"[woman]:" "Why don't you talk to him?" "[man]:" "Because he doesn't listen to me." "That is just your usual excuse for avoiding " "Avoiding what?" "I can't avoid anything around here." "I'll talk to him, as usual." "Thank you." "[ rock music playing on headphones ] [woman]:" "Mike." "Mike, would you open the door?" "Look, Mike, we don't have time for this, all right?" "Unlock the door." "Good morning." "Why'd you lock the door?" "Excuse me." "What was that you just clicked off?" "Does it really matter?" "How about a "Hi, mom." "I'm really psyched about my big trip"?" "Everything's ready to go." "[ sighs ]" "Hey, what do you say we give this a wash before we get on the plane, huh?" "How about a little privacy?" "Come on, Mike, let's go." "You got to get ready to leave and breakfast is on the table." "Excuse me." "I said breakfast is on the table." "Come on." "I'll eat, but I'm not going anywhere." "Hey, buddy, you excited?" "Look, I've got a meeting at 10:30, so you're going to have to bring him to the airport." "Here. a little, uh, going-away present." "Why don't you just skip the present and I'll skip this trip?" "Michael, your grandfather's dying to see you." "Well, good." "If he dies, then I don't have to go." "[ slams table ] What exactly is your problem, anyway?" "I can have a great summer here just doing my own stuff." "As if we can trust you here alone..." "Hi, Joy." "No, I'd love to, but I can't." "No, we're going on a cruise for six weeks..." "Do what I say, no arguments." "Hawaii first." "no. no, no, no, no." "Michael's going to be staying with my father in Colorado." "I'm not going." "hey, Ben!" "Better get going." "Hmm?" "Yeah, right." "Mike, hey." "Well, it's good to see you." "My goodness, it's been a long time." "Well." "Well... how was your flight?" "There was no flick." "Eh." "My, you've, uh, come a long way." "Is it always this hot?" "No, no." "It gets hotter." "I hate the heat." "Well, it gets this hot out in L.A., doesn't it?" "Not like this." "Besides, we live by the beach." "It's cooler." "Well, you'll get used to it." "God, I hope not." "[ video game beeping ]" "How's your mother?" "What's that mean?" "How's your dad?" "The same." "Well, I guess that means they're both... [ knock on door ]" "Mike, you awake?" "Hey, Mike." "Hey. hey, ho." "Going to the yard." "Like to come along?" "You might have some fun." "What time is it?" "7:00." "7:00?" "Oh, that's early." "All right, then, I'll, uh, I'll see you later." "Well, you're looking fine." "Hi." "Hey, Eli." "How is he?" "What's he like?" "Moody." "Well, is he like Sandy?" "Well, I don't know." "I haven't got a clear view of him yet." "Ben." "Have you made up your mind about the yard?" "Bill has made you a good offer." "What am I supposed to do if I sell?" "You want me to go tour the country, playing golf?" "Ooh, sounds like a good idea." "I'll think about it." "You're so stubborn," "You'll think about it and never sell." "You'll never have any fun!" "[man]:" "that is absolutely correct." "the 3 of you walk home with $800,000 and a brand-new car!" "Gives me indigestion, all those pictures flapping in my face while I'm trying to eat." "They make most of that stuff out your way, don't they?" "Yep." "I got a lot of contacts in the film business." "I know a lot of celebrities." "Oh, you don't say." "So what did you get up to today?" "Nothing." "Oh?" "I don't suppose you had time to clean up your room." "What's the point?" "It all ends up a mess, anyway." "Haven't you heard about the Chaos Theory?" "No, no." "I can't say I have." "[ knock on door ] [woman]:" "Yoo-hoo!" "Eli!" "Hi, boys." "Come on in." "Thanks." "Hey, are we interrupting your dinner?" "Not at all." "What have you got there?" "Your favorite -- cherry." "Oh ho ho ho." "Mike, I want you to meet Eli." "It's so nice to know you." "He's my grandson." "this is Duane and Evan." "Hi." "Hi." "They're Eli's grandchildren." "Hey." "Can I get you all something to eat?" "Thanks. we've had." "Mike, your grandfather's told me so many good things about you." "I heard you brought some electronic gadgets." "What say you show Duane and Evan after supper?" "That's a good idea." "I'm done." "Come on, guys." "You guys have fun, huh?" "None too talkative, that boy." "Well, maybe he's homesick." "Yeah." "Yeah, maybe." "Listen to these guys." "Dudes I know from school." "Pretty cool, huh?" "Yeah, they asked me to be their manager" "When I get back." "Cool." "It sure beats all that country stuff." "♪ I been cryin' over you ♪" "♪ that's okay, baby, 'cause I been puking' ♪" "♪ over you, too ♪" "unless you're into that." "Hey, listen, I got all kinds of stuff here." "You guys can just come over and hang any time." "Cool." "Thanks." "What did you bring for the 4th?" "Told you, didn't I?" "[ auctioneer calling ]" "You can go in if you want to, but don't pick your nose or you'll buy some beef." "Well, I've got some business." "I'll see you at the house." "I've seen barnyards neater than this." "Do you enjoy living like this?" "Living's the wrong word." "Hmm." "Well, then maybe we better find something to cheer you up." "[ band playing march ]" "Looky there." "They're practicing for tomorrow." "Fourth of July's a big day in our town." "Yeah, we have that in California, too, except it doesn't rain there." "If it does, we just won't pay it any mind." "We'll still have our picnic and our games." "We got a rodeo for those who can stay on a horse." "Then we change the flag." "One year's all the beating Old Glory can take." "Who's going to notice?" "Everyone." "Me " " I'll notice." "That's the real celebrity on the Fourth of July " "Old Glory." "If they made stronger flags, you wouldn't have to go through all the fuss." "We don't mind the fuss, son." "Lots of people died for that flag, what it stands for." "Yeah, I know, and I'm not your son." "It's good of you to come." "Okay, no problem." "Hey, Mike." "Can I watch TV?" "Oh, I'm sorry." "Living room's in use." "But you're welcome to join us." "[man]:" "pull it out again." "Yeah, there we go." "Spread it over on this edge." "We ordered that months ago." "Looks brand-new." "We like to fold it real tight and then rig it so, when it gets to the top, it busts open like an eagle taking wing." "Sounds real exciting." "You don't want to sit in?" "You could go out onto the porch, and then we'd both be happy." "You think it's my job to make you happy?" "Is that it?" "You think this is some kind of a summer camp and I'm a social director?" "It's not." "This is my home, and you are my guest." "So treat me like one." "Act like one." "Sart by cleaning up that mess in your room." "It offends me." "Your Chaos Theory is full of crap." "Whatever, Gramps." "What did you call me?" "Don't you ever call me that again in that disrespectful tone of voice, ever again." "You got that?" "[ knock on window ]" "Come here." "Come on." "[ knock on window ]" "Got something for you to look at." "Come on in." "Can you keep a secret?" "Yeah." "Guess you can't get these babies where you come from." "Cherry bombs." "We got them from this kid who went down to Mexico." "We tested one on a trash can, and it blew the lid 10 feet high." "We're going to set them off tomorrow under the grandstand." "Boy, are those folks going to leave skid marks on their underwear." "You got something planned?" "Yeah, but nothing as baby-ass as some cherry bombs." "What?" "You'll see." "Hey, what are you doing?" "That's my stuff." "Fold it, stack it, and find a place for it." "Who said you could touch my stuff?" "You think I like it here?" "I'd give anything to be back in L.A. -- anything." "It's mutual, son." "I told you not to call me son." "That's the nicest name I could find for you." "Don't push me to find another one." "Clean up your room." "[ band playing march ]" "Go get yourself something to eat, but don't miss the flag raising." "Hey, Nancy." "Hey, Bill." "Howdy, Ben." "Nice to see you again." "We got a nice crowd, haven't we?" "Eli." "Hello, Mr. Mayor." "Oh, got your flag." "Ah, thank you, sir." "I just got the spot for it." "See you later." "[ microphone feedback ]" "Well, folks, it's that time of year again -- [ explosions ]" "What the hell?" "Not bad, huh?" "Excuse me." "Well, folks, it's come that time again for us to take a moment to remember the past and to honor those who have laid down their lives for this great country of ours." "And our local heroes..." "Was it them?" "Oh, yeah." "Survivors of great conflicts." "Ben." "Now, it is our custom on this day which commemorates the birth of our nation to renew the symbol of its glory." "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the symbol of this great country of ours." "[all]:" "♪ Oh, say, can you see ♪" "♪ by the dawn's early light ♪" "♪ what so proudly we hailed ♪" "♪ at the twilight's last gleaming ♪ [ crowd murmuring ]" "How dare you do such a thing?" "Desecrate the flag, embarrass me in front of the whole town." "How dare you do such a vile thing?" "So what are you going to do -- send me to bed without supper?" "Cut off my TV privileges?" "Oh, no, I'll miss the next episode of that big feed show." "Hey, what are you doing?" "If someone ever needed a good licking, it's you." "You touch me, and you'll be in court till you die." "At least I'll have the pleasure of doing it." "I've got rights, too, you know." "You touch me, and you'll pay for it." "[ sighs ]" "It's probably 10 years too late anyway." "Way too late." "Now I know why my mom moved the hell away from here." "Why don't you send me back to L.A." "and do us both a favor?" "Yeah, you think I like being here with you?" "It's not your fault, Ben." "Just think of him as damaged goods, like the flag." "Heck, Ben, I don't think one of us here knows how to get through to kids today." "Maybe so." "What are you going to do with him?" "His parents are out of town for six weeks... but I'm working on something." "Wake up, Mike." "What is it now?" "You wanted to go home?" "You're going home." "Yes!" "I thought you said I was going home." "You are... on horseback." "What are you talking about?" "Your folks are gone for six weeks." "You're stuck with me, and I'm stuck with you, so get it through your whiny head." "Now we're riding together to L.A." "No friggin' way I'm riding with some crazy old man." "You watch your tongue, or I'm going to roast it on a pig spit." "I already ordered the gas and electric turned off, newspapers canceled, post is going to hold the mail." "Nobody in town's going to help you because they can't stand you." "If my mom finds out, she's not going to be happy." "Your mommy can't help you now." "You've never done one worthwhile thing in your whole life -- not one single damn thing you can be proud of." "That's about to change 'cause we're going to ride together." "Someday when you get to be my age, you'll look back, and you'll be able to say," ""I rode to California on horseback."" "Now, that may be the only thing you ever do, but you're going to do it." "Now get in there and pack light." "Get a move on." "Get that." "Get that." "You leave that alone." "You leave that alone." "Go on." "Come on, come on, come on." "Happy-looking fellow, ain't he?" "I've decided to sell it." "No, you can do that when you get back." "No, it's all yours." "I want to sign the papers right now." "You know, I've known you for 30 years, and this is the damnedest thing you've ever done." "Yeah." "Ain't it?" "[ horn honks ]" "[Eli]:" "Ben!" "Ben!" "Ben, wait up." "You're actually doing it." "You know, I always worried about not having a purpose in my life, about the chances I missed, times I lost with my daughter, her son." "Well, this is one chance I'm going to take." "This might make up for one of those times I did lose." "This will bring you nothing but trouble," "Ben Wallace Maxwell, you mark my words." "Well, I must be comfortable with trouble 'cause I'm feeling better all the time." "Ben..." "Take care." "Bye-bye, Eli." "I haven't given up on you." "If anyone asks, tell them I was kidnapped." "You got one rein shorter than the other one." "Even up your reins." "Get your heels down." "You're stepping on the gas and stepping on the brake at the same time." "I thought you said you could ride." "I can." "Yeah... in a pony ring." "You know, it's probably, like, 2,000 miles to L.A." "or something absurd." "800." "800 miles?" "I'll be old enough to vote by the time we get there." "20 miles a day for six weeks ought to get us there about the same time your folks get back." "Why are you doing this?" "I don't know whose fault it is, but you're just plain dumb." "Your ignorance offends me, especially since you're kin, which I can't quite figure out." "Kin?" "I haven't seen you in 14 years." "Then I guess I better teach you a few things." "Oh, teach me, great Zen master." "We got a long way to go." "your mouth is not going to get us there." "Ow!" "What happened?" "He threw me." "That's the gentlest horse this side of the Rockies." "Well, he did, and I'm hurt." "No, you're not." "I can't ride." "You can, but you won't." "Ican'tandIwon't." "So walk." "You can't make me." "Come on." "Did you hear me?" "You can't make me!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "You feed your horse?" "I don't know nothing about feeding no horses." "You eat after he eats." "Then after you feed him," "I want you to rub him down." "Make sure his coat's dry." "you don't want him to stiffen up." "I won't do it." "He's your ride home." "You better take care of him." "What are you looking at?" "You go yelling like that, you'll scare away every living creature between here and L.A." "I wasn't yelling." "I was looking." "Now, what was it?" "It was a stag -- 10-pointer. a real beaut." "Right. maybe you need some glasses." "Nothing wrong with my eyes." "Yeah, well, mine neither." "You could look all day, but you'll never see a damn thing." "Well..." "That's what we're going for." "We're going up there?" "Every day I'll set us a goal, and we'll go for it." "Today it's those foothills." "Yeah, well, what if we don't make it?" "Heh." "We'll make it." "[ game beeping ]" "Since you got so much time on your hands, get us some water." "chop the wood, feed the horses, fetch the water, get a sore butt." "Hey, Mike!" "We're ready." "Mike, supper's ready!" "[ horse whinnies ]" "Mike?" "Mike!" "Mike!" "Head out!" "[man]:" "Said he was lost." "No more than the rest of us." "Hell, no, we're collecting cattle, not babies." "said he was mistreated." "so you're riding all the way to L.A.?" "yeah. weird idea, right?" "he said he's been kidnapped." "Who by?" "His grandfather." "Well, we'll just see about that." "This boy here -- he says you're making him ride all the way to California." "and when I heard that," "I figured... any man that would do that is either out of his mind... or possibly... my good buddy Ben Maxwell." "[ both laughing ]" "Nick, you..." "God, it's good to see you." "You still got those bums with you?" "Who's this?" "Why don't you get yourself some coffee?" "Yeah, okay." "You know, um... my dad makes six figures." "I got $50,000 in a college fund." "That's a lot of money." "You want to make a lot of money?" "No." "I got plenty for my needs." "You like it hot?" "Hot's my middle name." "my dad makes his own salsa, and "hot" doesn't even begin to do it justice." "[ coughing ]" "Ha ha ha ha!" "You really an Indian?" "Part red, part white, part coyote." "Pure American." "You want to make a lot of money?" "My folks are real rich." "You get me home, and they'll take care of you." "That's a promise." "Your grandpa wants you to ride." "That crazy old man?" "What does he know?" "A lot." "You listen to him." "It's hard to believe you're still chasing stray cattle." "the only real cowboying that's left." "going to go on up to the top of that crest and then down the other side, all the way." "That's the way we're headed." "That's what I figured." "Hope you boys are ready for some good eating." "Oh, all right, Syd." "Thank you." "Well, thank you." "Yeah." "Looks good." "You make a nice sweet chili." "You know, Ben, that's only my mild-tasting chili." "You want me to spice it up for you a little?" "Well, I don't " "Yeah." "Yeah, why not?" "Whoo." "Guess you've known him a long time." "Yep." "Your grandma, too." "Hell of a woman." "Leave the seeds in." "That's the best part." "You bet, Ben." "You know me." "He's getting kind of old, isn't he?" "I mean, you know... maybe he's losing it." "You're a lucky boy, Michael." "Why am I lucky -- 'cause he's my grandpa?" "You're lucky 'cause you ain't my son." "[ game beeping ]" "Ha ha ha." "My dad taught me." "Ro taught him." "What did your daddy teach you?" "magic -- how to disappear." "He does it all the time." "That, uh... that thing there cost a lot?" "Oh, I don't know." "It was a present." "Christmas, birthday?" "Just a present for going away." "Your old man give you that knife?" "Heck, no." "I paid for it myself." "What kind of allowance you get?" "Allowance?" "You mean my wages?" "Call it whatever you want." "I get $50 a week spending money no matter what." "$50. for what?" "For nothing." "That's my allowance." "the trouble with cowboys these days is they all want air conditioning." "You boys getting along okay?" "Yes, sir." "Want some coffee?" "Yeah." "Hey, Dad." "Yeah?" "How about you giving me $50 a week?" "What the hell for?" "For nothing." "It'll be my allowance." "It seems to be the going rate out in L.A." "[ chuckling ]" "Oh!" "ha ha!" "[ laughing ]" "Right." "Come here, you dumb nag." "You glue factory reject, get over here." "[ horse whinnies ]" "Come here!" "So he wouldn't work, huh?" "No." "No, he said he was sore all over." "He seems kind of lost to me." "Well, give him time. he'll come around." "Well, you're more sure about that than I am." "There we go." "[ moos ]" "Let's get him!" "[ whistles ]" "All right." "Easy, boy." "Easy." "Good enough." "Tie him over here on this tree." "There we go." "Come on." "Ha ha ha!" "You got one." "I, uh, started to feel better," "So I thought I'd come see if you guys needed any help." "What can you do?" "Can you holler?" "[ thunder rumbles ]" "Well, answer the man." "Uh, sure." "I-I guess so." "Let's hear it." "Um..." "Yahoo!" "[ all laughing ]" "Yahoo!" "[Syd]:" "That's the way to do it." "Now, we're going to get some of these critters into that pen." "Eddie, I want you on the far side." "Mike, I want you there." "Now, if they come close, you flap your wings and you holler." "If you give way, we'll lose them all." "You understand?" "Okay, let's move out." "[Nick]:" "Mike, over there." "Eddie?" "All set." "Get ready." "[Nick]:" "Yah!" "Yah!" "Move up!" "Giddyap!" "Come on, girls!" "Whoa!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Yah!" "Move up there!" "Yah!" "Come on!" "Hey!" "Yah!" "Yell!" "Holler and wave your arms!" "Yahoo." "Yell." "Come on." "Yah-hah!" "Scream!" "Yahoo!" "Scream!" "Come on!" "Yahoo!" "Yah!" "Yah!" "Yahoo-hoo!" "Yahoo!" "Yah-ah-ah-ahoo!" "Yahoo!" "[Eddie]:" "Way to go, Mike!" "[Ben]:" "Good job, Mike!" "[Nick]:" "That's the way to do it!" "[ cattle lowing ]" "Now see this little loop here." "This is the spoke." "From here to here," "It's called the spoke, all right?" "When you're going to throw at something, you pick something out like a manhole cover." "You want to make like you're going to drop this on top of the manhole cover." "You got it?" "You want to do it real easy now." "Roll your wrist and point at what you're going to throw at." "See, point." "See that?" "Huh?" "Looks easy enough." "Here, what say you give it a try, huh?" "Here you go." "Remember what I told you." "You want to roll your wrist like I taught you." "Make it real easy." "Make everything easy now." "Don't do any jerky things." "Get them all twisted up there." "That's it." "That's the honda." "Now you're making your spoke." "That's about right." "That's good." "That's good." "Too big, too big." "You're rolling it backwards." "Roll it the other way." "No, no, no, that's just your -- roll your wrist." "Roll your wrist." "That's it." "You treat me like I'm a kid." "It's just some stupid rope trick." "Uh, well..." "I thought you'd like to learn some trail skills besides hollering and flapping your wings." "[ whistling ]" "You seen Mike?" "Uh..." "Hmm." "You sure made an impression on the boy." "Guaranteed to make grown men weep." "All set." "Nah, there's hush puppies for you boys." "[ gasping ]" "Hee hee hee hee." "Got any hot sauce?" "Hmmph." "[ both laughing ]" "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" "Oh, give me some of that water!" "[ gargles ]" "Oh!" "Whew!" "Whoo!" "We call this a wedding ring." "This was your mom's favorite." "She used to jump in and out of there, but I can't, so..." "So how did my mom get so good?" "Well, she practiced on me." "She used to rope me." "I'd be a steer, and she'd rope me." "You want to do it?" "What do you think you've got the rope for?" "Come on." "Now, roll your wrist." "Roll your wrist like I showed you." "That's it." "Good, good." "Moo!" "Moo, moo, moo!" "That was a good try." "Just draw it in there again." "That was too fast." "You got to have rhythm when you do that." "See, keep these things coiled here so they flow out of there." "You know what I mean?" "All right, roll it." "Moo!" "Moo!" "Moo!" "Just give yourself a little more rope." "You're holding on to the rope." "Let that go out there." "You can't grab it." "Just throw it." "All right, you ready?" "I'm running out of moos here." "All right, come on." "Moo!" "Moo!" "Moo!" "Moo!" "Whoa!" "Are you all right, Ben?" "Nice catch." "You might be kin after all." "So, you go to school?" "I'm saving up for junior college." "Whoa." "Look, over there." "You going to take him?" "No, I think we need backup on this." "I'll go get the others." "You keep watch." "[ horse neighs ]" "Hyah." "[ moos ]" "Aah!" "Whoa!" "Aah!" "Giddyup." "Aah!" "Let him go!" "Let go of the rope!" "Cut the line, will you?" "Let go of the rope!" "Let go of the rope!" "Whoa!" "[man]:" "Hang on there." "[man]:" "Ah, hell." "[ men laughing ]" "I told you to let go of the damn rope." "Ugh." "You sure it's not cold." "[Ben]:" "No, it's not cold." "You sure?" "[Nick]:" "Ooh, it's fine." "Come on in." "Well, it looks cold." "Come on, they said it ain't cold." "Let's go." "Whoo!" "Yee-ha!" "Whoo!" "It ain't cold." "You lied!" "Whoo!" "[Ben]:" "Cold?" "It's not cold." "It's goddamn freezing!" "Freezing!" "Here." "Catch." "Take the sting out of them rope burns." "No. you know, I think I'm going to leave them." "Figure it might toughen them up." "Heck, maybe I'll even develop a real callus." "I'll bet you don't need a callus out in L.A., huh?" "I bet that's a cool place." "You know, Eddie..." "I really am just a loser with soft, mushy hands and no trail skills." "Well, that's a defeated way of seeing things." "Well, you ever feel that way -- like you've never done anything or accomplished one worthwhile thing in your whole life?" "My life is just beginning, Mike," "Just like yours." "So, you got a lot of friends out there in L.A.?" "Oh, tons." "Yeah?" "Oh." "No, man." "Not that many." "One or two, maybe." "I'm pretty much a loner." "Yeah." "What about you?" "Well, I'm out on the trail a lot with my dad." "It gets kind of lonely, but, um, at least I'm with my dad." "That's something." "Yeah." "What about your folks?" "What about them?" "How come they sent you out here?" "They got problems of their own." "I guess I really didn't help that much." "[Ben]:" "Nice evening." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Mike, why don't you go see if you can scare up Syd," "Tell him I'm ready to take on whatever he's cooked up?" "Okay." "Tthat's a nice kid there, Mr. Maxwell." "Yeah, he's got potential." "Hey." "Hey." "I thought those were supposed to be for indigestion." "Yeah, they are." "We ain't et yet." "Preventive maintenance." "[ horse neighs ]" "[ clicking tongue ]" "Get." "Whew!" "It's the prettiest horse I ever did see," "Even if it's headless." "Stop showing off!" "Whew!" "Ow!" "Aah!" "[ horse neighs ]" "Hyah!" "Easy, boy." "[ horse neighs in pain ]" "Whoa." "[ neighs ]" "Easy." "You hurt?" "[ horse neighing ]" "Broken." "He's your horse." "I'll help you bury him." "[ sobs ]" "[ cocks rifle ] [ gunshot ] [ horses neigh ]" "I'm, uh, I'm sorry." "I killed him." "Yeah, but you had to, Eddie." "No, I " "I killed him because I was fooling around." "You bet." "[ men laughing ]" "Okay." "Eddie." "Thanks, Pop." "What's this for?" "Wages." "You worked." "You earned it." "[ country music playing ]" "Four beers." "How's about making some room?" "What did you say?" "I said, how's about making some room?" "You know, you probably shouldn't drink that so fast, Syd." "Why not?" "Hey, I'll have a coke." "I'll have the same." "Mmm, that is a nice mild-tasting pepper." "Mmm!" "I could eat these all day." "Eh." "We got ourselves the champion chili pepper popper of all time right here." "Syd " "He'll take on any one of youse in the house." "I got me a bankroll to make it worthwhile." "$10 a pepper. winner takes all." "Any challengers, or are you all candy-mouthed rhinestone cowboys?" "Syd." "Put your money where your mouth is." "Now, I'll have a wedge of blueberry pie and two scoops of vanilla ice cream." "The same." "Ladies." "Excuse me?" "What are you looking at?" "What?" "What are you looking at?" "[man]:" "Give me back my beer." "[man #2]:" "Let's go, boys, let's go." "Now you didn't chew." "The rules are you chew four times before swallowing." "Show him how, Ben." "Yeah." "[ crowd murmuring ]" "See?" "[man]:" "Come on, kid." "He's going to do it." "I'm, uh," "I'm going to go to the men's room." "[ crowd laughing ]" "You got him on the run, Ben." "[ chokes ]" "Come on, go over there." "All right." "[ clears throat ]" "How about we, uh, buy you two ladies a coke?" "Sure." "All right." "Listen, Ben, don't go scaring this sucker off." "If you make it look too easy, he'll up and quit." "Show a little pain so he'll think he can win." "[man]:" "That's my boy." "[man #2]:" "There he goes." "There he goes." "It went down." "No, it went down." "I saw him do it." "That's it." "[ clears throat ] [ choking ]" "That's good." "That's really good." "Good acting." "Finished yet, moron?" "This here is the California State Champion." "He's going to put his name right up there in the high score." "[man]:" "Aw." "How could you just quit?" "You all right, Ben?" "Say something." "Are you guys really cowboys?" "Sure thing." "Isn't that right, Mike?" "Don't distract me." "Hey, how well do you know those guys?" "She's dating the one on the right." "He's state shot put champ," "And the one in the middle -- that's my sweet potato." "Uh-huh." "[ coughing ] [ toilet flushes ]" "I crashed." "Hot damn!" "High score." "Let's see somebody beat that." "Wow." "Wow." "Congratulations." "I believe you boys have some cash that belongs to me." "[ coughs ]" "Did you see their faces?" "Did you see that sweet potato?" "He was baked." "Oh, man." "We sure showed them." "Sure did." "Whoo." "Oh, shit." "Well, looky, looky." "Get out of here, Mike." "Why don't you stick around, boy?" "You ready to eat some concrete?" "I said get out of here." "Never show your face where it don't belong." "[ grunting ]" "I thought you were going to run. come on, boy." "Come on." "Let's get out of here." "Aah!" "Damn it!" "Well, where did you get up to?" "We got a bite to eat." "Ha ha!" "so did Ben." "[ groans ]" "What happened to you?" "Yeah, and to you?" "A little misunderstanding." "You look like hell, boy." "It's nothing." "We're fine." "It would have been a lot worse" "If Mike hadn't been with me." "Is that right?" "Yeah." "Hey, you okay?" "Yeah, me?" "I'm fine." "I just had a little...food fight." "[ laughing ]" "[ coughing ]" "Got you a burger and some fries." "Thanks." "[ coughing ]" "You want some?" "Oh, no, thanks." "I'm not hungry." "You know, Nick and the boys are headed for Colorado at first light." "I guess we'll make our way on our own, then." "What do you think?" "I was going to talk to you about that." "See, you've done good." "You've done really good, and I'm proud of you," "But sometimes you just don't want to push a good thing." "I thought you said we were going to ride all the way back to California." "Yeah." "Hey, listen, Ben," "I know I've been a big pain in the butt here, but I've been thinking we really can do this." "Nobody wants to finish this trip more than I do." "I've got my own personal reasons, but, you know, sometimes the goal is there just to get you halfway." "we could take the bus back to Collins." "What about the horses?" "We could ship them back." "Well, what about the trip, then?" "Mike, listen to me " "No, you just don't want to ride with me anymore." "That's it, right?" "No, it's not that." "It's not that at all, no." "I just " " I was just thinking about you." "You can let me think about myself." "I can make my own decisions, you know?" "Yeah, I know." "I know that." "Look..." "Why don't we talk about this after we've had a good night's rest, hmm?" "Is that a deal?" "Deal." "So, what happened?" "You run into a wall or fall off a horse?" "I haven't fallen off a horse in 40 years." "Breathe." "[ inhales ] [ exhales ]" "[ coughs ]" "I think I picked up a little chill." "And again." "I'm going to go see what's taking so long." "You do that." "Mr. Maxwell, you have some other more serious problems that you should be dealing with." "Yeah, I know." "Just give me a shot." "Let me be on my way." "I'd be violating my professional ethics" "If I was to let you leave." "Look, Doc, none of us have that long to live." "Some of us just have less." "Let me use my time my way, please." "[ knock on door ]" "Hi." "I'm, um, Mike Lewis, Mr. Maxwell's grandson." "I, uh, wanted to see how he was doing." "Your grandfather is a very determined man." "Yeah, well, I told the doc" "I was running low on my indigestion pills, so he's just about to write me up a new prescription." "Oh." "[ telephone rings ]" "Whoa there." "Whoa, whoa." "Here, Eddie." "Keep it." "Are you sure?" "Yeah." "Thanks. keep the knife." "Thanks, Eddie." "See you around." "See you." "I'll see you again on the trail, the sooner the better." "God willing." "Yeah." "Adios, Ben." "Syd, watch out for those chills." "[ laughs ]" "Take it easy, Ro." "Eddie, don't let this old man work you too hard." "See you around." "Hyah!" "[ laughs ]" "You really want to get on that bus and go back the way we came?" "No, I don't." "I want to take another look at the Pacific." "Well, all right, then." "Let's ride to where the sun sets." "Let's go." "[ horse neighs ]" "Hyah!" "Come on." "Hey, Ben, why do you want to ride all the way to the Pacific?" "Oh, I don't know." "I, uh..." "I got a lot of memories tied to the Pacific -- some good, some not so good." "Tell me." "Well..." "I served in the Pacific during the war... with a lot fine men in some bad situations -- real bad situations." "Well, what about the good memories?" "I was discharged in Long Beach, and stayed there with some friends for a while just, you know...." "Then I met a woman on the pier one bright and sparkling day." "She was introduced to me, and I fell in love with her right then -- just right then, just...fell in love." "Then we walked on the beach all afternoon and watched the sun go down." "Everything she said, everything she did, would just " "Well, it was just perfection, and it remained that way for 43 years." "I made my mistakes." "Oh, yeah, boy, I made my mistakes all right," "Just like you." "But for the life of me," "I can't remember one that she ever made." "She came back to the ranch with me just to make me happy." "Never once threw it in my face, never once asked to go home." "I know she missed it... like she missed your mom when she went back." "And now all I can do is take her home in my heart... and watch the sun go down with her one more time." "we're getting closer all the time, Grandpa." "Yeah. yeah, I know." "Whoa. whoa, boy." "Whoa. whoa, boy." "[ hissing ]" "Mike, back away easy." "We got a rattler." "Steady, boy." "Whoa, boy." "Whoa." "Whoa. whoa, boy." "Whoa. whoa, boy." "Hyah." "[ neighing ]" "Watch it, boy!" "Watch it, Mike." "Aah!" "Ben!" "Hang on, Ben!" "I'll get you!" "Throw me the lasso!" "Just hang on, Ben!" "Sorry, Ben!" "Just hang on!" "Try again." "Catch it, Ben!" "Catch it!" "I'll get it, Ben!" "I'll get it!" "Hold on!" "Come on, Mike!" "You can do it!" "Roll the wrist, lead the target." "Roll the wrist, lead the target." "Get it, Ben!" "Yeah!" "Whoa, whoa." "Climb up, Ben!" "Come on, you got to climb!" "Ben, you got to climb!" "Come on, Ben!" "Uhh!" "get it, Ben!" "Keep coming, Ben!" "[ grunting ]" "I'll get you!" "Just keep coming!" "You okay, Ben?" "Who taught you how to rope?" "My grandpa." "Yeah. yeah." "Guess what day it is." "Tuesday?" "Well, yeah, but " "We've been riding a month." "We're making good time." "We'll be in California in a day or two." "Tomorrow's my birthday." "You don't say." "I'll be 17." "Whoo!" "Getting old." "What's this?" "That is courtesy of Tastee Cakes." "I don't think the bouncing or the heat did 'em much good," "But I didn't think we'd run into too many bakeries out here." "they're great, Grandpa." "Thanks." "Open it up, open it up." "Let's get one out." "Yeah." "Okay, here." "All right, now make a wish and blow that out." "Whoa!" "All right." "Ha ha." "It's the best cake I ever had -- ever." "Here." "I couldn't find a computer store." "No, Grandpa." "That's okay " "No, no, It's just some things that I want you to have." "Here." "Ahh." "Yeah." "This is a family tree." "See?" "It goes back five generations." "That's you right there." "so, you always knew when my birthday was." "Well, of course." "I only got one grandson." "Now, what's this?" "Some pictures I thought you might be interested in seeing." "Just some old stuff." "Is that you?" "Yeah." "How old were you there?" "18." "I just enlisted." "That's just a year older than me." "Mm-hmm." "Hey, look, there's you and Grandma." "Yeah." "Wasn't she beautiful?" "I hope someday you find someone like Oma to share your life the way she shared mine." "Is that my mom?" "Mm-hmm, yeah, That's her." "Oh, my, she was a fine little rider -- a roper, too." "Whatever happened between you two?" "Well, that's something I'm not too proud of." "You know, she never took much to country life outside of horseback riding and just, well, I was too stubborn to accept that she wanted to do something else." "one day she just walked out without saying a word, just left a note on the mantle." "I refused to speak to her for a while." "before I knew it, it was 10 years that had gone by." "it took your grandma's funeral to get us back together again." "I thought that somehow maybe, you know, spending this time with you would make up for some of the time" "I lost with her." "Here." "I got something else here" "I want to show you." "Yeah." "There we go." "You got this for being a hero, right?" "No, I got that for doing what we all had to do." "Happy Birthday, son." "Thanks, Grandpa." "[ coughing ]" "Grandpa?" "Oh. ha ha." "You okay?" "Oh, I'm fine." "I'm just a little restless." "Oh." "[ breathing heavily ]" "Do you have any idea where they are right now?" "I really think I need to call the police." "they're somewhere between here and California." "It's been over a month, so they should be in your neck of the woods." "Maybe we'll stop here." "You sure?" "I mean,there's plenty of daylight." "Why don't we make it to the far ridge?" "All in good time." "Give me a hand with these saddlebags." "You got it?" "Yeah." "We'll be riding down the ocean in a few days." "Yeah, won't that be so-- [ clears throat ]" "Are you okay, Ben?" "Oh, yeah. yeah." "Whoo, yeah." "I'm just -- just a little bushed, is all." "Now let's set up camp." "You know what needs doing." "Here, I'll get the water, then." "No, don't coddle me, boy." "Don't coddle me." "I'm fine." "Ooh." "[ grunting ]" "Grandpa, are you okay?" "Grandpa?" "Come on, Grandpa." "You -- you should eat something." "[ groaning ]" "Oh, I lost my appetite." "I'm going to go get help." "No. no." "No, I don't need that kind of help now." "Hang in there." "Promise me you'll hang in there." "I can't promise you that." "I'm going to go." "There's got to be a highway, a house, a phone, or something." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "No, I don't want my last sight to be the inside of an ambulance or some kind of a damn oxygen tent." "I'm content right here." "Sorry, son." "I thought I could make it." "[ sobbing ] We almost made it." "I can almost hear the ocean." "We can make it together." "I have money in my wallet." "I want you to ride out at first light, and I want you to call your folks, and you tell them to come and get you." "Oh, I've had a long ride." "Whoo, what a long ride." "I don't want to stop... but if it has to be, this is a fine place to get off... right here, breathing that sweet air... touching the earth... in the company of a fine young man." "would you be my witness, Michael?" "Would you keep me company?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you, Michael." "You know, you have grown up right in front of my eyes." "I'm very proud of you." "I'm very..." "Grandpa?" "Please don't go, sir." "Grandpa?" "[ thunder rumbling ]" "Go on." "Git, git." "That'll be $6.40." "How much for that flag?" "[ telephone rings ]" "[Mrs. Lewis]:" "Please leave a message after the beep." "[ beep ]" "Hi, mom." "I'm okay." "Don't worry." "I'll call you in a day or so." "I love you, and Grandpa does, too." "Goodbye." "[ horse trotting ]" "What the hell?" "[woman]:" "Hey, Nancy, stop over here." "[man]:" "Check this out." "I don't know." "You can't ride a horse here." "What kind of a weird cowboy are you?" "You guys know which way the ocean is?" "Hasn't moved -- a few blocks down that way." "Hey, didn't I see something about you on, like, the news or something?" "Yeah, you're the kid who rode all the way from Colorado." "[both]:" "Good luck, man." "Hope you make it." "All the way, baby." "All the way." "Hey, let's go." "[ siren wails ]" "are you Michael Lewis?" "Yes, sir, I am, but you're making a big mistake." "Get off the horse, Michael." "Where's Mr. Ben Maxwell, son?" "Iis he with you?" "No, sir, he's not, but you see, I have a very important thing" "I have to do for my grandpa and me." "and what's that?" "to ride all the way to the damn ocean, and if nothing else ever happens, at least I'll have done this one fine thing." "[dispatcher]:" "I'm patching in Mr. and Mrs. Lewis." "Put the boy on." "This is car 62." "Here he is." "Michael, honey, it's Mom." "Are you all right?" "I got to go." "[ horse whinnies ] [ crowd cheering ]" "[ siren wailing ]" "We made it, Grandpa."