"Hey, you want to hear my short story now?" "I could read it to you." "You mean, again?" "I changed the ending a little." "Oh." "What happens now?" "Well, actually, it's the same but longer." "I think it's better." "More... raw." "Then maybe you should just read the ending." "But it won't make sense if you hear it out of context." "I think you should leave it the way it was." "It was good." "So you don't want to hear my new ending?" "You'll read it in class tomorrow." "Surprise me." "Anyway, I have to go." "I promised Melinda I'd help her with her oral." "You're tired of me, I can tell." "Marcus, I'm tired, that's all." "You've lost interest." "You hardly even sweat anymore when we have sex." "I was never much of a sweater, you know that." "Look, Vi," "I don't blame you." "You feel pity now." "Pleasure isn't there anymore." "The kinkiness is gone." "You've become kind." ""When he saw her, it was as if he could walk like a normal person." "His legs didn't swing, his arms didn't spaz away." "He wasn't a freak anymore, for she made him forget his affliction." "No more cerebral palsy." "From now on, CP stood for..." "'Cerebral Person.'" "He was a cerebral person."" "I thought that was really good, Marcus." "Really... moving and emotional." "I thought it was really emotional, too." "And, I mean, really good word choices." "It kind of reminded me a little of Faulkner, but East Coast and disabled." "Or Flannery O'Connor." "She had multiple sclerosis." "And Borges... he was blind." "Updike has psoriasis." "Maybe I'm wrong, but..." "I'm afraid I found the whole thing to be a little trite." "Its earnestness is... well... it's a little embarrassing." "Those adjectives are flatfooted and redundant." "I'm sorry, I mean... anyway, don't..." "what do I know?" "Don't even listen to what I say." "I mean..." "Anyone else?" "Catherine is right." "Your story is a piece of shit." "You express nothing but banalities, and, formally speaking, are unable to construct a single compelling sentence." "You ride on a wave of clichés so worn, in fact, it actually approaches a level of grotesquerie." "And your subtitle-- "The Rawness ofTruth"-- is that supposed to be a joke of some sort?" "Or are you just being pretentious?" "Okay." "Who's next?" "Vi:" "Marcus, wait up!" "What do you want?" "Don't be so upset, it's okay." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "!" "What's okay?" "He hated my story also." " You story was terrible." "Marcus, you'll write something better next time." "Patronizing fuck!" "If you had been honest with me in the first place," "I wouldn't have read it." "I knew it was shit, but like an idiot, I believed you." "That's notfair, I was honest." "Just because I wasn't sucking up like that bitch, Catherine" "I sure didn't hear you voice your opinion when it mattered." "I admit it, I was scared." "I was shocked, in fact, by what he said." "And he's so convincing." "I'm sorry if I let you down, but really..." "I still say he's just one opinion." "I don't even like his books that much." "They're all so... aggressively confrontational." "I don't care if he's won the Pulitzer Prize." "You just want to fuck him, like Catherine and every other white cunt on campus." "Marcus, you can'tjust unilaterally decide to end things." "This is a relationship we're talking about, a friendship." "You don't just..." "Fuck you!" "Fuck him!" "Fuck him!" "Fuck him!" "Vi, are you okay?" "Yes, I'm okay." "I'm totally okay." "You did the right thing." "I know that." "Fucking cripple." "Why do I waste my time with undergrads?" "They're all so... juvenile!" "I just thought Marcus would be different." "I mean, he's got CP." "What are you going to do now?" "I don't know." "Go to a bar, get laid, whatever." "Don't worry about me, I'll be justfine." "What can I get you?" "I'll just have a beer." "Here you go." "Hi." "Hello, Vi." "What are you doing here?" "What are you doing here?" "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." "I just didn't expect to run into you here, that's all." "Well... now you have." "Yeah." "Then, are you alone?" "Can I join you?" "Thanks." "Well..." "I just wanted to say that I'm really happy with the class." "I know you must hear this all the time, but I'm also a great admirer ofyour work." ""A Sunday Lynching" especially... really... spoke to me." "God, I hope I'm not embarrassing you." "You're not." "Good." "Because..." "I really agreed with everything you had to say last week about how bad my story was." "That's good." "I also agreed with what you said today about Marcus' story." "It is a piece of shit." "You have beautiful skin." "Thank you." "Catherine seems like she might become a really good writer." "Maybe." "She's okay." "Aren't you going out with Catherine?" "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." "I didn't mean..." "I'm not going out with Catherine." "Do you think I have potential as a writer?" "No." "Thank you for being honest." "I have so much respect for you." "Can I just freshen up for a second?" "It's over there." "Thanks." "Don't be a racist." "Don't be a racist." "Don't be a racist..." "It's really a nice place you have." "Is the rent high?" "Take offyour top." "Now... take off the rest." "Turn around." "Bend over." "Say..." ""Nigger, fuck me."" "But I can't say that." "Say..." "Ni..." " Ni gger." " ...gger." "Say, "Nigger."" " Nigger." ""Fuck me hard."" "Fuck... me... hard." "Say, "Nigger, fuck me hard."" "Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again." "Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again." " Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again." " Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again." " Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again!" " Nigger, fuck me hard." "Again!" " Nigger, fuck me hard!" "Freak." "Can I come in?" "You're all... sweaty." "So John flipped her around, and slammed her against the wall." "Jane braced herself." "She thought about her mother." "She thought about Peter." "She thought about God... and rape." "Say, 'Fuck me, Nigger, fuck me hard.'" "John's flesh abraded her soft skin." "There would be marks." "She acquiesced and said what he asked her to say, and did what he asked her to do." "She had entered college with hope, with dignity," "but she would graduate as a whore."" "Why do people have to be so ugly, write about such ugly characters?" "It's perverted." "I know you all think I'm being prissy, but I don't care." "I was brought up in a certain way, and this is... mean-spirited." "Yeah." "Well... it did seem a little... affected." "Like by using taboo language, you were trying to shock us about the hollowness of your characters." "I think it was a little bit racist." "It was completely racist." "Beyond that, I felt deeply offended as a woman." "As if women could only operate from experiences of objectification." "Totally phallocentric." " So weirdly misogynistic." "Why does Jane go through with this?" "Is she stupid?" "Hey, but wasn't this a rape?" "Or did I miss something?" "I'm confused, because if this was a rape, then why would she be a whore?" "It was confessional, yet dishonest." "Jane pretends to be horrified by the sexuality that she in fact fetishizes." "She subsumes herself to the myth of black male sexual potency, but then doesn't follow through." "She thinks she respects Afro-Americans, and thinks they're cool and exotic-- what a notch he'd make in her belt" "But of course, it all comes down to a Mandingo cliché, and he calls her on it." "In classic racist tradition, she demonizes, then runs for cover." "But then, how could she behave otherwise?" "She's just a spoiled suburban white girl with a Benetton rainbow complex." "It's just my opinion, and what do I know, but I think it's a callow piece ofwriting." "Callow... and coy." "Jane wants more, but isn't honest enough to admit it." "In the end she returns to the safety of her crippled-- translation, sexually impotent... boyfriend." "This is bullshit!" "Her story was the truth!" "Right." " It's unbelievable!" "It's clichéd!" " It's disgusting!" "But it happened!" "I don't know about what happened, Vi, because once you start writing, it all becomes fiction." "Still... it certainly is an improvement over your last story." "There is now at least a beginning, a middle, and an end." ""Toby, I just know you're going to become a movie star." "Please don't forget me when you make it to the top." "I will always love you." "Pam."" "Hello?" " Hello." "Is this Pam?" "Who is this?" " Toby Oxman." "Toby?" "Oh, hi." "How are you?" "I'm fine, how are you?" "Great." " Great!" "So what's going on?" " I was going to ask you that." "But you called." "Oh, yeah." "Well..." "I was just calling because, well..." "I was wondering if you still remembered me, which I guess you do." "Yeah." "So, look atwhere we are." "The year 2000!" "Can you believe it?" "Did you ever think we would actually make it?" "Well, yeah." "So, are you still acting?" "No." "Not anymore." "No," "I kind of came to terms with myself." "I realized I had done what I had to do, and it was time to move on." "What did you do after you gave up on acting?" "I went to law school, if you can believe that." "I believe it." " Well, it was really... all kind of a joke and a rip-off, the whole thing, so I dropped out." " That's too bad." "Well, but then it got me writing, so that was a good thing." "Anything I might know about?" "Well..." "I kind of let things go on this novel I'd been really into." "The whole publishing industry is totally corrupt." "Really, it's finished." "That's too bad." "I worked over at a homeless shelter for a while, drove a cab to pay the rent, but that was..." "I mean, I have some dignity." "That's good." "So then what do you do now?" "I'm a documentary filmmaker." "Oh?" "Anything I might have seen?" "Not yet." "I'm hoping to get a grant for this one project on teenagers." "Remember when we were teenagers?" "Yeah, you didn't want to take me to the prom." "I don't remember that." "I do." "Well... but it was so long ago." "We were so different back then." "Well, anyway..." "I'm looking for subjects for this documentary on teenage life in suburbia." "It's kind of an exploration of the psyche, of its mythology." "I wrote to Derrida to see if he'd like to do the narration, but everything's still kind of in development at this point." "I work in a shoe store right now." "But it's cool, I'm not ashamed." "I have a much stronger sense of self now." "And anyway, it's really very temporary." "That's good." " Yeah." "So anyway, tell me, what about you?" "I'd heard through the grapevine that you were producing movies." "Yeah, but not anymore." "Oh." "Tired of life in the fast lane?" "Yeah." "So, you're... married?" "Kids?" " Yeah." "How many?" " Three." "Great." "How old are they?" "Eight, six, and four." "Wow, that really is great." "In a few years, maybe they'll want to be in my documentary." "Listen, Toby, I can't really talk right now." "Do you mind if I call you back?" "Yeah, sure." " Okay." "Bye." "Okay, bye." "Maybe she has caller ID." "Do you have any hobbies?" "No, not really." "Any books you like to read for fun?" "No." "How 'bout those underground comics?" "I hate reading." "All right, Scooby, let's not beat around the bush." "With your attitude, you won't get in anywhere." "Okay." ""Okay."" "So you just don't care?" "Let me ask you something, not as your guidance counselor, but as a friend." "What do you want to do with your life?" "What kind of long-term goals can you possibly have?" "I don't know." "Come on, you can talk to me." "Tell me what you're thinking." "I mean," "I want to be on TV." "Maybe have a talk show or something, like Conan or early Letterman." "Uh-huh." "How is it you hope to achieve this goal?" "I don't know." "See if I have any connections?" "Did you knock on his door?" "Yes, but he just shouted at me and used the "F" word." "Scooby, dinner!" "Would anyone be interested in being hypnotized after dinner?" "No." "Let's just start." "I don't know what's wrong with that kid." "Maybe he's gay." " Don't ever say that." "What if he is?" " He isn't." "Marty, ignore him." "He's vegetarian, doesn't do sports" "Brady!" "And even if he is..." "Gay people are people too, you know." "You're just being prejudiced." "I don't care if he's gay." "I'm cool." "It's not like I have to share his room." "I just want to know what he does in his room that's so interesting he doesn't come down for dinner." "Maybe he's building a bomb, just like" "Don't even joke about that." "I'm serious." "What happens if he blows up the school?" "That's it, I'm going in there." "Fuck!" "Was anyone in my room today?" "Is everything okay?" "My CD case like totally collapsed." "I have to recatalog all weekend." "Hey, can you pass the salad over?" "Steak's really good tonight." "Good." "You have a lot of homework?" " I don't know." "What do you mean?" "You either got a lot or you don't." "What's not to know?" " Marty." "You started filling out your college applications yet?" "I'm not going to college." "What are you going to do?" "I don't know." "What do you know?" "Dad," "I'm trying to figure things out right now, okay?" "It's like, really hard... and I'm just listening to some old Elton John..." "Gay." " Out." "Leave the table." "What?" " You heard me." "Leave the table!" "Man, I'm out of here." "This family is so fucked!" "Mom, it's not fair if Brady can say the "F" word and I can't." "Mikey, listen up, 'cause here's a lesson." "Life's not fair." "I'll talk to you later." " I'll see you later." "Later." " Thanks, Esposito." "Consuelo?" "Consuelo?" "Yes, Mikey?" "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" "Yes." " Really?" "How many?" "Four brothers and five sisters." "Why did your parents have so many children?" "I mean, if they were poor, wouldn't it be better to just have one or two?" "It was God's will." "But do you really believe in God?" "Heaven, hell, and angels and all that kind of stuff?" "No." "So... how was school today?" "The same." " The same." "The same as what?" "Just the same." "We're studying the Holocaust in Social Studies." "Oh, yeah?" "We did the same thing last year also." "How is the class?" "I'm supposed to watch "Schindler's List" for homework." "The movie's, like, almostfour hours." "Then I'm supposed to write a report on survivors." "You know any survivors, Dad?" "Do I know any?" "Personally?" "Technically, your Zeda is a survivor." "He was in a concentration camp?" "No, but he had to escape the Nazis." "But I thought he came over to America before the war." "He did, with his family." "But his cousins, they had to stay and they were all killed." "If he'd stayed, he would've been killed." "So in my book, he's a survivor." "Even though it was only his cousins that were killed?" "That could've happened to him, or to me, if I'd been alive." "Or you." " Or me?" "You mean, then we're all survivors?" "Well, yes." "If it hadn't been for Hitler, he wouldn't have had to leave Europe." "We would've been European." "But then, in a sense, since you would've never met Dad if your family had stayed in Europe, if it weren'tfor Hitler none of us would've been born." "Get the hell out of here." "Man... !" "It's just, like, conversation." "Tell me..." "you make a living at this?" "Well, sir," "I'm actually not doing this for the money." "When you make a documentary, you do it for many reasons." "But money is certainly not one of them." "I don't get it." "Well, sir... a lot has happened to the landscape of the suburban high school since I was a student." "I feel it would be a valuable, perhaps even enlightening endeavor, to chronicle the changes." "To get intimate with the realities kids and parents face in American schools today." "Yeah, well, whatever." "I'll let you know ifthere's interest." "Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" "You a pervert?" " No." "Actually, I'm a documentary filmmaker." "You mean like "Blair Witch Project"?" "Well, no." "Um..." "I'm doing one on high school students, in fact." "What for?" "Well, it's kind of... it's kind of a sociological study on the aftermath of Columbine." "Is this, like, to get into Sundance?" "Yeah, it's possible they would be interested in it." "Doubt it." "Actually, there is some interest from the Sundance Channel." "HBO and MTV have also shown some interest." "So you have connections?" "We're trying to do a film on suburban lifestyles." "Kind of an "American Family" for the new millennium." "I thought this was about kids getting into college." "Oh, it is." " Which is it?" "You got to keep your focus straight." "Yeah, you're absolutely right." "The focus is on the college admissions process today." "And you want Scooby to be the focus of all this?" "Scooby and a few other students of different socioeconomic backgrounds." "You didn't mention any other students before." "I don't have any yet, but" "Either Scooby is the focus or forget it." "Yeah, I thought I was the focus." "I want to be the focus." "Toby, we need this to be a positive experience." "I suppose I could reconceive." "Reconceive." "Scooby does have a quality... that I've been looking for." "A quality that is emblematic of America today." "It's part disillusionment, part hope." "Twinkies!" "Boys, take napkins." "Napkins." "Not to be crass, but what do we get out of this?" "Don't worry, he doesn't mean money." "I know." "I know that." "Well... sharing your story, your ups and downs and so forth, can, I hope, be an illuminating experience." "Yeah." "How do we know we won't be exploited?" "No, it's true." "Mr. Livingston, I fully understand and I share your concerns." "You feel vulnerable." "I know this is a very difficult question but what it comes down to is... can you make the leap offaith in me, the same way that I have to make the leap offaith in you?" "This is a great school," "I don't care what anybody says." "It's not perfect, but the people are really cool" "like the teachers and kids-- they really care and all." "I know they make fun of New Jersey all the time, but I don't care, 'cause they're just snobs." "'Cause Jersey is where America's at!" "Walking down these hallways-- hallways just like the ones" "I once walked down as a teenager," "I couldn't help thinking back to a time when every day I woke up depressed, suicidal, consumed by despair." "Had things changed?" "Was the competition to get into the most prestigious schools still a requisite rite of passage?" "Beneath these masks of courtesy and friendliness," "I knew that there were darker forces at work." "And I knew that Scooby was the key to revealing the truth." "Scooby, Scooby, Scooby." "What are you thinking?" "College, SATs, your parents, your brothers, your friends..." "How is it you deal with all this stress?" "The pressure to get into the college ofyour choice is incredible." "They did a study recently ofthe youth in Bosnia during the bombing." "They found that the stress the young people experience there was less than what American high school students go through when applying to college." "Is that right?" "Yeah." " My God." "So what do you think?" "I'm not really sure what you're trying to say." "It's funny, I suppose." "But it seems glib and facile to make fun of how idiotic these people are." "I'm not making fun." "I'm showing it as it really is." "You're showing how superior you are to your subject." "But I like my subject." "I like these people." "No, you don't." " Yes, I do!" "I love them." "The camerawork's nice." " Thanks." "I'll tell Mike." "Well... it's still just the beginning." "I know I can... dig deeper." "But, Marj..." "May I call you Marj?" "What it really boils down to is, what does it mean to be a Jew?" "Exactly." "Tzedakah... charity." "And the new wing at Beth Israel is..." "Actually, last year you gave $500." "But this year, $1,000 would not only be a mitzvah, it would bring you to a new level" "Yes, of course." "Your gift would also give you a Chagall menorah and two tickets to the dinner dance this spring." "Because it's true." "Israel needs us now." "If not now, when?" "That's wonderful." "I'll speak to you next week." "You too." "Take care." "Hi, Scooby." "Scooby..." "Scooby?" "How was school today?" "Fine." "Ready for tomorrow?" "What's tomorrow?" " The SATs, knucklehead." "I'm not taking them." "Just... back..." "Mom?" " Yes, Mikey?" "I was looking through one of Scooby's SAT practice books and I took one of the practice tests." "Guess what score I got?" "What?" "550 verbal, 520 math, and I'm only in fifth grade." "Scooby?" "Yeah?" "We have to talk." "What do you want to talk about?" "Don't screw around with me." "You know what I'm talking about." "You're taking those SATs." "You're taking those SATs or your CD collection's history." "You're taking those SATs and you're going to college." "You're taking those SATs if I have to strap your ass to a chair, but, buddy, you're taking them!" "Okay." "I'm tired of this shit." "Were you surprised that Scooby took the SATs after all?" "Not really." "He's kind of a wuss." "Okay." "How about you, Cheryl?" "Were you surprised?" "I don't know." "Whatever." "How come you drive such a shitty car?" "I don't know." "That's interesting." "A cool car." "Is that something that's real important to you..." "Brady?" "A cool car?" " Yeah." "Duh." "That's pretty cool, Stanley." "Thanks." "How did you get it?" "It's my dad's." "He hides it under some old TV Guides in his closet." "Gee." "Your dad's smart." "I know." "Is it loaded?" "No..." "I don't think so." "Scooby, don't!" "Be careful." "I'm not an idiot, man." "I watch TV." "I know." "I'm sorry." "I'm just-- a little nervous." "I don't know why." "You should be." "Here." "You can keep it." "Scooby?" "Yeah?" "You know..." "I like you." " Yeah." "I know." " I mean..." "I know." "Everyone knows." "Do you think..." "Do you think that..." "you'd let me..." "Okay." "If you feel like it." "Just give me a second." "You want some?" " No, thanks." "I'm sorry!" "I should have never made you take the SATs." "Oh God!" "I'm burning to death!" "I'll never do it again!" " Hey, Scooby." "How's it going?" "Conan O'Brien?" "What are you doing here?" "I'm looking for a last-minute guestfor my show." "Any suggestions?" "I'll be your guest." " Really?" "Well, all right." "Let's take a look at the television, and see how we look." "Cool." "Welcome to the show, Scooby." "Nice to have you here." "Great to be here." " Thank you for dressing up for us." "This is very classy." "Tell us, what kind of professional plans do you have?" "What's in your future?" "Well..." "I was thinking" "I might work for you." "Tell me, what do you want to do for me?" "What's your idea?" " Be your sidekick." "And maybe, eventually, become a TV talk show host." "TV talk show host?" "Okay." "You were at sidekick eight seconds ago, then TV talk show host." "You'll be a Latin dictator in about a minute." "Let's see what they think of the first idea." "I'm curious what the audience thinks." "What do you think, should Scooby be my new sidekick?" "Scooby, new sidekick, everybody." "What's up?" "There's something I need to talk about with you." "What?" "There's some rumors..." "Like what?" "You know..." "Stanley." "What?" "Like, don't take this the wrong way." "I mean, I'm cool." "But..." "you know..." "I've got a good reputation at school." "Well..." "I really don't want it ruined." "No problem." "I'm cool." "Thanks, Scoob." "Esposito, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" "You're tackling like a bitch on my football team, son." "You better bend your ass over and hit somebody, understand me?" "Yes, sir." "Yes, sir." " Understand me?" "Then do it!" "Livingston!" "That's the way to hit that hole, son." "We're going to become a football team today." "Let's move the ball!" "Move, move, move!" "Break!" " I want to see you hit those holes." "Defense, fill those goddamn gaps!" "Let's go, guys." "Let's do it." "Set left, set left." "Red, 1 7..." "Red, 1 7..." "Hut--!" "Hut!" "Hut!" "When I'm in high school," "I'm not going to play any football." "I'm just going to concentrate on class rank." "What did you do in high school?" "I did not go to high school." "Weren't there high schools in El Salvador?" "We had to work." "My family was poor." "It must have been hard being poor." "I am still poor." "But, Consuelo, even though you're poor, don't you have any hobbies or interests or anything?" "No, Mikey." "But, like... what do you like to do when you're not working?" "I am always working." "But when you're not, like now, what do you like to do?" "This is work." "But it's not like..." "real work." "This is just babysitting." "You know, your job's really not so bad, if you think about it." "You should smile more." "When the sky is clear and the sun is warm, you're reminded of how beautiful things can be." "A lamppost... a sign... a straw wrapper, blowing in the wind." "But when that dark cloud appears, you realize how fragile the balance of life is." "When Brady first arrived to the hospital," "He was unresponsive to verbal stimuli." "We performed a CT scan which demonstrated a large subdural hematoma with mass effect." "Since the removal of the subdural, he's been in a coma." "When I first met the Livingstons it was in the first 24 hours of Brady coming in after his tragic football accident, and they were acting in a fairly typical way." "We're not the ones that need help." "My son needs help." "My son's in there." "He can't even feed himself." "I don't even know if he's going to be a vegetable or not, for Christ's sake!" "But what about Scooby?" "How would this affect him?" "What meaning is to be found in this?" "This is definitely better." "You think so?" "You don't think that this might not be a little dry?" "This is not an entertainment you're making." "This story about a kid in the suburbs, and the state of the college admission process, has, with this Brady crisis, evolved into something much richer and more provocative." "Yes, I know." "Still, it should be somewhat entertaining." "Without this footage, without this rigorous documentation, it would feel like exploitation." "No, no, no." "No exploitation, this is serious." "But don't you find it a little funny, too, at the same time?" "You've got a family tragedy on your hands." "Will you tell me what's funny about that?" "About a kid in a coma?" "Nothing, I guess." " Why are you making this if you can't treat your subject with appropriate gravity?" "Okay, you're right." "You're right." "We need to screen what we've got." "Invite some regular people, just some random off-the-street types, and see what real people think of this." "I don't know, Toby." "We really have a long way to go." "You still need to get a lot more footage." "It's probably a little premature" "Then we can invite serious intellectual types." "We're not ready." " Hip alternative types... who understand the process." " Toby, we're not ready!" "I need to see this with an audience." "What's an audience gonna tell you?" "I don't know." "Maybe they'll like it." "Consuelo!" "I spilled some grape juice on the floor." "Consuelo?" "Consuelo?" "Are you crying?" "No." "Yes, you are." "I can tell." "What's the matter?" "Mi Jesus." "Mi Jesus." "Speak English." "Mi Jesus está muerto!" "Consuelo," "I'm sorry, but you know if you don't speak English..." "I can't understand you." "My Jesus." "Who is Jesus?" "My baby." "You have a baby?" "My grandchild baby." "I didn't even know you had any children." "But why are you so upset about Jesus?" "He is dead." "How did that happen?" "He was executed." "He was on death row... and then he was executed." "How did they execute him?" "Poison gas." "Maybe it's for the best." "I mean, if he was guilty of doing something wrong." "People who are bad should be killed." "Don't you think so?" "Jesus was not bad." "Maybe he was and you just didn't know it." "He wasn't." "But still, you can't be sure." "I am sure." "But really, you never know." "I know!" "Why was he on death row?" "For rape and murder." "Consuelo, what is rape, exactly?" "It is when you..." "love someone... and they don't love you, and you do something about it." "Sometimes I feel like my parents don't love me." "Well, then, when you get older, you can do something about it." "Consuelo?" "I spilled some grape juice upstairs." "Do you think you could clean up the floor now?" "Dad?" "Do you think that Brady will ever get better?" "One in a million recover." "Maybe he's that one in a million." "Mikey, there's optimism, and then there's stupidity." "It's a very fine line." "I don't think there's any hope either." "I was just trying to make you feel better." "Thanks." " You're welcome." "Dad?" "Would you let me try hypnotizing you now?" "Yeah, sure." "Go ahead." "Hypnotize me." "Okay." "Stay there." "I'll be right back." "Just a sec!" "Be right there." "Could you turn around to me?" "Just turn." "Thanks." "All right." "You must look at this shiny object... and concentrate." "Relax your legs." "Relax your arms." "Relax your shoulders." "Now keep your eyes on the shiny object." "Your eyelids are getting heavy." "Heavier." "You're getting sleepy." "Sleepier." "Now let your eyes close shut... and you are sound asleep." "Now... you are completely under my power." "I am the only voice you can hear, the only voice you will listen to." "Now... when you wake up, you will be in a good mood." "You won't worry so much about Brady." "And I will be your favorite from now on." "If Brady dies, you can be sad for a little bit, but I will still be the most important person in your life." "You will never be mean to me, and always give me whatever I want." "Also, you should fire Consuelo." "She's lazy." "Now, when I snap my fingers, you will remember nothing, but you will do everything I have asked." "One... two... three." "Hey, Mikey, want to get some ice cream?" "Okay!" "It's like, yeah..." "I caved in." "I mean, I had to." "My parents, they're like... still really depressed about Brady." "So I wrote the bullshit essay, filled out the applications, did the interviews..." "I figure I can always drop out." "Where did you get in?" "Princeton." "What did you get on your SATs?" "200 verbal, 710 math." "Kinda weird, I know, but I think they thought it was, like... good weird." "We used pull." "You have to." "Sometimes you just have to, Toby." "What kind of pull did you have?" "I have a cousin." "Very big giver to the alumni fund." "It's all about who you know." "Look, we're not suckers." "Everyone else is out there doing the same thing." "He's right." "Damn, Toby." " It's too hard." "This thing won't open again." " Don't." "Let me try it." "It's... yes, the button is just stuck." "Hey, Toby?" " Hey, man." "I was wondering..." "is the documentary almost finished?" "Yeah, we're getting there." "Can I see what you have so far?" "Sure... yeah, as soon as I have a screening, I'll let you know." "Thanks, man." " Okay, man." "Okay." "Gin, I win." "Let's play again." "Hey, Mikey!" " Hey, Dad." "Come here and give me a hug." "Gee, you're home early." " Yeah." "Listen, why don't you go upstairs and keep your mom and Brady company for a bit?" "I need to speak alone with Consuelo for a moment." "Sure, Dad." " Take off." "Consuelo..." "Mrs. Livingston and I have discussed this, and we've come to the conclusion that we are not very happy with your work lately." "So we're going to let you go." "I don't understand." "We've been happy with you in the past, but now we think, maybe it's time for a change." "I know you've had trouble at home." "Maybe some of that is reflecting on your work." "But, Mr. Livingston..." "I work very hard for you..." "and your family." "I understand." "I'm sorry it had to end this way." "Florsheim, can I help you?" "Hi, I'm trying to reach Toby Oxman." "Sorry, he's offtoday." "Okay." "Um... thanks." "Hey, Mike." "Is Toby here?" "No, he's not." "Do you have any idea where he might be?" "I think he's at a test screening." "I think Scooby's like a lot of kids." "He just hit a speed bump." "Now he's going to find his way, his path's going to be clear, and I think he's going to continue his education at a good college." "And everybody else is going to be happy." "Mr. Livingston, aren't you a bit fearful that Scooby will be confronted with hollow values and systemic conformism?" "I don't know why this is so hard for you to comprehend." "I had a terrific time in college." "I've got a terrific job, a comfortable salary, terrific wife, three terrific kids, and every year I give to the alumni fund." "Now, why are you trying to make college out to be a bad thing?" "A negative experience?" "You had a bad time?" "Well, too bad!" "Get over it!" "Stop trying to impose your misery on others by going around saying," ""Life is bad." "Life is horrible."" "Life is tough on you?" "Well, boo-hoo!" "Well, yeah." "My dad is kind of a goofball." "You just have to... pretend to go along with his ideas, 'cause he really doesn't get it." "Like, I could be the next Oprah... for all he knows, but he's never even seen the show." "What is most important to you?" "I don't know." "I'd like to be good at something." "It doesn't have to be TV." "I mean... it could be movies... anything." "I'd be willing to direct." "I'd like to be... you know... famous." "Not necessarily a superstar." "Just famous." "Be recognized." "Get fan mail... things." "Scooby, now I understand how you want to be like a TV talk show host and all, like Conan O'Brien, but did you know that even he went to college?" "He did?" " Yeah." "He went to Harvard." "...one police officer, eight others were wounded..." "Mom?" "Dad?" "Can I sleep with you?" "I'm scared." " Sure, buddy." "Come on." " Come in bed with us." "Come on." "Snug as a bug in a rug," "Yeah, there you go, pally." "You're monster-proofed." "Scooby..." "Oh my God, Scooby." "I'm so sorry." "I'm so, so sorry." "Don't be." "The movie's a hit."