Duel (1989) - full transcript

It's the homecoming dance at Nicole's school. And the teacher in charge goes to see Joey and Michael to see if they have any suggestions. They're both taken with her and they come up with a girls asking out the boys. And Nicole finds herself in a delicate position cause this where she decides if she wants to be with Cory or Zach. And when she makes her choice, someone else asks him out.

What a great workout.

Boy, I just... I love working out.

I really do.

You know, after swimming,

and an hour on the stationary bike,

I manage to bench press four times my body weight.

All right, four times my birth weight.

Actually, I just got my hair caught in the Nautilus Machine for a second.

I hate working out.

I hate it. Oh, gimme a cookie.

No, no, hey, hey, hey, these are for the P.T.A. meeting.



What, here? The P.T.A. meeting here?

Yeah, but you don't have to worry about it, okay?

I'm handling the whole thing.

I mean, I see this as my area.

Well, good.

I owe you big. Get out of here,

c'mon, c'mon, before you get caught.

Go, go! I'm gone.

You're a beautiful guy. Hey...

(DOORBELL RINGING)

Just a minute!

Hi. P.T.A.

Veronica. (CHUCKLING)

Hey, come on in.



Oh, am I the first one to show up?

Well, actually, it's just you and me.

We're the entire homecoming committee.

Yeah, just one teacher, one parent.

Ooh! Wine!

Hey, Joe, listen, before everybody gets here, can I just...

When am I gonna learn?

Hello...

Hi.

I'm Michael Taylor.

Veronica Miles.

Hi, Veronica Miles.

P.T.A.?

Yes, The Homecoming Dance Committee.

Homecoming? Well, football... Bonfires...

That crisp autumn air... You bet.

Have I mentioned, I have a job and he doesn't?

Michael... Sink.

Excuse us.

Oh...

I must have strained my back pulling that bus off that puppy today.

What? I want to get involved.

I want to be a concerned parent.

My daughter needs to dance.

Get the hell out.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong,

but don't we have a policy of not competing for the same woman?

I'm not competing, Michael, I'm having a P.T.A. meeting,

that with any luck, will end up at Club Med.

I got a solution for our problem.

Trust me, trust me.

Veronica, a little thought here.

What if we make this dance ladies' choice, huh?

This is a homecoming dance, Michael.

How does ladies' choice tie in with Homecoming?

What do you mean, "how"? Because you know, historically,

when the soldiers came home from the Crusades,

very often they would celebrate their homecoming

with a ladies' choice...

Actually back then it was wench's choice...

Michael, I teach history.

Well, then, you know that I'm making a great deal of this up,

but, uh, you probably still think I'm charming anyhow, right?

And I would suggest that we chaperones bring dates...

And that the dates be ladies' choice.

I think the kids are gonna love this.

(CHUCKLING)

Best idea we ever had!

Worst idea I've ever heard!

I can't believe it! Ladies' choice!

Problem?

The Homecoming Dance.

Nicole finally has to choose either Cory or Zach!

What moron came up with this stupid ladies' choice thing?

Honey, Michael has something that he wants to tell you.

♪♪ You can count on me

♪♪ No matter what you do

♪♪ You can count on me

♪♪ No matter where you go

♪♪ I'm standing by your side

♪♪ I'll be right behind

♪♪ No one loves you more than I do

♪♪ Put your hand in mine

♪♪ I can see a part of me in you

♪♪ A little something special that comes shining through

♪♪♪ I hear it in your laughter

♪♪ And I feel it when you cry

♪♪ I will be right there for you

♪♪ Until the day I die

♪♪ You can count on me

♪♪ No matter what you do

♪♪ You can count on me

♪♪ No matter where you go

♪♪ You can count on me ♪♪

Okay, look, I'll ask Zach or Cory to this dance,

and then I'll ask the other one to the next dance, that's all.

But this is the Homecoming dance.

Whichever one you choose, it's like saying to the whole school...

"This one's my boyfriend and the other one isn't."

But I like them both.

Which one do you like more?

I like them in different ways.

Like Cory...

I like that Cory's funny

and I feel really comfortable around him.

And what about Zach?

I don't feel as comfortable around Zach.

Sometimes it even makes me nervous to be around Zach.

What do you like about him?

That is what I like about him.

Oh, so you know you want to ask Zach.

No, I know that I don't want to hurt Cory.

(KNOCK AT THE DOOR)

Hi, honey. Hey, sweetheart...

Hey, you still hate Michael's guts?

We just thought that ladies' choice would be fun, you know?

Yeah, what other reason would we have?

Veronica Miles, the history teacher?

Lucky guess.

So, who won the date with the teacher?

You or Joey?

Nobody wins.

It's entirely up to her, you know,

it's not a competition.

Uh-huh.

So, what do you want the card to read?

Uh, "Dear Veronica,

"I'm saying it with cheese.

"Non-competitively yours, Michael."

What?

Cheese is good. But...

If I was you, I'd say it with poetry.

Well, I'm not real strong with poetry, Julian.

Well, luckily, I am.

How's this...

"I love you all year long, Veronica,

"so Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah."

No.

Zach.

Cory.

A-hem...

A-hem...

A-hem...

Don't do that anymore.

Okay, here's the deal.

As you know, Nicole has to make a choice

between me and what's-his-name for the upcoming dance.

And, uh, I was just wondering

if you could put in a few good words for me.

I, uh, took the liberty of writing down a few good words.

A dollar?

How did that get in there?

Well, lucky you!

Cory...

Bribing a judge is a federal offense.

There's three more where that came from.

Oh, God.

Hey, Nicole.

Hi, Zach.

Uh, I was wondering about the dance this weekend...

Yeah, just ignore me.

I thought maybe before the dance

we would go to the World Trade Center,

we could get inside the elevator,

and I'd push all the buttons,

and we could have the longest kiss

in the history of New York City.

I'll give you a dollar not to do that.

So, have you decided yet?

No.

Why not? I thought there was something special between us.

Please, I need more time.

Fine.

Take all the time you want.

He's moody!

He's a moody guy!

He's a no good moody bum.

Why do you need that?

Me, I'm Mr. Happy.

You can't even say my name without smiling.

Cory! You did it.

So, who's it gonna be, huh?

I don't know.

Okay, don't tell me.

I'll just look at your face and you'll smile and I'll know it's me.

Okay.

Trust me.

All right. Well, read it again, read it again.

Okay. (CLEARING THROAT)

"We go together, Dear Veronica,

"like Jack and Jill, but less platonica."

"Dear guys I tried to call but you weren't home..."

"I've eloped with my fiance, Jerome..."

"We're spending our honeymoon in Rome."

"You'll have to handle the dance alone."

Think we should write her back?

Oh, absolutely I think we should.

How's this?

"Dear Veronica...

"We hope your life is full and rich..."

I don't know, you... You got anything to rhyme with that, Joe?

Oh, yeah... Yeah.

(DOORBELL RINGING)

It's for me! It's for me!

Hi! Hi...

Thanks for coming over...

I wanted to talk to you about...

I wanted to talk to you too, Nicole.

Oh, well, you go first.

Nicole...

I knew that Cory was your friend,

but I thought that I was your boyfriend.

Let me finish.

And when you couldn't make up your mind who to ask,

I decided I must have been wrong.

Anyway, Tina Jenkins asked me to go to the dance

and I said yes.

Oh, well, then I'll see you there.

Yeah. See you there.

He dumped me.

I've been dumped.

I'm standing here, dumped.

Honey, it happens to all of us,

you know, one time or another.

At least you didn't get a poem.

Okay.

This is fine.

It's still ladies' choice, right?

Cory?

Hi, it's Nicole. Listen, about the dance...

You what?

Isn't that nice.

Oh, she's... Nice...

Have a nice time.

He's got a date already, huh?

Cory has a date,

Zach has a date.

I didn't want to hurt Cory,

so I didn't ask Zach,

and now I've lost them both.

I don't have a date,

don't have a dance,

what do I have?

C'mon, honey, you got us!

Hey, we'll be your dates!

(SCREAMS)

This is ridiculous, you know?

I'm spooning punch at my daughter's high school hop

and my daughter's not even here.

C'mon, Joe, like it or not...

We are the chaperones.

We ride into town, people who need to be chaperoned...

We chaperone them.

Now, what traditionally is a chaperone?

Well, when we were 15, the chaperones were lonely, bitter,

frustrated old people who lived to make kids' lives miserable.

All right... Well, let's have fun with that!

C'mon!

C'mon, split apart!

C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, hands on the shoulders!

On the shoulders please!

Hey, c'mon, c'mon, hey, I want to see two separate bodies, all right?

Separate...

Cory!

Um... Mr. Taylor, hello.

Mr. Harris, may I introduce my date, Merle.

Hi, I'm Cory's date, Merle.

I've had my eye on this stud muffin since the eighth grade.

Yeah, and I guess I was too blind to see.

So, uh, where's Nicole tonight?

Well, she couldn't make it tonight, studmuffin.

Well, uh, tell her I said hello.

And guys, let's keep in touch, okay?

Hey, we'll get together.

Yeah, hey, we'll make it a regular thing.

What about Tuesday?

Honey, we have dinner with the Glicksteins, Tuesday.

Oh, not the Glicksteins.

Cory, they're our friends.

They're your friends.

But we always have a good time with them!

Him I like. It's her I could do without.

They've been together for five hours.

I think they're celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

I understand they're gonna travel more,

now that the kids are out of the house.

Yo!

It's all in the attitude.

You should be working for Planned Parenthood, babe.

JOEY: I saw that!

Well...

I would say there's not a single kid here having a good time.

Our work in this town is done.

Boy, I remember all our teenage dances, huh?

Always trying to get away with stuff right in front of the chaperones.

I was the master. Yes, you were.

And look at me now... I'm Miss Grundy.

Well, look at it this way,

Slappy, no matter what... Shh...

What?

Somebody's kissing.

You're crazy.

Tina, stop... I just wanna dance, okay?

(SIGHS) Okay, let's dance.

I can hear it.

Somebody's making out and it's right around here.

Joey Harris, love cop...

Oh, Zach.

Oh, she's kissing me...

Look, my arm's around her.

Ooh, if Nicole finds out about this...

Hoo, boy...

Nicole,

junk food is not the answer to your depression.

What makes you think I'm depressed?

Zach loved these.

We'd sit on the couch together

he'd save all the red ones for me.

We were so happy.

And now he's dead.

No... Worse...

He's at the dance with Tina.

Tina...

Who's been waiting all year like a vulture

for me and Zach to break up

so she could swoop down

and pick the flesh off the rotting carcass of our relationship.

That's beautiful.

Now she's got him all to herself.

Well, swoop down there and shoo Tina off of him.

But what if Zach doesn't want me anymore?

And I'm standing there alone,

everybody pointing, whispering,

snickering... Ha ha ha...

"There's Nicole... Poor Nicole...

"She had it all, and now she's dust."

Well, cheer up, sweetie

at least you'll be fat.

What would you do if you were me, Judge?

I would've made up my mind sooner.

But I didn't want to hurt anybody.

Fine...

Nobody's hurt, everybody's happy,

and you're sitting here like a lump,

filling up your head with whipped cream until your face explodes.

Put down that can!

What?

Put down that can!

Get upstairs, pick out a dress that still fits you,

get down to the dance and stake a claim for your man!

But the most important thing you can do is put down that can!

Thanks, Judge.

You're welcome...

I thought she'd never leave.

I suppose you're gonna tell Nicole about my being with Tina?

Why should we do that, Zach?

You have to! How else is she gonna be jealous?

Are you done with my boyfriend now?

Because I've requested a slow dance.

Tina, these are Nicole's dads.

What?

Little Nicole couldn't settle on just one father either?

Gotta love her, don't ya?

Mr. Harris, Mr. Taylor.

BOTH: What? Oh, met Tina, huh?

Shelby, let me ask you something.

You're Nicole's best friend.

What do we do with this whole Zach/Tina thing?

Do we tell her?

Nah. Nicole knows that

Zach is here with another woman.

She's cool. She's not worried about it.

Trust me, I'm real smart about these things.

Thank God I'm pretty.

Tina...

Drop him.

Bradford!

You've got something of mine.

I want him back.

Go sink your claws into someone who's available.

You're green with envy, Bradford...

And it shows.

So do your roots.

Ladies, ladies, this is madness!

Oh, get out of the way!

Don't you touch my cupcake!

JOEY: Hey!

Hey! C'mon, there's nothing to see here...

JOEY: C'mon, MICHAEL: The show's over.

Would you care to dance?

Okay.

Do you know how I feel about you?

Well, yeah, so why are we dancing?

Because you're my friend, Cory.

We have always been friends.

And there's no reason why we shouldn't be for as long as we know each other.

Unless you're gonna hate me now...

Nah... I need you for Geometry.

Hi, Nicole.

Hi, Merle.

Take good care of him.

Hi.

Hi.

Do you think 15 is too young to go steady?

You can't ask me that.

Why not?

Because tonight is ladies' choice.

Has the lady made a choice yet?

Joe, what do you think?

Love cops swing into action and break this up?

Or do we just, uh, try and remember

what it was like to be 15 and in love, huh?

I don't know. I have some pretty good memories.

MICHAEL: Yeah...

Why don't we just let them have one, huh?

(MUSIC PLAYING)