Sound of Christmas (2016) - full transcript

Hark the Herald Angels
sing or Ring Christmas bells?

Hmm?

Which song?

Hmm?

For the Christmas
concert, Lizzy.

Are you in there?

I'm sorry,
I'm distracted by the piano.

It is beautiful.

And it cost
more than my car.

Yeah,
it's pricey, but I mean,

couldn't you just picture
our students playing it?



We could put it on the
front cover of the brochure.

Hmm, The Brooklyn
Music Institute,

now with really
expensive piano's.

See, that would make
me wanna go there.

Sweetie, that's why
you teach piano

and I handle
the business stuff.

You dream
of making beautiful music

and I dream
of paying the rent.

Maybe Santa
will bring us one.

That's the spirit.

Hey, why don't
you play something?

Oh, no.

Come on.

No, you know I don't like
playing in front of an audience.



Hmm.

What audience,
there's nobody here.

Come on, when are you ever
gonna get a chance like this?

Okay.

Yes,
Mr. Akimono.

Travis McKinley
is very interested

in your
building in Tokyo.

Yep.

Dad!

W-well yes, McKinley financial
services does have hotel,

retail and financial
properties all over the world

but we treat each as
though they're our only one.

Dad!
It's getting late.

One second.

Yes, yes.

Of course I can
get that for you.

Uhh, hold on
a moment, please.

Uhh, Meg,
I need the uhh...

Thank you.

Yes Sir,
I have it right here.

How do
you do that?

Do what?

Always know what Dad wants
before he knows he wants it.

Being psychic was part
of the job description.

Of course.

And I will speak
with you tomorrow.

Goodbye.

I heard all of that.

Dad, can we go?

The Christmas tree lot
is gonna be closing soon.

Abigail, we've got
plenty of time.

What if we're late?

Well, we'll get a
Christmas tree tomorrow.

That's what you
said yesterday.

I did?

So much for the father
of the year award, huh?

It is at risk, yes.

Where did
they come from?

Sorry, next time I'll
barricade the door.

I appreciate
that, let's go.

Bye.

You know, you were
really incredible in there,

you should consider
performing again.

Thank you, but I am perfectly
content being a music teacher.

I don't miss being
on stage at all.

Lizzie, I know what
happened was embarrassing,

but it was
10 years ago.

Sam, it was more
than embarrassing,

it wasn't like I missed a
note during a talent show,

I froze during my debut concert
in front of 1,000 people.

You perform in front
of your students

in the classroom
all the time.

There's a difference
between a classroom and a stage.

Listen...

It happened, I moved on,
I'm fine right where I am.

I get it.

I could teach someone
to balance a cheque-book

but I wouldn't wanna do it in
front of thousands of people.

Thank you.

Come on, let's go find a tree
for this Christmas concert.

I just hope we can find one
that's not too embarrassed

to be on stage.

That's not funny.

I think it's funny.

It's not
funny at all!

Funny!

Not funny!

You know what,
let's get outta' here.

Tokyo will be
there in the morning.

Oh good, Brad,
you're still here.

Oh hey, Cynthia, I was actually
just on my way out the door.

Abigail, you remember Cynthia,
she used to work with me

but now she's VP at Business
Strategies for Mr. McKinley.

What does
that mean?

It means
I work too much

and sometimes I have to beg
other people to work too much.

Oh, I don't like
the sound of that.

You're so funny.

I don't think so.

Well, Travis
saw an article

about this up and
coming neighbourhood in Brooklyn

that all the tech companies
are going to and he wants in.

Find an older building, update
it into high-end office space.

Okay, well I'll pull the
available properties

tomorrow morning.

Or we can
do it your way.

I know, I'm sorry.

The company
made a mint

from the sale at the
hotel on the west side

and Travis want to invest
before the end of the year

to avoid a big
capital gains hit.

End of the year
that's in two weeks!?

Uhh,
merry Christmas.

Tell Travis he's
gonna get a visit

from the
Ghost of Christmas Past tonight.

Thank you, I will
talk to you tomorrow.

Goodbye Abigail,
nice to see you again.

This is gonna give
me something to do

while you pick out
a Christmas tree.

Yes!

Let's go!

♪ Of all the trees
that are in the wood ♪

♪ The holly
bears the crown ♪

Which way?

I think
the one we want is...

That way!

Good enough
for me!

♪ The playing
of the merry organ ♪

What about this one?

It will look good
next to the piano.

That was subtle.

I thought you said
you were ready

to start taking
lessons again?

I said I was
thinking about it,

I didn't say go
hire me a teacher.

I haven't hired her,
I haven't even talked to her.

Meg found her and set up an
interview for tomorrow night.

But if you
don't like her...

I don't know.

It's too fluffy.

Well, we
wouldn't want that.

I say
we keep looking.

You're the boss.

Oh!

Oh no, I'm...

I'm so sorry.

No, no it
was my fault I, uhh...

I uhh, wasn't watching
where I was going.

Dad, come on.

Duty calls.

Umm, sorry again.

No, no, it's okay.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas
to you too.

Oh umm, one more.

Thank you.

Hey

Hi, Ms. Moore.

Jordan,
what are you doing

sitting out here in
the cold, come on!

Inside.

Hi.

I forgot my Vivaldi.

Your what?

Vivaldi Concerto
on A minor.

I left it at home

and Mr. Flannery is
gonna yell at me.

He's not
gonna yell at you.

He says that
I'll never get into Juilliard

If I keep
leaving my music.

Maybe he's right.

Jordan,
what's going on?

My mom said that she
hasn't heard anything

about the scholarships
for next year,

I can't keep going here
if we don't get them.

Hey, we have our big concert on
Christmas Eve that brings in

all the donations that we need
to cover the scholarships.

So, tell your
mom not to worry.

Yeah?

Yeah.

And you tell Mr. Flannery,
I forgot my music all the time,

I still got
into Juilliard.

Thanks, Mrs. Moore.

You have
a good lesson.

And group lessons for Piano,
Brass, Strings, you name it.

In fact, this is Lizzie
one of our piano teachers.

Hi, welcome!

I actually need to discuss
something with Lizzie,

so I'm going to have
Juliette take you on a tour

and I'll catch up with you
in a minute, okay?

Okay.

Thank goodness
you're here.

What's going on?

They're selling
the building.

What?
Where did you hear that?

The dentist on
the fourth floor,

he heard it from
the accountant on three,

who apparently has a cousin,
who knows someone

who works in the
property manager's office.

Well, as long as you got it
straight from the horse's mouth.

Lizzie,
this is serious!

What if
the rent goes up?

The school has
a great deal here.

Samantha, breathe, you
don't even know for sure

if the building's
for sale yet.

The dentist
seemed very sure.

Well, the dentist works
with a lot of laughing gas,

I'm not sure how much
stock we should put in him.

Did you not hear me
say, this is serious?

Sam, until we know for sure,
why don't we just worry about

the things that we know
we need to worry about?

Like the
Christmas concert,

I mean, we still have rehearsals
to do, and programs to print.

Have you
chosen a theme yet?

Yes.

The sound
of Christmas.

Showcasing holiday songs
from across the centuries

from Bach to Bublé.

Nice,
I'll call the printer.

See, you forgot about
the building already.

Sure, not worried
about it at all.

This could work.

It's a
good neighbourhood.

It's not far
from the subway.

Parking could be an issue,
we should check the zone...

Zoning requirements,
I'm already on it.

I'll send you a link.

You know, Meg,
one of these days,

I'm gonna ask you a
question that will stump you.

Yeah, good luck
with that.

Hello.

We're here to see
the building manager.

I always get
tripped up by that spot.

Earl, that was fantastic, I
can tell you've been practicing.

It's not a
very hard song.

Don't be modest,
you sound great.

Oh,
I don't know.

Have you
thought anymore

about playing in the
Christmas concert.

You think I'm
ready for an audience?

Are you
kidding me?

Yes! Of course!

I ran a company for 50 years,
loved every minute of it

but not as
much as I love this!

I know
exactly what you mean.

I should've turned the company
over to my son years ago.

I didn't know
you had a son.

We're not close.

He took piano
lessons when he was a boy.

He played
this song one year.

I'm sorry, you don't
wanna hear all of this.

I'll tell you what, if you
agree to be in the concert,

I will reserve the best seats
in the house for your son.

It's never too
late for Christmas.

I'll think about that.

Okay.

Now move over,

let me show you how to get
through that tough spot.

Oh.

I'll follow along.

Ready?

Mhm.

Good.

Where are
we with Toronto?

It's done.

Contracts are ready
for your signature.

And that is how you
negotiate a deal, nicely done.

What else?

Company
Christmas party?

Just tell me where to be and
how much it's gonna cost me.

Next.

Brad has a proposal for the
Brooklyn project you wanted.

Excellent.

Uhh, the
building's in great shape.

It's 70 percent lease

but everyone's on a
month to month deal,

so that's
not an issue.

What's on
the ground floor?

A music school, it's nice
but it's not essential.

Any problems with
the neighbours?

It might go over better if
you added some conveniences,

a coffee shop
or a market.

Gourmet market thing is
really hot right now.

Good idea, Brad.

Uhh, any downside?

There isn't one.

I mean,
the price is right,

and there's plenty of space once
we move everybody out.

All right,
let's push forward with it.

The accountants told me how
big our tax bill is gonna be

if we don't reinvest by
January one, so we need this.

As long as there
aren't any surprises,

I want something
to sign by next week.

Thanks Travis.

That went well.

Do you want some
help with the offer letter,

I just did one for the
building over on fifth.

Oh, that
would be great!

We've got a lot
of work to do,

if we're gonna get this all
done by the end of the year.

Well,
if you want,

we can go over it tonight,
say over dinner?

Yeah.

Oh no, I can't tonight,
Abigail's got a thing at home.

I can bring it
over later.

Okay, sure.

Great, I will see
you around 7:30.

Sounds good.

Thanks Cynthia.

Hey, I think I convinced Earl
to be in the Christmas concert.

That's great!

And I got
another sponsor,

which means our donations
can go towards scholarships.

So, we both had a
productive day?

Yes we did,
are you off?

Yes, I have a first meeting
with a new private student

and her
dad in Manhattan.

Oh,
well, good luck.

If it works out,
bring her around here,

we can always use more Manhattan
parents come donation time.

I'll see what I
can do, goodnight.

Goodnight.

What is that?

Beethoven?

Ha-ha.

You don't have to
do this you know.

I know.

I mean, you have
to meet with her

because she's gonna
be here in about a minute

but if you don't wanna
take lessons from her

or if you don't wanna
take lessons at all,

or even if you do,
no pressure from me.

Dad, chill.

I know,
it's complicated but,

I think your mother
would be really happy

that you're
playing again.

Thinking about
playing again.

I'll get it.

Hi.

Uhh, come in,
come in.

In here.

Oh, I see you uhh,
found a tree.

Yes we did.

And we're gonna decorate
it tonight, right dad?

Well, I do have some work
to do but, absolutely,

we are decorating
the tree tonight.

Here, have a seat.

Thank you.

Uhh so, Dave Nevatsky, I work
with him and you taught his son.

Evan, yeah.

He was great.

He plays keyboard
in a rock band now

so all those Mozart Sonata's
I taught him really paid off.

How long have
you been teaching?

Uhh, about 10 years.

I started playing when
I was three or so my Dad said.

Twinkle, Twinkle little star
was a big hit in my house.

Where'd you study?

I went to Juilliard.

Oh, impressive.

Yeah, I'm really
glad it went there.

It actually taught me
a lot about teaching.

And, how many
students do you have?

Dad, we don't need to know
every last detail of her life.

It's okay, you can ask as
many questions as you want.

One of my piano teachers
had a plaque on the wall

with a quote by Hans
Christian Anderson that said,

"Where words fail,
music speaks."

You need the right person
to help you find your voice.

So, you can ask
anything you want.

You have
any other questions?

Uhh, just uhh,
when can you start?

How about right now?

Sure!

Great!

Yeah!

Hi.

Hi, I brought the draft of
the offer letter and some wine.

Little reward
for working late.

Oh, hi.
Am I interrupting?

Yes.

No, it's just
a piano lesson.

Oh wonderful.

Hi,
I'm Cynthia Brooks.

Lizzie Moore,
nice to meet you.

I'll bet she is
a great student.

Well, we should
let them get to it.

Abigail if you need me,
I'll be in my office.

It's just a piano lesson,
Dad, not math homework.

In other words,
"Go away, Dad."

You said it,
not me.

Sorry about that, it's her first
lesson with a new teacher,

so it's
very dramatic.

I get it.

Uhh, do you want some
wine while we do this.

Uhh, no, I'm good.

I can open it for you
though, if you like.

Oh no, I'm good, probably
keep my wits about me.

Right, okay.

So how long have
you been playing?

Started when I was six,
stopped when I was twelve.

Why'd you stop?

My mom was
really into music.

When she died it just didn't
feel the same without her.

That's how I felt
when I lost my Dad,

he's the one who
taught me to play.

Okay, let's see
what you got.

That's great.

You know it?

Of course.

You're a natural.

That song's easy, it's the
first one I ever learned.

So, if we move this paragraph to
here, I think that's it, right?

Looks good to me.

Great, that was easier than
I thought it was gonna be.

It's a nice change of pace not
to have to work until midnight.

Travis is a
Taskmaster.

Yes.

Although, I've gotten
so used to it,

I don't even know what
to do with myself

when I have
a night off.

Nothing, you sit
on the couch, you watch TV,

you eat food that
is bad for you.

That is a night off.

Maybe the next time we have
the same night off together,

we could do that.

Yeah,
sounds like fun.

Great.

You know, I also teach at a
music school in Brooklyn.

We do a big Christmas
concert every year,

you should be in it.

Me?

I'm not good enough.

You're more
than good enough.

I haven't
played in years.

Oh well, then I see
we have something else

we need to work on.

What?

Your confidence.

And you can take your lessons
at the school anytime,

we got lots
of kids your age

studying all different
kinds of music.

Yeah,
I'll think about it.

Great.

How we doing?

Umm,
just wrapped up.

Is she ready
for Carnegie Hall?

Absolutely.

Good, you can
support me in my old age.

I will see you
tomorrow.

Yes.

Nice to meet you.

You too.

Night, Abigail.

So?

I'll be right back.

Okay.

So, it's good?

I think so,
she's umm, fantastic.

It's like she's got
music in her DNA.

She definitely gets
that from her mother.

I don't have a
musical bone in my body.

Believe me, you don't want me
anywhere near that piano.

Oh, let me
help with that.

Oh, thanks.

Christmas Tree ornaments.

Yes, decorating
the Christmas Tree.

You remember
this one?

Did you make
that, Abigail?

No, that was me.

He made it when
I was in third grade.

I was actually in
the second grade, so.

Umm,
I uhh, better go.

Thanks Lizzie,
I'll see you Thursday night?

As long as
it's okay with your Dad.

Works for me.

Great, have fun
with the tree.

Yeah.

I can see
myself out.

Okay.

Goodnight.

Goodnight,
thanks.

So, what do
we have here.

I love that one.

Okay, you have to hang them,
I'm just picking them out.

Let me think.

Yeah, definitely.

You're very
chipper today.

I'm in a
good mood.

Why?

Can't I just be
in a good mood?

Not usually,
what gives?

We just put an offer
in on a building

that could be a great
opportunity for us.

And?

And that's it.

How did the
lesson go last night?

Good,
it was good.

What was the smile?

I didn't smile.

You smiled like
I have a secret smile.

I did not.

You did, I saw it!

Lizzie.

Brad?

Hi.

What are you
doing here?

Oh, I was just
picking up some papers.

My company's
gonna buy this building

and turn it into
high-end office space.

What are
you doing here?

I work here.

At the music school that can't
afford high-end office space.

Let me talk to him.

This is really bad.

He seemed like a perfectly
reasonable guy the other night,

just give
me a minute.

Could I talk to
you privately?

Sure.

Let me get
you a coffee.

I'm Samantha, hi!

I can't
believe this.

I don't know
what to say, I-I-I-

Say you're not gonna
buy the building.

Well, hold on,
I'm not buying the building,

the company
I work for is.

Well, tell them not
to buy the building.

I just told
them they should.

This was your idea?

Well, technically yes,
but I didn't...

Did you know that there
was a music school here.

Yes I did, but I didn't
know you worked here.

I mean, I didn't know
you until about 12 hours ago.

Expensive offices?

This neighbourhood
doesn't need expensive offices.

Okay but we're also talking
about putting in a market.

A gourmet market.

Oh great, so this important
cultural art Centre that serves

the entire neighbourhood
is gonna be replaced

by Gluten-free cookies and
overpriced blocks of cheese?

Don't you hate those
Gluten-free cookies?

I mean, they always say they
taste like the regular ones

but they really don't.

No, I don't care about the
cookies, Brad, this is our home!

This...

This is
our community.

I mean, we are two weeks away
from our Christmas concert

which funds our
scholarship program.

We can't have
a scholarship program

if we don't
have a school!

I-I-I'm really sorry.

You're sorry?

That's it?

I can't believe
I thought I liked you.

Wait a minute, you
thought you liked me?

Oh no, no, no, no, you do
not get to be smug about that.

I'm not-I'm
not being smug,

I just, I think it's
noteworthy that you like me.

Liked, past tense.

Right.

What am I gonna
tell the students?

I mean,
we can't afford to move.

I'm sure we can't afford
your high-end offices.

Lizzie, the
building is for sale.

I mean, someone's gonna buy it,
I can't do anything about that.

Well, then talk
to your company

tell them to leave
the building the way it is!

It doesn't
work that way.

Alright, it doesn't-it doesn't
make financial sense

and I know how
that sounds but...

It's just business.

Well, it's not
business to my students.

It's not just
business to me.

I would hate for this
to get in the way

of you being
Abigail's teacher.

I really like seeing
her play piano again.

Well,
I'm not mad at her.

Good, so I'll see
you tomorrow at 7:30.

Fine.

I'm gonna find a way
to save the school.

I'm not giving up.

Okay.

Infuriating.

I know it's an
impossible situation.

No,
he's infuriating.

He is impossible.

It's just business?

It's not just
business, it's our lives.

He's just
doing his job.

He has
a terrible job!

How can you decorate
at a time like this?

We all have
our ways of coping.

So,
do you like him?

Absolutely, not
the important part

of this conversation,
Samantha.

Okay, okay, I know,
I know but he is kinda cute.

Sam!

Okay, what are
we gonna do?

I don't know.

I have no idea.

Don't worry.

I have Earl
in ten minutes.

We shouldn't
tell the students.

No, no definitely not, it'll
ruin the Christmas concert.

It would
ruin Christmas.

He's scrooge.

I'll talk to
a few of the tenants,

umm, maybe the dentist
knows a good lawyer.

Maybe the dentist
knows Santa Clause

because what we could
really use right now

is a
Christmas miracle.

I just...

I don't understand how I became
the bad guy in all of this.

You're the one who told
Travis to buy the building.

Who's side
are you on?

What about
this, huh?

No.

Oh, perfect, huh?

Abigail would
love this, right?

No.

Look, I'm on your side
but I see their side to.

Well, so do I, I mean, I'm not
a monster, I like music

and I'm not the one who
put the building up for sale

in the first place.

Maybe Travis
will let them stay.

Hey?

Huh?

Travis is not
gonna let them stay

at the rent
that they're paying.

So, what now?

What about this,
it's got a heart on it.

She's not six anymore.

Isn't this
one of those times

where you're supposed
to tell me what to do?

Sorry, boss, this is
above my pay grade.

You'll figure it out.

Yeah.

Hey?

But you will not
figure this out.

Get out of my way.

Fine!

That was great,
Earl, you did it!

I practiced for
hours last night.

I think my
neighbour's hate me.

You okay?

What, oh, umm, I'm sorry,
I'm just distracted today.

Anything
I help with?

No, no,
it's fine, thank you.

Actually yes, you ran a business
for a really long time, right?

I did, yes.

Did you ever
have to negotiate

with really tough
business people like heartless,

only in it
for the cash types?

A few,
most actually.

How did you do it?

Negotiate?

Well, I guess the first
thing is you have to know

what it is
that you want.

I can't tell you how often
people have no clear idea,

what it is they want.

What does
winning look like.

Okay.

It's all about strategy, try to
discover their weak spots,

don't let
them see yours.

That's good.

Oh, and this is important,
always negotiate on your turf.

Never go to them and give
up home field advantage.

Home field
advantage, huh?

I can do that.

Thank you.

Lizzie, hey!

Hey Abigail,
how are you?

Good, cool place.

It is
pretty cool, isn't it?

Listen, I'm sorry
I couldn't make it out

to your place
tonight's lesson.

I hope it wasn’t too
much of an inconvenience

to come out all the
way to Brooklyn.

No, not
a problem at all.

Great.

Well, since you're here, why
don't I give you a quick tour?

Cool, Dad?

Sure, why not.

I was one of the first
teachers Samantha hired

when she
started the school.

Back then, there was just a
few of us and today we have

six teachers and about
forty students every year.

That's a lot.

Enough to
keep us busy.

We do keep
our regular tuition low

because it's not a very
high end neighbourhood,

we try to help out the
community as best we can.

It's a challenge, we really
depend on our Christmas concert

to get us through.

And we are very proud of
our scholarship programs,

rewards talented
musicians like Jordan here.

Jordan wants to go to
Juilliard, just like I did.

So,
what'd ya think?

Shamelessly manipulative.

I'm surprised
you didn't have

a choir of orphans
singing Silent Night.

Oh I tried but it was last
minute so they were unavailable.

Did it work?

Lizzie, I know you don't
wanna believe this but...

It really
isn't up to me.

Yeah but you could
talk to your boss

and tell him
we wanna stay here

and continue
paying the same rent.

You know that
probably isn't possible.

Sorry.

Guess we should get
your lesson started.

Come on.

It's good,
it's really good.

I keep having a
problem with the intro

like my hands can't
move fast enough.

It's because you're
keeping your wrists too tight.

Try this.

Really?

Yes really,
teacher commands it.

Okay,
let's try again.

What's up with you
and my Dad?

What do you mean?

Hushed conversations,
sideway glances, the tour.

That obviously
wasn't for my benefit.

We're negotiating.

I don't suppose you could
tell me what you're negotiating?

No,
I can't, I'm sorry.

Okay.

But can I give
you some advice,

you know, from
someone who's been negotiating

with him
my entire life.

Sure.

He want's to
do the right thing,

it's just that sometimes
his version of the right thing

might not
look like yours.

Doesn't make
him a bad person.

Okay,
let's try it again.

See, the hand
flap works.

Did you have
fun tonight?

Yeah,
Lizzie is pretty cool.

Yeah, she is.

She wants me to be in
the Christmas concert.

You thinking
about doing it?

I don't know if I'm good enough,
Lizzie says I am but...

What?

I've heard you play and
I think you're good enough.

Yeah, but you're my
dad, so it doesn't count.

Oh okay, I should
probably be offended by that.

If I did do it, I'd wanna do
one of the songs Mom taught me.

She loved
Christmas music.

She loved Christmas.

Yeah,
I remember.

There's Jen,
I gotta go.

All right be sure
to tell her mom thank you

for letting you
stay over tonight.

I will,
goodnight Dad.

Goodnight,
Sweetheart.

Hey!

Goodnight,
get home safe.

See you tomorrow.

Hi.

Hi.

Where's Abigail?

Oh, she's spending
the night at a friends.

So, you took
her all the way there

and then came all
the way back here.

Yeah,
yeah I did.

Why?

Well, I-I thought
we could declare truce

or maybe
a temporary cease fire.

We could
probably do that.

Can I
walk you home?

Sure.

Umm...

Goodnight.

Abigail really
had fun tonight.

She's a
pretty amazing kid.

Yeah, she is.

So, did you get
your tree decorated?

Fully decked.

I forgot how much work
it is with just two people.

We used to have these
tree trimming parties

with our friends,
where we'd go house to house

on different nights and
decorate in a big group.

Wait, you let other people
see that reindeer ornament.

Yeah,
I live on the edge.

That seems like a nice
tradition, why'd you stop?

Amy, my wife,
she was kind of the glue

that held that social
circle together.

When she died, everyone
kinda just drifted apart.

We still
see each other

but when we do it always feels
like there's something missing.

I'm so sorry.

Seems like
Abigail's doing okay,

you've done
a great job with her.

I don't know if I can
take much credit for that.

Amy set
a really good example.

And if I'm being honest, you
have a small part in that too.

Me?

Yeah, I mean,
these last couple days,

she hasn't gone near
the piano in years.

Now, she's
on it all the time.

I think you made
her love music again.

She never
stopped loving music.

She may have stopped listening
for a minute but that's all.

Candy cane?

Thank you.

Sorry.

Hi Cynthia.

I'm sorry
to calls so late.

It's okay,
what's up?

Well, I just thought you'd
want to hear the good news,

they accepted our offer
on the building.

Yeah, that's uhh,
that's great.

I don't understand, you don't
want Travis to buy the building.

No, no, no.

I want him to
buy the building,

I just want him to keep
the music school in it.

But he doesn't want a music
school, he wants office space.

And he
can have that,

he just also needs to
have a music school.

I don't understand and Travis is
definitely not gonna understand.

Meg.

I've got nothing.

Great,
the one time

when I actually need you
to be smarter than me.

Travis,
good morning.

Good morning, do we have
the projections for London?

I sent them
to you last night.

Great, thank you.

Travis do you
have a minute?

I got like a
half of one, maybe.

I have some concerns about
the building in Brooklyn.

Specifically?

One of the tenants
is a music school,

they do a lot of
great work in the community

and I think we should
do what we can to help them out.

Help them,
I don't understand.

If they move.

If? No, they
have to move.

Nobody wants to
see a music school there

when they can see your
gourmet market.

Your idea
not mine, remember?

Is there
gonna be a problem?

No,
not at all.

Great.

Then let's get
busy, contracts people.

Now what
am I gonna do?

This place is really
important to you, isn't it?

Well, it's
important to Abigail.

Why don't
we brainstorm on it?

We can talk about it
over dinner, say tonight?

Yeah, yeah sure,
that'd be great.

Thanks, Cynthia.

My pleasure.

So, you had this romantic
Christmas moment

then he got
a mysterious call.

And that was it?

Pretty much.

Have you heard
from him since?

It's been two days.

Do you think
he's avoiding you?

I don't know.

Cause the building?

I hope so.

You do?

Yeah because
if he isn't avoiding me

because of the building,
he's avoiding me because of me.

Okay, do you like Brad
or not, I've lost track

of where you are with the whole
like Brad, hate Brad thing.

I don't know,
I will figure it out tonight.

I've got
a lesson with Abigail.

Well, why don't
you just ask him?

You know,
what's this really about,

is it about the building
or is it about us?

Because I'm afraid of
what the answer might be.

That was great guys, let's
try it again but have fun.

I mean, our audience is
spending Christmas Eve with us.

It should be festive.

Hi Lizzie.

Abigail, hey!

Where's your dad?

He just
dropped me off,

he's got some kind of
dinner thing with Cynthia.

Oh, okay.

So, dinner
with Cynthia, huh?

She's okay I guess,

I mean, it's just so
obvious she likes him

and of course he's
just oblivious to it.

So, I was wondering if
you could look at these.

Oh,
these are great.

Holiday classics.

Yeah?

If I was going to do the concert
and I'm not saying I am

but if I did, I'd wanna
do one of these.

Well, if you do decide
to do the concert

and I know you're
not saying that you are

but if you do,
I would do this one.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Let's hear it.

So, why
can't they just move?

They can't afford it.

We could get four times what
they're paying for that space.

You know, it's really sweet what
you're doing for those kids.

Right, kids.

I mean, you're kinda like
their own personal Santa Clause.

Okay, I wouldn't
go that far.

What are you
doing for Christmas?

Christmas Eve there's a concert
at the school

that Abigail might
take part in and Christmas Day

just normal stuff,
presents, food.

I pretend
I can cook.

And we usually watch a
Christmas movie marathon.

I love
Christmas movies.

They're so...

Romantic.

And then
of course

there's the uhh, company
Christmas party on the weekend.

Oh.

I wonder who's gonna be
embarrassed on Monday.

Uhh, Debra
from accounting.

You can take
that to the bank.

Yeah, that's right, she loves
that dance floor, doesn't she?

Well,
who doesn't?

I don't remember seeing
you out there last year.

Well, maybe no one
asked last year.

Well, we have to
remedy that this year.

You, me, dance floor.

Deal.

Okay, so you wanna make
sure when you're performing

that you're not just
staring at the piano,

you wanna remember
your audience.

What if I wanna
forget my audience.

Earl!

You're not
nervous are you?

Put me in
a conference room

with a bunch of businessmen,
I'm great!

Put me on a stage,
how do you handle it?

Well,
it's been awhile.

Why is that?

Had a bad experience,
sort of soured me

on the whole playing
in public thing.

So now you make other
people play in public?

Benefits of
being a teacher.

Well, I guess
I feel lucky then.

Why is that?

Because I get to hear you,
you're wonderful, you know?

Thank you.

Oh umm, I'm still holding
those tickets for your son.

Oh right, umm, I don't
think I'll be needing them.

Did you call him?

Uhh no, he's uhh, very busy,
didn't wanna bother him.

So, you never told me
how your negotiation went.

Umm,
I'm not sure,

the balls sort of in their
court right now.

That's actually
another good lesson

in the
art of negotiating.

Never let them take the ball
and if they do, take it back.

Thanks.

Hi, this is Brad Evans,
please leave a message

and I'll get back to you
as soon as possible.

Hi, Brad,
this is Lizzie Moore.

Umm, I know we were gonna do
Abigail's lesson at school again

tomorrow night but all of
the rooms are being used

for Christmas
concert rehearsals.

So, I need to move the
lesson to your place.

I hope that's okay,
thanks bye.

Take back the ball.

For the
Christmas party,

the food will be set
up in several rooms.

This will
be the main bar.

I was thinking that
right in front of the DJ

would be the spot for Travis'
inspirational speech

on the magic
of Christmas.

Or the one
he usually gives

on corporate profit
and stock value.

That's the one.

The dance floor
will be here.

Plenty of room for
Debra from Accounting.

Well, sounds like you have
everything taken care of.

Yes I do.

So?

Why am I here?

You needed something else
to think about other than

Brooklyn music schools
and pretty piano teachers.

About these
psychic powers.

I'm not psychic,
I just pay attention.

Well, thank you, but you could
have Santa and his reindeer

flying through here and
it wouldn't be enough

of a distraction.

From the school
or the teacher?

Both.

I mean, I've looked
at this from every angle

and I still can't find a
way to save the school.

And if I can't
save the school

than I can forget
about the teacher.

You really like her.

Well, you should invite
her to the Christmas party.

No!

We're the
enemy, remember?

Brad, you spent the
past couple of days doing

everything you can
to try and make her happy.

That doesn't sound
like the enemy to me.

That was so great!

I'm having a hard time
keeping up with you.

Oh, please, you were
holding back and you know it.

I was not!

You keep this up, you're
not gonna need me at all.

We should do that
for the concert.

I'm just the director,
the students are the stars.

Oh, yeah.

I forgot about your whole,
don't perform in public thing.

How do you
know about that?

Kids at
school were talking.

Leading theories on
what happened are

a wardrobe malfunction
or your piano caught fire.

It was nowhere
near that dramatic.

Then what was it?

I froze.

My big debut concert, I just sat
there staring at a piano

as if I'd never
seen it before.

That's awful.

But it turned
out okay right?

You started teaching
and you like that.

Absolutely,
you know I umm,

I don't tell that story
to a lot of people, so...

Can we just
keep it between you and me?

Of course,
if anyone asks,

I'll go with the piano
on fire version.

Oh, thank you!

I better get going.

Tell your dad I'm
sorry I missed him.

Yeah, I don't
know where he is

probably has something
to do with his job.

Hope he gets
home soon though

because he told me he was gonna
help me make Christmas cookies

for school tomorrow.

Well, if you want, I happen to
be a Christmas cookie master.

Really?

They trust you around
ovens with your propensity

for setting
things on fire.

You want my
help or not?

Yes, please.

♪ Round the Christmas tree
a little box you gave me ♪

♪ With a ring inside ♪

Lizzie smell these!

Oh, so good!

Hey!

What is going
on here?

Hey Dad, we're making
the Christmas cookies

you said you were
gonna help with.

Oh,
I can see that.

Did any of the flour actually
make it into the cookies?

We figured since you
weren't here to help bake,

you're on
clean up duty.

Oh, I don't like
that deal at all.

You snooze,
you loose.

Well, can I at
least have a cookie?

I think
we could spare one.

Mmm.

That was fun
tonight, thanks for that.

It was.

Look, I'm sorry I've
been so out of touch.

It's okay.

No, it's not.

Just want you to know that I
worked hard to find a solution.

You mean there's
still time, right?

It's not
a done deal.

No, not yet but Lizzie
they accepted our offer.

They're drawing
up the contracts,

my boss wants it done
before the first of the year.

Wow!

That's fast.

Yeah.

What if
I talk to him?

You wanna
talk to my boss?

Sure.

Let me
pitch him directly.

I mean, I convinced you that
the school was worth saving,

I could convince him.

I don't know,
Travis is...

He's not the warmest guy
on the face of the earth.

We invite him
to the concert.

I mean, who can resist cute
kids and Christmas music.

Yeah, yeah, I guess
it's worth a shot.

Hey, why don't you come to our
companies Christmas party

this weekend?

I promise you it's not boring,
we have some serious fun.

I've been known
to loosen my tie.

Well, that
I would like to see.

Yeah and it's our best shot of
catching Travis in a good mood.

Okay, let's do it.

Great, I'll have my
assistant send the details.

Okay.

All right, yeah.

Night.

Oh umm, what do-what
do I need to wear?

Well, it's a formal affair
but wear something comfortable,

something you
can dance in.

Okay.

How do I look?

Ta-da!

I'll take that
as a compliment.

It was meant as one.

I don't know how long I'll be
but I shouldn't be too late.

I'll make sure the wild party
I'm throwing is done by then.

I appreciate it.

Hey Dad,

Can I ask
you a question?

Don't worry,
Meg already helped me

pick out your
Christmas present.

Well, that's a relief but that's
not what I was going to ask.

Okay.

What is it?

You know that it's totally
okay for you to date, right?

I mean, you know that I'd
be okay with it, right?

You are?

Yeah.

I just want you
to be happy.

I am happy.

And I love you.

I love you too.

And for the record,
I'm totally not okay

with you dating until
you're like 35, got it?

Goodnight, Dad.

35.

Goodnight.

Enjoy the party.

Cynthia!

You look fantastic!

Thank you, you look
pretty good yourself.

That's a nice Tux.

Thanks.

Hey, have you
seen Travis around?

Yeah, he's over by
the bar, I think.

What kinda
mood is he in?

Not bad, I think he's happy with
the way the party turned out.

Why?

Well, I'm gonna kinda
ambush him tonight.

Ambush him?
With what?

Her.

Excuse me.

Wow.

Wow, yourself.

I am rarely
at a loss for words.

That has been
evident so far, yes.

But in this moment, I can
only think of one thing to say.

What?

Would you
like to dance?

♪ Silent night,
holy night ♪

♪ All is calm,
all is bright ♪

♪ Round yon virgin
Mother and child ♪

♪ Holy infants
so tender and mild ♪

♪ Sleep in heavenly... ♪

Merry
Christmas, Cynthia.

Merry Christmas,
Meg.

♪ Sleep in
heavenly peace ♪

Are you okay?

Yeah.

I'm fine.

Nice work
on the contracts.

I'm sorry?

Legal sent up the contracts
for the Brooklyn building

this afternoon.

They what?

I signed them, sent
them back, done deal.

No.

Is there a reason,
I shouldn't have signed them?

No, it was
the best deal.

Then to all,
a good night.

Would you
like to get a drink?

Sure.

We still gonna
talk to your boss?

As long as you're up for it, I
hear he's in a pretty good mood.

Good enough
to save a school?

We're about
to find out.

Travis?

Brad.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Travis.

And who's this
beautiful lady?

This is Lizzie Moore of the
Brooklyn Music Institute.

It's nice
to meet you.

It's nice
to meet you too.

Sir, I'd like to invite you
to our Christmas Eve concert.

It's a great night of music
where we raise funds

for our
scholarship program.

I just think if you see the
kind of work we do

you would understand how
important this school is.

I appreciate the offer
and I'd love to attend.

Umm, you know
when I was younger

I used to tickle
the ivories myself.

You did?

That's great, maybe you'd
like to take it up again.

I know
a good piano teacher.

She is a great teacher,
Abigail loves her.

Actually, I think
I'm a little too old.

No, one of my
favourite students is 70.

He'll be
performing in the show too.

You all deserve it, we really
appreciate your...

Hard work.

Excuse me.

I guess you can
never say never, right?

Umm, anyway
I appreciate the invitation

and I look forward
to the concert and umm,

I'm just glad there's
no hard feelings.

About what?

About the school.

I'm sure you'll
find a new home.

W-w-ell Travis, we still
have to work out the specifics.

No,
it's all done.

I signed the contracts to
complete the purchase

of the building
this afternoon.

Isn't that right,
Cynthia?

Anyway, I look
forward to the show.

It was nice
meeting you, Ms. Moore.

Excuse me.

Lizzie!

Lizzie!

Brad, it's not
what you think.

I'm sorry again.

For what?

As predicted,
I failed.

Lizzie, this isn't
your fault.

You can't
blame yourself.

It feels
like it is.

Don't be silly, I mean, you
can't blame yourself for this

anymore
than we can blame,

I don't know, the dentist up
on the fourth floor.

Can we blame the
dentist on the fourth floor?

Sure, sweetie.

It's funny, you know, I always
felt like what happened to me

on that stage was a
loss, you know,

like a part of me always
felt like I lost something,

but these past couple of weeks,
fighting for all of this,

I just, I get it, you know,
this is what matters.

This would
be the real loss.

What are we gonna
tell the students?

Nothing.

It would break their hearts
and it would ruin the show.

If this is gonna be our last
Christmas concert ever

then it's gonna
be the best.

A big loud
celebration of Christmas, okay!

Okay.

Loud.

Okay!

Let's take it
from the top.

You know,
it's not too late.

The contracts are
signed Meg, it is too late.

Contracts can
be torn up.

Travis is never gonna
tear up the contracts,

it would cost him too
much money at this point.

Have you
talked to Lizzie?

She's not
returning my calls.

Just give her time,
she'll come around.

I just, I don't
understand Cynthia,

why didn't
she stop Travis,

she's supposed
to be on our side.

She's hurt by
you and Lizzie.

Why would
she be hurt?

Brad, come on, you know
she has feelings for you.

What!?

No she doesn't.

Brad, seriously!?

I noticed it the first time
I saw her in your office.

Cynthia does not
have feelings for me,

we're coworkers,
we're friends.

Oh no.

I-I-I honestly
never saw it before.

Oh, I feel terrible.

Maybe you
should tell her that.

Yeah, uhh, I'm gonna
catch up with you later.

I'm gonna
go talk to her.

Can I come in?

Of course.

About last night...

Look, I really didn't mean do it
to happen like that, it's just...

Cynthia, I'm sorry.

For what?

You know that I have
the utmost respect for you

and I love
working with you.

You make
things easy

and challenging all
at the same time.

More than anything,
I consider you a friend

and I realize that I haven't
been a very good one.

Brad, you don't
have to say this.

I do.

I'm really sorry.

Still, I should have told
legal to hold the contracts.

I should've told
Travis not to sign it.

He would've
signed it anyway.

I begged him to
reconsider but he won't budge.

I wouldn't
expect anything less.

Lizzie
seems really nice.

Yeah, yeah she is.

Can I give you some
advice, as a friend?

Of course.

Don't miss your shot with her,
you'll regret it later.

Thank you.

Hey Dad.

Hey,
what are you...

Piano lesson.

Yeah, yeah,
no, I just figured...

We need to make
sure she's all set

for the concert
tomorrow night.

Right, of course, so you
decided to do the concert.

Yeah, I think
it'll be good.

So do I.

Can I talk to you
for a minute?

We really
need to practice.

Okay, yeah.

I'll just...

Okay,
let's try it again,

and this time hit the
chorus really hard.

You did
good today, Earl.

Oh, well,
thank you Jordan.

You were
very good yourself.

It's gonna
be a good show.

Too bad it's gonna
be the last one.

I'm really gonna
miss this place.

What are you
talking about?

I overheard Ms. Washington
and Ms. Moore talking.

What'd they say?

Something-something about
the building being sold.

I guess, they're
shutting down the school.

Are you sure you
heard correctly?

Pretty sure.

I guess Juilliard's
gonna have to wait.

Well, anyways,
I'll see you tomorrow.

Goodnight, Earl.

Goodnight, Jordan.

What's up with
you and Lizzie?

What do you mean?

You know what I mean,
you're upset, she's upset.

You two could barely
look at each other earlier.

Did she
say anything?

No but
I asked her.

She said to
concentrate on the concert.

Well, she's right.

The concert is the most
important thing right now.

No Dad, you are
and Lizzie is too!

What's going on?

Dad?

My company bought the building
where the music school is,

which means, the school's
probably gonna have to close.

What, Dad!?

I've tried
everything to make it work.

Well, try harder!

Abigail, sometimes in life
things don't always work out

the way we
want them to, it's just...

Business.

Dad, that school's not just
business to her, it's personal.

Honey, I'm sorry.

No, Dad,
you're right.

Sometimes things don't work out
and there's nothing you can do.

Sometimes things break
and you can't fix them.

Sometimes we lose people
and we can't get them back

but you can get her back,
you can fix this.

So, fix it!

Travis,
can I talk to you?

Sure.

Here you go.

It's about
the music school.

Brad, I thought
we settled this?

A music school does not
fit in with our plans.

Okay,
but what if it did?

Brad.

The answer's no,
it's just business.

Well,
maybe it shouldn't be.

I'm sorry?

Maybe sometimes business gets in
the way of what people need,

what makes them happy like
friends, family, community.

I mean look at us,
it's Christmas Eve

and you and I are
both here working.

What's your point?

What's my point?

You won't reconsider?

No.

Then, you'll have my letter of
resignation, first thing Monday.

This is that
important to you?

Yes, it is.

Good for you for standing
up for what you believe in.

You can uhh, put your
letter on my desk.

Merry Christmas.

Excuse me,
are you Brad?

Yes.

Sorry to bother you, on
Christmas Eve no less

but I got your name from
Samantha Washington

at the music institute.

I'm taking piano
lessons with Lizzie Moore.

Oh right, Earl.

She's talked about you, you're
one of her favourite students.

Oh well, she's
a remarkable teacher

and a
remarkable young woman.

Yes she is.

How can I help you?

Actually, I came here to be
able to see if I can help you.

Hey.

We ready?

It's a full house.

Great so,
we'll go out with a bang.

Don't lose faith, never
know what might happen.

He's here.

Who?

Travis McKinley,
our new landlord.

Well good,

I hope he feels terrible
by the end of the night.

Yeah, me too.

Have you
seen umm?

No, Abigail
came in by herself.

Okay, showtime.

You ready?

Ready.

Okay, places.

Dim the house.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Merry Christmas
and welcome to

the Brooklyn Music Institute's
10th annual Christmas concert

entitled
The Sound of Christmas.

Thank you.

Okay, let's get
things started.

Accompanied by one of our
teachers Juliette Hastings

on the piano, our first
performer of this evening,

Jordan Crawford.

You ready?

Ready.

You got this.

I hope so.

I know so.

Our next performer is one
of our newest students

and it's been an absolute
pleasure getting to know her.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
please welcome Abigail Evans.

You should be
so proud of her.

That was amazing.

I couldn't have
done it without you.

I'm so proud of you.

Thank you.

I've gotta
go introduce Earl.

Our next performer proves that
music isn't just for the young

but also for
the young at heart.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
please welcome to the stage

Earl McKinley.

Did she say Earl?

Uhh, if you will indulge
me for just a moment,

I would like to dedicate
this song to my son Travis.

Travis?

Travis McKinley?

Earl is his father.

Travis I hope you
remember this song as fondly

as I remember you playing
it when you were young.

Merry Christmas, son.

I love you.

Please take
your seats.

Folks, please help me in
welcoming the founder

of the school Samantha
Washington as well as

the director of tonight's
show Lizzie Moore.

What is going on?

Go!

Is that Brad?

Go just go!

Go!

My name is Brad Evans and I work
for McKinley financial services,

well I used to,
we'll see what happens next.

Earlier this evening,

an emergency board of
directors meeting

was called by chairman
of emeritus Earl McKinley

and I'm proud to say that the
company is gonna match donations

and add them to an endowment for
the Brooklyn Music Institute.

We're gonna take that
money and turn this school

into the finest music
school in the country.

The Brooklyn Music Institute
is staying right here.

Did you
know about this?

Shh, listen.

And to start it off, we
got a little Christmas gift.

Guys?

Now, before we get
to our last song,

I wonder if you can
do me a favour,

will everyone who has
taken lessons with Lizzie

please stand up.

I'm really happy
that we saved the school

but at the end of the day,
it's just a building.

Samantha, the rest of the
teachers, the students,

and you Lizzie, you have
made this place special.

I don't know
what to say.

When words fail,
music speaks.

Hi.

How about
a kiss for good luck?

Why didn't
I think of that?