you do, it doesn't matter.
I'm gettin' on the first bus outta here.
Well...
If the bus breaks down, I'm gonna walk.
I am gonna finish this thing...
I will hitchhike if I have to, dad.
I can guaran-goddamn-tee it.
Build it if you want, but don't build it for me.
Hey, hey, hey! Jeannette...
Mountain goat!
Okay, so I'm gonna pick you up after work,
and we'll head straight to the restaurant from there.
Where?
We have dinner with Mr. lehocky and his wife.
Jeannette, remember i told you about this?
Furniture designer?
This guy's got more money than he knows what to do with.
He made the chair that you're sitting in.
Right, the furniture designer. I got it.
Jeannette, please?
This is a very big account, okay?
This'll be huge for us.
I said I got it.
Okay. Can you get that? I gotta go.
Mmm-hmm.
Jeannette, it's me, sweetie.
It's been too long.
You can't ignore us forever, honey.
I just really need to talk to you about somethin'. Okay?
Have you been to the Picasso retrospective at moma yet?
Mom...
Don't waste your time.
He really didn't do anything worthwhile
after his rose period.
All that cubist stuff is so gimmicky.
Mom, I have to go back to work.
Why are you here?
I need to sit down.
You know how I am with
sentimental situations like this.
It's just... I don't know what to do.
What's goin' on?
Your dad's sick. And he's not gettin' better.
He stopped talkin' last week.
Well, what does that mean?
He was rantin' about that night at David's,
all that stuff you said about his drinkin'
and how talking isn't trying, and whatever else you said.
Then he asked me if I think he talks too much,
and I said, "yeah," 'cause he does.
And then he just stopped.
Hasn't said a word since.
Won't get out of bed. Barely eats.
The silence is awful.
He's dying, Jeannette.
You have a right to be angry.
You think I don't know that?
Of course you do.
Look, I don't wanna tell you what to do ever,
but I know you love him, and I just think
you'll regret it if you don't come home and say goodbye.
Mom, I said goodbye a long time ago.
Jeannette...
The doctor told him a month if he stops drinking,
which he won't, so who knows?
What exactly is it?
Pretty much everything you can get
from four packs of cigarettes
and two quarts of booze every day for 50 years.
He doesn't look good. You have to go see him.
No, I don't.
You're right. You don't.
But you kind of do.
He's done a lotta shitty things,
but he's had his moments.
Man in the hall!
Does anybody know where Jeannette's room is?
Oh, thank you kindly, ma'am.
What are you snot-slingin' about?
What are you doing here?
I thought I'd finally come check out
this high-fallutin' college o' yours.
I gotta say, for the tuition i expected a bit more.
Your mom says that you're jumpin' ship.
What happened to all your fancy scholarships?
It isn't enough.
And they don't cut breaks
for poor little country girls with big dreams?
You can't say i didn't warn ya.
Did you come all the way here from Welch
just to rub it in my face?
You were right. Okay?
I never should've come here. Now I'm droppin' out.
The hell you are!
That's $950.
And, uh,
that there is genuine 100% mink.
Should be able to pawn that for at least $50.
Where did you get all this?
New York City is full of poker players
who wouldn't know their ass from their elbows,
and your mom said I finally had a good reason to gamble.
You did this for me?
Since when is it wrong for a father
to take care of his little girl?
So it turns out Mrs. lehocky is actually a fan of yours.
She reads your column every week.
Rich, white and old is our target audience.
I heard your mom's message on the machine.
Something goin' on?
It's just mom bein' mom.
You know, whatever they want, please don't give in.
You've been so much better without them.
Have I?
We've been a team for so long,
it's hard to tell who does what anymore.
But Ollie's always been a master craftsman.
And I'm more of a visual person.
Vi's the real artist of the operation.
I just make sure they don't fall apart when you sit down.
But when we were your age,
we didn't think any of this was going to happen.
We'd have been fine making chairs
out of a tiny garage for the rest of our lives.
Just do what makes you happy.
You may make some money at it, you might not.
Don't matter either way if you're doin' what you love.
And what about you, Jeannette?
Is this what you've always wanted to do?
Uh... no, actually.
I was once a political science major.
I was very eager to write stories that actually matter.
Your stories matter to me.
Thank you.
I don't know, it's just...
This is not where I thought that I was gonna end up.
Well, maybe you're not at the end yet.
Jeannette's dad is developing a technology to burn
low-grade bituminous coal more efficiently.
Well, isn't that nice. Where is your dad now?
Uh...
I'm sorry. Would you excuse me for a second?
There. How's that feel?
It's so ugly, daddy. I look like the demon.
Hey, there's nothin' ugly about you, you hear me?
One day, I promise you, you're gonna look at this
as just another sign of how strong you are.
You're a walls, mountain goat.
We ain't like other people.
We got a fire burnin' in our bellies.
And that there is goddamn proof of it.
Now...
This knife is specially designed to hunt demons.
It's very sharp.
Don't take it out unless you see him.
You can borrow it for the night.
You know, all monsters are the same.
They like to frighten people,
but the minute you stare 'em down,
they turn tail and run.
I love you, mountain goat.
My parents are squatting
in an abandoned building on the lower east side.
Jeannette...
They were homeless for three years before that,
which is pretty much how they raised us.
My dad is not developing
a technology for bituminous coal,
but he could tell you anything
that you want to know about it.
He is the smartest man that I know.
He is also a drunk,
never finishes what he starts, and can be extremely cruel.
But he dreams bigger than anyone I've ever met.
And he never tries to be somebody that he's not.
And he never wanted me to, either.
I'm sorry, but I have to leave.
Go.
You ready to go get that demon?
Let's go!
I'll go get some air. Leave you to it.
Hey, dad.
Do you remember when those grape-pickers
in California went on strike,
and the vineyards had to sell everything
for a nickel a pound?
You stuffed the car so full
we couldn't see out the windows.
Brian found some in his pocket two weeks later
that had turned into raisins.
Or when you let me pet that cheetah at the zoo?
She was lickin' that popcorn butter off your hand.
Those other parents wanted to chop my head off.
They were just jealous.
Remember when you made your own braces?
They were a goddamn feat of engineering genius.
It was a hanger and a rubber band.
Well, by god, it worked.
Look at those gorgeous choppers.
Mom says you haven't been talkin' lately.
Sort of takin' some time to think.
Here.
What's this?
It's every story you've written since eighth grade.
Thought maybe you could start addin' to it for me.
I spent my whole life
huntin' for those demons in the wild.
And the entire time
they were hidin' inside my own belly.
Sad state to spend your life in,
bein' afraid of your own self.
I know it...
Wasn't easy on you kids.
Got a lot to regret about my life.
Dad...
Never forget
how beautiful you are, mountain goat.
And smart...
And creative and strong...
You're so strong.
No little girl should ever have
to carry her daddy on her back.
You ain't like me at all, mountain goat.
You're not afraid.
I am like you.
And I'm glad.
We had some good times, didn't we?
Never did build that glass castle.
No.
But we had a good time plannin' it.
Hi! Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving. Something smells good!
How's life as a freelancer?
I'm still gettin' used to it.
Yeah? You like bein' poor again?
Thanks, Brian.
Careful with my child. Hey.
Maureen...
I like the new place.
How's California?
It's really nice and sunny.
Here's your housewarming present.
I thought you'd like one of him.
I didn't do so well with the hair, but...
Do you like it, honey?
It's perfect.
What? What?
I never told you about this?
No, you didn't.
He didn't have money for presents,
so he takes each of us outside,
and says that we can just pick out our own star.
Seriously? Yeah, yeah, any one we want.
So I took rigel.
It's that little blue one on the foot of Orion.
What was yours, Lori?
And I chose betelgeuse
'cause it was this pretty shade of red,
and then later that night dad told me
it was only that color because it was dying!
Yeah! You got the dud! You were so mad!
Yeah, because he wouldn't let me pick a new one!
"'Cause there's no return policies in outer space."
"Well, that only works for plastic toys made in Japan."
But he also said,
"when everyone else's junk is broken and forgotten,
"you'll still have your stars."
Yeah.
Jeannette, what's goin' on?
You okay?
What are you thinkin', sweetie?
I just...
I feel really lucky...
Let's make a toast to Rex.
Life with your father was never boring.
All these here are portraits of people.
I have a whole box of flowers back there.
Down here people like my flowers
better than they did in New York.
You know, Jeannette's story
about how he gave her a star,
what a difference between Lori's and Jeannette's.
Jeannette: "I got a star.
"Oh, daddy, you're so wonderful.
"I love you."
And Lori says, "you goddamn son of a bitch,
"you didn't have enough money."
The star story.
Dad loved grand gestures
that preferably did not require
a whole lot of follow-up.
And he did it twice.
I've made this all by my own free choice.
So I haven't regretted it. It's been an experience.
I've gotten a lot out of it.
Even if I go down the drain,
I have still come out the winner.
Still come out a winner.
Any idiot
can see that this is a goddamn land-grab
by the city officials
using taxpayers' money
to tear down the buildings so that they could
give away the property to the goddamn developers,
so the developers will pay 'em off under the table.
It's not new, but it has gone
as far as we're gonna let it go.