WOMAN: My favorite children's book is about a little prince
who came to Earth from a distant asteroid.
He meets a pilot whose plane has crashed in the desert.
The little prince teaches the pilot many things,
but mainly about love.
My father always told me I was like the little prince,
but after I met Adam,
I realized I was the pilot all along.
(shovel digging)
¶ ¶
(shovel digging)
¶ ¶
(broom sweeping)
¶ ¶
Morning, Adam.
Good morning, Kelli.
ADAM: Good morning, Lulu.
KELLI'S VOICE: Good morning, Adam.
KELLI: I don't know what to say.
ADAM: Say anything.
Okay, Adam Raki is
the cutest guy in the office. How's that?
ADAM: That's fine. Morning, Adam.
LULU (Kelli's voice): Good morning, Mr. Klieber.
Good morning, Kelli.
Good morning.
LULU: Good morning, Adam.
How did she do that? What? What?
How did she know it was me and then you talking?
Oh, voice recognition.
I put in voice patterns from some people in the office
and added SPLICE to the recognition system.
SPLICE stands for
stereo-based piece-wise linear compensation for environments.
It's an algorithm that I placed...
Adam, Adam, did Chatty Patty have SPLICE?
Did Big Mouth Billy Bass have SPLICE?
You said I could make her sound like Kelli.
I said she could sound like Kelli.
I didn't say to give her free will.
She doesn't have free will.
5,000 at $100-- not five at $1,000.
Capisce?
Good-bye, Mr. Klieber.
LULU: Good-bye, Adam.
¶ ¶
MAN (over computer): All of which gives us the rare opportunity
(talking along): ...to explore the mysterious terrain
that lies between fame and craft.
Between the public persona and the private precious self.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Actor's Studio
is proud to welcome an actress we admire--
Julia Roberts.
(applause over speaker)
(rattling) Perfect.
Oh.
Is this open?
I mean to residents?
Do you have a key?
Oh, yes.
I just moved in.
Beth Buchwald.
3A.
Adam. Second floor, two.
You're not doing your laundry?
Oh... um... yeah.
Looks like a bit of an emergency.
Would you mind letting me in?
Uh, yeah, yeah, sure.
Thanks.
(keys jangling)
BETH: I mean, I loved it downtown--
that's my hood-- but this place is bigger,
and it's right around the corner from Wildwood.
Can you see the sky from the third floor?
I guess I would if the windows weren't covered in soot.
Some nerve, right?
Calling a school in the middle of Manhattan "Wildwood."
It's just temporary, actually.
The job, not the name of the school.
I'm a writer, for children, so it's a good experience.
What do you do?
Uh, I help make toys.
Oh, you're an elf?
(laughing): No, I'm a...
I'm an electronic engineer.
(clicking)
Oh, you need a card for the wash.
No, I've got one.
Funny.
I think I left mine upstairs in my packet.
Could I borrow yours for now?
Okay.
Thanks.
(clicking)
Good. Good work, Beth.
Hi, neighbor.
There are new images of Saturn from the Cassini project.
Oh. God.
I always wished I knew more about space.
You did? Like what?
I don't know.
You know, what's out there.
You have to narrow that down.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Oh, well, I have books
and telescopes, star charts.
You could borrow some stuff.
And we could go out, look at sky, tonight.
Maybe, sometime. Sure.
Okay.
Well, I'll just be hauling
these enormous grocery bags upstairs now.
Okay.
(straining): Okay.
(grunting)
(guys talking, laughing)
What are you doing?
Oh...
People watching.
Anyone in particular?
Oh, just people.
Listen, I'm going out with some friends tonight later,
if you want to come.
Oh.
They're people,
so you might want to watch them.
Uh-huh.
But, if not, you know, that's fine.
No, I want to go, but, um, I...
I don't think I can.
Okay, if you're busy.
No.
I mean, it's not a date.
It's just a little moving-in celebration, you know?
When?
8:00? 8:00-ish.
Uh-huh.
Look, there's no pressure.
I'll just knock on your door on my way out,
and if you can, you can.
Okay.
Yeah? Yeah.
Okay.
(clock ticking)
(ticking)
(footfalls approaching)
(knocking on door)
Adam?
(knocking on door)
Adam?
(footsteps departing)
(crying quietly)
BETH: Good night!
(door opening)
I-I'm sorry I didn't come out with your friends.
No problem.
I get kind of overloaded.
I have something to show you.
Come in, come in.
Oh, my!
You said you want to know more about space.
ADAM: Because it looks like this
people think of it as still
even though we know it's expanding.
All parts of the universe are moving away from one another.
Most of them faster than the speed of light
except for... I thought nothing went faster than the speed of light.
Right, right.
Uh, nothing goes through space faster
but space itself--
Okay, um, you know about the big bang?
A little, uh, "In the beginning,
God created..." Inflation theory says
the big bang came from as little as
a 20-pound chunk of space, about 14 billion years ago
that expanded to the size of the universe
in 10 to the minus 39 seconds.
10 to the minus 39? A decimal point,
39 zeroes and then a one.
That's the fraction of a second
in which the universe was formed.
That's billions and billions of times faster than light.
Hmm, that's... fast.
Yeah.
Wow!
These are all pictures of stars and galaxies
that have been traveling away from us
for hundreds of millions or billions of years.
But, but that's still nearby
compared to most of the universe that we'll never see.
Never? Well, things
that move apart faster than light,
can't ever see one another because the light from one
never catches up to the other.
After the big bang, the expansion of the universe
slowed down, but then, after seven billion years,
for some reason, it speeded up again
and it's been speeding up ever since.
Some day, everything you see here will disappear forever.
And, eventually, the night sky
will be almost completely dark.
That's kind of sad.
Sad?
I-I've been talking too much, so...
No, it's... fascinating.
But I talk too much when I get excited.
No, really.
It's, it's amazing.
Well, I-I could tell you quickly about embrain theory.
Oh, no, it's okay.
Maybe next time. Okay.
It's very speculative.
I should go.
Good night, Beth.
Good night.
Thanks!
I love your planetarium.
(chuckling): Oh...
You're welcome.
(footsteps receding)
(both laughing)
Well, I could've waited, Daddy.
Not another day.
I wanted you out of that rattrap for five years.
They were mice. But I was right, wasn't I?
You love it.
It's okay, it's not like the Village.
I've only met one person so far.
It's new.
He did have a planetarium in his living room, though.
You were in someone's living room?
He's cute; he lives in the building.
What ever happened to Rich Litman?
Not going there.
Now, what was the name of his company?
Founder's Fund?
Okay, okay.
So, your neighbor's an astronomer?
No, he's an electronic engineer, whatever that means.
But he hasn't even said
hello to me since the first time.
So, he's an idiot.
No, it's me.
Didn't anyone tell you and Mom that only children
are emotional retards, spoiled, too trusting
and unequipped to cope?
What were you thinking?
That we had one perfect child.
How's school?
We just started.
"The course of civilization is a race between
catastrophe and education." John F. Kennedy.
I know.
Now, if you marry an investment banker,
you could do whatever you want.
Rich Litman is a dick, Daddy, can we leave it at that?
Don't say "dick" to your father.
No one's perfect, Bethie.
That's all I'm saying.
But there's sensor systems that detected an error
in analyzing space figures... Adam...
I'm having lunch.
Speak English. I'm sorry.
See, the star tracker system...
No... No more background radiation, black holes
or Mars robots.
(chuckles nervously)
Lunch time is for guy talk.
Two guys talking about women, the weather and such.
You got it?
But the star tracker systems... No.
Mm, mm, mm...
A woman moved into 3A.
All right, now, that's lunch talk.
So?
So, that's all.
Well, no...
A woman moved into 3A, she looked...?
She looked nice.
Good.
(chuckling): Good!
Uh, you gonna meet her? I did.
You did?
We did laundry; she came to my apartment.
(chuckles) She did?
And I told her some about space.
Oh, Jesus, how'd she take it?
She liked it.
She...
Well, bless my stars!
You gonna see her again?
I see her almost every day.
You talk to her again?
No.
Adam... you're the man.
You have to start the conversation.
Ask her out; take her to dinner.
(phone ringing) I can't do that. H-How...
This jackass locks himself out of his car,
figures he can cuss me out on the phone.
Well, he ought to be chill by now.
(grunting) Harlan...
Follow through, young man.
Follow through.
BETH: Are you and Mom still going to Barbados this year?
Well, we're still deciding.
Oh, really?
There's a little problem that has to be dealt with.
Between you and Mom?
No, no, at the firm.
Oh.
There was an indictment last March.
There was an indictment of the firm?
No, of me-- personally, no less.
It's nothing.
Some junior G-man playing Clarence Darrow.
But there's a trial date now: January 19.
A trial?! Yeah.
So we have to work everything out before then.
But bullshit-- if you'll excuse the expression--
expands to Philly a lot of times
so now Barbados is up in the air.
(whistling)
Daddy!
Don't worry.
But if you happen to come up with the next Harry Potter,
we may need it to pay the goniff lawyers.
Home Friday for dinner, right?
Yeah.
I love you, Daddy!
Love you!
(door shuts, taxi departs)
(knocking on door)
ADAM: Beth?
(knocking continues)
Beth?
Adam.
I'm so sorry,
I just don't feel like any company tonight.
Oh, that's okay.
Come out with me.
I want to show you something.
Beth?
Adam, the park's closed.
Just a little bit further.
I want to go back.
I'm not... Shh.
Over here.
Adam, I...
Shh-shh, shh, shh...
A raccoon in Central Park?
That was so cool.
What are they doing here?
Foraging.
How did you know where they'd be?
They live here.
I used to come and watch them a lot.
It's quiet.
They don't really belong here, you know, but...
here they are.
They're coming back around in a little while.
You want to wait?
Yeah, sure.
(gasps): Wh... Oh, Mr. Klieber.
Yes, that's all right.
I... startled you.
Yes.
I just wanted
to tell you what a good job you've done for us
the last year and a half.
Well, that's good.
When your father explained your...
you know, when he explained your... things...
Well, I had my-my doubts, but he was right--
a man of your background at the salary you're getting
has been a value to this company.
Well, that's good.
Yes... but the world is changing.
You can't be the corner candy store anymore;
you've got to compete.
Candy store?
5,000 at a hundred, not five at a thousand.
Adam, I've got to let you go.
But I will write you a recommendation
that will knock your socks off. Let me go?
I'm truly sorry. But I-I don't want to go.
Hold on. But I haven't finished.
I still have... I have a bid, Adam. It's done.
On a better chip?
Not better, cheaper.
Look, go home, talk it over
with your dad-- I'm sure he'll
find you another job before you know it. But my dad...
Kelli has your severance.
It's been a pleasure working with you.
And I mean that, sincerely.
Good-bye, Adam.
LULU: Good-bye, Mr. Klieber.
(distorted, muted): Adam, dude, sorry about that.
Don't worry about it, bro. Something will come up, man, I promise.
I'm so sorry, Adam.
See you around, okay?
¶ ¶
(truck roars past)
¶ ¶
(kids' chatter, playful shouts and squealing)
¶ ¶
(laughing, playful shouting and squealing)
¶ ¶
Excuse me, sir, what are you doing there?
I said, whatcha doin'?
Watching the children.
Uh-huh. Let me have some I.D., sir.
I-I was looking at the children.
Sir, turn around, put your hands on the fence, please.
Why-why are you doing this?
Lean forward, put your hands on the fence, please.
Turn around!
Hands on the fence.
What-what are you doing?
I'm taking your wallet out of your back pocket
to check your identification, sir.
15-Adam to Central K,
I need a name check: Adam Raki.
Robert-Adam... Is this the man you reported?
I wasn't the one who saw him.
Where do you live, sir?
(stammers softly) Please stay where you are.
Do you live or do you have business in this neighborhood, sir?
OFFICER 2: Everything's fine.
Go on back inside.
(children chatting indistinctly)
Beth?
Are you the one that reported this?
Adam! What's going on?
OFFICER: You know this man?
Yeah, he's my neighbor.
What happened?
WOMAN (over radio): 15-Adam-- Raki,
R-A-K-I. No hits. OFFICER 2: He's clean.
All right. Sorry about that.
Can't be too careful with kids, right?
You can go.
¶ ¶
Adam!
(knocking on door)
BETH: Adam?
Enough with the presents, okay?
Well, that was kind of awful, wasn't it?
I mean...
God, you just stopped by to watch the kids.
I do that for a living.
Police freak me out, too, okay?
Do you want to come in?
Okay.
So you live alone?
Yes.
I mean, it's-it's big for one person.
For the city.
Well, my father lived here, too.
Oh! Where is he now?
Queens.
Oh, he died six weeks ago.
Oh, God!
I'm so sorry.
My friend Harlan says Queens is where everybody goes to die,
because they can't tell the difference.
That's... that's awful.
Well, Harlan said it was a joke.
Oh, I meant about your father.
Oh.
What about your mother?
She died when I was eight.
I'm so sorry.
I had a really nice time last night,
in the park.
Were you excited?
What?
Sexually, when we were in the park.
Um...
uh, no, not exactly.
Well, I ask because I was,
and I wondered if you were, too.
Uh...
thank you so much for the glass of water.
I... I should... I should be going now.
Because I said that thing about being sexually excited?
No... no, no. I just...
Well... yeah.
Oh.
Uh, sometimes it's hard for me to, um...
...I have this thing
that makes it hard to, um...
It's called Asperger's syndrome.
Oh.
One thing about it is not knowing
what people are thinking.
Like right now.
Oh, right.
I guess I was...
wondering what that feels like for you.
Well-Well,
it doesn't feel like anything.
It just is.
Okay.
My brain works differently from NTs.
NTs?
Neurotypicals.
Um, sometimes I can't understand them.
Especially when they mean something different
from what they're actually saying.
You don't do that?
No, most aspies are really honest.
Psychologists think it's a lack of imagination,
but psychologists are mostly NTs.
Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson,
Mozart, they all had lots of imagination.
They had Asperger's?
Probably.
When I was younger,
I would've just thought you were sexually excited
because I was.
That's called "mind blindness."
I had to learn to ask what other people are thinking.
I understand.
It's okay.
Oh.
I really-- I really should go.
Okay.
I'm really sorry about your father.
Oh.
Can I see you again?
Um... well, I'm-I'm right upstairs, so...
Great. Okay.
I'll see you.
(class bell ringing)
Hey.
(knocking on door)
Do you have a minute? Oh, hi, Beth.
Sure, come on in.
Thank you.
Ugh.
You think it's a bad sign
when the description of a school bores its director?
Um... (nervous chuckle)
What do you know about Asperger's syndrome?
Oh.
Well, it's a developmental disorder.
Kind of a high-functioning autism.
What does that mean exactly?
Well, there's a broad range.
It could be hard to tell.
Could be severe social interaction problems.
Uh-huh.
Maybe I should get in on this; interview
the child and we can get some...
Oh, no, no, it's my neighbor.
He has it.
But he's really, really sweet,
and kind of interesting.
Yeah, sometimes
they can be quite brilliant.
It is on the autism spectrum.
Oh, you know, actually, I think I have a...
This is a first- person account--
Pretending To Be Normal.
Oh, no, it's-it's not-- it's not serious.
Oh. Thank you.
Okay. Sure.
Oh, Beth, would you just take a look at this
for me, please? Sure.
So, you're saying, really,
that he's not prime relationship material,
right?
Um...
Not really.
Well... No.
Well, it...
It's...
Thanks.
So, um,
subtracting your father's liabilities--
uh, credit card debt, funeral cost fees,
etcetera-- from his assets, reduces
the, uh, the estate roughly
$25,000.
And, uh,
he bequeathed $5,000
to The Kids At Risk, uh, music fund.
$10,000 to you, Mr. Keyes.
Oh.
So, as his primary beneficiary, Adam,
Adam, uh, you inherit the
remainder.
That would be the, the death benefit from Juilliard
and the funds from the TIAA retirement plan.
Also, there's approximately
$300,000 worth of equity in the apartment.
So, assuming you sell after closing fees
and taxes, etcetera... Sell what?
We presumed that you'd be moving to a smaller place.
Move?
Well, uh, with-without your father's income
the mortgage payments are...
I don't want to move.
Easy.
Think of it as an opportunity.
You might want to try a different city.
HARLAN: Uh, Mr. Wardlow,
Adam has never been out of the city alone in his life.
Ah.
Well, uh, closer to home than.
With the income from your job...
I don't have a job. I was fired from my job.
WARDLOW: Oh.
Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.
Well, that makes the equity in the apartment even more
valuable. Changes like this are hard.
It's my house. I won't sell my house.
Adam! Mr. Raki...
Go away. You're hurting my ears.
And I'm not gonna sell my house. You need to calm down.
I'm not selling my house! HARLAN: Adam,
cross your arms over your chest.
(shallow breathing)
Mr. Wardlow, are we done?
There are papers to be signed.
Can you send them?
They need to be notar...
Yes, yes, yes, we, uh... we can do that.
HARLAN: Come on, Adam.
Let's go.
I... I can't.
I-I can't move...
All right.
Come on.
HARLAN: You're not ten years old anymore.
You need a job.
I'm fired.
So what?
You know how many times I've been fired?
When your dad and I came back from the service,
I might as well have had
a three-day week.
Day one, I hate the freaking job.
Day two, I hate the freaking boss.
Day three, I hit someone,
and I got to start all over.
I didn't hit anyone.
I never hit anyone.
(sighs)
Adam,
you're 29 years old,
and you can't pay your mortgage without finding a job.
So what are you going to do?
¶ ¶
MARTY: Hey, Bethie-boo, just wanted
to make sure you got home okay.
You home okay? Call us.
(beep)
MAN: Beth, are you there?
Look, maybe the whole point was
for me to find out what an amazing thing we have.
You're not really gonna throw this away...?
(beep)
(gasps and screams)
(grunting)
(groaning)
Adam? Wha...?
What?
Get in here!
(grunts)
(sighs)
(panting)
Wait. What?
What in the world
were you doing out there?
You-You could have been killed.
How were you gonna get down?
Climb up.
Climb?
It's rated for 3,000 pounds.
You said you couldn't see out of your windows.
(laughs)
(laughing)
Why did you scream like that?
Because I walked into my apartment,
and there was this strange man in my window.
It was me!
But I didn't know that.
Oh.
I guess not.
(sighs)
Thank you for trying to...
You're welcome.
Would you, um...?
Would you like some tea?
Uh... (laughs)
Uh, sure.
Okay.
(giggling)
(chuckles)
Harlan said I should send out application letters
and-and worry about the interviews later.
Interviews?
Interviews usually don't go very well.
BETH: But you put in
some applications?
Eighty-seven.
Eighty-seven?
Mm-hmm. Oh, applications and letters of inquiry.
You applied for 87 jobs.
Including the letters of inquiry.
Today?
Mm-hmm.
Wow.
Wow?
I mean... that's a lot.
Well, I don't want to move.
Yeah.
This is very good-smelling tea.
English breakfast.
My father calls it coffee without the bad breath.
Uh, maybe I should go.
I'm... I'm sorry, I'm just...
Sorry? You're s...?
A little upset.
Oh.
My father's... an accountant,
and he's been accused of doing something illegal.
Oh. Did he do it?
No, no, but tonight, he said it looks like
he will probably have to go on trial.
And I know your father just passed away,
so I shouldn't
even...
Um...
I-I can see that you're upset,
but... I don't know what to do.
Could you give me a hug?
Yes.
Adam, I'd like you to give me a hug.
BETH: "'But he's naked!'
"cried a little boy.
"All the people whispered among each other.
"'He's naked! There's a little boy
"'who says the king is naked.'
"The king shivered, for he was sure that the boy was right,
"but he thought, 'I must bear it until the procession is over.'
And he walked even more proudly all the way back to the palace."
So, what do we think?
He was naked.
(laughing)
Ran around the whole town naked.
(kids laughing)
Yes. Okay, he was naked.
Anything else?
The little boy was bad.
Really? Why do you say that, Stephanie?
Because he told. BOY: That's dumb.
BETH: Bruce...
But he was naked!
Don't you think the king needed to know that he was naked?
STEPHANIE: Well,
he didn't have to yell it out.
He could have just gone over to him
and whispered it in his ear.
BRUCE: Everybody else was just lying
so nobody'd think they were stupid
and because they were afraid of seeing the king's weenie.
(giggling, laughing)
Weenie!
I like the boy.
(kids snickering, giggling)
I do, too.
(rock music playing, indistinct conversations)
Maybe we should go.
Our table's next.
Can't eat macaroni and cheese every night.
Why not?
Because it's a meager life.
It lacks stimulation.
Thanks for coming.
I-I know it's hard.
Okay.
BETH: This is better, right?
Hello. I'm Rom, with an M.
I see you have drinks. Would you like a wine list,
or may I describe the specials?
It's all right.
Um, we know what we'd like.
We'll take two tricolored salads,
one grilled salmon on lentils with roasted potatoes,
and a penne Alfredo.
And Ron...?
It's Rom-uh.
Sorry. Rom.
Could we get that all to go?
It's macaroni and cheese.
When in "Rom"...
What?
How's the job hunt going?
Mm, a lot of them were already taken.
I'm still getting responses, though.
I'm sure the right thing will come along.
How can you be sure of that?
I mean, I hope the right thing comes along.
Oh.
My dad and I came out here
to watch Hale-Bopp for five nights in a row.
Voyager 2 will pass within 4.3 light years
of Sirius, the Dog Star in approximately 196,000 years.
I brought you something.
Oh. Are there supposed to be presents?
No, no, this is a spur of the moment kind of thing.
Oh.
(laughs) Oh.
How to Find Work That Works for People
with Asper...
I thought it might be helpful.
Are you offended?
No.
'Cause I was just trying to help.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Try to be careful.
I had my heart broken by a big jerk recently.
I need time to take things slowly.
What did he do?
While we were together, he slept with other women.
Not together together
but while we were in the relationship.
Oh.
So I need to take things slowly.
No sex. Right.
Kissing? Yes.
Holding? Yes.
No sex.
Is that all right?
Yes.
BETH: It's only been a month.
How long it should be before you meet Adam
is not written in Scripture, Daddy.
You just-- you made that up.
Don't worry about me; I'm fine.
Has there been any more news on the, on the court...?
Okay.
Okay, sure.
I will, I'll tell him.
Okay.
I love you, Daddy.
Bye.
You can stay for an hour.
You might even have fun.
I'd have fun at home.
It's not the gates of Hell, Adam, it's my friends.
You look great.
You've got to meet the baby.
Her name is Lin Yao, which means "beautiful jade treasure."
That's beautiful.
Don't you think?
I mean, really, she is young enough.
We could call her anything.
JEN: Her name is Lin Yao.
That's what I said. Aw...
That's who she was when we got her. Yeah.
ROBIN: Oh, she's asleep.
JEN: I know, look at her.
Yeah, she is.
We have a video, of course.
Would you-- would you like to see the video?
No, thank you.
Where is the bathroom?
(slow, jazzy "Jingle Bells" playing)
Down the hall, second right.
I'd love to see the video.
JEN: Oh, so now you're an expert.
Oh, come on.
Tory, y-you don't have to know a lot about Islam
to understand hunger or, or anger or desperation.
We don't understand who these people are, h-how they think.
I don't understand people from New Jersey.
(laughter)
Look, either you believe
that human beings share some basic similarities
or you just throw the towel in.
ADAM: Buying a telescope is a complicated decision.
You should focus on your interests.
WOMAN: No pun intended.
What?
"Focus"?
Right. A-Are you interested
in the solar system, moon, planets,
etcetera, or deeper space-- nebulae,
star clusters, galaxies?
Then you want a much larger lens with a Dobsonian mount.
Uh, the apo refractors go up to 180 millimeters.
Hi, Adam. Hi.
Michael's looking for a telescope
to buy for her cottage in Kerhonkson.
For deep space, in a static position, you can really think
about some bigger reflectors and...
Have, have you heard too much about telescopes?
No, no... just some of what you're saying
is going right over my head.
(chuckles)
(chuckling): Oh, okay, well, I'll start over.
Three basic considerations: Kind of lens...
Come and say good-bye to Robin and Jen with me.
All right.
Uh, thank you for the information.
Oh, you're welcome. It's a very big decision.
Nice to meet you, Michael.
And you.
Wow.
I remember the other kids chattering away before school
or at parties whispering to one another,
and I'd always wonder what they were talking about.
Looked so easy.
One, then the other.
Laugh, laugh, laugh, new topic, start again.
I started outlining my new book.
Really excited.
That's good.
You're going to be the first person I thank
in my Newbery Award speech.
Hmm. It's an award for children's book...
No, I know what a Newbery Award is.
Are you still going to make them talk?
Mm-hmm.
They're going to be a typical New York family
except they live in the park and they're raccoons.
Okay, your turn.
I think the father is going to be in advertising.
Instead of making stuff up,
why couldn't you write about the real raccoons?
Because it's a children's book, not a nature book.
Well, I'd probably like the nature book better.
(chuckles)
Yeah, you probably would.
Well, I didn't mean...
This is what I meant.
Oh.
Do you, um...
do you want sex?
I think I do.
You...
You said you needed time.
Well, then, take it very, very slowly.
(laughs, speaks indistinctly)
¶ ¶
(laughs)
This isn't fair.
What's fair?
It's a small manipulation.
What, you aren't curious?
Of course, but if he isn't ready to meet us...
Yeah, well, sometimes you've got
to give "ready" a little push.
Beth. Honey!
Daddy, Mom, what...?
What are you doing here?
We're seeing the play.
But I thought you... What?
Hi, honey.
I thought we had your tickets.
No, we were going with the Pierces,
and they couldn't make it.
Come on, we're not ogres, at least Becky isn't.
This is Beth's mother Rebecca.
I'm Marty. Oh.
We've heard so much about you.
Oh, you have? Yeah.
Lovely to meet you, Adam.
Uh... thank you.
Me and my little girl, we are thick as thieves.
Hi, Daddy. Hi, sweetie.
(Beth chuckles)
MARTY: I just couldn't wait any longer.
We rarely go Off-Broadway.
I didn't even know this theater still existed.
The Cherry Lane Theater is
the oldest continuously running theater Off-Broadway.
It was converted from a box factory in 1924, and,
and then in the '20s and '30s and '40s,
it presented the work of writers
such as F. Scott Fitzgerald,
John Dos Passos, Eugene O'Neill...
I used to bone up on conversation topics, too,
when I had a date.
Marty. Ask Becky. From 19-- from 1951
to 1953, Julian Beck and Judith Malina's Living Theatre
was based here.
Oh, oh, and in 1952,
Judith Malina chased a fire marshal down the street
with a spear from her production of Ubu Roi.
(Rebecca and Beth chuckling)
Endgame by Samuel Beckett had its American premiere here
in 1957,
followed by other new works
such as Happy Days, also by Beckett,
in 1962, Dutchman in 1964 by LeRoi Jones,
The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden by Thornton Wilder
in 196--
B-But that-that's enough about the Cherry Lane Theater.
W-What about the '70s?
Well, in 1971 Godspell opened, and in 197...
Adam, Daddy's joking.
Oh, oh.
(laughter)
I'm sorry. Okay, that's okay. No, no,
history is always very interesting. MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,
please take your seats.
Come on, in we go.
Shall we?
(applause)
MARTY: Oh, they're dying to go to trial.
They'll get their pictures in the paper.
It's written all over them.
BETH: What does Mr. Beranbaum say?
MARTY: He's a lawyer; he's paid to worry.
Bottom line-- if defense pushes all the way to trial,
we settle, right?
He's sure they'll settle.
MARTY: That's why you don't have to be there.
BETH: You said it would help if we showed
our support.
You had to tell her that.
Your father is right; you have work.
BETH: Mom, I'm covered at work.
I'm coming.
I need to be there for you.
What are you accused of, Mr. Buchwald?
I'm accused of trying to help a friend.
That's what I'm accused of.
Beth's uncle Eric...
BETH: Eric Cooper.
...made his daughter Jennifer CFO of his company.
But she's qualified, right?
I mean, she went to Wharton.
Yes, she's qualified.
Uncle Eric's not really my uncle.
He's an old friend of Daddy's, and Jennifer is his daughter.
She's young, she made a few mistakes.
I carried them over
from one year to the next, made it look a little better
even to her own father.
It wasn't even a hard call to make, but now they all think
they've uncovered Enron.
Could you go to jail?
(smacks leg) Adam.
No.
I'm glad you asked.
Bethie, I'm not going anywhere.
Any more questions, Mr. Prosecutor?
Uh, no.
See, he fits right in.
BETH: You put him on the spot, confronted him, pushed him.
Well, I-I didn't understand what he was saying.
Well, maybe that's not his fault.
Monday he goes on trial, in case you didn't get that.
You don't talk about going to jail!
It seemed like the important thing.
The important thing?!
All of a sudden, you know what's important.
You can't say two words on how you feel about anything,
but you know what's important to my family.
I-I-I... You know,
my father's not some criminal, okay?
Okay. Just forget it.
Beth?
I'm going home.
Please don't follow me!
(knocking on door)
May I come in?
I'm sorry.
It's some chocolate.
I'm not Forrest Gump, you know.
Of course not, I didn't eve...
Was that a joke?
Are you joking?
I can joke.
I'm sorry.
I...
I took it out on you.
I'm just... just scared for my father.
You can apologize,
too, you know?
You said it was your fault.
I got an interview.
You did?
Halloran Industries,
research and engineering for space communication
and exploration.
Adam, that's... that's perfect!
Break out the chocolate.
Let's go get some champagne.
No, it's just an interview.
There's a saying in my family:
"It's never too early to drink the champagne."
BETH (slurred): You'd be good at the job, right?
So all you got to do is let them know it.
That's all? That's impossible.
When is it?
February 3rd. 17 days.
All right, so that's how long you got.
You got to learn it during the day,
and then I'll help you at night.
They'll think I'm a freak.
Fine.
Whatever you say.
Beth?
BETH: Good one.
(both chuckling)
ADAM: In most interview situations,
the greeting is done in the standing position.
Simple greeting:
"Hello, nice to meet you."
Basic greeting:
"Hello, my name is Jason.
Nice to meet you."
JUDGE: Mr. Buchwald, how do you plead?
Not guilty, Your Honor.
ADAM: Involved greeting:
"Hello, you must be Miss Austen.
"My name is Jason.
Nice to meet you."
BETH: Mr. Raki?
I'm Elizabeth Buchwald.
I'll be interviewing you
for the job we discussed over the phone.
Phone?
"Nice to meet you"?
Oh, oh, right, right.
(sighs) Eyes.
Please, step into my office.
ADAM: Make it a goal of your interview
to mention each of your strengths at least once.
The items, uh, listed as assets are really expenses,
covered up in order to increase
the earning statement of the company.
ADAM: Eye contact.
One way to get around poor eye contact dilemma
is to have the candidate look at the interviewer's forehead.
Practice is needed, however,
because it will still require an effort
to remember to look at a forehead.
Beth?
No.
Just once more, please.
Adam, can't you think about anyone
but yourself, even for a minute?
I'm sorry.
No, I...
Okay.
(sighs)
Tell me something about your previous
work experience, Mr. Raki.
ADwork
did you perform independently?
How much as a team?
Now, you've testified
that your relationship with the Cooper family
is personal, as well as professional.
Isn't that right?
Yes.
Eric Cooper and I have been associated for over 30 years.
He's become a close friend.
But that doesn't mean...
Would you tell the court a little
about your relationship with, uh, Jennifer Cooper?
She's a wonderful young woman.
I have known her, her...
her whole life.
ATTORNEY: Isn't it true that you'd be eager
to help Jennifer with any problem she was having?
Yes.
Out of your affection for the family, of course.
Sure.
Mr. Buchwald, would you feel compelled
to help Jennifer to preserve your own reputation?
No.
Did you have an affair with Ms. Cooper in 2001?
Objection, Your Honor. Mr. Buchwald opened
the door, Your Honor.
JUDGE: I understand the evidence, counselor.
Overruled.
Please answer the question.
Yes. Briefly.
ATTORNEY: So, Jennifer had every reason to believe that you
would help her with this problem.
That had noth...
The one...
had nothing to do with the other.
Nothing.
¶ Somehow ¶
¶ I'm leading someone else's life ¶
¶ I cut a star down ¶
¶ With my knife ¶
¶ And right now ¶
¶ I still see ¶
¶ The way the moon ¶
¶ Plays this tune ¶
¶ Though our nights died ¶
¶ My hands shake ¶
¶ My knees quake ¶
¶ It's every day ¶
¶ Same way ¶
¶ 'Cause then came you ¶
¶ Then there's you ¶
¶ I keep your picture ¶
¶ In my worn-through shoes ¶
¶ Then there's you ¶
¶ Then came you ¶
¶ When I'm lost ¶
¶ Look at my picture of you ¶
¶ And somehow ¶
¶ I'll make tonight our own ¶
¶ Show you every way I've grown ¶
¶ Since I met you ¶
(sniffling)
¶ And right now ¶
¶ I'll be the boy in your next song ¶
¶ I'll learn the parts and play along ¶
¶ If you let me ¶
¶ My hands shake ¶
BAILIFF: All rise.
¶ My knees quake ¶
¶ It's every day ¶
(gavel slams)
JUDGE: Be seated.
¶ The same way ¶
¶ 'Cause then came you ¶
¶ Then there's you... ¶
MAN: Mr. Raki.
Hello, you must be Doug Brandel.
I'm Adam Raki. Pleased to meet you.
Come in.
¶ Then there's you ¶
¶ I keep your picture ¶
¶ In my worn-through shoes ¶
¶ When I'm lost in your eyes ¶
(phone ringing) ¶ I see ¶
¶ A way for me. ¶
(phone continues ringing, TV playing indistinctly)
(turns off TV)
Beth?
REBECCA: Adam, is Beth there?
No, she isn't.
Marty pled guilty.
There's some discretion in sentencing.
The... the hearing is tomorrow.
We may have to make statements,
but she isn't answering her cell.
I called the school, but they... she wasn't there.
Uh, do you... do you know when she'll be home?
No, I thought... I was waiting.
Adam, please, can-can you check her calendar,
see if there's any way I can reach her?
Okay.
Never mind. Marty's coming.
I have to go.
They-they-they're keeping him overnight.
Tell her to call me.
Tell her to call me right away.
(clicks phone off)
(door opening)
(door closing)
(footsteps approaching)
Adam!
I've been thinking about you all afternoon.
How did it go?
I forgot my phone.
How did the interview go?
Okay, you're right.
Right?
My father and I arranged for us to meet.
You arranged...?
I knew they were going to be at the theater.
They really wanted to meet you.
Now, will you please tell me what happened?
You lied?
A little.
(loud, forced laugh)
Fooled you!
Dumb Adam! Dumb!
Dumb! Dumb!
Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! Dumb!
Dumb!
Dumb! Dumb Adam!
Adam, I didn't-- I'm sorry.
I...
Adam, please, just calm down.
No, I hate you! I hate you!
I hope your father goes to jail forever! I hate you!
What?
He's guilty.
Your mother called and he's a liar li you,
and he's going to jail.
I hate you!
You're a child, Adam.
Fuck Asperger's, you're a fucking child.
(gasping)
(grunting, stammering)
You liar!
A long time ago, when I told Grandpa Morse
that I wanted to get married,
he said Marty was great,
but that he was an angles guy.
What does that mean?
That he was a guy who plays the angles--
in business, love...
He even said
he might wind up in jail someday.
And I told him he didn't understand Marty,
and that even if he ended up in jail for life
I would never regret marrying him.
And I don't.
We have to help him now, Beth.
Tell the judge who your father is in your life.
Who he's always been.
Whatever...
...bad decisions he's made.
(sniffling)
Okay.
Okay, Mom.
HARLAN: I read that
planets are lined up across the sky
like they haven't been in 30,000 years.
Uh-huh.
You didn't get the job you were going for?
No.
That why you so down?
Hell, I lost more jobs than...
No, Beth and I broke up.
Oh.
She lied.
She lied and I found out about it.
I can't trust her anymore.
(groans)
These all seem fine.
Now, before I went into the service,
I met a girl who made me a promise.
When I came back,
she was right there waiting for me.
But I found out she hadn't quite kept the promise,
so I put some things in a bag and I left.
Never spoke to her again.
Though, sometimes, the wanting to is--
was like a live animal clawing
at my chest from the inside.
35 years.
She's the only picture in my head
can still stop me in broad daylight
and make me curse myself
for a stubborn, old fool.
It's not rocket science.
I'm saying you need to talk to the girl
one more time, that's all.
Oh...
I don't know.
Liars is all you're going to run across
in this world.
A man has got to learn the difference
between just plain liars
and liars worth loving.
Hmm?
Harlan, if you called that girl,
couldn't you stop cursing yourself
for a stubborn, old fool--
even if you still had to be old.
(quiet, raspy laugh)
Be seated.
This court sentences you to a prison term of five years--
24 months to be served
in a federal corrections institute,
followed by three years of mandatory probation.
As per your plea agreement,
you'll have one week to settle your affairs.
Report to the corrections department
Monday, February 9, at 9:00 a.m.
(pound gavel) Adjourned.
ELECTRONIC VOICE: You have one new message.
Adam, this is Rebecca.
Marty was sentenced to two years in prison today.
Of course we're all very upset,
but Beth--
anyway, we're going home to Westchester.
211 Richmond Road, Bedford Hills.
You have the number.
I-I thought you should know where she is.
For months, all they wanted was
for me to give them Eric Cooper.
(speaks Hebrew)
"Do not go about as a talebearer
amongst your people."
At least I don't have to pack, right, Becky?
We always pack too much.
This time, just a toothbrush.
(laughter)
Excuse me.
Let's talk for a minute.
Oh, Bethie, Bethie.
Your mother's going to need your help.
Yeah, I know.
MARTY: Oh, there're things you do, there're things you have to do,
and you make your choices,
you live with them.
You and your mother will never want for anything.
I made arrangements.
In two years, I'll be back home,
and this will all be over.
One more thing-- about Adam.
He's not for you.
It's not his fault,
but he's more like your child
than-than anything else.
He'll never be the kind of man that you can admire,
that you can look up to.
And it's not fair that he should hope for something
that's-that's-that's...
impossible.
People with Asperger's get married.
They have families...
Married?
He lives in another world.
You don't need to make that kind of compromise, Beth.
Now, you know this is the best thing.
You do know that, Bethany.
¶ Something is said ¶
¶ Sits in my head ¶
¶ It's been there too long ¶
¶ It's killing me slow ¶
¶ It's rolling around ¶
¶ It's pushing me down ¶
¶ It's keeping the good part of me closed ¶
¶ Can't you see ¶
¶ When I find you ¶
¶ I'll find me ¶
¶ Oh ¶
¶ I need you to know ¶
¶ Today, I'll wait for you always ¶
¶ Oh ¶
¶ I need you to know ¶
¶ Today, I'll wait for you always ¶
¶ 'Cause when I find you ¶
¶ I'll find me ¶
(melancholy interlude, female singer vocalizing)
¶ Can't you see ¶
¶ That when I find you ¶
¶ I'll find me ¶
¶ Oh ¶
¶ I need you to know ¶
¶ Today, I'll wait for you always ¶
¶ Oh ¶
¶ I need you to know ¶
Beth?
¶ I'll wait for you always ¶ Beth Buchwald?
¶ Oh... ¶
Beth?
¶ I need you to know today ¶ Beth Buchwald!
God.
¶ I'll wait for you always ¶
¶ Oh... ¶
I'll get him.
¶ I need you to know today ¶ Beth?
¶ I'll wait for you always ¶
Adam! Beth...
¶ When I find you ¶
¶ When I find you. ¶
We... we have to talk again.
You scared me.
I thought you were going to hit me.
I would never, ever do that.
The job was gone.
They hired someone for the job,
but they have another one in an observatory.
They said I was just what they needed.
It starts in April, but it's in Flintridge, California.
I want you (door opening)
to come with me.
I could work,
and you could write, and, uh, you wouldn't have
to teach anymore.
Uh, hello, Mr. Buchwald.
I came... oh, um, I'm...
I'm sorry you have to go to prison.
I came to ask Beth
to come to California with me.
I'd be engineering microchips
for satellite guidance systems.
I have a job in Flintridge, California.
Uh, that's fine.
Congratulations, Adam,
but Beth won't be able to go with you.
What?
The family needs her. She's needed here.
I need her.
I... I can't go without her.
Well, I'm sorry, Adam, but she can't go.
No... you can't do that.
Bethie, Bethie, we... You can't speak for me.
We agreed. We agreed! You don't make my decisions.
We're standing in the middle of the street. I don't care!
Calm down. Just calm down. You have choices, you liar!
Cheater!
Nothing will ever be the same-- nothing!
I'm going now with Adam, No, you're not!
and I don't care what you think. Don't go!
You can't go! Let go!
Let go of me!
Get off of me!
BETH: Adam! (Marty groaning)
(groaning, rustling)
BETH: Adam!
(rustling, Adam grunting)
(grunting)
You're coming to California?
No, I mean home, to the city!
You're not coming to California? Maybe!
I don't know. I'll think about it!
Okay. Mom!
I'm going to take the car.
I'll leave it at the station. MARTY: Beth!
Come back here!
(engine starting)
¶ ¶
It didn't go well?
What did he say?
He wouldn't even see me.
I waited in the visiting room for an hour.
And finally, a guard came
and told me that he wasn't coming out.
Your mother said he wasn't ready.
I thought if I actually went...
I didn't think that he wouldn't even see me.
What are you going to do?
What do you mean?
We're going, right?
We're getting on a plane tomorrow
and going to California.
You should pack.
You haven't packed at all.
Can you give me a minute?
Okay?
Just leave me alone for a while.
¶ ¶
BETH (over phone): I'm not sure.
I mean... I should be sure, shouldn't I?
Do you know what you want?
We'll never have a moment
where we look into each other's eyes and know
exactly...
what the other person's feeling.
The idea of that wouldn't even make sense to him.
He's never told me that he loves me.
I don't know what it would mean to him if he did.
Yes, feeling loved is very important, but...
loving, my precious girl...
that's the necessity.
Mom, I got to go.
I... I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Okay?
(clicks phone off)
I love you, Beth.
Adam,
why do you want me to go to California with you?
What... what do you mean?
Why do you want me to go?
Um...
You, um...
you are a...
like a...
part of me.
Um...
And...
I need you...
uh, to...
...to, uh...
help find a place to live
and to learn how to get to work
and to understand what it means
when people say crazy stuff
and...
I couldn't go without you.
I'm sorry.
I can't go.
If you want me to go because...
you can't go without me, I...
I can't go.
(door opening)
(door closing)
¶ ¶
(grunting)
You sure about this?
I have to go.
I have to go alone.
(grunting)
Let me get that.
Hey, uh, I want you to know,
I made that call.
It, uh, took me a while to find her.
But we're... we're going to meet up.
The woman's even more stubborn than I am.
Uh-huh.
I'm just trying to say thank you, damn it.
Oh.
Oh, you're welcome, Harlan.
(sighs)
ADAM: Actually, the best image resolution is achieved
by multiple smaller telescopes called interferometers.
Interferometers, uh, combine light waves
collected from the same source.
Um, a star, for instance.
And the-the waves form an interference pattern
as they add together, or cancel out,
add together, cancel out.
It's what we call constructive interference,
or destructive interference.
So that the light from two or more telescopes can produce, um,
a-a brighter image than one alone.
Um...
But sometimes it's best just to look up at the night sky.
(soft laughter)
MAN: Thank you.
Thank you so much, Mr. Raki.
All right, we'll be heading out.
Watch your step.
Adam, the top one's for you.
Um...
Oh, Carol?
Um...
would you like me to help you with those?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Hey, man.
Hello, Brian.
Oh, you still meeting up with everyone later?
Awesome.
BETH: "Dear Adam,
"Look how far we've come.
Love, Beth"
BETH: "Adam, his mother
"and his father were a family of talking raccoons
"who lived in Central Park in the middle of New York City.
"They didn't really belong there,
but there they were."
¶ Yesterday when you were young ¶
¶ Everything you needed done was done for you ¶
¶ Now you do it on your own, but you find you're all alone ¶
¶ What can you do? ¶
¶ You and me ¶
¶ Walk on, walk on, walk on ¶
¶ 'Cause you can't go back now ¶
¶ You know there will be days ¶
¶ When you're so tired that you can't take another step ¶
¶ Ah, ah ¶
¶ The night will have no stars ¶
¶ And you'll think you've gone as far as you will ever get ¶
¶ Ah, ah ¶
¶ But you and me ¶
¶ Walk on, walk on, walk on ¶
¶ 'Cause you can't go back now ¶
¶ Ooh, yeah ¶
¶ Yeah ¶
¶ Go where you want to go ¶
¶ Yeah ¶ ¶ Yeah ¶
¶ Be what you want to be ¶
¶ If you ever turn around ¶
¶ You'll see me ¶
¶ I can't really say ¶
¶ Why everybody wishes they were somewhere else ¶
¶ But in the end the only steps that matter ¶
¶ Are the ones you take all by yourself ¶
¶ Ah, ah ¶
¶ And you and me ¶
¶ Walk on, walk on, walk on ¶
¶ Yeah, you ¶ ¶ You ¶
¶ And me ¶
¶ Me ¶
¶ Walk on, walk on, walk on ¶
¶ 'Cause you can't go back now ¶
¶ Walk on, walk on, walk on ¶
¶ You can't go back now. ¶
¶ Rain turns the sand into mud ¶
¶ Wind turns the trees into bone ¶
¶ Stars turning high up above ¶
¶ You turn me ¶
¶ Into somebody loved ¶
¶ Nights when the heat had gone out ¶
¶ We danced together alone ¶
¶ Cold turned our breath into clouds ¶
¶ We never said what we were dreaming of ¶
¶ But you turned me ¶
¶ Into somebody loved ¶
¶ Someday when we're old and worn ¶
¶ Like two softened shoes ¶
¶ I will wonder on how I was born ¶
¶ The night I first ran away from you ¶
¶ Now my feet turn the corner back home ¶
¶ Sun turns the evening to rose ¶
¶ Stars turning high up above ¶
¶ You turn me ¶
¶ Into ¶
¶ You turn me into ¶
¶ You turn me ¶
¶ Into somebody loved ¶
¶ Somebody loved ¶
¶ Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh ¶
¶ Somebody loved. ¶
¶ In the morning after ¶
¶ You began to see the light ¶
¶ Something better ¶
¶ It is here for you to find ¶
¶ Celebrate the moments that we share ¶
¶ Open up your eyes ¶
¶ It's a beautiful day ¶
¶ Ba-da-da-da, da, da-da ¶
¶ Through the winter ¶
¶ Now happiness is everywhere ¶
¶ You can have it ¶
¶ More than you would ever dare ¶
¶ Celebrate the moments that we share ¶
¶ Open up your eyes ¶
¶ It's a beautiful day ¶
¶ Ba-da-da-da, da, da-da ¶
¶ Celebrate the moments that we share ¶
¶ Open up your eyes, it's a beautiful day. ¶
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