The Land of Steady Habits (2018) Movie Script
- Do you know what this is?
- Uh...
Its a toothbrush holder.
Right. Yeah.
You could just get a regular cup.
Yeah.
I want something a little more...
- Uh...
- Many choices.
- Look.
- Its a little big for a toothbrush,
but it might work.
I dont know. Im thinking
of getting some dental work done.
Jesus.
1.99 per pound.
Pound. Make sure
you hit the "D" on the end of pound.
"Where she buy some coffee."
God. Can you believe
these are still in bloom?
Oh! Those are nice.
I can put these on your table if you like.
I dont care. Its up to you.
So, uh, hows it going?
Good. Im just kind of tired.
Its only 11, Preston.
Are you enjoying it at least?
- Yeah. I like it a lot, actually.
- Oh, good.
Are you going to go to the Ashfords
tonight? Just for old time's sake?
Uh... Im good.
Can a mother still kiss her son?
Its so fun having you here.
Im very proud of you.
Everyone likes you.
- Yeah, well, they kind of have to.
- No. Thats not true.
- Never mind. I guess its true...
- All right.
Hi, there. Im Sandy, if you need anything.
- Thats great, isnt it?
- Well...
Is this a real lobster trap?
No. No. But trust me,
you wouldnt want it if it was.
Makes a nice decorative
accent though, dont you think?
Im looking for things
to put on my shelves.
Oh! You have a new place?
Yeah.
Starting over.
- Taking the day off work, I guess?
- Oh, no. No...
Actually, Im retired.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I think its out.
No, its good. I think its...
I dont know whats wrong with me.
This never happens to me.
I mean, this is not your fault.
I didnt think that it was my fault.
Good. Because its not.
Right. I know.
Anders?
You came. A surprise.
Yeah. Thanks for inviting me.
Of course. Why dont you grab yourself
a drink in the other room?
Wes.
I heard you got out of finance.
Im jealous.
Well...
Quit your job, Wes.
Thats all you gotta do.
You make it sound so easy.
I mean...
Youre a relatively young guy.
Why get out so early?
- Do you really want to know?
- Sure.
Let me have it.
Well...
Its a system of monstrous greed,
and thats the business.
Save yourself.
Do over the other guy.
And dont worry about the consequences.
And for what?
More toys? Bigger houses?
Trip to the goddamn Caribbean?
Fake titties? No, thank you.
So, you have some big plans?
Yeah, Im doing, uh...
I'm doing a little decorating
at the moment. You know, condo living.
- You enjoying that?
- Not at all. Would you?
I wouldnt retire.
Well, I also got some, you know,
charity work going on.
- Oh? Which one?
- Yeah.
Uh... Disease. Diseases.
You know, in the cancer spectrum.
What the hell is he doing here?
I just saw him ear raping Wes Thompson.
Well, just...
The one time he doesnt have to be here,
in fact shouldnt be here, and here he is.
I shouldnt have sent him the invite.
He was on the list.
I wasnt paying attention.
Its okay. It's just... He makes me sad.
You look really pretty, by the way.
Youre having sex.
Yes. That is true.
Just... not as good as with Anders?
Well, you know...
Why do we do this every year?
Our fucking kids dont even come.
Kats not even coming for Christmas.
Are you kid... Thats awful.
Why didnt Preston come?
You know, Preston had other plans.
Whatever that means.
- Oh God, I hate these fucking Spanx.
- Mmm.
Hello.
Shh...
- Hey.
- Yo. Whats up?
- What are you guys smoking?
- What?
You dont have to worry.
Im not gonna tell anyone.
Youre gonna be doing it anyway, right?
If youre one of my dads friends that he
sent out here to narc on us or whatever,
you can go back in and tell him
that hes very sad and predictable.
Okay, Charlie.
Who is that?
- Anders.
- Oh, Christ...
And Im not one of your dads friends.
Wait, dude, come back for a sec.
Come here.
What do you mean youre not friends?
Well, Im not.
I mean my wife is. Well, my ex-wife.
Personally, I cant, uh...
I can't stand your parents.
I find them unbearable.
Really? After all those summers
and shitty dinners
and blah blah blah?
I walked away from all that.
So Ive heard.
So, why are you here?
Thats a really fucking good question.
You know how to rip one of these?
I dont even know what that is.
This... is resourceful.
Come on.
Yeah, yeah. Okay. Sure, why not? Fuck it.
There you go.
Thank you.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Okay. Damn.
Yeah, the smell of your dads cigar...
makes me wish I was born without a face.
How you feeling?
Oh, wow. Oh, yeah...
Oh. I feel joyful.
Oh. So joy... Wow.
And sad, too... Jesus.
This is some serious grass.
Nah. Thats the PCP.
Yeah.
What, are you joking? I just smoked PCP?
We dont technically know what it is.
- Its like more of a blend.
- Yeah!
We feel joyful.
So joyful.
- And sad.
- Very sad.
I should get back to the party.
All right. Knock yourself out. Have fun.
Be careful, man.
Oh. Whatre you doing out here, buddy?
Oh, just getting some air.
Youve had a big year, huh?
- Surprised to see you here.
- Yeah. Thank you.
- I'm still looking for my son.
- Yeah.
Disappeared earlier,
which is cause for worry.
He was supposed to be
in his room studying,
as he failed three
of his exams at his boarding school.
Im so fucking sick of warning him.
Who am I talking to?
- You know better than anyone.
- Yeah.
No, seriously, with Preston,
you guys, you did a program, right?
Huh?
You drag him off into the woods
or something?
Or something. Yeah.
Excuse me.
- I dont get it.
- Look who it is.
- I dont get it.
- Okay. Lets come over here for a minute.
So... are you seeing that guy now?
Yeah. For a few months, yeah.
And is he gonna live here now?
Uh, well, hes looking for a place.
Hes, uh, trying to get out of the city.
Hes going to commute for a while.
And what... you guys have been sleeping
together for a couple of years now?
Please dont.
What, have we been divorced
for, like, six months?
Honey, why are you at this party?
I was invited.
Everyones invited.
- Do you think this is funny?
- No, I dont...
That is funny.
What is wrong with you, Anders?
You are the one
who said you needed space.
Well, its not my job anymore.
I dont have to babysit you.
I dont have to make sure
that you dont embarrass yourself.
You are the one who wanted out.
So, for God fucking sake, get out.
We need an ambulance!
- Somebody call an ambulance!
- Oh, my God!
Fucking angel dust?
I heard they got him hooked up
to a bunch of tubes and machines.
Mom said Sophie is a complete wreck.
Im sure she is.
Apparently, the Ashfords are suing now.
Who in Gods name are they gonna sue?
Uh, the school, I guess. I mean,
they think thats where he got the drugs.
Wait, wait.
They move their kid
to a different school because of drug use,
and now theyre blaming
his current drug use
on the school that they shipped him to?
Dont act like you dont understand it.
You guys did the same thing to me.
I didnt sue anybody.
And you went to rehab.
Not boarding school.
- Well, I feel bad for the kid.
- So do I.
Hey, I heard you saw Mom.
- And met her new boyfriend?
- Yeah. I already knew him.
- You did?
- Mm-hmm. Not well.
We came up together as traders.
Just tell me hes not living at the house.
Well, its Moms house. So...
Hes living at the house?
Dad, its not your house anymore.
- Well, it's certainly not theirs.
- What does that mean?
Isnt it Moms?
Well, it was going to be. Yeah...
but in a fit of generosity and stupidity,
I told her she could have it.
But I cant afford to retire
and pay for the mortgage.
Jesus.
- Dont tell your mother, okay?
- You know, Moms gonna freak.
Where the fuck am I gonna live?
You living there is meant to be temporary.
She should downsize anyway.
- Hell, let Donny pay for it.
- Well...
I guess he probably can.
He seems pretty loaded.
Well...
I dont know, Dad. I mean, it looks like
a bunch of little kids live here.
Eh. Look at it. Its nice. Its festive.
Its like your own sad
little Christmas parade.
All right. Gotta go.
Wow, do you think this is a bit much?
Thanks so much. Of course, I will.
Oh, you know it.
Hes going as soon as hes out.
Weve found a good place.
Yes. I will. Thanks again.
Oh, honey, youre so nice.
I'm not really that nice.
I just couldnt imagine
who Id run into at the market.
Well, you would have run
into Aunt Marilyn Erickson...
- Oof.
- ...and Leslie Abrams. Separately.
Youre my savior.
- Thank you.
- Yes, youre welcome.
How long do you think
Prestons gonna stay with you?
Jesus. Theres a part of me,
the sick part,
kinda likes having him around.
Every once in a while I forget
and I go to, like,
move something out of his face,
and he... One of these things.
Its like, "Oh. Oh, right, youre a man."
What did we do wrong?
Maybe I babied him too much.
Perhaps weve done everything wrong.
When are we gonna know
if our kids are broken?
Gee, lets see. What time is it?
Tell me about your week. The holidays.
Uh... I got the condo decorated.
Uh... Preston helped.
- That must have been nice.
- And I, uh, went to a party.
I dont know why I went.
Yeah, I do. I went to see Helene. Uh...
Was an awful night. I, uh...
I ended up getting very loaded.
It did not go well.
- You got loaded?
- Yeah. I did a stupid thing.
I got high with a bunch of kids
and then one of them ended up in the ER.
- You got high with the kids?
- Stupid.
At this point, Anders,
I should tell you. I was...
I was at the Ashfords party.
Hmm?
I'm... I don't... I'm not... Sorry.
Kathleen and Sophie Ashford
are quite close.
Oh, well, I didnt see you there.
So, uh...
So, okay, so you know what happened
to Charlie.
And, um... Uh, Jesus...
Way to bury the lead, Howard. Okay.
Uh... Well, Im sure that you know...
Im sure Charlies gonna be all right.
I mean...
Kids smoke dope,
and its not a big deal.
Do you know what drugs he was doing?
It was some kind of high school...
boarding school,
kind of hybrid blend kind of thing.
- Maybe PCP.
- PCP?
Look, he hands me this thing,
crazy little device,
I thought it was grass,
and yeah, it was stupid, but I mean...
You know, come on, Howard,
the kid would have been smoking it anyway.
Im really sorry.
This is urgent. Please excuse me. Hello.
Fuck it.
- Charlie?
- One sec.
- Uh, my parents arent here.
- Is my wife here?
I dont see her.
- Uh, how are you feeling?
- Awesome.
Because you look okay.
The way people were talking,
I thought maybe you were...
Do you have like a balloon for me
or something?
Yeah. In fact,
I thought you might like this.
Thats pretty sweet.
What the fuck is this?
Did you lift this?
- No.
- You brought me a, uh...
an erotic, stolen library book?
Okay, Ill take it.
Hell no, its the best present
of all time. I love it!
Okay. Um...
If you need anything, Ive moved,
so the number is on the back.
What happened to you?
You quit your fancy job?
Oh... Well, its complicated.
But yeah. I couldnt go on doing
what I was doing to make a living
- and still feel good about myself.
- I can totally respect that.
And it was complicated.
There were a lot
of other things tied into it.
Like my wife and the endless commuting
and just a lot of things.
I couldnt take it, so, uh...
Yeah... something had to change.
I have to go to rehab now
because my parents are Nazi assholes.
Theyre worried about you.
Theyre embarrassed. Theres a difference.
Well, you did a stupid thing.
Seriously? Im getting a lecture from you?
You were high as balls.
I was tricked into that.
And, yeah, Im sorry.
- "Guys, Im joyful. I feel joyful."
- Hey, hey, hey...
I need you to, uh...
I need you to keep that between us.
Dont worry, Im not gonna tell anyone.
Its not my style.
Hey, is that, uh... is that Laika?
Your drawing?
It is. Do you know what the, uh,
the scientist in charge of that project
said 40 years later? He said...
"Nothing that we learned on that mission
could possibly justify the loss
of that beautiful animal."
She was a stray. He was the one
that found her in the first place.
Thats heartbreaking.
I know theres already
a million books about her.
Mines gonna have a different end.
- Oh, yeah?
- So they said
that she crashed into the ocean and died,
but she didnt.
She just burned alive in the atmosphere.
So, in my version,
shes supposed to still be out there.
So Oleg, thats the scientist guy,
is, like, old and poor,
and one day he turns on some
of the old equipment,
and he hears her heartbeat,
like shes still out there.
- What happens then?
- Thats as far as Ive gotten.
- Anders.
- He just brought me a book. That's it.
Well, that was... sweet.
I really admire him as an artist.
- I really like his graphic novel.
- Yeah. So do I.
- You dont even know what it is.
- Its about a dog.
A stray dog, launched into space
for reasons she can never understand.
Its about being exploited
by the people who are supposed
to be protecting you.
The Meadows isnt outer space, honey.
Its worse. Its Arizona.
You see what I have to deal with?
Im sorry, he needs to rest.
- Hes here looking for his wife.
- Uh, no. Not, not true.
I think shes at home.
With her new boyfriend?
A lot of conversations
between my mom and your ex.
You know, about whether things
are moving too fast.
- A lot of yackety-yack.
- You made your point.
- Feel better.
- Mm-hmm.
I know youre not gonna pick up.
But I want some photo albums.
And I want, uh, some home movies,
because I have none here.
Just a couple. Okay?
I was full of bravado. I said,
"Yeah, sure. You want the house, keep it.
Is that all you want?"
I dont know what the fuck I was thinking.
You were thinking...
you were done with the marriage,
so you were done with the house.
I get that.
So, I havent paid the mortgage
in six months.
- So, what do you need?
- Im gonna pay you back.
- Every penny.
- I am not worried.
You know...
I used to have this vision of my life.
It was like a web.
And these threads
that connected me, you know.
Yeah.
And the more webs
you could have coming from you,
then the more important you were. Right?
Like, if you were a doctor
youd cure a bunch of...
- Patients.
- ...patients.
And... or a teacher.
You got a million threads, you know.
And you would be, basically,
irreplaceable, right?
'Cause so many people
depended on you, right?
- You understand what Im saying?
- Yeah, it's...
- webs and...
- Yeah, but its really not the case.
- Come on, man.
- No, its the web.
The web is remaking itself.
Revising itself every second of every day.
And so if you vanish,
then the people that were in your life,
they learn to rely on someone else,
you know, and youre gone.
And then the web just remakes itself
and moves on without you.
- But you got out of the web.
- No, no, no.
No. This whole town, its a life of work,
and commuting and bullshit.
- Yeah.
- You know what Im saying?
And that was one web
I was happy to get out of.
Just drink up.
Come on. Come on, man.
I think you need to see something.
Hows Preston? Hes still at Northwestern?
Graduated. Living with Helene.
Oh, Jesus. What was the point?
Miss that?
Im taking this Asian fusion
cooking class.
Total blast.
I never would have thought
cooking is so relaxing.
You know, I just put on some music,
sip some wine, a few hours go by,
end up with a delicious meal.
I generally eat it alone,
but its delicious. Delicious!
Larry, it's... Dont you think
its a little tragic?
Fuck you, man.
Only if you look at it that way.
- Its how you see it. It's how you see it.
- Hi, guys.
- How about a dance?
- No, thank you.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah. Yeah, no offense.
Come on.
- Hes newly divorced, so...
- Oh!
- Then you need a little extra TLC.
- Youre probably right, but uh...
- Ill take the dance.
- Okay. You got it.
You okay, dude?
Hey, could you, uh,
wet a paper towel for me, please?
Am I in the mens room?
Thank you.
You okay?
I havent thrown up in a club
since I was 22.
- I wouldnt drink that if I were you.
- It's disgusting.
Oh. Yeah. Right.
- Why are you here?
- Why are you here?
No, why are you here?
I was stupid enough
to come here on a date.
Oh, my God...
Yeah, Im hip. I can go to a strip club.
Three vodkas in, hes trying to buy me
a fucking lap dance.
Is it hip for a woman
to go to a strip club?
I dont know.
Well, if it makes you feel any better,
I didnt want to come here, either.
Yeah, right.
Hey, man,
I think your friend went upstairs.
- Oh, thank you.
- Yeah.
Okay?
Thank you.
42 Maple Street, please.
And 112 Fishermans Lane.
I dont have enough money.
Dont worry about it. I got it.
Thank you.
Beautiful house.
Why are we here?
112 Fishermans Lane.
Thats what you said.
Well...
- Uh... Here. Take care.
- Oh. Thank you.
What the hell is all this shit?
Who the fuck is in my house?
Jesus Christ, Anders!
- I almost took your fucking head off.
- What are you doing here?
You know what? Im just getting some
things of mine. Everyone needs to relax.
This is a weird flavor.
- Are you kidding me?
- Nope. Tastes like... flowers.
You cant just come in here!
Im getting some things
that are rightfully mine.
- No, youre drunk.
- Some of this stuff...
I have a right to have it in my house.
I left a whole box of stuff for you,
over here by the door.
- Then whats all this?
- I gave you half!
Oh. Okay. Sorry.
You care so much about family pictures,
you need to break in here
in the middle of the night.
- What's wrong with you?
- Well, I am a little dizzy.
- Why dont you take a seat?
- Dont tell me what to do.
Im gonna sit down anyway.
Why dont you give me those keys?
Donny, dont do this now.
We cant have this happen again. Come on.
Youre not going to do this again,
right, Dad?
You know what?
You never know.
Preston, can you drive
your father home, please?
You got it.
So, she hired you.
'Cause I thought it was all volunteers.
Yeah, most of them are,
but she worked it out so I could get paid.
Takes a lot of patience.
- You like it?
- Yeah. The pay is shit, but...
But youre saving for your own place?
Its not that bad. I gotta go.
- Where?
- Work.
Oh.
Hey, Preston. Come back here.
What does she see in him?
I dont know. I mean...
- They seem kind of happy.
- Bullshit.
You know, you left her.
Right? You remember that?
Youre mad at me about that.
No, Im totally thrilled you just kicked
Mom to the curb after all this time.
Im gonna apologize to her
about last night, but...
I worry about you.
- Youre worried about me?
- Yeah. I can be an idiot
and I can still worry about you.
Okay, now, Christmas Eve,
why dont you come over?
Well hang out. You can stay over,
well watch some videos, or...
Moms planning the usual dinner.
Like she does every year, so Im sorry.
But shes already
making a big deal out of it.
Yeah, dont worry about it. Its nothing.
Okay, go teach someone how to read.
- All right, I will.
- Cool.
So, uh, Mr. Baptiste,
I understand there has been a dispute
with your tutor.
Its not a dispute.
If you would explain everything to me.
- He stole from me.
- He stole from you? How?
Your son told me about an opportunity
to make money.
An opportunity?
What kind of an opportunity?
Some gambling business.
How hes going to double my money.
Wheres my money?
I dont see it.
I need this money.
Hey, Im, uh...
I'm Anders. Im your neighbor.
Hello.
Hello.
Oh, look... Look, hold on. Hold on.
No, no, no, youre missing the best part.
Come in.
Hey.
Okay...
I was drunk. Uh, it was a stupid,
obviously ridiculous thing to do.
- Im sorry.
- Terrific, Anders.
At the moment,
I need to find our moron of a son
who fucked up the only job he could get
because his mother gave it to him.
Where is he?
I have an idea.
How could he do this to me? To himself?
Hold on, do what?
He took money from a client
and gambled with it.
Hi. Is there a, uh, poker game
going on here somewhere?
- Excuse me.
- Im not causing trouble.
Im just, uh, looking for my son.
Through the kitchen.
This is very impressive.
Did you guys have me followed?
Wow, Preston. Really?
I had a very
interesting conversation today.
I didnt take that guy's money.
$2,000 from an illiterate man.
I thought we werent supposed
to use that word.
Dont be an asshole, Preston.
Look, Im going to win it back. Okay?
Look at you two, a real team.
- Do you want to tell me what happened?
- Yeah, he gave me the money.
- For you to gamble with?
- The guy...
he had a broken truck and he was thinking
about asking some sketchy dude
in the neighborhood for a loan, okay?
I told him how these things work,
how hed get himself curb-stomped
if hes not careful.
So he asked if I knew of anything else...
And you thought, "Oh, thats right,
theres that underground poker game
that Im involved with."
Okay. Lets just get this over with.
- Get what over with?
- The firing. The sacking. Come on.
- I get it.
- You have to understand, Preston,
even if you meant well, its gonna look
really bad if I dont fire you.
You dont have to explain it.
Youre fired.
- And you have a week to move out.
- All right.
Oh, uh, but you should probably
look for a place to live, too.
Me? What is that supposed to mean?
Well, 'cause
Dads not paying the mortgage.
- He hasnt in six months.
- So...
Youre still fired.
And youre still moving out.
- Look...
- Just tell me that thats not true.
Im getting it sorted...
You had to be a big man, right?
"Go ahead. Keep the house."
I was attempting to be... generous.
The only problem, Anders, is to be
a big man, you have to be a big man.
I made so much money for everybody!
Everybody! For years!
So I could lose the house. To foreclosure.
Why do you even want it?
It's a five-bedroom house.
Look, I may decide to move.
But if I decide to move,
I prefer that its my choice.
Well, you dont have to worry
'cause Im getting the money.
Really? And how?
A loan. From Larry Eichner.
That house is our history.
Its my history.
I made that garden from nothing.
- And that means something.
- I know.
I know it means something.
But do you really?
Do you know what anything means?
I thought I did.
Youre supposed to be happy now, Anders.
Thats why we got divorced, right?
'Cause we were all in the way
of your happiness.
The house, your career, me.
The way of life.
- You remember all that?
- Yeah.
- Im the lady who...
- I recognize you.
- We shared a cab.
- Feeling better?
Yeah, thank you.
Listen, that cab was a fortune.
- Let me pay you back.
- Oh, God, no.
- Oh, no, I insist.
- No, come on.
Can I buy you lunch or something?
Okay, dont worry about it. I just...
I just wanted you to know
I appreciated it.
You really saved me. And I thank you.
You know what? Yeah.
Yeah, buy me lunch.
A very, very expensive lunch.
Okay.
Would you please put your number in there?
All I ask. Please dont fucking text me.
Ill text you soon. Yeah?
- Hey.
- Okay...
- Is this a bad time?
- Uh, no. Were you waiting for me?
- No. Just drove up.
- Okay. I just got home. Uh...
- Yeah, come in.
- Great.
Wow!
This is a nice place.
Oh. Thank you. Well, its not,
not as nice as yours, but...
Uh, how about a beer?
No. Definitely not.
Listen. Id like to apologize.
- You?
- Yeah. Yeah.
For everything thats happened. I should
have called you in the first place.
I mean, we were friends.
Well...
Yeah...
Well, we were acquaintances.
And its awkward.
- Hmm.
- So...
I want to be completely up front with you.
Full disclosure.
The older Ive gotten,
the more Ive realized
that its all about communication.
Whats all about communication?
Relationships. People.
Yeah.
- I was an idiot the other night.
- And I am sorry about the golf club.
You know, you hear somebody
in your house at that hour, well...
How is my house?
This is what I want to talk to you about.
I can give you ten percent
over market value.
Excuse me.
Im making you an offer.
Well, the house isnt for sale.
It means a great deal to Helene.
I can pay you today, right now.
Yeah. Not interested.
For a guy who worked at finance
for so long, Im a little surprised.
Look, youve got to admit,
this situation doesnt make sense
to anyone now.
How old are you?
Same as you, why?
Hmm. It just seems to me
to be a strange time
to suddenly decide
youre gonna have a family.
Anders, this crap has to stop.
Whats with that? The ribbon.
My sister. Its in honor of her.
She died from breast cancer.
Oh, Im sorry.
Hey... Um...
Id like to make a donation.
- Anders, come on. Please.
- "Please" what? Id like to donate.
Are you going to make me beg?
Take it.
Bye.
Right on time.
- The parking out there. It's just...
- Oh, I know.
Its Christmas shoppers.
- Yeah, right.
- Can I get you anything?
- Ill have a Merlot.
- Ill have a Corona.
Thank you.
Do you have kids?
Yeah. Yeah, I do. I have a boy.
A man, I mean. Uh... You?
I have women. Two women. Here they are.
Theres Rachel and theres Carmen.
Oh.
And now this is gonna
probably end in one minute,
because I just showed you pictures
of my kids.
They seem nice.
I actually always wanted a son
because boys are so much easier.
I dont know.
- Easier than girls?
- Girls are... oh!
The mind-games and the lying,
and when theyre teenagers...
The drinking. And they were so mean to me.
- All the time.
- And now?
And now theyre much more human.
- I wish I could say the same.
- Oh, sorry.
Hes just kind of lost. You know.
And angry. And generally rude. Immature.
A little bit like the guy you see
sitting across from you right now.
Oh. Lucky me.
- Hes also very sweet and, uh...
- Here you are.
Hes a good person.
- Like you?
- Well, the jurys out.
- But I try.
- Well, thats all you can do.
- Right?
- Hear hear.
Can you believe how this town is changing?
- Yeah. I dont even recognize it.
- Have you seen the three-story Gap?
Uh, yeah. Yeah. I havent been in there.
- I really like it.
- You think I should check it out?
I mean, I know they tore down
that gorgeous old bank,
but I have more use
for a three-story Gap.
Um... So are you divorced or separated?
- No. Divorced.
- Good.
What... you smoke now?
Yet another thing
you can dislike about me.
Dont leave it there! Jesus.
So, I've been Christmas shopping.
You dont have anything to eat.
I bought you a present.
Since when do you Christmas shop?
I even bought your mother
and her new boyfriend a present.
- Why?
- I dont know.
Im just trying to cut the shit I guess.
He throws his money around.
- Acts so earnest.
- Well, I think he is earnest.
Well, its a five-bedroom house,
and I cant live there.
No. You cant live there
because youre 27 years old,
and its time you moved out on your own.
So much for a nice Christmas.
Hey, have you even looked for a job yet?
- Yeah. I got one.
- Oh, you did?
Oh, yeah, I did! And it's, uh,
Im delivering booze for Gils Liquor.
You know what, Pres? Its a start.
And the tips will be good, and...
Are you staying with friends or...
- what?
- Or what.
Where are you staying?
Thats not for you to worry about.
Okay, well, then you should, uh,
probably take this now.
Happy Christmas.
Oh, shit. Dont look at the tag.
Dad, big spender.
I thought you needed something warm.
Do you like it?
I could really use the cash instead.
Im just kidding!
Do you think
maybe I could crash here tonight?
No, I dont think you can crash, Preston.
I think you need to think about
tomorrow night and the night after that.
Look, I want you to be able to stay here.
I really do.
- But, youre an adult now...
- Cant I just fucking go to sleep?
No. You have to just fucking grow up!
Hey...
Thank you.
Hi, Dad.
I love you, Dad.
God.
Whats up?
- Man, its two oclock in the morning.
- Yeah. I had a feeling youd be up.
Are you all right?
No, I had to make
a quick escape.
You got to return this, too.
That shits gonna be expensive.
Do your parents know
where you are?
If youre gonna call them,
I can get out of here.
Yeah, Id really rather not.
- Well, I need a favor.
- No, you cant stay here.
Its not me who needs to stay.
- This is Relic.
- Why?
Hes basically my best friend
in the entire world,
and I need somebody
to look after him for me.
Here.
Hes a kind old man. Hold him.
See. He likes you.
Why are you giving me your turtle?
Im not going to rehab.
My parents dont even feed him.
Complain that he smells. And...
if Im gone, theyre gonna give him away.
Theyre assholes.
Where you going?
Yeah.
I have to call your parents.
- Seriously?
- Yeah...
Thats how youre gonna play this?
Yeah, I cant just watch you run away.
- I thought you were cool.
- No, Im not cool.
All right. I should probably warn you...
youre not
their favorite person right now.
Oh, wow, really?
Tell me something I dont know.
- What... they know?
- I swear to God
I did not tell anyone.
I dont know, Im sorry.
Wow.
So much for confidentiality, Howard.
- Its a really small town.
- What must they think of me...
Why do you care?
Dont you hate my parents?
How can you let somebody you dont
even like have this much control over you?
I dont...
You have the balls
to live your life, dude.
Thats what sets you apart
from the rest of these fucking zombies.
You cant go halfway.
You cant be you and stay in favor.
I dont know anyone
who would put all that Christmas shit out
in front of their house
without being
completely ashamed of themselves.
Really? You think they're too much?
Its fucking disgusting.
Hmm.
It just fucking pisses me off.
Like, my parents hate you because you...
left your wife, or whatever,
but, like, I mean, shes the one
getting married again so, like...
- Excuse me.
- Theyre fucking hypocrites.
Like, why is it their business?
Shes the one whos doing
a hell of lot better than you are.
No offense.
What are you talking about?
You dont know?
That theyre getting married?
Whoops, Im sorry.
My mom talks very loud
on the phone. Fuck.
Are you telling me the truth?
Yep.
Big Island.
Maybe gonna be Maui, there was
a lot of back and forth about it.
Um...
Hmm.
Can I have some of this scotch, please?
Uh...
Actually, you got anything stronger?
- Yeah.
- You wanna go to my club house?
But youre not leaving
that fucking reptile here.
Just follow me.
I figured it out.
I totally forgot.
- I figured out how to end my book.
- Oh, yeah?
So, Oleg thinks he hears,
like, this heartbeat up in space...
Yeah.
- So, he goes to Moscow, but,
- Mm-hmm.
I mean, theres obviously
no space program anymore.
And anyway, who cares
about a dog that symbolizes the triumph
of a country that doesnt exist anymore?
So, hes basically just laughed at...
What is all that?
Oleg starts building his own rocket out
of, like, whatever he can find.
But its a fucking suicide mission.
Theres no way that hell be able
to reenter the atmosphere.
So, you have crazy old Oleg
who shoots himself off into space.
And its not until hes out there
that he hears it...
Hears what?
Theres this sound
that everything makes in orbit.
A heartbeat.
- Like a "heartbeat" heartbeat?
- Mm-hmm.
Laikas dead the whole time.
He wasnt hearing her heartbeat.
He was just hearing his, I mean,
his conscience or whatever. And...
without even realizing it,
he ends up giving himself
the same exact end.
Its irony or something or whatever...
I think I want to draw it so you can...
really feel like he felt
closer to her out there.
Or, like, free from guilt or something.
You dont like it?
I think thats incredibly sad.
I think its pretty good.
Whoa!
Have you heard about
this guy that, uh...
in the news,
who raised the price of that AIDS drug?
Hes literally like this fucking
real-life, like, James Bond villain.
Everyone hates him. Like, its crazy.
Instead of going into hiding
or trying to clear his name,
he fucking puts a camera
in front of his face
and live-streams his life, 24/7.
- Just to, like, fucking piss people off...
- Helenes tits are weird.
What?
Theyre weird.
She got new ones. Theyre...
- Theyre kinda...
- Goddammit.
Theyre okay. Theyre nice even.
But theyre hard...
- I dont care.
- I think about 'em.
Sometimes for hours,
I think about her tits.
I can't help... Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah. My moms got these...
veiny yoga mom arms
and they make me wanna cry.
I wish my kid
would want to hang out with me.
But he just doesnt.
Hes got no interest at all.
Its just like
Im this great big nuisance, thats all.
Why does she want to get married so fast?
Whats that about?
You know what my dad
always says? "Irregardless."
The fuck does that mean? That even a word?
Absolutely.
- Really?
- Yeah.
He says it all the time.
"Irregardless."
Yeah...
You know why? Because when he was a kid,
he had this big floppy bear,
it was like a big, saggy, shitty bear.
And he carried it everywhere,
and I mean everywhere.
And he held onto that thing,
he held onto that thing way too long,
way past the time when anyone's supposed
to be hanging on to a bear, you know.
So, we took it off him.
And we hid it,
and we pretended that it was lost.
Because we were...
I don't know, we were worried
about him being teased or...
that he wouldnt grow up
or some bullshit, I dont know. I mean...
Oh, God, he was so betrayed...
We betrayed him.
He was devastated. He was heartbroken.
What a stupid fucking thing
to be a parent.
Yeah, but it doesnt have to be.
I feel like you guys all think...
that you have to,
like, worry all the time.
Like, if you werent
constantly worrying, like,
youre bad parents or something.
What is that?
You know what? Im gonna take you home.
- What?
- Get your things. Were gonna go.
- Seriously?
- Yeah. Yeah.
Take one of these, take the edge off.
No, no, no, this is bad.
We gotta go. Come on.
- Okay. Fine. Yeah.
- Im serious. Get your things.
- Let me clean some of this up.
- Whats that for?
Its stupid.
I thought we might want to shoot it off.
- Im gonna be in the car.
- Yep.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Are you in there?
Charlie?
Shit!
Charlie!
Charlie.
Northwestern, huh?
I heard youd gone to college,
but I didnt know where you ended up.
What are you up to?
Loading boxes, I guess.
Not too many stops.
You might see some familiar faces.
All right. Ill come back for this.
Oh, God...
Okay.
Surprise! I got your wine.
Youre delivering for Gil?
Put it down there. Come in.
No. Ive got other deliveries to make.
Dont be silly. Just put it down.
Okay.
Is he paying you well?
- I make good tips.
- Cheap bastard.
I suppose you havent seen Charlie.
Uh... No. Why?
I thought he was in his room packing
for this rehab in Arizona.
Not only wasnt he packing,
he wasnt there. And that was yesterday.
Hell come back.
Hes probably just nervous to go.
I definitely was.
You know,
when I saw you at the window just now,
I thought you were him.
Tell me something.
Are you living out of your car?
I only ask because your mother thought
you might be living out of your car,
and I told her that was preposterous,
but now that I see you,
it sort of looks like
you are living out of your car.
Um... Yeah. Its temporary.
Oh, my God.
Do you park it somewhere?
Yeah, its off of 136. Just by the tracks.
Thats terrible! Its so cold.
Do kids still hang out down by the tracks
and smoke pot?
Yeah. I guess.
Charlie used to.
Or still does. Who knows?
Well... Jesus.
Do you want a shower? A sandwich?
- Oh, no. I'm okay...
- Sit down.
I know your mother seems pissed,
but the holidays
are about mothers and children,
if they are about anything.
Yeah, well, I wouldnt really know it.
Well, shes insisting
on this Christmas Eve dinner,
and I guarantee that has something to do
with the fact that you are here.
- Thats hot enough.
- Thanks.
Hes fucking with me, isnt he?
Hes pissed off
that were insisting on rehab,
so hes throwing a tantrum. Thats it.
Uh, I mean, I dont know...
But when you used to pull this crap,
that was it, wasnt it?
Sure. For sure...
Hey, buddy. Listen,
if youre gonna pull this crap,
were gonna give away your smelly turtle.
I am sick of cleaning that tank
and feeding that thing.
So, you better come home
and deal with what you have to deal with.
Its not forever,
and you know you need it.
So, call me. Or better yet, show up.
Thatll get him to call.
He loves that stupid thing.
When youre finished eating,
take a shower. Youre filthy.
Okay.
Okay. Well, uh, Ill see you.
Your tips on the counter.
Oh, you don't have to tip me.
Of course I do.
Oh, well, thank you... for the shower.
And everything.
Hey...
Im sorry you have
such a disappointing dad.
Okay.
Hi, youve reached Helene.
Please leave a message.
Hey, Mom.
Uh, its me.
Im sorry.
Im sorry.
Okay... bye.
This place is lovely. Its really cozy.
Your place is so nice. That is gorgeous.
Well, sadly, thats not my place anymore.
That now belongs to my wife.
- Oh.
- It's okay.
We had many good years there together.
Do you mind if I ask why you split up?
You wanna know what the final straw was?
- Oh, you dont have to tell me.
- Oh, no, no, no.
No... Its ridiculous.
We fought about this, um...
separate little thing, like an oven.
It kinda keeps food warm.
Wed just done the whole house.
New furnace.
Floor finishings. Bunch of plumbing work.
And, uh, when it was all done,
and wed spent all the money,
then she says... she tells me,
"I just want one more thing.
I just want... theres a little warming
oven that I would really, really..."
And I just lost it. I was awful.
Thats how it goes.
We used to fight about chewing.
- Oh, yeah? How so?
- I dont know. He chewed.
Ah, that is disgusting!
You know what?
I have one of those food warmers thingies.
- No, you dont.
- Yes, I do.
- Ive never used it. She can have it.
- Wow, shes gonna be delighted.
- I dont think its working.
- No, no.
Its okay.
Its okay.
Well, I mean, dont worry about it.
Its probably because
we dont actually know each other.
Listen, if I got upset every time
I didnt have an orgasm...
Hey, could you please just stop talking?
Thank you.
What is it with you women
and these books?
Excuse me.
"Live Your Best Life Today."
Should I get this? Should I read this?
Are you in my bed...
making fun of my book?
Youre mean.
Uh...
Im sorry.
Youre right.
Youre right. I am.
Im very sorry.
Oh. My life is a mess.
And now I cant fuck.
And you deserve your best life today.
I know I do.
Thats why I bought the fucking book.
Dude, I can smell that shit
from the inside.
Oh, sorry.
Preston Harris.
- Malcom, right? Malcom Tendler?
- Yeah.
Yo. Just stub that out there.
- So how you been, man?
- Do you live here?
As of a couple of months ago, yeah.
Pretty sick, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah. My, uh, wifes family is into LEDs,
and Ive been working
with them for a couple of years.
So, youre married.
Yeah. With a kid on the way.
Holy shit.
And I actually bought this fucker myself,
if you can believe that.
- And this is the one you picked.
- Hell yeah, man.
So, uh, howve you been?
- You want, like, a beer or something?
- Uh, no, that's all right.
- I gotta get back to work.
- Dude, Im sorry, man.
I heard that you did, like,
some time in rehab.
- Oh...
- I actually have
some nonalcoholic beer if you want some.
- You do?
- Yeah. Yes, actually...
Uh, thats okay.
- You know... Im still working.
- Right, right, right.
What are LEDs?
You know, lights.
The green alternative, you know.
And, so... is that fun?
Would you say LEDs are your passion?
I mean, its all right.
Its a good living.
Sorry.
I just didnt think
this was your style, you know.
My style? What...
I mean, whats your style?
Delivering liquor?
Looks that way.
- All right, Malcom, this was great.
- Yeah. Why dont we, uh...
You know, I would tip you,
but youre a colossal dick.
Fuck! Shit!
Okay.
Hey, Gil, it's me. Um...
So, my car just died.
I know.
Listen, I just have one run.
I can do it first thing in the morning.
No, I don't have Triple A.
Theres nothing I can do, man.
Fuck!
Whoo!
Damn.
Oh!
Charlie.
Dad.
Is this Charlies turtle
in your bathtub?
Yeah. Yeah, thats Charlies turtle.
- What?
- He came over,
and he was on his way to, uh, rehab,
and he just asked me
to look after it for him.
Why did he give it to you?
I guess he thought I was someone,
you know, he could trust with it.
So, you, you and Charlie Ashford
were, like, friends?
No, no. I just...
You know, I visited him
in the hospital and he, uh...
He... I think he just wanted an adult,
or something, to look after it.
Oh, God.
- I cannot believe...
- he didnt come to the funeral.
You know,
when will I stop being surprised...
You know he left town?
- When?
- Like a week ago.
Where did he go?
He drove somewhere. I mean...
Im not really sure.
But he said he was reachable.
Thats so weird.
Its not that weird.
Everyone kind of hates him right now.
So, I assume youre not gonna
invite him to dinner tonight?
No. No, why would I do that?
I mean,
hes not expecting me to, is he?
Hes not even here, so...
Hey, will you do me a favor?
Will you pick up some sliced almonds?
You can use Donnys car. Do you mind?
No, not at all.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Girls. Hello. What are you doing?
Can I have some of these?
Load up. Load up.
And here... take some of these.
And here, try these guys.
Hours of fun.
Ladies.
Ladies, put all that back.
- Oh, its fine.
- Its not fine.
Theyre kids. Theyre just having fun.
Those are not for playing with.
Put it back.
Okay, Im, uh, very sorry.
Apparently Ive handed you, uh, non-toys.
Mnh-mnh.
- Girls...
- Ill take those back.
- Come on. Lets go.
- Come on.
Dont talk to that man.
Probably got no kids
of his own. Wanna play father.
Oh, no, no, no... were coming.
We need it, are you kidding?
Besides,
Ive been baking all morning!
- Baking?
- I made eclairs!
And a chocolate bread pudding.
You know you didnt need to do that.
You dont need to do anything.
Oh, the smell! Its heavenly.
- See you soon.
- Okay...
Ah!
- What a surprise.
- Hi.
You fixed your car?
No. I drove Donnys.
You remember when we used to,
uh, do the jumping on the bed? You were...
What are you doing here?
I mean, youre staying at a hotel
an hour from your condo.
You know, well,
sometimes you need a neutral space.
I hate to tell you, Dad.
This place is not neutral.
This is depressing.
Yeah, sometimes you need that, too.
That is the deed to the house.
Which Im gonna give to your mom.
With what money?
Thats not an unreasonable question, Dad.
No. The house now belongs to Donny O'Neil.
Huh?
Yeah, he offered to buy me out.
And you said yes?
Well, do they know?
Not yet, no.
I was gonna put that in the mail.
Look, come on. Youre up here alone.
Come back with me.
Its Christmas Eve.
And you bought all those presents.
Give 'em your presents.
- I cant go back.
- Yes, you can.
My friends. Come on in.
You guys know you didnt
have to come, right? Let alone cook.
We couldnt stay in bed
one more day.
- Youre our family.
- Yeah, we wanted to be here.
If at any point you feel like leaving,
please, do whatever
makes you comfortable. Okay?
Hey, guys.
Oh, I could use some red.
- Honey. Not with the Xanax.
- Id like some red.
- Okay, me too.
- Yeah. Okay.
Two reds.
- You guys take a seat, okay.
- Okay.
So, were gonna do it on the Big Island.
They have the most options
in terms of resorts.
Wheres Preston?
Sorry.
Preston. Where is he?
Oh, uh... I don't actually know.
Its not unusual.
I thought he lived here.
Oh, yeah. I sent him out
on an errand, uh, hours ago.
Interesting.
So, when did, uh, Kat go back to Seattle?
This morning.
Why dont we go into the dining room?
- Good.
- Yeah.
There you are.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Okay.
Oh, Jesus. Um...
- I dont think you should be here.
- Why not?
Sophie and Mitchell are
in the other room,
and theyre kind of out of their minds
right now.
- You, too.
- I thought it would be okay.
Dont worry about it.
I had a feeling you might be
hiding people...
- Theyre actually on their way out.
- Oh, I hope not.
Anders, youll stay for a drink, at least?
- I just gotta drop these off.
- Bullshit. Its Christmas!
Look who I found hiding in the kitchen.
Sophie, Mitchell...
Okay...
Ive been away. That's, um...
Thats why I missed the funeral.
And Im so, so sorry.
He was an exceptional kid.
And I always thought he was very,
very special.
He admired you.
Thank you. I...
I dont know why.
I could never figure it out. I mean...
Why you?
Whats so much more acceptable about you?
And then I realized,
youre the fucked up one.
Youre the one who threw everything away.
I want to know some things.
I have some questions for you.
- Preston.
- I have questions for you.
- Preston did not do anything.
- Nobody said he did.
Irregardless, I would like to know,
what you were doing out
on those railroad tracks.
And why was it you, of all people,
who found my son?
He was trying to get warm.
Could you let the boy
speak for himself?
No, I was just walking around trying
to get warm, 'cause the...
The heat in my car wasnt working
so I was just walking around.
You see that?
I dont believe that.
Youre telling me that you went outside
in the woods to get warm?
I was gonna drink.
I had stolen the champagne
and I was gonna drink it.
- But I didn't drink it...
- There you go.
Now were getting somewhere.
Mitchell, thats enough.
Now how would that be enough
if were just now getting to the truth?
You did drugs with my son, didnt you?
I was with him. Preston wasnt.
Dad, it's...
He came over to my house that night.
He brought his turtle.
And he, uh...
wanted me to take care of it.
He wouldnt have done that.
He loves that turtle.
Why would he do that?
I assumed because he was running away.
When was he with you?
Earlier. That night. Earlier that night.
And you didnt call us?
- How could you not call us?
- Oh, my God...
Um... I was... I was...
I was going to. I...
He, uh...
I told him that I was gonna take him home
- and that is when he ran off.
- So, he brought you his turtle.
- And then he left?
- Yeah.
No. He... I...
I went with him, and, um...
- we did a small amount of drugs...
- What?
Before he ran off.
No, you didnt.
Yeah, I did.
What? You...
You did?
- Why would you do that?
- Are you out of your fucking mind?
The point is that, um...
He...
Im sure that it was an accident
because he just didnt want
to go to rehab.
Dont talk to me about my son.
How dare you?
The things I could tell you.
The things I know.
Sophie, please dont do this.
Your wife has been sleeping with him
for over two years.
What?
Is that true? Is she serious?
You smug little fuck. You let it happen!
No, Mitchell!
Dad!
- Oh, my God!
- Oh!
The sunflowers
will take over everything. The...
ivy and then the lilies.
Its hysterical.
Somehow everything survives.
These perennials, they are relentless.
That means they go all year round?
Uh, yes, they bloom every year.
You dont have to replant them.
And these hydrangeas...
you usually have to replace,
but, uh,
these have been blooming for decades.
Actually, these were here
when we got here. Yeah.
How long did you live here?
Oh. We were here a long time.
Yeah, I raised my son here.
He's, uh... Hes a grown up now. Mostly.
Hell, uh, be going to graduate school
in the city.
Nice.
Well, thank you so much for coming over
and explaining all this stuff to me.
When I talk to the gardener,
I want to know what Im saying.
Yes. Okay.
Lets go inside.
Let's go inside.
No. No, no, no.
That ones volume,
and that ones the channel.
You know, I like your place.
Its small. Yeah.
It is small, but it is also...
very nice.
I brought you some things.
They are things I didnt use.
And you can use them
or not use them. Decorating.
Thanks.
I gotta go. I have a date.
Oh! Well, someone should.
Okay.
- See ya.
- Bye.
Wow.
- Mmm! Whered you learn to do this?
- I, um...
took some cooking classes with a friend.
- How retired of you.
- Thank you very much.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Mmm. Delicious.
- Uh...
Its a toothbrush holder.
Right. Yeah.
You could just get a regular cup.
Yeah.
I want something a little more...
- Uh...
- Many choices.
- Look.
- Its a little big for a toothbrush,
but it might work.
I dont know. Im thinking
of getting some dental work done.
Jesus.
1.99 per pound.
Pound. Make sure
you hit the "D" on the end of pound.
"Where she buy some coffee."
God. Can you believe
these are still in bloom?
Oh! Those are nice.
I can put these on your table if you like.
I dont care. Its up to you.
So, uh, hows it going?
Good. Im just kind of tired.
Its only 11, Preston.
Are you enjoying it at least?
- Yeah. I like it a lot, actually.
- Oh, good.
Are you going to go to the Ashfords
tonight? Just for old time's sake?
Uh... Im good.
Can a mother still kiss her son?
Its so fun having you here.
Im very proud of you.
Everyone likes you.
- Yeah, well, they kind of have to.
- No. Thats not true.
- Never mind. I guess its true...
- All right.
Hi, there. Im Sandy, if you need anything.
- Thats great, isnt it?
- Well...
Is this a real lobster trap?
No. No. But trust me,
you wouldnt want it if it was.
Makes a nice decorative
accent though, dont you think?
Im looking for things
to put on my shelves.
Oh! You have a new place?
Yeah.
Starting over.
- Taking the day off work, I guess?
- Oh, no. No...
Actually, Im retired.
- Really?
- Yeah.
I think its out.
No, its good. I think its...
I dont know whats wrong with me.
This never happens to me.
I mean, this is not your fault.
I didnt think that it was my fault.
Good. Because its not.
Right. I know.
Anders?
You came. A surprise.
Yeah. Thanks for inviting me.
Of course. Why dont you grab yourself
a drink in the other room?
Wes.
I heard you got out of finance.
Im jealous.
Well...
Quit your job, Wes.
Thats all you gotta do.
You make it sound so easy.
I mean...
Youre a relatively young guy.
Why get out so early?
- Do you really want to know?
- Sure.
Let me have it.
Well...
Its a system of monstrous greed,
and thats the business.
Save yourself.
Do over the other guy.
And dont worry about the consequences.
And for what?
More toys? Bigger houses?
Trip to the goddamn Caribbean?
Fake titties? No, thank you.
So, you have some big plans?
Yeah, Im doing, uh...
I'm doing a little decorating
at the moment. You know, condo living.
- You enjoying that?
- Not at all. Would you?
I wouldnt retire.
Well, I also got some, you know,
charity work going on.
- Oh? Which one?
- Yeah.
Uh... Disease. Diseases.
You know, in the cancer spectrum.
What the hell is he doing here?
I just saw him ear raping Wes Thompson.
Well, just...
The one time he doesnt have to be here,
in fact shouldnt be here, and here he is.
I shouldnt have sent him the invite.
He was on the list.
I wasnt paying attention.
Its okay. It's just... He makes me sad.
You look really pretty, by the way.
Youre having sex.
Yes. That is true.
Just... not as good as with Anders?
Well, you know...
Why do we do this every year?
Our fucking kids dont even come.
Kats not even coming for Christmas.
Are you kid... Thats awful.
Why didnt Preston come?
You know, Preston had other plans.
Whatever that means.
- Oh God, I hate these fucking Spanx.
- Mmm.
Hello.
Shh...
- Hey.
- Yo. Whats up?
- What are you guys smoking?
- What?
You dont have to worry.
Im not gonna tell anyone.
Youre gonna be doing it anyway, right?
If youre one of my dads friends that he
sent out here to narc on us or whatever,
you can go back in and tell him
that hes very sad and predictable.
Okay, Charlie.
Who is that?
- Anders.
- Oh, Christ...
And Im not one of your dads friends.
Wait, dude, come back for a sec.
Come here.
What do you mean youre not friends?
Well, Im not.
I mean my wife is. Well, my ex-wife.
Personally, I cant, uh...
I can't stand your parents.
I find them unbearable.
Really? After all those summers
and shitty dinners
and blah blah blah?
I walked away from all that.
So Ive heard.
So, why are you here?
Thats a really fucking good question.
You know how to rip one of these?
I dont even know what that is.
This... is resourceful.
Come on.
Yeah, yeah. Okay. Sure, why not? Fuck it.
There you go.
Thank you.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Okay. Damn.
Yeah, the smell of your dads cigar...
makes me wish I was born without a face.
How you feeling?
Oh, wow. Oh, yeah...
Oh. I feel joyful.
Oh. So joy... Wow.
And sad, too... Jesus.
This is some serious grass.
Nah. Thats the PCP.
Yeah.
What, are you joking? I just smoked PCP?
We dont technically know what it is.
- Its like more of a blend.
- Yeah!
We feel joyful.
So joyful.
- And sad.
- Very sad.
I should get back to the party.
All right. Knock yourself out. Have fun.
Be careful, man.
Oh. Whatre you doing out here, buddy?
Oh, just getting some air.
Youve had a big year, huh?
- Surprised to see you here.
- Yeah. Thank you.
- I'm still looking for my son.
- Yeah.
Disappeared earlier,
which is cause for worry.
He was supposed to be
in his room studying,
as he failed three
of his exams at his boarding school.
Im so fucking sick of warning him.
Who am I talking to?
- You know better than anyone.
- Yeah.
No, seriously, with Preston,
you guys, you did a program, right?
Huh?
You drag him off into the woods
or something?
Or something. Yeah.
Excuse me.
- I dont get it.
- Look who it is.
- I dont get it.
- Okay. Lets come over here for a minute.
So... are you seeing that guy now?
Yeah. For a few months, yeah.
And is he gonna live here now?
Uh, well, hes looking for a place.
Hes, uh, trying to get out of the city.
Hes going to commute for a while.
And what... you guys have been sleeping
together for a couple of years now?
Please dont.
What, have we been divorced
for, like, six months?
Honey, why are you at this party?
I was invited.
Everyones invited.
- Do you think this is funny?
- No, I dont...
That is funny.
What is wrong with you, Anders?
You are the one
who said you needed space.
Well, its not my job anymore.
I dont have to babysit you.
I dont have to make sure
that you dont embarrass yourself.
You are the one who wanted out.
So, for God fucking sake, get out.
We need an ambulance!
- Somebody call an ambulance!
- Oh, my God!
Fucking angel dust?
I heard they got him hooked up
to a bunch of tubes and machines.
Mom said Sophie is a complete wreck.
Im sure she is.
Apparently, the Ashfords are suing now.
Who in Gods name are they gonna sue?
Uh, the school, I guess. I mean,
they think thats where he got the drugs.
Wait, wait.
They move their kid
to a different school because of drug use,
and now theyre blaming
his current drug use
on the school that they shipped him to?
Dont act like you dont understand it.
You guys did the same thing to me.
I didnt sue anybody.
And you went to rehab.
Not boarding school.
- Well, I feel bad for the kid.
- So do I.
Hey, I heard you saw Mom.
- And met her new boyfriend?
- Yeah. I already knew him.
- You did?
- Mm-hmm. Not well.
We came up together as traders.
Just tell me hes not living at the house.
Well, its Moms house. So...
Hes living at the house?
Dad, its not your house anymore.
- Well, it's certainly not theirs.
- What does that mean?
Isnt it Moms?
Well, it was going to be. Yeah...
but in a fit of generosity and stupidity,
I told her she could have it.
But I cant afford to retire
and pay for the mortgage.
Jesus.
- Dont tell your mother, okay?
- You know, Moms gonna freak.
Where the fuck am I gonna live?
You living there is meant to be temporary.
She should downsize anyway.
- Hell, let Donny pay for it.
- Well...
I guess he probably can.
He seems pretty loaded.
Well...
I dont know, Dad. I mean, it looks like
a bunch of little kids live here.
Eh. Look at it. Its nice. Its festive.
Its like your own sad
little Christmas parade.
All right. Gotta go.
Wow, do you think this is a bit much?
Thanks so much. Of course, I will.
Oh, you know it.
Hes going as soon as hes out.
Weve found a good place.
Yes. I will. Thanks again.
Oh, honey, youre so nice.
I'm not really that nice.
I just couldnt imagine
who Id run into at the market.
Well, you would have run
into Aunt Marilyn Erickson...
- Oof.
- ...and Leslie Abrams. Separately.
Youre my savior.
- Thank you.
- Yes, youre welcome.
How long do you think
Prestons gonna stay with you?
Jesus. Theres a part of me,
the sick part,
kinda likes having him around.
Every once in a while I forget
and I go to, like,
move something out of his face,
and he... One of these things.
Its like, "Oh. Oh, right, youre a man."
What did we do wrong?
Maybe I babied him too much.
Perhaps weve done everything wrong.
When are we gonna know
if our kids are broken?
Gee, lets see. What time is it?
Tell me about your week. The holidays.
Uh... I got the condo decorated.
Uh... Preston helped.
- That must have been nice.
- And I, uh, went to a party.
I dont know why I went.
Yeah, I do. I went to see Helene. Uh...
Was an awful night. I, uh...
I ended up getting very loaded.
It did not go well.
- You got loaded?
- Yeah. I did a stupid thing.
I got high with a bunch of kids
and then one of them ended up in the ER.
- You got high with the kids?
- Stupid.
At this point, Anders,
I should tell you. I was...
I was at the Ashfords party.
Hmm?
I'm... I don't... I'm not... Sorry.
Kathleen and Sophie Ashford
are quite close.
Oh, well, I didnt see you there.
So, uh...
So, okay, so you know what happened
to Charlie.
And, um... Uh, Jesus...
Way to bury the lead, Howard. Okay.
Uh... Well, Im sure that you know...
Im sure Charlies gonna be all right.
I mean...
Kids smoke dope,
and its not a big deal.
Do you know what drugs he was doing?
It was some kind of high school...
boarding school,
kind of hybrid blend kind of thing.
- Maybe PCP.
- PCP?
Look, he hands me this thing,
crazy little device,
I thought it was grass,
and yeah, it was stupid, but I mean...
You know, come on, Howard,
the kid would have been smoking it anyway.
Im really sorry.
This is urgent. Please excuse me. Hello.
Fuck it.
- Charlie?
- One sec.
- Uh, my parents arent here.
- Is my wife here?
I dont see her.
- Uh, how are you feeling?
- Awesome.
Because you look okay.
The way people were talking,
I thought maybe you were...
Do you have like a balloon for me
or something?
Yeah. In fact,
I thought you might like this.
Thats pretty sweet.
What the fuck is this?
Did you lift this?
- No.
- You brought me a, uh...
an erotic, stolen library book?
Okay, Ill take it.
Hell no, its the best present
of all time. I love it!
Okay. Um...
If you need anything, Ive moved,
so the number is on the back.
What happened to you?
You quit your fancy job?
Oh... Well, its complicated.
But yeah. I couldnt go on doing
what I was doing to make a living
- and still feel good about myself.
- I can totally respect that.
And it was complicated.
There were a lot
of other things tied into it.
Like my wife and the endless commuting
and just a lot of things.
I couldnt take it, so, uh...
Yeah... something had to change.
I have to go to rehab now
because my parents are Nazi assholes.
Theyre worried about you.
Theyre embarrassed. Theres a difference.
Well, you did a stupid thing.
Seriously? Im getting a lecture from you?
You were high as balls.
I was tricked into that.
And, yeah, Im sorry.
- "Guys, Im joyful. I feel joyful."
- Hey, hey, hey...
I need you to, uh...
I need you to keep that between us.
Dont worry, Im not gonna tell anyone.
Its not my style.
Hey, is that, uh... is that Laika?
Your drawing?
It is. Do you know what the, uh,
the scientist in charge of that project
said 40 years later? He said...
"Nothing that we learned on that mission
could possibly justify the loss
of that beautiful animal."
She was a stray. He was the one
that found her in the first place.
Thats heartbreaking.
I know theres already
a million books about her.
Mines gonna have a different end.
- Oh, yeah?
- So they said
that she crashed into the ocean and died,
but she didnt.
She just burned alive in the atmosphere.
So, in my version,
shes supposed to still be out there.
So Oleg, thats the scientist guy,
is, like, old and poor,
and one day he turns on some
of the old equipment,
and he hears her heartbeat,
like shes still out there.
- What happens then?
- Thats as far as Ive gotten.
- Anders.
- He just brought me a book. That's it.
Well, that was... sweet.
I really admire him as an artist.
- I really like his graphic novel.
- Yeah. So do I.
- You dont even know what it is.
- Its about a dog.
A stray dog, launched into space
for reasons she can never understand.
Its about being exploited
by the people who are supposed
to be protecting you.
The Meadows isnt outer space, honey.
Its worse. Its Arizona.
You see what I have to deal with?
Im sorry, he needs to rest.
- Hes here looking for his wife.
- Uh, no. Not, not true.
I think shes at home.
With her new boyfriend?
A lot of conversations
between my mom and your ex.
You know, about whether things
are moving too fast.
- A lot of yackety-yack.
- You made your point.
- Feel better.
- Mm-hmm.
I know youre not gonna pick up.
But I want some photo albums.
And I want, uh, some home movies,
because I have none here.
Just a couple. Okay?
I was full of bravado. I said,
"Yeah, sure. You want the house, keep it.
Is that all you want?"
I dont know what the fuck I was thinking.
You were thinking...
you were done with the marriage,
so you were done with the house.
I get that.
So, I havent paid the mortgage
in six months.
- So, what do you need?
- Im gonna pay you back.
- Every penny.
- I am not worried.
You know...
I used to have this vision of my life.
It was like a web.
And these threads
that connected me, you know.
Yeah.
And the more webs
you could have coming from you,
then the more important you were. Right?
Like, if you were a doctor
youd cure a bunch of...
- Patients.
- ...patients.
And... or a teacher.
You got a million threads, you know.
And you would be, basically,
irreplaceable, right?
'Cause so many people
depended on you, right?
- You understand what Im saying?
- Yeah, it's...
- webs and...
- Yeah, but its really not the case.
- Come on, man.
- No, its the web.
The web is remaking itself.
Revising itself every second of every day.
And so if you vanish,
then the people that were in your life,
they learn to rely on someone else,
you know, and youre gone.
And then the web just remakes itself
and moves on without you.
- But you got out of the web.
- No, no, no.
No. This whole town, its a life of work,
and commuting and bullshit.
- Yeah.
- You know what Im saying?
And that was one web
I was happy to get out of.
Just drink up.
Come on. Come on, man.
I think you need to see something.
Hows Preston? Hes still at Northwestern?
Graduated. Living with Helene.
Oh, Jesus. What was the point?
Miss that?
Im taking this Asian fusion
cooking class.
Total blast.
I never would have thought
cooking is so relaxing.
You know, I just put on some music,
sip some wine, a few hours go by,
end up with a delicious meal.
I generally eat it alone,
but its delicious. Delicious!
Larry, it's... Dont you think
its a little tragic?
Fuck you, man.
Only if you look at it that way.
- Its how you see it. It's how you see it.
- Hi, guys.
- How about a dance?
- No, thank you.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah. Yeah, no offense.
Come on.
- Hes newly divorced, so...
- Oh!
- Then you need a little extra TLC.
- Youre probably right, but uh...
- Ill take the dance.
- Okay. You got it.
You okay, dude?
Hey, could you, uh,
wet a paper towel for me, please?
Am I in the mens room?
Thank you.
You okay?
I havent thrown up in a club
since I was 22.
- I wouldnt drink that if I were you.
- It's disgusting.
Oh. Yeah. Right.
- Why are you here?
- Why are you here?
No, why are you here?
I was stupid enough
to come here on a date.
Oh, my God...
Yeah, Im hip. I can go to a strip club.
Three vodkas in, hes trying to buy me
a fucking lap dance.
Is it hip for a woman
to go to a strip club?
I dont know.
Well, if it makes you feel any better,
I didnt want to come here, either.
Yeah, right.
Hey, man,
I think your friend went upstairs.
- Oh, thank you.
- Yeah.
Okay?
Thank you.
42 Maple Street, please.
And 112 Fishermans Lane.
I dont have enough money.
Dont worry about it. I got it.
Thank you.
Beautiful house.
Why are we here?
112 Fishermans Lane.
Thats what you said.
Well...
- Uh... Here. Take care.
- Oh. Thank you.
What the hell is all this shit?
Who the fuck is in my house?
Jesus Christ, Anders!
- I almost took your fucking head off.
- What are you doing here?
You know what? Im just getting some
things of mine. Everyone needs to relax.
This is a weird flavor.
- Are you kidding me?
- Nope. Tastes like... flowers.
You cant just come in here!
Im getting some things
that are rightfully mine.
- No, youre drunk.
- Some of this stuff...
I have a right to have it in my house.
I left a whole box of stuff for you,
over here by the door.
- Then whats all this?
- I gave you half!
Oh. Okay. Sorry.
You care so much about family pictures,
you need to break in here
in the middle of the night.
- What's wrong with you?
- Well, I am a little dizzy.
- Why dont you take a seat?
- Dont tell me what to do.
Im gonna sit down anyway.
Why dont you give me those keys?
Donny, dont do this now.
We cant have this happen again. Come on.
Youre not going to do this again,
right, Dad?
You know what?
You never know.
Preston, can you drive
your father home, please?
You got it.
So, she hired you.
'Cause I thought it was all volunteers.
Yeah, most of them are,
but she worked it out so I could get paid.
Takes a lot of patience.
- You like it?
- Yeah. The pay is shit, but...
But youre saving for your own place?
Its not that bad. I gotta go.
- Where?
- Work.
Oh.
Hey, Preston. Come back here.
What does she see in him?
I dont know. I mean...
- They seem kind of happy.
- Bullshit.
You know, you left her.
Right? You remember that?
Youre mad at me about that.
No, Im totally thrilled you just kicked
Mom to the curb after all this time.
Im gonna apologize to her
about last night, but...
I worry about you.
- Youre worried about me?
- Yeah. I can be an idiot
and I can still worry about you.
Okay, now, Christmas Eve,
why dont you come over?
Well hang out. You can stay over,
well watch some videos, or...
Moms planning the usual dinner.
Like she does every year, so Im sorry.
But shes already
making a big deal out of it.
Yeah, dont worry about it. Its nothing.
Okay, go teach someone how to read.
- All right, I will.
- Cool.
So, uh, Mr. Baptiste,
I understand there has been a dispute
with your tutor.
Its not a dispute.
If you would explain everything to me.
- He stole from me.
- He stole from you? How?
Your son told me about an opportunity
to make money.
An opportunity?
What kind of an opportunity?
Some gambling business.
How hes going to double my money.
Wheres my money?
I dont see it.
I need this money.
Hey, Im, uh...
I'm Anders. Im your neighbor.
Hello.
Hello.
Oh, look... Look, hold on. Hold on.
No, no, no, youre missing the best part.
Come in.
Hey.
Okay...
I was drunk. Uh, it was a stupid,
obviously ridiculous thing to do.
- Im sorry.
- Terrific, Anders.
At the moment,
I need to find our moron of a son
who fucked up the only job he could get
because his mother gave it to him.
Where is he?
I have an idea.
How could he do this to me? To himself?
Hold on, do what?
He took money from a client
and gambled with it.
Hi. Is there a, uh, poker game
going on here somewhere?
- Excuse me.
- Im not causing trouble.
Im just, uh, looking for my son.
Through the kitchen.
This is very impressive.
Did you guys have me followed?
Wow, Preston. Really?
I had a very
interesting conversation today.
I didnt take that guy's money.
$2,000 from an illiterate man.
I thought we werent supposed
to use that word.
Dont be an asshole, Preston.
Look, Im going to win it back. Okay?
Look at you two, a real team.
- Do you want to tell me what happened?
- Yeah, he gave me the money.
- For you to gamble with?
- The guy...
he had a broken truck and he was thinking
about asking some sketchy dude
in the neighborhood for a loan, okay?
I told him how these things work,
how hed get himself curb-stomped
if hes not careful.
So he asked if I knew of anything else...
And you thought, "Oh, thats right,
theres that underground poker game
that Im involved with."
Okay. Lets just get this over with.
- Get what over with?
- The firing. The sacking. Come on.
- I get it.
- You have to understand, Preston,
even if you meant well, its gonna look
really bad if I dont fire you.
You dont have to explain it.
Youre fired.
- And you have a week to move out.
- All right.
Oh, uh, but you should probably
look for a place to live, too.
Me? What is that supposed to mean?
Well, 'cause
Dads not paying the mortgage.
- He hasnt in six months.
- So...
Youre still fired.
And youre still moving out.
- Look...
- Just tell me that thats not true.
Im getting it sorted...
You had to be a big man, right?
"Go ahead. Keep the house."
I was attempting to be... generous.
The only problem, Anders, is to be
a big man, you have to be a big man.
I made so much money for everybody!
Everybody! For years!
So I could lose the house. To foreclosure.
Why do you even want it?
It's a five-bedroom house.
Look, I may decide to move.
But if I decide to move,
I prefer that its my choice.
Well, you dont have to worry
'cause Im getting the money.
Really? And how?
A loan. From Larry Eichner.
That house is our history.
Its my history.
I made that garden from nothing.
- And that means something.
- I know.
I know it means something.
But do you really?
Do you know what anything means?
I thought I did.
Youre supposed to be happy now, Anders.
Thats why we got divorced, right?
'Cause we were all in the way
of your happiness.
The house, your career, me.
The way of life.
- You remember all that?
- Yeah.
- Im the lady who...
- I recognize you.
- We shared a cab.
- Feeling better?
Yeah, thank you.
Listen, that cab was a fortune.
- Let me pay you back.
- Oh, God, no.
- Oh, no, I insist.
- No, come on.
Can I buy you lunch or something?
Okay, dont worry about it. I just...
I just wanted you to know
I appreciated it.
You really saved me. And I thank you.
You know what? Yeah.
Yeah, buy me lunch.
A very, very expensive lunch.
Okay.
Would you please put your number in there?
All I ask. Please dont fucking text me.
Ill text you soon. Yeah?
- Hey.
- Okay...
- Is this a bad time?
- Uh, no. Were you waiting for me?
- No. Just drove up.
- Okay. I just got home. Uh...
- Yeah, come in.
- Great.
Wow!
This is a nice place.
Oh. Thank you. Well, its not,
not as nice as yours, but...
Uh, how about a beer?
No. Definitely not.
Listen. Id like to apologize.
- You?
- Yeah. Yeah.
For everything thats happened. I should
have called you in the first place.
I mean, we were friends.
Well...
Yeah...
Well, we were acquaintances.
And its awkward.
- Hmm.
- So...
I want to be completely up front with you.
Full disclosure.
The older Ive gotten,
the more Ive realized
that its all about communication.
Whats all about communication?
Relationships. People.
Yeah.
- I was an idiot the other night.
- And I am sorry about the golf club.
You know, you hear somebody
in your house at that hour, well...
How is my house?
This is what I want to talk to you about.
I can give you ten percent
over market value.
Excuse me.
Im making you an offer.
Well, the house isnt for sale.
It means a great deal to Helene.
I can pay you today, right now.
Yeah. Not interested.
For a guy who worked at finance
for so long, Im a little surprised.
Look, youve got to admit,
this situation doesnt make sense
to anyone now.
How old are you?
Same as you, why?
Hmm. It just seems to me
to be a strange time
to suddenly decide
youre gonna have a family.
Anders, this crap has to stop.
Whats with that? The ribbon.
My sister. Its in honor of her.
She died from breast cancer.
Oh, Im sorry.
Hey... Um...
Id like to make a donation.
- Anders, come on. Please.
- "Please" what? Id like to donate.
Are you going to make me beg?
Take it.
Bye.
Right on time.
- The parking out there. It's just...
- Oh, I know.
Its Christmas shoppers.
- Yeah, right.
- Can I get you anything?
- Ill have a Merlot.
- Ill have a Corona.
Thank you.
Do you have kids?
Yeah. Yeah, I do. I have a boy.
A man, I mean. Uh... You?
I have women. Two women. Here they are.
Theres Rachel and theres Carmen.
Oh.
And now this is gonna
probably end in one minute,
because I just showed you pictures
of my kids.
They seem nice.
I actually always wanted a son
because boys are so much easier.
I dont know.
- Easier than girls?
- Girls are... oh!
The mind-games and the lying,
and when theyre teenagers...
The drinking. And they were so mean to me.
- All the time.
- And now?
And now theyre much more human.
- I wish I could say the same.
- Oh, sorry.
Hes just kind of lost. You know.
And angry. And generally rude. Immature.
A little bit like the guy you see
sitting across from you right now.
Oh. Lucky me.
- Hes also very sweet and, uh...
- Here you are.
Hes a good person.
- Like you?
- Well, the jurys out.
- But I try.
- Well, thats all you can do.
- Right?
- Hear hear.
Can you believe how this town is changing?
- Yeah. I dont even recognize it.
- Have you seen the three-story Gap?
Uh, yeah. Yeah. I havent been in there.
- I really like it.
- You think I should check it out?
I mean, I know they tore down
that gorgeous old bank,
but I have more use
for a three-story Gap.
Um... So are you divorced or separated?
- No. Divorced.
- Good.
What... you smoke now?
Yet another thing
you can dislike about me.
Dont leave it there! Jesus.
So, I've been Christmas shopping.
You dont have anything to eat.
I bought you a present.
Since when do you Christmas shop?
I even bought your mother
and her new boyfriend a present.
- Why?
- I dont know.
Im just trying to cut the shit I guess.
He throws his money around.
- Acts so earnest.
- Well, I think he is earnest.
Well, its a five-bedroom house,
and I cant live there.
No. You cant live there
because youre 27 years old,
and its time you moved out on your own.
So much for a nice Christmas.
Hey, have you even looked for a job yet?
- Yeah. I got one.
- Oh, you did?
Oh, yeah, I did! And it's, uh,
Im delivering booze for Gils Liquor.
You know what, Pres? Its a start.
And the tips will be good, and...
Are you staying with friends or...
- what?
- Or what.
Where are you staying?
Thats not for you to worry about.
Okay, well, then you should, uh,
probably take this now.
Happy Christmas.
Oh, shit. Dont look at the tag.
Dad, big spender.
I thought you needed something warm.
Do you like it?
I could really use the cash instead.
Im just kidding!
Do you think
maybe I could crash here tonight?
No, I dont think you can crash, Preston.
I think you need to think about
tomorrow night and the night after that.
Look, I want you to be able to stay here.
I really do.
- But, youre an adult now...
- Cant I just fucking go to sleep?
No. You have to just fucking grow up!
Hey...
Thank you.
Hi, Dad.
I love you, Dad.
God.
Whats up?
- Man, its two oclock in the morning.
- Yeah. I had a feeling youd be up.
Are you all right?
No, I had to make
a quick escape.
You got to return this, too.
That shits gonna be expensive.
Do your parents know
where you are?
If youre gonna call them,
I can get out of here.
Yeah, Id really rather not.
- Well, I need a favor.
- No, you cant stay here.
Its not me who needs to stay.
- This is Relic.
- Why?
Hes basically my best friend
in the entire world,
and I need somebody
to look after him for me.
Here.
Hes a kind old man. Hold him.
See. He likes you.
Why are you giving me your turtle?
Im not going to rehab.
My parents dont even feed him.
Complain that he smells. And...
if Im gone, theyre gonna give him away.
Theyre assholes.
Where you going?
Yeah.
I have to call your parents.
- Seriously?
- Yeah...
Thats how youre gonna play this?
Yeah, I cant just watch you run away.
- I thought you were cool.
- No, Im not cool.
All right. I should probably warn you...
youre not
their favorite person right now.
Oh, wow, really?
Tell me something I dont know.
- What... they know?
- I swear to God
I did not tell anyone.
I dont know, Im sorry.
Wow.
So much for confidentiality, Howard.
- Its a really small town.
- What must they think of me...
Why do you care?
Dont you hate my parents?
How can you let somebody you dont
even like have this much control over you?
I dont...
You have the balls
to live your life, dude.
Thats what sets you apart
from the rest of these fucking zombies.
You cant go halfway.
You cant be you and stay in favor.
I dont know anyone
who would put all that Christmas shit out
in front of their house
without being
completely ashamed of themselves.
Really? You think they're too much?
Its fucking disgusting.
Hmm.
It just fucking pisses me off.
Like, my parents hate you because you...
left your wife, or whatever,
but, like, I mean, shes the one
getting married again so, like...
- Excuse me.
- Theyre fucking hypocrites.
Like, why is it their business?
Shes the one whos doing
a hell of lot better than you are.
No offense.
What are you talking about?
You dont know?
That theyre getting married?
Whoops, Im sorry.
My mom talks very loud
on the phone. Fuck.
Are you telling me the truth?
Yep.
Big Island.
Maybe gonna be Maui, there was
a lot of back and forth about it.
Um...
Hmm.
Can I have some of this scotch, please?
Uh...
Actually, you got anything stronger?
- Yeah.
- You wanna go to my club house?
But youre not leaving
that fucking reptile here.
Just follow me.
I figured it out.
I totally forgot.
- I figured out how to end my book.
- Oh, yeah?
So, Oleg thinks he hears,
like, this heartbeat up in space...
Yeah.
- So, he goes to Moscow, but,
- Mm-hmm.
I mean, theres obviously
no space program anymore.
And anyway, who cares
about a dog that symbolizes the triumph
of a country that doesnt exist anymore?
So, hes basically just laughed at...
What is all that?
Oleg starts building his own rocket out
of, like, whatever he can find.
But its a fucking suicide mission.
Theres no way that hell be able
to reenter the atmosphere.
So, you have crazy old Oleg
who shoots himself off into space.
And its not until hes out there
that he hears it...
Hears what?
Theres this sound
that everything makes in orbit.
A heartbeat.
- Like a "heartbeat" heartbeat?
- Mm-hmm.
Laikas dead the whole time.
He wasnt hearing her heartbeat.
He was just hearing his, I mean,
his conscience or whatever. And...
without even realizing it,
he ends up giving himself
the same exact end.
Its irony or something or whatever...
I think I want to draw it so you can...
really feel like he felt
closer to her out there.
Or, like, free from guilt or something.
You dont like it?
I think thats incredibly sad.
I think its pretty good.
Whoa!
Have you heard about
this guy that, uh...
in the news,
who raised the price of that AIDS drug?
Hes literally like this fucking
real-life, like, James Bond villain.
Everyone hates him. Like, its crazy.
Instead of going into hiding
or trying to clear his name,
he fucking puts a camera
in front of his face
and live-streams his life, 24/7.
- Just to, like, fucking piss people off...
- Helenes tits are weird.
What?
Theyre weird.
She got new ones. Theyre...
- Theyre kinda...
- Goddammit.
Theyre okay. Theyre nice even.
But theyre hard...
- I dont care.
- I think about 'em.
Sometimes for hours,
I think about her tits.
I can't help... Oh.
Yeah.
Yeah. My moms got these...
veiny yoga mom arms
and they make me wanna cry.
I wish my kid
would want to hang out with me.
But he just doesnt.
Hes got no interest at all.
Its just like
Im this great big nuisance, thats all.
Why does she want to get married so fast?
Whats that about?
You know what my dad
always says? "Irregardless."
The fuck does that mean? That even a word?
Absolutely.
- Really?
- Yeah.
He says it all the time.
"Irregardless."
Yeah...
You know why? Because when he was a kid,
he had this big floppy bear,
it was like a big, saggy, shitty bear.
And he carried it everywhere,
and I mean everywhere.
And he held onto that thing,
he held onto that thing way too long,
way past the time when anyone's supposed
to be hanging on to a bear, you know.
So, we took it off him.
And we hid it,
and we pretended that it was lost.
Because we were...
I don't know, we were worried
about him being teased or...
that he wouldnt grow up
or some bullshit, I dont know. I mean...
Oh, God, he was so betrayed...
We betrayed him.
He was devastated. He was heartbroken.
What a stupid fucking thing
to be a parent.
Yeah, but it doesnt have to be.
I feel like you guys all think...
that you have to,
like, worry all the time.
Like, if you werent
constantly worrying, like,
youre bad parents or something.
What is that?
You know what? Im gonna take you home.
- What?
- Get your things. Were gonna go.
- Seriously?
- Yeah. Yeah.
Take one of these, take the edge off.
No, no, no, this is bad.
We gotta go. Come on.
- Okay. Fine. Yeah.
- Im serious. Get your things.
- Let me clean some of this up.
- Whats that for?
Its stupid.
I thought we might want to shoot it off.
- Im gonna be in the car.
- Yep.
Charlie.
Charlie.
Are you in there?
Charlie?
Shit!
Charlie!
Charlie.
Northwestern, huh?
I heard youd gone to college,
but I didnt know where you ended up.
What are you up to?
Loading boxes, I guess.
Not too many stops.
You might see some familiar faces.
All right. Ill come back for this.
Oh, God...
Okay.
Surprise! I got your wine.
Youre delivering for Gil?
Put it down there. Come in.
No. Ive got other deliveries to make.
Dont be silly. Just put it down.
Okay.
Is he paying you well?
- I make good tips.
- Cheap bastard.
I suppose you havent seen Charlie.
Uh... No. Why?
I thought he was in his room packing
for this rehab in Arizona.
Not only wasnt he packing,
he wasnt there. And that was yesterday.
Hell come back.
Hes probably just nervous to go.
I definitely was.
You know,
when I saw you at the window just now,
I thought you were him.
Tell me something.
Are you living out of your car?
I only ask because your mother thought
you might be living out of your car,
and I told her that was preposterous,
but now that I see you,
it sort of looks like
you are living out of your car.
Um... Yeah. Its temporary.
Oh, my God.
Do you park it somewhere?
Yeah, its off of 136. Just by the tracks.
Thats terrible! Its so cold.
Do kids still hang out down by the tracks
and smoke pot?
Yeah. I guess.
Charlie used to.
Or still does. Who knows?
Well... Jesus.
Do you want a shower? A sandwich?
- Oh, no. I'm okay...
- Sit down.
I know your mother seems pissed,
but the holidays
are about mothers and children,
if they are about anything.
Yeah, well, I wouldnt really know it.
Well, shes insisting
on this Christmas Eve dinner,
and I guarantee that has something to do
with the fact that you are here.
- Thats hot enough.
- Thanks.
Hes fucking with me, isnt he?
Hes pissed off
that were insisting on rehab,
so hes throwing a tantrum. Thats it.
Uh, I mean, I dont know...
But when you used to pull this crap,
that was it, wasnt it?
Sure. For sure...
Hey, buddy. Listen,
if youre gonna pull this crap,
were gonna give away your smelly turtle.
I am sick of cleaning that tank
and feeding that thing.
So, you better come home
and deal with what you have to deal with.
Its not forever,
and you know you need it.
So, call me. Or better yet, show up.
Thatll get him to call.
He loves that stupid thing.
When youre finished eating,
take a shower. Youre filthy.
Okay.
Okay. Well, uh, Ill see you.
Your tips on the counter.
Oh, you don't have to tip me.
Of course I do.
Oh, well, thank you... for the shower.
And everything.
Hey...
Im sorry you have
such a disappointing dad.
Okay.
Hi, youve reached Helene.
Please leave a message.
Hey, Mom.
Uh, its me.
Im sorry.
Im sorry.
Okay... bye.
This place is lovely. Its really cozy.
Your place is so nice. That is gorgeous.
Well, sadly, thats not my place anymore.
That now belongs to my wife.
- Oh.
- It's okay.
We had many good years there together.
Do you mind if I ask why you split up?
You wanna know what the final straw was?
- Oh, you dont have to tell me.
- Oh, no, no, no.
No... Its ridiculous.
We fought about this, um...
separate little thing, like an oven.
It kinda keeps food warm.
Wed just done the whole house.
New furnace.
Floor finishings. Bunch of plumbing work.
And, uh, when it was all done,
and wed spent all the money,
then she says... she tells me,
"I just want one more thing.
I just want... theres a little warming
oven that I would really, really..."
And I just lost it. I was awful.
Thats how it goes.
We used to fight about chewing.
- Oh, yeah? How so?
- I dont know. He chewed.
Ah, that is disgusting!
You know what?
I have one of those food warmers thingies.
- No, you dont.
- Yes, I do.
- Ive never used it. She can have it.
- Wow, shes gonna be delighted.
- I dont think its working.
- No, no.
Its okay.
Its okay.
Well, I mean, dont worry about it.
Its probably because
we dont actually know each other.
Listen, if I got upset every time
I didnt have an orgasm...
Hey, could you please just stop talking?
Thank you.
What is it with you women
and these books?
Excuse me.
"Live Your Best Life Today."
Should I get this? Should I read this?
Are you in my bed...
making fun of my book?
Youre mean.
Uh...
Im sorry.
Youre right.
Youre right. I am.
Im very sorry.
Oh. My life is a mess.
And now I cant fuck.
And you deserve your best life today.
I know I do.
Thats why I bought the fucking book.
Dude, I can smell that shit
from the inside.
Oh, sorry.
Preston Harris.
- Malcom, right? Malcom Tendler?
- Yeah.
Yo. Just stub that out there.
- So how you been, man?
- Do you live here?
As of a couple of months ago, yeah.
Pretty sick, huh?
Yeah.
Yeah. My, uh, wifes family is into LEDs,
and Ive been working
with them for a couple of years.
So, youre married.
Yeah. With a kid on the way.
Holy shit.
And I actually bought this fucker myself,
if you can believe that.
- And this is the one you picked.
- Hell yeah, man.
So, uh, howve you been?
- You want, like, a beer or something?
- Uh, no, that's all right.
- I gotta get back to work.
- Dude, Im sorry, man.
I heard that you did, like,
some time in rehab.
- Oh...
- I actually have
some nonalcoholic beer if you want some.
- You do?
- Yeah. Yes, actually...
Uh, thats okay.
- You know... Im still working.
- Right, right, right.
What are LEDs?
You know, lights.
The green alternative, you know.
And, so... is that fun?
Would you say LEDs are your passion?
I mean, its all right.
Its a good living.
Sorry.
I just didnt think
this was your style, you know.
My style? What...
I mean, whats your style?
Delivering liquor?
Looks that way.
- All right, Malcom, this was great.
- Yeah. Why dont we, uh...
You know, I would tip you,
but youre a colossal dick.
Fuck! Shit!
Okay.
Hey, Gil, it's me. Um...
So, my car just died.
I know.
Listen, I just have one run.
I can do it first thing in the morning.
No, I don't have Triple A.
Theres nothing I can do, man.
Fuck!
Whoo!
Damn.
Oh!
Charlie.
Dad.
Is this Charlies turtle
in your bathtub?
Yeah. Yeah, thats Charlies turtle.
- What?
- He came over,
and he was on his way to, uh, rehab,
and he just asked me
to look after it for him.
Why did he give it to you?
I guess he thought I was someone,
you know, he could trust with it.
So, you, you and Charlie Ashford
were, like, friends?
No, no. I just...
You know, I visited him
in the hospital and he, uh...
He... I think he just wanted an adult,
or something, to look after it.
Oh, God.
- I cannot believe...
- he didnt come to the funeral.
You know,
when will I stop being surprised...
You know he left town?
- When?
- Like a week ago.
Where did he go?
He drove somewhere. I mean...
Im not really sure.
But he said he was reachable.
Thats so weird.
Its not that weird.
Everyone kind of hates him right now.
So, I assume youre not gonna
invite him to dinner tonight?
No. No, why would I do that?
I mean,
hes not expecting me to, is he?
Hes not even here, so...
Hey, will you do me a favor?
Will you pick up some sliced almonds?
You can use Donnys car. Do you mind?
No, not at all.
- Thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Girls. Hello. What are you doing?
Can I have some of these?
Load up. Load up.
And here... take some of these.
And here, try these guys.
Hours of fun.
Ladies.
Ladies, put all that back.
- Oh, its fine.
- Its not fine.
Theyre kids. Theyre just having fun.
Those are not for playing with.
Put it back.
Okay, Im, uh, very sorry.
Apparently Ive handed you, uh, non-toys.
Mnh-mnh.
- Girls...
- Ill take those back.
- Come on. Lets go.
- Come on.
Dont talk to that man.
Probably got no kids
of his own. Wanna play father.
Oh, no, no, no... were coming.
We need it, are you kidding?
Besides,
Ive been baking all morning!
- Baking?
- I made eclairs!
And a chocolate bread pudding.
You know you didnt need to do that.
You dont need to do anything.
Oh, the smell! Its heavenly.
- See you soon.
- Okay...
Ah!
- What a surprise.
- Hi.
You fixed your car?
No. I drove Donnys.
You remember when we used to,
uh, do the jumping on the bed? You were...
What are you doing here?
I mean, youre staying at a hotel
an hour from your condo.
You know, well,
sometimes you need a neutral space.
I hate to tell you, Dad.
This place is not neutral.
This is depressing.
Yeah, sometimes you need that, too.
That is the deed to the house.
Which Im gonna give to your mom.
With what money?
Thats not an unreasonable question, Dad.
No. The house now belongs to Donny O'Neil.
Huh?
Yeah, he offered to buy me out.
And you said yes?
Well, do they know?
Not yet, no.
I was gonna put that in the mail.
Look, come on. Youre up here alone.
Come back with me.
Its Christmas Eve.
And you bought all those presents.
Give 'em your presents.
- I cant go back.
- Yes, you can.
My friends. Come on in.
You guys know you didnt
have to come, right? Let alone cook.
We couldnt stay in bed
one more day.
- Youre our family.
- Yeah, we wanted to be here.
If at any point you feel like leaving,
please, do whatever
makes you comfortable. Okay?
Hey, guys.
Oh, I could use some red.
- Honey. Not with the Xanax.
- Id like some red.
- Okay, me too.
- Yeah. Okay.
Two reds.
- You guys take a seat, okay.
- Okay.
So, were gonna do it on the Big Island.
They have the most options
in terms of resorts.
Wheres Preston?
Sorry.
Preston. Where is he?
Oh, uh... I don't actually know.
Its not unusual.
I thought he lived here.
Oh, yeah. I sent him out
on an errand, uh, hours ago.
Interesting.
So, when did, uh, Kat go back to Seattle?
This morning.
Why dont we go into the dining room?
- Good.
- Yeah.
There you are.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Okay.
Oh, Jesus. Um...
- I dont think you should be here.
- Why not?
Sophie and Mitchell are
in the other room,
and theyre kind of out of their minds
right now.
- You, too.
- I thought it would be okay.
Dont worry about it.
I had a feeling you might be
hiding people...
- Theyre actually on their way out.
- Oh, I hope not.
Anders, youll stay for a drink, at least?
- I just gotta drop these off.
- Bullshit. Its Christmas!
Look who I found hiding in the kitchen.
Sophie, Mitchell...
Okay...
Ive been away. That's, um...
Thats why I missed the funeral.
And Im so, so sorry.
He was an exceptional kid.
And I always thought he was very,
very special.
He admired you.
Thank you. I...
I dont know why.
I could never figure it out. I mean...
Why you?
Whats so much more acceptable about you?
And then I realized,
youre the fucked up one.
Youre the one who threw everything away.
I want to know some things.
I have some questions for you.
- Preston.
- I have questions for you.
- Preston did not do anything.
- Nobody said he did.
Irregardless, I would like to know,
what you were doing out
on those railroad tracks.
And why was it you, of all people,
who found my son?
He was trying to get warm.
Could you let the boy
speak for himself?
No, I was just walking around trying
to get warm, 'cause the...
The heat in my car wasnt working
so I was just walking around.
You see that?
I dont believe that.
Youre telling me that you went outside
in the woods to get warm?
I was gonna drink.
I had stolen the champagne
and I was gonna drink it.
- But I didn't drink it...
- There you go.
Now were getting somewhere.
Mitchell, thats enough.
Now how would that be enough
if were just now getting to the truth?
You did drugs with my son, didnt you?
I was with him. Preston wasnt.
Dad, it's...
He came over to my house that night.
He brought his turtle.
And he, uh...
wanted me to take care of it.
He wouldnt have done that.
He loves that turtle.
Why would he do that?
I assumed because he was running away.
When was he with you?
Earlier. That night. Earlier that night.
And you didnt call us?
- How could you not call us?
- Oh, my God...
Um... I was... I was...
I was going to. I...
He, uh...
I told him that I was gonna take him home
- and that is when he ran off.
- So, he brought you his turtle.
- And then he left?
- Yeah.
No. He... I...
I went with him, and, um...
- we did a small amount of drugs...
- What?
Before he ran off.
No, you didnt.
Yeah, I did.
What? You...
You did?
- Why would you do that?
- Are you out of your fucking mind?
The point is that, um...
He...
Im sure that it was an accident
because he just didnt want
to go to rehab.
Dont talk to me about my son.
How dare you?
The things I could tell you.
The things I know.
Sophie, please dont do this.
Your wife has been sleeping with him
for over two years.
What?
Is that true? Is she serious?
You smug little fuck. You let it happen!
No, Mitchell!
Dad!
- Oh, my God!
- Oh!
The sunflowers
will take over everything. The...
ivy and then the lilies.
Its hysterical.
Somehow everything survives.
These perennials, they are relentless.
That means they go all year round?
Uh, yes, they bloom every year.
You dont have to replant them.
And these hydrangeas...
you usually have to replace,
but, uh,
these have been blooming for decades.
Actually, these were here
when we got here. Yeah.
How long did you live here?
Oh. We were here a long time.
Yeah, I raised my son here.
He's, uh... Hes a grown up now. Mostly.
Hell, uh, be going to graduate school
in the city.
Nice.
Well, thank you so much for coming over
and explaining all this stuff to me.
When I talk to the gardener,
I want to know what Im saying.
Yes. Okay.
Lets go inside.
Let's go inside.
No. No, no, no.
That ones volume,
and that ones the channel.
You know, I like your place.
Its small. Yeah.
It is small, but it is also...
very nice.
I brought you some things.
They are things I didnt use.
And you can use them
or not use them. Decorating.
Thanks.
I gotta go. I have a date.
Oh! Well, someone should.
Okay.
- See ya.
- Bye.
Wow.
- Mmm! Whered you learn to do this?
- I, um...
took some cooking classes with a friend.
- How retired of you.
- Thank you very much.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
Mmm. Delicious.