Poolhall Junkies (2002) - full transcript

If not, I don't know, you can have my ring.

-He never gets the first one right.
-Will you shut up?

Fine, you got yourself a bet.

Sounds good to me.
Why don't you guys shake on it?

But you'll never get that job,
I'll tell you why.

I got these shoes when I was on a cruise,
in international waters.

So no matter what you say,
you're gonna lose.

I never said I could tell you
where you bought your shoes.

I said I can tell you where you got 'em.
Right now, you got your shoes on your feet.

-I hate it when that happens.
-How's today for you? Can you start today?

Hi, this is Tara. Leave a message.



Pick up the phone, will you, please?

Sweetheart, please pick up the phone.
I'm tired of leaving messages.

Hello?

I'll just leave you ridiculous shit
on your machine...

until you run out of tape, okay?

Pick up the phone. Hello?

All right, what do you want?

Who is this? Beth?

-I wanna speak to Tara.
-Tara doesn't want to speak to you.

Put her on the phone for me,
will you, please?

It's important. I need to speak with her.
God damn it.

-Don't take that tone with me.
-There's something I have to say to her.

-It's very important.
-Tell me. I'll give her the message.

-Bye.
-No, wait. Hold on.



Can you take a message for me?

Okay, great.

Get a pen and paper.
Do you have one handy?

-Right here.
-You have it in your hand?

Write this down for me, please.

-We gotta follow our dreams, right?
-Right.

We live for the moment, right?

Love what you do while you're alive, 'cause
tomorrow a truck could hit you, right?

So I'm doing the right thing by taking
all the money my family's ever saved...

for me to go to college with, and use it
to bankroll myself on the road, right?

-You're not serious.
-He's serious.

I can't believe I'm hearing this.
Please do something.

I've talked to him all day,
but he won't listen.

In that case, if he's got his mind made up,
there's no talking him out of it...

the only thing left to do
is to send him out in style.

Party, Chris's house, tomorrow night.
His parents are out of town.

Robin Hood,
thank you for donating my place.

Sorry, my parents just got
brand-new white carpeting.

Anything gets on that, and I am a dead man.

There is no way we could possibly have
a party at my house.

Could everyone please stand on the plastic?

What's going on? How are you doing?

What's going on?

Can I get you guys a beer?

How you doing?

What's up, doc?

Listen, man, the key to picking up women
is very simple.

Old Spice and Aqua Velva.

Are you kidding?
That's the shit my dad uses.

Exactly. That's what I'm trying to tell you.
This is the old-school shit.

What the fuck are you looking at?

It's cool.

It just seems like
everybody I meet nowadays is just...

weird.

What's up, my man?

I find myself wanting to meet a girl
who is completely normal, for a change.

You don't have any tattoos, do you?

Good.

Sweetheart, come on, Jacuzzi. You'll love it.

-What are you doing?
-Eating pop rocks, drinking pop.

Are you out of your fucking mind?
What's the matter with you?

Don't you know a kid died like that?

-Wait a minute.
-What?

Do you have any stuffed animals
on your bed?

No, of course not.

Okay, that's good.

What are you doing?

Choke me.

-What?
-Choke me. I like it.

Oh, my God!

That's just.... Jesus!

Yo, Romeo. Grab a brew and relax.

-That's easy for you to say. Jesus!
-Where's Tang?

Last time I saw him, I think
he was adopted by a 12-year-old boy.

Seriously, I can't believe
he's really going on the road.

Me, neither.
He has no idea what the fuck he's in for.

I think that's kind of the point.

But he doesn't realize
the situation that he's in.

It's not about the money.
He's gambling with his future.

If he fucks this up, then he can regret it
for the rest of his life.

-What's he got in the box, anyway?
-$40,000.

What? $40,000?

And you morons
didn't try to talk him out of it?

-What's wrong with you?
-I tried.

He's so jonesed about this,
he doesn't listen to us.

He's just trying to be like you.

-All right, guys.
-You get 'em, baby.

You go get 'em, Tang.

All right. It's me against the world, baby!

-Yeah, baby.
-You go shoot some stick, now.

-Think he'll last a month?
-I'll give you 3-to-1.

-I'll take it.
-All right.

-Who is next?
-That's what I'm talking about, baby.

Okay, mister.

I didn't even have any of it, you know.

Bye-bye. Anybody else? I'm game.

Anybody in here play for money?

-What do you play for?
-What do you got?

-I play $20 a game.
-How about we play $100?

And I'll give you four balls off the table.
You play 8-ball?

We usually play 9-ball.

You give me four balls off the table,
you got a game.

Put it up.

-Call it.
-Heads.

Take 'em down.

-Do it again?
-Put it up.

What's going on?

This guy's giving Chris four balls
off the table for $100 a rack.

Four balls off the table?
Since when does Chris play 8-ball?

I don't know. Why?

Four balls off the table's
the biggest hustle in the world.

Chris is getting his balls out of the way,
so this fucker can shoot.

That's game. Do it again?

-One more time.
-What's up?

-I'm about to beat this guy's ass.
-How much you down?

$200.

We've played two games
and I haven't shot yet.

As soon as he fucks up, I'll be on his ass.

Have you forgotten?
I'm on in an hour. Let's go.

-He's giving me four balls off the table!
-Let's go.

He's hustling you.
This guy's a fucking hustler. Let's go.

Take 'em down.

All right, Max, let's go.

We can't leave Chris here.
What if the fucker tries to start something?

He'll learn his lesson. Let's go.
I'll see you later. Don't be late.

I hate choosing.

I'm such a bitch.

Let's get to work!

Poor little white trash

Say you got some extra cash

Why don't you come

and blow it all on me?

I ain't nothing but a smart ass

drinking from an empty glass

I'm as crazy as a tree

What's your hurry?

Don't you worry, baby

Never shed a tear for me

Don't you worry, baby

I'm cold as a boy can be

I ain't scared of a broken heart

I get bored with the easy part

Heaven knows I'm a redneck gigolo

I think you and I

should go down by the seaside

Pick up all the dead things on the beach

Ain't nothing but a washed-up world

You ain't nothing but a stupid girl

I think that's the way that life ought to be

What's your hurry?

Don't you worry, baby

Never shed a tear for me

Don't you worry, baby

I'm cold as a boy can be

I ain't scared of a broken heart

I get bored with the easy part

Heaven knows I'm a redneck gigolo

Come on!

All right, man.

Man, you were really good tonight.

Thanks, Harold.

Too bad no one will ever know.

Thanks for coming. I appreciate that.
Don't tell me. You lost.

-I know. I fucked up, okay?
-Yeah, you fucked up.

-God damn it. How much did you lose?
-$2,000.

-What the fuck are you doing here?
-I'm waiting for you.

Now that Johnny's gone,
you're the top dog around here.

Maybe you want to step up.

You ain't welcome around here no more.
Nick says you're out.

Tell him I'll burn this place to the ground
if he thinks I'm out.

And tell Johnny, when he gets his hand
out of that cast I put him in...

that I want his game, too.

-You did that to his hand?
-What the fuck will you do?

Fuck! It's fucking bullshit, man.

We can't let them come into our pool room
and push us around.

-We gotta do something.
-What? Joe's a fucking psycho. He'll kill us.

We've gotta beat him at his own game.

That sounds great, but Joe's got
this demon fucking pool fiend with him.

-The guy never misses. He's unconscious.
-We'll get Johnny to play.

Fuck that. Johnny's out of his mind.
He's got chick drama and a broken hand.

Anybody's gonna step up, it's gonna be me.

Are you deaf? Did you not hear me?
The guy never misses.

-He just destroyed me.
-Chris, I destroy you.

This is different. The guy's really good.

I'll play him on table 4.
Nobody knows better how that table rolls.

That's true.
Table 4 does roll pretty fucked up.

You know why? I'm the one
who put the matchbox under the leg.

-Motherfucker.
-Give me my $100 back.

We're gonna have to pawn your car.
I need money to put pressure on them.

Wait a minute. Pawn my car?

-You're not gonna pawn my car.
-It's just for one day.

Are you out of your fucking mind?

There's no way I'm gonna let you do this.

In a million years,
you are never gonna pawn my car.

Let's go, Phil. $500 a hole.
Let's get cracking.

Hold your horses. I gotta call my wife...

and tell her I'll be stuck in traffic
for at least a week.

Mr. Stein, you forgot to sign these.

Thank you.

That's great. You know...

I need to talk to the both of you.

Remember that bet you made?

This is the last time
I'm gonna call you, so....

I don't know, if you change your mind,
or if you ever check your machine...

then you'll know where to find me.
All right. Bye.

I am not having a good day.

Every day is a good day, kid.

Just try missing one once.

I gotta go get some felt for the tables.
I'll be gone a couple of hours.

-Keep an eye on the castle.
-You got it.

Here.

Here's the keys.

Make sure you lock up
before you leave, all right?

Back off her.

-Ma'am.
-Hey, Nick.

What happened to your hand?

I cut myself shaving.

Why didn't you tell me
what you did for me that night?

Because you spend so much time
always thinking that I'm an asshole...

that you never see
any of the good things that I do.

All I wanted to do...

was give you what I knew you wanted
more than anything in the world...

the only way I knew how.

The only thing I ever wanted was you.

I love you.

Wait.

-There's something I have to tell you.
-What?

I'm a motor-home salesman now.

I know. I heard.

What do you mean?

I saw you in the window, with the tie.

Are you stalking me now?

No. You almost made a sale.
I almost came....

Why are you gonna stalk me?

I just missed you, baby.

I missed you, too.

You guys want some action?

I'll be at Hard Times, table 4, tonight.

Can't miss me.
I'll be the one whipping your ass.

What's the weather like lately?
I haven't been outside.

What you wanna do, Brad....
Is that your name?

You wanna stroke it, not poke it.
Look how pretty that is.

I move 'em around pretty good, myself.

This is too easy.

Can you get that money up there?
My arm is....

Thanks. Appreciate it.

-$500, baby. Easy as fucking pie.
-That's my boy!

Where'd you get that stick?
Is that Johnny's cue?

-He ain't using it, so I borrowed it.
-Danny, be careful, man.

Something strange is going on.
He's not playing you the way he played me.

Of course not.
I'm a lot better player than you are.

Here he comes.

-Nice table.
-You like that? Thanks.

Why don't we switch tables
and double the bet?

No, I say we play on this table or I quit.
That's the deal.

You're such a punk.
Fine, let's double the bet.

That sounds good.

You weren't breast-fed, were you?

Rack 'em, Joe, my finger's so'.

Dead rail. I can't believe that!

Table 4, baby.

This guy's got us playing
on this fucked-up table.

What's your deal?

Are you gonna play,
or cry about it like a fucking baby?

Bet $5,000.
He can't beat me three sets in a row.

Shut up. It ain't your money.

It's half my money.
You want out, I'll play him on my own.

You can't fire an air barrel.
How will you cover if you lose?

I'm not gonna lose. I'm in this guy's head--

-Don't be an idiot. We don't have the money.
-Get the fuck out of here.

Fine. $5,000. You call it.

-You call.
-Tails.

So you won a fucking break.
Big fucking deal.

Pay up. $5,000.

-Where's the money?
-Tough guy!

Get the fuck out of here,
you punk-ass bastards. Get out of here. Go!

Listen to me. The money. 24 hours.

-Or next time I come back angry.
-You son of a bitch!

-That's enough!
-I'll tell you when it's enough.

-Fuck!
-Jesus Christ, what the hell are you?

I'm a klutz.

Fuck, Danny!

Freeze! Put your hands in the air!

Get them up in the air so we can see them!

Let's see them hands!

Hey, Nick. What's going on?

What's wrong?

-Danny's in jail.
-What happened?

He crapped out
firing an air barrel at Brad last night.

How much?

$5,000. He's stuck for half of it.

And it gets worse.

When Joe found out
that Danny couldn't cover...

then he leaned on him pretty heavy,
beat the shit out of him...

put a gun to his head and said,
"You've got 24 hours to get the money."

That's when Danny went crazy,
tried to knock over Sal's.

-What?
-He's in County Jail.

It's $25,000 bail.

We got to get him out, right? Nick?

I'm sorry, kid.
I just don't have that kind of money.

All I got is my dad's plastic.

-I ain't got nothing.
-I can call my dad.

No.

What are you gonna do?

I'm gonna go get my brother. Come on.

Hey, Nick. He's here.

Detroit. You got action.

Come here. Give me the fucking thing.

Fuck.

Nick, anything on the bankroll?

Nothing. De nada.

The next level. Why don't you take over?

Come on, set 'em up.

-How's the arm?
-Horrible.

-You ready?
-I'm ready.

-Let's play the first set for $5,000.
-All right, fine.

Fine. Call it.

The money first. Put it up.

What's wrong?
You don't think I'm good for it?

Put the money on the lights.

-I think you know me better than that.
-I know you too well, Johnny boy.

I'm not gonna fall for any of your old tricks.

The money.

Fine. Just give me a second, all right?

-What the hell are we working with here?
-It's about $5,500.

Christ!

I got one barrel, no cue.
How the hell do I like it?

It's okay. We're covered.

-Jesus Christ, where'd you get that?
-I'm the rich kid, right?

Don't worry about it.

-Are we playing here, or what?
-We're playing.

Joe, how about we play this one
for $10,000?

-Ten's my favorite number.
-Nice cue. You shooting with that?

No, that's not his cue, smart ass.
He's shooting with this.

Fuck.

You wanted a pro, you got one.
He's ranked 13th in the country.

You don't stand a shot against him.
You had enough yet?

Rack 'em.

Christ, Nick, the kid's good,
but he's not that good.

You're just getting started.

Yeah, but it's just cost us $10,000
to get me started.

You listen to me. I know this type of guy
from my past experience.

This son of a bitch is not a stayer,
you understand?

He'll crack sooner or later.
When he cracks, you'll win. Have faith.

-"Have faith."
-Okay, you're covered.

Covered? What the hell
kind of ATM you got?

Thanks, Chris.

Fuck!

This is so sad.

Wait here. I'm not done yet.

I know. I think he's getting warmed up now.
Just give us another $10,000. Maybe....

You motherfucker!

How could you do this?

This is fucking Tang, man!

He don't got no fucking credit cards
and no Cadillac.

You give me this rich-kid bullshit.
You got me in there pissing away his future.

What the fuck are you doing?

What am I, a baby?
Like I had no say in this?

-My friend was in trouble. I came to help.
-What the fuck, man?

He bails out Danny now
and pays off his debt, he's out $30,000.

Then he's broke, too. What the fuck?

All right, we just took a fucking chance.

Come on. We never thought you'd lose.

Here, man. Take this.

Keep your money.

What are you gonna do?

Come on. Just take the money! I'm sorry!

All right, what do you say we bump the bet?
Play this one for $20,000.

How much you got up there, John?

You wouldn't be flashing me
no nigger roll, would you?

'Cause that don't look like no $20,000.

As long as we're doing this,
why not play for $50,000?

I've been looking for him all day.
Are we too late?

No, perfect.

-Sorry I'm late, John. Hi, how you doing?
-Who are you?

His backer.

What do you say you match what I got,
and we play till somebody takes it all?

-$20,000 is okay.
-Are you sure?

-Race to 5 for $20,000.
-Put it up.

All right.

At least you got Tang's money back.

Yeah, but my brother's still in jail.

Come here. Get over here.

-Put him the fuck out. Come on.
-I got him.

-Bet $40,000.
-Fine. Good. Even better.

Go ahead. Shoot 'em.

Don't miss.

Fuck this back-and-forth bullshit.
It's a big waste of time.

You want to put it all up, Mr. Backer man?

Come on. Last set. Shoot it all.
Race to 9 for $80,000.

I'm betting this big-time action
brings out the dog in your boy, over there.

Did I just stutter or something?

A few minutes ago, it was like a pool hall
in here. Now it's as quiet as a church.

Is this your first time in a pool hall,
Mr. Backer man? Is that it?

Your clothes getting a little mashed?
Let me tell you something.

When you walk out of here,
your skin will smell of this place for a week.

Every time you put on that suit,
you will think of me taking your money.

'Cause I'm the only one in this room
who knows how fast your boy can run.

You want to know why? 'Cause I bred him.

How the fuck does that make you feel...

to be in that position,
with all your money on the table?

-How much you got, Joe?
-What?

Total. You put down $80,000
like it didn't matter.

That's a lot of money for somebody
like you and him. I think it matters.

-What's the difference--
-I'm a millionaire.

That's the difference.
I lose $80,000, I get another $80,000.

For me, it doesn't matter.
See, I think it's you...

who's sweating this, the both of you.

People in pool rooms don't come across
this kind of take but once in a lifetime.

And now you're gonna
put it all on the line against John...

'cause you think he's gonna choke?
I don't think so.

I think he's gonna choke.

You want to shoot it all, let's shoot it all.

-How much you got in your pocket?
-I got a couple of thousand.

You?

$500.

-What about your ring?
-What?

-How much for your ring?
-You want my ring?

You said it: "Shoot it all."

-What's it worth to you?
-I paid $2,800 for it.

$3,000. Covered.

I'm gonna leave you with nothing.
Nick, make sure, please, it's all there.

I'm gonna have a drink. You want a drink?

All right.

You watch those nature documentaries
on the cable?

Yeah.

See the one about lions?

Got this lion.

He's the king of the jungle.
Huge mane, out to here.

He's laying down under a tree,
in the middle of Africa.

He's so big. He's so hot.

He doesn't want to move.

The little lion cubs,
they start messing with him.

Biting his tail, biting his ears.
He doesn't do anything.

The lioness, she starts messing with him...

coming over, making trouble. Still nothing.

Now, the other animals notice this...

and they start to move in, the jackals.

Hyenas.

They're barking at him, laughing at him.

They nip his toes
and eat the food that's in his domain.

They do this...

then they get closer and bolder,
till one day...

that lion gets up
and tears the shit out of everybody...

runs like the wind,
eats everything in his path.

'Cause every once in a while,
the lion has to show the jackals...

who he is.

It's too late to be scared. It's time to kill.

I'm going in the other room.
You come out when you're ready.

Don't beat him. Kick his ass.

Watch this 2-ball go down.

Fuck.

That's fucking bullshit!
I can't fucking believe this.

I don't know. I think I gotta bank it.
There's nothing else I can do.

You can do it. It's a two-rail safety.

I think you're right. Thanks, Nick.

Good shot.

Take that, you motherless motherfuckers!

Stop. Easy. No....

Shit!

Shoot the shot already. It's an easy shot.

-Easy shot, my ass.
-Shows how much you know.

I can't believe I'm playing
with somebody so fucking stupid.

I ain't biting on any of your
South Side shark techniques, so shut up.

The shot can't be made, Brad.

Believe me,
I'd rather have you shoot it than me.

Me, too.

-Come on!
-Bullshit.

If you think it's so easy,
why don't you come and shoot it?

Believe me, I wish I could.
I'd pay to shoot a shot like that.

How much is it worth to you, Johnny boy?

What are you saying?

You think you can make it. I say
it can't be made. I don't want him doing it.

So why don't you speak to Daddy Warbucks
and see how much it's worth?

I don't gotta ask nobody nothing.
That's a tough fucking shot.

It's worth, maybe, $200 bucks.

$200? We're playing for $100,000
and you want to offer me $200?

Offer me $5,000,
and then maybe I'll think about it.

What are you saying, Joe?

You don't want to go home broke
once John makes this shot.

Listen, mister, all due respect...

but save your money,
'cause you don't know the game.

The shot can't be made.

It's up to you.

Here's your gas money.

You're gonna need it.

Excuse me.

Come on, get legs.

Fuck!

What the hell were you thinking?
I told you you couldn't make the shot.

-What are you doing?
-I'm taking my shot.

See, I just paid $5,000 for your shot.

Now it's my shot.

Listen, you can't do that.

-He just did.
-This is bullshit!

It's not an old trick
you should have been looking out for.

-This is fucking bullshit, man!
-Here's what my brother owes you.

-Fuck you.
-You and I got some unfinished business.

The rest of y'all clear out.
It's about to get rowdy in this motherfucker.

-Go!
-Later, Joe.

A game like that, you should be on the tour.

I don't think you'd want me beating you
every week.

You didn't beat me. I got hustled.

Maybe you did, and maybe you didn't.

-I guess I'm a hustler.
-Doesn't have to stay that way.

Think about it.

Wanna get out of here?

Let's go get your brother.

-Wait, we're not going in that.
-What are we going in?

We're going in that.

That's my Uncle Mike's car.

Not anymore. Come on.

Okay, boys, you ready?

Go.

Give me two seconds.... Okay, I'm all right!

Jesus Christ.

-I'm telling you, right now--
-No way those are real.

What we need is a plastic surgeon.

Shut up! We need a consensus,
all right? Tang?

They must be real. There's no scar.
I'm going with God.

Are you retarded?
There's laser technology now.

They can remove scars, plus God made
plastic surgery. 100-percent fake.

I don't know. It's a shot in the dark,
but I'll go with real.

I can't leave Max hanging on this.
They look great, but a little too amazing.

I'll say store-bought.

All right! Is that your final answer?

Want to take the 50-50? Audience choice?

-Come on.
-All right, okay!

All right, Scarlet.
Here's the moment of truth.

-Are they real, or are they Memorex?
-They're real.

I knew it!

-Scarlet, they feel hard as a rock.
-Never go swimming. You'll drown.