"GOOD WILL HUNTING"
by
Matt Damon & Ben Affleck
FADE IN:
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE -- DAY
CUT TO:
INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON -- EVENING
The bar is dirty, more than a little run down. If there is
ever a cook on duty, he's not here now. As we pan across
several empty tables, we can almost smell the odor of last
nights beer and crushed pretzels on the floor.
CHUCKIE
Oh my God, I got the most fucked up
thing I been meanin' to tell you.
As the camera rises, we find FOUR YOUNG MEN seated around a
table near the back of the bar.
ALL
Oh Jesus. Here we go.
The guy holding court is CHUCKIE SULLIVAN, 20, and the largest
of the bunch. He is loud, boisterous, a born entertainer.
Next to him is WILL HUNTING, 20, handsome and confident, a
softspoken leader. On Will's right sits BILLY MCBRIDE, 22,
heavy, quiet, someone you definitely wouldn't want to tangle
with.
Finally there is MORGAN O'MALLY, 19, smaller than the other
guys. Wiry and anxious, Morgan listens to Chuckie's horror
stories with eager disgust.
All four boys speak with thick Boston accents. This is a
rough, working class Irish neighborhood and these boys are
its product.
CHUCKIE
You guys know my cousin Mikey
Sullivan?
ALL
Yeah.
CHUCKIE
Well you know how he loves animals
right? Anyway, last week he's drivin'
home...
(laughs)
ALL
What? Come on!
CHUCKIE
(trying not to laugh)
I'm sorry, 'cause you know Mikey,
the fuckin guy loves animals, and
this is the last person you'd want
this to happen to.
WILL
Chuckie, what the fuck happened?
CHUCKIE
Okay. He's driving along and this
fuckin' cat jumps in front of his
car, and so he hits this cat--
Chuckie is really laughing now.
MORGAN
--That isn't funny--
CHUCKIE
--and he's like "shit! Motherfucker!"
And he looks in his rearview and
sees this cat -- I'm sorry--
BILLY
Fuckin' Chuckie!
CHUCKIE
So he sees this cat tryin to make it
across the street and it's not lookin'
so good.
WILL
It's walkin' pretty slow at this
point.
MORGAN
You guys are fuckin' sick.
CHUCKIE
So Mikey's like "Fuck, I gotta put
this thing out of its misery"--So he
gets a hammer--
WILL/MORGAN/BILLY
OH!
CHUCKIE
out of his tool box, and starts
chasin' the cat and starts whackin'
it with the hammer. You know, tryin'
to put the thing out of its misery.
MORGAN
Jesus.
CHUCKIE
And all the time he's apologizin' to
the cat, goin' "I'm sorry." BANG,
"I'm sorry." BANG!
BILLY
Like it can understand.
CHUCKIE
And this Samoan guy comes runnin'
out of his house and he's like "What
the fuck are you doing to my cat?!"
Mikey's like "I'm sorry" --BANG--" I
hit your cat with my truck, and I'm
just trying to put it out of it's
misery" -- BANG! And the cat dies.
So Mikey's like "Why don't you come
look at the front of the truck."
'Cause the other guy's all fuckin
flipped out about--
WILL
Watching his cat get brained.
Morgan gives Will a look, but Will only smiles.
CHUCKIE
Yeah, so he's like "Check the front
of my truck, I can prove I hit it
'cause there's probably some blood
or something"--
WILL
--or a tail--
MORGAN
WILL!
CHUCKIE
And so they go around to the front
of his truck... and there's another
cat on the grille.
WILL/MORGAN/BILLY
No! Ugh!
CHUCKIE
Is that unbelievable? He brained an
innocent cat!
BLACKOUT:
The opening credits roll over a series of shots of the city
and the real people who live and work there, going about
their daily lives.
We see a panoramic view of South Boston.
Will sits in his apartment, walls completely bare. A bed, a
small night table and an empty basket adorn the room. A stack
of twenty or so LIBRARY BOOKS sit by his bed. He is flipping
through a book at about a page a second.
Chuckie stands on the porch to Will's house. His Cadillac
idles by the curb. Will comes out and they get in the car.
We travel across crowded public housing and onto downtown.
Finally, we gaze across the river and onto the great
cementdomed buildings that make up the M.I.T. campus.
CUT TO:
INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM -- DAY
The classroom is packed with graduate students and TOM.
PROFESSOR LAMBEAU (52) is at the lectern. The chalkboard
behind him is covered with theorems.
LAMBEAU
Please finish McKinley by next month.
Many of you probably had this as undergraduates in real
analysis. It won't hurt to brush up. I am also putting an
advanced fourier system on the main hallway chalkboard--
Everyone groans.
LAMBEAU
I'm hoping that one of you might
prove it by the end of the semester.
The first person to do so will not
only be in my good graces, but go on
to fame and fortune by having their
accomplishment recorded and their
name printed in the auspicious "M.I.T.
Tech."
Prof. Lambeau holds up a thin publication entitled "M.I.T.
Tech." Everyone laughs.
LAMBEAU
Former winners include Nobel
Laureates, world renowned astro-
physicists, Field's Medal winners
and lowly M.I.T. professors.
More laughs.
LAMBEAU
Okay. That is all.
A smattering of applause. Students pack their bags.
CUT TO:
INT. FUNLAND – LATER
The place is a monster indoor funpark. Will, Chuckie, Morgan,
and Billy are in adjoining batting cages. Will has disabled
the pitching machine in his and pitches to Chuckie. The boys
have been drinking. Will throws one to Chuckie, high and
tight.
Several empty beer cans sit by the cage.
CHUCKIE
Will!
Another pitch, inside.
CHUCKIE
You're gonna get charged!
WILL
You think I'm afraid of you, you big
fuck? You're crowdin' the plate.
Will guns another one, way inside.
CHUCKIE
Stop brushin' me back!
WILL
Stop crowdin the plate!
Chuckie laughs and steps back.
CHUCKIE
Casey's bouncin' at a bar up Harvard.
We should go there sometime.
WILL
What are we gonna do up there?
CHUCKIE
I don't know, we'll fuck up some
smart kids.
(stepping back in)
You'd prob'ly fit right in.
WILL
Fuck you.
Will fires a pitch at Chuckie's head. Chuckie dives to avoid
being hit. He gets up and whips his batting helmet at Will.
CUT TO:
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON ROOFTOP -- EARLY AFTERNOON
SEAN McGUIRE (52) sits, FORMALLY DRESSED, on the roof of his
apartment building in a beat-up lawn chair. Well-built and
fairly muscular, he stares blankly out over the city.
On his lap rests an open invitation that reads "M.I.T. CLASS
OF '67 REUNION."
While the morning is quiet and Sean sits serenely, there is
a look about his that tells us he has faced hard times. This
is a man who fought his way through life. On his lonely stare
we:
CUT TO:
EXT. M.I.T. CAMPUS LAWN -- DAY
A thirty year REUNION PARTY has taken over the lawn. A well
dressed throng mill about underneath a large banner that
reads "WELCOME BACK CLASS OF '72." We find Professor Lambeau
standing with a drink in his hand, surveying the crowd. He
is interrupted by an approaching STUDENT.
STUDENT
Excuse me, Professor Lambeau?
LAMBEAU
Yes.
STUDENT
I'm in your applied theories class.
We're all down at the Math and Science
building.
LAMBEAU
It's Saturday.
STUDENT
I know. We just couldn't wait 'till
Monday to find out.
LAMBEAU
Find out what?
STUDENT
Who proved the theorem.
EXT. TOM FOLEY PARK, S. BOSTON -- AFTERNOON
In the bleachers of the visiting section we find our boys,
drinking and smoking cigarettes. Will pops open a beer. The
boys have been here a while and it shows.
Billy sees something that catches his interest.
BILLY
Who's that? She's got a nice ass.
Their P.O.V. reveals a girl in stretch pants talking to a
beefy looking ITALIAN GUY (BOBBY CHAMPA)
MORGAN
Yah, that is a nice ass.
CHUCKIE
You could put a pool in that backyard.
BILLY
Who's she talking to?
MORGAN
That fuckin' guinea, Will knows him.
WILL
Yah, Bobby Champa. He used to beat
the shit outta' me in Kindergarten.
BILLY
He's a pretty big kid.
WILL
Yah, he's the same size now as he
was in Kindergarten.
MORGAN
Fuck this, let's get something to
eat...
CHUCKIE
What Morgan, you're not gonna go
talk to her?
MORGAN
Fuck her.
The boys get up and walk down the bleachers.
WILL
I could go for a Whopper.
MORGAN
(nonchalant)
Let's hit "Kelly's."
CHUCKIE
Morgan, I'm not goin' to "Kelly's
Roast Beef" just cause you like the
take-out girl. It's fifteen minutes
out of our way.
MORGAN
What else we gonna do we can't spare
fifteen minutes?
CHUCKIE
All right Morgan, fine. I'll tell
you why we're not going to "Kelly's."
It's because the take-out bitch is a
fuckin' idiot. I'm sorry you like
her but she's dumb as a post and she
has never got our order right, never
once.
MORGAN
She's not stupid.
WILL
She's sharp as a marble.
CHUCKIE
We're not goin'.
(beat)
I don't even like "Kelly's."
CUT TO:
INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY -- LATER
Lambeau, still in his reunion formal-wear, strides down the
hallway, carrying some papers. A group of students have
gathered by the chalkboard. They part like the red sea as he
approaches the board. Using the papers in hand, he checks
the proof.
Satisfied, he turns to the class.
LAMBEAU
This is correct? Who did this?
Dead silence. Lambeau turns to an INDIAN STUDENT.
LAMBEAU
Nemesh?
Nemesh shakes his head in awe.
NEMESH
No way.
Lambeau erases the proof and starts putting up a new one.
LAMBEAU
Well, whoever You are, I'm sure you'll
find this one challenging enough to
merit coming forward with your
identity. That is, if you can do
it.
INT. CHUCKIE'S CAR, DRIVING IN SOUTH BOSTON -- CONTINUOUS
The street is crowded as our boys drive down Broadway. They
move slowly through heavy traffic, windows down. Chuckie
sorts through a large "KELLY'S ROAST BEEF" BAG as he drives.
MORGAN
Double Burger.
Will holds the wheel for Chuckie as he looks through the
bag.
MORGAN
(same tone)
Double Burger.
Chuckie gets out fries for himself, hands Will his fries.
MORGAN
I, I had a Kelly's Double Burger.
CHUCKIE
Would you shut the fuck up! I know
what you ordered, I was there!
MORGAN
So why don't you give me my sandwich?
CHUCKIE
What do you mean "your sandwich?" I
bought it.
MORGAN
(sarcastic)
Yah, all right...
CHUCKIE
How much money you got?
MORGAN
I told you, I just got change.
CHUCKIE
Well give me your fuckin' change and
we'll put your fuckin' sandwich on
layaway.
MORGAN
Why you gotta be an asshole Chuckie?
CHUCKIE
I think you should establish a good
line of credit.
Laughter, Chuckie goes back searching through the bag.
CHUCKIE
Oh motherfucker...
WILL
She didn't do it again did she?
CHUCKIE
Jesus Christ. Not even close.
MORGAN
Did she get my Double Burger?
CHUCKIE
NO SHE DIDN'T GET YOUR DOUBLE BURGER!!
IT'S ALL FUCKIN' FLYIN' FISH FILET!!
Chuckie whips a FISH SANDWICH back to Morgan, then to Billy.
WILL
Jesus, that's really bad, did anyone
even order a Flyin' Fish?
CHUCKIE
No, and we got four of 'em.
BILLY
You gotta' be kiddin' me. Why do we
even go to her?
CHUCKIE
Cause fuckin' Morgan's got a crush
on her, we always go there and when
we get to the window he never says a
fuckin' word to her, he never even
gets out of the car, and she never
gets our order right cause she's the
goddamn MISSING LINK!
WILL
Well, she out did herself today...
MORGAN
I don't got a crush on her.
Push in on Will who sees something O.S.
Will's P.O.V. reveals BOBBY CHAMPA and his friends walking
down the street. One of them casually lobs a bottle into a
wire garbage can. It SHATTERS and some of the glass hits a
FEMALE PASSERBY who, although unhurt, is upset.
CHUCKIE
What do we got?
WILL
I don't know yet.
Will's P.O.V.: The woman says something to Bobby. He says
something back. By the look on her face, it was something
unpleasant.
MORGAN
Come on, Will...
CHUCKIE
Shut up.
MORGAN
No, why didn't you fight him at the
park if you wanted to? I'm not goin'
now, I'm eatin' my snack.
WILL
(smiles)
So don't go.
Will is out of the door, jogging toward Bobby Champa. Billy
gets out, following Will with a look of casual indifference.
CHUCKIE
Morgan, Let's go.
MORGAN
I'm serious Chuckie, I ain't goin'.
Leaving the car, Chuckie opens his door to follow.
CHUCKIE
(spins in his seat)
You're goin'. And if you're not out
there in two fuckin' seconds, when
I'm done with them you're next!
And with that, Chuckie is out the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK --CONTINUOUS
Will comes jogging up towards BOBBY CHAMPA, calling out from
across the street,
WILL
(smiling, good
naturedly)
Hey, Bobby Champa! I went to
Kindergarten with you right? Sister
Margaret's class...
Bobby is bewildered by this strange interruption and unsure
of Will's intentions. Just when it looks as though Bobby
might remember him, Will DRILLS HIM with a sucker-punch which
begins the
FIGHT SEQUENCE: 40 FRAMES OVER M. GAYE'S "LET'S GET IT ON."
Will's momentum and respectable strength serve to knock the
hapless Champa out cold.
As soon as Will hits Bobby, his friends CONVERGE ON WILL.
Billy JUMPS IN and wrestles one guy to the ground. The two
exchange messy punches on the sidewalk.
Will is in trouble, back pedaling, dodging punches, trying
to avoid being overrun.
When Will goes for one guy, another has an open shot and he
HAMMERS WILL with a right hand to the head.
Will is staggered and bleary, as a second guy winds up for a
shot he is BLIND SIDED by Chuckie who hits the kid like he
was a tackling sled, lifting him off the ground.
Chuckie turns to see Will still outnumbered. It's all Will
can do to stay standing as Morgan DROP KICKS one of Champa's
boys from the hood of a car.
Contrary to what we might think, Morgan is actually quite a
fighter. He peppers the kid with a flurry of blows.
The fight is messy, ugly and chaotic. Most punches are thrown
wildly and miss, heads are banged against concrete, someone
throws a bottle.
In the end, it's our guys who are left standing, while Bobby's
friends stagger off. Chuckie and Morgan turn to see Will,
standing over the unconscious Bobby Champa, still POUNDING
him.
ANGLE ON WILL: SAVAGE, UGLY, VICIOUS, AND VIOLENT
Whatever demons must be raging inside Will, he is taking
them out on Bobby Champa. He pummels the helpless, unconscious
Champa, fury in his eyes. Chuckie and Billy pull Will away.
The POLICE finally arrive on the scene and having only
witnessed Will's vicious attack on Champa, they grab him.
EXT. SIDEWALK (FULL SPEED) -- CONTINUOUS
A crowd of onlookers have gathered. Chuckie addresses them.
CHUCKIE
Hey, thanks for comin' out.
WILL
Yeah, you're all invited over to
Morgan's house for a complementary
fish sandwich.
The Police slam Will into the hood of a car.
WILL
(to Police)
Hey, I know it's not a French cruller,
but it's free.
The cop holding Will SLAMS his [Will's] face into the hood,
another cop uses a baton to press Will's face into the car.
The look of rage returns to Will's eye.
WILL
Get the fuck off me!
Will resists. Another cop comes over. Will KICKS HIM IN THE
KNEE, dropping the cop. Momentarily freed, Will engages in a
fracas with three cops. More converge on Will, who -- though
he struggles -- takes a beating.
CUT TO:
EXT. SEAN'S ROOF -- NIGHT
Sean sits, exactly as we first saw him, except his tie is
now loose and an empty bottle of BUSHMILLS is at his side.
He stares out over the City. A MATRONLY LANDLADY comes out
of a doorway on the roof.
LANDLADY
Sean?
Sean doesn't answer.
LANDLADY
Sean? You okay?
SEAN
Yeah.
A beat.
LANDLADY
It's getting cold.
After a moment, she retreats back down the stairs. Sean
doesn't move.
DISSOLVE:
EXT. CHARLES RIVER, ESTABLISHING SHOT -- MORNING
The morning sun reflects brilliantly off the river.
CUT TO:
EXT. COURTHOUSE -- NEXT MORNING
Will emerges from the courthouse. Chuckie is waiting for him
in the Cadillac with two cups of DUNKIN' DOUGHNUTS coffee.
He hands one of them to Will. This feels routine.
CHUCKIE
When's the arraignment?
WILL
Next week.
Chuckie pulls away.
CUT TO:
EXT. M.I.T. CAMPUS, ESTABLISHING SHOT -- MORNING
Students walk to class, carrying bags. More than any other,
students seem to be heading into one PARTICULAR CLASSROOM.
INT. M.I.T. CLASSROOM -- MORNING
The classroom is even more crowded than last we saw it. Tom
takes notes as Lambeau plays along with the excited
environment with mock pomposity and good humor.
LAMBEAU
Is it my imagination, or has my class
grown considerably?
Laughter.
LAMBEAU
I look around and see young people
who are my students, young people
who are not my students as well as
some of my colleagues. And by no
stretch of my imagination do I think
you've all come to hear me lecture.
More laughter.
LAMBEAU
But rather to ascertain the identity
of who our esteemed "The Tech" has
come to call "The Mystery Math
Magician."
He holds up the M.I.T. Tech featuring a silhouetted figure,
emblazoned with a large, white question mark. The headline
reads "Mystery Math Magician strikes again."
LAMBEAU
Whoever you are, you've solved four
of the most difficult theorems I've
ever given a class. So without further
ado, come forward silent rogue, and
receive thy prize.
The class waits in breathless anticipation. A STUDENT shifts
his weight in his chair, making a noise.
LAMBEAU
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint my
spectators, but it appears there
will be no unmasking here today. I'm
going to have to ask those of you
not enrolled in the class to make
your escape now or, for the next
three hours be subjected to the
mundities of eigenvectors.
People start to gather their things and go. Lambeau picks up
a piece of chalk and starts writing on the board.
LAMBEAU
However, my colleagues and I have
conferred. There is a problem on the
board, right now, that took us two
years to prove. So let this be said;
the gauntlet has been thrown down.
But the faculty have answered the
challenge and answered with vigor.
CUT TO:
OMITTED
INT. M.I.T. HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Lambeau comes out of his office with Tom and locks the door.
As he turns to walk down the hallway, he stops. A faint
TICKING SOUND can be heard. He turns and walks down the hall.
Lambeau and Tom come around a corner. His P.O.V. reveals a
figure in silhouette blazing through the proof on the
chalkboard. There is a mop and a bucket beside him. As Lambeau
draws closer, reveal that the figure is Will, in his janitor's
uniform. There is a look of intense concentration in his
eyes.
LAMBEAU
Excuse me!
Will looks up, immediately starts to shuffle off.
WILL
Oh, I'm sorry.
LAMBEAU
What're you doing?
WILL
(walking away)
I'm sorry.
Lambeau follows Will down the hall.
LAMBEAU
What's your name?
(beat)
Don't you walk away from me. This is
people's work, you can't graffiti
here.
WILL
Hey fuck you.
LAMBEAU
(flustered)
Well... I'll be speaking to your
supervisor.
Will walks out. Lambeau goes to "fix" the proof, scanning
the blackboard for whatever damage Will caused. He stops,
scans the board again. Amazement registers on his face.
LAMBEAU
My God.
Down the hall, we hear the DOOR CLOSE. He turns to look for
Will, who is gone.
CUT TO:
EXT. BOW AND ARROW PUB, CAMBRIDGE -- THAT NIGHT
A crowded Harvard Bar. Will and our gang walk by a line of
several Harvard students, waiting to be carded.
MORGAN
What happened?
(beat)
You got fired, huh?
WILL
Yeah, Morgan. I got fired.
MORGAN
(starts laughing)
How fuckin' retarded do you have to
be to get shit-canned from that job?
How hard is it to push a fuckin'
broom?
CHUCKIE
You got fired from pushing a broom,
you little bitch.
MORGAN
Yah, that was different. Management
was restructurin'--
BILLY
Yah, restructurin' the amount of
retards they had workin' for them.
MORGAN
Fuck you, you fat fuck.
BILLY
Least I work for a livin'.
(to Will)
Why'd you get fired?
WILL
Management was restructurin'.
Laughter.
CHUCKIE
My uncle can probably get you on my
demo team.
MORGAN
What the fuck? I just asked you for
a job yesterday!
CHUCKIE
I told you "no" yesterday!
After two students flash their ID's to the doorman (CASEY)
our boys file past him.
ALL
(one after another)
What's up Case.
With an imperceptible nod, Casey waves our boys through. A
fifth kid, a HARVARD STUDENT, tries to follow. He is stopped
by Casey's massive, outstretched arm:
CASEY
ID?
INT. BOW AND ARROW -- CONTINUOUS
Chuckie is collecting money from the guys to buy a pitcher,
all but Morgan cough up some crumpled dollars.
CHUCKIE
So, this is a Harvard bar, huh? I
thought there'd be equations and
shit on the wall.
INT. BACK SECTION, BOW AND ARROW -- MOMENTS LATER
Chuckie returns to a table where Will, Morgan and Billy have
made themselves comfortable. He [Chuckie] spots two ATTRACTIVE
YOUNG HARVARD WOMEN sitting together at the end of the bar.
Chuckie struts his way toward the women and pulls up a chair.
He flashes a smile and tries to submerge his thick Boston
accent.
CHUCKIE
Hey, how's it goin'?
LYDIA
Fine.
SKYLAR
Okay.
CHUCKIE
So, you ladies ah, go to school here?
LYDIA
Yes.
CHUCKIE
Yeah, cause I think I had a class
with you.
At this point, several interested parties materialize. Morgan
Billy and Will try, as inconspicuously as possible, to situate
themselves within listening distance. A rather large student
in a HARVARD LACROSSE sweatshirt, CLARK (22) notices Chuckie.
He [Clark] walks over to Skylar and Lydia, nobly hovering
over them as protector. This gets Will, Morgan, and Billy's
attention.
SKYLAR
What class?
CHUCKIE
Ah, history I think.
SKYLAR
Oh...
CHUCKIE
Yah, it's not a bad school...
At this point, Clark can't resist and steps in.
CLARK
What class did you say that was?
CHUCKIE
History.
CLARK
How'd you like that course?
CHUCKIE
Good, it was all right.
CLARK
History? Just "history?" It must
have been a survey course then.
Chuckie nods. Clark notices Chuckie's clothes. Will and Billy
exchange a look and move subtly closer.
CLARK
Pretty broad. "History of the World?"
CHUCKIE
Hey, come on pal we're in classes
all day. That's one thing about
Harvard never seizes to amaze me,
everybody's talkin' about school all
the time.
CLARK
Hey, I'm the last guy to want to
talk about school at the bar. But as
long as you're here I want to "seize"
the opportunity to ask you a question.
Billy shifts his beer into his left hand. Will and Morgan
see this. Morgan rolls his eyes as if to say "not again..."
CLARK
Oh, I'm sure you covered it in your
history class.
Clark looks to see if the girls are impressed. They are not.
When Clark looks back to Chuckie, Skylar turns to Lydia and
rolls her [own] eyes. They laugh. Will sees this and smiles.
CHUCKIE
To tell you the truth, I wasn't there
much. The class was rather elementary.
CLARK
Elementary? Oh, I don't doubt that
it was. I remember the class, it was
just between recess and lunch.
Will and Billy come forward, stand behind Chuckie.
CHUCKIE
All right, are we gonna have a
problem?
CLARK
There's no problem. I was just hoping
you could give me some insight into
the evolution of the market economy
in the early colonies. My contention
is that prior to the Revolutionary
War the economic modalities especially
of the southern colonies could most
aptly be characterized as agrarian
precapitalist and...
Will, who at this point has migrated to Chuckie's side and
is completely fed-up, includes himself in the conversation.
WILL
Of course that's your contention.
You're a first year grad student.
You just finished some Marxian
historian, Pete Garrison prob'ly,
and so naturally that's what you
believe until next month when you
get to James Lemon and get convinced
that Virginia and Pennsylvania were
strongly entrepreneurial and
capitalist back in 1740. That'll
last until sometime in your second
year, then you'll be in here
regurgitating Gordon Wood about the
Pre-revolutionary utopia and the
capital-forming effects of military
mobilization.
CLARK
(taken aback)
Well, as a matter of fact, I won't,
because Wood drastically
underestimates the impact of--
WILL
"Wood drastically underestimates the
impact of social distinctions
predicated upon wealth, especially
inherited wealth..." You got that
from "Work in Essex County," Page
421, right? Do you have any thoughts
of your own on the subject or were
you just gonna plagiarize the whole
book for me?
Clark is stunned.
WILL
Look, don't try to pass yourself off
as some kind of an intellect at the
expense of my friend just to impress
these girls.
Clark is lost now, searching for a graceful exit, any exit.
WILL
The sad thing is, in about 50 years
you might start doin' some thinkin'
on your own and by then you'll realize
there are only two certainties in
life.
CLARK
Yeah? What're those?
WILL
One, don't do that. Two -- you
dropped a hundred and fifty grand on
an education you coulda' picked up
for a dollar fifty in late charges
at the Public Library.
Will catches Skylar's eye.
CLARK
But I will have a degree, and you'll
be serving my kids fries at a drive
through on our way to a skiing trip.
WILL
(smiles)
Maybe. But at least I won't be a
prick.
(beat)
And if you got a problem with that,
I guess we can step outside and deal
with it that way.
While Will is substantially smaller than Clark, he [Clark]
decides not to take Will up on his [Will's] offer.
WILL
If you change your mind, I'll be
over by the bar.
He turns and walks away. Chuckie follows, throwing Clark a
look.
Morgan turns to a nearby girl.
MORGAN
My boy's wicked smart.
INT. BOW AND ARROW, AT THE BAR -- LATER
Will sits with Morgan at the bar watching with some amusement
as Chuckie and Billy play bar basketball game where the
players shoot miniature balls at a small basket. In the B.G.
occasionally we hear Chuckie shouting "Larry!" When he scores.
Skylar emerges from the crowd and approaches Will.
SKYLAR
You suck.
WILL
What?
SKYLAR
I've been sitting over there for
forty-five minutes waiting for you
to come talk to me. But I'm just
tired now and I have to go home and
I wasn't going to keep sitting there
waiting for you.
WILL
I'm Will.
SKYLAR
Skylar. And by the way. That guy
over there is a real dick and I just
wanted you to know he didn't come
with us.
WILL
I kind of got that impression.
SKYLAR
Well, look, I have to go. Gotta' get
up early and waste some more money
on my overpriced education.
WILL
I didn't mean you. Listen, maybe...
SKYLAR
Here's my number.
Skylar produces a folded piece of paper and offers it to
Will.
SKYLAR
Maybe we could go out for coffee
sometime?
WILL
Great, or maybe we could go somewhere
and just eat a bunch of caramels.
SKYLAR
What?
WILL
When you think about it, it's just
as arbitrary as drinking coffee.
SKYLAR
(laughs)
Okay, sounds good.
She turns.
WILL
Five minutes.
SKYLAR
What?
WILL
I was trying to be smooth.
(indicates clock)
But at twelve-fifteen I was gonna
come over there and talk to you.
SKYLAR
See, it's my life story. Five more
minutes and I would have got to hear
your best pick-up line.
WILL
The caramel thing is my pick-up line.
A beat.
SKYLAR
Glad I came over.
CUT TO:
EXT. BOW AND ARROW -- LATER
Our boys are walking out of the bar teasing one another about
their bar-ball exploits. Across the street is another bar
with a glass front. Morgan spots Clark sitting by the window
with some friends.
MORGAN
There goes that fuckin' Barney right
now, with his fuckin' "skiin' trip."
We should'a kicked that dude's ass.
WILL
Hold up.
Will crosses the street and approaches the plate glass window
and stands across from Clark, separated only by the glass.
He POUNDS THE GLASS to get Clark's attention.
WILL
Hey!
Clark turns toward Will.
WILL
DO YOU LIKE APPLES?
Clark doesn't get it.
WILL
DO YOU LIKE APPLES?!
CLARK
Yeah?
Will SLAMS SKYLAR'S PHONE NUMBER against the glass.
WILL
WELL I GOT HER NUMBER! HOW DO YA
LIKE THEM APPLES?!!
Will's boys erupt into laughter. Angle on Clark, deflated.
EXT. STREET -- NIGHT
The boys make their way home, piled into Chuckie's car,
laughing together.
EXT. CHARLES STREET BRIDGE -- DAWN
Shot of car crossing over the Charles St. Bridge, overtaking
a red-line train.
EXT. CHARLESTON BACKROAD -- DAWN
Traveling through narrow back roads in Charlestown, passing
the Bunker Hill monument.
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- DAY
Arriving at Will's house and dropping him off.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. M.I.T. BUILDING AND GROUNDS GARAGE -- DAY
Lambeau walks into a small garage facility. The area stores
lawn machinery and various tools. An older man, TERRY (58)
sits behind the desk reading the BOSTON HERALD sports page.
Lambeau has obviously never been here before. He takes in
the surroundings, somewhat uncomfortable. Gets dirty.
LAMBEAU
Excuse me. Is this the buildings and
grounds office?
TERRY
Yeah, can I help you?
LAMBEAU
I'm trying to find the name of a
student who works here.
TERRY
No students work for me.
LAMBEAU
Could you just check, because the
young man who works in my building--
TERRY
Which one's your building?
LAMBEAU
Building two.
Terry checks a list behind his [own] desk. Looks up.
TERRY
Well, if something was stolen, I
should know about it.
LAMBEAU
No, no. Nothing like that. I just
need his name.
TERRY
I can't give you his name unless you
have a complaint.
LAMBEAU
Please, I'm a professor here and
it's very important.
TERRY
Well, he didn't show up for work
today...
Terry takes a beat. Holding all the cards.
TERRY
Look, he got his job through his
P.O. so you can call him.
Terry goes through a stack of paper on his desk. Takes out a
card and hands it to Lambeau. Lambeau looks blankly at the
card which reads: "PAROLE EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM."
INT. COURTROOM -- DAY
Will stands before JUDGE MALONE (40) being arraigned. It is
fairly unceremonious, the courtroom nearly empty, save Will
and the PROSECUTOR. Lambeau walks in from the back.
WILL
There is a lengthy legal precedent,
Your Honor, going back to 1789,
whereby a defendant may claim self-
defense against an agent of the
government where the act is shown to
be a defense against tyranny, a
defense of liberty--
The Judge interrupts to address the prosecutor.
JUDGE MALONE
Mr. Simmons, Officer McNeely who
signed the complaint isn't in my
courtroom. Why is that?
PROSECUTOR
He's in the hospital with a broken
knee, Your Honor. But I have
depositions from the other officers.
WILL
Henry Ward Beecher proclaimed, in
his Proverbs From Plymouth Pulpit
back in 1887, that "Every American
citizen is by birth, a sworn officer
of the state. Every man is a
policeman." As for the other officers,
even William Congrave said; "he that
first cries out 'stop thief' is 'oft
he that has stolen the treasure."
PROSECUTOR
Your Honor--
Will cranks it up.
WILL
(to Prosecutor)
I am afforded the right to speak in
my own defense by our constitution,
Sir. The same document which
guarantees my right to liberty.
"Liberty," in case you've forgotten,
is "the soul's right to breathe, and
when it cannot take a long breath
laws are girded too tight. Without
liberty, man is a syncope."
(beat, to Judge)
Ibid. Your Honor.
PROSECUTOR
Man is a what?
WILL
Julius Caesar proclaimed -- Though
he be wounded-- "Magna..."
The Judge interrupts.
JUDGE MALONE
Son,
(a beat)
My turn.
The Judge opens Will's CASE HISTORY.
JUDGE MALONE
(reading)
June, '93, assault, Sept. '93
assault... Grand theft auto February
'94.
A beat, the Judge takes particular notice.
JUDGE MALONE
Where, apparently, you defended
yourself and had the case thrown out
by citing "free property rights of
horse and carriage" from 1798...
Lambeau has to smile, impressed. The Judge shakes his head.
JUDGE MALONE
March, '94 public drunkenness, public
nudity, assault. 10/94 mayhem.
November '94, assault. Jan. '95
impersonating a police officer,
mayhem, theft, resisting -- overturned--
The Judge takes a beat. Gives Will a look.
JUDGE MALONE
You're in my courtroom, now and I am
aware of your priors.
(beat)
I'm also aware that you're an orphan.
You've been through several foster
homes. The state removed you from
three because of serious physical
abuse.
The Judge holds a look to Will, who looks down.
JUDGE MALONE
Another Judge might care. You hit a
cop, you go in.
(beat)
Motion to dismiss denied.
The Bailiff goes to remove Will from the courtroom.
JUDGE MALONE
Keep workin' on your arguments, son.
A word of advice for trial; speak
English.
As Will is removed from the courtroom, Lambeau approaches
Judge Malone who is stepping down from the bench.
LAMBEAU
Excuse me, your Honor.
(offers hand)
Gerald Lambeau.
An awkward beat. Lambeau waits for some sign of recognition.
LAMBEAU
I'm a professor at M.I.T.
(beat)
Combunatorial Mathematics.
The Judge offers only a blank look.
JUDGE MALONE
Oh. Pleased to meet you.
LAMBEAU
Do you have a minute?
CUT TO:
INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, HOLDING AREA -- SAME
A GUARD walks Will down a hallway toward a group of phones.
GUARD
One call, to an attorney.
(beat)
One.
The Guard gives Will a hard look for a beat. Then leaves.
WILL
How many?
Will picks up the phone, dials.
WILL
Hey, Skylar?
INT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- DAY
SKYLAR
Yeah?
WILL
It's Will, the really funny good
looking guy you met at the bar?
SKYLAR
I'm sorry, I don't recall meeting
anyone who fits that description.
WILL
Okay, you got me. It's the ugly,
obnoxious, toothless loser who got
drunk and wouldn't leave you alone
all night.
SKYLAR
Oh Will! I was wondering when you'd
call.
WILL
Yeah, I figured maybe sometime this
week we could go to a cafe and have
some caramels.
SKYLAR
Sounds good, where are you now?
WILL
You aren't, by any chance, Pre-law?
Are you?
CUT TO:
INT. MIDDLESEX COUNTY JAIL, INTERROGATION ROOM -- LATER
Professor Lambeau sits, waiting. Will is brought in, shackled,
by the guard.
LAMBEAU
Hello. Gerald Lambeau, M.I.T.
WILL
Fuck do you want?
LAMBEAU
I've spoken with the judge and he's
agreed to release you under my
supervision.
WILL
(suspicious)
Really?
LAMBEAU
(beat)
Yes. Under two conditions.
WILL
What're those?
LAMBEAU
That you meet with me twice a week—
(a beat)
and you meet with a therapist.
WILL
If I agree to this, I walk right
now?
LAMBEAU
That's right.
WILL
I'll do the work. I'm not going to
meet with a therapist.
LAMBEAU
Now, it won't be as bad as it sounds,
Will.
(beat)
I've already spoken to one therapist,
his name is Henry Lipkin and he's a
friend of mine. He's also published
four books and is widely considered
to be one of the brightest men in
his field.
(beat)
I'm sure it'll be better than spending
the next six months in jail.
CUT TO:
INT. FUNLAND -- DAY
Will and Chuckie walk up to an enclosed trampoline. Billy
and Morgan prefer to use it for their own version of
"Wrestlemania."
As Will and Chuckie approach, Billy is on top of a bloodied
Morgan and has him in the "Cobra Clutch." Will and Chuckie
watch for a beat. Billy tightens his grip.
BILLY
Submit, bitch! Submit! Submit!
MORGAN
(being strangled)
Suck my cock!
BILLY
Oh, Morgan!
Chuckie turns to Will, conspiratorially as they wait for the
fight to finish.
CHUCKIE
What'd you get? You get leniency?
WILL
Probation, counselin', few days a
week.
CHUCKIE
You're fuckin' good.
Will smiles.
CHUCKIE
Just submit, Morgan. He's got you in
the Cobra Clutch.
MORGAN
(to Chuckie)
Fuck your mother too!
INT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Will sits alone in his one room apartment, reading. A closer
look reveals he is reading a self-help PSYCHOLOGY BOOK. Will
is flipping through the book at about a page per second. He
shakes his head and smiles. Upon finishing the book, he throws
it in a nearby WASTEBASKET. Push in on the back of the book
where a SMILING PSYCHOLOGIST is pictured.
INT. PSYCHOLOGIST'S OFFICE -- CONTINUOUS
Will sits in a well decorated Psychologist's Office. Across
from Will sits the same PSYCHOLOGIST, HENRY LIPKIN (40),
from the book. They are in mid-session.
WILL
That's why I love stock-car racin'.
That Dale Ernhart's real good.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Now you know Will, and I know, what
you need to be doing. You have a
gift.
WILL
I could work the pit maybe, but I
could never drive like Dale Ernhart--
PSYCHOLOGIST
You have a quality -- something you
were born with, that you have no
control over -- and you are, in a
sense, hiding that by becoming a
janitor. And I'm not saying that's
wrong. I'm friends with the janitor
that works in my building. He's
been to my house for dinner. As a
matter of fact I did some free
consultation for "Mike" -- that's
not his real name. That's in my book.
WILL
Yeah, I read your book. "Mike" had
the same problems as "Chad" the
stockbroker.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Yes. The pressures you feel, and
again, I am neither labeling nor
judging them, are keeping you from
fulfilling your potential -- you're
in a rut. So stop the Tom Foolery --
the Shenanigan's, Will.
WILL
You're right. I know.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Will, your not getting off that easy.
WILL
No, but, I mean you know... I do
other things. That no one knows about.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Like what, Will?
WILL
I go places, I interact.
PSYCHOLOGIST
What places?
WILL
Certain, clubs.
(beat)
Like, Paradise. It's not bad.
Will gives the Psychologist a furtive look.
WILL
It's just that feeling when you can
take your shirt off and really dance.
(beat)
When the music owns you. Do you
understand?
PSYCHOLOGIST
I might understand that.
WILL
Do you find it hard to hide the fact
that you're gay?
PSYCHOLOGIST
What?
WILL
C'mon, I read your book. I talked to
you. It's just something I know to
be true.
PSYCHOLOGIST
That's very presumptuous.
WILL
Buddy, two seconds ago you were ready
to give me a jump.
PSYCHOLOGIST
(a little laugh)
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you,
but I'm married and I have two
children.
WILL
I'm sure you do. You probably got a
real nice house, nice car -- your
book's a best seller.
PSYCHOLOGIST
You're getting defensive, Will.
WILL
Look, man. I don't care if you're
putting from the rough. There are
solid arguments that some of the
greatest people in history were gay;
Alexander the Great, Caesar,
Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, Napoleon,
Gertrude Stein, not to mention Danny
Terrio, not many straight men can
dance like that.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Who is "Danny Terrio?"
WILL
If you wanna hit "Ramrod," take your
shot. Take some pride in it. You go
to church? So fuckin' what, God loves
you. I mean, Christ. A guy as well
known as you? By the time you put
your disguise on and skulk out of
the house Sunday nights you probably
look like "Inspector Clouseau."
The Psychologist calmly packs his things.
PSYCHOLOGIST
Well, I can see this is pointless...
WILL
You're getting defensive... Henry.
And hey, chief -- tell the wife, at
least. Christ, set her free.
The shrink gets up and walks out.
WILL
Fuckin' hypocrite...
INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS
The Psychologist comes walking out, much to the surprise of
Lambeau and Tom who have been waiting in the lobby.
LAMBEAU
Henry?
The Psychologist keeps walking.
PSYCHOLOGIST
No. You know what, Gerry? This is
why I don't do pro-bono anymore.
It's not worth it to me.
LAMBEAU
What happened?
PSYCHOLOGIST
I don't have the time. I'm going on
national television this week.
LAMBEAU
Wait a minute, Henry...
He [Henry] is out the door. Lambeau looks to Tom.
CUT TO:
INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will is in Lambeau's office. Lambeau is at the board, working
on a diagram as Tom takes notes. Will seems disinterested.
LAMBEAU
This rectangle is subdivided into
rectangles. One edge of an inner
rectangle is an integer. Can you
prove that one edge of the larger
rectangle is an integer?
WILL
Of course.
LAMBEAU
Okay. How?
WILL
It's an integer proof.
Lambeau smiles.
WILL
What? Hey, look buddy my time's almost
up. You want me to sit here for an
hour and write it out?
Lambeau says nothing. Will gets up and goes to the board.
WILL
Look, I'll give you the key steps to
it but I'm not gonna do the whole
thing.
Lambeau keeps smiling.
LAMBEAU
That would be a monumental waste of
time, wouldn't it, Will?
WILL
I think so.
LAMBEAU
I happen to know so.
Lambeau rises and goes to the board.
LAMBEAU
You're thinking too hard. What if I
did this?
He draws a vertical line through the diagram.
LAMBEAU
Now, what if I do this?
He draws a horizontal line through the diagram. He hands
Will the chalk.
LAMBEAU
Have you ever played checkers?
Will realizes what Lambeau is getting at. In a flash he starts
drawing lines through the diagram, energized.
WILL
You color-code it. Half-red, half-
black. If that's an integer--
Lambeau steps in, writing with him [Will].
LAMBEAU
What's that?
WILL
Half-red, half-black--
LAMBEAU
--that?--
WILL
--Half-red, half-black--
LAMBEAU
--That edge!
WILL
An integer.
The two stop. They are silent for a moment. Like two
gunfighters after a duel, they put down the chalk.
LAMBEAU
(checks his watch)
It would appear we got that proof in
under the wire after all. It's not
how hard you look at things, young
man, it's the way you look at them.
If you take aim before you fire, you
will find the most difficult problems
become, quite literally, child's
play.
Will gets his coat.
LAMBEAU
Will, you've managed to offend four
of my colleagues so much that they
refused to come back. You're meeting
with the leading hypnotist in the
country next week and Tom and I plan
to sit in on the sessions, so I expect
you to behave appropriately.
CUT TO:
INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will sits in a chair across from Lambeau and the HYPNOTIST.
Lambeau's assistant, TOM (33) takes notes. The Hypnotist
makes small talk with Lambeau, who checks his watch.
LAMBEAU
Shall we start the, uh...
WILL
Yeah, when do I get my hypnosis? You
guys been talkin' for twenty minutes.
HYPNOTIST
Yes, Will. We'll get to that. But
first, why don't you go to sleep for
me.
He SNAPS HIS FINGERS and instantly Will's head goes BACK and
his EYES CLOSE. The Hypnotist gives Lambeau a look.
HYPNOTIST
Would you mind standing on one leg?
Will gets up and stands on one leg. Lambeau is impressed.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- LATER
Will is reclining, eyes closed, in a trance-like state. The
mood is more serious now.
HYPNOTIST
Okay, you're in your bed, Will. Now
how old are you?
WILL
Seven.
HYPNOTIST
And what do you see?
WILL
Somethin's in my room.
HYPNOTIST
What is it?
WILL
It's like a small figure, hoverin'
over me. Gettin' closer.
Will flinches.
HYPNOTIST
You're in a safe place, Will.
WILL
It's touching me.
Lambeau makes a sound. The Hypnotist shushes him [Lambeau]
with his [Hypnotist's] finger. Tom returns to his note-taking.
HYPNOTIST
Where is it touching you?
WILL
Down there.
(indicating genitals)
And I'm nervous.
HYPNOTIST
You don't have to be nervous, Will.
Lambeau and the Therapist trade looks. This is working.
WILL
'Cause I'm not ready.
(calming)
But the figure tells me everything's
gonna be all right. 'Cause the
figure's a Libra too. And we start
dancin' and it's beautiful--
Will breaks into song at full volume.
WILL
"SKY ROCKETS IN FLIGHT!"
LAMBEAU
(getting up)
Oh Jesus.
The Hypnotist gets up and starts heading towards the door.
Will is still singing from "Sky Rockets."
LAMBEAU
Wait a minute, Barry.
HYPNOTIST
I have better ways to spend my time.
He is gone. Will stops singing, laughs.
LAMBEAU
Oh, for God's sake, Will.
WILL
Oh, come on! You're not pinnin' this
one on me. He left, I wanted to talk
to him for another twenty minutes. I
was havin' fun.
LAMBEAU
I told you to cooperate with these
people.
WILL
C'mon, that guy was a fuckin' piece
of work.
Will gets up and adopts a hypnotic persona in front of
Lambeau.
WILL
(spooky voice)
Look into my eyes. I don't need
therapy.
LAMBEAU
Get out, Will.
WILL
Okay... don't forget to get another
therapist for next week.
LAMBEAU
That's enough.
Will is out the door. Lambeau turns to Tom.
TOM
I called Mel Weintraub this morning,
to check for availability.
LAMBEAU
What's the point?
TOM
What do you want to do?
LAMBEAU
There is somebody...
TOM
Who is he?
LAMBEAU
He was my roommate in college.
INT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS -- DAY
This is SEAN MAGUIRE'S "Dying and Bereavement" class.
Emblazoned on the door is "room 101." While the lecture hall
could hold sixty students, there are less than fifteen here
today.
Sean Maguire lectures to the class in a resigned tone. Tired
of teaching, tired of life, he finds himself resigned to the
tedium of teaching core classes to an indifferent student
body.
SEAN
Establishing trust is the most
important component in making
breakthroughs with a patient. Why?
A beat.
SEAN
Maureen?
MAUREEN'S only response is an empty stare.
SEAN
Keep up the good work, Maureen.
Vinnie?
VINNIE looks up.
VINNIE
Because trust is an important thing.
SEAN
Don't bullshit me, Vinnie. Didn't
your brother give you the notes?
Okay. If a patient doesn't trust you
then they won't feel safe enough to
be honest with you -- then there's
no point to them being in therapy.
It's like saying -- "Fine, come here
and don't tell me a thing but go
home feeling like you're doing
something about your problems -- and
give me my fifty bucks before you
leave will ya'!"
He looks around the room for approval. No one is listening.
SEAN
If you don't help them trust you --
then there's no way you'll ever get
them to sleep with you. And that
should be the goal of any good
therapist. Insecure women, you know...
nail 'em when they're vulnerable,
that's always been my motto.
The students look up, somewhat stunned.
SEAN
See, I got Vinnie's attention.
Laughter. Sean starts to resume his lecture, when he notices
LAMBEAU standing in the back of the room. There is an awkward
moment.
SEAN
Gerry.
LAMBEAU
Sean.
SEAN
(to class)
Well, it seems we're in the presence
of greatness. Professor Gerald Lambeau
is a Field's Medal winner.
Combunatorial Mathematics. 1986.
The students stare blankly.
LAMBEAU
Hello.
SEAN
The Field's Medal is the Nobel Prize
for math.
(beat)
But it's only given out every four
years.
A beat.
SEAN
Okay, that's all for today. Try and
get through Fernald by Monday.
The class starts to pack up and file out. Lambeau approaches
Sean who steps down from the lectern.
LAMBEAU
Good to see you.
SEAN
Good to see you.
LAMBEAU
Is there someplace we can talk?
CUT TO:
EXT. HARVARD SQUARE -- NIGHT
Will and Skylar on their first date. They watch a street
MAGICIAN doing tricks with a rabbit. The guy's tricks are
pretty good, but his on-stage persona could use some work.
He is incessantly repeating the phrase "this is the rabbit,
the rabbit really does the tricks." Will gives Skylar a look
and they move on.
CUT TO:
INT. TOY STORE -- LATER
Will and Skylar walk into the small shop.
SKYLAR
I don't know, it was just kind of
the boring suburban thing. Private
school, Harvard, and now Med. School.
(Beat)
I actually figured out that at the
end of it, my brain will be worth a
quarter of a million dollars. I
shouldn't have told you that...
WILL
I bet your parents were happy to
pay.
SKYLAR
I was happy to pay. I inherited the
money.
WILL
Is Harvard gettin' all that money?
SKYLAR
Stanford. I'm leaving in June after
I graduate.
WILL
So you just want to use me and go?
SKYLAR
Well, I'm gonna experiment on you
for my anatomy class, then go.
WILL
In that case, fine.
(beat)
Want to see my magic trick?
SKYLAR
Sure.
Will, pulls out a bulging HANDFUL OF CARAMELS.
WILL
Now, I'm gonna make all these caramels
disappear.
SKYLAR
Okay...
Will goes into all manner of hocus-pocus theatrics. Then
shakes his hand wildly. The trick doesn't pan out and the
caramels go flying all over the store. Skylar laughs.
WILL
It works better when I have my rabbit.
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT -- NIGHT
Lambeau and Sean share a table at this exclusive restaurant.
Sean seems slightly out of place in his wrinkled sport coat.
LAMBEAU
I didn't see you at the reunion.
SEAN
I've been busy.
LAMBEAU
You were missed.
(beat)
How long has it been since we've
seen each other?
SEAN
Since Nancy died.
LAMBEAU
I'm sorry, that damn conference--
SEAN
I got your card.
INT. HARVARD SQ. DINER: "THE TASTY" -- NIGHT
A FRY COOK hands Will and Skylar a pair of CHEESEBURGERS.
SKYLAR
Have you ever seen Annie Hall?
WILL
No.
SKYLAR
Well, there's this part of the movie
that's about how there's always this
tension on a first date where both
people are thinking about what's
going to happen with the whole 'good
night kiss' thing.
Will smiles.
WILL
I really don't 'date' that much.
SKYLAR
(laughs)
You know what I mean. I know you've
at least thought about it.
WILL
No I haven't...
SKYLAR
Yes you have. You were thinking you
were gonna get a good night kiss.
WILL
(mock protest)
No I wasn't...
SKYLAR
Yes you were.
WILL
I was kinda' hopin' to get a "good
night laid" but... I'll take a kiss.
She laughs.
SKYLAR
Oh, you will?
WILL
No... I was hoping to get a kiss.
SKYLAR
Then why don't we just get it out of
the way.
He looks at her.
WILL
Now?
Both of them have cheeseburger in their mouths.
SKYLAR
Yeah.
They kiss, mouths full of burger. It's nice. A beat.
SKYLAR
That had to be the worst good night
kiss...
Will laughs.
WILL
Hey, look lady, I'm just here for
the free food.
She smiles.
SKYLAR
Free?
WILL
Hey, I spent all my money on those
caramels.
She laughs.
CUT TO:
INT. LOCKOBER RESTAURANT -- SAME
Lambeau and Sean, having finished their meal. Lambeau has
been pitching Sean.
SEAN
I've been busy, Gerry. I got a full
schedule.
LAMBEAU
This kid's special, Sean. I've never
seen anything like him.
SEAN
Not much free time, Gerry.
LAMBEAU
Have you ever heard of a man named
Ramanujan?
Sean nods his head.
SEAN
Yeah.
LAMBEAU
He was alive over a hundred years
ago. He was Indian. Dots, not
feathers...
Sean finishes the joke. Lambeau chuckles.
LAMBEAU
So this Ramanujan lived in a tiny
hut in India. No formal education,
no access to other works. But he
came across an old math book and
from this basic text he was able to
extrapolate theories that had baffled
mathematicians for years.
SEAN
And he mailed it to Hardy--
LAMBEAU
That's right, Sean. He mailed it to
a professor at Cambridge who
immediately recognized the brilliance
in his work and brought Ramanujan to
England.
SEAN
Where he contracted pneumonia and
died at a young age--
LAMBEAU
They worked together for the remainder
of their lives, producing some of
the most exciting math theory ever
done. Ramanujan's genius was
unparalleled, Sean. This boy is like
that. But he's very defensive and I
need someone who can get through to
him.
SEAN
Why me?
LAMBEAU
I need someone with your kind of
background.
SEAN
My kind of background?
LAMBEAU
You're from the same neighborhood.
South Boston.
SEAN
He's from Southie? How many people
did you try before you came to me?
LAMBEAU
(looks squarely at
Sean)
Five.
Sean gives a slight, knowing smile.
SEAN
Who? Barry, Henry, Rick...
Lambeau nods.
SEAN
Not Rick? You didn't send him to
Rick?
LAMBEAU
Just meet with the boy once a week.
SEAN
Can we do it at my office?
LAMBEAU
That would be fine.
The waiter comes with the CHECK. Each man reaches for it.
LAMBEAU
Sean, please.
SEAN
I got it.
LAMBEAU
It's on the college.
Sean relents.
CUT TO:
EXT. BUNKER HILL CAMPUS -- MORNING
Establishing shot of the red-brick campus. Planes land at
nearby Logan airport. Will walks up the steps.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Sean's office is comfortable. Books are stacked against the
wall. There is a PAINTING on the wall behind Sean. Sean is
seated behind a desk. Lambeau sits in a chair in the back of
the room, next to Tom. A long beat passes, they wait.
LAMBEAU
Any vulnerability he senses, he'll
exploit.
SEAN
I'll be okay.
LAMBEAU
It's a poker game with this young
man. Don't let him see what you've
got.
Sean nods. Will walks in. Everyone stands to greet Will.
LAMBEAU
Hello, Will. Any trouble finding the
place?
WILL
No.
LAMBEAU
Will, this is Sean Maguire. Sean,
Will Hunting.
Sean and Will nod. An awkward moment as the four men stand.
LAMBEAU
Well, let's get started.
WILL
Yeah, let's let the healing begin.
Lambeau is slightly embarrassed. Sean smiles at Will's joke.
SEAN
Would you excuse us?
LAMBEAU
Tom.
SEAN
You too, Gerry.
Lambeau looks at Sean, surprised. Sean's stare is unwavering.
After an awkward moment, Lambeau goes, leaving Sean and Will
alone. Will doesn't look at Sean for more than a second. He
seems more interested in the room. There is a long silence
as Sean watches Will.
SEAN
Hello, Will. I'm Sean Maguire.
A smile crosses Will's face as he walks to his chair and
sits.
He lights a cigarette. Sean continues to watch him. Finally-
SEAN
Where are you from in Southie?
WILL
Did you buy all these books retail,
or do you send away for like a "shrink
kit" that comes with all these volumes
included?
SEAN
Have you read all these books, Will?
WILL
Probably not.
SEAN
(indicating a shelf)
How about the ones on that shelf?
Will's eyes flicker up to the shelf for an instant.
WILL
Yeah, I read those.
SEAN
What did you think?
WILL
I'm not here for a fuckin' book
report. They're your books, why
don't you read 'em?
SEAN
I did.
WILL
That must have taken you a long time.
SEAN
Yeah, it did take me a long time.
Sean says this with pride. His determined stare and confident
manner catch Will a bit off guard. Will rises from his chair
and goes to the shelf.
WILL
(looking at book)
"A History of the United States,
Volume I." If you want to read a
real history book, read Howard Zinn's
"A People's History of the United
States." That book will knock you on
your ass.
SEAN
How about Noam Chomsky's
"Manufacturing Consent?"
WILL
You people baffle me. You spend all
this money on beautiful, fancy books--
and they're the wrong fuckin' books.
SEAN
You think so?
WILL
Whatever blows your hair back.
Will returns to his chair. Pause.
SEAN
(indicating cigarette)
Guy your age shouldn't smoke so much.
Stunt your growth.
WILL
You're right. It really gets in the
way of my jazzercizing.
Sean does not seem at all affected by Will's attitude. He
remains behind the big desk with almost half a smile on his
face. Will is aware of Sean's confidence.
WILL
Do you lift?
SEAN
Yes, I do.
WILL
Nautilus?
SEAN
Free weights.
WILL
Oh yeah? Me too. What do you bench?
SEAN
285.
WILL
Oh.
Will gets up again and moves around his chair to Sean's
painting. It is a picture of an old sailboat in a tremendous
storm -- by no means a masterpiece. Will studies it.
WILL
You paint this?
SEAN
Yeah. Do you paint?
WILL
No.
SEAN
Crayons?
WILL
This is a real piece of shit.
SEAN
Tell me what you really think.
WILL
Poor color composition, lousy use of
space. But that shit doesn't really
concern me.
SEAN
What does?
WILL
The color here, see how dark it is?
It's interesting.
SEAN
What is?
WILL
I think you're one step away from
cutting your ear off.
SEAN
Oh, "Starry Night" time, huh?
WILL
You ever heard the saying, "any port
in a storm?"
SEAN
Sure, how 'bout "still waters run
deep"-
WILL
--Well, maybe that means you.
SEAN
Maybe what mea--
WILL
Maybe you were in the middle of a
storm, a big fuckin' storm -- the
waves were crashing over the bow,
the Goddamned mast was about to snap,
and you were crying for the harbor.
So you did what you had to do, to
get out. Maybe you became a
psychologist.
SEAN
Maybe you should be a patient and
sit down.
WILL
Maybe you married the wrong woman.
SEAN
Watch your mouth.
WILL
That's it isn't it? You married the
wrong woman. She leave you? Was she
bangin' someone else?
Sean is walking slowly towards Will.
WILL
How are the seas now, D--
In a flash, Sean has Will by the throat. Will is helpless.
SEAN
If you ever disrespect my wife
again... I will end you.
WILL
Time's up.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS
Will walks out of Sean's office past Lambeau and Tom who are
sitting in the hallway.
WILL
At ease, gentlemen.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Sean stands behind his desk in his office, still very much
on edge. Lambeau walks in.
LAMBEAU
Five minutes, Sean. Are you okay?
A pause, Sean is staring at his painting.
LAMBEAU
I'll understand if you don't want to
meet with him again.
SEAN
Thursday, four o'clock. Make sure
the kid is here.
CUT TO:
EXT. WONDERLAND RACETRACK -- DAY
Will and Skylar sit in the stands watching the dogs run.
They ad lib teasing one another about England, Ireland, and
America.
SKYLAR
You grew up around here?
WILL
Not far from here, South Boston.
SKYLAR
How was that?
WILL
Pretty boring, I guess.
She smiles.
SKYLAR
I bet you have a great family.
WILL
You know, nothing special.
SKYLAR
You have a lot of brothers and
sisters?
WILL
Do I have a lot of brothers and
sisters?
SKYLAR
Yeah.
WILL
Well, Irish Catholic. What do you
think?
SKYLAR
How many?
WILL
You wouldn't believe me if I told
you.
SKYLAR
What, five?
Will shakes his head.
SKYLAR
Seven?
Will shakes his head. Smiles.
SKYLAR
Come on.
WILL
I have twelve big brothers.
SKYLAR
Not a chance.
WILL
Yup, you're lookin' at lucky thirteen.
SKYLAR
Bullshit.
WILL
I swear to God.
SKYLAR
Your house must have been a zoo.
WILL
It was great. There was always someone
to play with, give you advice.
SKYLAR
Do you know all their names?
WILL
'Course I do, they're my brothers.
SKYLAR
Well...
WILL
Marky, Ricky, Danny, Terry, Mikey,
Davey, Timmy, Tommy, Joey, Robby,
Johnny, and Brian.
SKYLAR
(laughing)
Do you keep in touch with them?
WILL
All the time. We all live in Southie.
I live with three of them now.
Skylar smiles.
SKYLAR
I want to meet them.
WILL
We'll do that.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
As we pan across Sean's small apartment, we find it strewn
with dirty clothes and the sink full of dishes. Although, if
it weren't for the clutter, the place would feel pretty bare.
A framed SPORTS ILLUSTRATED cover featuring a screaming Larry
Bird and entitled "CELTIC PRIDE" hangs on the wall. Sean
sits at the table next to another nearly empty bottle of
BUSHMILL'S IRISH WHISKEY. He is deep in thought.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will strolls into the office. Sean is waiting there behind
his desk. He seems different. More calm. Will and Sean stare
at each other for a long moment.
WILL
You again. How the paintin' coming?
Sean stands up.
SEAN
Come with me.
CUT TO:
EXT. BOSTON COMMON -- MINUTES LATER
Sean and Will sit in the bleachers at the mostly empty park.
They look out over a small pond, in which a group of
schoolchildren on a field trip ride the famous Swan Boats.
WILL
So what's with this place? You have
a swan fetish? Is this something
you'd like to talk about?
SEAN
I was thinking about what you said
to me the other day, about my
painting. I stayed up half the night
thinking about it and then something
occurred to me and I fell into a
deep peaceful sleep and haven't
thought about you since. You know
what occurred to me?
WILL
No.
SEAN
You're just a boy. You don't have
the faintest idea what you're talking
about.
WILL
Why thank you.
SEAN
You've never been out of Boston.
WILL
No.
SEAN
So if I asked you about art you could
give me the skinny on every art book
ever written... Michelangelo? You
know a lot about him I bet. Life's
work, criticisms, political
aspirations. But you couldn't tell
me what it smells like in the Sistine
Chapel. You've never stood there and
looked up at that beautiful ceiling.
And if I asked you about women I'm
sure you could give me a syllabus of
your personal favorites, and maybe
you've been laid a few times too.
But you couldn't tell me how it feels
to wake up next to a woman and be
truly happy. If I asked you about
war you could refer me to a bevy of
fictional and non-fictional material,
but you've never been in one. You've
never held your best friend's head
in your lap and watched him draw his
last breath, looking to you for help.
And if I asked you about love I'd
get a sonnet, but you've never looked
at a woman and been truly vulnerable.
Known that someone could kill you
with a look. That someone could rescue
you from grief. That God had put an
angel on Earth just for you. And
you wouldn't know how it felt to be
her angel. To have the love be there
for her forever. Through anything,
through cancer. You wouldn't know
about sleeping sitting up in a
hospital room for two months holding
her hand and not leaving because the
doctors could see in your eyes that
the term "visiting hours" didn't
apply to you. And you wouldn't know
about real loss, because that only
occurs when you lose something you
love more than yourself, and you've
never dared to love anything that
much. I look at you and I don't see
an intelligent confident man, I don't
see a peer, and I don't see my equal.
I see a boy. Nobody could possibly
understand you, right Will? Yet you
presume to know so much about me
because of a painting you saw. You
must know everything about me. You're
an orphan, right?
Will nods quietly.
SEAN
Do you think I would presume to know
the first thing about who you are
because I read "Oliver Twist?" And I
don't buy the argument that you don't
want to be here, because I think you
like all the attention you're getting.
Personally, I don't care. There's
nothing you can tell me that I can't
read somewhere else. Unless we talk
about your life. But you won't do
that. Maybe you're afraid of what
you might say.
Sean stands,
SEAN
It's up to you.
And walks away.
CUT TO:
INT. CONSTRUCTION SITE -- DAY
Will and Chuckie doing demo at the site. They throw
cinderblocks out a window into a pile. They are filthy.
CUT TO:
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON STREET -- NIGHT
Rain pounds South Boston. Chuckie sits with the Cadillac
fiddling, humming to the radio. Morgan and Billy sit in the
back, sharing a case of beer. Will is at a pay phone.
INT. SKYLAR'S ROOM -- NIGHT
SKYLAR
Hello?
Will hangs up and runs back to the car, soaked.
CHUCKIE
Who'd you call?
WILL
No one. I didn't have the number.
MORGAN
What are you, retarded? You went all
the way out there in the rain and
you didn't have the number?
WILL
No, it was your mother's 900 number.
I just ran out of quarters.
Laughter. Chuckie pulls away from the curb.
MORGAN
Why don't we get off mothers, I just
got off yours.
There is a long moment of silence in response to Morgan's
attempt at levity. Then laughter.
BILLY
You're a pretty funny guy. Here,
have a nickel.
Billy WHIPS his EMPTY BEER CAN off of Morgan's head.
MORGAN
Keep fuckin' with me. Watch what
happens.
BILLY
All right, then.
MORGAN
Watch what happens.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will sits across from Sean completely silent and takes out a
pack of cigarettes.
SEAN
No smoking.
Will puts the cigarettes away. Sean stares at Will and
occasionally at the clock. Sean continues to check the clock
on the wall. It is the only clock in the room and it is BEHIND
Will. Their hour is almost up.
CLOSE ON: WILL'S EYES INTERCUT WITH THE CLOCK.
He is counting seconds. As the second hand crosses the twelve,
Will stands up and walks out, leaving Sean alone.
INT. HALLWAY -- LATER
Lambeau and Sean walk down the hallway after the session.
LAMBEAU
What do you mean "he didn't talk?"
You sat there for an hour?
SEAN
No, he just sat there and counted
the seconds until the session was
over. It was pretty impressive,
actually.
LAMBEAU
Why would he do that?
SEAN
To show me he doesn't have to talk
to me if he doesn't want to.
LAMBEAU
Oh, what is this? Some kind of staring
contest between two kids from the
"old neighborhood?"
SEAN
I won't talk first.
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- EVENING
Chuckie drops Will off at his apartment, watches him [Will]
walk up the steps.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- MORNING
Chuckie pulls up to the curb and walks up the steps to Will's
front door. After a beat, Will emerges. They get back in
[the car].
CUT TO:
EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE -- DAY
Will and Chuckie at work. Chuckie shows Will how to be a
man.
INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE, SOUTH BOSTON -- NIGHT
The bar is a bit more crowded than usual. Will and Chuckie
walk back to their table, carrying beers. They pass a table
of GIRLS, local regulars getting just as bombed as the guys.
These girls are a little overdone. Too much make-up, too
much hairspray, and too much body for such tight outfits.
One of the girls, KRYSTYN, smiles at Will who seems subdued.
KRYSTYN
Hi, Will.
WILL
How you doin', Krystyn.
They pass the table of girls. Chuckie looks at one, ruefully.
CHUCKIE
I didn't get on Cathy last night.
WILL
Why not?
CHUCKIE
I don't know.
Chuckie turns back to one of the girls, calling out:
CHUCKIE
Cathy! Why didn't you give me none
of your twat last night?
A girl at the table, CATHY, holds up her PINKY FINGER and
smiles -- revealing a mouthful of MISSING TEETH.
CATHY
Fuck you and your Irish curse,
Chuckie!
CHUCKIE
She's missin' teeth, Will.
Will nods, not really into it tonight.
CHUCKIE
Plus, it's like, five to two Morgan
ends up marryin' her. There's only
so many times you can bang your
friend's future wife...
They get to the table. Will's heart just isn't in it.
WILL
I'm takin' off.
ALL
We're goin' late night.
WILL
I'm tired.
CUT TO:
INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will and Lambeau work together at the board. They communicate
non-verbally as they collaborate on a problem. After a
particularly amusing series of numbers, they share a look
and laugh.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will and Sean sit in silence. A long moment passes. Sean
casually reclines in his chair, disinterested. Will restlessly
looks around the room and then back to Sean. An odd half
smile crosses Sean's face. After a moment:
WILL
You know, I was on this plane once.
And I'm sittin' there and the captain
comes on and is like "we'll be
cruising at 35,000 feet," and does
his thing, then he puts the mike
down but forgets to turn it off.
Then he says "man, all I want right
now is a blow-job and a cup of
coffee." So the stewardess goes
runnin' up towards the cock-pit to
tell him the mike's still on, and
this guy in the back of the plane
goes "don't forget the coffee!"
SEAN
(smiles)
You've never been on a plane.
WILL
I know, but the joke's better if I
tell it in the first person.
A beat.
WILL
I have been laid you know.
Sean smiles.
SEAN
Yeah? You got a lady now?
WILL
Yeah, I went on a date last week.
SEAN
How'd it go?
WILL
Fine.
SEAN
Well, are you going out again?
WILL
I don't know.
SEAN
Why not?
WILL
Haven't called her.
SEAN
Jesus Christ, you are an amateur.
WILL
I know what I'm doing. She's different
from the other girls I met. We have
a really good time. She's smart,
beautiful, fun...
SEAN
So Christ, call her up.
WILL
Why? So I can realize she's not so
smart. That she's boring. You don't
get it. Right now she's perfect, I
don't want to ruin that.
SEAN
And right now you're perfect too.
Maybe you don't want to ruin that.
Will says nothing.
SEAN
Well, I think that's a great
philosophy Will, that way you can go
through your entire life without
ever having to really know anybody.
Sean looks directly at Will, who looks away. A beat.
SEAN
My wife used to turn the alarm clock
off in her sleep. I was late for
work all the time because in the
middle of the night she'd roll over
and turn the damn thing off.
Eventually I got a second clock and
put it under my side of the bed, but
it got to where she was gettin' to
that one too. She was afraid of the
dark, so the closet light was on all
night. Thing kept me up half the
night. Eventually I'd fall asleep,
out of sheer exhaustion and not wake
up when I was supposed to cause she'd
have already gotten to my alarms.
Will smiles, Sean takes a beat.
SEAN
My wife's been dead two years, Will.
And when I think about her, those
are the things I think about most.
Little idiosyncrasies that only I
knew about. Those made her my wife.
And she had the goods on me too.
Little things I do out of habit.
People call these things imperfections
Will. It's just who we are. And we
get to choose who we're going to let
into out weird little worlds. You're
not perfect. And let me save you the
suspense, this girl you met isn't
either. The question is, whether or
not you're perfect for each other.
You can know everything in the world,
but the only way you're findin' that
one out is by giving it a shot. You
sure won't get the answer from an
old fucker like me. And even if I
did know, I wouldn't tell you.
Will smiles. A beat.
WILL
Why not? You told me every other
fuckin' thing. You talk more than
any shrink I ever met.
Sean laughs.
SEAN
I teach this shit, I didn't say I
knew how to do it.
WILL
You ever think about gettin'
remarried?
SEAN
My wife's dead.
WILL
Hence, the word remarried.
SEAN
My wife's dead.
WILL
Well I think that's a wonderful
philosophy, Sean. That way you can
go through the rest of your life
without having to really know anyone.
A beat. Sean smiles.
SEAN
Time's up.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- AFTERNOON
Will is waiting outside the door for someone to come out --
so he can go in.
INT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- AFTERNOON
The door to Skylar's dorm is partially open. Will stands
outside while Skylar remains on the threshold.
SKYLAR
Where have you been?
WILL
I'm sorry, I been real busy.
SKYLAR
You were busy? You know, I really
was waiting for you to call me.
WILL
Sorry. I'm sorry. Give me another
crack at it. Let me take you out.
SKYLAR
You should have called. I have an "O-
chem" lab due tomorrow and it's
impossible.
(beat)
It's not an excuse dummy. I want to
go out with you. But look:
She holds up her Lab. Will glances at it.
SKYLAR
Tomorrow?
WILL
Promise?
SKYLAR
If you bring the caramels.
Will smiles.
CUT TO:
EXT. HARVARD SQUARE -- LATER
Will sits in an outdoor cafe, thinking. After a beat, he
leans over to two students working at a nearby table, borrows
a pen and paper and starts writing.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- DAY
Will is a solitary figure strolling across the lawn. He stops
at Skylar's dorm and knocks on the door.
CUT TO:
INT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- DAY
She emerges. He hands her the paper he was working on. It is
her O-chem lab.
WILL
I couldn't wait till tomorrow.
SKYLAR
How the hell did you do that?
WILL
Didn't your mother ever tell you not
to look a gift horse in the mouth?
SKYLAR
I'm supposed to understand this.
WILL
You're not going into surgery tomorrow
are you?
SKYLAR
No.
WILL
Then let's go have some fun.
With a smile, she relents.
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Sean and Will in session.
SEAN
Really? How'd the date go?
WILL
Do you still counsel veterans?
(beat)
I read your book last night.
SEAN
No, I don't.
WILL
Why not?
SEAN
I gave that up when my wife got sick.
WILL
Is that why you didn't write anything
else?
SEAN
(smiles)
I didn't write anything else 'cause
nobody, including most of my
colleagues bothered to read the first
one.
WILL
Well, I've read you colleagues. Your
book was good, Sean.
(beat)
All those guys were in your platoon?
SEAN
Yeah.
WILL
What happened to that guy from
Kentucky?
SEAN
Lon? He got married. He has a kid. I
kind of lost touch with him after
Nancy got sick.
WILL
Do you ever wonder what your life
would be like if you never met your
wife?
SEAN
What? Do I wonder if I'd be better
off if I never met my wife?
Will starts to clarify his question.
SEAN
No, that's okay. It's an important
question. 'Cause you'll have your
bad times, which wake you up to the
good stuff you weren't paying
attention to. And you can fail, as
long as you're trying hard. But
there's nothing worse than regret.
WILL
You don't regret meetin' your wife?
SEAN
Why? Because of the pain I feel now?
I have regrets Will, but I don't
regret a singel day I spent with
her.
WILL
When did you know she was the one?
SEAN
October 21, 1975. Game six of the
World Series. Biggest game in Red
Sox history, Me and my friends slept
out on the sidewalk all night to get
tickets. We were sitting in a bar
waiting for the game to start and in
walks this girl. What a game that
was. Tie game in the bottom of the
tenth inning, in steps Carlton Fisk,
hit a long fly ball down the left
field line. Thirty-five thousand
fans on their feet, screamin' at the
ball to stay fair. Fisk is runnin'
up the baseline, wavin' at the ball
like a madman. It hits the foul pole,
home run. Thirty-five thousand people
went crazy. And I wasn't one of them.
WILL
Where were you?
SEAN
I was havin' a drink with my future
wife.
WILL
You missed Pudge Fisk's homerun to
have a drink with a woman you had
never met?
SEAN
That's right.
WILL
So wait a minute. The Red Sox haven't
won a World Series since nineteen
eighteen, you slept out for tickets,
games gonna start in twenty minutes,
in walks a girl you never seen before,
and you give your ticket away?
SEAN
You should have seen this girl. She
lit up the room.
WILL
I don't care if Helen of Troy walked
into that bar! That's game six of
the World Series!
Sean smiles.
WILL
And what kind of friends are these?
They let you get away with that?
SEAN
I just slid my ticket across the
table and said "sorry fellas, I gotta
go see about a girl."
WILL
"I gotta go see about a girl"? What
did they say?
SEAN
They could see that I meant it.
WILL
You're kiddin' me.
SEAN
No Will, I'm not kiddin' you. If I
had gone to see that game I'd be in
here talkin' abouta girl I saw at a
bar twenty years ago. And how I always
regretted not goin' over there and
talkin' to her. I don't regret the
eighteen years we were married. I
don't regret givin' up counseling
for six years when she got sick. I
don't regret being by her side for
the last two years when things got
real bad. And I sure as Hell don't
regret missing that damn game.
A beat. Will is impressed.
WILL
Would have been nice to catch that
game though.
SEAN
(breaking)
Well hell, I didn't know Pudge was
gonna hit the home run.
They laugh.
TIME DISSOLVE TO:
INT LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY
The office is more crowded than usual. TOM and THREE of
LAMBEAU'S COLLEAGUES including the esteemed ALEXANDER PEKEC
are in the room. Will sits at a work-station which projects
a proof of his [Will's] onto the chalkboard. Lambeau stands
beside the projected image at the board arguing with Pekec,
a foreign mathematician. The image is of a Ramses graph binary
tree.
LAMBEAU
Alexander, I know your theory. The
boy is updating, he's strategy
stealing...
PEKEC
With a Ramses graph on the binary
tree--
LAMBEAU
--But what he's doing, he's attaching
an edge to the adjacent vertex. He
can always failsafe to either side--
PEKEC
Maker can. This is not new, Gerry!
Pekec starts writing lines beside Will's proof on the board.
PEKEC
But I can always garbage out
(writes frantically)
All the way to "N" to the minus one.
LAMBEAU
No, there's a limit.
PEKEC
The limit is not found!
(turns to Will)
The limit is not found.
WILL
But I can always go to the other
side.
PEKEC
There is no proof--
Lambeau can no longer contain himself.
LAMBEAU
Maker builds "K" to the "N." N is
three to the K times--
PEKEC
--But--
WILL
Look, I wrote it down.
They turn to Will who places his proof on the projector. The
image is cast over their faces. It reads:
As Pekec reads and the realization dawns on him:
WILL
It's just simpler this way.
Lambeau turns with satisfaction to an understanding Pekec.
LAMBEAU
Alexander, your theory is changed.
CUT TO:
INT. SKYLAR'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Will and Skylar in her room, post coital. They are wrapped
in a sheet. Will is absent-mindedly playing the memory game
SIMON.
The pattern grows increasingly complex. After a beat:
SKYLAR
Why do we always stay here?
WILL
'Cause it's nicer than my place.
SKYLAR
I've never seen your place.
WILL
Exactly.
SKYLAR
What about your friends? Or your
brothers? When do I get to meet them?
WILL
They don't come over here that much.
SKYLAR
I think I can make it to South Boston.
WILL
Aah, it's kind of a hike.
SKYLAR
Is it me you're hiding from them or
the other way around?
WILL
All right, all right. We'll go.
SKYLAR
When?
WILL
Sometime. I don't know. Next week.
SKYLAR
What if I said I wouldn't sleep with
you again until you let me meet your
friends?
WILL
I'd say...
(reaches for phone)
It's only four in the mornin', they're
prob'ly up.
She laughs. Stops him.
SKYLAR
You men are shameful. If you're not
thinking of your wiener then you're
acting on its behalf.
WILL
Then on behalf of my wiener, I'd
like to ask for an advance.
CUT TO:
INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE -- LATER
Skylar and Will sit together along with Will's gang. The
boys are considerably drunk, but it makes for good
entertainment.
Everyone here is having fun including Sylar.
MORGAN
Will, I can't believe you brought
Skylar here when we're all wrecked.
What's she gonna think about us?
WILL
Yeah, Morgan. It's a real rarity
that we'd be out drinkin'.
BILLY
I've been shit faced for like two
weeks.
MORGAN
Oh great, tell her that! Now she
really thinks we're problem drinkers!
CHUCKIE
Two weeks? That's nothin'. My Uncle
Marty? Will knows him. That guy
fuckin' drinks like you've never
seen! One night he was drivin' back
to his house on I-93 -- Statie pulls
him over.
ALL
Oh shit.
CHUCKIE
Guy's tryin' to walk the line -- but
he can't even fuckin' stand up, and
so my uncle's gonna spend a night in
jail. Just then there's this fuckin'
BOOM like fifty yards down the road.
Some guy's car hit a tree.
MORGAN
Some other guy?
CHUCKIE
Yeah, he was probably drunker than
my Uncle, who fuckin' knows? So the
cop goes "Stay here" And he goes
runnin' down the highway to deal
with the other crash. So, my Uncle
Marty's standin' on the side of the
road for a little while, and he's so
fuckin' lit, that he forgets what
he's waitin' for. So he goes, "Fuck
it." He gets in his car and drives
home.
MORGAN
Holy shit.
CHUCKIE
So in the morning, there's a knock
on the door it's the Statie. So my
Uncle's like, "Is there a problem?"
And the Statie's like "I pulled you
over and you took off." And my
Uncle's like "I never seen you before
in my life, I been home all night
with my kids." And Statie's like
"Let me get in your garage!" So he's
like "All right, fine." He takes
around the garage and opens the door --
and the Statie's cruiser is in my
Uncle's garage.
ALL
No way! You're kiddin'!
CHUCKIE
No, he was so hammered that he drove
the police cruiser home. Fuckin'
lights and everything!
MORGAN
Did your Uncle get arrested?
CHUCKIE
The fuckin' Trooper was so embarrassed
he didn't do anything. The fuckin'
guy had been drivin' around in my
Uncle's car all night lookin' for
the house.
Everyone is laughing. Skylar speaks above the din.
SKYLAR
There was this Irish guy, walking
down the beach one day.
She has everyone's attention. Will is nervous.
SKYLAR
And he comes across a bottle, and
this Genie pops out. The genie turns
to the Irishman and says -- "You've
released me from my prison, so I'll
grant you three wishes." The Irish
guy thinks for a minute and says
"What I really want is a pint of
Guiness that never empties." And --
POOF! A bottle appears. He slams it
down, and -- lo and behold -- it
fills back up again.
C/U of Will. Hoping the joke pans out.
SKYLAR
Well, the Irish guy can't believe
it. He drinks it again, and again --
BOOM! It fills back up. So, while
the Irish guy is marveling at his
good fortune, The Genie is getting
impatient, because it's hot and he
wants to get on with his freedom. He
says "Let's go, you have two more
wishes." The Irish guy slams his
drink again, it fills back up, he's
still amazed. The Genie can't take
it anymore. He says "Buddy, I'm
boiling out here. What are your other
two wishes?"
(beat)
The Irish guy looks at his drink,
looks at the Genie and says... "I
guess I'll have two more of these."
The gang erupts with laughter.
CHUCKIE
It's a good thing no one's Irish
here.
MORGAN
I'm Irish.
Chuckie, Will look at Morgan, baffled.
EXT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE -- LATER
Everyone is walking out, saying good-bye. Chuckie goes over
to Will and Skylar.
CHUCKIE
I'm glad you came by, changed my
opinion of Harvard people.
SKYLAR
See ya' Chuckie. I had fun.
Chuckie heads towards Will to say goodnight.
WILL
I don't know what the fuck you're
doin'. You're givin' us a ride.
CHUCKIE
What do I look like, Al Cowlins?
(seriously)
You want to take my car, drop her
off?
WILL
I was countin' on it.
MORGAN
Chuck, let's go.
CHUCKIE
You're walkin' bitch, Will's takin'
the car.
Morgan mumbles something and staggers off. Billy follows
with an indifferent shrug.
WILL
Thanks, Chuck.
CHUCKIE
Don't get too slap-happy, you're
takin' me home first.
WILL
I don't know, Chuck. It's kinda outta
the way.
CHUCKIE
Just 'cause you don't have to sleep
in the one room palace, don't start
thinkin' you're bad.
SKYLAR
(to Will)
I thought you said you'd show me
your place.
WILL
Not tonight.
CHUCKIE
Yeah, not tonight. Not any other
night.
He knows, once you see that shit-hole he's gettin' dropped
like a bad habit.
SKYLAR
I wanted to meet your brothers...
Chuckie gives Will a curious look.
WILL
They're all sleepin' now.
(a beat, to Chuckie)
Let me get those keys.
CUT TO:
INT. FACULTY CLUB -- NIGHT
A cocktail party is underway. Professors mingle with
representatives from high tech companies. Lambeau stands
holding a drink and surrounded by several RECRUITERS.
Apparently he's the star of the show.
RECRUITER #1
What I want to know, Gerry, is when
we get to meet this wonder-boy.
LAMBEAU
We're still working together, the
boy's a little rough.
RECRUITER #2
We've got our share of eccentric
geniuses at Tri-tech. We know how to
deal with that.
RECRUITER #3
I think we all do.
Laughter.
RECRUITER #1
If you're not exaggerating, Gerry--
LAMBEAU
Was I exaggerating in nineteen eighty-
four when I told you I'd win the
Field's medal within two years?
More laughter.
RECRUITER #1
In that case the boy could run
shipping for us, routing--
RECRUITER #2
You say he doesn't have a diploma,
but we'll—
RECRUITER #1
I don't need to see a driver's
license. I can think of three
departments right now that he could
head up for us.
LAMBEAU
At ease, gentlemen. We're looking
carefully at all our options.
RECRUITER #3
All right, Gerry. Close to the vest.
(gives him his card)
Good luck with these vultures.
He walks off.
CUT TO:
INT. TIMMY'S TAP -- DAY
Timmy's Tap is a local watering hole, not unlike the L Street
Bar. Sean is at the bar, telling a joke to TIMMY (45) the
owner of the place, and several other REGULARS.
SEAN
So she goes runnin' up the aisle and
I figure "fuck it" and I yell out
"don't forget the coffee!
The men erupt in laughter. MARTY, one of the regulars pipe
up.
MARTY
Bullshit! You didn't say that!
Timmy and Sean exchange a look.
TIMMY
Jesus Christ, Marty. It's a joke.
Lambeau enters, a bit overdressed in his sport coat and tie.
SEAN
Gerry! Any trouble finding the place?
LAMBEAU
Not at all.
SEAN
Timmy this is Gerry, an old friend
of mine. We went to college together.
TIMMY
Good to meet you.
LAMBEAU
Pleasure to meet you.
SEAN
Could we get a couple of sandwiches?
(beat, smiles)
Put it on my tab.
Sean heads towards a table.
TIMMY
You ever plan on payin' your tab?
SEAN
(pulls out lottery
ticket)
I got the winning numbers right here.
TIMMY
What's the jackpot?
SEAN
Twelve million.
TIMMY
I don't think that'll cover it.
Lambeau follows [Sean]. They sit.
LAMBEAU
You're here quite a bit, then.
SEAN
I live right around the corner.
LAMBEAU
You moved?
SEAN
I been here a couple years.
There is an awkward moment.
SEAN
You wanted to talk about Will?
LAMBEAU
Seems like it's going well.
SEAN
I think so.
LAMBEAU
Well, have you talked to him at all
about his future?
SEAN
We haven't really gotten into it.
LAMBEAU
Maybe you should. My phone's been
ringing off the hook with job offers.
SEAN
Jobs doing what?
LAMBEAU
Cutting edge mathematics. Think tanks.
The kind of place where a mind like
Will's is given free reign.
SEAN
That's great, Gerry, that there's
interest -- But I'm not sure he's
ready for that.
LAMBEAU
Sean, I really don't think you
understand--
SEAN
What don't I understand?
Timmy comes over with the sandwiches.
SEAN
Thanks, Timmy.
LAMBEAU
Excuse me, Timmy. Could you help us?
We're trying to settle a bet.
TIMMY
Uh-oh.
LAMBEAU
Have you heard of Jonas Salk?
TIMMY
Yeah, cured polio.
LAMBEAU
You've heard of Albert Einstein?
Timmy smiles. Gives him a look.
LAMBEAU
How about Gerald Lambeau? Ever heard
of him?
TIMMY
No.
LAMBEAU
Okay thank you, Timmy.
TIMMY
So who won the bet?
LAMBEAU
I did.
A beat. Timmy leaves.
LAMBEAU
This isn't about me. I'm nothing
compared to this young man.
(beat)
Sean, in 1905 there were hundreds of
Professors who were renowned for
their study of the universe. But it
was a 26-year-old Swiss Patent clerk,
doing physics in his spare time, who
changed the world, Sean. Can you
imagine if Einstein had given that
up? Or gotten drunk with his buddies
in Vienna every night? All of us
would have lost something. And I'm
quite sure Timmy never would have
heard of him.
SEAN
Isn't that a little dramatic, Gerry?
LAMBEAU
No, Sean. This boy has that gift. He
just hasn't got the direction. We
can give that to him.
A beat.
SEAN
He married his cousin.
LAMBEAU
Who?
SEAN
Einstein. Had two marriages, both
trainwrecks. The guy never saw his
kids, one of whom, I think, ended up
in an asylum- possible Unabomber
addition--
LAMBEAU
You see, Sean? That's exactly not
the point. No one remembers that.
They--
SEAN
I do.
LAMBEAU
Well, you're the only one.
Beat.
LAMBEAU
This boy can make contributions to
the world. We can help him do that.
SEAN
Just... take it easy, Gerry.
LAMBEAU
Look, I don't know what else I can
say. I'm not sitting at home every
night, twisting my mustache and
hatching a plan to ruin the boy's
life. But it's important to start
early. I was doing advanced
mathematics at eighteen and it still
took me twenty-three years to do
something worthy of a Field's medal.
SEAN
Maybe he doesn't care about that.
A beat.
LAMBEAU
Sean, this is important. And it's
above personal rivalry--
SEAN
Now wait a minute, Gerry--
LAMBEAU
No, no you hear me out, Sean. This
young man is a true prodigy--
SEAN
Personal rivalry? I'm not getting
back at you.
LAMBEAU
Look, you took one road and I took
another. That's fine.
SEAN
Is it Gerry? 'Cause I don't think
it's fine with you. Give him time to
figure out what he wants.
LAMBEAU
That's a wonderful theory, Sean. It
worked wonders for you.
A beat. Lambeau gets up.
LAMBEAU
Sean, I came here today out of
courtesy. I wanted to keep you in
the loop. As we speak the boy is in
a meeting I set up for him over at
Tri-tech.
CUT TO:
INT. TRI-TECH LABORATORIES, OFFICE -- SAME
Three well dressed TRI-TECH EXECUTIVES sit around a conference
table, which is littered with promotional brochures. The
executives exchange a confused look. One of them speaks.
EXECUTIVE
(tentative)
Well, Will, I'm not exactly sure
what you mean, we've already offered
you a position..
Cut to reveal: Chuckie sitting across from the executives,
hair combed down, wearing his Sunday best.
CHUCKIE
Since this is obviously not my first
time in such altercations, let me
say this:
Chuckie rubs the tips of his fingers together, indicating
"cash." The executives are baffled.
CHUCKIE
Look, we can do this the easy way or
the hard way.
The executives are completely blank.
CHUCKIE
At the current time I am looking at
a number of different fields from
which to disseminate which offer is
most pursuant aid to my benefit.
(a beat)
What do you want? What do I want?
What does anybody want? Leniency.
EXECUTIVE
I'm not sure--
CHUCKIE
--These circumstances are mitigated.
Right now. They're mitigated.
Chuckie puts his hands up, as if getting a vibe from the
room.
EXECUTIVE
Okay...
Chuckie points to the third executive.
CHUCKIE
He knows what I'm talking about.
The third executive is baffled.
CHUCKIE
A retainer. Nobody in this town works
without a retainer. You think you
can find someone who does, you have
my blessin'. But I think we all know
that person isn't going to represent
you as well as I can.
EXECUTIVE
Will, our offer starts you at eighty-
four thousand a year, plus benefits.
CHUCKIE
Retainer...
EXECUTIVE
You want us to give you cash right
now?
CHUCKIE
Allegedly, what I am saying is your
situation will be concurrently
improved if I had two hundred sheets
in my pocket right now.
The executives exchange looks and go for their wallets.
EXECUTIVE
I don't think I... Larry?
EXECUTIVE
I have about seventy-three...
EXECUTIVE
Will you take a check?
CHUCKIE
Come now... what do you think I am,
a juvenile? You don't got any money
on you right now. You think I'm gonna
take a check?
EXECUTIVE
It's fine, John, I can cover the
rest.
CHUCKIE
That's right, you know.
(turns to #1)
He knows.
Chuckie stands up and takes the money.
CHUCKIE
(to exec #1)
You're suspect. I don't know what
your reputation is, but after the
shit you tried to pull today, you
can bet I'll be looking into it. Any
conversations you want to have with
me heretofore, you can have with my
attorney. Gentlemen, keep your ears
to the grindstone.
CUT TO:
EXT. AU BON PAIN COURTYARD, HARVARD SQUARE -- DAY
Will and Skylar sit in the open courtyard of this Harvard
Square eatery. Skylar is working on another O-chem lab. Will
sits across from her, slightly bored watching her work.
WILL
How's it goin'?
SKYLAR
Fine.
WILL
Want me to take a look?
SKYLAR
No.
WILL
C'mon, give me a peek and we'll go
to the battin' cages.
SKYLAR
It's important that I learn this.
WILL
Why is it important to you? If I
inherited all that money, the only
thing important to me would be workin'
on my swing.
SKYLAR
Clearly.
WILL
You're rich. What do you have to
worry about?
SKYLAR
Rich? I have an inheritance. It's
two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars. That's exactly what it'll
cost me, minus about five hundred
bucks, to go all the way through med
school. This is what I'm doing with
that money. I could have done anything
I wanted. I could have expanded my
wardrobe, substantially.
WILL
Instead you're going to bust your
ass for five years so you can be
broke?
SKYLAR
No, so I can be a doctor.
A beat. Will nods. She looks down, then up.
SKYLAR
All right, Mr. Nosey Parker. Let me
ask you a question? Do you have a
photographic memory?
WILL
I guess. I don't know. How do you
remember your phone number?
SKYLAR
Have you ever studied Organic
Chemistry?
WILL
Some, a little.
SKYLAR
Just for fun?
WILL
I guess so.
SKYLAR
Nobody does organic chemistry for
"fun." It's unnecessary. Especially
for someone like you.
WILL
Like me?
SKYLAR
Yeah. Someone like you who divides
his time, fairly evenly, between the
batting cages and bars.
Will laughs.
SKYLAR
How did you do that? I can't... I
mean even the smartest people I know,
and we do have a few at Harvard,
have to study- a lot. It's hard.
(beat)
Listen, Will, if you don't want to
tell me--
WILL
Do you play the piano?
SKYLAR
Come one Will. I just want to know.
WILL
I'm trying to explain it to you. So
you play the piano. When you look at
the keys, you see music, you see
Mozart.
SKYLAR
I see "Hot Cross Buns," but okay.
WILL
Well all right, Beethoven. He looked
at a piano and saw music. The fuckin'
guy was deaf when he composed the
Ode to Joy. They had to turn him
around to take a bow because he
couldn't hear the crowd going crazy
behind him. Stone deaf. He saw all
of that music in his head.
SKYLAR
So, do you play the piano?
WILL
Not a lick. I look at a piano and I
see black and white keys, three pedals
and a box of wood. Beethoven, Mozart,
they looked at it and it just made
sense to them. They saw a piano and
they could play. I couldn't paint
you a picture, I probably can't hit
the ball out of Fenway Park and I
can't play the piano--
SKYLAR
But you can do my O-chem lab in under
an hour, you can--
WILL
When it came to stuff like that I
could always just play.
Skylar is awestruck with admiration for Will, the Robot-pimp.
So much so that Skylar has to kiss him, then push him away.
SKYLAR
I can't believe it's taken me four
years to meet you and I'm going to
California in two months, Will.
(beat)
Have you ever been to California? I
bet you'd like it.
Will freezes. A beat.
SKYLAR
Maybe not.
CUT TO:
INT. CHUCKIE'S APARTMENT -- DAY
Chuckie sits on his couch, watching cartoons in his boxers
and a tee-shirt, eating cereal. The doorbell rings. He sits.
CHUCKIE
Get it, ma!
She doesn't. He gets up. Opens door. It's Skylar.
CHUCKIE
(surprised)
Hey.
SKYLAR
Hi.
CHUCKIE
How you doin'?
SKYLAR
Good.
An awkward beat.
CHUCKIE
How'd you know where to find me?
SKYLAR
(smiles)
You were the only Sullivan in the
phone book.
Chuckie smiles.
SKYLAR
Will and I dropped you off here,
remember?
CHUCKIE
Oh, right.
SKYLAR
This is your house, right?
Chuckie nods and is about to respond when he is interrupted
by a nagging shriek from his mom.
CHUCKIE'S MOM (O.S.)
Get in here, Chuckie!
CHUCKIE
(calling back)
Pipe down, Ma!
SKYLAR
I guess so.
CHUCKIE
What? No. This is my mother's house.
I don't live with my mother. I just
stop by, help out. I'm good like
that.
SKYLAR
Is this a bad time?
CHUCKIE
She'll live.
(beat)
If she starts yelling again I might
have to run in real quick and beat
her with the stick again but...
SKYLAR
Okay.
CHUCKIE
Let's take a walk.
EXT. CHUCKIE'S STREET -- DAY
Chuckie, still in his boxers walks with Skylar who is talking.
SKYLAR
See, now this doesn't feel right.
(beat)
When I made the decision to come
over here it felt right. I had all
these rationalizations... I just
don't understand why Will never tells
me anything, he won't let me get
close to him, he tells me these weird
lies--
CHUCKIE
You caught that, huh?
SKYLAR
I just wanted to find out what was
going on... But now that I'm here it
seems strange, doesn't it?
CHUCKIE
Well, I don't have no trousers on...
She laughs. A beat.
CHUCKIE
I know why you're here. Will don't
talk much.
SKYLAR
I don't care what his family's like
or if he doesn't have any brothers,
but he doesn't have to lie to me.
CHUCKIE
I really don't know what to say.
Look, I lie to women all the time.
That's just my way.
(beat)
Last week Morgan brought these girls
down from Roslindale. I told them I
was a cosmonaut. They believed me.
But Will's not usually like that--
MAN ON PORCH
Put some clothes on, Sullivan!
CHUCKIE
Take it easy father!
She laughs.
CHUCKIE
All I can say is; I known Will a
long time -- And I seen him with
every girl he's ever been with. But
I've never seen him like this before,
ever with anyone, like how he is
with you.
SKYLAR
Is that true?
CHUCKIE
Yeah, it is.
CUT TO:
INT. LAMBEAU'S OFFICE -- DAY
Tom and Will are sitting waiting for Lambeau.
TOM
!!! !
WILL
!!! !
Lambeau enters going over a thick proof Will has completed.
LAMBEAU
This is correct. I see you used
Mclullen here--
WILL
I don't know what it's called.
LAMBEAU
--This can't be right.
(examining proof)
This is going to be very embarrassing.
Have you ever considered--
WILL
I'm pretty sure it's right.
Will gets up to leave.
WILL
(turning back)
Can I ask you a favor, can we do
this at Sean's from now on? 'Cause I
leave work to come here and the
fuckin' commute is killin' me--
LAMBEAU
That's fine, but did you ever think--
WILL
It's right.
(a beat, heading out)
Take it home with you.
LAMBEAU
Will, what happened at the Tri-tech
meeting?
WILL
I couldn't go 'cause I had a date.
So I sent my chief negotiator.
LAMBEAU
Will, on your own time, you can do
what you like. When I set up a
meeting, with my associates, and you
don't show up it reflects poorly on
me.
WILL
Then don't set up any more meetings.
LAMBEAU
I'll cancel every meeting right now.
I'll give you a job myself. I just
wanted you to see what was out there.
WILL
Maybe I don't want to spend my life
sittin' around and explaining shit
to people.
LAMBEAU
The least you can do is show me a
little appreciation.
WILL
(indicates proof)
You know how fuckin' easy this is to
me? This is a joke!
(crumples proof)
And I'm sorry you can't do this. I
really am. 'Cause if you could I
wouldn't be forced to watch you fumble
around and fuck it up.
LAMBEAU
Sure, then you'd have more time to
sit around and get drunk. Think of
how many fights you could have been
in by now.
Will turns around reveling that he's lit the PROOF ON FIRE.
Will drops it on the floor. Lambeau drops to his knees and
puts it out. He looks up at Will.
LAMBEAU
You're right, Will. I can't do that
proof and you can. And when it comes
to this there are only twenty people
in the world that can tell the
difference between you and me. But
I'm one of them.
WILL
Well, I'm sorry.
LAMBEAU
So am I.
(beat)
Yes. That's right, Will. Most days I
wish I never met you. Because then I
could sleep at night. I wouldn't
have to walk around with the knowledge
that someone like you was out there.
And I wouldn't have to watch you
throw it all away.
Lambeau gathers his composure and calmly walks over to the
wrinkled proof. He picks it up, smooths it out.
CUT TO:
INT. SKYLAR'S ROOM -- NIGHT
Will and Skylar lie in bed. Skylar watches Will sleep. She
gets up and goes to the fridge. Returning to the bed:
SKYLAR
Will? Are you awake?
WILL
No.
SKYLAR
Come with me to California.
WILL
What?
SKYLAR
I want you to come with me.
WILL
How do you know that?
SKYLAR
I know. I just do.
WILL
Yeah, but how do you know?
SKYLAR
I don't know. I just feel it.
WILL
And you're sure about that?
SKYLAR
Yeah, I'm sure.
WILL
'Cause that's a serious thing you're
sayin'. I mean, we might be in
California next week and you could
find out somethin' about me that you
don't like. And you might feel like
"hey this is a big mistake."
(getting upset)
But you can't take it back, 'cause
you know it's real serious and you
can't take somethin' like that back.
Now I'm in California, 'cause you
asked me to come. But you don't really
want me there. And I'm stuck in
California with someone who really
doesn't want me there and just wishes
they had a take-back.
SKYLAR
"Take-back?" What is that? I don't
want a take-back. I want you to come
to California with me.
WILL
I can't go out to California.
SKYLAR
Why not?
WILL
One, because I have a job here and
two because I live here--
SKYLAR
(beat)
Look, Will if you're not in love
with me, you can say that.
WILL
I'm not sayin' I'm not in love with
you.
SKYLAR
Then what are you afraid of?
WILL
What do you mean "What am I afraid
of?"
SKYLAR
Why won't you come with me? What are
you so scared of?
WILL
What am I scared of?
SKYLAR
Well, what aren't you scared of?
You live in your safe little world
where nobody challenges you and you're
scared shitless to do anything else--
WILL
Don't tell me about my world. You're
the one that's afraid. You just want
to have your little fling with the
guy from the other side of town and
marry--
SKYLAR
Is that what you think--
WILL
some prick from Stanford that your
parents will approve of. Then you'll
sit around with the rest of the upper
crust kids and talk about how you
went slummin' too.
SKYLAR
I inherited that money when I was
thirteen, when my father died.
WILL
At least you have a mother.
SKYLAR
Fuck you! You think I want this?
That money's a burden to me. Every
day I wake up and I wish I could
give that back. I'd give everything
I have back to spend one more day
with my father. But that's life. And
I deal with it. So don't put that
shit on me. You're the one that's
afraid.
WILL
What the fuck am I afraid of?!
SKYLAR
You're afraid of me. You're afraid
that I won't love you back. And guess
what? I'm afraid too. But at least
I have the balls to it give it a
shot. At least I'm honest with you.
WILL
I'm not honest?
SKYLAR
What about your twelve brothers?
WILL
Oh, is that what this is about? You
want to hear that I don't really
have any brothers? That I'm a fuckin'
orphan? Is that what you want to
hear?
SKYLAR
Yes, Will. I didn't even know that?
WILL
No, you don't want to hear that.
SKYLAR
Yes, I do, Will.
WILL
You don't want to hear that I got
cigarettes put out on me when I was
a little kid. That this isn't surgery.
Will lifts his shirt, revealing a six inch SCAR on his torso.
WILL
You don't want to hear that. Don't
tell me you want to hear that shit!!
SKYLAR
Yes I do. Did you ever think that
maybe I could help you? That maybe
that's the point, that we're a team?
WILL
What, you want to come in here and
save me? Is that what you want to
do? Do I have a sign that says "save
me" on my back?
SKYLAR
I don't want to "save" you. I just
want to be with you. I love you. I
love you!
Will, full of self-loathing, raises his hand to strike her.
WILL
Don't bullshit me! Don't fuckin'
bullshit me!
SKYLAR
(standing up to him)
You know what I want to hear? I
want to hear that you don't love me.
If you tell me that, then I'll leave
you alone. I won't ask any questions
and I won't be in your life.
A beat. Will looks Skylar dead in the eye. Lowers his hand.
WILL
I don't love you.
He walks out.
CUT TO:
EXT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- NIGHT
Will leaves pulling on his clothes.
CUT TO:
INT. NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY, OFFICE -- DAY
Will sits across from two N.S.A. AGENTS, OLIVER DYTRESS and
ROBERT TAVANO. These guys are smug, clean cut, gung-ho and
looking sharp in twin navy blue suits.
WILL
So why do you think I should work
for the National Security Agency?
DYTRESS
Well, you'd be working on the cutting
edge. You'd be exposed to the kind
of technology you couldn't see
anywhere else because we've classified
it. Super string theory, Chaos Math,
Advanced algorithms--
WILL
Codebreaking.
DYTRESS
That's one aspect of what we do.
WILL
Come on, that's what you do. You
handle more than eighty percent of
the intelligence workload. You're
seven times the size of the C.I.A.
DYTRESS
That's exactly right, Will. So the
question as I see it isn't "why should
you work for N.S.A." it's "why
shouldn't you?"
WILL
Why shouldn't I work for the National
Security Agency? That's a tough one.
Will bites his tongue, trying to make this work.
CUT TO:
INT. CHUCKIE'S HOUSE -- DAY
Chuckie, Billy, and Will sit in the Sullivan kitchen. Billy
cracks open a beer and Chuckie reads the sports page. Both
boys are smoking. Will drinks a beer, distractedly. We hear
the faint music track and soft moans of a PORNO MOVIE
emanating from a back room. After a beat, Chuckie looks up.
CHUCKIE
Morgan, if you're watchin' pornos in
my mom's room again I'm gonna give
you a fuckin' beatin'!
After a beat, Morgan comes out of the back room, red-faced.
MORGAN
(innocently)
What's up guys?
CHUCKIE
Why don't you beat off at your house?
MORGAN
I don't have a VCR at my house.
Will pays no attention to this exchange
CUT TO:
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON PAY PHONE -- DAY
Will is on pay phone talking to Skylar.
WILL
I just wanted to call before you
left.
(beat)
I'm takin' all these job interviews.
So I won't just be a construction
worker.
INT. SKYLAR'S DORM -- DAY
SKYLAR
I never cared about that.
An awkward beat.
WILL
Yeah.
SKYLAR
I love you, Will.
(pause)
No take-backs.
Will says nothing.
SKYLAR
Will?
A beat.
WILL
Take care.
SKYLAR
Goodbye.
Will hangs up. Hold on him for an agonizing beat.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Lambeau is scribbling away at work. Tom is taking notes.
Will is tapping his fingers, waiting for him to finish.
LAMBEAU
I can... I'm almost there.
CUT TO:
INT. LOGAN AIRPORT TERMINAL -- SAME
Skylar stands at the gate, carry-ons in hand. Her flight is
boarding. She looks for Will over the crowd.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- SAME
Will picks up a FRAME from Sean's desk. It is CARLTON FISK'S
BASEBALL CARD. Will has to smile. Lambeau looks up.
LAMBEAU
What are you smiling at?
WILL
It's a Carlton Fisk baseball card.
Will can see that Lambeau wants more.
WILL
Pudge Fisk. You follow baseball?
LAMBEAU
No.
CUT TO:
INT. LOGAN AIRPORT TERMINAL -- SAME
The final boarding call is announced and the last passenger
boards. After a beat, Skylar turns and gets on the plane.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- SAME
Will, holding the card, reflects for a beat and puts it down.
WILL
Oh, well, it's just somethin' Sean
told me. It's a long story.
A beat.
WILL
You all set?
LAMBEAU
I've got the first part. The rest I
can do at home.
Will gets up.
LAMBEAU
Will, the N.S.A. has been calling me
just about every hour. They're very
excited about how the meeting went.
Lambeau is excited. Will clearly is not.
WILL
Yeah.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- NIGHT
Will sits across from Sean.
SEAN
So you might be working for Uncle
Sam.
WILL
I don't know.
SEAN
Gerry says the meeting went well.
WILL
I guess.
SEAN
What did you think?
WILL
What did I think?
A beat. Will has obviously been stewing on this.
WILL
Say I'm working at N.S.A. Somebody
puts a code on my desk, something
nobody else can break. So I take a
shot at it and maybe I break it. And
I'm real happy with myself, 'cause I
did my job well. But maybe that
code was the location of some rebel
army in North Africa or the Middle
East. Once they have that location,
they bomb the village where the rebels
were hiding and fifteen hundred people
I never had a problem with get killed.
(rapid fire) Now the politicians are
sayin' "send in the Marines to secure
the area" 'cause they don't give a
shit. It won't be their kid over
there, gettin' shot. Just like it
wasn't them when their number got
called, 'cause they were pullin' a
tour in the National Guard. It'll be
some guy from Southie takin' shrapnel
in the ass. And he comes home to
find that the plant he used to work
at got exported to the country he
just got back from. And the guy who
put the shrapnel in his ass got his
old job, 'cause he'll work for fifteen
cents a day and no bathroom breaks.
Meanwhile my buddy from Southie
realizes the only reason he was over
there was so we could install a
government that would sell us oil at
a good price. And of course the oil
companies used the skirmish to scare
up oil prices so they could turn a
quick buck. A cute, little ancillary
benefit for them but it ain't helping
my buddy at two-fifty a gallon. And
naturally they're takin' their sweet
time bringin' the oil back and maybe
even took the liberty of hiring an
alcoholic skipper who likes to drink
seven and sevens and play slalom
with the icebergs and it ain't too
long 'til he hits one, spills the
oil, and kills all the sea-life in
the North Atlantic. So my buddy's
out of work and he can't afford to
drive so he's got to walk to the job
interviews which sucks 'cause the
shrapnel in his ass is givin' him
chronic hemorrhoids. And meanwhile
he's starvin' 'cause every time he
tries to get a bite to eat the only
blue-plate special they're servin'
is North Atlantic scrod with Quaker
State.
A beat.
WILL
So what'd I think? I'm holdin' out
for somethin' better. I figure I'll
eliminate the middle man. Why not
just shoot my buddy, take his job
and give it to his sworn enemy, hike
up gas prices, bomb a village, club
a baby seal, hit the hash pipe and
join the National Guard? Christ, I
could be elected President.
SEAN
Do you think you're alone?
WILL
What?
SEAN
Do you have a soul-mate?
WILL
Define that.
SEAN
Someone who challenges you in every
way. Who takes you places, opens
things up for you. A soul-mate.
WILL
Yeah.
Sean waits.
WILL
Shakespeare, Neitzche, Frost,
O'Connor, Chaucer, Pope, Kant--
SEAN
They're all dead.
WILL
Not to me, they're not.
SEAN
But you can't give back to them,
Will.
WILL
Not without a heater and some serious
smelling salts, no...
SEAN
That's what I'm saying, Will. You'll
never have that kind of relationship
in a world where you're afraid to
take the first step because all you're
seeing are the negative things that
might happen ten miles down the road.
WILL
Oh, what? You're going to take the
professor's side on this?
SEAN
Don't give me your line of shit.
WILL
I didn't want the job.
SEAN
It's not about that job. I'm not
saying you should work for the
government. But, you could do anything
you want. And there are people who
work their whole lives layin' brick
so their kids have a chance at the
kind of opportunity you have. What
do you want to do?
WILL
I didn't ask for this.
SEAN
Nobody gets what they ask for, Will.
That's a cop-out.
WILL
Why is it a cop-out? I don't see
anythin' wrong with layin' brick,
that's somebody's home I'm buildin'.
Or fixin' somebody's car, somebody's
gonna get to work the next day 'cause
of me. There's honor in that.
SEAN
You're right, Will. Any man who takes
a forty minute train ride so those
college kids can come in in the
morning and their floors will be
clean and their trash cans will be
empty is an honorable man.
A beat. Will says nothing.
SEAN
And when they get drunk and puke in
the sink, they don't have to see it
the next morning because of you.
That's real work, Will. And there is
honor in that. Which I'm sure is
why you took the job.
A beat.
SEAN
I just want to know why you decided
to sneak around at night, writing on
chalkboards and lying about it.
(beat)
'Cause there's no honor in that.
Will is silent.
SEAN
Something you want to say?
Sean gets up, goes to the door and opens it.
SEAN
Why don't you come back when you
have an answer for me.
WILL
What?
SEAN
If you won't answer my questions,
you're wasting my time.
WILL
What?
Will loses it, slams the door shut.
WILL
Fuck you!
Sean has finally gotten to Will.
WILL
Who the fuck are you to lecture me
about life? You fuckin' burnout!
Where's your "soul-mate?!"
Sean lets this play out. Possible "shepard" change.
WILL
Dead! She dies and you just cash in
your chips. That's a fuckin' cop-
out!
SEAN
I been there. I played my hand.
WILL
That's right. And you fuckin' lost!
And some people would have the sack
to lose a big hand like that and
still come back and ante up again!
SEAN
Look at me. What do you want to do?
A beat. Will looks up.
SEAN
You and your bullshit. You got an
answer for everybody. But I asked
you a straight question and you can't
give me a straight answer. Because
you don't know.
Sean goes to the door and opens it. Will walks out.
CUT TO:
INT. MAGGIORE BUILDER'S CONSTRUCTION SITE -- DAY
Will and Chuckie take crowbars to a wall. This is what they
do for a living. As they routinely hammer away, Will becomes
more involved in his battle with the wall. Plaster and lathing
fly as Will vents his rage. Chuckie, noticing, stops working
and takes a step back, watching Will. Will is oblivious.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Lambeau and Tom are in his office. Will is nowhere to be
seen.
Lambeau is on the phone.
LAMBEAU
What I mean, Sean, is that I'm sitting
in your office and the boy isn't
here.
(beat)
Well, it's ten past three.
(beat)
An hour and ten minutes late.
(beat)
Well, if he doesn't show up and I
have to file a report saying he wasn't
here and he goes back to jail, it
won't be on my conscience, Sean.
(beat)
Fine.
He hangs up. Tom picks up a FORM up off the desk.
TOM
What should I do?
LAMBEAU
The boy was here. He came in, sat
down and we worked together.
A blank look.
LAMBEAU
He came in, sat down, and we worked
together.
TOM
Okay.
Tom understands, begins filling out the form.
CUT TO:
EXT. HANRAHAN'S PACKAGE STORE -- LATER
Will walks out carrying a brown bag. He is filthy, having
just knocked off work.
CUT TO:
EXT. MAGGIORE BUILDER'S CONSTRUCTION SITE -- PARKING LOT
Chuckie is sitting on the hood of his Cadillac, watching
Will across the street. Chuckie is covered in grime as well.
Will starts walking towards Chuckie. As he draws closer, he
heaves a can of Budweiser a good thirty yards, to Chuckie
who handles it routinely.
Will takes a seat next to Chuckie and they crack open their
beers. Other workers file out of the site. They drink.
CHUCKIE
How's the woman?
WILL
Gone.
CHUCKIE
What?
WILL
She went to Medical school in
California.
CHUCKIE
Sorry, brother.
(beat)
I don't know what to tell ya. You
know all the girls I been with. You
been with 'em too, except for Cheryl
McGovern which was a big mistake on
your part brother...
WILL
Oh I'm sure, that's why only one of
us has herpes.
CHUCKIE
Some shows are worth the price of
admission, partner.
This gets a small laugh from Will.
CHUCKIE
My fuckin' back is killin' me.
A passing SHEET METAL WORKER overhears this.
SHEET METAL WORKER
That's why you should'a gone to
college.
WILL
Fuck you.
CHUCKIE
Suck my crank. Fuckin' sheet metal
pussy.
(beat)
So, when are you done with those
meetin's?
WILL
Week after I'm twenty-one.
CHUCKIE
Are they hookin' you up with a job?
WILL
Yeah, sit in a room and do long
division for the next fifty years.
CHUCKIE
Yah, but it's better than this shit.
At least you'd make some nice bank.
WILL
Yeah, be a fuckin' lab rat.
CHUCKIE
It's a way outta here.
WILL
What do I want a way outta here for?
I want to live here the rest of my
life. I want to be your next door
neighbor. I want to take out kids to
little league together up Foley Field.
CHUCKIE
Look, you're my best friend, so don't
take this the wrong way, but in 20
years, if you're livin' next door to
me, comin' over watchin' the fuckin'
Patriots' games and still workin'
construction, I'll fuckin' kill you.
And that's not a threat, that's a
fact. I'll fuckin' kill you.
WILL
Chuckie, what are you talkin'...
CHUCKIE
Listen, you got somethin' that none
of us have.
WILL
Why is it always this? I owe it to
myself? What if I don't want to?
CHUCKIE
Fuck you. You owe it to me. Tomorrow
I'm gonna wake up and I'll be fifty
and I'll still be doin' this. And
that's all right 'cause I'm gonna
make a run at it. But you, you're
sittin' on a winning lottery ticket
and you're too much of a pussy to
cash it in. And that's bullshit 'cause
I'd do anything to have what you
got! And so would any of these guys.
It'd be a fuckin' insult to us if
you're still here in twenty years.
WILL
You don't know that.
CHUCKIE
Let me tell you what I do know. Every
day I come by to pick you up, and we
go out drinkin' or whatever and we
have a few laughs. But you know what
the best part of my day is? The ten
seconds before I knock on the door
'cause I let myself think I might
get there, and you'd be gone. I'd
knock on the door and you wouldn't
be there. You just left.
A beat.
CHUCKIE
Now, I don't know much. But I know
that.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Lambeau stands across from Sean, seething.
LAMBEAU
This is a disaster! I brought you in
here to help me with this boy, not
to run him out--
SEAN
Now wait a minute--
LAMBEAU
--And confuse him--
SEAN
--Gerry--
LAMBEAU
And here I am for the second week in
a row with my professional reputation
at stake--
SEAN
Hold on!
LAMBEAU
Ready to falsify documents because
you've given him license to walk
away from this.
SEAN
I know what I'm doing and I know why
I'm here!
LAMBEAU
Look Sean, I don't care if you have
a rapport with the boy -- I don't
care if you have a few laughs --
even at my expense! But don't you
dare undermine what I'm trying to do
here.
SEAN
"Undermine?"
LAMBEAU
He has a gift and with that gift
comes responsibility. And you don't
understand that he's at a fragile
point--
SEAN
He is at a fragile point. He's got
problems--
LAMBEAU
What problems does he have, Sean,
that he is better off as a janitor
or in jail or hanging around with--
SEAN
Why do you think he does that, Gerry?
LAMBEAU
He can handle the work, he can handle
the pressure and he's obviously
handled you.
SEAN
Why is he hiding? Why is he a janitor?
Why doesn't he trust anybody? Because
the first thing that happened to him
was that he was abandoned by the
people who were supposed to love him
the most!
LAMBEAU
Oh, come on, Sean--
SEAN
And why does he hang out with his
friends? Because any one of those
kids would come in here and take a
bat to your head if he asked them
to. It's called loyalty!
LAMBEAU
Oh, that's nice--
SEAN
And who do you think he's handling?
He pushes people away before they
have a chance to leave him. And for
20 years he's been alone because of
that. And if you try to push him
into this, it's going to be the same
thing all over again. And I'm not
going to let that happen to him!
LAMBEAU
Now don't do that. Don't you do that!
Don't infect him with the idea that
it's okay to quit. That it's okay to
be a failure, because it's not okay!
If you're angry at me for being
successful, for being what you could
have been--
SEAN
--I'm not angry at you--
LAMBEAU
Yes you are, Sean. You resent me.
And I'm not going to apologize for
any success that I've had.
SEAN
--I don't have any anger at you--
LAMBEAU
Yes you do. You're angry at me for
doing what you could have done. Ask
yourself if you want Will to feel
that way for the rest of his life,
to feel like a failure.
SEAN
That's it. That's why I don't come
to the goddamn reunions! Because I
can't stand the look in your eye
when you see me! You think I'm a
failure! I know who I am. I'm proud
of who I am. And all of you, you
think I'm some kind of pity case!
You with your sycophant students
following you around. And your Goddamn
Medal!
LAMBEAU
Is that what this is about, Sean?
The Field's Medal? Do you want me to
go home and get it for you? Then
will you let the boy--
SEAN
I don't want your trophy and I don't
give a shit about it! 'Cause I knew
you when!! You and Jack and Tom
Sanders. I knew you when you were
homesick and pimply-faced and didn't
know what side of the bed to piss
on!
LAMBEAU
That's right! You were smarter than
us then and you're smarter than us
now! So don't blame me for how your
life turned out. It's not my fault.
SEAN
I don't blame you! It's not about
that! It's about the boy! 'Cause
he's a good kid! And I won't see
this happen to him- won't see you
make him feel like a failure too!
LAMBEAU
He won't be a failure!
SEAN
If you push him into something, if
you ride him--
LAMBEAU
You're wrong, Sean. I'm where I am
today because I was pushed. And
because I learned to push myself!
SEAN
He's not you!
A beat. Lambeau turns, something catches his eye. Sean turns
to look, IT'S WILL. He is standing in the doorway.
WILL
I can come back.
LAMBEAU
No, that's fine, Will. I was just
leaving.
There is an awkward moment as Lambeau gets his coat and
leaves.
WILL
Well, I'm here.
(beat)
So, is that my problem? I'm afraid
of being abandoned? That was easy.
SEAN
Look, a lot of that stuff goes back
a long way. And it's between me and
him and it has nothing to do with
you.
WILL
Do you want to talk about it?
Sean smiles. A beat. Will sees a FILE on Sean's desk.
WILL
What's that?
SEAN
Oh, this is your file. I have to
send it back to the Judge with my
evaluation.
WILL
You're not going to fail me are you?
Sean smiles.
WILL
So what's it say?
SEAN
You want to read it?
WILL
No.
(beat)
Have you had any experience with
that?
SEAN
Twenty years of counseling you see a
lot of--
WILL
No, have you had any experience with
that?
SEAN
Yes.
WILL
(smiles)
It sure ain't good.
INT. WILL'S CHILDHOOD APARTMENT -- FLASHBACK
From a child's P.O.V. we see a man, partially obscured by a
doorframe. The man turns toward the P.O.V.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
SEAN
(after a pause)
My dad used to make us walk down to
the park and collect the sticks he
was going to beat us with. Actually
the worst of the beatings were between
me and my brother. We would practice
on each other trying to find sticks
that would break.
WILL
He used to just put a belt, a stick
and a wrench on the kitchen table
and say "choose."
INT. WILL'S CHILDHOOD APARTMENT -- FLASHBACK
A large, callused hand sets down a wrench next to a stick.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
SEAN
Gotta go with the belt there...
WILL
I used to go with the wrench.
SEAN
The wrench, why?
WILL
Cause fuck him, that's why.
A long quiet moment.
WILL
Is that why me and Skylar broke up?
SEAN
I didn't know you had. Do you want
to talk about that?
(beat)
I don't know a lot, Will. But let me
tell you one thing. All this history,
this shit...
(indicates file)
Look here, son.
Will, who had been looking away, loos at Sean.
SEAN
This is not your fault.
WILL
(nonchalant)
Oh, I know.
SEAN
It's not your fault.
WILL
(smiles)
I know.
SEAN
It's not your fault.
WILL
I know.
SEAN
It's not your fault.
WILL
(dead serious)
I know.
SEAN
It's not your fault.
WILL
Don't fuck with me.
SEAN
(comes around desk,
sits in front of
Will)
It's not your fault.
WILL
(tears start)
I know.
SEAN
It's not...
WILL
(crying hard)
I know, I know...
Sean takes Will in his arms and holds him like a child. Will
sobs like a baby. After a moment, he wraps his arms around
Sean and holds him, even tighter. We pull back from this
image. Two lonely souls being father and son together.
INT. RED LINE CAR -- DUSK
Will rides the Red Line, above ground. He looks out over the
landscape. Small back yards, laundry hangs from wire lines.
Chainlink fences, overgrown with weeds.
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON PARK -- DAY
Will walking through South Boston. He cuts through a park. A
senior citizen is spearing trach for the city.
INT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- NIGHT
Will at home. Not reading. Looks up at the ceiling.
EXT. TRI-TECH LABORATORIES -- DAY
Will walks up to a nondescript building, he walks through
the glass doors, into the lobby.
CUT TO:
INT. TRI-TECH LABORATORIES, RECEPTION -- CONTINUOUS
Will walks into the lobby. A SECURITY GUARD looks up.
SECURITY GUARD
Can I help you?
WILL
Yeah, my name is Will Hunting. I'm
here about a position.
SECURITY GUARD
One moment.
The guard reaches for the phone.
DISSOLVE TO BLACK.
FADE UP to the sound of laughter.
INT. L STREET BAR & GRILLE -- DAY
Chuckie is again regaling Will and the guys at their table.
CHUCKIE
Oh my God, I got the most fucked up
thing I been meanin' to tell you.
MORGAN
Save it for your mother, funny guy.
We heard it before.
CHUCKIE
Oh, Morgan.
They both get up, in one another's face. This is a play fight.
"You gonna start?" "You gonna pay my hospital bills?"
WILL
Sorry to miss this.
INT. L STREET -- SAME
Will comes back from the bathroom.
WILL
(to Chuckie)
You and Morgan throw?
CHUCKIE
No, I had to talk him down.
WILL
Why didn't you yoke him?
CHUCKIE
Little Morgan's got a lot a scrap,
dude. I'd rather fight a big kid,
they never fight, everyone's scared
of 'em. You know how many people try
to whip Morgan's ass every week?
Fuckin' kid won't back down.
MORGAN
(from across the table)
What'd you say about me?
CHUCKIE
Shut the fuck up.
Billy walks in the door and give Chuckie a look. Chuckie
turns to Will.
CHUCKIE
(To Will)
Hey, asshole. Happy Birthday.
MORGAN
You thought we forgot, didn't you? I
know I'm gettin' my licks in.
Laughter as the boys converge on Will. He goes willingly out
the door.
EXT. L STREET -- CONTINUOUS
As they come out the door, rather than beating Will
mercilessly, they stop. Morgan goes into his own, personal
rendition of "Danny Boy." No one joins in.
CHUCKIE
Shut up, Morgan.
(to Will)
Here's your present.
Chuckie indicates an old CHEVY NOVA, parked illegally in
front of the bar.
WILL
You're kiddin' me.
CHUCKIE
Yeah, I figured now that you got
your big job over in Cambridge, you
needed some way to get over there
and I knew I wasn't gonna drive you
every day...
Laughter.
CHUCKIE
Morgan wanted to get you a "T" pass.
MORGAN
No I didn't...
Will approaches the car to take a closer look.
CHUCKIE
But you're twenty-one now, so--
BILLY
Yeah, now that you can drink legally,
we thought the best thing to get you
was a car.
More laughter. Will inspects the Nova.
WILL
You're kiddin' me.
(a beat)
This is the ugliest fuckin' car I
ever seen in my life.
Laughter, a beat.
WILL
(serious)
How the fuck did you guys do this?
CHUCKIE
Me and Bill scraped together the
parts, worked on it. Morgan was out
panhandlin' every day.
MORGAN
Fuck you, I did the body work. Whose
fuckin' router you think sanded out
all that bondo?
CHUCKIE
Guy's been up my ass for two years
about a fuckin' job. I had to let
him help with the car.
WILL
So, you finally got a job Morgan?
MORGAN
Had one, now I'm fucked again.
WILL
(to Chuckie)
So what do you got, a fuckin' Hyundai
engine under there? Can I make it
back to my house?
CHUCKIE
Fuck you. I re-built the engine
myself. That thing could make it to
Hawaii if you wanted it to.
Chuckie gives Will a look.
CHUCKIE
Happy 21, Will.
CUT TO:
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Will sits across from Sean.
SEAN
Which one did you take, Will?
WILL
Over at Tri-tech. One of the jobs
Professor Lambeau set me up with. I
haven't told him yet, but I talked
to my new boss over there and he
seemed like a nice guy.
SEAN
That's what you want?
WILL
Yeah, I think so.
SEAN
Good for you. Congratulations.
WILL
Thanks you.
(a beat)
So, that's it? We're done?
SEAN
We're done. You did your time. You're
a free man.
A beat.
WILL
I just want you to know, Sean...
SEAN
You're Welcome, Will.
WILL
I'll keep in touch.
SEAN
I'm gonna travel a little bit, so I
don't know where I'll be.
Will smiles.
SEAN
I just... figured it's time I put my
money back on the table, see what
kind of cards I get.
Will smiles. Sean hands him a piece of paper.
SEAN
I'll be checking in with my machine
at the college. If you ever need
anything, just call.
Sean smiles.
SEAN
Do what's in your heart, son. You'll
be fine.
WILL
Thanks you, Sean.
They embrace.
SEAN
No. Thank you.
WILL
(re: embrace)
Does this violate the patient/doctor
relationship?
SEAN
Only if you grab my ass.
They laugh.
WILL
See ya.
SEAN
Good luck.
Both men smile.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE SEAN'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER
Will comes out of Sean's office and sees Lambeau walking up.
LAMBEAU
(surprised)
Will.
WILL
Hey, how you doin'?
LAMBEAU
You know, you're no longer required
to come here.
WILL
I was just sayin' goodbye to Sean.
LAMBEAU
(a beat)
Sam called me. From Tri-tech. He
says you start working for them next
week.
Will nods.
LAMBEAU
Well, that's, I think that's terrific.
Congratulations.
WILL
Thank you.
LAMBEAU
I just want you to know... It's been
a pleasure.
WILL
Bullshit.
They laugh.
LAMBEAU
This job... Do it if it's what you
really want.
WILL
I appreciate that.
A moment. Will starts to go, Lambeau watches him for a beat,
Will turns back around.
WILL
Hey, Gerry.
LAMBEAU
Yes.
WILL
Listen, I'll be nearby so, if you
need some help, or you get stuck
again, don't be afraid to give me a
call.
LAMBEAU
(has to smile)
Thank you, Will. I'll do that.
Will smiles, turns and walks away.
INT. SEAN'S OFFICE -- DAY
Sean is packing his office. Lambeau opens the door.
LAMBEAU
Hello, Sean.
SEAN
Come in.
LAMBEAU
Sean...
SEAN
(a beat)
Me too.
A moment.
LAMBEAU
So I hear you're taking some time.
SEAN
Yeah. Summer vacation. Thought I'd
travel some. Maybe write a little
bit.
LAMBEAU
Where're you going?
SEAN
I don't know. India maybe.
LAMBEAU
Why there?
SEAN
Never been.
Lambeau nods.
LAMBEAU
Do you know when you'll be back?
SEAN
(picks up a flyer
from his desk)
I got this mailer the other day.
Class of Sixty-five is having this
event in six months.
LAMBEAU
I got one of those too.
SEAN
You should come. I'll buy you a drink.
Lambeau smiles.
LAMBEAU
Sean...
A beat.
LAMBEAU
The drinks at those things are free.
Sean smiles.
SEAN
Hell, I know that.
Both men laugh.
LAMBEAU
How about one now?
SEAN
Sounds good.
They start to walk out.
SEAN
It's on you though, until eight
o'clock tonight when I win my money.
Sean pulls out his lottery ticket. They start out down the
hall.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS
On their backs as they walk down the hall.
LAMBEAU
Sean, do you have any idea what the
odds are against winning the lottery?
SEAN
I don't know... Gotta be at least
four to one.
LAMBEAU
About thirty million to one.
SEAN
You're pretty quick with those
numbers. How about the odds of me
buying the first round?
LAMBEAU
About thirty million to one.
CUT TO:
EXT. BANK OF THE CHARLES RIVER -- AFTERNOON
Will sits alone, thinking. We hold on him for an extended
beat until he gets up and walks away.
OMITTED
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- EARLY EVENING
Begin final sequence.
A wide, establishing shot of Sean's apartment complex as the
sun is setting. The lights are on in one unit. A tighter
shot reveals Sean, in his apartment, packing his belongings
in cardboard boxes.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT, STREET -- SAME
The camera cranes down from Sean's window and onto the street,
where we pan to reveal Will, sitting in his car and looking
up at Sean as he packs his things. Will's car is packed full
of clothes and books.
EXT. SOUTH BOSTON STREET -- SAME
Chuckie and the boys drive down the street in the Cadillac.
Morgan and Billy ride in the back, leaving the shotgun seat
open for Will.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Will holds an envelope which he slips in Sean's mailbox. He
puts the flag up and smiles as he looks up at Sean in his
apartment who is still unaware that Will is there.
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Chuckie pulls up in front of Will's house. He honks the horn,
waits a beat, then gets out and heads toward the house.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Will drives away from Sean's house. Sean hears the car pull
out and looks out the window. Sean sees Will's car pulling
away.
Curious, he investigates.
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Chuckie walks up Will's front steps.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Sean walks out to the sidewalk and looks around. Seeing the
mailbox flag has been raised, he walks over to it.
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Chuckie knocks on Will's front door. There is no answer. He
waits a beat, looks in the window. An incredulous smile slowly
starts to form.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Sean opens the card Will left for him. It reads:
WILL
(in writing)
Sean -- If the Professor calls about
that job, just tell him, "Sorry, I
had to go see about a girl."
EXT. WILL'S APARTMENT -- SAME
Chuckie walks back towards his car unable to contain the
broad smile. He knows Will is gone. He shrugs in explanation
to the guys. Morgan takes Will's seat as they pull away from
the curb.
EXT. SEAN'S APARTMENT -- SAME
We pan up from the letter to Sean. A broad smile comes over
him.
This is a look we haven't seen. Sean is truly happy.
EXT. MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE -- SUNSET
Will is on the road, driving away. As we pull back and credits
roll, the car disappears into the horizon.
THE END