Bad Genius (2024) Movie Script
1
(electrical buzzing)
(sighs)
It's not mine.
I'm the last person on Earth
who needs to cheat.
Ask anyone.
MENG:
Top of class every year
and in each subject.
Her awards are next.
First in math and science
competitions.
State crossword puzzle
champion three times.
(chuckles)
Also very well-rounded.
Student athlete honors
in track and cross-country.
She's very quick.
Lynn will be first in our
family to go to college.
We know this is the best place
for getting into
top-tier schools.
MIT is our dream for her.
Their provost is
an old college friend.
I'm sure we can
be helpful there.
Lynn?
What do you think?
Exton Pacific
really looks amazing,
but given our current
financial situation,
I think public school
makes more sense.
Why don't we go for a walk?
(students chattering)
This school produces the
people who change the world.
And I take my responsibility
seriously
to invite students here
who may not otherwise
have a chance
to fulfill their full potential.
(camera clicks)
(students laughing, chattering)
I'm sorry, Ms. Walsh.
There's no way we can afford
$50K a year.
-Lynn.
-Tuition's actually 40.
But right now I'm on
my dad's route to work,
so it's a free ride.
To get here,
I'll need to get the bus,
which costs one grand
after we buy
ten monthly passes
to cover the school year.
It's two hours each way
with transfers.
I won't have time
for extracurriculars
or to help my dad
at the laundromat,
which compromises our income,
so my best bet is Uber,
which is 16 bucks a ride
if I avoid surge pricing.
32 bucks a day
five days a week for ten months
is $6,400.
Add the new student fee at two
and another three for books
and uniforms, and it's
$50,000...
give or take.
First in math competitions.
Lynn, you can attend
Exton for free.
And I'll waive all the fees.
You are as deserving as
any of our other students
at a chance
to follow your dreams.
All you need to do
is figure out
the best way
to get here each day.
Is that a problem
you think you can solve?
("Chasing Shadows" by Santigold
playing)
(horns honking)
Limousines, big people,
their parties
But I'm on an island
(lively chatter)
Watching through a window
The flashing light
on the bed
Neon sign goes red
"You are here," it says
Well, at least someone
knows where I am.
(song fades)
(piano playing classical music)
(door opens)
(door closes)
-Lynn.
-(piano playing stops)
I cut the trip down
to just over an hour each way.
If I count that
as homework time,
it'll average out.
It won't be every day.
Between me and the bus,
we'll make it work.
(vocalizing fanfare)
-(Lynn gasping)
-(Meng chuckles)
Everyone will ask,
"Who's the new girl
in the sharp clothes?"
(makes whooshing sound)
So shiny you can see
your reflection.
Dad, you shouldn't have.
Thanks.
(announcer speaking Mandarin
over TV)
I signed up for Quiz Slam.
Their team made state finals
last year, so they get
-their own room to practice in.
-Huh.
We had to share
with the theater kids.
Oh, that's why you were
so fun to watch.
Their acting skills
must have rubbed off on you.
What else are you thinking
of joining?
The music program is amazing.
It has a summer residency
in New York.
Last time I checked, uh,
MIT is in Boston.
Well, two Exton students
actually got
into Juilliard last year.
I have a real chance
of getting an audition now.
Ms. Walsh is going to ask
her friend to help with MIT.
You don't want to risk
making her look bad.
Don't get distracted.
You're going further
than your mom and I ever could.
You're going to accomplish
big, big things.
LYNN: A first-gen kid
spends 462 hours a year
doing activities
she's told guarantee her future.
But it was the time spent
practicing piano with Mom
that she felt most free.
If X equals the pressure
to please everyone
multiplied by the isolation
of having no time for friends,
what are the odds
she finally slips up,
costing her everything
she's ever worked for?
-(camera clicks)
-(students chattering)
Lynn! I am so sorry I'm late.
Uh, who are you?
Oh. Good, no one told you.
(chuckling): Okay, so I am
your Exton ambassador.
Walsh wanted to make sure
that you got
the lay of the land, so I'm here
to give you the VIP treatment.
I'm Grace.
Um, excuse me, mister.
No bueno. Go again.
One more time.
We're only allowed
one photo each.
Okay, so first lesson
at Exton... May I?
Some rules are not meant
to be followed by those
who are actually
wishing to excel.
It's just a yearbook photo.
Oh, babe, photos are forever.
Ask Britney.
Give it a smoosh. (smacks lips)
Okay, that is it.
-That's the one! Yes.
-(Grace clapping)
Look at that.
-(gasps) Beautiful.
-(camera clicks)
-(camera clicks)
-(laughing)
-(plays concluding chords)
-GRACE: Oh, my God, Lynn,
if I could figure out
how to do math
half as well as you play piano,
I wouldn't be failing
this class.
It's C.
It's... it's what?
Well, treat union as everything
in A or B,
which means all numbers.
And C: three, six, ten.
You got it that fast
and upside down?
(laughter)
Oh, my God.
That food smells foul.
MJ?
Since when are you so picky
about what you put
in your mouth?
(scoffs)
-Thanks.
-Honestly,
she has no room to talk.
You should smell
her sports bras after PE.
-(laughs)
-It is disgusting.
It's so gross.
Lynn, what if you tutored me?
I need to keep my GPA
above a 3.0
or else I'm not allowed
to audition.
And acting is what
I'm betting my future on.
If you tutored me, I would...
I don't think
I have the time, Grace.
I mean, on top of school,
I still have to help
my dad out at the laundromat.
It wouldn't take that much
time at all. I promise.
And we'll be hanging out
either way, right?
LYNN:
Of course I tutored Grace.
She's my friend.
Why wouldn't I help my friend?
Just relax.
We went over all of this.
-(timer beeps)
-You may begin.
My life is over.
(Mr. Lasso clears throat)
(yawning)
(whispers):
Grace.
(mouthing)
(sighs)
3.4!
Lynn! Oh, my God.
Hey, what'd you get?
Um, 4.2.
Such an underachiever. Come on.
Let's go celebrate.
Uh, don't we have AP History?
Believe me, no one's gonna care
if you dip out early
on the last day
of semester, okay?
Oh, I don't want
to get in trouble.
Lynn, they can't afford
to get you in trouble.
You're a star.
And, you know, not to be gross,
but you're kind of
the face that they want
on their brochures, right?
So, do you want to...
-That's my girl!
-(both laugh)
("Home" by morgxn playing)
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh
-Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh...
-(both laughing)
PAT:
Well, well, well.
(laughs):
Oh.
If it isn't the most beautiful
girl in the world.
And all these
precious memories...
GRACE:
This is...
Lynn.
I have been dying to meet you
now that lacrosse is done.
Pat Stone.
Welcome to Chez Stoney.
Thirsty?
Yes.
Pat!
Oh, my God.
What can I say?
I love to get you wet.
(lively chatter nearby)
My brother and his pals
are running this, like,
crypto start-up.
Usually consists
of getting fucked up
while they choke off
our Internet.
Are you working with them?
I'm just trying to
get my ass into college.
What happens if you don't?
My dad disowns me.
Uh, what about you, Lynn?
What are your plans after Exton?
GRACE:
Lynn wants to go to Juilliard.
-Juilliard? (chuckles)
-Mm-hmm.
Is that funny?
My dad's on the board.
So, Ted is a Big Tech lawyer
who happens to love Chopin,
and he takes care of everyone
this side of the lake.
Mm, not the way Lynn
takes care of you.
I just heard
you were hooking her up.
Pat.
Is this why I'm here?
-No, no. Lynn.
-(Pat scoffs)
You're here because
you're my friend.
You're on a scholarship, right?
I'm just guessing money's
pretty tight right now.
That's not... (scoffs)
What Pat means--
if we can use our family names
and our connections
to get what we want,
why should you not be able
to use what you have
to do the same?
$200 a test.
Me, Grace and four of my buds.
You expect me to risk
my scholarship
for you and four of your buds?
Oh, Lynn! (chuckles)
You are one of Walsh's
token trophies.
There is no way she'd believe
you could do anything bad.
I... Let's just...
Let's think about it
for a second.
How many classes in a semester
with Scantron tests?
GRACE:
Four minus electives.
LYNN: Travel for an audition
to Juilliard costs $1,300.
Coupled with the loss of
productivity at the laundromat
and owed rent, combining for
a deficit of $6,700.
Divide by the cost of
significant moral backsliding
and add a return trip
for callbacks
and proper tuning on our piano,
and you get...
$12,000.
$12,000.
And if I get my grades up,
my parents promised me
a new car,
so I swear to be your personal
chauffeur to and from school.
That's nice,
but my dad and I are fine.
I go to Exton for free.
Everything is
a transaction, Lynn,
even if they hide the price tag.
Listen.
Give it some thought,
and I'll talk to my dad
about getting Exton's
finest student
on the inside track
to Juilliard.
Everyone wins.
(retching, spitting)
(toilet flushes)
(breathing heavily)
(takes deep breath)
(strings playing gentle
classical music)
(quiet chatter)
I'm going to hang that up
at work.
(chuckles)
Where'd you get this suit?
Oh.
The laundromat gave it to me.
-Nice fit.
-(chuckles)
I look like a Mafia guy.
Mr. Kang.
Ms. Walsh. (chuckles)
I am so glad to see you here.
This is a wonderful event.
I'm grateful for everything
you've done for Lynn.
She'll impress your MIprovost friend-- I guarantee it.
Oh, I have no doubt about that.
And I'm looking forward
to eventually
having that conversation.
In fact, I would love
to introduce you
to one of the parents who steers
our small gift committee.
She has some delightful items
on display in the gallery.
There's a skin care package
you just have to see.
MENG:
Of course. Uh...
You okay?
Yeah.
I just don't like talking
in front of people.
Your parents couldn't make it?
My dad's in Nigeria.
And my mom hates these things.
Why would she hate a dinner
that celebrates us?
The dinner's to raise money,
Lynn.
Celebrations aren't for mascots.
MAN (on TV): We've always seen
technology as a tool,
and it's a tool, we believe,
for empowering the individual.
(broadcast continues
indistinctly)
Don't you ever get tired
of the news?
Watching the news
is how I learned English
and how you got so smart.
Well, if I'm so smart,
why didn't you listen to me
when I said it was crazy
to spend a thousand dollars
on face cream
when you won't even buy yourself
a suit that fits?
That money shows them we're
committed to your education.
There are plenty of rich parents
who give to that school.
Our money is
just as good as theirs.
Except we have a lot less of it.
-Mom would never...
-Mei Ling.
All your mother ever wanted
was to see you succeed.
This school gives us
the opportunity
to make our sacrifices count.
We have to make sure they do.
I'm going to wash my face
because I feel like a jellyfish.
(door opens and closes)
(playing Debussy's
"Clair de Lune")
(repeats melody)
(repeats melody)
(repeats melody)
(piano melody repeats softly)
(piano melody repeats softly)
I paid for piano lessons.
So what?
Since when is that illegal?
LYNN:
A coda is a passage
that finishes a song.
In Italian, its plural
is the word "code."
It made me think--
what if we made
our own code from music?
We'll use four songs
to represent A, B, C and D.
Memorize my finger movements.
This is A.
(plays snippet of "Fur Elise")
Starts with the pinkie
and finishes with the thumb.
This is B.
(plays snippet of Vivaldi's
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
B is five, four, three, three,
three, two, one, five.
Now we have C.
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
And finally D.
(piano plays snippet
of Strauss's "The Blue Danube")
I'll give three answers,
then skip one
and keep repeating this pattern
to randomize our results.
The ones I skip,
you answer yourselves.
If it's just the hand signals,
what's the point of the songs?
LYNN: The song gives your brain
something to memorize.
And if you get caught,
you can say you were
tapping out a song
you learned on the piano.
A song you can then play for
anyone who doesn't believe you.
("Deadly Valentine" by
Charlotte Gainsbourg playing)
With this ring I thee wed
With all my worldly goods
I thee endow
(cheering)
To love and to cherish
According to God's
holy ordinance
You have declared
your consent
May the Lord fill you both
with blessings...
-GRACE: Oh, yes, king!
-Oh!
-GRACE: Open it.
-PAT: Open it.
GRACE:
Open it!
(Lynn chuckles)
Here we come, New York.
(playing classical music)
You look so good.
I feel like, uh, Jeff Bezos.
(both laugh)
I saw you paid
the back rent we owed. (sighs)
Tutoring must be going well.
LYNN:
Mm.
GRACE: Okay, we should have a
dozen clients by semester exam.
-(door opens)
-MR. LASSO: Lynn Kang.
Headmaster's office.
(knocking)
BANK:
Of course I know Lynn.
We're teammates.
Nothing more.
You wanted to see me, Ms. Walsh?
Yes, uh, Lynn, have a seat.
So, I'm sure you're both
familiar with the Cartwrights?
Their name's on
the science building.
Mrs. Cartwright
is sponsoring a scholarship:
a full ride to any school
a student decides to attend
after graduation.
One scholarship is offered
to each school in the region.
Each school nominates two
students to interview for it.
Now, I can't think of anyone
to better represent
this school's values
than you two.
You've made a remarkable team.
I'm sure you'll only make
each other better
as competitors.
ADAM NEUMANN (on TV): We think
that that's very important.
Technically speaking, we have
80 locations around the world.
We're in 30 cities.
We're in 12 countries.
We add between five to ten
locations a month.
We have 60,000 members.
And those members
all have companies
and families and friends,
and they're all taking part
of this great new way
of working.
(sets remote on table)
(objects rustling)
(Meng sighs)
Where were you?
Piano lessons.
(Meng grunts)
Your mama would be so happy
you found a way
to do your music.
Dad?
You know what day it is?
(Meng snoring softly)
(siren wailing in distance)
(light laughter)
(indistinct chatter)
(dog barking nearby)
(indistinct chatter continues)
BANK:
Hey, guys.
Uh, please just...
not in front of the store.
Or what you gonna do,
Kunta Kinte?
(laughter)
-Looks like a dork ass.
-(laughter)
Look at Africa over here--
think he rule the street.
Hello, 911?
-You seriously calling the cops?
-I need your assistance.
There's a couple of guys,
uh, doing drugs
in front of my mother's store.
-You serious?
-Yeah, if you could just
get here as soon as possible,
that'd be great. Thank you.
(men scoffing)
Good luck with that.
(engine starts)
(hip-hop music playing
over car stereo)
(sighs)
(sighs)
I get why you think I did this,
but Bank is the most honest
person I've ever met.
He'd never cheat.
Bank!
Banky. Bankster, hey.
Study for the exam?
It's a semester exam.
Of course I studied.
Of course. Of course, yeah.
It's just that
it's really hard for me
with my learning disability.
Which one would that be?
-It's one of the bad ones.
-(scoffs)
-Good luck with that.
-Wait. Hey, hey, hey.
Sorry. I just, uh...
I got to ask,
can I copy off you?
Look, uh, if I fail this,
my parents are totally
cutting me off.
And I already tried
the piano thing,
but I'm more of a flute guy,
-to be honest.
-"Piano thing"?
It's nothing. Never mind.
Um, I'll pay you $300.
Look, come on! I'm-I'm trying to
make a Bank deposit here, man.
(softly):
Shit.
("Sister/Nation" by BROCKHAMPTON
playing)
(man speaking Spanish in song)
I feel myself getting better
by the fucking minute
'Member when my mama always
had to save the minutes
"Throw Some D's" dropped,
I wanted to be Russell Simmons
Better keep work 'em out,
had an inner vision
Where the kitchen at?
-Keep the lyrics written...
-(song stops)
MR. HAMILTON:
Let's hurry up.
It's almost 9:30.
Take your seats.
You will have 60 minutes
to complete the exam.
(takes deep breath)
You may...
begin.
Excuse me?
Are we...
are we taking two exams?
There's been some concern
about similarities
in test results recently,
so we've issued two sets
for all cumulative exams.
Just finish the test
you received.
(hushed):
Lynn, what set do you have?
MR. HAMILTON:
Can I help you?
(piano notes playing)
(hushed):
Chapin. Switch papers with me.
Now.
MR. HAMILTON:
20 minutes left.
CHAPIN:
Lynn. Lynn.
Should I put my name on yours?
Just do nothing.
MR. HAMILTON:
Ten-minute warning.
(inhales sharply)
Five minutes left.
(piano notes playing)
Time's up.
Pencils down, please.
I said pencils down.
I said stop!
How high a GPA do you need?
(paper rustling)
(snaps fingers)
(students chattering quietly)
(sighs)
MR. HAMILTON:
Lynn Kang.
You didn't write your name
on your scratch paper.
(pencil writing on paper)
(laughter)
Lynn, you're the GOAT.
PAT: So, are we doing
piano lessons this summer?
LYNN:
Yeah.
I need new winter coats
for New York.
GRACE (chuckles): We'll have
them pay you in Moncler.
-Can you even do that?
-(laughing): I have no idea.
MAN (over P.A.):
Lynn Kang and Chapin Joyce,
please report to head of school.
You're all here because
there's something that we need
to get to the bottom of.
Together.
Bank says that he saw Chapin
cheat off Lynn's exam.
Lynn, did you see him do this?
MR. HAMILTON:
They've got different exam sets.
Cheating would be pointless.
Chapin, did you cheat
off Lynn's exam?
No!
No.
Chapin. (scoffs)
How does the son
of a state attorney general
consistently show
such poor judgment?
Lynn, Bank, I'm sorry you got
dragged into this. You can go.
Lynn. Wait a second.
Why are there problems
from both exams
on your scratch paper?
Because it was you.
Yo, will you please just chill?
There's no reason to freak out.
Oh, shit.
This is not possible.
MS. WALSH:
Lynn's already admitted to it.
I don't understand.
Were you and your father
having financial problems?
No, no.
We have no money problems.
Well, to say I'm disappointed
is an understatement.
Lynn, you're the face
of success for this school.
I can assure you
Lynn will do whatever it takes
to make up for the mistake.
Please.
If this were
any other student than Lynn,
it would be grounds
for expulsion.
But you mean a lot
to this school. (sighs)
And we have all grown
very fond of you.
This being the first infraction
merits a second chance.
Meaning what?
Meaning you can stay
at Exton, but...
I have to rescind
your scholarship,
and I'm afraid you're ineligible
for the Cartwright.
The Cartwright isn't
an Exton scholarship.
Whoever receives it
represents this school
and must reflect its values.
By "values," you mean driving
an already poor family
further into poverty
just to prove a point?
I-I apologize on behalf
of my daughter.
I have worked very hard
to provide her
with the chance to learn
at a place like this.
I'm just grateful her mother
isn't here to see this.
It would break her heart.
Thank you for giving her
another chance.
This is your plan?
You're running away to New York?
I just want the chance to do
what I love, like my friends.
You're not like your friends.
They care about me enough
to support what I want.
What happens when they get
what they need from you?
Will they be there
if this doesn't work out?
I know what I'm doing, Dad.
And if Mom were here,
she'd understand that.
Oh, that after
all the sacrifices she made,
her daughter thinks
it's okay to cheat
so you can buy fancy shoes?
Your mother wore the same
sneakers to work every day.
When they ripped,
she put duct tape over them.
I would say, "Get a new pair."
She would say, "No.
That money can be for Mei,
for the future."
And this is what you do
with the future
she helped you to have?
Return the money.
Get rid of these.
And, uh, this, uh...
I never want to see this again.
Ms. Walsh will be changing
your class schedule
so you can't cheat
with those friends anymore.
You stay away from them.
I raised you better.
(door opens and closes)
(rain falling)
(thunder rumbling)
("No Harm Is Done" by Christine
and the Queens playing)
(fabric rustling)
It's a blur
The pulsing is so loud
Surely we'd feel better
If we had something
to fight for...
(door opens)
Why didn't you answer my text?
Mr. Tong was upset when
I couldn't find his scrubs.
Oh, you don't get five stars
if you answer the phone
with passengers.
(sighs)
(Meng bites apple)
You promised
you'd cut back driving
to ten hours a week.
It's just until you graduate.
As long as I can keep
the laundromat open on holidays
and, uh, keep driving,
we should be able
to cover what we need.
Because you took out a loan.
Well, it's not your job
to worry about it.
Go study.
(cell phone vibrating)
-Hey.
-GRACE (over phone): Lynn?
You answered.
I'm so glad you answered.
I miss you.
Miss you guys, too.
Saint Bart's looked fun.
GRACE: Yeah. We really
wanted you there.
LYNN: My dad needed help
in the laundromat.
I couldn't leave him.
GRACE: Well, that's actually
why I'm calling.
There's someone who might
be able to help with that.
This is delicious, Eliza.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm so glad you like it.
Sandy is a wiz.
She won Chopped,
so I don't feel too bad
asking her to pull something
together last minute.
(Grace chuckles softly)
Where's Pat?
It's his first day at Google.
Ted's firm does
some of the visa work
for one of
the research divisions,
so they gave him an internship.
So, Lynn...
I hear you're first
in your class.
GRACE:
Mm, yeah. Not to mention
a Quiz Slam shark
and a forensics icon,
and she's probably
the best piano player
that Exton has ever seen.
Aw.
(Grace chuckles)
Grace tells me you have plans to
go to New York after graduation.
My dad prefers Boston.
Someone with a future
as bright as yours
can't waste time
on what other people prefer,
no matter how much
you care about them.
We know you spent last year
tutoring Pat, and wow,
did you put every expensive
thing we tried to shame.
(chuckles softly)
Pat worked really hard.
TED (laughs): We're talking
about someone who thought
Parmesan was an ethnicity
until he was 14.
Stop.
I don't know how you're
doing it, and I don't care.
I just need to get him
into Columbia.
Pat is our last chance to send
a Stone to my alma mater.
His S.A.T.'s won't cut it with
Columbia, not even as a legacy.
We need him... (sighs)
to ace this test.
If he does, all three of you
go to New York.
Our real estate person's found
a place on the Upper West Side.
Doorman, three beds, two baths.
A subway stop away from anything
you could ever want.
I have made it clear to our son
that all he has to do
is get into Columbia--
it's his.
GRACE:
Lynn.
We'd be roomies. (chuckles)
So, you're asking me to...
To help our son.
And I will provide
whatever resources he needs
to ensure you can.
ELIZA: Just think, the three
of you together in New York?
So exciting.
I'm sorry,
Mr. and Mrs. Stone, but...
But, um, you know, like...
like I was explaining to you,
Lynn is, um, she's super,
super focused on graduating,
and obviously, she wouldn't want
to jeopardize that
by, you know,
getting too distracted.
Well, Sandy has prepared some
incredible after-dinner treats
if you want to go down
to the theater to wait for Pat.
-Thank you, Eliza.
-Of course.
Lynn.
Think about it.
(TV playing quietly)
Sorry if that was weird.
I just thought if there's
any chance that we could be
together in New York
that we had to try, right?
I mean, with your Juilliard
audition coming up,
you'd be a few blocks away
from Lincoln Center.
And then I could get
to any audition that
I ever want-- it's perfect.
Cheating the S.A.T.
is impossible.
-It's the Fort Knox of tests.
-Exactly.
It'll be the greatest problem
you've ever solved.
You just haven't put
your big brain to it.
(Lynn sighs)
Yeah, you're probably right.
I just got really hyped thinking
about us on the East Coast.
(changing channels)
REPORTER (on TV): Negotiations
continue here in Brussels
over the United Kingdom's
decision
to leave the European Union.
But, given the time difference
and the British prime minister's
visit to the United States,
sources say it will likely
not be until tomorrow
that we hear a response
on his latest proposal.
Philadelphia is
three hours ahead.
If I go there,
I can take the S.A.T.
and send the answers
back to Seattle.
But I'll need serious
money this time.
Even if Pat's dad helps
with Juilliard,
I still have to pay for it.
Tuition is $180,000, and I want
another 70 to help my dad.
Um, Lynn,
I admire your hustle,
but just because
our parents are loaded
doesn't mean we have a quarter
million dollars laying around.
And before we even get to that,
how do you know
it's gonna be the same test?
LYNN: I trawled
every subreddit on the S.A.T.
and found several threads
that cross-check test
answers across cities.
Philly and Seattle have
received the same test
three years running.
PAT:
Okay.
So, how do you get the
answers out of the test?
I memorize them.
(Pat laughs)
There's over 150 answers.
I did a dry run.
I can definitely do half
before the clock runs out.
The problem is
our window to get you guys
to the test centers
is very tight.
I'll need help.
No one can do what you do, Lynn.
Yeah, I just did
Ms. Ajukwu's delivery,
but I have to get ready for my
Cartwright interview tonight.
(chuckles)
It's at a fancy restaurant.
I'll-I'll be home soon, okay?
Uh, I-I got to go.
(car doors opening)
Hey, yo, Kunta Kinte.
You knocked my mirror
with your big-ass case.
What? No, I didn't.
What, you calling me a liar?
No, I-I j... Hey!
Hey! Dude, stop!
(grunting)
(grunts)
(breathing heavily, groaning)
PAT:
It's 12 K a head to buy in.
Count me in.
LYNN:
We'll need about 30 clients.
Any more, we risk
getting caught.
Any less, we don't make enough.
I can get that
from my study group.
(elevator bell dings)
("Do It Again (feat. Goose)"
by Soldout playing)
PAT:
All of our lives,
we've been taught to fear
a three-letter word:
S.A.T.
But what if I told you
there's a way
to make that test your bitch?
(cheering, whooping)
LYNN: All we can bring
into the exam are
2B pencil,
eraser, a calculator,
our admission ticket
and a photo I.D.
We don't all have
photographic memory.
How are we gonna get the
answers into the exam?
PAT:
Each of you will receive
a 2B pencil
with a barcode stuck on it.
The different widths represent
the different answer choices,
going from thickest to thinnest.
Thickest being A.
Then B, C, D.
-Anyone else getting hot yet?
-(laughter, excited chatter)
(wolf-whistles)
GRACE:
What is wrong with you?
I need you to unlock your phones
so I can download encrypted apps
to communicate with.
(Pat and Grace arguing
indistinctly)
I'll send answers back
during designated break periods.
Why would you like
MJ's bikini photo?
That makes me feel
insecure, Pat!
PAT: Okay, first of all,
it was an open-back one-piece,
not a bikini, and secondly...
She's what?
PAT:
You'll each get four pencils,
one per section.
Reading, writing, math with
and without a calculator.
The numbers next to the barcode
are for the grid-in section.
We skip the essay.
The top-tier schools don't
count it, so why should we?
(laughter)
This is a first-class ticket
to your future.
Are you ready to ride?
(cheering)
Why should three hours
on a Saturday morning
determine the rest of our lives?
The schools don't choose us.
We choose the schools.
ALL (chanting):
We choose the schools!
We choose the schools!
We choose the schools!
(song ends)
(dog barking in distance)
-(indistinct chatter)
-(siren wailing in distance)
(hip-hop music playing quietly)
-LYNN: Thank you.
-BANK: Thanks, Mom.
You left this in the kitchen.
Oh. Uh... (sighs)
LYNN:
Mmm.
What is this?
Akamu.
(chuckles) I got to stop
by here more often.
What are you doing here?
I heard what happened.
I just want to say I'm sorry.
Are they going to
give you a chance
to make up the interview?
They said it wouldn't be fair
to apply different standards
to different students.
What if you could still
get that money?
What do you mean?
The S.A.T.
-You're nuts.
-The rich kids get great scores.
We get paid. No one gets hurt.
I don't give a shit what you
and your rich friends do.
I don't care about getting paid
or having fancy things.
My life is school and my family.
And scraping by
on Quiz Slam prize money?
Lynn, you can't cheat the S.A.T.
It's the most secure test
in the world.
It's a scam,
engineered by people with money
and sold to other people
with money
to protect their status.
(scoffs)
The only way to beat
a rigged game
is to outmaneuver it.
I have a plan.
(exhales sharply)
I'm sorry, Lynn,
but I've worked too hard to
risk it all for one big score.
You've got it backwards, Bank.
You've worked too hard not to.
You pick me
'cause I'm the only one
smart enough
to pull this off with you?
That...
and I think you
deserve the chance
to make whatever kind of future
you want for yourself,
no matter what the rules say.
(bell jingling)
(bell jingling)
(garage door clanking open)
(door opens)
So... what's the plan?
This is home base.
You and I will fly
to Philadelphia.
We found an inner-city school
called Canopy High.
Busted security cameras,
multiple exits
we can get out through
if things go sideways.
It looks like the best place
for us to take the test.
BANK:
We should use the gunman method.
The what?
It's what
test-taking rings abroad do.
Essentially, you sign up
as a foreign student in America
so they don't have
our real names.
Use a real school
but a fake identity.
We'll need valid I.D.'s
to check in.
I know where we can find those.
We just need real passports
that can be modified.
They'll make minor tweaks
that make it
almost impossible to tag.
It's good enough
for test security.
What are you, a secret agent?
Wait, Lynn. What about your dad?
The Quiz Slam final
is in Philly.
You and I will split
the test in two
and tag-team memorizing
the answers.
I'll answer questions for
the first half of each section.
You'll do the second.
Pat and Grace will combine them
for the pencils.
Sections two and three will be
back-to-back without a break.
In section four,
we'll have to leave early
to get the pencils out, so we
won't get the full 55 minutes.
We'll have 20.
-(cell phones buzzing)
-(chuckling)
That means out of Canopy
by 11:10 a.m.
Then Pat and Grace
will have 20 minutes
to get everyone
to the test centers.
Once you're done memorizing
comes the tricky part.
They don't let us leave early
unless we're sick.
I can make myself throw up.
It helps me feel better
when I'm nervous.
So, what's my cut?
150 grand.
(bell dings)
BANK:
And what's yours?
LYNN:
250.
AUTOMATED VOICE (over phone):
Your payment this month
has already been received.
No further action is required.
You in?
Yeah.
(thumps table, claps)
Okay.
Whew!
Your bookings in Philly
are in your aliases,
so no one knows your real names.
Bank, you're a Nigerian national
at an American school in Lagos.
Lynn, your dad owns a real
estate company outside Beijing.
Reservations are on Pat's card.
Anything else,
we pay for in cash.
And luckily for us,
we have plenty.
(sighs)
There's one thing left
to rehearse.
(crying):
I-I'm innocent, okay?
I swear I-I'm innocent.
(stammering)
What do I have to do
to make this end?
I'll do anything.
I-I'll do anything, okay?
I'll do...
(stops crying):
anything for you, daddy.
(Grace exclaims)
No one wants to see that.
-Don't do that.
-PAT: Okay. Look, I get it.
If they catch you,
you hide behind your alias.
And if that goes bust,
we play dumb
and you fall on your sword.
One last time--
if Bank gets caught.
PAT (sighs):
Okay.
Bank. Uh...
he's not the kind of guy
I'd be friends with.
I-I mean,
I don't want to be a dick,
but he's kind of a loser.
In the past four years,
I just see him
hanging out alone.
All he does is study
and kiss ass to teachers.
No one likes him.
I mean, I guess
I shouldn't be surprised
he got his ass kicked
and tossed into a dumpster.
(Pat taps table rhythmically)
Okay.
-Whoa! -What are you doing?!
-Bank, Bank, Bank!
What the hell is wrong
with you, dude?
I said exactly
what you told me to say.
I never told you I ended up
in a dumpster.
I never told anyone.
(sighs)
You all set me up.
You paid those guys
to kick my ass
so I would miss my interview
and I'd be forced
to go along with this.
And you're all in on it,
aren't you?
-No. No. No.
-Aren't you? Yes, you are.
-No. No.
-Yes, you are.
Guys, you know how bad
I needed that money?
It's not just me. It's my mom.
It's my whole family.
PAT:
Hey, Bank, wait. Bank.
Bank, look, man.
Just wait for a second.
Okay. Calm down.
Look, I'm sorry.
Okay, I-I saw those guys
outside your mom's store.
I didn't know they would be
so rough on you.
But we can't quit now.
What do you think's
going to happen
if I get caught doing this?
'Cause it won't be the same
for me as you all.
You're rich kids.
Your dad's a lawyer.
And you, you're just a nice
Asian girl who got carried away.
Me?
Only if we get caught, okay?
But if this works, you're set.
Everyone wins.
You win!
You people always do.
PAT:
Hey, Bank.
Bank. Bank!
(door closes)
What?
(chuckles) You think this plan
works without Bank?
I did what had to be done.
Lynn. Lynn!
Lynn, wait. Please just...
please, please, Lynn.
-Did you know about this?
-I didn't.
I swear to you,
I swear that I didn't know.
I never meant for any of this
to go this far, Lynn.
I just... All I ever wanted...
Was to be an actress.
How do I know this whole
friendship hasn't been an act?
Return the money, Grace.
It's over.
-
-(vehicle approaching)
(brakes hissing)
BANK:
Flight leaves in three hours.
Why'd you come back?
I'm here because of you.
I got thrown in a dumpster
and lost my chance at a
free ride because of you.
I'm not letting you
and your friends
take away everything
I've worked my whole life for.
What if I can't
do this anymore?
I want what's mine,
and you at least owe me
the chance to get it.
Wait, Bank.
There's something
you should know.
("Secrets" by GGOOLLDD playing)
He may be a sociopathic asshole,
but at least Pat doesn't skimp
on the accommodations.
(chuckles)
You know, I've never had
room service before.
I'll give you time
to breathe...
(song fades)
You know that's not
how you take a bath, right?
I don't get it, Lynn.
Why do you even want to do this?
(Lynn sighs)
Who's Mei Ling?
It's my Chinese name.
My real name.
My mom taught me to play.
It's what we used to do
together.
What happened to her?
She worked in this factory
downtown.
She got sick...
but it was under the table,
so it wasn't like
there was anyone
she could go to.
My mom used to clean houses.
That's how she found out
about Exton.
She wanted to send her kid
to the same place
as the people she worked for.
Since then, everything goes
into that school.
This isn't just about the chance
to do music, Bank.
We deserve to be the people
our parents didn't get to be.
We deserve to be whole.
To make mistakes.
To go after what we want even if
it isn't the best plan on paper.
We deserve that.
Yeah, we do.
(Bank chuckles)
(phone vibrating and chiming)
GRACE (over phone): Wait,
so they changed the location?
The test isn't
at Canopy anymore.
It's at a university
in Center City.
There'll be
much tighter security.
We'll be going in blind.
LYNN:
I just looked it up online.
-It's like a maze.
-Look, if we don't
get these kids
every answer we promised,
you owe back the money.
GRACE:
Are we still doing this?
Lynn?
Get some sleep.
Tomorrow's a big day.
PRESTON:
Good morning.
I imagine you were thrown
for a bit of a loop.
But some registration
irregularities
made us think it best
to move some groups
to one of our more secure
test-taking centers.
If you have any issues,
remember we're here to help you.
Please hand in your phones.
(toilet flushes)
Section one will be
the reading test,
consisting of 52 questions.
You will have 65 minutes
to finish.
Sections two and three
will be taken together,
followed by a break.
You may take nothing in or out
of the testing room
on your breaks.
You will only be allowed to use
a calculator for section four.
You may begin.
(papers rustling)
(takes deep breath)
(muttering quietly)
MS. KAUFMAN:
Five-minute warning.
(muttering)
-Time's up. Pencils down.
-(sighs)
Ten-minute break.
(door opens)
Cars and clients
are ready and waiting.
(scoffs quietly)
(flushes toilet)
-(cell phone vibrating)
-Okay, here we go. Here we go.
-(phone vibrating)
-What the hell?
-What?
-Another $100K?
PAT: He wants another 100 grand
in five minutes?
Is he high?
You are not helping!
(phone vibrates)
(breathing heavily)
(phone vibrating)
(chuckles softly)
(phone vibrates)
(sniffs)
-(door opens)
-WOMAN: You have one minute
remaining in your break.
-(door closes)
-(breathing heavily)
(vibrates)
(sighs)
PAT:
A as in Alaska.
B as in banana.
B as in Baltimore.
-Pat, letters! Letters!
-Okay.
C, C, A, B,
C, B, D, B, A, C,
B, C, D.
Print.
(printer whirring)
(sighs):
Okay.
(Bank sighs)
Just making sure everyone wins.
You may begin section two now.
Time's up on section two.
You may begin section three now.
(breathing heavily)
(Lynn muttering quietly)
(muttering)
(takes deep breath)
(muttering quietly)
(muttering quietly)
MS. KAUFMAN:
Time's up. Pencils down.
You have a ten-minute break.
(knocking on stall door)
PRESTON:
Excuse me.
We're conducting a search
of the bathroom.
Please step out.
(knocking)
Young man,
will you please step out?
I'll-I'll be right out.
(knocking)
I don't want
to have to ask again.
Now, open this door now.
If you don't open this door
right now...
-What are you doing in there?
-(banging at stall door)
Open this door now!
You're gonna face some
very serious consequences
if you don't come out of there
this instant.
WOMAN:
Hello?
Please come out now.
(toilet flushes)
You're gonna miss
the start of your exam.
PRESTON: You are in a lot
of trouble right now.
I'm giving you a chance
to confess.
What was on that phone?
If you don't get back now,
you're gonna forfeit
your test scores.
(water running)
You may begin section four now.
(short, gasping breaths)
(takes deep breath)
Sooner or later, he'll reach
the Nigerian consulate
or your school in Lagos.
Now's the time to talk.
(deep, shaky breaths)
(muttering quietly)
(plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
(plays snippet of "Fur Elise")
(plays snippet of
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
(plays snippet
of "The Blue Danube")
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
(piano plays snippet
of "Fur Elise")
(piano plays snippet
of "The Blue Danube")
(piano plays snippet of
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
(piano plays snippet
of "Fur Elise")
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
What if they don't come by 8:10?
They will come by 8:10.
No one's answering.
Like I said,
they're closed on Saturday.
Can I go?
You've got my passport.
I'm screwed either way.
Right?
Get out of here.
PRESTON: You know,
it's amazing you have no accent.
It's a good school.
(piano rapidly playing)
(exhales)
(exhales)
(gagging)
(others groaning)
Oh, my God.
Are you all right?
I need to go home, please.
MS. KAUFMAN: If you leave,
your score will be canceled.
(horns honking outside)
Dude, these people really want
their answers.
Just tell them to wait.
-Okay.
-Go!
Okay. Okay.
I don't know how much longer
he's gonna be able
to hold them off.
Well, Jesus,
maybe something happened, Pat.
(groaning):
Oh, God.
(typing nearby)
CLINT: There's a reason
he's got no accent.
He doesn't live in Nigeria.
His home address is
an empty field.
We have to stop him.
Now.
WOMAN:
She has long dark hair.
Green raincoat.
About this tall.
We got a potential accomplice.
Asian female,
long dark hair, green coat.
(indistinct radio chatter)
(indistinct radio chatter)
(panting)
Hey.
Hey, stop!
(panting)
(cell phone ringing
and vibrating)
PRESTON: I don't know,
and I don't care.
Just find 'em.
CLINT:
Security has their descriptions.
As long as we keep them
on campus,
they'll be able to help
pin them down.
(door opens)
(sighs)
(vibrates)
Hey!
(panting)
(beeping)
(printer sputtering)
Pat, the printer's jammed!
Go. I'll take care of it.
(gasping)
(horn honks)
-(grunts)
-(horn honks)
(horns honking)
(straining)
(gasping)
Hi.
PAT:
They come in yet?
No.
We have six more answers left.
Wait.
Why are there no bars?
BANK:
Lynn, we're running out of time.
We need answers.
(piano playing rapidly)
(vibrating)
I got them.
Come on!
Hoof it! Let's go!
(sighs)
We won.
BANK'S MOTHER (over phone):
Oh, big man.
Well done.
Everything's gonna be okay
from now on, Mom.
I have a big plate of food
waiting for you.
I love you.
Being broke made me rich,
yeah
Gotta keep the stove hot
so it cook right
If everybody eating,
that's a good night...
(indistinct chatter)
PAT: As we march forth
into our futures,
we will forever be indebted
to the geniuses
that made this possible.
The icons, the legends,
our best friends, Bank and Lynn!
(cheering, whooping)
(laughter)
Okay, wait.
So you guys upgraded
to the top floor of the hotel?
I mean, I need to get used to
living in a skyscraper, right?
I cannot wait to visit
this fancy New York condo.
-(laughter)
-Grace, you didn't tell her?
Tell me what?
Oh, just the...
BOTH:
We... (laughing)
We're gonna defer a year
to travel.
Oh, my God,
Lynn should come with...
Lynn, you should come with us.
It's just for a year.
It's just for a year.
You should come! Oh, my God,
please, that would be so fun.
What about the apartment?
This is what you call
not using a friend?
-GRACE: Lynn. Lynn, hold on.
-Hey, hey, hey.
GRACE: Lynn, hold on.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
You-you pretty much got
everything you wanted, right?
I just need to take some time
for myself, you know?
If I don't get more
life experience,
I'm never gonna make it
as an actor.
I risked everything,
and all you ever cared about
was yourselves.
(laughing):
Come on.
You did it for yourself.
Same as us.
Look, it doesn't have to end.
We're still going to Columbia.
Think of all the new clients.
You'll make stupid
amounts of money,
and eventually, we'll all be
in New York together
and you try for Juilliard.
Everyone still wins.
Yeah, he's right.
I have to go.
Hey, hey.
-Lynn. Lynn!
-(door opens)
(door closes)
People are just
a means to an end.
And once we outlive
our usefulness,
it's better we just disappear.
'Cause seeing us,
it only reminds you
what assholes you are.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(newscast playing indistinctly)
Back already?
I wasn't feeling well.
(water running)
REPORTER (over TV): Now to
take you to breaking news.
A cheating scandal
in one of Philadelphia's
poorest school districts
has led to the cancellation
of hundreds of S.A.T. scores.
Though the College Board is
unable to identify the culprits,
as a precautionary measure to
protect the test's legitimacy,
all students
at the breached exam center
will retake their S.A.T.'s.
For more on this story,
we are joined by...
It's always the ones with
the most to lose who suffer.
(newscast continues
indistinctly)
-All right?
-CUSTOMER: Yeah. Thank you.
-(drawer opens)
-(coins clinking)
(drawer closes)
Did you hear about Canopy?
I saw it on the news.
Those kids are being punished
for something they didn't do.
Some of them can't even afford
taking the test again.
We have to fix this.
How?
Turn ourselves in.
Lynn.
Are you crazy?
Do you know
what would happen to us?
Bank, what we did
to those kids...
There's no such thing
as "everyone wins."
Someone always loses.
Okay, but we have
to do something.
All right, but turning
ourselves in is not gonna
change anything for those kids.
So is it really for them,
or is it just to make yourself
feel better?
I'm sorry I dragged you
into this, Bank-- I really am--
but I'm gonna confess
with or without you.
Lynn... you can't.
-Bank, I have to.
-No, you don't understand.
I get why you're scared, but...
-No, you don't.
-...maybe if we're honest,
-they'll understand.
-Lynn, I'm undocumented!
(breathing heavily)
What?
I'm undocumented.
How else do you think I know
where to get fake papers?
(sighs)
Me and my mom,
we came here when I was six.
We overstayed our visas.
My dad, my sister,
everyone is counting on me.
And going to college, it can
mean a job, a student visa
and one day a green card
so I can sponsor my family.
How many more people
do you have to punish?
Bank.
Bank, I'm so sorry.
If I knew, I-I...
We all have to live
with the choices we make.
Live with yours,
and please just let me
live with mine.
(Lynn shuddering)
(crying softly)
It was me, Dad.
What happened on the news
in Philadelphia.
(Meng sighs)
I know.
I could tell by the look
on your face last night.
If I confess what I did,
more people will get hurt
who don't deserve to.
I don't know what to do.
Hey. Come.
(crying):
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
(sighs)
I should have listened to you.
Your mom was always
the listener.
Maybe if I pray with you,
I'll...
I'll be able to hear her again.
It'll help me
hear you better, too.
(sighs)
(sniffles)
What do you think I should do?
Whatever you think is right.
I didn't decide
to do this lightly,
but once I did,
I wanted to prove that I could.
So I figured everything out:
using the time difference,
the encoded pencils.
Bank only got involved
once I knew
I couldn't do
the whole test alone.
The thing is... Pat's the reason
it all happened.
When tutoring didn't improve
his S.A.T. scores,
he sent Grace
to ask me for help.
He wired the money
from his account,
he paid for the travel,
and it was his friends
who benefited.
All the evidence
leads back to him.
Pat could be described
as the mastermind
of this whole thing,
especially by the kids
who watched his presentation
at your firm's offices.
All of this coming out
wouldn't exactly
leave you unscathed, Lynn.
I don't want it to come out,
Mr. Stone.
I don't want
to tell people about
the minority scholarship kids
who had money and access
dangled in front of them
by the son
of one of Big Tech's
premier lawyers
just so that he and his friends
and his girlfriend
didn't have to work
like everybody else.
I also don't want it to come out
that your son hired people
to assault another student
in order to coerce us
into doing this.
You expect me to believe that?
After what Pat did,
I promised Bank I'd protect us.
(no dialogue)
LYNN:
I had an insurance policy.
(no dialogue)
I wasn't planning
on looking at it...
till I found out
your son was a liar.
There are texts between Pat
and the people
who assaulted Bank,
not to mention...
He paid them on Venmo?
With a fist emoji
in the transaction description.
What do you want?
The students at Canopy
shouldn't have to pay
to retake their S.A.T.'s.
I'd like you to set up
a fund to cover
their testing
and tutoring costs,
for this class
and those that follow.
Do you know how much
that would cost?
Registration's $55.
There's a high-quality
S.A.T. prep course near Canopy
for $699.
Considering transportation costs
and given that
there are 417 students
in Canopy's current
graduating class,
that averages out
to $397,818 annually.
Less than what that condo
in New York would've been.
What else?
Bank's family needs assistance
with their immigration status.
I'd like you to help him
through your law firm.
I can make a call.
Thank you, Mr. Stone.
I appreciate your help.
Wait.
All this, and you aren't gonna
ask for anything for yourself?
You can wish me luck
at my Juilliard audition.
You're not gonna coax me
into making
a phone call on your behalf?
If I get in, I want to believe
it's because I deserve it.
Lynn.
If music doesn't work out
and you ever want a job...
-call me.
-(chuckles softly)
("Put It Down" by TOKiMONSTA,
Anderson .Paak & KRANE playing)
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh
Put it down for 'em
Yeah
Uh
-Put it down
-Shut it
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
You make the city
so proud of you, boy
You came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh, came a long way
from underpaid, uh
Took the long way
to make 'em wait, uh
Could be summer
in a hurricane, 'ey
Flipping work
till she please
Oh, they can't wait to say
I changed on 'em now
Gold chains on 'em now
Whole team smoking loud now
Oh, I can't wait to put
the blinds on the side
Both hands on the wheel now
Working like
we're still broke
Oh, from the sign to a dream
From the dream
to the real life
Oh, what's your worth?
Why you here?
When it's time to be young,
will you put it down?
I put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh
Put it down for 'em
Yeah
Uh
-Put it down for 'em
-Shut it
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
You make the city
so proud of you, boy
You came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Oh, from the sign to a dream
From the dream
to the real life
Oh, what's your worth?
Why you here?
When it's time to be young,
will you put it down for?
(song ends)
(music fades)
(electrical buzzing)
(sighs)
It's not mine.
I'm the last person on Earth
who needs to cheat.
Ask anyone.
MENG:
Top of class every year
and in each subject.
Her awards are next.
First in math and science
competitions.
State crossword puzzle
champion three times.
(chuckles)
Also very well-rounded.
Student athlete honors
in track and cross-country.
She's very quick.
Lynn will be first in our
family to go to college.
We know this is the best place
for getting into
top-tier schools.
MIT is our dream for her.
Their provost is
an old college friend.
I'm sure we can
be helpful there.
Lynn?
What do you think?
Exton Pacific
really looks amazing,
but given our current
financial situation,
I think public school
makes more sense.
Why don't we go for a walk?
(students chattering)
This school produces the
people who change the world.
And I take my responsibility
seriously
to invite students here
who may not otherwise
have a chance
to fulfill their full potential.
(camera clicks)
(students laughing, chattering)
I'm sorry, Ms. Walsh.
There's no way we can afford
$50K a year.
-Lynn.
-Tuition's actually 40.
But right now I'm on
my dad's route to work,
so it's a free ride.
To get here,
I'll need to get the bus,
which costs one grand
after we buy
ten monthly passes
to cover the school year.
It's two hours each way
with transfers.
I won't have time
for extracurriculars
or to help my dad
at the laundromat,
which compromises our income,
so my best bet is Uber,
which is 16 bucks a ride
if I avoid surge pricing.
32 bucks a day
five days a week for ten months
is $6,400.
Add the new student fee at two
and another three for books
and uniforms, and it's
$50,000...
give or take.
First in math competitions.
Lynn, you can attend
Exton for free.
And I'll waive all the fees.
You are as deserving as
any of our other students
at a chance
to follow your dreams.
All you need to do
is figure out
the best way
to get here each day.
Is that a problem
you think you can solve?
("Chasing Shadows" by Santigold
playing)
(horns honking)
Limousines, big people,
their parties
But I'm on an island
(lively chatter)
Watching through a window
The flashing light
on the bed
Neon sign goes red
"You are here," it says
Well, at least someone
knows where I am.
(song fades)
(piano playing classical music)
(door opens)
(door closes)
-Lynn.
-(piano playing stops)
I cut the trip down
to just over an hour each way.
If I count that
as homework time,
it'll average out.
It won't be every day.
Between me and the bus,
we'll make it work.
(vocalizing fanfare)
-(Lynn gasping)
-(Meng chuckles)
Everyone will ask,
"Who's the new girl
in the sharp clothes?"
(makes whooshing sound)
So shiny you can see
your reflection.
Dad, you shouldn't have.
Thanks.
(announcer speaking Mandarin
over TV)
I signed up for Quiz Slam.
Their team made state finals
last year, so they get
-their own room to practice in.
-Huh.
We had to share
with the theater kids.
Oh, that's why you were
so fun to watch.
Their acting skills
must have rubbed off on you.
What else are you thinking
of joining?
The music program is amazing.
It has a summer residency
in New York.
Last time I checked, uh,
MIT is in Boston.
Well, two Exton students
actually got
into Juilliard last year.
I have a real chance
of getting an audition now.
Ms. Walsh is going to ask
her friend to help with MIT.
You don't want to risk
making her look bad.
Don't get distracted.
You're going further
than your mom and I ever could.
You're going to accomplish
big, big things.
LYNN: A first-gen kid
spends 462 hours a year
doing activities
she's told guarantee her future.
But it was the time spent
practicing piano with Mom
that she felt most free.
If X equals the pressure
to please everyone
multiplied by the isolation
of having no time for friends,
what are the odds
she finally slips up,
costing her everything
she's ever worked for?
-(camera clicks)
-(students chattering)
Lynn! I am so sorry I'm late.
Uh, who are you?
Oh. Good, no one told you.
(chuckling): Okay, so I am
your Exton ambassador.
Walsh wanted to make sure
that you got
the lay of the land, so I'm here
to give you the VIP treatment.
I'm Grace.
Um, excuse me, mister.
No bueno. Go again.
One more time.
We're only allowed
one photo each.
Okay, so first lesson
at Exton... May I?
Some rules are not meant
to be followed by those
who are actually
wishing to excel.
It's just a yearbook photo.
Oh, babe, photos are forever.
Ask Britney.
Give it a smoosh. (smacks lips)
Okay, that is it.
-That's the one! Yes.
-(Grace clapping)
Look at that.
-(gasps) Beautiful.
-(camera clicks)
-(camera clicks)
-(laughing)
-(plays concluding chords)
-GRACE: Oh, my God, Lynn,
if I could figure out
how to do math
half as well as you play piano,
I wouldn't be failing
this class.
It's C.
It's... it's what?
Well, treat union as everything
in A or B,
which means all numbers.
And C: three, six, ten.
You got it that fast
and upside down?
(laughter)
Oh, my God.
That food smells foul.
MJ?
Since when are you so picky
about what you put
in your mouth?
(scoffs)
-Thanks.
-Honestly,
she has no room to talk.
You should smell
her sports bras after PE.
-(laughs)
-It is disgusting.
It's so gross.
Lynn, what if you tutored me?
I need to keep my GPA
above a 3.0
or else I'm not allowed
to audition.
And acting is what
I'm betting my future on.
If you tutored me, I would...
I don't think
I have the time, Grace.
I mean, on top of school,
I still have to help
my dad out at the laundromat.
It wouldn't take that much
time at all. I promise.
And we'll be hanging out
either way, right?
LYNN:
Of course I tutored Grace.
She's my friend.
Why wouldn't I help my friend?
Just relax.
We went over all of this.
-(timer beeps)
-You may begin.
My life is over.
(Mr. Lasso clears throat)
(yawning)
(whispers):
Grace.
(mouthing)
(sighs)
3.4!
Lynn! Oh, my God.
Hey, what'd you get?
Um, 4.2.
Such an underachiever. Come on.
Let's go celebrate.
Uh, don't we have AP History?
Believe me, no one's gonna care
if you dip out early
on the last day
of semester, okay?
Oh, I don't want
to get in trouble.
Lynn, they can't afford
to get you in trouble.
You're a star.
And, you know, not to be gross,
but you're kind of
the face that they want
on their brochures, right?
So, do you want to...
-That's my girl!
-(both laugh)
("Home" by morgxn playing)
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh
-Oh-oh-oh-oh, oh...
-(both laughing)
PAT:
Well, well, well.
(laughs):
Oh.
If it isn't the most beautiful
girl in the world.
And all these
precious memories...
GRACE:
This is...
Lynn.
I have been dying to meet you
now that lacrosse is done.
Pat Stone.
Welcome to Chez Stoney.
Thirsty?
Yes.
Pat!
Oh, my God.
What can I say?
I love to get you wet.
(lively chatter nearby)
My brother and his pals
are running this, like,
crypto start-up.
Usually consists
of getting fucked up
while they choke off
our Internet.
Are you working with them?
I'm just trying to
get my ass into college.
What happens if you don't?
My dad disowns me.
Uh, what about you, Lynn?
What are your plans after Exton?
GRACE:
Lynn wants to go to Juilliard.
-Juilliard? (chuckles)
-Mm-hmm.
Is that funny?
My dad's on the board.
So, Ted is a Big Tech lawyer
who happens to love Chopin,
and he takes care of everyone
this side of the lake.
Mm, not the way Lynn
takes care of you.
I just heard
you were hooking her up.
Pat.
Is this why I'm here?
-No, no. Lynn.
-(Pat scoffs)
You're here because
you're my friend.
You're on a scholarship, right?
I'm just guessing money's
pretty tight right now.
That's not... (scoffs)
What Pat means--
if we can use our family names
and our connections
to get what we want,
why should you not be able
to use what you have
to do the same?
$200 a test.
Me, Grace and four of my buds.
You expect me to risk
my scholarship
for you and four of your buds?
Oh, Lynn! (chuckles)
You are one of Walsh's
token trophies.
There is no way she'd believe
you could do anything bad.
I... Let's just...
Let's think about it
for a second.
How many classes in a semester
with Scantron tests?
GRACE:
Four minus electives.
LYNN: Travel for an audition
to Juilliard costs $1,300.
Coupled with the loss of
productivity at the laundromat
and owed rent, combining for
a deficit of $6,700.
Divide by the cost of
significant moral backsliding
and add a return trip
for callbacks
and proper tuning on our piano,
and you get...
$12,000.
$12,000.
And if I get my grades up,
my parents promised me
a new car,
so I swear to be your personal
chauffeur to and from school.
That's nice,
but my dad and I are fine.
I go to Exton for free.
Everything is
a transaction, Lynn,
even if they hide the price tag.
Listen.
Give it some thought,
and I'll talk to my dad
about getting Exton's
finest student
on the inside track
to Juilliard.
Everyone wins.
(retching, spitting)
(toilet flushes)
(breathing heavily)
(takes deep breath)
(strings playing gentle
classical music)
(quiet chatter)
I'm going to hang that up
at work.
(chuckles)
Where'd you get this suit?
Oh.
The laundromat gave it to me.
-Nice fit.
-(chuckles)
I look like a Mafia guy.
Mr. Kang.
Ms. Walsh. (chuckles)
I am so glad to see you here.
This is a wonderful event.
I'm grateful for everything
you've done for Lynn.
She'll impress your MIprovost friend-- I guarantee it.
Oh, I have no doubt about that.
And I'm looking forward
to eventually
having that conversation.
In fact, I would love
to introduce you
to one of the parents who steers
our small gift committee.
She has some delightful items
on display in the gallery.
There's a skin care package
you just have to see.
MENG:
Of course. Uh...
You okay?
Yeah.
I just don't like talking
in front of people.
Your parents couldn't make it?
My dad's in Nigeria.
And my mom hates these things.
Why would she hate a dinner
that celebrates us?
The dinner's to raise money,
Lynn.
Celebrations aren't for mascots.
MAN (on TV): We've always seen
technology as a tool,
and it's a tool, we believe,
for empowering the individual.
(broadcast continues
indistinctly)
Don't you ever get tired
of the news?
Watching the news
is how I learned English
and how you got so smart.
Well, if I'm so smart,
why didn't you listen to me
when I said it was crazy
to spend a thousand dollars
on face cream
when you won't even buy yourself
a suit that fits?
That money shows them we're
committed to your education.
There are plenty of rich parents
who give to that school.
Our money is
just as good as theirs.
Except we have a lot less of it.
-Mom would never...
-Mei Ling.
All your mother ever wanted
was to see you succeed.
This school gives us
the opportunity
to make our sacrifices count.
We have to make sure they do.
I'm going to wash my face
because I feel like a jellyfish.
(door opens and closes)
(playing Debussy's
"Clair de Lune")
(repeats melody)
(repeats melody)
(repeats melody)
(piano melody repeats softly)
(piano melody repeats softly)
I paid for piano lessons.
So what?
Since when is that illegal?
LYNN:
A coda is a passage
that finishes a song.
In Italian, its plural
is the word "code."
It made me think--
what if we made
our own code from music?
We'll use four songs
to represent A, B, C and D.
Memorize my finger movements.
This is A.
(plays snippet of "Fur Elise")
Starts with the pinkie
and finishes with the thumb.
This is B.
(plays snippet of Vivaldi's
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
B is five, four, three, three,
three, two, one, five.
Now we have C.
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
And finally D.
(piano plays snippet
of Strauss's "The Blue Danube")
I'll give three answers,
then skip one
and keep repeating this pattern
to randomize our results.
The ones I skip,
you answer yourselves.
If it's just the hand signals,
what's the point of the songs?
LYNN: The song gives your brain
something to memorize.
And if you get caught,
you can say you were
tapping out a song
you learned on the piano.
A song you can then play for
anyone who doesn't believe you.
("Deadly Valentine" by
Charlotte Gainsbourg playing)
With this ring I thee wed
With all my worldly goods
I thee endow
(cheering)
To love and to cherish
According to God's
holy ordinance
You have declared
your consent
May the Lord fill you both
with blessings...
-GRACE: Oh, yes, king!
-Oh!
-GRACE: Open it.
-PAT: Open it.
GRACE:
Open it!
(Lynn chuckles)
Here we come, New York.
(playing classical music)
You look so good.
I feel like, uh, Jeff Bezos.
(both laugh)
I saw you paid
the back rent we owed. (sighs)
Tutoring must be going well.
LYNN:
Mm.
GRACE: Okay, we should have a
dozen clients by semester exam.
-(door opens)
-MR. LASSO: Lynn Kang.
Headmaster's office.
(knocking)
BANK:
Of course I know Lynn.
We're teammates.
Nothing more.
You wanted to see me, Ms. Walsh?
Yes, uh, Lynn, have a seat.
So, I'm sure you're both
familiar with the Cartwrights?
Their name's on
the science building.
Mrs. Cartwright
is sponsoring a scholarship:
a full ride to any school
a student decides to attend
after graduation.
One scholarship is offered
to each school in the region.
Each school nominates two
students to interview for it.
Now, I can't think of anyone
to better represent
this school's values
than you two.
You've made a remarkable team.
I'm sure you'll only make
each other better
as competitors.
ADAM NEUMANN (on TV): We think
that that's very important.
Technically speaking, we have
80 locations around the world.
We're in 30 cities.
We're in 12 countries.
We add between five to ten
locations a month.
We have 60,000 members.
And those members
all have companies
and families and friends,
and they're all taking part
of this great new way
of working.
(sets remote on table)
(objects rustling)
(Meng sighs)
Where were you?
Piano lessons.
(Meng grunts)
Your mama would be so happy
you found a way
to do your music.
Dad?
You know what day it is?
(Meng snoring softly)
(siren wailing in distance)
(light laughter)
(indistinct chatter)
(dog barking nearby)
(indistinct chatter continues)
BANK:
Hey, guys.
Uh, please just...
not in front of the store.
Or what you gonna do,
Kunta Kinte?
(laughter)
-Looks like a dork ass.
-(laughter)
Look at Africa over here--
think he rule the street.
Hello, 911?
-You seriously calling the cops?
-I need your assistance.
There's a couple of guys,
uh, doing drugs
in front of my mother's store.
-You serious?
-Yeah, if you could just
get here as soon as possible,
that'd be great. Thank you.
(men scoffing)
Good luck with that.
(engine starts)
(hip-hop music playing
over car stereo)
(sighs)
(sighs)
I get why you think I did this,
but Bank is the most honest
person I've ever met.
He'd never cheat.
Bank!
Banky. Bankster, hey.
Study for the exam?
It's a semester exam.
Of course I studied.
Of course. Of course, yeah.
It's just that
it's really hard for me
with my learning disability.
Which one would that be?
-It's one of the bad ones.
-(scoffs)
-Good luck with that.
-Wait. Hey, hey, hey.
Sorry. I just, uh...
I got to ask,
can I copy off you?
Look, uh, if I fail this,
my parents are totally
cutting me off.
And I already tried
the piano thing,
but I'm more of a flute guy,
-to be honest.
-"Piano thing"?
It's nothing. Never mind.
Um, I'll pay you $300.
Look, come on! I'm-I'm trying to
make a Bank deposit here, man.
(softly):
Shit.
("Sister/Nation" by BROCKHAMPTON
playing)
(man speaking Spanish in song)
I feel myself getting better
by the fucking minute
'Member when my mama always
had to save the minutes
"Throw Some D's" dropped,
I wanted to be Russell Simmons
Better keep work 'em out,
had an inner vision
Where the kitchen at?
-Keep the lyrics written...
-(song stops)
MR. HAMILTON:
Let's hurry up.
It's almost 9:30.
Take your seats.
You will have 60 minutes
to complete the exam.
(takes deep breath)
You may...
begin.
Excuse me?
Are we...
are we taking two exams?
There's been some concern
about similarities
in test results recently,
so we've issued two sets
for all cumulative exams.
Just finish the test
you received.
(hushed):
Lynn, what set do you have?
MR. HAMILTON:
Can I help you?
(piano notes playing)
(hushed):
Chapin. Switch papers with me.
Now.
MR. HAMILTON:
20 minutes left.
CHAPIN:
Lynn. Lynn.
Should I put my name on yours?
Just do nothing.
MR. HAMILTON:
Ten-minute warning.
(inhales sharply)
Five minutes left.
(piano notes playing)
Time's up.
Pencils down, please.
I said pencils down.
I said stop!
How high a GPA do you need?
(paper rustling)
(snaps fingers)
(students chattering quietly)
(sighs)
MR. HAMILTON:
Lynn Kang.
You didn't write your name
on your scratch paper.
(pencil writing on paper)
(laughter)
Lynn, you're the GOAT.
PAT: So, are we doing
piano lessons this summer?
LYNN:
Yeah.
I need new winter coats
for New York.
GRACE (chuckles): We'll have
them pay you in Moncler.
-Can you even do that?
-(laughing): I have no idea.
MAN (over P.A.):
Lynn Kang and Chapin Joyce,
please report to head of school.
You're all here because
there's something that we need
to get to the bottom of.
Together.
Bank says that he saw Chapin
cheat off Lynn's exam.
Lynn, did you see him do this?
MR. HAMILTON:
They've got different exam sets.
Cheating would be pointless.
Chapin, did you cheat
off Lynn's exam?
No!
No.
Chapin. (scoffs)
How does the son
of a state attorney general
consistently show
such poor judgment?
Lynn, Bank, I'm sorry you got
dragged into this. You can go.
Lynn. Wait a second.
Why are there problems
from both exams
on your scratch paper?
Because it was you.
Yo, will you please just chill?
There's no reason to freak out.
Oh, shit.
This is not possible.
MS. WALSH:
Lynn's already admitted to it.
I don't understand.
Were you and your father
having financial problems?
No, no.
We have no money problems.
Well, to say I'm disappointed
is an understatement.
Lynn, you're the face
of success for this school.
I can assure you
Lynn will do whatever it takes
to make up for the mistake.
Please.
If this were
any other student than Lynn,
it would be grounds
for expulsion.
But you mean a lot
to this school. (sighs)
And we have all grown
very fond of you.
This being the first infraction
merits a second chance.
Meaning what?
Meaning you can stay
at Exton, but...
I have to rescind
your scholarship,
and I'm afraid you're ineligible
for the Cartwright.
The Cartwright isn't
an Exton scholarship.
Whoever receives it
represents this school
and must reflect its values.
By "values," you mean driving
an already poor family
further into poverty
just to prove a point?
I-I apologize on behalf
of my daughter.
I have worked very hard
to provide her
with the chance to learn
at a place like this.
I'm just grateful her mother
isn't here to see this.
It would break her heart.
Thank you for giving her
another chance.
This is your plan?
You're running away to New York?
I just want the chance to do
what I love, like my friends.
You're not like your friends.
They care about me enough
to support what I want.
What happens when they get
what they need from you?
Will they be there
if this doesn't work out?
I know what I'm doing, Dad.
And if Mom were here,
she'd understand that.
Oh, that after
all the sacrifices she made,
her daughter thinks
it's okay to cheat
so you can buy fancy shoes?
Your mother wore the same
sneakers to work every day.
When they ripped,
she put duct tape over them.
I would say, "Get a new pair."
She would say, "No.
That money can be for Mei,
for the future."
And this is what you do
with the future
she helped you to have?
Return the money.
Get rid of these.
And, uh, this, uh...
I never want to see this again.
Ms. Walsh will be changing
your class schedule
so you can't cheat
with those friends anymore.
You stay away from them.
I raised you better.
(door opens and closes)
(rain falling)
(thunder rumbling)
("No Harm Is Done" by Christine
and the Queens playing)
(fabric rustling)
It's a blur
The pulsing is so loud
Surely we'd feel better
If we had something
to fight for...
(door opens)
Why didn't you answer my text?
Mr. Tong was upset when
I couldn't find his scrubs.
Oh, you don't get five stars
if you answer the phone
with passengers.
(sighs)
(Meng bites apple)
You promised
you'd cut back driving
to ten hours a week.
It's just until you graduate.
As long as I can keep
the laundromat open on holidays
and, uh, keep driving,
we should be able
to cover what we need.
Because you took out a loan.
Well, it's not your job
to worry about it.
Go study.
(cell phone vibrating)
-Hey.
-GRACE (over phone): Lynn?
You answered.
I'm so glad you answered.
I miss you.
Miss you guys, too.
Saint Bart's looked fun.
GRACE: Yeah. We really
wanted you there.
LYNN: My dad needed help
in the laundromat.
I couldn't leave him.
GRACE: Well, that's actually
why I'm calling.
There's someone who might
be able to help with that.
This is delicious, Eliza.
Thank you.
Oh, I'm so glad you like it.
Sandy is a wiz.
She won Chopped,
so I don't feel too bad
asking her to pull something
together last minute.
(Grace chuckles softly)
Where's Pat?
It's his first day at Google.
Ted's firm does
some of the visa work
for one of
the research divisions,
so they gave him an internship.
So, Lynn...
I hear you're first
in your class.
GRACE:
Mm, yeah. Not to mention
a Quiz Slam shark
and a forensics icon,
and she's probably
the best piano player
that Exton has ever seen.
Aw.
(Grace chuckles)
Grace tells me you have plans to
go to New York after graduation.
My dad prefers Boston.
Someone with a future
as bright as yours
can't waste time
on what other people prefer,
no matter how much
you care about them.
We know you spent last year
tutoring Pat, and wow,
did you put every expensive
thing we tried to shame.
(chuckles softly)
Pat worked really hard.
TED (laughs): We're talking
about someone who thought
Parmesan was an ethnicity
until he was 14.
Stop.
I don't know how you're
doing it, and I don't care.
I just need to get him
into Columbia.
Pat is our last chance to send
a Stone to my alma mater.
His S.A.T.'s won't cut it with
Columbia, not even as a legacy.
We need him... (sighs)
to ace this test.
If he does, all three of you
go to New York.
Our real estate person's found
a place on the Upper West Side.
Doorman, three beds, two baths.
A subway stop away from anything
you could ever want.
I have made it clear to our son
that all he has to do
is get into Columbia--
it's his.
GRACE:
Lynn.
We'd be roomies. (chuckles)
So, you're asking me to...
To help our son.
And I will provide
whatever resources he needs
to ensure you can.
ELIZA: Just think, the three
of you together in New York?
So exciting.
I'm sorry,
Mr. and Mrs. Stone, but...
But, um, you know, like...
like I was explaining to you,
Lynn is, um, she's super,
super focused on graduating,
and obviously, she wouldn't want
to jeopardize that
by, you know,
getting too distracted.
Well, Sandy has prepared some
incredible after-dinner treats
if you want to go down
to the theater to wait for Pat.
-Thank you, Eliza.
-Of course.
Lynn.
Think about it.
(TV playing quietly)
Sorry if that was weird.
I just thought if there's
any chance that we could be
together in New York
that we had to try, right?
I mean, with your Juilliard
audition coming up,
you'd be a few blocks away
from Lincoln Center.
And then I could get
to any audition that
I ever want-- it's perfect.
Cheating the S.A.T.
is impossible.
-It's the Fort Knox of tests.
-Exactly.
It'll be the greatest problem
you've ever solved.
You just haven't put
your big brain to it.
(Lynn sighs)
Yeah, you're probably right.
I just got really hyped thinking
about us on the East Coast.
(changing channels)
REPORTER (on TV): Negotiations
continue here in Brussels
over the United Kingdom's
decision
to leave the European Union.
But, given the time difference
and the British prime minister's
visit to the United States,
sources say it will likely
not be until tomorrow
that we hear a response
on his latest proposal.
Philadelphia is
three hours ahead.
If I go there,
I can take the S.A.T.
and send the answers
back to Seattle.
But I'll need serious
money this time.
Even if Pat's dad helps
with Juilliard,
I still have to pay for it.
Tuition is $180,000, and I want
another 70 to help my dad.
Um, Lynn,
I admire your hustle,
but just because
our parents are loaded
doesn't mean we have a quarter
million dollars laying around.
And before we even get to that,
how do you know
it's gonna be the same test?
LYNN: I trawled
every subreddit on the S.A.T.
and found several threads
that cross-check test
answers across cities.
Philly and Seattle have
received the same test
three years running.
PAT:
Okay.
So, how do you get the
answers out of the test?
I memorize them.
(Pat laughs)
There's over 150 answers.
I did a dry run.
I can definitely do half
before the clock runs out.
The problem is
our window to get you guys
to the test centers
is very tight.
I'll need help.
No one can do what you do, Lynn.
Yeah, I just did
Ms. Ajukwu's delivery,
but I have to get ready for my
Cartwright interview tonight.
(chuckles)
It's at a fancy restaurant.
I'll-I'll be home soon, okay?
Uh, I-I got to go.
(car doors opening)
Hey, yo, Kunta Kinte.
You knocked my mirror
with your big-ass case.
What? No, I didn't.
What, you calling me a liar?
No, I-I j... Hey!
Hey! Dude, stop!
(grunting)
(grunts)
(breathing heavily, groaning)
PAT:
It's 12 K a head to buy in.
Count me in.
LYNN:
We'll need about 30 clients.
Any more, we risk
getting caught.
Any less, we don't make enough.
I can get that
from my study group.
(elevator bell dings)
("Do It Again (feat. Goose)"
by Soldout playing)
PAT:
All of our lives,
we've been taught to fear
a three-letter word:
S.A.T.
But what if I told you
there's a way
to make that test your bitch?
(cheering, whooping)
LYNN: All we can bring
into the exam are
2B pencil,
eraser, a calculator,
our admission ticket
and a photo I.D.
We don't all have
photographic memory.
How are we gonna get the
answers into the exam?
PAT:
Each of you will receive
a 2B pencil
with a barcode stuck on it.
The different widths represent
the different answer choices,
going from thickest to thinnest.
Thickest being A.
Then B, C, D.
-Anyone else getting hot yet?
-(laughter, excited chatter)
(wolf-whistles)
GRACE:
What is wrong with you?
I need you to unlock your phones
so I can download encrypted apps
to communicate with.
(Pat and Grace arguing
indistinctly)
I'll send answers back
during designated break periods.
Why would you like
MJ's bikini photo?
That makes me feel
insecure, Pat!
PAT: Okay, first of all,
it was an open-back one-piece,
not a bikini, and secondly...
She's what?
PAT:
You'll each get four pencils,
one per section.
Reading, writing, math with
and without a calculator.
The numbers next to the barcode
are for the grid-in section.
We skip the essay.
The top-tier schools don't
count it, so why should we?
(laughter)
This is a first-class ticket
to your future.
Are you ready to ride?
(cheering)
Why should three hours
on a Saturday morning
determine the rest of our lives?
The schools don't choose us.
We choose the schools.
ALL (chanting):
We choose the schools!
We choose the schools!
We choose the schools!
(song ends)
(dog barking in distance)
-(indistinct chatter)
-(siren wailing in distance)
(hip-hop music playing quietly)
-LYNN: Thank you.
-BANK: Thanks, Mom.
You left this in the kitchen.
Oh. Uh... (sighs)
LYNN:
Mmm.
What is this?
Akamu.
(chuckles) I got to stop
by here more often.
What are you doing here?
I heard what happened.
I just want to say I'm sorry.
Are they going to
give you a chance
to make up the interview?
They said it wouldn't be fair
to apply different standards
to different students.
What if you could still
get that money?
What do you mean?
The S.A.T.
-You're nuts.
-The rich kids get great scores.
We get paid. No one gets hurt.
I don't give a shit what you
and your rich friends do.
I don't care about getting paid
or having fancy things.
My life is school and my family.
And scraping by
on Quiz Slam prize money?
Lynn, you can't cheat the S.A.T.
It's the most secure test
in the world.
It's a scam,
engineered by people with money
and sold to other people
with money
to protect their status.
(scoffs)
The only way to beat
a rigged game
is to outmaneuver it.
I have a plan.
(exhales sharply)
I'm sorry, Lynn,
but I've worked too hard to
risk it all for one big score.
You've got it backwards, Bank.
You've worked too hard not to.
You pick me
'cause I'm the only one
smart enough
to pull this off with you?
That...
and I think you
deserve the chance
to make whatever kind of future
you want for yourself,
no matter what the rules say.
(bell jingling)
(bell jingling)
(garage door clanking open)
(door opens)
So... what's the plan?
This is home base.
You and I will fly
to Philadelphia.
We found an inner-city school
called Canopy High.
Busted security cameras,
multiple exits
we can get out through
if things go sideways.
It looks like the best place
for us to take the test.
BANK:
We should use the gunman method.
The what?
It's what
test-taking rings abroad do.
Essentially, you sign up
as a foreign student in America
so they don't have
our real names.
Use a real school
but a fake identity.
We'll need valid I.D.'s
to check in.
I know where we can find those.
We just need real passports
that can be modified.
They'll make minor tweaks
that make it
almost impossible to tag.
It's good enough
for test security.
What are you, a secret agent?
Wait, Lynn. What about your dad?
The Quiz Slam final
is in Philly.
You and I will split
the test in two
and tag-team memorizing
the answers.
I'll answer questions for
the first half of each section.
You'll do the second.
Pat and Grace will combine them
for the pencils.
Sections two and three will be
back-to-back without a break.
In section four,
we'll have to leave early
to get the pencils out, so we
won't get the full 55 minutes.
We'll have 20.
-(cell phones buzzing)
-(chuckling)
That means out of Canopy
by 11:10 a.m.
Then Pat and Grace
will have 20 minutes
to get everyone
to the test centers.
Once you're done memorizing
comes the tricky part.
They don't let us leave early
unless we're sick.
I can make myself throw up.
It helps me feel better
when I'm nervous.
So, what's my cut?
150 grand.
(bell dings)
BANK:
And what's yours?
LYNN:
250.
AUTOMATED VOICE (over phone):
Your payment this month
has already been received.
No further action is required.
You in?
Yeah.
(thumps table, claps)
Okay.
Whew!
Your bookings in Philly
are in your aliases,
so no one knows your real names.
Bank, you're a Nigerian national
at an American school in Lagos.
Lynn, your dad owns a real
estate company outside Beijing.
Reservations are on Pat's card.
Anything else,
we pay for in cash.
And luckily for us,
we have plenty.
(sighs)
There's one thing left
to rehearse.
(crying):
I-I'm innocent, okay?
I swear I-I'm innocent.
(stammering)
What do I have to do
to make this end?
I'll do anything.
I-I'll do anything, okay?
I'll do...
(stops crying):
anything for you, daddy.
(Grace exclaims)
No one wants to see that.
-Don't do that.
-PAT: Okay. Look, I get it.
If they catch you,
you hide behind your alias.
And if that goes bust,
we play dumb
and you fall on your sword.
One last time--
if Bank gets caught.
PAT (sighs):
Okay.
Bank. Uh...
he's not the kind of guy
I'd be friends with.
I-I mean,
I don't want to be a dick,
but he's kind of a loser.
In the past four years,
I just see him
hanging out alone.
All he does is study
and kiss ass to teachers.
No one likes him.
I mean, I guess
I shouldn't be surprised
he got his ass kicked
and tossed into a dumpster.
(Pat taps table rhythmically)
Okay.
-Whoa! -What are you doing?!
-Bank, Bank, Bank!
What the hell is wrong
with you, dude?
I said exactly
what you told me to say.
I never told you I ended up
in a dumpster.
I never told anyone.
(sighs)
You all set me up.
You paid those guys
to kick my ass
so I would miss my interview
and I'd be forced
to go along with this.
And you're all in on it,
aren't you?
-No. No. No.
-Aren't you? Yes, you are.
-No. No.
-Yes, you are.
Guys, you know how bad
I needed that money?
It's not just me. It's my mom.
It's my whole family.
PAT:
Hey, Bank, wait. Bank.
Bank, look, man.
Just wait for a second.
Okay. Calm down.
Look, I'm sorry.
Okay, I-I saw those guys
outside your mom's store.
I didn't know they would be
so rough on you.
But we can't quit now.
What do you think's
going to happen
if I get caught doing this?
'Cause it won't be the same
for me as you all.
You're rich kids.
Your dad's a lawyer.
And you, you're just a nice
Asian girl who got carried away.
Me?
Only if we get caught, okay?
But if this works, you're set.
Everyone wins.
You win!
You people always do.
PAT:
Hey, Bank.
Bank. Bank!
(door closes)
What?
(chuckles) You think this plan
works without Bank?
I did what had to be done.
Lynn. Lynn!
Lynn, wait. Please just...
please, please, Lynn.
-Did you know about this?
-I didn't.
I swear to you,
I swear that I didn't know.
I never meant for any of this
to go this far, Lynn.
I just... All I ever wanted...
Was to be an actress.
How do I know this whole
friendship hasn't been an act?
Return the money, Grace.
It's over.
-
-(vehicle approaching)
(brakes hissing)
BANK:
Flight leaves in three hours.
Why'd you come back?
I'm here because of you.
I got thrown in a dumpster
and lost my chance at a
free ride because of you.
I'm not letting you
and your friends
take away everything
I've worked my whole life for.
What if I can't
do this anymore?
I want what's mine,
and you at least owe me
the chance to get it.
Wait, Bank.
There's something
you should know.
("Secrets" by GGOOLLDD playing)
He may be a sociopathic asshole,
but at least Pat doesn't skimp
on the accommodations.
(chuckles)
You know, I've never had
room service before.
I'll give you time
to breathe...
(song fades)
You know that's not
how you take a bath, right?
I don't get it, Lynn.
Why do you even want to do this?
(Lynn sighs)
Who's Mei Ling?
It's my Chinese name.
My real name.
My mom taught me to play.
It's what we used to do
together.
What happened to her?
She worked in this factory
downtown.
She got sick...
but it was under the table,
so it wasn't like
there was anyone
she could go to.
My mom used to clean houses.
That's how she found out
about Exton.
She wanted to send her kid
to the same place
as the people she worked for.
Since then, everything goes
into that school.
This isn't just about the chance
to do music, Bank.
We deserve to be the people
our parents didn't get to be.
We deserve to be whole.
To make mistakes.
To go after what we want even if
it isn't the best plan on paper.
We deserve that.
Yeah, we do.
(Bank chuckles)
(phone vibrating and chiming)
GRACE (over phone): Wait,
so they changed the location?
The test isn't
at Canopy anymore.
It's at a university
in Center City.
There'll be
much tighter security.
We'll be going in blind.
LYNN:
I just looked it up online.
-It's like a maze.
-Look, if we don't
get these kids
every answer we promised,
you owe back the money.
GRACE:
Are we still doing this?
Lynn?
Get some sleep.
Tomorrow's a big day.
PRESTON:
Good morning.
I imagine you were thrown
for a bit of a loop.
But some registration
irregularities
made us think it best
to move some groups
to one of our more secure
test-taking centers.
If you have any issues,
remember we're here to help you.
Please hand in your phones.
(toilet flushes)
Section one will be
the reading test,
consisting of 52 questions.
You will have 65 minutes
to finish.
Sections two and three
will be taken together,
followed by a break.
You may take nothing in or out
of the testing room
on your breaks.
You will only be allowed to use
a calculator for section four.
You may begin.
(papers rustling)
(takes deep breath)
(muttering quietly)
MS. KAUFMAN:
Five-minute warning.
(muttering)
-Time's up. Pencils down.
-(sighs)
Ten-minute break.
(door opens)
Cars and clients
are ready and waiting.
(scoffs quietly)
(flushes toilet)
-(cell phone vibrating)
-Okay, here we go. Here we go.
-(phone vibrating)
-What the hell?
-What?
-Another $100K?
PAT: He wants another 100 grand
in five minutes?
Is he high?
You are not helping!
(phone vibrates)
(breathing heavily)
(phone vibrating)
(chuckles softly)
(phone vibrates)
(sniffs)
-(door opens)
-WOMAN: You have one minute
remaining in your break.
-(door closes)
-(breathing heavily)
(vibrates)
(sighs)
PAT:
A as in Alaska.
B as in banana.
B as in Baltimore.
-Pat, letters! Letters!
-Okay.
C, C, A, B,
C, B, D, B, A, C,
B, C, D.
Print.
(printer whirring)
(sighs):
Okay.
(Bank sighs)
Just making sure everyone wins.
You may begin section two now.
Time's up on section two.
You may begin section three now.
(breathing heavily)
(Lynn muttering quietly)
(muttering)
(takes deep breath)
(muttering quietly)
(muttering quietly)
MS. KAUFMAN:
Time's up. Pencils down.
You have a ten-minute break.
(knocking on stall door)
PRESTON:
Excuse me.
We're conducting a search
of the bathroom.
Please step out.
(knocking)
Young man,
will you please step out?
I'll-I'll be right out.
(knocking)
I don't want
to have to ask again.
Now, open this door now.
If you don't open this door
right now...
-What are you doing in there?
-(banging at stall door)
Open this door now!
You're gonna face some
very serious consequences
if you don't come out of there
this instant.
WOMAN:
Hello?
Please come out now.
(toilet flushes)
You're gonna miss
the start of your exam.
PRESTON: You are in a lot
of trouble right now.
I'm giving you a chance
to confess.
What was on that phone?
If you don't get back now,
you're gonna forfeit
your test scores.
(water running)
You may begin section four now.
(short, gasping breaths)
(takes deep breath)
Sooner or later, he'll reach
the Nigerian consulate
or your school in Lagos.
Now's the time to talk.
(deep, shaky breaths)
(muttering quietly)
(plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
(plays snippet of "Fur Elise")
(plays snippet of
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
(plays snippet
of "The Blue Danube")
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
(piano plays snippet
of "Fur Elise")
(piano plays snippet
of "The Blue Danube")
(piano plays snippet of
"The Four Seasons: Spring")
(piano plays snippet
of "Fur Elise")
(piano plays snippet
of "Clair de Lune")
What if they don't come by 8:10?
They will come by 8:10.
No one's answering.
Like I said,
they're closed on Saturday.
Can I go?
You've got my passport.
I'm screwed either way.
Right?
Get out of here.
PRESTON: You know,
it's amazing you have no accent.
It's a good school.
(piano rapidly playing)
(exhales)
(exhales)
(gagging)
(others groaning)
Oh, my God.
Are you all right?
I need to go home, please.
MS. KAUFMAN: If you leave,
your score will be canceled.
(horns honking outside)
Dude, these people really want
their answers.
Just tell them to wait.
-Okay.
-Go!
Okay. Okay.
I don't know how much longer
he's gonna be able
to hold them off.
Well, Jesus,
maybe something happened, Pat.
(groaning):
Oh, God.
(typing nearby)
CLINT: There's a reason
he's got no accent.
He doesn't live in Nigeria.
His home address is
an empty field.
We have to stop him.
Now.
WOMAN:
She has long dark hair.
Green raincoat.
About this tall.
We got a potential accomplice.
Asian female,
long dark hair, green coat.
(indistinct radio chatter)
(indistinct radio chatter)
(panting)
Hey.
Hey, stop!
(panting)
(cell phone ringing
and vibrating)
PRESTON: I don't know,
and I don't care.
Just find 'em.
CLINT:
Security has their descriptions.
As long as we keep them
on campus,
they'll be able to help
pin them down.
(door opens)
(sighs)
(vibrates)
Hey!
(panting)
(beeping)
(printer sputtering)
Pat, the printer's jammed!
Go. I'll take care of it.
(gasping)
(horn honks)
-(grunts)
-(horn honks)
(horns honking)
(straining)
(gasping)
Hi.
PAT:
They come in yet?
No.
We have six more answers left.
Wait.
Why are there no bars?
BANK:
Lynn, we're running out of time.
We need answers.
(piano playing rapidly)
(vibrating)
I got them.
Come on!
Hoof it! Let's go!
(sighs)
We won.
BANK'S MOTHER (over phone):
Oh, big man.
Well done.
Everything's gonna be okay
from now on, Mom.
I have a big plate of food
waiting for you.
I love you.
Being broke made me rich,
yeah
Gotta keep the stove hot
so it cook right
If everybody eating,
that's a good night...
(indistinct chatter)
PAT: As we march forth
into our futures,
we will forever be indebted
to the geniuses
that made this possible.
The icons, the legends,
our best friends, Bank and Lynn!
(cheering, whooping)
(laughter)
Okay, wait.
So you guys upgraded
to the top floor of the hotel?
I mean, I need to get used to
living in a skyscraper, right?
I cannot wait to visit
this fancy New York condo.
-(laughter)
-Grace, you didn't tell her?
Tell me what?
Oh, just the...
BOTH:
We... (laughing)
We're gonna defer a year
to travel.
Oh, my God,
Lynn should come with...
Lynn, you should come with us.
It's just for a year.
It's just for a year.
You should come! Oh, my God,
please, that would be so fun.
What about the apartment?
This is what you call
not using a friend?
-GRACE: Lynn. Lynn, hold on.
-Hey, hey, hey.
GRACE: Lynn, hold on.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
You-you pretty much got
everything you wanted, right?
I just need to take some time
for myself, you know?
If I don't get more
life experience,
I'm never gonna make it
as an actor.
I risked everything,
and all you ever cared about
was yourselves.
(laughing):
Come on.
You did it for yourself.
Same as us.
Look, it doesn't have to end.
We're still going to Columbia.
Think of all the new clients.
You'll make stupid
amounts of money,
and eventually, we'll all be
in New York together
and you try for Juilliard.
Everyone still wins.
Yeah, he's right.
I have to go.
Hey, hey.
-Lynn. Lynn!
-(door opens)
(door closes)
People are just
a means to an end.
And once we outlive
our usefulness,
it's better we just disappear.
'Cause seeing us,
it only reminds you
what assholes you are.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(newscast playing indistinctly)
Back already?
I wasn't feeling well.
(water running)
REPORTER (over TV): Now to
take you to breaking news.
A cheating scandal
in one of Philadelphia's
poorest school districts
has led to the cancellation
of hundreds of S.A.T. scores.
Though the College Board is
unable to identify the culprits,
as a precautionary measure to
protect the test's legitimacy,
all students
at the breached exam center
will retake their S.A.T.'s.
For more on this story,
we are joined by...
It's always the ones with
the most to lose who suffer.
(newscast continues
indistinctly)
-All right?
-CUSTOMER: Yeah. Thank you.
-(drawer opens)
-(coins clinking)
(drawer closes)
Did you hear about Canopy?
I saw it on the news.
Those kids are being punished
for something they didn't do.
Some of them can't even afford
taking the test again.
We have to fix this.
How?
Turn ourselves in.
Lynn.
Are you crazy?
Do you know
what would happen to us?
Bank, what we did
to those kids...
There's no such thing
as "everyone wins."
Someone always loses.
Okay, but we have
to do something.
All right, but turning
ourselves in is not gonna
change anything for those kids.
So is it really for them,
or is it just to make yourself
feel better?
I'm sorry I dragged you
into this, Bank-- I really am--
but I'm gonna confess
with or without you.
Lynn... you can't.
-Bank, I have to.
-No, you don't understand.
I get why you're scared, but...
-No, you don't.
-...maybe if we're honest,
-they'll understand.
-Lynn, I'm undocumented!
(breathing heavily)
What?
I'm undocumented.
How else do you think I know
where to get fake papers?
(sighs)
Me and my mom,
we came here when I was six.
We overstayed our visas.
My dad, my sister,
everyone is counting on me.
And going to college, it can
mean a job, a student visa
and one day a green card
so I can sponsor my family.
How many more people
do you have to punish?
Bank.
Bank, I'm so sorry.
If I knew, I-I...
We all have to live
with the choices we make.
Live with yours,
and please just let me
live with mine.
(Lynn shuddering)
(crying softly)
It was me, Dad.
What happened on the news
in Philadelphia.
(Meng sighs)
I know.
I could tell by the look
on your face last night.
If I confess what I did,
more people will get hurt
who don't deserve to.
I don't know what to do.
Hey. Come.
(crying):
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
(sighs)
I should have listened to you.
Your mom was always
the listener.
Maybe if I pray with you,
I'll...
I'll be able to hear her again.
It'll help me
hear you better, too.
(sighs)
(sniffles)
What do you think I should do?
Whatever you think is right.
I didn't decide
to do this lightly,
but once I did,
I wanted to prove that I could.
So I figured everything out:
using the time difference,
the encoded pencils.
Bank only got involved
once I knew
I couldn't do
the whole test alone.
The thing is... Pat's the reason
it all happened.
When tutoring didn't improve
his S.A.T. scores,
he sent Grace
to ask me for help.
He wired the money
from his account,
he paid for the travel,
and it was his friends
who benefited.
All the evidence
leads back to him.
Pat could be described
as the mastermind
of this whole thing,
especially by the kids
who watched his presentation
at your firm's offices.
All of this coming out
wouldn't exactly
leave you unscathed, Lynn.
I don't want it to come out,
Mr. Stone.
I don't want
to tell people about
the minority scholarship kids
who had money and access
dangled in front of them
by the son
of one of Big Tech's
premier lawyers
just so that he and his friends
and his girlfriend
didn't have to work
like everybody else.
I also don't want it to come out
that your son hired people
to assault another student
in order to coerce us
into doing this.
You expect me to believe that?
After what Pat did,
I promised Bank I'd protect us.
(no dialogue)
LYNN:
I had an insurance policy.
(no dialogue)
I wasn't planning
on looking at it...
till I found out
your son was a liar.
There are texts between Pat
and the people
who assaulted Bank,
not to mention...
He paid them on Venmo?
With a fist emoji
in the transaction description.
What do you want?
The students at Canopy
shouldn't have to pay
to retake their S.A.T.'s.
I'd like you to set up
a fund to cover
their testing
and tutoring costs,
for this class
and those that follow.
Do you know how much
that would cost?
Registration's $55.
There's a high-quality
S.A.T. prep course near Canopy
for $699.
Considering transportation costs
and given that
there are 417 students
in Canopy's current
graduating class,
that averages out
to $397,818 annually.
Less than what that condo
in New York would've been.
What else?
Bank's family needs assistance
with their immigration status.
I'd like you to help him
through your law firm.
I can make a call.
Thank you, Mr. Stone.
I appreciate your help.
Wait.
All this, and you aren't gonna
ask for anything for yourself?
You can wish me luck
at my Juilliard audition.
You're not gonna coax me
into making
a phone call on your behalf?
If I get in, I want to believe
it's because I deserve it.
Lynn.
If music doesn't work out
and you ever want a job...
-call me.
-(chuckles softly)
("Put It Down" by TOKiMONSTA,
Anderson .Paak & KRANE playing)
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh
Put it down for 'em
Yeah
Uh
-Put it down
-Shut it
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
You make the city
so proud of you, boy
You came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh, came a long way
from underpaid, uh
Took the long way
to make 'em wait, uh
Could be summer
in a hurricane, 'ey
Flipping work
till she please
Oh, they can't wait to say
I changed on 'em now
Gold chains on 'em now
Whole team smoking loud now
Oh, I can't wait to put
the blinds on the side
Both hands on the wheel now
Working like
we're still broke
Oh, from the sign to a dream
From the dream
to the real life
Oh, what's your worth?
Why you here?
When it's time to be young,
will you put it down?
I put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Ooh
Boy, you came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Uh
Put it down for 'em
Yeah
Uh
-Put it down for 'em
-Shut it
Look how the people
gather round
When you finally came up
Boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
You make the city
so proud of you, boy
You came up,
boy, you came up
Put it down for 'em
Oh, from the sign to a dream
From the dream
to the real life
Oh, what's your worth?
Why you here?
When it's time to be young,
will you put it down for?
(song ends)
(music fades)