-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 3
/
Copy pathAmerican-Milkshake.txt
5546 lines (3805 loc) · 233 KB
/
American-Milkshake.txt
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
AMERICAN MILKSHAKE
Written by
David Andalman
Co-writer, Mariko Munro
9/28/2011
INT. OLD FASHIONED STAGE
Circa 1900.
A white man in a top hat introduces the final act of a black
face performance.
TOP HAT MAN
In the spirit of true minstrelsy,
you have again shown that laughter
is the wine of life.
Some 50 performers stand and break out into song.
Roll credits to the music.
An average American teenage boy begins to speak. His name is
JOLIE.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
All my life, my parents have told
me I'm smart and talented. That I
can be anything I wanna be when I
grow up. Getting into the West
Branch Magnet Program was supposed
to be some kinda honor. They probly
thought I'd grow up to be a doctor,
or a lawyer, or scientist that
cures cancer and junk. I mean for
me school has always been a breeze.
EXT. SUBURBAN HIGH SCHOOL - CIRCA 1990
Now in the mid-90s, for our story present day.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
But when I look around, I just feel
surrounded by dorks.
Angle on an old school hoop on the horizon. A kid silouettes
against the sky lays the ball in.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
All I want, is to be like the kids
on varisty, who live in the Maple
Ave towers.
2.
EXT. MAPLE AVE TOWERS - DAY
A part of a suburban neighborhood lines with huge apartment
buildings.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
The maple ave kids are coming up
from nothing. I mean, their only
shot at college is balling. And
they've got girls blowing up their
pagers twenty-four seven.
Black kids play ball apartment buildings towering over them.
INT. BASKETBALL GYM
The young naive face of Jolie in the midst of tryout.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
I pray to God I make varsity. I'd
do anything to be like the Maple
Ave. kids.
Montage of tryout - Jolie the olny white kid among them.
Suicide drills. Push ups. Machine gun defensive stand
exercises. Scrimmaging. Jolie is just a breath behind
everyone at pretty much all of them.
And now Jolie is at the line. A classic american basketball
tryout drill. Miss and you run.
All the players but Jolie watch from the baseline.
Jolie lines up his shot carefully.
He glaces at the coach who holds a clipboard.
Jolie fires. For a split second it's dead on but then it
bricks wildly.
The kids take off running.
COACH
That was terrible.
INT. HENRIETTA'S GOLDEN BEDROOM - MORNING
Sounds of a high pace video game begin.
3.
JOLIE, in his tighty-whities, plays Sonic on a Sega Genesis.
Also on the bed, black girl HENRIETTA AARONSON tries to do
her homework.
HENRIETTA
Do you think you're gonna make
varsity?
Jolie drops his controller and tears up.
HENRIETTA
School is so wack.
Jolie composes himself.
JOLIE
I support you no matter what. But I
can't be changin' no diapers.
Henrietta looks defeated.
Jolie pauses Sonic. Curls up with her.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
I've been fucking Henrietta for a
while. She's the best. She's
pregnant with someone else's baby
but I'm cool with that. In fact, I
think that's why I like her so
much. She's kinda thugged out.
Jolie rubs her stomach.
JOLIE
Your stomach's smooth.
Henrietta pops up.
HENRIETTA
Not now Jolie.
JOLIE
I think you look more beautiful
like this than anything. I wish you
could be this way forever. We'd be
so happy like this.
A drop of sweat runs down Henrietta's face and lands on a
sheet of paper full of algebra equations.
JOLIE
I love you.
4.
INT. HENRIETTA'S LIVING ROOM - LATER
Jolie, now clothed, bounds down the stairs with bookbag and
basketball.
JOLIE
Hey, Mr. Aaronson.
MR. AARONSON
(emerging from kitchen)
Hey.
JOLIE
You got my check?
MR. AARONSON
Shit man, those hours really add
up, hun?
Mr. Aaronson grabs his checkbook off the top of the TV and
heads to the kitchen.
JOLIE
I guess.
Jolie flips on the TV and catchs a little of the OJ Simpson
trial.
JOLIE
(V.O)
Henrietta's adopted. She lives in a
big house like me. Her parents pay
me to tutor her in geometry. She's
kind of an outcast. I think that's
why we click. Plus, our moms both
work for the same law firm. They
fly all over the country doing
somethin'.
Mr. Aaronson flips off the TV.
MR. AARONSON
What a mess... So, how do you think
she's doing? Is she gonna pass?
JOLIE
(STUMBING)
Uh, I don't know. Maybe.
Mr. Aaronson tenses up, then relaxes again and hands over the
check.
5.
MR. AARONSON
I don't get it. She was always a
great student.
JOLIE
(searching for word)
...you know... Geometry's a hard
thing. Algebra leads to it and if
you dont get that then-
MR. AARONSON
(INTERUPTING)
Yeah yeah I guess so. Well, you do
what you can.
JOLIE
Yea.
MR. AARONSON
Peace out.
JOLIE
Thanks.
EXT. WEST BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
The bells RINGS. Ethnic murals line some of the walls, others
are just the old school red brick.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
My great great grandfather was a
famous black face performer.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Changing classes. Kids of all shapes, sizes and colors. Jolie
emerges among them.
JOLIE
They used to call him the greatest
performer of all time. But now.
Kids at school have never even
heard of him. I mean not even
magnet kids in AP history have
heard of him.
INT. AP ENGLISH CLASSROOM
Jolie and his best friend HAROON are in the back. Haroon's a
scrawny Afghan boy with glasses.
6.
Haroon glances at his bulky calculator watch and raises his
hand.
HAROON
Hey, can I be excused for the
Million Man March?
JOLIE
Hey, can I use the bathroom?
The teacher MR. MCCARTY already has the passes raised.
INT. YELLOW HALLWAY
Empty except Jolie and Haroon.
HAROON
Dude, don't they post who made the
team today?
JOLIE
Naw, not till Monday they said.
HAROON
Alright man, have a good day at
school.
JOLIE
Yeah right.
HAROON
See ya.
They smack a secret handshake and Haroon exits.
Alone, Jolie looks longingly out the window.
JOLIE
Lucky bastards.
EXT. SCHOOL PARKING LOT
Haroon waves good-bye to Jolie.
Minority kids are hopping into cars with their march signs,
psyched to be getting out of school.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
This sucks. All the minorities get
an excused absence for the Million
Man March.
7.
An almost white looking kid enters the frame.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
But me, I'm stuck in school like a
bama.
Haroon waves a last goodbye from his Nissan Saturn.
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY
Jolie - still looking enviously out the window.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
I wish I was one of them. I wish I
was one of them. I wish I was one
of them. Fuck.
INT. HENRIETTA'S GOLDEN BEDROOM - DAY
Henrietta rocks out to her walk-man while jamming on some
homework.
Jolie's in his underwear again playing Sonic.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
I'm supposed to tutor Henrietta
every Sunday. She's getting an F in
math. She knows how to do it
though. She's flunking on purpose.
Jolie looks back at Henrietta and smiles to himself.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
She's so gangster.
INT. HENRIETTA'S LIVINGROOM - LATER
Jolie, clothed, bounds down the steps again, this time two at
a time.
EXT. TOWN ESTABLISHING SHOTS
Suburban homes with large apartments towers in the
background. The school is in the more urban part of town.
8.
EXT. WESTBRANCH SCHOOL GYM
The doors spray-painted "thug life."
EXT. WEST BRANCH HS TRACK AND FIELD
Jolie and Haroon sit on the hill doing homework.
HAROON
Hey you heard Fransisco got
arrested?
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. BLAIR BLAZER GYM
FRANCISCO, bare chested, struggles against a security guard.
He looks directly into the camera.
FRANSISCO
I'm innocent, this is bull shit!
BACK TO:
EXT. CRUMBLING CONCRETE BLEACHERS - THAT MOMENT
HAROON
Over some pictures on the Internet.
Jolie looks confused.
JOLIE (O.S.)
Oh you mean like netscape?
HAROON
(LAUGHS)
Yea.
Haroon gets up to leave.
HAROON
Yo dont forget I need my computer
homework back by Monday.
JOLIE
I got you. Dont forget to get me my
bio homework back.
HAROON
Yea duh.
The walk into the distance.
9.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
My great great grandfather had a
song, Hallelujah I'm a Bum. Tupac
had a song, I'd Rather Be an
N.I.G.G.A., so we can get drunk and
smoke weed all day. I always
thought they were really similar.
INT. WEST BRANCH BIO CLASS - LATER
Haroon and Jolie in identical poses.
HAROON
Yo. I gotta take a massive dump,
will you guard the door while I'm
in there.
JOLIE
Yea.
They raise their hands - again in identical positions.
INT. BATHROOM
Haroon in the stall taking a dump.
Jolie at the urinal - simultaneously pounding a Sunkist and
taking a whiz.
HAROON
I'm taking the most epic shit. Oh!
Dude! Don't they post who made the
team today?
Jolie looks suddenly worried. It dawns on him. He rushes off.
HAROON
Don't forget I need my computer
homework back? Jolie!?
INT. D HALL
Jolie rushes toward the camera.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
As a white boy at West Branch I'm
just not cool.
He's zeroing in on a wall full of sports posters - at it's
center a golden piece of paper labled "THE TEAM."
10.
JOLIE
(VO)
But making the team would change my
life forever.
Jolie looks down the list.
JOLIE
(V.O.)
It's my one shot to fit in with the
Maple Ave kids. To actually be
somebody!
Jolie's face brightens.
Jolie walks past it and does a double take.
It's the list.
CLOSE ON JOLIE'S EYES: pure intensity.
He stands motionless, holding his breath, reading.
Then leans back, covering his dropped jaw.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
Making the team, felt like the most
important thing in my life.
Jolie takes off running down the hall past a mop leaning
against the wall.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
As a white boy I just didn't fit
in, not in Takoma Park. But now...
Jolie becomes a black silhouette against a row of windows.
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
I was practically black.
EXT. SPARSE WOODS - DAY
Jolie, in his gold Webber jersey, hops in the woods. He wears
large purple ankle weights, and "Jump Soles" (clunky and
clumsy looking work out shoes).
JOLIE
(voice over, whisper)
I even ditched class to work on my
hops.
11.
Exhausted, Jolie gathers his basketball and backpack and
leaves.
A metro train roars past in the background.
INT. JOLIE'S JUNKY BASEMENT - NO WINDOWS
Jolie is bench pressing and Haroon is spotting.
A single florescent fixture hangs overhead.
HAROON
Man, I can't believe you made the
team.
Jolie finishes his set. Pops up.
JOLIE
I was the last bama on the list! If
Francisco hadn't been arrested I'd
still be a loser! I'd be just
another Joe Shmoe Lame-oh geek in
the Blair High School Magnet.
CLOSE ON HAROON: his face slowly falls.
JOLIE
Oh hey, can your mom give you a
ride home later. There's something
I gotta do.
HAROON
Oh... Yeah. Yeah. That's cool.
They rotate positions - we see that Jolie has only been
lifting 5 lb. weights.
JOLIE
2.5's right?
HAROON
Yeah.
Jolie leans down on the bar and grins to himself - still on
cloud nine.
EXT. STREETS OF TAKOMA PARK - DAY
A shiny cherry-red '93 Nissan Quest approaches.
12.
JOLIE
(voice over, whispering)
Tupac. Biggie. Snoop Dog. Easy-E.
Dr. Dre. Suge Knight. Mr. T.
The Quest pulls to the curb - Jolie and his Dad inside.
JOLIE'S DAD
Alright bye. No injuries.
Jolie hops out in black and red basketball gear - black
headband, black Jordans, even black socks.
JOLIE
Alright, bye Dad.
A clunker 90s cell phone rings. Jolie's Dad answers.
JOLIE'S DAD
Hey, you back from the hill? What
happened?
EXT. SMALL CLEARING IN THE WOODS
Henrietta sits alone on a stump listening to her Walkman.
Jolie bounds down a path startling her.
HENRIETTA
It smells like dog shit in these
woods, Jolie. Why'd you want to
meet out here anyway?
Jolie chokes up.
JOLIE
Wow. That is pretty bad. It smells
like a dead mouse or something.
HENRIETTA
You dont want to be seen with me do
you? Cus I'm pregnant.
JOLIE
...what? No.
Henrietta softens.
HENRIETTA
You wanna make out with me?
13.
JOLIE
Yea but, I can't. Not no more. We
can't be hanging out any more. You
understand though right?
HENRIETTA
...Why?
JOLIE
Henrietta, I told you. I made the
basketball team. I'm a Blazer now.
Henrietta looks crest fallen.
JOLIE
L...
Jolie hacks up some spit.
JOLIE (CONT'D)
Look. If I make the NBA I'm gonna
take care of you and your baby.
We're gonna live in a big house in
Potomac. Be rich, have maids.
That's the reason I'm doing this.
Can't you see that? Can't you be
happy for me?
Henrietta shakes her head in utter disappointment.
She drops Jolie's basketball and walks off.
Pregnant, her ass might be a little bigger than before.
Then she stops and turns.
Jolie spins his basketball on one finger.
JOLIE
Do you need a token for the bus or
some junk?
Crushed, Henrietta leaves.
Jolie watches her descend through a romantic archway of brush
- a blacktop and basketball hoop in the distance.
JOLIE
(VOICE OVER)
I felt bad but,
Jolie darts up the hill - basketball in hand.
14.
JOLIE (CONT'D)
(VOICE OVER)
Henrietta had rich white parents.
And after I made the team
CLOSE ON: his black shoes and socks.
JOLIE (CONT'D)
(VOICE OVER)
I realized, compared to me she
wasn't thugged out at all. She was
just bad at Algebra.
Jolie disappears into the woods.
JOLIE (CONT'D)
(VOICE OVER)
For a while I was worried her Dad,
Mr. Aaronson, would be mad.
Jolie runs past a jungle gym with a little boy hanging from
the monkey bars.
JOLIE (CONT'D)
(VOICE OVER)
But he was cool. He even offered me
20 bucks to mow the lawn. So,
everything worked out.
Jolie jogs past a pregnant woman.
JOLIE
(VOICE OVER)
I guess.
INT. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT (BUT NO WINDOWS)
The blazers dress after practice, everyone chatting among the
many aisles. But Jolie is all alone in an aisle by himself.
Jolie slams the locker door.
INT. BASKETBALL GYM - NIGHT
Jolie is deep on the bench.
The acoustics are bad. The semi full bleachers fill the space
with echoes.
The crowd is various shades of black. A lot of them have
their feet kicked up.
Classic red versus blue.
15.
The action on the court is fast paced. The players are
disciplined, setting screens and running concrete plays.
WENDEL, a guard, pulls up for a shot - swish.
The cheerleaders get excited.
The home score flashes red and reappears as 86 to 52. A blow
out.
The team of Blair Blazers sit together, their heads moving in
unison, following the action.
At the end of the bench are ARIUS and Jolie. ARIUS, covered
in sweat, is a tall thin, care-free, light-skinned black kid.
He has a huge scar on his head, a thick red headband and band-
aids over his earrings.
Jolie is bone dry and still in his warm up suit.
ARIUS
Now it comes with two free
controllers and the game.
JOLIE
(not paying attention)
Oh yeah.
ARIUS
Yeah. We were playing that joint at
my place and one of the
cheerleaders was all confessing how
cute she thinks you are.
JOLIE
(EXCITED)
Which one?
ARIUS
(points to the cheerleader
BENCH)
Christine Ortanyez.
Jolie focuses in on a particularly cute Panamanian
cheerleader - CHRISTINE ORTANYEZ.
JOLIE POV: slow motion of Christine - taps her palms and does
a leg kick then looks directly at us.
COACH DALE
Jolie!
Jolie flinches.
16.
Coach Dale - in afine suit and gold rimmed glasses - glares.
COACH DALE(CONT'D)
Get Pistol.
Jolie rips off his warm-ups in a panic. The shirt gets stuck
over his head, then he trips over his pants.
His teammates look on with various expressions of concern and
laughter.
A cheerleader from the opposing team points and giggles.
REDHEAD GRUNGE KID
(O.S.)
Unsnap it!
Struggling, Jolie frees himself.
Coach Dale shakes his head and so does the fat black man
directly behind him. Their expressions match exactly.
The old white referee blows his whistle hard - game over.
All the Blazers start high-fiving each other but Jolie.
INT. JOLIE'S MESSY ROOM - NIGHT
A six foot long poster of a '91 Lamborghini Countach covers
the wall. A Nerf basketball hoop hangs on the closed door.
Haroon is dressed up as a woman, using a wig, socks as
breasts, and a sheet as a skirt.
HAROON
Come on man, we've gotta nail the
Marion Barry skit tomorrow or I'm
gonna get a B in English.
JOLIE
I don't feel like it. I told you.
Jolie throws an African hat and tap shoes off his bed and
they smash against the wall.
HAROON
Dude, it's was just a preseason
game, come on.
JOLIE
Man, if I can't get in when we're
up thirty in the preseason then I'm
never gonna play.
17.
Jolie pulls off his jersey and throws it down. He picks up a
switch blade and looks at his warped reflection.
HAROON
He tried to put you in the game.
JOLIE
Yeah, for thirty seconds.
There's a knock on the door.
Jolie wipes a teary eye and straights up.
ELLIOTT, Jolie's oddly old dad - enters with a bright orange
Nerf ball off the bedside table.
ELLIOTT
Three. Two.
(PUMP FAKE)
One.
Elliott dunks and freezes in mid air.
He makes the sounds of a sold out crowd, animatedly, in a
comforting way.
The kids smile.
ELLIOTT
Come on, Haroon. Let's get you
home.
JOLIE
Already?
Haroon follows him down the steps.
HAROON
Elliott, will you go over this skit
with me. I think you'll really like
it and I need to practice or I'm
gonna get a B in...
There voices fade into silence.
Jolie stands alone, grabs a dumb bell and does a few curls.
He pushes it up his bicpt with his hand so that it looks
bigger.
INT. HENRIETTA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Jolie climbs in through the window.
The only light in the room comes from the Sega on pause.
18.
HENRIETTA
I knew you'd be back.
JOLIE
Because you know I love you.
Jolie kissed her with lots of tongue.
HENRIETTA
Whatever.
JOLIE
What?
Jolie smiles.
JOLIE
You're the best. I love you forever
Henrietta.
HENRIETTA
You promise.
JOLIE
I promise to God.
HENRIETTA
Are you gonna help take care of my
baby?
JOLIE
I'd do anything for you.
Jolie turns off the TV, and in the near darkness of just a
night light quietnly mounts her.
HENRIETTA