Echo Park (1985) - full transcript

(church bell rings)

(siren wails)

Papa? What are you doing in America?

A good butcher uses
every part of the cow, August.

How many times have I told you?

(yells)

(grunting and groaning)

(grunting continues)

- May.
- What are you doing up?

- I want some milk.
- At this hour? It'll just make you fart.

- I'm scared. Will you lie down with me?
- Sure.



- Your room.
- My room. All right, my room.

OK, you can stay here until you fall asleep.

- Don't forget about the iron.
- No, I won't, I won't.

Don't worry.

(♪ "She's About A Mover"
by Jimmy Woods and the Immortals)

(grunts)

Oh. Henry! One broke!

Henry, you come right home
after school, OK?

- Yes, May.
- Joy will be here.

- OK.
- Call me at work.

- OK.
- And, Henry, have a good day.

Fuck!

You can't find the house?
It couldn't disappear.

Unless there was a mover.
You keep looking for it.



If you can't find someone,
sell it, eat the pizza yourself.

Come on, give me a break.
Just for me. Please!

- (phone ringing)
- Hi.

- I know. The traffic.
- I can't help you.

- Come on, please.
- How many do you have?

- See you Monday.
- Four.

I'll give you two.
Would you stop bugging me?

This one's for the room-mate.
What do you think of this?

"Experienced leading lady.
Available immediately."

Jim, pick up these two classifieds for me.

(German accent) Like so, yes?
All the way up. Right?

Good.

It is not enough for your puny body
to lift the weights.

Your puny body needs you
to think more strongly.

Yo, August.

Cut it out with this puny body bullshit.
Don't tell 'em what puny bodies they have.

Tell 'em how strong we can make 'em,
for which they pay us a lot of money, OK?

- Right.
- Got it? Verstehen Sie?

All right, dummkopf.
Go back there, tell him.

Hey, do you shave your arms?

(grunting and groaning)

Ja?

Hi, neighbour. May Greer.

- August Reizenstein. Very pleased.
- Yeah.

I'm gonna be interviewing
some room-mates.

Room-mates? Interview for a mate?

- Boarders. Paying boarders.
- Of course.

- You're a weightlifter, right?
- A body sculptor.

Right. When you lift your weights,
you're making sounds.

- Ja?
- It's only natural.

I grunt when I lift the laundry.
But the walls are thin here.

The sound comes right through
and it sounds like sexual intercourse.

- I don't understand what you're saying.
- Fucking.

It sounds like fucking when you do that.

Well, it is not fucking.
It's much greater than fucking.

Fucking - who could deny its necessity? -
uses lower energies,

while body sculpting
is a much higher activity.

Every muscle has its own intelligence,
a little brain.

(woman clears throat)

- When we work them...
- I'm the one you're looking for.

I was just talking to my neighbour.
The apartment's this way.

Like the ad said, I have
an eight-and-a-half-year-old.

I love children.

Good.

Well, I'll be going now.

You haven't even looked at the room.

I'm going now.

(knocking)

- I'm here for the room.
- For the room. Yeah.

My kid's room.

Look around.

(grunting and groaning)

(long groan)

I'm no trouble at all.

And I don't talk much.

And I'm a good babysitter, too.

Here's the bed.

The room is perfect. It faces the rising sun.

No. No, no, no.
It is the front room that is for rent.

- The front room?
- The front room.

Bye-bye, then.

- (knocking)
- Go away!

It's Vinnies. Delivery for...

Oh, yeah. I'm sorry.
I thought you were... somebody else.

Yeah. Even I think
I'm somebody else sometimes.

The kitchen's in here, yeah.

Hi.

- You don't have to do that.
- It's just part of the service... sometimes.

- How much do I owe you?
- Seven Americans.

- I'm sorry. What did you say?
- Seven.

I've been interviewing for room-mates.
I don't know what I'm doing any more.

- Find anybody?
- Oh, yeah, sure.

If you're casting for a Fellini film.

No, more depressing.
More like Fassbinder.

- Henry, pizza!
- Are you an actress?

I try to act. I want to.

Henry!

I go to classes, but...
Is that being an actress?

And if it isn't, then no, I'm not.

I have plans. Does having plans
make me an actress, an artist, whatever?

I can feel myself about to say
something impossibly corny.

I will refrain. It's been
very pleasant serving you pizza.

Wait up.

- Oh, no. Listen, it's OK.
- Please, come on, take. I'm a waitress.

- If you put it that way.
- Thank you. Goodbye.

What about me?

- What about you?
- As a room-mate, your room-mate.

I've been looking for a place.
I never thought of sharing before, but...

- You wanna see the room?
- Yeah.

It's down here.

(pizza guy) ♪ It's all down
to a little bit of give and take

♪ Nothing is free

♪ It's all down to giving your love away ♪

Vinnie, I just made
the greatest pizza delivery of my life.

How could you do this?
This address is in hell.

We can't desert these people, kid.

We don't wanna leave them
stranded without a pizza.

- I thought we were friends.
- A friend delivers wherever it's needed.

You saw the rest of those people
and we need the money.

- You understand about money.
- Where's he gonna sleep?

- In here.
- Where are you gonna sleep?

- In the bathroom.
- Don't do it with him.

- You know too much, Henry.
- I'm eight and a half, May.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well,
he's not the kind of guy I'd do it with.

He's nice.

Hi.

May says I don't have to be your friend.

- Maybe we can become friends.
- She says I have to be courteous.

- You don't have to be too courteous.
- I have to listen to May, not to you.

Hey!

- Henry, right?
- Yeah.

- You always call your mother May?
- Everyone calls her May.

See ya.

(May) I really appreciate this.

This guy isn't strong enough
to handle the big stuff.

Jonathan, meet your new neighbour.
August Reizenstein.

- Glad to meet you.
- August Reizenstein.

August.

- Pizzas are very unhealthy.
- Yeah?

But they're aesthetic.

- Here. I'll take this.
- You OK?

Gloria!

(Gloria) How's my favourite man?

- Guess what I brought!
- You sweet thing!

Thank you. Come to help?
There's not that much stuff.

No. I've come to see your new husband.

Not funny.

This is nice. This is Buddy Holly, ja?

He sure sweats pretty, doesn't he?

- Not on your daddy?
- Not on your daddy.

- He doesn't look that bad.
- Strictly room-mate material.

Oh, right. That's right.
Too confusing for the kid.

I'm going to use star energy
to invigorate the genes.

You see, stars, of course,
have the best genes.

Being a star is a function,
of course, of genetic selection.

My machine will transfer
the genetic energy

from the star into the muscle aura
of the exerciser. You understand?

Are you familiar with the phrase
"out to lunch"?

You hungry?

- How do you say hot dog in German?
- Mm?

- How do you say hot dog in German?
- Heisser Hund.

Heisser Hund.

I'm certain it will all happen
at the consulate.

What will happen at the consulate?

My destiny.

Are you a spy?

No, I will be introduced
to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I was introduced to Frankie Avalon once.
In a professional capacity.

He ordered a pizza.

- Night.
- Night, Gloria.

- Night.
- Night.

Here, August. Have another beer.

Thank you.

- Sorry.
- It's OK.

So... tell me about yourself.

(she giggles)

(laughing) What the hell are you doing?

What the hell are you doing?

Whoo-hoo!

Oh, uh...

I just wanted to make sure
you were all right.

I'm all right.

No, no, no.

I don't trust you.

My place. Come on, yeah.

Don't drop me. Don't drop me.

- What about the boy?
- He's sleeping, ja.

- It's OK.
- Yeah?

- Yeah.
- (he grunts)

- I will give you a massage.
- What? No.

I don't want a massage.
I don't want a massage!

(she laughs)

Ready?

(laughter continues)

This is a massage. Come on.

- Why are you laughing?
- Because I don't want a massage.

That's not what I want.

(Jonathan hums)

(August grunts rhythmically)

(August) Yee-hoo! Whoo!

God!

Whoo! Yee-hoo!

(May) Jonathan? Sunday breakfast!

Hey, Jonathan!

Hey.

Sundays I make breakfast.

Coloured pancakes.

(August continues grunting)

(Vinnie speaks Italian)

- Jonny, my boy.
- Hello, Vinnie.

Delivery boy supreme.

A little different about you today.

Am I right?

♪ When the moon hits your eye
like a big pizza pie

♪ That's amore! ♪

Just remember, kid, love is like a pizza.

Vinnie, you think everything is like a pizza.

All that's demanded of philosophy
is consistency,

and consistency is demanded
of a good pizza too.

- You got it.
- Hey, where's my money for the week?

- I gave it to you yesterday.
- You're in love. Don't spend it all on her!

♪ I'd do it all again

♪ I'd do it all again

♪ Just to hear you...

♪ ...again

♪ I'd do it all... ♪

- May, bring me a light.
- Give me a break, huh?

Yeah, I like the ones from the test.
This one.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

- All right. That one.
- May, can I get a couple of draughts?

Yes, yes, that is my mission in life.

- You come from Germany?
- No, I come from Austria.

I came over because
there's so much opportunity here.

This is my picture. There's these.

I discovered my body
through the holy act of masturbation.

Come again?

You sure know how to pick 'em.

- (woman) My draught, May.
- Right, give me a break. I heard you.

Well, I mean holy
in the sense of meditative.

Masturbation is actually meditation.

It's a meditation
upon the powers of the body.

If we focus these powers and energies,
we can alter the gene patterns and DNA.

- I wasn't speaking with you.
- That's good news.

It's a buck.

This used to be a nice bar.

Don't kid yourself.

(phone rings)

Jonathan? Can you get that?

Hello?

Wait, wait. Slow down.
Say that again. I don't understand.

Does an experienced leading lady
live here? What are you talking about?

To make an obscene phone call,
you breathe.

You go... (breathes heavily)

You do not ask
for an experienced leading lady.

- Wait! Don't hang up!
- Most people make them at night.

- It's late, they're lonely...
- Hello? Yes, this is the right number.

I put it in the paper.
Experienced leading lady. Uh-huh.

Open audition.

Theatrical role.

Yes, I'm over 21. I'm...

Could you say it again? No, I need a pen.

OK, 544. Mm-hm.

Yeah, I got that. OK, right.

Thank you.

Are you OK?

I'm great.

What's going on, May?

This is weird.

I've been putting those ads
in the paper for... I don't know how long.

Whatever dumb thing that I could think of,
just to get a gig as an actress.

(May) I know that's not the way
you're supposed to do it.

It took a year to get that call.

What if I don't...

What if I don't...

I'm happy.

(she laughs)

God, I'm a mess. I'm a mess.

No, I'm OK. I'm OK.

Wait! Stop!
I don't wanna stay with Jonathan.

I am not gonna tell you again.
You are staying. That's all there is to it.

- Don't take it personally.
- Don't worry.

- You're not my father.
- I'm your father.

Get your ass back in that house and
the rest of you will follow naturally. Now!

- Wish me luck. I wanna drive, Gloria.
- Good luck.

Come on, Henry.

(Gloria) May, have you ever heard
of snuff films? Or white slavers?

(May) Come on. We'll just go inside,
we'll check it out.

- OK. Here we go.
- We won't do anything.

I'm not kidding around, May.

- If you're not back out in a half-hour...
- 45 minutes.

Give me the key in case I get attacked.

Wish me luck.

Oh, Gloria.

This is a role for highly
dedicated troupers, understand?

Real show people interested in honing
their acting skills before live audiences,

who can improvise, are quick on their feet,
graceful and daring with their bodies.

The well-rounded actor or actress.

I'm talking about the stars of the future.

Most of our work is Happy Birthday work.
You buy and create your own costumes.

I got a little demonstration for you.
Will you guys come out? Come on.

You knock on the door and give them time
to get a good look before you let out with...

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday, dear Hugo

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

And you begin to disrobe. But artistically.
It has to be consummate technique.

This is a living room, a boardroom
or even a restaurant...

- At least it's showbiz.
- What's that?

I said, "At least it's showbiz."

It's performing. Which is more
than I can say for bartending.

I mean, Marilyn Monroe
started out naked, didn't she?

Everybody in the world
starts out naked, sugar.

So, come on! Who's gonna be the first
to audition? I need a volunteer. You.

Yeah, you, big mouth. Come on.

- You ever strip before?
- No.

What a surprise.
You know how to take off your clothes?

- Yes.
- It's the same thing.

- (striptease music plays)
- You're on.

Come on, this is your audience. Go.

- Could you hold this for me?
- Sure.

Oh, great. The world's first four-hour strip.

Yeah! Go, baby!

Come on! Get into it! Give her some help!

- Whoo! Yeah!
- (feeble clapping)

(Hugo) Go! All right! Do it to me! Take it off.

Good, good. And now the other shoulder...

Five, six, seven, eight!

Turn, and turn, and turn, and turn.

Come on, give her some applause.
The girl's working up here.

(Hugo) Uh-huh. Come on.

- (May) All the way?
- Yes. Now with the hair.

The hair.

Good, good, good, good.

And dip and cleavage.

Breasts! Breasts!

That's what they like
is to see your breasts. And turn!

Operator, get me the police.

Slide it over those hips and to the ground.

Turn around! Look what I've found!
Come on!

Show 'em, show 'em, show 'em, show 'em.

- Now take it all off. Take it all the way off!
- All right! Hold it! Cut it out!

The cops are on their way
up here right now.

And then Gloria
comes charging in and says,

"Hold on there! I've called the cops!"

May, so you're gonna be a dancer?

It's really being an actress, hon. At last!

I'll be getting more money,
maybe even get into the movies.

May, if you become a big star,
will I still be your son?

What's so funny?

Henry, sure you will. Sure, always.

Nothing ever changes that.

I love you.

(grunts)

(yells)

(panting)

"Oh, come on, now.
Why didn't she ever saw you?"

"She's probably on her way
to get a bottle of gin."

(dog barks)

(gentle knocking)

Uh-uh.

No, no, no, no, no.

(door closes)

Henry. Hi.

Sorry I'm late. Had trouble with the wagon.

May asked me to pick you up.

Have a good day at school?

I think I know a secret
about you, Henry. Yep.

I think I do. I only just realised it, too.

I think you hate your name.

Nobody in their right mind
would wanna be called Henry.

You know what's a good name
for Henry? Hank.

Every once in a while,
there is a Henry called Hank.

So hop in, Hank. We gotta go now.

Hook it up. Got it? OK.

(Jonathan whistles a tune)

- Something bothering you?
- Thought you'd never ask.

Well?

Do you think this a good profession
for your son's mother to be in?

- Funny way of putting a question.
- Well? Do you?

I don't think he has anything
to be ashamed of if I don't.

And I don't. Who the hell
do you think you are?

- This is the first real chance at my career.
- Career? Career?

- This job is gonna take me places.
- You can say that again.

Good places.

You can go now. I'm going to bed.

Take your nails and your towel.

Mr Reynolds. Uh... We're so honoured
to have you here.

Syd!

August, how did you ever
manage to bring, uh...

- Wait a minute. You're not him.
- Had you going for a minute, though.

- I do not believe this.
- August, what's going on?

A demonstration.
What do you call it? A dummy.

- I believe it.
- It's a mock-up. Come on. I'll show you.

So, next time I get
the real Burt Reynolds, right,

but tonight this man
just for demonstration.

Or maybe if we could
always use these dummies.

The star energy is a function
of the imagination.

Reynolds works out on the machines.

He sweats, he breathes heavily,
he moans, he groans with the effort.

He becomes emotionally and sexually
involved with the devices.

All this we film, we record,
we make a video.

Is it not so? A cassette?

We show Reynolds' efforts
by generating power into these batteries.

More, more, more. Very good.

You see, Syd? You see?

The energy right now is travelling down
through the wires into the batteries.

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy bir... ♪

- You look pretty happy.
- I got a job!

- Wish me luck.
- You got it, blondie.

(she hums)

(music and laughter)

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday, dear Leo

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

Speech!

(striptease music plays)

♪ A little birdie told me it's your birthday

♪ Nice to see you're looking well tonight

♪ I'm glad you all could come

♪ Aren't we having fun?

♪ I couldn't find a gift in time

♪ What will I ever do?

♪ I don't know no polkas or no foxtrots

♪ Anyway, those things don't turn me on

♪ Maybe you can guess

♪ What I do the best

♪ So just enjoy, my birthday boy

♪ This show's just for you ♪

Come on, Leo. Take a bite out of her.

(man) Come on, baby! Take it off!

(music stops)

Happy birthday, Leo.

(knocking)

Uh-huh.

I love soap operas.

Forget it, Hugo. I'm not cut out for this.

On soap operas, everything
turns out wrong. It's very relaxing.

I didn't use these.

Well... thanks for giving me the break.

See you.

I guess I'll go now.

Funny way of leaving a place,
just standing there.

It'll work sooner or later. I'll leave
or the building will be torn down.

But you'll outlast us.

- What do you call that? Passive leaving?
- Don't pep-talk me. I don't like pep talks.

I wasn't gonna.
I was gonna give you lessons.

- Wait a minute.
- Of course, lessons cost a little bit extra.

Jesus Christ!

Does not give lessons. Sit down.

Sit down.

(striptease music plays)

Sit down.

You're walking in
being embarrassed, right?

Embarrassed. Know where
that word comes from? I'm bare-assed.

Being bare-assed is for suckers.
It's for audiences.

You take your clothes off,
but the whole point is to bare-ass them.

You've got to embarrass them.
That's your job, not stripping.

- Grace doesn't matter. Can you sing?
- Well, I...

Doesn't matter. What matters
is nothing you do embarrasses you.

First rule of showbiz. Can you hear me?

OK. Now you try.

(striptease music plays)

♪ All my broken dreams
They're just drifting away

♪ But I'd do it all again... ♪

It's got a nice feel to it. Carry on. It's good.

Uh...

It's not finished yet.
I'm still working on it. Thanks.

Hey, where you going?

- Work. Thanks.
- Take care.

(he hums)

Shit.

(slow rock guitar music)

Hey, pizza man.

- Hey, pizza man.
- Hi, guys.

Uh, you wanna take these?
They're kinda hot.

We just wanted some sappy fuck
to come knocking on our door.

So it's 10 bucks a pizza. That's 20 bucks.

You're a stupid-looking fucker.
How come you got a job like this?

You know what? I'm hungry.
I bet you he's got a pepperoni in there.

Listen, it's no problem.
I can just give Vinnie a call and I can...

Hey!

- Jesus Christ!
- Where do you think you're going?

- Come here!
- He'll have some money in his wallet.

Give me your wallet!

Excuse me. What are you looking for?

- Johnson. Room five.
- Second door on your left.

Thank you.

Johnson?

(whimpers)

- Excuse us.
- Sure.

♪ A little birdie told me it's your birthday

♪ Nice to see you're looking well today

♪ Glad you all could come

♪ Aren't we having fun? ♪

(striptease music plays)

(applause and cheering)

Happy birthday.

Pizza.

Hey, baby. More pizza, huh?

Du Sau, du.

Want to hit him?

Listen, August, I appreciate this, really.

I owe you one. All of you.
Free pizzas indefinitely.

I'll get you, you pizza fuck.
I'll get you, fucker!

I'll get you, fucker!

I'll get you, you pizza fuck!

I'll get you!

(August) It's all right. It's all right.

♪ And, oh, even if you never know

♪ And, oh, even if you know... ♪

(car door opens and closes)

- What are you doing up?
- Enjoying the quiet.

- How'd it go?
- I'm a pro.

Really?

I'm really OK. I like it, too.

A stripper, right?
Who would have thought it?

So, that's how that happens.

But I tell you,
it beats the shit out of barten...

Jonathan! What happened?

Somebody beat the shit
out of pizza delivering.

We had a happy ending.
But I promised August I'd let him tell you.

Whatever. Are you sure you're OK?

- I'm fine.
- You look...

Really.

- What are you working on?
- "Dear diary..."

"What a day it's been."

I know it's the oldest question in LA,
but what do you really do?

I deliver pizzas. On my good nights.

No, I mean, really. What do you really do?

You've got all of these records

and books and art posters.

And that.

Are you some kind of writer or something?

Or something.

- A closet poet.
- Hey.

There's a difference between
getting me aggravated, which I enjoy...

You're weird and I like you, but there's a
difference between aggravated and mad.

- Do not get me mad.
- A closet poet. I'm right! I'll bet it!

I am so sick of all of the people
in this town

who are poets
or screenwriters or actresses,

when we're all really just delivering pizzas,
every last one of us.

What did you do tonight, May,
but deliver a pizza?

Fuck you. That's one man's opinion.

You've got a point, OK?
But I tell you... what I really think is...

I love that everybody
is really an actress, really a singer,

after they get off work at the bank.

The waiter is really writing a play.

Dream on. Right?

Can we get to our places now, please?

- The lighting's beautiful, so let's go.
- Fear. Fear.

- OK, that's great.
- Good fear. Good fear.

- We got it now.
- The heat is too intense.

- We got a helicopter.
- (helicopter passes over)

Let's go through it. I need smoke
from the nose holes, not the asshole.

Where's the smoke? It's so simple.

Yeah. He looks pretty good in costume.

- Smoke. Slay the dragon.
- He looks silly in that costume.

Action!

Cut, cut, cut! Slay the dragon, not yourself.

OK? Try it again right away. Up. Let's go.

- Don't you say "action"?
- Yes, I'll say "action". Action!

Wait, my hero.
You need some Viking Spray.

Slay the dragon, slay the dragon.
Slay the dragon.

No, no, no. Cut, cut, cut.

- Hey, Hank. Come here.
- OK.

I think you're gonna like this.

Smells good.
I wish you wouldn't call him Hank.

- I like it.
- He likes it.

- It's good.
- Well, it's your name.

Don't I get a goodbye kiss?

- That tone isn't like you.
- What is like me?

I haven't got time for this.
I have to get to work.

If that's what you wanna call it, Red.

Jealous? Concerned for my welfare,
the state of my morals?

Thank you.

Goodbye, Hank.

- Hear what she called me?
- I heard.

Where are you, people?

In 15 minutes I'm on television.

We're throwing a small party.

(whistles)

(Jonathan and Hank) ♪ It's all down
to a little bit of give and take

♪ Nothing comes easy

♪ It's all down to... ♪

For work or play, use Viking Spray.

♪ For work or play

♪ Use Viking Spray! ♪

I was working.

Oh, shit.

It couldn't be helped.

I couldn't get back in time.
None of us could.

Oh, you're really drunk.

Don't get morose
because you got a little success.

Don't be one of those. It's not good.

Aren't you going to say anything?

(he belches)

- Entschuldigen.
- Yeah.

Well, we're all going to go
to the beach tomorrow to celebrate.

And you can come or not.
But we're gonna go celebrate anyway.

Wait, wait.

For my premiere.

For Hank. For Hank.

Very nice.

Oh, shit.

Thank you.

The difficulty with my star-energy process
is getting stars to cooperate.

But now I think it's possible
for myself to become a star.

The consulate will be very impressed.

August, it's only a commercial.

There's no such word as "only".

August, no!

August, no!

Ah! Jonathan...

Jonathan...

Explain to August
the rutting rituals in Los Angeles.

What May is trying to say,
in her gentle fashion,

is that people in...

- This is not my job.
- Oh, thanks.

- You're both confusing me, darling.
- That's what I mean.

I'm not your darling.

I'm not anybody's.

I knew it. Never fuck a neighbour.

The more English I learn, the more
I find this word "fuck" to be a bad word.

We do not fuck. We make love.

Oh, August.

I think you do make love.

I fuck.

- What do you do?
- Me?

- Ja. Masturbation, perhaps?
- What do I do?

Are you or are you not a heterosexual?

I wait.

I think you should say you're sorry.

I'm sorry.

May!

(he roars)

Come here, Hank! Hank! It's me, August!

Ah! Goddamn!

Oh!

I'm so happy right now.
If only there weren't any money.

And if only there weren't any sex.

Meine Damen und Herren...

Ladies and gentlemen,
for me it is a great pleasure

that we gather tonight
to honour Austria's...

(moped drowns out speech)

..Herr Arnold Schwarzenegger.

(applause)

- Your invitation, please.
- My invitation?

- I am August Reizenstein.
- I know, but your invitation, please.

- I'm from Innsbruck. I'm a body sculptor.
- Without an invitation...

Like Herr Schwarzenegger.
I'm doing commercials...

I'm sorry. Without an invitation,
you may not come in.

- I must see Herr Schwarzenegger!
- You have to have an invitation!

..is our Conan, the Conan of diplomacy.

I am going to have Arnold
Schwarzenegger throw you out personally!

(speaks German)

I'm sorry. I merely wanted
to see Herr Schwarzenegger.

Are you all right?

(yells)

- You're the one for the party?
- Yeah.

OK. That's down there in room three.

Thank you.

Hello?

"Dear Telegram Person.
Please come in and start your telegram,

whether or not someone is here."

Cheers (!)

Class.

OK.

(striptease music plays)

Son of a bitch.

You son of a bitch!
How could you do this to me?!

How could you do this to me?!

I hate you! I hate you!

You want me to strip?
Is that what you came for?

I'll strip for you, goddamn you!

Goddamn you, you strip!
Take your clothes off, Jonathan!

Take your clothes off!

- Let go of me!
- It really is my birthday, you know.

I don't give a shit! I don't give a shit!

Let go of me! Goddamn it, Jonathan!

Jonathan! Let go of me!

Let go of me! Get your hands off of me!

I'm sorry.

God.

God.

Shit, Jonathan!

I liked you so much.

Shit! Why'd you have to do
a thing like this?

I love you, May.

Yeah?

Where are my cigarettes?

I left 'em in the car.

Look...

(sighs)

That part of life is, uh...
still confusing... to me

and... I just don't wanna be
confused like that right now.

Take it or leave it.

I don't wanna leave it.

- Maybe you should for your own sake.
- I know.

Still buddies?

Still room-mates... if you behave yourself.

I like you.

You know?

Hey...

Happy birthday, you asshole.

What can I say? It's quite impressive.

Finally, after all our plans,
we can go into business.

- Plans? What plans?
- What business?

- Our deal.
- What the hell are you doing?

Syd, now you will put money
into my star-energy devices.

I have secured the cooperation of a star.

- Who's your star?
- I am the star.

- Wait.
- I have a contract for more commercials.

We'll put the posters all over.

We'll make a video of August the Gladiator

transferring his star energy into batteries
that will power other exercise machines,

batteries that we use to energise vibrators.

Syd, all of those things we have spoken of.

We can begin.

Look, August, I never said
I'd do any of this, OK?

- You encouraged him, asshole.
- What's wrong with encouragement?

I encouraged him. But I never said
that I would. I didn't say those words.

- You did not take me seriously either?
- I take you seriously.

You think I came to America as a big joke?

- Look, just calm down.
- A joke, Syd?

I thought it was a put-on
with the star-energy...

You think this a joke?
I'll show you a fuckin' joke.

This is a joke. Huh? It's a joke!

Fuck you!

(siren wails)

August, what the hell are you doin', man?

Fuck you, Syd!

- I don't wanna go to the police station.
- This is no time for this.

I can't leave you here.

- Hank, you come right this minute!
- I don't wanna go!

Get in. Get in.

May, that's who we're waiting for?

- Hugo, thank God.
- You gotta take care of your people.

- Is that your kid?
- Yeah. Henry.

- Henry, this is Hugo.
- Hey, dude.

- Jonathan.
- Hi.

I thought you might know your way
around a place like this.

- No offence.
- None taken.

Experience in anything
is a valuable commodity.

Hey, hey, hey! Settle down!

Wrestle this dude,
you're gonna draw some heat.

- They tell me he's some kind of star.
- You a star, pretty boy?

We telegraphed your father
in your home country.

- My father?
- And your consul.

They called your daddy.

(all laugh)

- Hi.
- How are you?

Fine. We're here
to spring August Reizenstein.

- I believe Wiley called about him.
- Oh, yeah. Reizenstein.

- Bring out Reizenstein!
- The Kraut?

Yeah, the Kraut.

- He'll be right out.
- Thank you.

Oh, these two again.
Put 'em in cell... Put 'em in two.

Sign here that you had no property.

(cop to desk sergeant)
You take care of that. Just call him.

Around this way.

Hi.

Would you stay with me tonight, please?

August, I can't.
I have to stay with my kid tonight.

I'll stay awhile.

Rough night tonight, hey, Hank?

It's all going to be all right.
We promise. Don't we?

Sure.

(August snores)

(alarm rings)

What? What?

Commercial.

This is where I slay the dragon. Watch.

For work or play, use Viking Spray.

♪ For work or play

♪ Use Viking Spray! ♪

Hey, wake up. I gotta go to school.

- No, go back to sleep, honey.
- I gotta go to school.

OK. Make breakfast and brush teeth
and come kiss me goodbye.

Where to, mister?

(German accent)
Echoing Park, if you please.

- Hi, are you the telegram?
- I sure am.

Fabulous. You're perfect.

Yeah? Thank you.

(striptease music plays)

- Pizza.
- Oh.

Finally. Everybody's starving.

- Are you coming?
- Yeah.

- These pizzas are burning me.
- Give them to me.

Come on. Knock it off.

- Mom?
- Henry?

Hank!

Hank!

- Shit!
- Hank?

Hank!

- Maybe he's in the wagon.
- No.

- Hank?
- No, no. He went down the street!

Hank!

Hank! Hank!

- Get in!
- No!

Hank!

(Jonathan) May! My shirt!

Oh, Hank! No, wait!

Hank! Hank!

Hank!

Hank! Please!

- This is Echoing Park, mister.
- But the address...

You must have got it wrong.
I never heard of it.

- You getting out?
- I'm out.

May! Stop!

Henry used to call me Mom the Bomb

and then he just started calling me May.

And I knew then that...

I just thought I could
stay ahead, you know?

I thought that I...

Maybe I was wrong.

He's gonna be all right, May.

I'm sure. Come on. Come on.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

May.

(door opens)

Thank God!

Oh!

You come here! Would you come here?

- (May) August.
- Are you OK?

Hanky panky! Where'd you go?

- (knocking)
- Hello?

Oh, shit. Oh, Hugo, shit.

- Nice to see you, too.
- Oh, Christ.

- Do you live here?
- Yes.

- How much do you pay?
- I couldn't help it, Hugo.

My kid came, and the place
was angry and crazy...

- You don't understand.
- Maybe she doesn't want to.

- Would you take care of this?
- Give them their money back.

- There's nothing we can do.
- Would someone please listen?

I don't wanna listen to anything.

- August.
- I wasn't talking to you. May.

No!

- Take it easy.
- You will leave now.

- You're leaving.
- Weren't you in a commercial?

- I thought so. Look, May...
- How many times you gotta be told?

Has everyone gone
out of their fucking minds?

- Yes, but we're trying to get it together!
- You got an audition.

- What?
- What?!

(Jonathan) What?

Now everybody wants to listen. How nice.

- What?
- It's not a big deal. It's just an interview.

The guy whose party you ran out on
produces commercials.

A happy-stripping-birthday-gram
would be a great way

to sell ladies' underwear for housewives
trying to zip up their marriages.

You mean you're gonna be on TV?

I'm gonna be on TV! I'm gonna be on TV!

Excuse me. I look like this man.

(speaks foreign language)

Thank you. August.

(Gloria sings) I told you so!
I told you so! I told you so!

I told all of you! I told you all!

You guys are nuts. It's a break.
It's not a big deal.

It's not just a break. It is my break.

Pardon. I am Herr Reizenstein.

And I was told by someone downstairs...

he knows of the posters that my son...

- August.
- Papa!

- What are you doing in America?
- What are you doing in America?

(echoes) May!

(echoes) August!

(echoes) Jonathan!

(echoes) I got a flower!

Jonathan!

August!

- Jonathan!
- May!

August!

- For you.
- Danke schön.

(♪ "Give and Take" by
Julie Christensen and Mike Sherwood)

Subtitles by SDI Media Group

ENHOH