Tape (2001) - full transcript

[ can pops open ]

[ spitting ]

[ outer door opens ]

[ outer door closes ]

[ knocking on door ]

- Vince!
- Hey, man.

- This is great!
- Yeah!

This is great, man!

How are you?!

- I can't complain.
- Yeah. Cool, cool.

Totally, it is.
I'm very psyched.



Oh. You should be, Johnny.
This is a great thing.

- Thanks, man.
- It's great to be alive!

Totally.

Vince: Shit.

Clear!

[ laughing ]

- What's up, man?
- Nothing much.

- John: You're not dressed.
- Lay off.

It's not that
I don't like it--

- Vince: What?
- Nothing.

- Vince: So?
- John: So nothing.

- Okay.
- Okay.

Excellent.

[ John laughing ]



I swear to God, man,
you get stranger every year.

You look good, John.

Where's Leah?

She didn't make the trip.

Why not?

We broke up.

Shut up.

- I'm serious.
- Shut up!

- Man, I'm serious.
- You broke up?

- We broke up.
- Why?

Uh, complicated.

Why?

Oh, she didn't like
the way I dress.

- Come on. Don't joke, man.
- Actually I'm not.

Tell me
what happened.

Oh, I get stranger every year.

- Come on, Vince!
- What, man?!

She thinks I am a dick!

She sends her apologies
for not coming.

She says she's sure
it's gonna go, you know, fine.

I don't believe it.

She does.

- Why did you break up?
- Hey, hey, I don't know!

- John: Sorry, man.
- Yeah, man. Me too.

[ punches wall ]

Well... what, is it permanent?

Vince: Permanent as
a dead horse, amigo.

Vince.

[ flushing toilet ]

Come on, what did you do?

Why did you say that?

- Because I know you.
- What, you think I'm a dick?

Uh... no. Uh... but
I do know that occasionally...

you have a tendency
to act in a phallic fashion.

- I'm not like that anymore.
- You're not a dick?

- Vince: No.
- You're not a dick anymore?

[ grunting ]

- You see what I mean?
- Hey, I'm just asking what happened.

Well, a lot of things.

Like?

Like, I don't know. Like she says
I'm reckless. All right?

- What, in general?
- Vince: Yeah.

Okay, you weren't
specifically reckless recently?

Not particularly
specifically. No.

- Be honest, Vince.
- I am.

- Did you fuck around?
- No!

- Vince!
- I didn't.

So what happened?

Uh...

she thinks I have
violent tendencies.

- Oh boy.
- John, I never touched her.

I never said you did.

Yeah, well, she thinks I have
"unresolved issues, which occasionally

manifest themselves
in potentially violent ways."

What?

John: I think it's fair to say
she has a point.

Yeah, well, no one's saying
she doesn't have a point.

- John: So?
- So what, she's got to break up?

She's probably scared.

God. Of what?
I never threatened her.

You sometimes present
a threatening appearance.

[ breathes deeply ]

Dude, we've been going together
for three years!

So what?

So, I mean you'd think
she'd be used to it by now.

That's a tricky one, Vin.

Jesus! What's tricky?

I'm just saying, it's tricky.

Women these days have
no reason to hang around...

potentially violent guys.

It's not an attractive
quality to them anymore.

Too many other guys out there
with resolved violent tendencies.

- Oh, so I'm out of fashion.
- John: Look, don't be a fool.

Well, don't be
a politically correct fuck.

Hey, I'm not.
I'm telling you, you're an idiot

if you think chicks
are gonna put up with your bullshit.

What bullshit?

- Uh... like playing rough.
- I didn't play rough with her.

- Vince.
- Vince: What?

- I love you.
- Oh great.

- But come on...
- Vince: What?

- You don't not play rough.
- I totally do not play rough!

[ grunting ]
Fuck!

Okay, man. Look, I'm just sorry
you broke up. All right?

I'm sorry for you both.

Don't be sorry
for that bitch.

Fine, Vince. I'm just
sorry for you. Okay?

Next subject.

Vince: Well...

she says if I get my act together,
keep going to the meetings...

stop being a dick...

then she might consider
talking to me again.

Good. That's great, man.

Should we get some dinner?

Vince:
I got to wait for a call.

From whom?

Vince:
None of your business.

- From Leah?
- Vince: No.

Okay.

Vince: Hey, you ready
for your big day tomorrow?

- You're mad.
- Vince: I'm not mad.

Hey, buddy,
you're allowed to be.

Vince: I'm not mad.
Don't be a fag, okay?

I'll find somebody else.

That's true.

Vince:
...who appreciates my dark side.

Yeah, you know, but the thing is,
if you could maybe find a way

to learn something
from all this, then

you wouldn't have
as large a dark side.

Learn what?

Learn to deal with some
of your violent tendencies.

Oh yeah? How?

By acknowledging
them. Right?

John: By making
some type of...

truce with yourself,
where you're not in constant battle

to prove your integrity
or self-worth,

you know, whatever it is
you think nobody gets about you.

I don't think there's
anything to get about me.

Vince, your idea of manhood
is putting on Eddie Cochrane

and screwing
your girl. Okay?

Hey, I'm a simple man.

Well, it's not like that anymore.
Women want other things.

Yeah, well,
what do they want?

I don't know, guys who don't put
their fists through windows,

who don't throw
phones across the room...

who don't stalk their girlfriends
across 16 states.

All right, all right. All right.

Where they got you staying?

John: Uh, they got me
over in town, at the Radisson.

Nice.

Yeah, it's nice.

Lansing Film Festival!

Yeah...

that and Cannes.

Hey, still it's a good gig.

It's a good cheap thrill.

Why you got to dump on it?
It's a good gig.

I got big expectations.

I spent two years
of my life on this film.

I want it to be...
you know, at a theater near you.

Yeah, well it is.
It's playing right over--

Yeah, but you had
to come all the way

to the middle of fucking
Michigan to be there.

For one screening.

All you need is
one of those guys from...

whatever, right, Disney,
to be there tomorrow.

They see it,
they like it, boom!

Next thing you know,
you're directing Free Willy IV.

- Hey.
- Hey.

- Hey!
- Hey!

Dude, come on.
I'm starving.

Yeah. What time is it?

John: It's quarter of.

You want a beer?

John: Aren't you supposed
to be getting your act together?

I'll wait
till I get back.

Oh, this is,
this is good.

Okay, Vince! Right here.

This is what
she's talking about.

Right here.

[ burps ]

John...

if I wanted to
hang out with my mom...

Well put.

Vince: And besides, what Leah
don't know won't hurt her.

What do you got going on
in that bag, Vince?

Uh... beer.

How much?

Vince: Hmmm...

A lot.

[ screaming ]

- Jesus, man.
- [ laughing ]

I don't know why I said
you had violent tendencies.

Oh, why?

John: The warm beer,
the boxers, the Motor Palace.

Who needs Betty Ford?

We can't all be
at the Radisson, can we?

- You wanna come stay with me?
- No.

I thought you'd be with Leah,
that's why I didn't offer earlier.

Vince:
It's not a problem.

It's not a problem.
They gave me a double.

11th floor,
overlooking the park.

Still, you probably
want to get laid.

That's true.

It's your big weekend, man.
Chicks are gonna flock to you.

Oh, you're right.

No. I'll be fine here.

Cool.

Should I twist your arm?

Little bit more.

- Prick!
- Putz.

- Suck ass!
- Schmuck!

Ahh! Ahh!

I appreciate you coming
all the way out here, man.

Seriously.

We've come a long way.

Vince: Since?

I don't know. High school.

You think?

Some of us.

Dude, I'm totally
giving you shit.

- No, but you're right.
- No, man. I'm not!

Let's face it, you are.

John: I'm right only in that I think
you can do better than you are.

Vince: Why?

Because I believe in you.

If I didn't,
we wouldn't still be friends.

And I probably
couldn't say that to you.

Why not?

Because it sounds
totally pretentious.

- You're right.
- But the thing is, I mean it.

John: No, look, I'm sorry,

but it's like this
whole thing with Leah.

If it is permanent,

then you should view
it as an opportunity to...

change.

Change what?

I don't know.
Find a new job...

- I like my job.
- What is your job?

- Volunteer firefighter.
- Oh, right.

How do you
make your money?

- Lay off, John.
- I'm just saying...

What?

It's just a little immature.

Well, you try doing it.

- That's not the point.
- Besides...

the majority of my clients
happen to be, like, over 50.

Okay? So, if that's not mature,
then I am baffled as to what is.

Okay. Private dope
delivery to ex-hippies

does not
a mature man make, Vince.

It's no different
than standing on the corner

and selling to teenagers.

Why are you lecturing me?

- Hey, I'm not lecturing anybody.
- You are.

- I'm just pointing a few things out.
- Such as?

Such as, yes,
I think you can do better.

Better than what?

Better than--

better than pissing
your life away.

Vince, look,
you're smart, right?

So why are you
still dealing drugs?

Because I am smart.
All right?

If I were dumb
I would've gotten caught.

Besides,
I am a firefighter.

- You deal to the fire chief.
- He needs me.

That's not the point.

Why is what you do better?

Why is what I do better?

Yeah.
Why is what you do better?

Okay.

What I'm trying
to do is better because...

...it's an attempt
at figuring things out.

I would like to eventually
become good enough at it

to the point
where I can contribute--

All right, fuck you.

Seriously,
where I can contribute to

a larger debate about
why this country's so fucked up.

Like for example,

why is it that a
50-whatever-year-old fire chief

feels the need to get
stoned every night?

Right? What is it
about life in America

that's driving
that urge in him?

He likes it?

Fine, but then there's
something slightly wrong

with the fact that someone
with that type of responsibility

is constantly high.

I'm serious. Maybe there's
something worth exploring there.

His firehouse happens to have
the best record in the city.

If my house was on fire,

I wouldn't want his high ass
anywhere near it.

Listen, man,
you are so up yourself.

If the guy has a good record,
it's because he's lucky.

- That's it.
- Says who?

It's obvious, man.
He's living this big,

luck-driven lie.

- Get real, are you high?
- No. I'm serious.

You're making movies about guys
who rob Popeye's Fried Chicken.

Hey! Hey, I am telling a story...

which aims to resonate the notion
of where our society's headed

if we're not careful.
If it sounds a little pompous,

it's only because I haven't
fully honed my skills yet.

It doesn't sound pompous.

It sounds...

like you're talking
out of your ass.

Why?

Because you have no idea
where society is headed, okay?

You are just like
everybody else, all right?

You're just following
the latest trend which you hope

will get you laid until that trend
switches to something else,

at which point you'll drop the old one
and start making movies about,

you know, whatever--

turtles getting caught
in fishing nets.

You don't like my work?

I like it, like I like
a shot of whiskey

first thing in the morning.

It's good for about 10 minutes
and then I want my coffee.

Wow.

What?
Now you're all sensitive?

Did I say something
to piss you off?

Or is it that
you're just a dick?

Well, both.

Well at least you're
finally admitting it.

Unlike...

some of us.

What? That I'm a dick?

Yeah.

- When?
- I was speaking figuratively.

When was I
figuratively a dick?

High school.

What?

I was too shy to be
a dick in high school.

Hey, buddy, give
yourself a little credit.

I think you held your own.

That's because everyone's
a dick in high school.

It's the white male
football-playing prerogative.

The trick is to evolve into
something else once you're out.

John, you're wearing
$200 shoes.

Okay, first of all,
that's not true.

Oh, what? $150?

I'm less shy than
I was in high school.

Oh, great, so now
you're an overt dick.

No, I'm a thoughtful person
who happens to like nice shoes.

And is,
occasionally full of shit.

Is there something I'm not doing
that you want me to do?

I don't want you
to do anything.

No? Because it seems like
I'm being asked to do something

by a 28-year-old pot dealer

who doesn't have the guts to progress
with the rest of society.

Which would be fine if
it was a legitimate rebellion,

instead of just some lonely guy
hanging out in a motel room

wearing boxer shorts acting
like a potentially violent dick.

You want to get high?

No.

Come on, John,
let's get high.

- I'm not getting high.
- Oh, why?

Only potentially violent
dicks get high?

- No.
- So, let's get high.

- I'm not getting high.
- Well, I am.

Fine.

What do you got going
on in that bag, Vince?

- Pot.
- How much?

A lot.

P for party.

A for all night long.

R for reefer.

T for turn me on.

Y for why not?

P-A-R-T-Y. Party, party.

Let's get high.

- Jesus...
- [ Vince giggling hysterically ]

You know who's out here?

- Where?
- Here. Lansing.

Who?

Amy.

Amy Randall?

Mm-hmm.

[ exhales ]

Yeah.

Tracy told me that
a couple of years ago.

When I found out
that you got this thing,

I looked her up
on the Net...

and she's out here.

She's like an assistant
district attorney or something.

Did you call her?

I thought about it.

You should, man.
Especially now that Leah's...

- Out of the picture?
- Yeah.

Vince: Huh.

John: Huh.

I wonder if she's--

Still hot?

- Yeah.
- Not a very appropriate thing to say.

Yeah. Okay,
you know what?

Here's the thing
about being appropriate.

It's better
to try to do that

than to be
a complete asshole.

The choice to respect people
is actually a good one,

despite people like you,

who insist on calling
fat people "fat" to their faces.

What if they are fat?

If they are fat,
they probably realize it

without you
having to remind them.

You know,
it basically just...

comes down to having
a couple of manners.

Oh, is that what it is?

Yep.

Then why did you ask if
she was still hot, Miss Manners?

Because she is.
She was.

That's-- no, no,
that's not a bad word.

If the word is essentially
a compliment,

saying it
isn't bad manners.

Human beings like
to be called attractive.

I'm not labelling Amy Randall
anything she doesn't know.

- I'm sure she's smart too.
- Well,

then I think
we should call her up.

And if we find out
she weighs 320 pounds,

I think that
we should say to her, "Gee,

we're really glad we dated you
in high school instead of now,

because back then,

you were really hot.
And now...

I'm sure
you realize about now."

- John: You know what, Vince?
- What?

Why don't you just
shut up for awhile?

Well, I see. So, I made a point,
so I should shut up.

John: No, it's that you like
being rude for the sake of it.

Either that or you do it to prove
nobody can make you be nice.

Either way,
it gets tiresome.

And you and I don't see
each other often enough

to make worthwhile
this little competition

for who's more
"authentic," okay?

It's not about that
anymore, we're just--

we should accept the fact that
we're different from each other,

and let the friendship
go from there.

Accept the fact we're
different from each other?

- John: Yeah.
- Would you like to make me?

- Make you what?
- Accept that fact.

No.

- Why not?
- Because it's stupid.

- No, it's not.
- Yes, it is.

No, it's not.

How else will I know
you're different?

- You'll just have to trust me.
- No.

Prove it.

Or else what?

Or else,
I'll kick your ass.

Well, I guess this means
you are potentially violent.

Only when
it comes to you, John.

You know, it's funny
how you get this way

- whenever we talk about Amy Randall.
- No, I don't.

I don't even think
you realize it.

- Fuck off, John.
- Okay, you know what?

- I'm out of here.
- Fuck off.

- Thanks for coming.
- Fuck off!

Vince!

- Fuck you, John.
- Look...

I'm sorry you still feel bad
about Amy Randall,

and every time you get stoned
and drunk around me,

- this comes up.
- Fuck you.

It was over 10 years ago.

I've explained this to you
a million times--

that I thought it was okay
for me to be with her

because you had broken up,
and that I now have a...

better understanding as to
the fragility of human emotions.

And thus,
if the situation arose again,

I would not let
what happened happen.

But these things do happen,
especially in high school.

And I'm sorry that
I hurt your feelings.

That's not what
I'm talking about.

What are you
talking about?

What happened.

- So am I.
- So...

what happened?

We slept together.

How?

- What do you mean, how?
- How did you sleep together?

Oh, okay,

so now this is
about that? Is it?

I don't know.
You tell me.

We slept together.

Yeah, how?

Vince...

- you know how.
- No, I don't.

I mean, I have an idea...

but I don't actually know,
because...

we've never
talked about it.

We laughed about it.
We thought it was kind of funny,

but you never exactly
told me what happened.

Okay...

- So what do you want to know?
- I want to know what happened.

We slept together.

How?

What do you mean, how?

How?

You're gonna have
to be more specific.

In what fashion...

- did you sleep with her?
- Jesus...

We had sex.

- And...
- And that was it.

Was it good sex?

- I've had better since.
- [ Vince chuckling ]

Was it fun?

It was all right.

Was it
on the rough side?

It's hard to say...
We were both drunk.

Did you rape her?

Did I rape her?

No.

Kind of?

No.

Was it kind of
like a date rape?

Was it kind of
like a date rape?

Yeah. Did you kind of force her
to have sex with you?

No, man.

John?

I'm not sure
what you want me to say.

I want you to tell me
what happened, all right?

You're a filmmaker, okay?
Lay out the scene for me.

Show me the dailies.

You know what? Can we talk
about this when you're not high?

Maybe the only reason I'm high
is so that you would get high,

and for once tell me the truth,
instead of changing the subject.

Okay.

It was a little rough,

which is something
that doesn't make me proud.

- Okay?
- Did you talk to her after that?

- No.
- No? Why not?

I wouldn't know
what to tell her.

I'm a completely
different person.

- Well, maybe she is too.
- Maybe.

- Maybe she's fat.
- That's really not funny.

I didn't say it was.

- Does anybody know what happened?
- I didn't tell anyone.

Why not?
Maybe you should.

Wait--

look, I don't actually
consider it a crime.

It was not a good thing.

It was morally
somewhat questionable...

and yeah, yeah,
I wish it hadn't happened.

But it's nothing where I need
to turn myself in to the police

- 10 years later.
- Nobody's talking about the police.

- What are you talking about?
- I don't know...

Her.

I think
she already knows.

Maybe you should
apologize.

Oh... Jesus!

You think I should
apologize to her?

Yeah, why not?

Look, it wasn't
even date rape.

It was something that got
a little out of hand.

I thought you weren't sure
what date rape was.

- I'm sorry, okay?
- Don't apologize to me.

I'm not.

I'm-- what
I'm trying to say...

is that 10 years ago,

I did something...
wrong.

And that when I think about it now,
the person who did that

seems like
a complete stranger to me.

This dumb,
drunk high school senior

who thought she was being prudish...
and needed some coercion.

It was bad. I regret it.

But it was a far cry from rape. And
I don't think she'd call it that either.

What do you think
she'd call it?

- I have no idea.
- What if she called it rape?

Listen to me.

I highly, highly doubt
that she even remembers it.

You remember it.

Yeah, I remember it because
it was a pivotal thing for me.

- Your first rape?
- Don't be an asshole.

Look, just tell me
why it was pivotal for you.

I don't know. It was one
of the first times in my life

that I looked
at myself objectively

and made
a conscious decision

to try to avoid becoming
a certain type of person.

For her it may have been nothing
important one way or the other.

For me, it constituted
something more significant.

Or so you'd like
to think.

Why are you suddenly
so high and mighty?

I'm not high and mighty.

I'm too high
to be high and mighty.

Besides, I'm just a lowly,
drug-dealing,

boxer-wearing scum
of the earth, right?

- You said it.
- No, actually you did.

- I didn't mean it like that.
- How did you mean it?

That you should change
your life a little.

- This coming from a rapist.
- You're an idiot.

I'm sorry. This coming
from a low-budget film maker

who makes movies about,
"Where society is possibly headed

if he could just forget about
the date rape he didn't kind of do."

You're seriously
disturbed.

No, actually,
I am high and mighty.

I was wrong before.

Look, what do you
want me to say?

- I'm sorry.
- Stop apologizing to me.

I'm not!
I'm apologizing in general.

It's something
I wish hadn't happened.

I don't think
I'm an evil person.

No one's saying
you're evil.

It sure as hell
feels like it.

Do you think
you're evil?

No.

So then, you're not evil.
I'm the evil one.

You're the morally conscious
movie-maker.

Whatever.

Whatever.

- All right, can we stop now?
- Totally.

Thank you.

Jesus.

I just think
you should call her.

- I am not going to call her.
- Why not? You should.

Just stop, okay?

To call her now would be
to trivialize the entire thing.

I mean, what do I say?
"Oh, hey, how's it going?

How's your life?
Oh, by the way,

sorry about
the date rape 10 years ago."

So you did date rape her?

No, I didn't.

What did you do?

I coerced her
to have sex with me.

How?

Verbally.

You verbally
coerced her?

Yeah, by applying

excessive
linguistic pressure,

I persuaded her
to have sex with me.

Ah...

And then,
things got rough?

No, things got rough
in that, after a while,

they became
aggressively playful.

They did?

We did.

Meaning what?

Meaning that I probably thought
I was still being playful,

but others might interpret
my actions as being...

- rough.
- I.e., rape.

No. Rough.

Look, John...

only you two
know what happened.

So only you two can
interpret your actions.

So why don't you just
tell me the facts

- and interpret them later?
- I am telling you,

I argued her into it.

You're fucking lying.

- What is your problem?
- I just don't know

how you can sit there
with your oldest friend...

- and continually tell lies.
- Okay, Vince,

what makes you
think I'm lying?

Because only you
would come up with

"excessive
linguistic pressure."

Okay? That's not
a normal expression.

That is a sign of "excessive
bullshit," all right?

If you had really done only that,
you'd be more specific.

You'd said you told her
if she didn't put out,

you'd tell
everybody she had VD,

or smelled bad,
or had a penis,

or any of the normal
things that guys say.

But instead, you come up
with your typical crap,

which sounds...
mature, all right,

but contains nothing.

And it's bullshit,

because the reason why
you are where you are today...

is because you always insist
on getting things your way.

That is what
you're good at.

So why don't you own up
and admit what you did?

Vince, fuck off.

Fine, I'll call her.

- Don't do that.
- Why not?

John: Because
I would like you not to.

- Why not?
- Vince. Vince!

You've already
made your point.

- What's my point?
- Your point is that...

nobody's perfect,
including me,

so it offends you when I tell you
how you should live your life.

That's not my point.

- It should be.
- Well, it's not.

- Why not?
- 'Cause I haven't got to my point yet.

All right.

So get to it.

Maybe I don't have one.

Then I'm gonna leave.

- Wrong.
- Right.

Admit it.

- Admit what?!
- Admit what you did to Amy.

- What makes you think I did something?
- Because I know.

- How?
- Cause she told me.

- Told you what?
- What you did.

- What did she say?
- What?

- What did she say?
- Nothing.

It was obvious, so
just tell me what you did

- and I'll let you go.
- Would you stop being a dick?

- Tell me what you did.
- Why do you care?

- 'Cause I want to hear it.
- What would that change?

- I don't know.
- So why does it matter?

We know
I did something wrong.

- So tell me what you did.
- I pinned her arms back

and stuck
my dick in, okay?

For Christ's fucking sakes,
shit happens!

I already said
I'm sorry.

Thank you.

- What did you just do?
- Taped our conversation.

Why?

Wanted to make sure
I heard you right.

Tape: So tell me
what you did!

I pinned her arms back and
stuck my dick in, okay?

For Christ's fucking sakes,
shit happens!...

Whoo... you're right.

You know? You are
a completely different person.

I can't believe
you just did that.

Beer?

You're mad?

- How could you do something like that?
- Like what?

- I'm not messing around, Vince!
- No, what?

It offends you?

It offends me
fucking immensely.

Why?

I-- I'm--

All I'm doing is suggest
you call up and apologize

for the actions of
a drunk high school senior.

You know that you just ended
our friendship.

Come on, man. It's a cheap
little tape recorder.

- It's K-Mart.
- Why did you do that?

- I'm trying to make a point.
- Which is what?

- There's something wrong here.
- What? Where? With you and I?

And everyone else.

So, okay, what is it?

Do you think everyone
should call up

and apologize for things
they've done wrong in their lives?

I don't know. Yeah.

You honestly think
that would help?

You don't think it'd just
end up being a bunch of...

hypocrites wandering around,
raping people,

and then
apologizing later?

- You got a better idea?
- Yeah. Not do it next time.

- That's it, huh?
- Yeah.

- You don't think she'd want that?
- Want what?

The tape.

Why would she want that?

To know
that you admitted it.

- Vince.
- What?

John: Look... I doubt
she remembers it happening.

Well, then she might
want to be reminded.

Why?

Because if you pinned my arms back
and fucked me without permission...

I'd want to be reminded.

Don't talk like that.

That's what you said, right?
That's what's on the tape.

- This is ridiculous!
- Why?

Because my apologizing now
won't make any difference to her.

She's probably dealt with
the whole issue and moved on.

All right.
Maybe she has.

But if you're such a different guy
than you were 10 years ago,

technically you shouldn't
mind apologizing

for something that
the real you didn't even do.

Now, on the other hand,

if you still are the kind of guy
who would do something like that,

then I understand
you don't want to apologize.

You wouldn't want to come across
like a hypocrite.

Give me the tape, Vince.

No way.

- Why not?
- Because,

as you imply to me
on a daily fucking basis

whenever we spend
the day together,

I wouldn't have
the guts to tell her

all the interesting
tidbits of information

that this tape
herewith contains.

It'll be much easier
to simply hand it to her.

If I even have
the guts to do that.

[ laughing ]

You know something?

I don't really think
I'm hungry.

I think
I'm gonna skip dinner.

You won't give her
that tape.

It's hard to say.

Will you stop being
a dick, Vince?!

I'm sorry, did you want
to do that line?

- What will you do with the tape?
- Here's what I was thinking.

I was thinking about
adapting it into a movie.

Maybe you could
help me with this,

and maybe I could have
the world premiere

at next year's
Lansing Festival.

Dude,
I'm totally psyched!

Listen, really
you should get going.

I'll just tell her
you said hi.

- What are you talking about?
- I don't know. Shit.

- She'll be calling at any minute.
- Why?

She said
she'd call at 8:00.

Wait a minute.

I thought you said
you didn't call her.

I said I thought
about calling her.

And then, you see,
I actually did,

and it's cool.
We're hooking up for dinner.

Really,
you should get going.

I probably won't go through
with this whole thing.

Unless she sees
the tape sitting there

and we're talking

and she keeps pestering me
about what's on it.

[ phone ringing ]

Hello?

Hey, Amy. How are you?

You still up
for some chow? Cool.

Hey, did I tell you
why I was out here?

Yeah, right,
the film festival.

But the reason
for that is--

you remember
John Salter, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Well, he actually
made a movie

that's being shown
as part of the festival.

Yeah, and I'm out here
for that.

He's out here too.
He's over at the Radisson.

11th floor,
overlooking the park. Yeah.

Yeah, I don't know
how you want to work this

because I'm over here
at the Motor Palace on Saginaw.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Cool. Cool.

Uh-huh. Well,

you know, the thing is
I don't have wheels, so...

Really?

Well,
that would be great.

'Cause if you want
to just come here

and then we'll just
take it from there.

And you know
where it is?

Oh, wow.

Well, terrific. Then
I'll see you in a few, right?

Yeah, it's room 19.

19, right.

Yeah, yeah, me too.

All right.

Okay. Bye-bye.

Dude, do you think
I could borrow a few bucks?

Vince...

why are you doing this?

Well...

at first,

it was a moral crusade,

but now...

I don't know, except for
that you don't want me to.

And that's worth more
than our entire friendship?

John, come on.

I highly doubt if I weren't
one of your oldest friends,

I would even possess the power
to make you think twice

about something like this.

That's assuming
you are thinking twice.

There are better ways to go
about making someone do that.

How? Convincing him with
a really good argument?

Applying excessive
linguistic pressure?

Huh?

I'm not a very
moral guy, John.

Much less a...

highly articulate
poet-filmmaker, all right?

I can barely pay my rent,
much less

convince somebody like you
to stop being an asshole.

No one's asking you
to be articulate, Vince.

You pick what is potentially
the most important weekend of my life

to bring up something I haven't
thought about in 10 years!

Yeah. I guess so.

So, are you staying?

Give me the tape, Vince.

Mmmm...

no.

- Just give me the tape.
- Why?

Because
it doesn't belong to you.

I bought it...

at K-Mart.

What's on it
doesn't belong to you.

Bullshit, all right?

I had to be like Aldrich fucking
Ames to make this tape.

This is the most
planned out thing

I've done
in my whole life. No.

It's mine, Vince.

I'm going to give it to you,
you're gonna destroy it.

No, I'm not.

What will you do with it?
Put it in your closet

and not think about it
for another 10 years?

You know, where did you get
this whole self-righteous thing?

It's not like you
to have a spine.

What can I say?

I...

am a fireman.

I'm not leaving
until you give it up.

Fine, stay as long as you want.
Just don't touch my coke.

Tell me something.

Have you ever done anything
you regretted?

Yeah.

You have.
That you never apologized for?

Um hmm.

So...

why are you doing this?

It must be...

that I have guilt,
all right,

for all the things
I never apologized for...

and that I'm taking it
out on you.

Okay,
so then it's irrational.

Yeah, I agree.

So give me the tape.

No fucking way.

You know something? I wasn't going
to give her the tape at all,

except now, with the way
that you're acting,

it's like
I have no choice.

[ Vince chuckling ]

Listen, you should
really get going.

She called me from her cell.
She's a couple of minutes away.

Okay, that's it.