The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her (2013) Movie Script
Hey!
Mrs. Ludlow? You ready?
Yep.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Can I... Is it gonna hurt?
No, it's fine.
on...
- Is this all your stuff?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh... You sure?
- Yeah.
- Nice meeting you.
- Yeah. Have a great day.
- I think I...
- I got it.
OK.
- Come on, Katy.
- What?
I can put a seat belt on.
Sorry...
Sorry.
Flaughsl
Stupid.
What?
What am I supposed to say?
You can say anything you want.
Come on.
Where's Philip?
He's asleep. He's exhausted.
What should I do?
Just put it somewhere.
I closed your wireless account.
Thanks.
What do you want to do about
all your stuff in the city?
You've got some clothes here
in the closet
and I have some more stuff for you
in the attic, if you want.
I'm sure that'll do fine.
It's just like old times.
Hey, Daddy.
So, what happens now?
I'm guessing you give a speech
of some sort.
What do you want to do, El?
Something else.
I'm open to ideas.
I'm looking for
a part-timer on campus.
Was I such a different person
when I lived here?
It was, like, a thousand years ago.
You could take some classes.
Could we talk about it later?
What about Conor?
Hey...
- Auntie Em!
- Hi.
Missed you.
I missed you.
What'd you guys do today, huh?
Chasing butterflies.
- Mm.
- I catched one.
- Really?
- "Caught. "
I caught one.
You did?
Jonah Greenbaum ate
a caterpillar at school.
That sounds pretty gross.
Yeah. Will he have a
butterfly in his tummy?
I don't know, honey.
Um, let's, let's give her some time
to get settled in, OK, babe?
- Bye, honey.
- Bye.
Do you need anything?
Nope. Thank you.
I'm going into town in a bit
if you want to join, get out?
Yeah. You yell up at me
when you're going?
- You ready?
- Yeah.
I feel like
I'm seven years old.
- Why?
- Being here with you.
You remember that time you and Mom took
Katy and me to see Cats for my birthday?
It was a wash for me.
We came in from New Haven.
Yeah, I remember.
I remember the train ride
better than anything.
We were all so gussied up.
Katy and me wearing those
silly matching dresses,
standing on the seats,
looking out at everything,
pointing at this and that.
Everything seemed so limitless.
It was.
It still is.
How many more times do you think
I'll remember that moment?
What?
It was such a good moment,
but I'll probably only...
...remember it a couple of more
times in my life, if that.
Mm, I suppose so.
Whoa, hey. Hey, El.
H9)'-
- Hey, Stu.
- Wow.
- Hey. All right.
- You remember my father?
- Hey. How are you?
- Good, thanks.
Good.
You're Conor's chef.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm his chef.
Yeah.
How's the restaurant?
Good. Good.
We're doing good.
Everything's all right.
Yeah.
El, you have to register.
We- we have to head off.
All right, yeah, I got to get this back
to the restaurant, but it's good to...
- Good to see you.
- Yeah, you, too.
Hey, if you ever want
to get, like, coffee or...
or something...
you know, shoot me a text
- or call or something.
- OK.
Good seeing you.
- So, Lillian is expecting you.
- Mm-hmm.
She and I were colleagues at NYU.
I know. You told me.
You have...
- pencils and notebooks and all that?
- Yes, Dad.
I have class, and, um...
then I have patients...
so I guess I'll...
see you at the house
later tonight.
OK.
- Hey, El?
- Yeah?
Have a good first day.
I Will.
How's the weather down there?
- Balmy.
- Do we have an appointment?
I'm Eleanor Rigby.
That must be tough.
I'm here to talk my way
into your Identity Theory class.
Oh, you're Julian's kid.
I need some caffeine.
You're welcome to walk with me.
OK.
So, was Julian into
the Beatles or something?
- Sort of.
- What do you mean, sort of?
Um, he met my mom on the street during
one of the Beatles' hoax reunions.
There was a rumor they were gonna play
a show here before Lennon died,
just like the one they did
on the rooftop in London.
My parents stood next to each other
waiting for the band to never show.
Nostalgists.
- That, and my dad's surname is Rigby.
- You must detest the Beatles.
No, not really.
Do you want something?
Uh...
Double espresso,
three Splendas, please.
So, why do you want
to be in my class?
Your course sounds interesting.
And... look, you're
a colleague of my dad's, so...
Yeah, well, you got to
do better than that.
- You want me to make something up?
- Well, most people do.
You're just taking classes
just to take classes, right?
- Something like that.
- Well, let me save you some time.
All the perpetual students,
the hedge-fund wives,
and your generation of too many choices,
they usually go to Tim Gunn's class and
listen to him talk about Project Runway,
or you could take the art history class
on the advent of color photography
just for good cocktail party
conversation.
My "generation of too many choices"?
Democracy has its drawbacks.
Here's a double espresso,
three Splendas.
Thank you.
You're... teaching classes
just to teach classes, right?
Something like that.
I'm having a month.
I'm sorry.
Your father didn't give me much warning
or tell me much about you.
And I'm really not
one for nepotism.
I just got the call asking if
I could squeeze you into a class.
So I don't really know who you are.
It's OK.
Neither do I.
You want to help me?
You making chemise?
Mm-hmm.
With summer vegetables
and... and some basil.
Mmm!
You remember when you
first had them, in Luberon?
- Mm-mm.
- No?
You were four,
and you were so fat.
My mother and I would cook
a big plate of them,
and left it on the kitchen table,
and, uh, you would eat one and one
and one and the other
until the plate was...
completely empty.
You went to nursery school
that fall, and all these women
gave me those weird looks,
and... they were wondering
what I was feeding you with.
- Well, I was a butterball.
- I felt completely stupid.
Like I had no idea
what I was doing,
the way those women
looked at me.
Did you?
Did I what?
Did you know what you were doing?
I think I didn't realize
I wouldn't be able to retrieve
all the opportunities
I threw away then.
You're not the only one who's
done stupid things to herself.
My darling.
Charlie called for you.
Oh. What'd she have to say for herself?
Just wanted to see how you were.
She's trying too hard.
She wants you to come to dinner
with her and Aldy
and a bunch of fabulous people
this weekend.
What'd you tell her?
You probably weren't up for it.
God, some people
don't let you forget 'em.
I should go.
Hey, you want to come with me?
Not particularly.
What are you doing?
Shh.
You like it?
It's kind of nice.
Yeah?
Come on, we should go.
I think it'd be good for us.
Why? What makes you say that?
There are many experts who say it's
a good thing to get outside.
Well... and some others say it's not.
You were outside all day today.
Come on, you know what I mean.
I just think...
OK, there was an article...
Oh, my God, you're reading
stupid shit online again.
Yeah. But there was something
in Psychology Today
that I saw at the library,
and you should take a look at it.
I'm managing the periodicals.
I'll give you a copy.
Listen, come with me to Charlie's.
That's an order.
Would you stop doing that?
It's disgusting.
I thought I'd try and make the place
look more pleasant for our guests.
Maybe you could've tried that
earlier, before they got here.
Hey, what happened to your chair?
Glad you didn't
come last night.
Thank you.
No, I mean, people wouldn't leave.
We had stragglers into the wee hours.
Some idiot got too drunk or high
and mistook the chair for a toilet.
- Ew!
- He actually lifted the cushion up...
hosed it down and poured, like,
a gallon of Nature's Miracle on it.
Probably wasn't enough.
- No. Wasn't.
- I would burn it.
No, I inherited it
from my grandmother.
It's French Regency
or some poncy shit like that.
I'd still burn it.
Maybe we should.
Maybe you should.
What have you
been up to, Katy?
Um, what do you mean?
I mean, what have you been up to?
Well... Philip, uh,
is going into the second grade.
And...
- he's about to be eight.
- Cute.
I'm also studying
to take the LSAT.
And I am a
part-time librarian
out in Westport, so...
I have that going for me.
No more with the acting?
No. I mean...
life just...
kind of put a damper on it.
Whatever happened to dreams?
I think our entire generation
is going to grad school,
delaying real life
as long as possible.
Every single one
of all these friends
is getting an MBA
or a JD or a JD MBA.
I lost one of my interns
last month,
and the magazine's
lost a whole bunch...
Shut the fuck up, Charlie.
I'm sorry.
Um... would you forgive us
if we said that we had to leave?
Did I say something wrong?
No, no, no, no, wejust have to get
the train to Connecticut.
I don't want to be embarrassed
by what I'm allowed to say or not say
around you.
- Why would you be?
- I don't know. I mean,
I'm embarrassed
that I'm embarrassed.
Oh, come here.
Love you.
I love you.
OK. Bye.
You know, ultimately,
being oneself means
that the faculty of knowing...
...the faculty of knowing lies
within the subject...
...in his head, and...
the subject has such a status
by dint of being enclosed
within himself,
separate and distinct
from the world and from others.
Now, doesn't common sense
tell us the same thing?
Isn't it true that we say,
"What's got into you?" to express...
...surprise at and disapproval of
unexpected and bizarre behavior?
And again...
Doesn't common sense tell us
that strange behavior
is signaled
by tapping one's forehead
with one's forefinger?
"Why the Mind Is in the Head"
is the title of one of the lectures
delivered at the 1951, um, symposium.
One of the most authoritative
voices in this chorus
is Ken Bergens...
...who asked the question:
Can we compellingly reinscribe
what it is to be a person
in a way that moves us away from
the individualist premise...
...and toward the relational?
- Hey, Rigby!
- What the fuck are you doing?
Come on... come on,
I barely got a chance to respond
- before you went AWOL.
- What did I ask you, Conor?
- I just need a second to talk.
- What the fuck did I ask you?
- Give me a goddamn second to talk.
- I gave you plenty of seconds!
Please, do me a favor,
leave me the fuck alone!
You know what? Fine!
Flhud]
Conor? Conor?
Fuck!
- Conor, shit.
- You know this guy?
He's my husband.
Well, that was exciting.
Yeah, it was awesome.
So, you're, uh...
you're back in school?
I'm taking some classes.
I almost didn't recognize you.
What do you mean?
It's just your hair.
It's really pretty.
Where are you living, El?
None of your business.
Is that what you so desperately
needed to talk to me about?
No.
What is it, then?
I was gonna say
something good,
something that
would have...
solved all our problems
and made everything all better,
but you know what,
I forgot what it was.
That's too bad.
Isn't it?
I'm gonna go.
No.
All I want...
is a chance
to just talk it out.
Then after that, after that
you can disappear,
to wherever it is
you disappear to.
You ready, sir?
Yeah... yeah,
I was born ready.
- Nice and easy.
- Yeah...
Watch your step.
I'll see you around.
Bye, Conor.
All right,
watch your head coming up.
- Got him?
- I got him.
Now, take it easy.
Can I keep stalking you?
Put your arm there for me?
Hey. Hey, you OK?
Yeah. Um...
What happened?
No. My husband...
I don't know what
to call him anymore.
Oh, yeah.
I have one of those.
So... want to, want to
walk with me?
Join me for a drink
or something?
No, no, not right now, thank you.
Are you awake?
Auntie Em, are you awake?
No, Philip.
Your eyes are open.
Apparently.
Why do you have
your shoes on in bed?
Morning, sunshine.
Mom's making French toast.
All right, I'll be right down.
OK.
Charlie called for you again.
Great.
You came in late last night.
What's with the feast?
We have a special guest star.
Outside.
But it's been hard.
There's a barrier...
Good morning.
No fucking way.
El...
- Come on.
- What the hell are you doing?
- Come on. Just one second.
- Don't touch me, Katy...
- No, no, no, no.
- Don't... touch me!
Don't... don't...
' Lt
' No!
" " Ow!
I will bite you!
I swear to God I will bite you!
I will bite you back!
Ow! Ow!
Goddamn it.
You sandbagged me.
He chairs the Psychology Department.
Good for him.
Well, I just thought he'd be
a bit more qualified to...
to deal with your
circumstance.
What's my circumstance?
He was my grandson.
I lost him, too.
None of us know how to help you.
Well, neither do I.
I'm so glad they delegated
the speech to you.
He's not a stranger...
...that some hospital referred you to.
He's a colleague of mine.
I don't think one session
a week would hurt.
Why can't you talk to me
once a week, Dad?
- Why outsource it?
- I'm not outsourcing it,
and I don't really think you
want to talk to me about it.
I don't need to talk
to another therapist.
Eleanor...
Please, stop reminding me
that something's wrong.
That's... not my intention.
Then... please let me
stop thinking about it.
Tragedy is a foreign country.
We don't know how to
talk to the natives.
What are you talking about?
You know, there's this
really cool thing called chairs.
Yeah, I, I heard about those.
It's actually not
too shabby down here.
You OK?
Sure.
Liar.
Sure.
When's your next class?
It's yours.
Oh.
Do you like hamburgers?
I used to be a vegan.
Mostly 'cause
my husband was a vegan.
Not that I don't agree
with most of the tenets
of vegan ideology, but...
he was one
of those reformed socialists
who seemed sexy
before the '60s started to fade.
Does he teach?
He won tenure
at University of Oregon,
and I got it here.
He went soft, I stayed hard,
that was that.
You have kids?
A son.
I'm not sure
why people have kids.
You know, first there's
the nine months of agony,
your body hurts,
it's hot, it's cold,
you crave pickles,
and there's no words to describe
whatever the fuck labor is.
And then this
little stranger comes out,
sucking every bit of life
you have left in you,
and as soon as you're ready
to jump out of a window,
all of a sudden, he smiles.
Jesus Christ, this is good.
And whatever you do,
however you do it,
however you imagine
your child's life,
or what kind of parent you'd be,
29 years later,
he's in some shrink's office
accusing you of some stupid
thing that you said or did
that for the life of you, you
can't remember saying or doing.
Tell me at your age you're not taking
classes out of boredom.
I don't know what
the hell I'm doing.
What was before this?
Mm, life in general.
Any kids?
Mm-hmm.
Boy or girl?
Boy.
Good luck.
Thanks.
Who's that man who chased you
out of my classroom the other day?
He went soft, I stayed hard,
that was that.
Hey.
Guess what?
What?
I got asked out on a date.
Flaughsl
I look stupid.
You look beautiful.
Oh, don't be nice.
This... oh, fuck, I don't understand
why this asshole walked into my library.
- Katy...
Don't "Katy" me.
Oh, my God,
Mom and Dad
aren't even back yet.
Maybe I should just...
pull the plug.
No. He'll be here any second.
Calm down.
I'll watch him.
We're just going to pretend
to be interested in each other
over cheap cabernet,
and he's gonna, like, ask me
all the same stupid questions
that they ask about Philip,
like who the dad is, and then
look at me like I'm half a moron
for the choices that I've made.
You know, it was easier
when I was an actress,
because I could
just fuck my costars,
but this real-life
pseudo-adult crap sucks my ass.
Katy, shut up.
I feel fat.
You're not fat.
You were always...
who you were gonna be,
I mean, like a woman.
I always... wasn't yet.
Then I was a fraud.
Sometimes I hardly
recognize you with that hair.
Mm.
That's gorgeous.
Goddamn it!
Uh, excuse me?
Hey, come in here.
What was that?
This keeps breaking off.
OK, but we don't say that, lovey.
Why?
'Cause it's not
a nice thing to say.
Are you sure that you're
OK to watch him?
Mom and Dad should
be back pretty soon.
He's here.
- Are y... you sure?
- Yes, I'm positive.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Change.
So, what do you want to do?
What do you want to do?
Hurry.
I'm coming.
Can I get electrocuted
by lightning bugs?
No. They're harmless.
This is pretty good, isn't it?
Yeah, it is.
H9)'-
Hmm?
There's only one heart
in this body.
Have mercy on me?
Shut up.
Want to go to your place?
Yes, please.
I'll tell you what.
- What?
- You make the first move,
and then I'll follow you,
'cause this is...
this is too nice.
Hey, can we drive
somewhere aimlessly?
Yeah.
Right now?
Vvheneven
Can we do it this weekend?
Yes.
Where do you want to go?
No destination.
Just rent a car.
We can sing along to whatever
stupid songs are on the radio.
We'll just drive pointlessly
until we feel like stopping.
What would we do then?
Mm, I don't know,
eat something, walk somewhere.
Use your imagination.
Well, I... well...
Your other imagination.
- I have a pretty dirty imagination.
- Stop!
Come on.
Hey, Rigby?
What?
I love you.
It went that badly?
I could've given him
a normal kiss good night
instead ofjamming
my tongue down his throat.
So he's cool?
I am so fucked.
You have a little
to drink tonight?
Yeah.
- What's that?
- Shh.
Philip gave it to me so I won't
be afraid of the dark.
You still having trouble with that?
Yeah, guess so. Come on.
Were you OK with him?
Yeah.
Oh, I don't mean...
That's not what I was...
I just...
I'm OK.
Is it OK to be OK?
Yeah, be OK all you want.
Are you really OK?
I can pretend.
All of a sudden, I kind of miss him.
Who?
Conor.
He came by the house the other day.
He talked with Mom,
and... she told me not to tell you.
I'm sorry, Katy.
What for?
I feel like I just dropped in
on you guys
and I sucked all the air
out of the room.
You are kind of a selfish bitch.
Hey. You don't have
to be so honest.
No.
I was really mad at you.
I know.
I'm still really mad at you.
I know.
And you pulled the floorboards
out from under Conor.
He threw Cody's stuff
into the closet.
And then ten minutes later,
he ordered Chinese from Madame Wu's.
I tried for six months.
We were a million miles away
in the same room, and...
...I started to think thoughts
I never thought I'd have.
How have you and Mom
made it this far?
I'm not sure.
Endurance.
Everyone starts out thinking,
"This is forever. "
But then things get hard...
...at some point or another.
And then other things don't pan out
the way you thought they would.
I suppose the trick is
not running for the hills,
even when you think it's the
most rational thing to do.
I don't know.
I hate this room.
I've seen worse.
Where?
- Huh?
- Where have you seen worse?
NYU, Yale...
Oh, Yale's butt ugly.
New Haven's butt ugly.
Did you attend any of
those fine institutions?
NYU, and then I grew up at Yale
when my dad was there.
Oh, of course,
you're a faculty brat.
Mm-hmm.
You and my son would
get along like hotcakes.
Not that I'm trying to
set you up or anything.
He lives in Washington,
the state.
He's been pretending to write a novel
there for the last four years.
Learn anything
interesting at NYU?
I abandoned a dissertation.
- Mm! Bold!
- Mm-hmm.
What department?
Anthropology.
Mm. Social? Linguistic?
I was writing an ethnography
on the social world
of performance artists in Paris.
Musicians, dancers, actors, et cetera.
Why?
I don't know;
my mom is a musician
and she's French, so...
No, I mean why did
you abandon it?
Don't tell me something
stupid like love.
You're very talkative.
It's more fun
listening to you.
You'll get over that.
L 90t pregnant.
Ah, that.
You want to teach this class?
Not really.
Me neither.
I'm gonna do this.
This song is horrible.
It's not good.
It's not.
I th... I think that bad music
turns you on.
Seriously.
Oh, oh, car, car, car, car, car.
Do the thing! Do the thing! Do the...
I don't want them
to see your ta-tas.
We're good, we're good.
Help me.
What?
You know what you're doing.
Stop it.
There you go.
- Should I do it?
- Yeah.
OK, this is kind
of counter-intuitive.
Flaughsl
I think I'm instinctually wired
not to be able to do this.
There we go.
Three, two, one.
Just like that.
You look good.
Very impressed.
We have to listen to this?
Hey!
You want it? You want it?
Top 40?
No.
Country?
No.
That is the stupidest thing
I've ever heard.
Flaughsl
My God.
No, that's...
No.
- Can I have some?
- J' Thank God...
- Baby?
- Mm-hmm?
As comfortable as this is...
Mm-hmm?
...I'm losing circulation in my legs.
- What are you trying to say?
- That you're fat.
And I love every pound of you.
- Oh!
- Come here.
Mmm.
Did you see where my shirt went?
Try the backseat.
Where... where are you going?
Out here.
You coming?
Yeah.
Where are we?
Someplace good.
- Amazing.
- I know.
You don't have to tell me.
Shit.
Come on, wake up.
Wake up.
What?
You scared the crap out of me.
How did I do that?
I went into your room
to check about you,
and you were gone
and the car was gone.
Yeah, I went for a drive.
Well, don't ever do it again.
Why were you checking on me?
I've always checked on you.
L'm sorry?
You want a sip?
No. Wrong side of the day for me.
You feeling a bit dramatic today?
No, why?
OK.
I played second violin on this.
Boston Symphony. Itzhak Perlman.
I haven't forgotten.
No, I was just reminding myself.
Are you that unhappy?
Mm, I don't believe in unhappy.
I'm just having a quiet crisis,
like you're having yours.
Katy is having hers.
Your father having his.
- Dad's having a crisis?
- Yes.
One in a series.
Why?
No, I don't want to talk
about this now.
Let's keep that
between him and me.
What?
I never wanted to be a mother.
Not much you can do
about that now.
Yeah. It's too late.
I was too young when I had you.
I was the baby.
Why are you telling me this?
I'm telling you this because
I don't want to lie to you.
I don't want you to take
our relationship too personally.
Idoni
- No.
- Give... No.
Give me my wine.
Give me my wine.
Why didn't you tell me Conor
came by the house the other day?
Run for your life, El.
What is that supposed to mean?
Well, this is all too realistic.
Run away for a while.
You sure you're not projecting?
Yes, yes,
I'm sure I'm not projecting.
You liked your semester in Paris,
so why don't you go back there
and finish your dissertation?
You could write in cafes,
read Le Monde.
Eat bread,
make eyes at strangers.
Yeah, I could.
So why are you still here?
I don't know.
No, but then he takes it out,
and he run, he goes out...
We're not open quite yet.
Hey, Alexis.
Holy shit.
Is he around?
Uh, he's in the kitchen
having a talk with Stuart.
OK.
- How you been?
- Good.
- How have you been?
- Good, good.
- How's the painting coming?
- Gmm.
I'm just finishing up
some stuff that I do at home.
Sorry... everybody.
Holy Shatner.
Good to see you, too, Stuart.
Well, this has been nice,
reconnecting and, uh...
Seems like old times.
I'm gonna go back to the, uh, kitchen.
Cool, I'll join you.
- Sorry.
- Sorry.
Shirley Temple?
Please.
What do I owe you?
Your money's no good here.
You know that.
So business is good?
Yeah.
It's great.
We're closing.
- I'm sorry.
- Yeah.
Yeah, me, too.
So, what's next?
Well, I was thinking
of developing some interests
that people might actually
take an interest in.
You gonna work for your dad?
I don't know.
You know, before I met you,
I had no clue who I was.
And then when I was with you...
...I thought I had it
all figured out, but now...
Now I'm just back to wondering again.
Well, when you figure it out,
tell me how.
OK.
- Let's get out of here.
- Huh?
Let's go.
What? Right now?
Come on. Don't believe
in wasting time.
OK.
Uh...
Hey, so, where are we going exactly?
To rent a car.
Fuckefl
We got the car with retarded wipers.
Well, there's no rush.
What are we doing here, El?
You tell me.
You stalked me.
You've said we needed to talk,
and you showed up at my parents' house.
An hour ago, you waltzed into my bar
and suggested we drive aimlessly
into the perfect fucking storm here.
So...
It's kind of funny.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's fucking hilarious.
You know, there was a brief moment
I thought we actually pieced together
a pretty decent life.
I have to move everything out
of the apartment next week.
Do you want me to keep
anything for you?
Where are you moving to?
I can move in with
my dad for a while,
until I get things
figured out.
Oh.
You're sopping wet.
You noticed that?
El...
...wait, wait, wait.
Please, please, wait.
You slept with someone else.
You told me to.
You told me to.
You left.
El, you left.
Hey, now don't...
El?
El?
It doesn't matter.
You suck at lying, El.
You're supposed to say,
"How the fuck could you
do this to me, Conor?"
Come on, you're supposed
to say, "That's bullshit. "
You're supposed to say,
"You're a selfish,
- hopeless, disgusting person, Conor. "
- No, no, no, no.
- We're past that.
- No, we're not!
And you just said it for me.
Let's go back to the city.
This is fine.
I'll get out here.
' Wdlvl Ma'am?
" Yes?
Flaughsl
You're a dick.
And you look like ass.
Thank you.
Where were you last night?
Do you want to take a load off?
I come here on breaks.
One of the librarians advocates
a whole nap philosophy.
Nap philosophy?
Yeah, naps throughout the day, like,
help with productivity and stuff.
Mm.
Ifyouu.
Want to read this.
What?
I was hoping
you could read my mind.
Wouldn't that be nice?
You want to do something stupid
this weekend?
Yeah. I'm the queen of
doing something stupid.
What are you thinking?
Get bent, take a train into the city,
save the world.
When did you become an idealist?
A couple seconds ago.
I have a date with the
dentist this weekend.
It's OK.
He can be our third wheel.
All right.
I should get back to work.
I'll come wake you up
in a little bit.
' Hi!
- Would you like drinks?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I'll have a drink.
- Should we get, like...
- A shot?
Three shots?
Tequila.
A round of tequila.
I feel old!
- What?
- I feel...
I feel old!
Me, too!
Cheers.
Thanks!
What's your name?
I'm good, thanks.
Oh, wait.
Wait...
No, wait, wait, wait.
- What? What?
- Wait.
What is it?
Did I hurt you?
No, no.
What is it?
You're a stranger.
So are you.
You ever have that moment
where you...
know you're doing something stupid,
but you do it anyway?
Yeah, every day.
What?
Come on.
- No.
- Come on.
Stay there.
I'm gonna go.
No, don't go.
- Don't.
- Oh, Jesus.
Just stay for a minute.
Really?
Sorry.
Where to?
Uh...
Just make a loop around the city.
Got a destination?
Eventually.
"All the lonely people,
where do they all come from?"
Hmm?
That's the Beatles song
you were named after.
Ah. Three Splendas.
Wow, full service.
Want me to come down there or
you want to join me in here?
I think I'm gonna leave your class.
You're breaking up with me.
So this is what heartbreak feels like.
You never had your heart broken?
Only read about it in books.
Liar.
Sure.
You know, you don't have to tell me
this. You could've just not shown up.
I just got to get out of here.
"Here"?
The tri-state area.
Oh.
You know, they say that if you
walk away from things,
then you'll just keep walking away
and start a whole
history of walk-aways.
Did that sound as lame
as I thought it did?
No.
Good, 'cause I don't have a fucking clue
as to how life should be lived.
Well, could you refer me
to someone who does, please?
Yeah.
I had a dog, Miles.
I got him from a pound.
He did it pretty well.
Lived every day like
he won the lottery.
Where's Miles when we need him?
Somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Took him on a road trip,
trying to be all Travels with Charley.
As soon as we hit
the open countryside,
he starts jumping up and down
like he picked up a scent
or found something he'd
always been looking for.
Let him out.
He hightails it,
chasing the sun to nowhere.
He ran away?
Mm-hmm.
I imagine he's happy
wherever he wound up.
Hooked up with some Amish people.
Lives on a dairy farm.
It's possible.
I have a colleague at NYU.
From my days of working
with your dad there.
Teaches anthropology at the
American University in Paris,
does some work at the
Musee de Quai Branly.
I can make a phone call.
Send him that dissertation
you started on.
Want half a bagel?
No, I'm good, I'm good.
You getting enough to eat?
You're starting to sound maternal.
Oh, that would be a first.
When's the last time you got
to talk to your son?
Some holiday too long ago.
Is it sad that I don't remember?
Probably.
I should call, shouldn't I?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Now you sound maternal.
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
H9)'-
Do I seem like a
different person to you?
You look the same to me.
I'm sorry.
For what?
For disappearing.
We'll never get
to where we were.
Where was that?
Someplace good.
Yeah.
Tell me what you're thinking.
I forgot what he looked like.
Sometimes I... I'll get
a glimpse of his eyes or...
...the way he'd smile
at me from his crib.
But then he'll vanish.
I can't picture his face.
I can't picture his face anymore.
He was pale.
He frowned a lot.
He had your eyes,
he had your nose,
he had your... your lips,
he had your cheeks.
El, he was all you.
He was the most beautiful thing
I've ever seen.
Flaughsl
I wasn't prepared for
what this feels like.
I know. Neither was I.
I love you.
I know.
How's it coming?
It's coming.
There's a great cafe...
called Le Cafe
at the Rue Tiquetonne
that a lot of artsy fartsies go to.
Your mother and I used to go there
when we visited her parents.
I met Jean Marie Le Clezio there once,
before he won his Nobel.
Cool.
And you should get
some of those big French macaroons
at Laduree in Saint-Germain.
Call me when you do.
And I will live vicariously
through you.
I will. Thanks.
I lost you in the ocean once.
What?
I lost you in the ocean once.
We had rented a house at
Ditch Plains Beach on Montauk,
when you could afford Montauk.
You were about two.
Your mother was pregnant
with Katy,
and I took you down...
swimming...
one afternoon.
Not a lot of people down there.
I...
I waded out, holding you...
...thinking, at one point,
"This might not be the best idea. "
But you were game.
Or I imagined that you were game
because you never,
ever seemed scared.
Of anything.
The Atlantic is moody,
and a big set of waves snuck in.
We... made it under the first one.
You were clinging to my neck.
But we got caught
in front of the second.
And I came up without you.
I have never felt
anything like that.
The throes of that stupid
couple seconds...
treading the white water.
And then, miraculously, I...
...felt you at my feet.
I never told your mother.
I never told anyone.
That was the worst
and the best moment of my life.
OK.
Is this ready?
Yeah.
- I'll be downstairs in a bit.
- OK.
What have you got?
Chardonnay.
- It's good, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
You know that I'm full of shit, right?
Depends on the day.
But you know that I love you, hmm?
Say good-bye to Aunt Em, OK?
OK
Good-bye, chickadee.
You make sure that they behave, OK?
- OK.
- OK, kiss.
What time is it in France?
Um, it is past your bedtime.
Why?
Don't be a stranger.
I won't.
I don't want to go to bed.
It's still light out.
You don't have to go to bed, sweetie.
Be good, OK?
I'll be back.
When is Auntie Em coming back?
She'll be back next summer.
Hey.
Mrs. Ludlow? You ready?
Yep.
- Hey.
- Hi.
Can I... Is it gonna hurt?
No, it's fine.
on...
- Is this all your stuff?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh... You sure?
- Yeah.
- Nice meeting you.
- Yeah. Have a great day.
- I think I...
- I got it.
OK.
- Come on, Katy.
- What?
I can put a seat belt on.
Sorry...
Sorry.
Flaughsl
Stupid.
What?
What am I supposed to say?
You can say anything you want.
Come on.
Where's Philip?
He's asleep. He's exhausted.
What should I do?
Just put it somewhere.
I closed your wireless account.
Thanks.
What do you want to do about
all your stuff in the city?
You've got some clothes here
in the closet
and I have some more stuff for you
in the attic, if you want.
I'm sure that'll do fine.
It's just like old times.
Hey, Daddy.
So, what happens now?
I'm guessing you give a speech
of some sort.
What do you want to do, El?
Something else.
I'm open to ideas.
I'm looking for
a part-timer on campus.
Was I such a different person
when I lived here?
It was, like, a thousand years ago.
You could take some classes.
Could we talk about it later?
What about Conor?
Hey...
- Auntie Em!
- Hi.
Missed you.
I missed you.
What'd you guys do today, huh?
Chasing butterflies.
- Mm.
- I catched one.
- Really?
- "Caught. "
I caught one.
You did?
Jonah Greenbaum ate
a caterpillar at school.
That sounds pretty gross.
Yeah. Will he have a
butterfly in his tummy?
I don't know, honey.
Um, let's, let's give her some time
to get settled in, OK, babe?
- Bye, honey.
- Bye.
Do you need anything?
Nope. Thank you.
I'm going into town in a bit
if you want to join, get out?
Yeah. You yell up at me
when you're going?
- You ready?
- Yeah.
I feel like
I'm seven years old.
- Why?
- Being here with you.
You remember that time you and Mom took
Katy and me to see Cats for my birthday?
It was a wash for me.
We came in from New Haven.
Yeah, I remember.
I remember the train ride
better than anything.
We were all so gussied up.
Katy and me wearing those
silly matching dresses,
standing on the seats,
looking out at everything,
pointing at this and that.
Everything seemed so limitless.
It was.
It still is.
How many more times do you think
I'll remember that moment?
What?
It was such a good moment,
but I'll probably only...
...remember it a couple of more
times in my life, if that.
Mm, I suppose so.
Whoa, hey. Hey, El.
H9)'-
- Hey, Stu.
- Wow.
- Hey. All right.
- You remember my father?
- Hey. How are you?
- Good, thanks.
Good.
You're Conor's chef.
Yeah. Yeah, I'm his chef.
Yeah.
How's the restaurant?
Good. Good.
We're doing good.
Everything's all right.
Yeah.
El, you have to register.
We- we have to head off.
All right, yeah, I got to get this back
to the restaurant, but it's good to...
- Good to see you.
- Yeah, you, too.
Hey, if you ever want
to get, like, coffee or...
or something...
you know, shoot me a text
- or call or something.
- OK.
Good seeing you.
- So, Lillian is expecting you.
- Mm-hmm.
She and I were colleagues at NYU.
I know. You told me.
You have...
- pencils and notebooks and all that?
- Yes, Dad.
I have class, and, um...
then I have patients...
so I guess I'll...
see you at the house
later tonight.
OK.
- Hey, El?
- Yeah?
Have a good first day.
I Will.
How's the weather down there?
- Balmy.
- Do we have an appointment?
I'm Eleanor Rigby.
That must be tough.
I'm here to talk my way
into your Identity Theory class.
Oh, you're Julian's kid.
I need some caffeine.
You're welcome to walk with me.
OK.
So, was Julian into
the Beatles or something?
- Sort of.
- What do you mean, sort of?
Um, he met my mom on the street during
one of the Beatles' hoax reunions.
There was a rumor they were gonna play
a show here before Lennon died,
just like the one they did
on the rooftop in London.
My parents stood next to each other
waiting for the band to never show.
Nostalgists.
- That, and my dad's surname is Rigby.
- You must detest the Beatles.
No, not really.
Do you want something?
Uh...
Double espresso,
three Splendas, please.
So, why do you want
to be in my class?
Your course sounds interesting.
And... look, you're
a colleague of my dad's, so...
Yeah, well, you got to
do better than that.
- You want me to make something up?
- Well, most people do.
You're just taking classes
just to take classes, right?
- Something like that.
- Well, let me save you some time.
All the perpetual students,
the hedge-fund wives,
and your generation of too many choices,
they usually go to Tim Gunn's class and
listen to him talk about Project Runway,
or you could take the art history class
on the advent of color photography
just for good cocktail party
conversation.
My "generation of too many choices"?
Democracy has its drawbacks.
Here's a double espresso,
three Splendas.
Thank you.
You're... teaching classes
just to teach classes, right?
Something like that.
I'm having a month.
I'm sorry.
Your father didn't give me much warning
or tell me much about you.
And I'm really not
one for nepotism.
I just got the call asking if
I could squeeze you into a class.
So I don't really know who you are.
It's OK.
Neither do I.
You want to help me?
You making chemise?
Mm-hmm.
With summer vegetables
and... and some basil.
Mmm!
You remember when you
first had them, in Luberon?
- Mm-mm.
- No?
You were four,
and you were so fat.
My mother and I would cook
a big plate of them,
and left it on the kitchen table,
and, uh, you would eat one and one
and one and the other
until the plate was...
completely empty.
You went to nursery school
that fall, and all these women
gave me those weird looks,
and... they were wondering
what I was feeding you with.
- Well, I was a butterball.
- I felt completely stupid.
Like I had no idea
what I was doing,
the way those women
looked at me.
Did you?
Did I what?
Did you know what you were doing?
I think I didn't realize
I wouldn't be able to retrieve
all the opportunities
I threw away then.
You're not the only one who's
done stupid things to herself.
My darling.
Charlie called for you.
Oh. What'd she have to say for herself?
Just wanted to see how you were.
She's trying too hard.
She wants you to come to dinner
with her and Aldy
and a bunch of fabulous people
this weekend.
What'd you tell her?
You probably weren't up for it.
God, some people
don't let you forget 'em.
I should go.
Hey, you want to come with me?
Not particularly.
What are you doing?
Shh.
You like it?
It's kind of nice.
Yeah?
Come on, we should go.
I think it'd be good for us.
Why? What makes you say that?
There are many experts who say it's
a good thing to get outside.
Well... and some others say it's not.
You were outside all day today.
Come on, you know what I mean.
I just think...
OK, there was an article...
Oh, my God, you're reading
stupid shit online again.
Yeah. But there was something
in Psychology Today
that I saw at the library,
and you should take a look at it.
I'm managing the periodicals.
I'll give you a copy.
Listen, come with me to Charlie's.
That's an order.
Would you stop doing that?
It's disgusting.
I thought I'd try and make the place
look more pleasant for our guests.
Maybe you could've tried that
earlier, before they got here.
Hey, what happened to your chair?
Glad you didn't
come last night.
Thank you.
No, I mean, people wouldn't leave.
We had stragglers into the wee hours.
Some idiot got too drunk or high
and mistook the chair for a toilet.
- Ew!
- He actually lifted the cushion up...
hosed it down and poured, like,
a gallon of Nature's Miracle on it.
Probably wasn't enough.
- No. Wasn't.
- I would burn it.
No, I inherited it
from my grandmother.
It's French Regency
or some poncy shit like that.
I'd still burn it.
Maybe we should.
Maybe you should.
What have you
been up to, Katy?
Um, what do you mean?
I mean, what have you been up to?
Well... Philip, uh,
is going into the second grade.
And...
- he's about to be eight.
- Cute.
I'm also studying
to take the LSAT.
And I am a
part-time librarian
out in Westport, so...
I have that going for me.
No more with the acting?
No. I mean...
life just...
kind of put a damper on it.
Whatever happened to dreams?
I think our entire generation
is going to grad school,
delaying real life
as long as possible.
Every single one
of all these friends
is getting an MBA
or a JD or a JD MBA.
I lost one of my interns
last month,
and the magazine's
lost a whole bunch...
Shut the fuck up, Charlie.
I'm sorry.
Um... would you forgive us
if we said that we had to leave?
Did I say something wrong?
No, no, no, no, wejust have to get
the train to Connecticut.
I don't want to be embarrassed
by what I'm allowed to say or not say
around you.
- Why would you be?
- I don't know. I mean,
I'm embarrassed
that I'm embarrassed.
Oh, come here.
Love you.
I love you.
OK. Bye.
You know, ultimately,
being oneself means
that the faculty of knowing...
...the faculty of knowing lies
within the subject...
...in his head, and...
the subject has such a status
by dint of being enclosed
within himself,
separate and distinct
from the world and from others.
Now, doesn't common sense
tell us the same thing?
Isn't it true that we say,
"What's got into you?" to express...
...surprise at and disapproval of
unexpected and bizarre behavior?
And again...
Doesn't common sense tell us
that strange behavior
is signaled
by tapping one's forehead
with one's forefinger?
"Why the Mind Is in the Head"
is the title of one of the lectures
delivered at the 1951, um, symposium.
One of the most authoritative
voices in this chorus
is Ken Bergens...
...who asked the question:
Can we compellingly reinscribe
what it is to be a person
in a way that moves us away from
the individualist premise...
...and toward the relational?
- Hey, Rigby!
- What the fuck are you doing?
Come on... come on,
I barely got a chance to respond
- before you went AWOL.
- What did I ask you, Conor?
- I just need a second to talk.
- What the fuck did I ask you?
- Give me a goddamn second to talk.
- I gave you plenty of seconds!
Please, do me a favor,
leave me the fuck alone!
You know what? Fine!
Flhud]
Conor? Conor?
Fuck!
- Conor, shit.
- You know this guy?
He's my husband.
Well, that was exciting.
Yeah, it was awesome.
So, you're, uh...
you're back in school?
I'm taking some classes.
I almost didn't recognize you.
What do you mean?
It's just your hair.
It's really pretty.
Where are you living, El?
None of your business.
Is that what you so desperately
needed to talk to me about?
No.
What is it, then?
I was gonna say
something good,
something that
would have...
solved all our problems
and made everything all better,
but you know what,
I forgot what it was.
That's too bad.
Isn't it?
I'm gonna go.
No.
All I want...
is a chance
to just talk it out.
Then after that, after that
you can disappear,
to wherever it is
you disappear to.
You ready, sir?
Yeah... yeah,
I was born ready.
- Nice and easy.
- Yeah...
Watch your step.
I'll see you around.
Bye, Conor.
All right,
watch your head coming up.
- Got him?
- I got him.
Now, take it easy.
Can I keep stalking you?
Put your arm there for me?
Hey. Hey, you OK?
Yeah. Um...
What happened?
No. My husband...
I don't know what
to call him anymore.
Oh, yeah.
I have one of those.
So... want to, want to
walk with me?
Join me for a drink
or something?
No, no, not right now, thank you.
Are you awake?
Auntie Em, are you awake?
No, Philip.
Your eyes are open.
Apparently.
Why do you have
your shoes on in bed?
Morning, sunshine.
Mom's making French toast.
All right, I'll be right down.
OK.
Charlie called for you again.
Great.
You came in late last night.
What's with the feast?
We have a special guest star.
Outside.
But it's been hard.
There's a barrier...
Good morning.
No fucking way.
El...
- Come on.
- What the hell are you doing?
- Come on. Just one second.
- Don't touch me, Katy...
- No, no, no, no.
- Don't... touch me!
Don't... don't...
' Lt
' No!
" " Ow!
I will bite you!
I swear to God I will bite you!
I will bite you back!
Ow! Ow!
Goddamn it.
You sandbagged me.
He chairs the Psychology Department.
Good for him.
Well, I just thought he'd be
a bit more qualified to...
to deal with your
circumstance.
What's my circumstance?
He was my grandson.
I lost him, too.
None of us know how to help you.
Well, neither do I.
I'm so glad they delegated
the speech to you.
He's not a stranger...
...that some hospital referred you to.
He's a colleague of mine.
I don't think one session
a week would hurt.
Why can't you talk to me
once a week, Dad?
- Why outsource it?
- I'm not outsourcing it,
and I don't really think you
want to talk to me about it.
I don't need to talk
to another therapist.
Eleanor...
Please, stop reminding me
that something's wrong.
That's... not my intention.
Then... please let me
stop thinking about it.
Tragedy is a foreign country.
We don't know how to
talk to the natives.
What are you talking about?
You know, there's this
really cool thing called chairs.
Yeah, I, I heard about those.
It's actually not
too shabby down here.
You OK?
Sure.
Liar.
Sure.
When's your next class?
It's yours.
Oh.
Do you like hamburgers?
I used to be a vegan.
Mostly 'cause
my husband was a vegan.
Not that I don't agree
with most of the tenets
of vegan ideology, but...
he was one
of those reformed socialists
who seemed sexy
before the '60s started to fade.
Does he teach?
He won tenure
at University of Oregon,
and I got it here.
He went soft, I stayed hard,
that was that.
You have kids?
A son.
I'm not sure
why people have kids.
You know, first there's
the nine months of agony,
your body hurts,
it's hot, it's cold,
you crave pickles,
and there's no words to describe
whatever the fuck labor is.
And then this
little stranger comes out,
sucking every bit of life
you have left in you,
and as soon as you're ready
to jump out of a window,
all of a sudden, he smiles.
Jesus Christ, this is good.
And whatever you do,
however you do it,
however you imagine
your child's life,
or what kind of parent you'd be,
29 years later,
he's in some shrink's office
accusing you of some stupid
thing that you said or did
that for the life of you, you
can't remember saying or doing.
Tell me at your age you're not taking
classes out of boredom.
I don't know what
the hell I'm doing.
What was before this?
Mm, life in general.
Any kids?
Mm-hmm.
Boy or girl?
Boy.
Good luck.
Thanks.
Who's that man who chased you
out of my classroom the other day?
He went soft, I stayed hard,
that was that.
Hey.
Guess what?
What?
I got asked out on a date.
Flaughsl
I look stupid.
You look beautiful.
Oh, don't be nice.
This... oh, fuck, I don't understand
why this asshole walked into my library.
- Katy...
Don't "Katy" me.
Oh, my God,
Mom and Dad
aren't even back yet.
Maybe I should just...
pull the plug.
No. He'll be here any second.
Calm down.
I'll watch him.
We're just going to pretend
to be interested in each other
over cheap cabernet,
and he's gonna, like, ask me
all the same stupid questions
that they ask about Philip,
like who the dad is, and then
look at me like I'm half a moron
for the choices that I've made.
You know, it was easier
when I was an actress,
because I could
just fuck my costars,
but this real-life
pseudo-adult crap sucks my ass.
Katy, shut up.
I feel fat.
You're not fat.
You were always...
who you were gonna be,
I mean, like a woman.
I always... wasn't yet.
Then I was a fraud.
Sometimes I hardly
recognize you with that hair.
Mm.
That's gorgeous.
Goddamn it!
Uh, excuse me?
Hey, come in here.
What was that?
This keeps breaking off.
OK, but we don't say that, lovey.
Why?
'Cause it's not
a nice thing to say.
Are you sure that you're
OK to watch him?
Mom and Dad should
be back pretty soon.
He's here.
- Are y... you sure?
- Yes, I'm positive.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Change.
So, what do you want to do?
What do you want to do?
Hurry.
I'm coming.
Can I get electrocuted
by lightning bugs?
No. They're harmless.
This is pretty good, isn't it?
Yeah, it is.
H9)'-
Hmm?
There's only one heart
in this body.
Have mercy on me?
Shut up.
Want to go to your place?
Yes, please.
I'll tell you what.
- What?
- You make the first move,
and then I'll follow you,
'cause this is...
this is too nice.
Hey, can we drive
somewhere aimlessly?
Yeah.
Right now?
Vvheneven
Can we do it this weekend?
Yes.
Where do you want to go?
No destination.
Just rent a car.
We can sing along to whatever
stupid songs are on the radio.
We'll just drive pointlessly
until we feel like stopping.
What would we do then?
Mm, I don't know,
eat something, walk somewhere.
Use your imagination.
Well, I... well...
Your other imagination.
- I have a pretty dirty imagination.
- Stop!
Come on.
Hey, Rigby?
What?
I love you.
It went that badly?
I could've given him
a normal kiss good night
instead ofjamming
my tongue down his throat.
So he's cool?
I am so fucked.
You have a little
to drink tonight?
Yeah.
- What's that?
- Shh.
Philip gave it to me so I won't
be afraid of the dark.
You still having trouble with that?
Yeah, guess so. Come on.
Were you OK with him?
Yeah.
Oh, I don't mean...
That's not what I was...
I just...
I'm OK.
Is it OK to be OK?
Yeah, be OK all you want.
Are you really OK?
I can pretend.
All of a sudden, I kind of miss him.
Who?
Conor.
He came by the house the other day.
He talked with Mom,
and... she told me not to tell you.
I'm sorry, Katy.
What for?
I feel like I just dropped in
on you guys
and I sucked all the air
out of the room.
You are kind of a selfish bitch.
Hey. You don't have
to be so honest.
No.
I was really mad at you.
I know.
I'm still really mad at you.
I know.
And you pulled the floorboards
out from under Conor.
He threw Cody's stuff
into the closet.
And then ten minutes later,
he ordered Chinese from Madame Wu's.
I tried for six months.
We were a million miles away
in the same room, and...
...I started to think thoughts
I never thought I'd have.
How have you and Mom
made it this far?
I'm not sure.
Endurance.
Everyone starts out thinking,
"This is forever. "
But then things get hard...
...at some point or another.
And then other things don't pan out
the way you thought they would.
I suppose the trick is
not running for the hills,
even when you think it's the
most rational thing to do.
I don't know.
I hate this room.
I've seen worse.
Where?
- Huh?
- Where have you seen worse?
NYU, Yale...
Oh, Yale's butt ugly.
New Haven's butt ugly.
Did you attend any of
those fine institutions?
NYU, and then I grew up at Yale
when my dad was there.
Oh, of course,
you're a faculty brat.
Mm-hmm.
You and my son would
get along like hotcakes.
Not that I'm trying to
set you up or anything.
He lives in Washington,
the state.
He's been pretending to write a novel
there for the last four years.
Learn anything
interesting at NYU?
I abandoned a dissertation.
- Mm! Bold!
- Mm-hmm.
What department?
Anthropology.
Mm. Social? Linguistic?
I was writing an ethnography
on the social world
of performance artists in Paris.
Musicians, dancers, actors, et cetera.
Why?
I don't know;
my mom is a musician
and she's French, so...
No, I mean why did
you abandon it?
Don't tell me something
stupid like love.
You're very talkative.
It's more fun
listening to you.
You'll get over that.
L 90t pregnant.
Ah, that.
You want to teach this class?
Not really.
Me neither.
I'm gonna do this.
This song is horrible.
It's not good.
It's not.
I th... I think that bad music
turns you on.
Seriously.
Oh, oh, car, car, car, car, car.
Do the thing! Do the thing! Do the...
I don't want them
to see your ta-tas.
We're good, we're good.
Help me.
What?
You know what you're doing.
Stop it.
There you go.
- Should I do it?
- Yeah.
OK, this is kind
of counter-intuitive.
Flaughsl
I think I'm instinctually wired
not to be able to do this.
There we go.
Three, two, one.
Just like that.
You look good.
Very impressed.
We have to listen to this?
Hey!
You want it? You want it?
Top 40?
No.
Country?
No.
That is the stupidest thing
I've ever heard.
Flaughsl
My God.
No, that's...
No.
- Can I have some?
- J' Thank God...
- Baby?
- Mm-hmm?
As comfortable as this is...
Mm-hmm?
...I'm losing circulation in my legs.
- What are you trying to say?
- That you're fat.
And I love every pound of you.
- Oh!
- Come here.
Mmm.
Did you see where my shirt went?
Try the backseat.
Where... where are you going?
Out here.
You coming?
Yeah.
Where are we?
Someplace good.
- Amazing.
- I know.
You don't have to tell me.
Shit.
Come on, wake up.
Wake up.
What?
You scared the crap out of me.
How did I do that?
I went into your room
to check about you,
and you were gone
and the car was gone.
Yeah, I went for a drive.
Well, don't ever do it again.
Why were you checking on me?
I've always checked on you.
L'm sorry?
You want a sip?
No. Wrong side of the day for me.
You feeling a bit dramatic today?
No, why?
OK.
I played second violin on this.
Boston Symphony. Itzhak Perlman.
I haven't forgotten.
No, I was just reminding myself.
Are you that unhappy?
Mm, I don't believe in unhappy.
I'm just having a quiet crisis,
like you're having yours.
Katy is having hers.
Your father having his.
- Dad's having a crisis?
- Yes.
One in a series.
Why?
No, I don't want to talk
about this now.
Let's keep that
between him and me.
What?
I never wanted to be a mother.
Not much you can do
about that now.
Yeah. It's too late.
I was too young when I had you.
I was the baby.
Why are you telling me this?
I'm telling you this because
I don't want to lie to you.
I don't want you to take
our relationship too personally.
Idoni
- No.
- Give... No.
Give me my wine.
Give me my wine.
Why didn't you tell me Conor
came by the house the other day?
Run for your life, El.
What is that supposed to mean?
Well, this is all too realistic.
Run away for a while.
You sure you're not projecting?
Yes, yes,
I'm sure I'm not projecting.
You liked your semester in Paris,
so why don't you go back there
and finish your dissertation?
You could write in cafes,
read Le Monde.
Eat bread,
make eyes at strangers.
Yeah, I could.
So why are you still here?
I don't know.
No, but then he takes it out,
and he run, he goes out...
We're not open quite yet.
Hey, Alexis.
Holy shit.
Is he around?
Uh, he's in the kitchen
having a talk with Stuart.
OK.
- How you been?
- Good.
- How have you been?
- Good, good.
- How's the painting coming?
- Gmm.
I'm just finishing up
some stuff that I do at home.
Sorry... everybody.
Holy Shatner.
Good to see you, too, Stuart.
Well, this has been nice,
reconnecting and, uh...
Seems like old times.
I'm gonna go back to the, uh, kitchen.
Cool, I'll join you.
- Sorry.
- Sorry.
Shirley Temple?
Please.
What do I owe you?
Your money's no good here.
You know that.
So business is good?
Yeah.
It's great.
We're closing.
- I'm sorry.
- Yeah.
Yeah, me, too.
So, what's next?
Well, I was thinking
of developing some interests
that people might actually
take an interest in.
You gonna work for your dad?
I don't know.
You know, before I met you,
I had no clue who I was.
And then when I was with you...
...I thought I had it
all figured out, but now...
Now I'm just back to wondering again.
Well, when you figure it out,
tell me how.
OK.
- Let's get out of here.
- Huh?
Let's go.
What? Right now?
Come on. Don't believe
in wasting time.
OK.
Uh...
Hey, so, where are we going exactly?
To rent a car.
Fuckefl
We got the car with retarded wipers.
Well, there's no rush.
What are we doing here, El?
You tell me.
You stalked me.
You've said we needed to talk,
and you showed up at my parents' house.
An hour ago, you waltzed into my bar
and suggested we drive aimlessly
into the perfect fucking storm here.
So...
It's kind of funny.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's fucking hilarious.
You know, there was a brief moment
I thought we actually pieced together
a pretty decent life.
I have to move everything out
of the apartment next week.
Do you want me to keep
anything for you?
Where are you moving to?
I can move in with
my dad for a while,
until I get things
figured out.
Oh.
You're sopping wet.
You noticed that?
El...
...wait, wait, wait.
Please, please, wait.
You slept with someone else.
You told me to.
You told me to.
You left.
El, you left.
Hey, now don't...
El?
El?
It doesn't matter.
You suck at lying, El.
You're supposed to say,
"How the fuck could you
do this to me, Conor?"
Come on, you're supposed
to say, "That's bullshit. "
You're supposed to say,
"You're a selfish,
- hopeless, disgusting person, Conor. "
- No, no, no, no.
- We're past that.
- No, we're not!
And you just said it for me.
Let's go back to the city.
This is fine.
I'll get out here.
' Wdlvl Ma'am?
" Yes?
Flaughsl
You're a dick.
And you look like ass.
Thank you.
Where were you last night?
Do you want to take a load off?
I come here on breaks.
One of the librarians advocates
a whole nap philosophy.
Nap philosophy?
Yeah, naps throughout the day, like,
help with productivity and stuff.
Mm.
Ifyouu.
Want to read this.
What?
I was hoping
you could read my mind.
Wouldn't that be nice?
You want to do something stupid
this weekend?
Yeah. I'm the queen of
doing something stupid.
What are you thinking?
Get bent, take a train into the city,
save the world.
When did you become an idealist?
A couple seconds ago.
I have a date with the
dentist this weekend.
It's OK.
He can be our third wheel.
All right.
I should get back to work.
I'll come wake you up
in a little bit.
' Hi!
- Would you like drinks?
- Yeah.
Yeah, I'll have a drink.
- Should we get, like...
- A shot?
Three shots?
Tequila.
A round of tequila.
I feel old!
- What?
- I feel...
I feel old!
Me, too!
Cheers.
Thanks!
What's your name?
I'm good, thanks.
Oh, wait.
Wait...
No, wait, wait, wait.
- What? What?
- Wait.
What is it?
Did I hurt you?
No, no.
What is it?
You're a stranger.
So are you.
You ever have that moment
where you...
know you're doing something stupid,
but you do it anyway?
Yeah, every day.
What?
Come on.
- No.
- Come on.
Stay there.
I'm gonna go.
No, don't go.
- Don't.
- Oh, Jesus.
Just stay for a minute.
Really?
Sorry.
Where to?
Uh...
Just make a loop around the city.
Got a destination?
Eventually.
"All the lonely people,
where do they all come from?"
Hmm?
That's the Beatles song
you were named after.
Ah. Three Splendas.
Wow, full service.
Want me to come down there or
you want to join me in here?
I think I'm gonna leave your class.
You're breaking up with me.
So this is what heartbreak feels like.
You never had your heart broken?
Only read about it in books.
Liar.
Sure.
You know, you don't have to tell me
this. You could've just not shown up.
I just got to get out of here.
"Here"?
The tri-state area.
Oh.
You know, they say that if you
walk away from things,
then you'll just keep walking away
and start a whole
history of walk-aways.
Did that sound as lame
as I thought it did?
No.
Good, 'cause I don't have a fucking clue
as to how life should be lived.
Well, could you refer me
to someone who does, please?
Yeah.
I had a dog, Miles.
I got him from a pound.
He did it pretty well.
Lived every day like
he won the lottery.
Where's Miles when we need him?
Somewhere in Pennsylvania.
Took him on a road trip,
trying to be all Travels with Charley.
As soon as we hit
the open countryside,
he starts jumping up and down
like he picked up a scent
or found something he'd
always been looking for.
Let him out.
He hightails it,
chasing the sun to nowhere.
He ran away?
Mm-hmm.
I imagine he's happy
wherever he wound up.
Hooked up with some Amish people.
Lives on a dairy farm.
It's possible.
I have a colleague at NYU.
From my days of working
with your dad there.
Teaches anthropology at the
American University in Paris,
does some work at the
Musee de Quai Branly.
I can make a phone call.
Send him that dissertation
you started on.
Want half a bagel?
No, I'm good, I'm good.
You getting enough to eat?
You're starting to sound maternal.
Oh, that would be a first.
When's the last time you got
to talk to your son?
Some holiday too long ago.
Is it sad that I don't remember?
Probably.
I should call, shouldn't I?
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
Now you sound maternal.
Hello?
Hello?
Hello?
H9)'-
Do I seem like a
different person to you?
You look the same to me.
I'm sorry.
For what?
For disappearing.
We'll never get
to where we were.
Where was that?
Someplace good.
Yeah.
Tell me what you're thinking.
I forgot what he looked like.
Sometimes I... I'll get
a glimpse of his eyes or...
...the way he'd smile
at me from his crib.
But then he'll vanish.
I can't picture his face.
I can't picture his face anymore.
He was pale.
He frowned a lot.
He had your eyes,
he had your nose,
he had your... your lips,
he had your cheeks.
El, he was all you.
He was the most beautiful thing
I've ever seen.
Flaughsl
I wasn't prepared for
what this feels like.
I know. Neither was I.
I love you.
I know.
How's it coming?
It's coming.
There's a great cafe...
called Le Cafe
at the Rue Tiquetonne
that a lot of artsy fartsies go to.
Your mother and I used to go there
when we visited her parents.
I met Jean Marie Le Clezio there once,
before he won his Nobel.
Cool.
And you should get
some of those big French macaroons
at Laduree in Saint-Germain.
Call me when you do.
And I will live vicariously
through you.
I will. Thanks.
I lost you in the ocean once.
What?
I lost you in the ocean once.
We had rented a house at
Ditch Plains Beach on Montauk,
when you could afford Montauk.
You were about two.
Your mother was pregnant
with Katy,
and I took you down...
swimming...
one afternoon.
Not a lot of people down there.
I...
I waded out, holding you...
...thinking, at one point,
"This might not be the best idea. "
But you were game.
Or I imagined that you were game
because you never,
ever seemed scared.
Of anything.
The Atlantic is moody,
and a big set of waves snuck in.
We... made it under the first one.
You were clinging to my neck.
But we got caught
in front of the second.
And I came up without you.
I have never felt
anything like that.
The throes of that stupid
couple seconds...
treading the white water.
And then, miraculously, I...
...felt you at my feet.
I never told your mother.
I never told anyone.
That was the worst
and the best moment of my life.
OK.
Is this ready?
Yeah.
- I'll be downstairs in a bit.
- OK.
What have you got?
Chardonnay.
- It's good, huh?
- Mm-hmm.
You know that I'm full of shit, right?
Depends on the day.
But you know that I love you, hmm?
Say good-bye to Aunt Em, OK?
OK
Good-bye, chickadee.
You make sure that they behave, OK?
- OK.
- OK, kiss.
What time is it in France?
Um, it is past your bedtime.
Why?
Don't be a stranger.
I won't.
I don't want to go to bed.
It's still light out.
You don't have to go to bed, sweetie.
Be good, OK?
I'll be back.
When is Auntie Em coming back?
She'll be back next summer.
Hey.