１、２、３、４、５、６、７、８、９
WALTER
(simply)
Your idea?
She can't read this guy. Maybe that's how he built an empire. She
nods, yeah.
WALTER
You're a woman of insight.
He sits on the arm of his chair. Close enough to speak quietly.
WALTER
My wife and I love this marriage,
and deplore its circumstances.
He puffs his cigar. Julianne puffs her. Kimmy looks on, a kid
watching the grown-ups...
WALTER
As you guessed, my daughter is
unhappy about giving up her life.
And, in my opinion, cowardly in
avoiding the necessary confrontation.
Then he stops. As if reading Julianne's eyes.
WALTER
Mike has a world of ability.
I'd do anything to have him in
my company.
One more puff.
WALTER
Except ask him.
Julianne is a little stunned. Kimmy looks helpless.
WALTER
He'd resent it. And me. And,
most important, Kim.
No smile on his lips. Straight talk.
WALTER
He's a great kid, but he's still
a kid. Instead of recognizing
that his resistance comes from
insecurity, he'd turn it to anger.
To protect himself...
Spreads his hands...
WALTER
... from realizing that he's
ignoring my daughter's needs,
despite how very much he loves her.
He looks to his daughter now.
WALTER
They both have some growing up
to do. But they're good people,
they're starting with love.
They've got time.
JULIANNE
(softly)
I think you're making a mistake,
sir.
His eyes come back to her. A little sharply.
WALTER
And that interests me. How
someone who knows him so well
could be so wrong.
A formidable guy. She meets his gaze.
JULIANNE
See, I love him, too, as much
as anyone here. And for a
whole lot longer.
From her heart.
JULIANNE
I think I know best what would
make him happy.
INT. TOILET STALL - DAY
Julianne, fully dressed, sits on the closed lid of a toilet seat.
The stall is tiny enough to arouse claustrophobia in an astronaut.
Her cellular phone pressed to her ear, she is listening angrily,
smoking ferociously, every call in her body running at red-line.
JULIANNE
Okay, okay, okay, okay, I hear
you, all right?
She closes her eyes.
JULIANNE
It is stupid, dishonest, desperate
beyond belief, and can't possibly
ever work. It can only end in
humiliation and disgrace. Now can
I say two words?
Deep drag on the cigarette. For strength.
JULIANNE
Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!
Do it! Do it!
She's striped her gears. COUGHS horribly.
JULIANNE
All right, twelve words.
INT. PUBLIC RESTROOM - DAY
Julianne exits the stall. To face three BLACK TEENAGE GIRLS. Just
staring at her.
TEENAGER
(supportive)
You do it, girl.
Julianne nods to the kids. They nod back. Damn straight. She
exits the restroom, into...
... glaring sunlight. We are in the middle of the BROOKFIELD ZOO.
And sitting on a bench, eating popcorn from a bag...
MICHAEL
Wow. What was going on in
there?
She shudders.
JULIANNE
Some crazy person.
EXT. ZOO - DAY
Michael and Julianne walking together. He's eating his popcorn.
She carries a cardboard container with nachos, a gooey fudge waffle
cone, and a large drink.
MICHAEL
You're not eating.
JULIANNE
I never eat when I'm serene.
MICHAEL
You never eat when you're
despondent.
JULIANNE
I switched that around when you
weren't looking.
She swirls a single nacho chip in cheese. But her heart isn't in it.
MICHAEL
Last zoo we were in was...
Beijing, yeah? Sure. The rhinos
were fucking.
JULIANNE
Boy, those were the days.
And when she looks over. His eyes are waiting.
MICHAEL
(softly)
Yeah, they were.
They're passing the hippo pen. But they don't notice.
JULIANNE
That was nice. The way you
said that.
So was that. He's feeling restless, something. Doesn't know quite
what to say.
MICHAEL
It's weird being the groom. All
these things Kimmy has to take
care of...
JULIANNE
You need a baby-sitter. That's
what I'm here for.
He holds her eyes. Then looks down. Awkward. And the way he's
doing it begins to excite her.
JULIANNE
Say it.
He looks up, neither one of them noticing that as they walk, she is
about to...
... CRASH into a chest-high metal stand that displays animal facts.
We have followed him as she is WIPED from frame. His face from
shock... to amusement.
MICHAEL
Now, there's my girl.
... to tenderness. PAN back to see her wearing everything from her
cardboard container. Nachos, fudge sauce, Diet Coke, the works.
It is really awful. Kids, bystanders, laughing cruelly. Her eyes
fill with tears, and she tries bravely to smile against it...
JULIANNE
See, I can only do it with
beer.
He takes out his handkerchief. And with that and his hands, gently
scoops the worst of the mess off her. The fact that he's touching
her breasts and her body is something they pretend not to notice.
She laughs softly, and a few tears fall, even though she doesn't
know why. Such an odd, raw, confusing moment. To the world
looking on, they are lovers.
MICHAEL
(murmurs)
See, better already.
And he kisses her face. Not quite her lips. But only an inch away.
We can feel her heart pounding. He strips off his shirt, only a tank
top underneath.
MICHAEL
We'll go back to the bathroom,
you'll put this on...
Okay? She sniffles, okay. Swallows.
JULIANNE
Bet you're glad I'm here to
take care of you.
He puts his arm around her.
MICHAEL
Bet I am.
Holds her close, as they start toward the restroom...
MICHAEL
Hope that crazy person's not
still there.
We're on their backs...
JULIANNE (O.S.)
She doesn't scare me.
EXT. BEACH CLUB, LAKE MICHIGAN - SUNSET
Julianne in T-shirt and shorts, rushes onto the deck of a sprawling
beach club. Clutching her bag, she quickly surveys the scene...
... the entire beach has been taken over by the wedding party.
Young folks, old folks, little kids, maybe 200 people. We SCAN
with her to find a crowd around...
... a three-on-three volleyball game. Kimmy and two groomsmen on
one side, facing Michael and the Tennessee debs. The twins wear
spectacular bikinis and are surprisingly athletic, as well as
predictably uninhabited. As the next point begins, Kimmy serves...
... Sammy in back makes a nice dig, lobbing to Mandy who sets for
Michael's vicious SPIKE straight THROUGH his best man's hapless
defense. The crowd cheers Michael, and as he turns, Mandy gives
him a savage...
... CHEST BUMP of congratulation, that any NFL linebacker would be
proud of. It puts the surprised Michael straight on his butt.
Laughter, applause. The twins pull him up and Sammy gives him a
hot kiss on his ear that makes the crowd react. Kim plays good
sport. Julianne watches Michael's body for a beat, then...
... dashes off. Down the beach, several barbecue grills have been
set up. Manned by beach club staff and family alike. Michael's
pop, Joe, is dispensing beers from a keg. Kim's mom, Isabelle, is
coordinating the beans, potato salad and corn-on-the-cob table.
Julianne races across the sand to...
... a huge smoky grill where Walter is basting baby back ribs,
clearly enjoying himself. Julianne runs up to him, says something
into his ear. He looks at her. Then turns his station over to a
club steward, and follows Julianne down toward the lakeside.
CLOSE now. As they stroll together, she's a little breathless.
He's watching her profile, curious, silent. At the water's edge...
JULIANNE
(whispers)
Is anybody watching?
WALTER
I hope so. This is all too
mysterious to waste on just me.
She reaches into her big bag. Pulls out a single folded sheet of
paper.
JULIANNE
I picked up Michael's messages
for him, at our hotel. I stole
one...
His face darkens. The easy smile fades. He holds up his palms...
WALTER
Julianne, reading my son-in-law's
mail, is not something...
JULIANNE
Sir, this is important! Haven't
you ever in your life cut one
corner, to make something important
turn out right?
His smile returns. Just a little.
WALTER
Matter of fact, that's how I got
married.
The look holds. She thrusts the paper out. He still doesn't take
it.
JULIANNE
It's a fax from Sports Illustrated
from Ben Isaacson, Michael's boss.
WALTER
(quickly)
I know Ben.
She opens the paper.
JULIANNE
"Mike. We still have no answer to
our E-mail of Wednesday. Which
option do you select? I don't mean
to rush you, but Personnel needs to
tie up the loose ends."
He takes the paper. We see it now. Looks authentic.
JULIANNE
I think he's been fired.
WALTER
It doesn't say th...
JULIANNE
He's said some things over the
past few weeks. Look, this is why
I came up with the idea of you
offering him a job.
He looks up. He's listening. Closely.
JULIANNE
And why I couldn't say anything
before in front of Kim.
She bites her lip. Seems so earnest.
JULIANNE
I just think of how... desperate
he must be feeling. He's marrying
a rich man's daughter, and he's
about to become destitute. You
know the kind of job market he'll
be facing?
He does.
WALTER
And you think he's kept this to
himself.
JULIANNE
He's too proud to beg for help.
And if you wait till this comes out,
your offer will be like charity.
Completely humiliating.
He's staring at her. But his mind is working behind his eyes.
JULIANNE
If you do it now, it's like he's
helping you. He can accept with
dignity.
He taps the paper with the back of his knuckles.
WALTER
This fax could mean... any number
of things...
She nods. She knows that.
WALTER
(softly)
Maybe. I should call Ben.
JULIANNE
Then it could all come out, sooner
or later. Nobody should be in on
this. Just you and me. Or, more
correctly, I.
She takes the paper back.
JULIANNE
What if, what if I could find
that E-mail?
The long straight look. Maybe he's hooked.
JULIANNE
I never noticed. Kimmy has your
eyes.
INT. LOBBY, RITZ CARLTON HOTEL - TWILIGHT
Tall, gangly, young DESK CLERK. Lank hair, pimples. He looks up,
beams to see...
JULIANNE
Hello, again.
She's flirting her ass off.
JULIANNE
You still haven't straightened
that tie.
And she reaches across the desk with her lovely, slender hands.
Does it for him. Her fingers brush his chest on the way back. We
can assume a woody.
JULIANNE
You know, my friend, the one
whose message I picked up... ?
He does. His eyes flick toward his stately female SUPERVISOR,
helping another guest across the way.
JULIANNE
Well, he's still with the wedding
party. And he asked me to get
something he needs real badly from
his room... ?
The boy swallows hard.
JULIANNE
He's in 1526. If you could just
let me ha...
BOY
See that woman?
Not only does Julianne see her. The woman is looking back, while
she's talking to her customer. Not a pleasant look.
BOY
She said, if I ever pull a stunt
like that again...
JULIANNE
You'll lose your job...
BOY
... tear my pecker off. Is what
she said.
INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - TWILIGHT
An elevator OPENS, revealing Julianne, carrying a gym bag. She
looks down the long hallway, sees a maid's cart. Heads the other
way, briskly, to...
... a small ALCOVE. Opens the gym bag, pulling out a bath towel.
Begins to yank her top up OVER her head...
ANGLE... the young MAID now pushing her cart down the hall, wheels
SQUEAKING, and from nowhere...
... Julianne DARTS into her path, barely covered by the towel held
tight across her, she is grinning, blushing.
JULIANNE
Help me!
The maid can only blink.
JULIANNE
I locked myself out, 1526, please
hurry!!
And looks frantically up the hall, mortified that any moment a
stranger could happen upon her predicament. Her eyes dart back to
the maid. PLEASE. The maid just stares. Stares.
JULIANNE Uno-cinco-does-ses.
Oh.
INT. MICHAEL'S ROOM - TWILIGHT
Julianne alone in his room, looking around frantically. No worries
about this guy making his bed every day, stuff, clothes, strewn
everywhere, the bathroom looks like a cherry bomb just detonated.
She's tramping through a bachelor's debris, wearing only her towel,
looking, looking...
There it is. The corner of his LAPTOP sticking out from beneath a
discarded bedspread. She SNATCHES it up, OPENS it, sets it on the
cluttered desk, and...
... stops. There are wallet-sized SNAPSHOTS of Kimmy. Some alone.
Some as a little girl. Some with Michael. And next to them...
... the plastic fold-out wallet inset. That he has not yet quite
rearranged. So she picks it up. Leafs through, until she finds
what she was praying would be there...
... Julianne grinning. Michael's arm around her. On the deck of a
boat. They have drinks in their hands. Happiness in their eyes.
And she stares at it. Jesus, God, how long has he carried this
around? She flips through further, all the rest have her in them.
Maybe half a dozen. Her heart is throbbing. Her eyes are damp.
Back to the one on the boat. She slips it from the plastic window.
Holds it. Then, gently...
... puts it back where it belongs. PUNCHES up the goddamn laptop.
This is it, girl! Do or die.
JULIANNE
(murmurs)
You wouldn't change your
password, would you? You
never change anything.
Those words make her bite her lip. Damn, I'm becoming a senti-
mental slob. TYPES in...
JULIANNE
(murmurs)
Shoeless... Joe.
Yes! We're in! Punching keys. Letters flying across the screen.
Okay, we're ready. Types...
JULIANNE
(reads as she types)
Mike. I hate this downsizing
shit as much as you do. But I
know this can't become as a
complete surprise...
INT. BEACH CLUB CARD ROOM - EVENING
Through the window, the wedding party barbecue has extended into
night. Lanterns, music, lots more food, lots more drinks. In the
distance, on the sand, Michael is slowdancing with Kimmy. Some-
where nearby, the soft CLICKING of keys. We PULL BACK to see...
... a small clubby room. Books, leather, polished woods. Only
two people here. Walter, looking on stony-faced, as a determined
Julianne grimly "struggles" to "find" what she's looking for in
Michael's laptop. And then...
... she stops typing. Looks at the text on the screen. Her eyes
sharpen as she "reads" what Walter can't see. It's an Oscar
performance for our desperate girl. She turns the screen around...
WALTER
(reads)
Mike. I hate this downsizing...
He reads. Reads. Reads. All the air comes out of him.
WALTER
(softly)
And Kimmy doesn't know.
She shakes her head. Nope. No way.
WALTER
(signs)
I'll tell her I've reconsidered.
She nods, gravely. Right. He looks in her eyes.
WALTER
You're a smart girl, Jules.
She forces up a fleeting smile of gratitude. But Walter isn't
smiling at all.
WALTER
Wish my daughter. Bad your
guts.
INT. CHARLES TROTTER'S BAR - NIGHT
The hot saloon in Chinatown. Upscale, downscale, jammed, Michael
and Kimmy at a small table in a far corner. CLOSE on them...
MICHAEL
Sure you're okay?
She looks really scared. Turns her drink in her hand. Looking
down at it.
MICHAEL
It's not just a gag, huh?
KIMMY
No, it's, uh... a real big favor.
He takes her hand, tenderly.
MICHAEL
I wish you'd just... come out
with it. I mean why are we
waiting for Jules?
She smiles up at him. The best she can.
KIMMY
Moral support.
She loves him so much, and she is sick with worry.
KIMMY
What's good of having a big
sister, if she...
Stops. Gestures with her eyes. Because her big sister has just
entered...
... looking fabulous. Julianne wears a long sleek sarong, slightly
see-through. Her hair is bound up with silver pins. As she moves
through the room toward us, we can see that, for once, her make-up
is flawless, understated. When she arrives at the table...
... Michael is beaming, admiringly. He stands up.
MICHAEL
(softly)
Wow and wow. You have a date,
after this?
JULIANNE
Never can tell.
He holds her chair. She exchanges an intimate smile with the
anxious Kim.
MICHAEL
You make me think of that song,
we used to...
And he starts humming. The song is, "The Way You Look Tonight."
MICHAEL
(singing)
Someday. When I'm awfully low...
They sit. He looks from Julianne to his bride.
MICHAEL
Okay, kid. You're on.
Kim's eyes flick to Julianne, who nods, supportively. The kid
takes a breath.
KIMMY
It's really my father. Who
needs the favor.
His face sort of comes to a stop. Nothing she can read, yet. He
nods, yeah...?
KIMMY
He's... he's reorganizing some of
the divisions of the company...
His eyes flick to Julianne. She looks down.
MICHAEL
(quiet)
He never mentioned that. Neither
did y...
KIMMY
(blurting)
... and public relations is a big
problem area for him.
She can see it now. In his eyes. She just can't tell how bad.
KIMMY
He needs someone incredible,
someone really close, who he
can trust...
MICHAEL
Like family, huh?
So quiet. So cold. She is terrified.
KIMMY
It would only be, maybe, six
months? Or three or four? It
would mean so much to him...
MICHAEL
To him.
She swallows. Straightens her spine.
KIMMY
And to m...
MICHAEL
(sharp, to Julianne)
... and you knew about this.
Real quiet. Against the noise of this place.
JULIANNE
I think you ought to listen to
her, Michael. This is her life,
too.
Just the thing. To bring that anger near the surface. He turns
to Kim...
MICHAEL
Well, which is it?
A demand. Sharp. Accusing. She doesn't like that...
MICHAEL
You gonna tell me Daddy thought
this one up? All of a sudden, I'm
the only jerk alive who can help
him deal with the press?
She's trapped. Angry, scared. A deer in headlights.
MICHAEL
Why don't you start being honest
for one fucking sec...
JULIANNE
Michael!!
KIMMY
(near tears)
I am honest!
Silence.
KIMMY
All of a sudden, I'm supposed to
drop out of school, forget my
family, forget my career, forget
all the plans I had for my life...
MICHAEL
Well, forgive me for screwing up
your plans!
He can't even believe he's hearing this.
MICHAEL
I'm sure glad I'm hearing all
this now, before it's too late!
KIMMY
What is that sup...
MICHAEL
And what am I supposed to do with
my life, huh? I am 28 years old!
I work in a low-paying, low-status,
zero-respect job which,
unfortunately, I happen to fucking
love. How inconvenient.
Shrugs.
MICHAEL
No problem. A little bullshit
about Daddy's "needs," and presto,
I'm a lap dog in high society.
JULIANNE
(softly)
Michael, it sounds like a
wonderful opportun...
MICHAEL
(whips around)
Does it, really? How come you
never took some sell-out
establishment job? You had plenty
of chances!
Glares in her eyes.
MICHAEL
I'll tell you why. Because that
isn't you. And it isn't me,
either! We're the same person!
Back to Kim...
MICHAEL
What a sweet little picture. Mommy
and Daddy aren't losing a daughter,
they're gaining a eunuch!
KIMMY
Well, if that's the way you f...
MICHAEL
Damn straight, it's how I feel!
What's their wedding gift, a little
gold collar that says "Mikey-poo"?
Or do I have to change my name to "Binky"?
She's crying now. Real tears on her face.
１、２、３、４、５、６、７、８、９
