Part 3 - Danielle's Ultimatum

(Please read the previous episodes before reading this posting)
Part 1 - Meet Jack Collins
Part 2 - Jack Would Rather Be in the Coffin Than Giving the Eulogy

Warren and Jack unwind after work, then Jack meets his girlfriend Danielle for a non-celebratory dinner.

EXT. SKATEBOARD PARK – DAY.
The scene opens on a busy outdoor skateboard park. We see Jack and Warren’s backs as they overlook the edge of a concrete halfpipe. All around them are skater-kids performing aerial stunts.

LOUD RAP MUSIC THROBS from an unseen boom box.

QUICK PAN OF:

JACK AND WARREN’S FACES.
We see Warren first. Below a helmet perched on his large head like Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat, Warren’s eyes are full of wonder and excitement as he takes in the spectacle. Jack’s eyes are full of dread and his face is white as he watches kids half his age defy gravity without fear.

.

EXT. SKATEBOARD PARK – DAY.
Jack keeps ducking for fear he is about to be struck by a runaway board. Warren is oblivious as he tightens the helmet under his several chins. The knee and elbow pads strain to keep his flesh
in.

WARREN

All I’m saying is I’ve seen worse
presentations. Now, I’ll take a couple of
runs and then you can have a turn. Okay?

.

JACK

I think I’ll pass. I’d rather not meet
Danielle for dinner in a body cast.

He looks again in awed appreciation the spectacle of youthful skill and daring.

.

JACK (CONT’D)

Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider,
or at least start with something
less...concrete? Maybe a mattress?

.

WARREN

Nah. Where’s the fun in that? I may be big,
but I’m agile. Like a cat.

.

Warren shoves off from the edge. The camera FOLLOWS his decent into the half pipe. He gathers great speed and the momentum carries him up the other side.

.

The camera PULLS BACK LEVEL with the top of the half pipe at Jack’s feet. We see Warren SHOOT over the top of the wall. He is airborne, rising higher. All the other skaters watch as he passes overhead. Warren’s accent peaks, and he plummets back to earth outside the pipe. He DISAPPEARS behind the grassy knoll on the other side.

.

Before Jack can call out to him, Warren pops back up over the edge of the knoll. His helmet is askew and there are clumps of grass in his elbow and knee pads. He waves the skateboard over
his head.

.

WARREN

I’m all right. I’m okay.

.

JACK
(to himself)

I think you’d find those who would disagree
with that.

CUT TO:

INT. BUSY RESTAURANT – NIGHT.
The camera moves through the room past the diners. We see an attractive woman in her early thirties talking as she cuts her food. This is DANIELLE MORGAN, Jack’s girlfriend.

The camera SWINGS AROUND to show Jack. His hands are in his lap, shoulders hunched. He hasn’t touched his food.

.

DANIELLE

Really, Jack how bad could it be?

.

JACK

I ordered medium and this is rare.

.

DANIELLE

So send it back.

.

JACK

Nah, that’s all right.

.

Jack pokes half heartedly at his meat.

.

DANIELLE

Anyway, I was talking about the
presentation.

.

JACK

Oh that.

.

DANIELLE

I mean...

.

Danielle stifles a laugh.

.

DANIELLE (CONT’D)

You really sat down after only the

second screen?

.

JACK

Apparently. I really don’t really remember.

.

DANIELLE

And nobody said anything?

.

JACK

Nope.

.

A WAITER steps to their table.

.

WAITER

And how is everything?

.

JACK

Fine.

.

DANIELLE

Mine is good, but his steak is

undercooked.

.

WAITER

I’m so sorry Sir. I will have it fixed

right away.

.

JACK

No, that’s okay.

.

Jack moves to protect his plate with his body.

.

WAITER

Please Sir, I insist.

.

The waiter dodges left, then right. Jack tries to wrap his arms around the plate, but the waiter goes over the top. The waiter is quicker than Jack and he snatches away the plate. A couple of
roasted potatoes fall on the place mat. Jack spears one with his fork and eats it.

.

Danielle continues to eat vigorously while chuckling.

.

DANIELLE

So Bryan did your presentation. The
presentation you’ve been working on for...
what, six weeks?

.

She takes a big bite of steak. Danielle is a great girl, beautiful, feminine, and confident enough to enjoy life without worrying what people think about her.

.

JACK

Yup.

.

DANIELLE
(talking through a mouthful of food)

I’m sorry, I really am Jack. But you have
to see the humor in this.

.

Jack looks down and begins to cut his remaining potato with sadistic fervor, slicing it into ever smaller pieces.

.

JACK

Humor? What, like burying Grandma humor?
Funny like re-breaking a leg that was set
wrong? Or how about if you married my best
friend? That would be a scream. Fucking
hilarious.

.

DANIELLE
(playfully)

Would you be upset if I married Warren?

.

JACK

Sure.

.

DANIELLE

Why? Do you want to marry me?

.

JACK

Yes. Yes I do.

.

Danielle has just asked Jack to marry her. They both pause to let the significance of what just happened sink in. Jack is not exactly sure how he just became engaged. Finally Danielle breaks the silence.

.

DANIELLE

Okay. I’ll be serious. Will FuBaste go
ahead? And hopefully get a better name.

.

JACK

Maybe, but I won’t get to lead any of it.
(beat)
Of course in The Great Escape, most of the
prisoners didn’t make it out of the camp.

.

DANIELLE

Jack...

.

JACK

We can’t have success if everyone is a
glory hog.

.

DANIELLE

Jack, there’s a difference between grabbing
the spotlight and collapsing from stage
fright.

.

Jack doesn’t hear her.

.

JACK

Bryan actually did a pretty good job. He
may not know much but he sure can fake it.

.

The waiter returns with his plate.

.

WAITER

Here you are Sir. I hope this is more
satisfactory.

.

Jack ignores him as he is engrossed in his movie thoughts. He starts to eat his meal.

.

JACK

He’s like Chevy Chase in Fletch.

.

DANIELLE

Oh Jack, please don’t start with that. No
movies tonight.

.

JACK

Because Fletch was able to talk his way
into anything. It’s the same kind of self-confidence.

.

Danielle looks bored. She chews disinterestedly as he becomes more animated. He may really be onto something.

.

JACK (CONT'D)

Except that Fletch really did know what he
was doing. Bryan doesn’t know anything
about software, or business -- or anything
I can see. Maybe he’s more like one of The
Three Amigos.

.

Danielle puts down her silverware.

.

DANIELLE

Okay. This needs to stop.

.

JACK

(startled from his movie talk)

What? Is there something wrong with the
food?

.

DANIELLE

No. It’s you and your Macho Man movies.

They run your whole life.

.

JACK

No they don’t. They -- they liberate me.

.

DANIELLE

They cripple you Jack.

.

JACK

You’re wrong Danielle. Guy movies deal with
all the elements that cause stress and show
how you can solve them so you can walk off
into the sunset while the villagers pray
for your return.

.

DANIELLE

Oh please. I’ve heard the speech before.

.

JACK

A guy movie exists on the basic premise
that action is better than talk, that honor
is better than compromise and sometimes all
a guy needs is the right line to get out of
any situation. “Hasta la vista, Baby.”

.

DANIELLE

But Jack, they keep you from taking any
risk. That’s your problem. I don’t
understand why, maybe you’re afraid to act
in case it doesn’t turn out like you’ve
seen.

.

JACK

It’s not unusual to hate public speaking
Danielle. Lots of people do.

.

DANIELLE

But it’s more than that. You’re the
smartest guy at GL but you can’t step out
to get noticed. In twenty years, you’ll
still be writing code and helping new
college grads become your boss. We’ve been
dating for over three years, and in case
you didn’t notice tonight, we’re now
engaged only because I asked you.

.

JACK

Yeah. -- I did notice that.

.

DANIELLE

I love you. But that’s not how I want a
proposal. I want to be romanced by a man
who is willing to do whatever it takes to
win me. I think I deserve it.

.

JACK

You do. I -- I love you too.

.

DANIELLE

But you don’t know how to do that Jack
because you’ve never seen it in a movie.
Not the Dirty Dozen, not Dirty Harry or any
other unwashed action hero.

.

JACK

There’s James Bond. He does okay with the
ladies.

.

DANIELLE

That’s not love and those aren’t women.
They’re some old man’s martini masturbation
fantasy come to life.

.

This is said loudly enough that people at the surrounding tables stop eating. The word “masturbation” will do that in a restaurant. Danielle turns to speak to one particularly outraged man in his sixties.

.

DANIELLE (CONT'D)

Oh come on. Pussy Galore? Honey Ryder? What
kind of names are those?

.

JACK
(impressed)

I can’t believe you know that.

.

DANIELLE

Of course I do. It’s hard to forget
anything so juvenile and embarrassing.
Those ridiculous names, and the shallow,
unprotected sex that go along with them,
ruin what are some decent films.

.

Neither Jack nor Danielle has touched their food for some time. The waiter continues to circle the table but does not dare break into the conversation to ask if everything is all right.

.

JACK

If you want me to try harder at work...

.

DANIELLE

Jack, it’s not your position at work that’s
the problem; it’s just a symptom. If I
believed you were happy, then that would be
great. I don’t care if you’re the president
or the janitor, as long as it’s what you
want to do.

.

JACK

But it’s just a job. I can ignore all that
because you are what’s important to me.

.

DANIELLE

But it’s not enough. I don’t want to be in
a relationship where you relate to the
world only through what happened in some
movie. You need to want to be with me more
than your need to stay up late to watch
Sonny Corleone get gunned down for the
hundredth time.

.

Jack is about to say something to object but Danielle raises her hand to stop him.

.

DANIELLE (CONT'D)

I know The Godfather is an Oscar winner,
and believe it or not, I do enjoy watching
it, but maybe once every five years, not
once a week.

.

JACK

So what are you saying?

.

DANIELLE

I’m going to make this real easy for you:
me or the movies.

.

JACK

Dee -- I don’t see that they are two things
I need to choose between.

.

DANIELLE

They are when your obsession with them puts
them ahead of our life together.

.

Danielle pushes her chair back and wipes her hands as she stands.

.

DANIELLE

Either you give up the films Jack, or me.

.

Danielle kisses Jack on the top of his head and walks out of the restaurant. Jack makes no move to follow her. He knows this is a critical moment when a grand gesture could save him. However, another anxiety attack, like earlier in the day, keeps him glued to the chair, rubbing his sweaty palms against his sides as he tries to control his breathing.

.

The waiter approaches.

WAITER

Is everything all right Sir?

.

JACK

Huh?

.

WAITER

Is everything all right Sir? Can I get you
something else?

.

JACK

No. I’m fine.

.

Jack adopts a southern drawl a la the sadistic sheriff in Cool Hand Luke.

.

JACK (CONT'D)

What we’ve got here is a failure to
communicate.

.

The waiter just stares at him blankly, not knowing the reference.

Part 2 - Jack Would Rather Be in the Coffin Than Giving the Eulogy

(Please read the previous episodes before reading this posting)
Part 1 - Meet Jack Collins

Jack has an opportunity to really show off his leadership skills but old doubts begin to plague him.

INT. GENUINE LOGIC OFFICES – DAY.
Jack walks to his cubicle nodding or saying “Morning” to coworkers. He sits at his cubicle and busies himself with paperwork, booting his computer etc.

The walls of the cubicle have pictures, buttons and other movie memorabilia similar to his apartment (from opening credits). The red message light in his phone is flashing. Jack sits and stares at it. The red light rarely means good news.

A stack of files sit in his “In” basket. He picks them up, shuffles through them, and moves the pile to the “Out” basket. A second later, someone walks by and deposits an equally large pile
of new files in the “In” basket.

Jack can no longer avoid the red message light. He groans, PUSHES THE SPEAKER BUTTON and follows the instructions to access his voice mail.

VOICE MAIL LADY

You have one new message. Message one:

VOICE OF DANIELLE, JACK’S GIRLFRIEND

Morning Jack. How’d you sleep without me? I
couldn’t sleep well without you.

JACK lunges for the receiver to get to voice off speaker, and knocks over an old cup of coffee.

VOICE OF DANIELLE
(now only heard in the earpiece)

I’m sorry I didn’t want to stay over last
night, but you had to prep for the meeting,
I had work to do and, to be honest, I’ve
seen The Right Stuff as many times as I
want.

JACK
(under his breath)

It’s an Oscar winner.

VOICE OF DANIELLE

I know it’s an Oscar winner, but I don’t
always want to watch movies. Sometimes,
well... sometimes I just want your
undivided attention.

There is a long pause in her message. Jack wipes up the spilled
coffee with some napkins while he waits.

VOICE OF DANIELLE (CONT'D)

Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck this
morning. Don’t forget about dinner tonight.
Call me later. Bye.

A man in his late twenties comes up behind Jack. He is wearing a suit that is a little too dressy for this office. This is BRYAN BETTMAN, the Project Manager on Jack’s project. He thinks he’s
charming, but to everyone else, he’s an under qualified suck up.

BRYAN BETTMAN

Hey Jack. You getting ready to phone in
that presentation or will you do it in
person?

Bryan laughs at his own joke even though no one else is around to hear.

JACK
(pretending someone is on the
other end of the phone)

Thanks for calling Hon. Gotta go. I’ll call
you later.

Jack hangs up and turns to Bryan.

JACK

Nope. I’m all set.

BRYAN

Super. I hear it’s all the Executive can
talk about.

We hear the BLOOD START POUNDING in Jack’s ears.

JACK
(hesitantly)

Super.

BRYAN

Good stuff there Collins. Let’s show the
Exec what this team’s made of! Right?

Bryan laughs as he POUNDS out a little drum roll on Jack’s back.

JACK
(voice pulsating through the
pounding)

Thanks. I gotta go get ready.

Jack turns his back busying himself with papers on his desk. Bryan gives Jack the old ‘double thumbs up’ before turning on his heels. Around Jack, the programmers pop out of their cubicles and mimic Bettman’s thumbs up to Jack. We hear MUFFLED LAUGHTER.

JACK
(unenthusiastically)

Yeah.

A SENIOR CORPORATE EXECUTIVE walks by and Bryan hustles off after him to the conference room.

BRYAN

Some final round at Pebble Beach yesterday
huh Mr. Gavin?

Jack slowly rises from his desk, grabs a file folder and the CD. He gulps down a glass of water and follows Bryan. He walks as though to the gallows. Just before he reaches the conference room
he quickly ducks into the washroom.

INT. GENUINE LOGIC WASHROOM – DAY.
Jack is alone standing over the sink. He is breathing heavily, bracing himself with both arms.

JACK (TO HIMSELF)

You’re a lean, mean fighting machine. A
lean, mean fighting machine

Splashes water in his face. Jack violently shakes his head from side to side as though he has just swallowed a rotten egg.

JACK (TO HIMSELF)

Cinderella story. This former greens
keeper, about to become Master’s Champion.

Jack straightens his tie and clenches his teeth into a smile

JACK (TO HIMSELF)

Go ahead. Make my day.

Jack exits the washroom.

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY.
The room is dark, crowded and hot. The meeting has been going on for some time and Jack’s presentation is one of the last. In the light of the projector we see people struggling to pay
attention as the time drags. Heads nod, people check their PDA’s, pencils are tapped and fall on the floor. On the screen is a projection of a graph and pie chart with trending arrows. All the text is too small for anyone to read.

PRESENTER

And in conclusion, the return on investment
for Phase Three of the Endowment Management
Unit… which we call what everyone?

ASSEMBLED CROWD

Emu.

The response lacks energy as the group has been asked to repeat this less-than-brilliant nickname numerous times so far.

PRESENTER

That’s right.

He clicks a remote and the screen image changes to a cartoon emu staring stupidly at the audience. We then recognize an uncanny resemblance between the mascot emu and the presenter.

PRESENTER (CONT’D)

Thank you.

There is a smattering of APPLAUSE as he collects his material

MEETING CHAIR
(she reads from the agenda)

Okay. Next item on the agenda -- these
lights are so low, I can’t see. Jack
Collins of the -- Mean Machine Team? Is
that right?

Jack rises from the group and moves to the front of the room. The sounds of COUGHING, PAPER RUSTLING show the general fatigue of a meeting that has run over two hours.

JACK
(awkwardly into microphone)

Yes, Mean Machine. It’s from The Longest
Yard, the original, the, uh -- the one with
Burt Reynolds.

There is a MURMUR of assent from the floor, but stony silence from the Executive Panel. Jack starts to sweat at the realization that this is a very tough room.

JACK

Okay.

He clicks the keyboard for the first screen

JACK (CONT’D)

Good morning.

ANONYMOUS VOICE

Not anymore it’s not.

JACK
(laughs uncomfortably)

I’ll, uh, try not to take too much time.

Behind him the images on the screen come to life showing various business, education and lifestyle scenes swirling around the words: Fund Based Secure Transaction Encryption.

JACK (CONT’D)

For your consideration, I would like to
present our proposal for the development of
a Fund Based Secure Transaction Encryption
System.

Jack COUGHS, and pulls at his collar. His palms are growing sweaty as the struggles to keep a grip on the remote control. The words on the screen contract to spell “FuBaSTE”.

JACK (CONT’D)

Genuine Logic has set itself up as the
leader in data management solutions for --
small to medium sized financial
institutions.

JACK’S voice begins to break as the nerves start to get to him. His mouth is dry.

JACK (CONT’D)

Excuse me.

He wipes sweat from his brow with his forearm and drops the projector remote control loudly on the table. An anonymous hand emerges from the darkness and gives it back to him.

JACK (CONT’D)

Uh, where was I?

BRYAN
(from the side of the room)

Data management solutions.

JACK

Right. Thanks Bryan. While we have
performed well with organizations willing
to live on the cutting edge...

Jack pauses as the blood pounding in his ears becomes too loud to ignore.

JACK (CONT’D)

Uh, we haven’t had stable AR/AP security to
satisfy the needs of big institutions.

His stage fright is become too great as the room starts to SPIN. He presses several keys at once and the screen goes dark.

JACK (CONT’D)

Oops. Sorry, I...

Jack fumbles for a second and the presentation re-emerges on the screen.

JACK (CONT’D)
(hoarsely)

And, um, we have performed well with, um --
the, uh -- the applications needed for the
institutions, that is, uh -- the enterprise
solution I was talking about...

He clicks the remote and a new screen shows “FuBaSTE - Goals of Project”

JACK (CONT’D)

Uhh...paradigm shift...aligning
priorities...

Long pause before Jack CLICKS the remote to proceed. Jack doesn’t bother looking at the screen. There is an uncomfortable silence in the room.

CUT TO:

ED HARRIS in “Apollo 13” repeating “Failure is not an option!”.

CUT TO:

CLOSEUP of Jack’s eyes. The camera PULLS BACK from Jack in his trance. He suddenly snaps back to the present.

JACK

So I think you’ll agree this project will
be critical to Genuine Logic’s next steps.
Thank you.

There is a puzzled silence, followed by random APPLAUSE. We see heads turning as people whisper about what’s going on. Chairs are being shifted.

MEETING CHAIR

Is that it?

Bryan jumps to the front of the room applauding with energy. He slaps Jack on the shoulder.

BRYAN

Thanks for that overview Jack. I’m sure
everyone is as excited about our plan for
“Fubaste”.

Bryan starts to lead Jack out of the light.

BRYAN (CONT’D)

If it’s all right with you Jack, I think
maybe I’ll just go over the highlights of
the proposal again.

JACK nods absently as he DISAPPEARS into the darkness. Bryan begins to do the presentation that Jack abandoned. We see JACK sink back into his chair beside WARREN. He is ashen
and grey. His face is sweaty.

WARREN
(with kindness)

I thought that went well.

The sound of BRYAN proceeding to give his presentation fades as the camera CLOSES IN on Jack’s downcast eyes.

FADE OUT.

Part 1 - Meet Jack Collins

Our story begins...


EXT. SUBURBAN DRIVEWAY – DUSK. (Period)
A quiet suburban street in 1978. As the sun is setting we see the silhouette of all the identical roof lines against the indigo sky. We see two headlights approach in the gathering darkness. The passenger headlight flickers twice, then goes out altogether.

The car slows and pulls into the driveway of a non-descript split level home. The 1971 Parisienne stops and the engine is turned off. The engine knocks and rattles for a few more seconds.
We see the driver, a man in his early forties, lean forward and rest his head on the steering wheel. This is Mike Collins: an entrepreneur with nothing but a string of failed business and bad credit on his resume.


After a moment, Mike gets out of the car and slams the door. He takes a step, then stops, shoulders slumping.

JACK (VOICE OVER)

That’s my Dad, back in ’78.

Mike turns, walks back to the car, opens the door and pulls out his briefcase. He shuts the door again, but we hear the unmistakable sound of an uncaught latch. We see the interior light is on, guaranteeing a dead battery in the morning.

JACK (V.O.)

I was seven and didn’t have a clue

what he did for a living.

At the front window, we see the curtains pulled aside and a seven year old boy looking out. This is young JACK COLLINS, our story’s narrator.

JACK (V.O.)

That’s me in the window. Pretty cute

huh?

Mike walks to the front door, and waves to Jack. He is distracted and trips over a bike with a banana seat and baseball cards in the spokes.

JACK (V.O.)

Dad was kind of a goof too, even for

the seventies. But when I was a kid,

I couldn’t wait for him to come home.

INT. COLLINS FAMILY HOME – NIGHT. (Period)
The front door opens. Mike enters, puts down his briefcase and hangs his coat in the closet. It falls off the hanger in a heap. He walks heavily to the kitchen, looking ten years older than his 42 years.

Young Jack EXPLODES into the front hall and rushes to grab Mike.

YOUNG JACK

Dad! Dad! Can you play catch?

MIKE

Hey Little Buddy. Give Dad a few

minutes. Go watch some TV huh?

Young Jack walks slowly back to stand in the living room doorway, crestfallen.

Through the kitchen door we see Allison Collins preparing supper. Mike kisses her neck, but she does not stop mashing potatoes to greet him. We see them talking but cannot hear the words. Their conversation is animated and tense, with Mike using his hands rapidly.

JACK (V.O.)

It was usually like that. Dad had big

plans of getting rich, moving me and

Mom into a big house. Mom just wanted

him to take a job with her father’s

mattress business “Sleepeeze” – the third

largest mattress chain in the tri-state area.

CUT TO:

INTERSTITIAL - STILL PICTURE
We see a newspaper add for “Sleepeeze” showing a graying man in a nightshirt standing next to a bed in a field surrounded by sheep.

INT. COLLINS FAMILY HOME – NIGHT. (Period)
Young Jack is still standing in the doorway watching his parents fight in the kitchen.

JACK (V.O.)

But no matter how hard Dad tried, he

could never get anything to turn a profit.

All he ever got from going out on a limb

was crashing to earth again and again.

Mike leaves the kitchen and walks toward Young Jack. He puts his arm around the boy and leads him into the living room. Young Jack turns on the set and starts turning the knob. Mike has opened the liquor cabinet and is pouring bourbon over ice. He sits on the couch as the channels FLASH by: All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Happy Days.

The next CLICK of the dial shows the opening of Dr. No where the three blind men gun down Agent Strangway in a Jamaican street.

MIKE

Stop!

The glow of the TV washes over the two figures as the 007 theme MUSIC begins to play. Slowly, Young Jack backs up the couch and sits next to his father. Mike puts his arm around his son.
The camera pulls around and we see on the TV the first time Bond introduces himself at the casino table.

BOND (ON TV)

Bond. James Bond.

The camera pulls back over the shoulders of father and son engaged in a common pursuit. In the background, we see Allison throwing clothes into a suitcase, suggesting she is moving out.

FADE OUT.

OPENING CREDITS - Black screen.
We hear the voice-overs of best known lines from some of cinema’s classic Guy Movies:

JAMES BOND (V.O.)

“That's a Smith and Wesson. You've had your six." (Dr. No)

Reveal Title on Screen:
THE GUY MOVIE GUIDE

MICHAEL COREONE (V.O.)
"Never take sides against the family." (The Godfather)

Reveal Title on Screen:
TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

TUCO (V.O.)
"When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk." (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)

Reveal Title on Screen:
"How I Learned to Get Ahead at the Cineplex"

THE TERMINATOR (V.O.)
“Hasta La Vista Baby” (Terminator)

CUT TO:

INT. CLUTTERED TV ROOM – NIGHT.
Multiple 360 degree rotation around room as production credits roll.

We see movie posters on the wall (The Great Escape, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Die Hard, Animal House). Stacks of VHS and DVD cases line the walls, cover the coffee table etc. This is the den of JACK COLLINS.

Each time the camera passes across the TV screen we see a clip of a different film: James Bond introducing himself, Duval’s napalm speech and finally Rocky calling “Adrian!”.

As the credits end, the TV goes SNOWY.

FADE TO BLACK.

EXT. BUSY STREET - DAY.
We see present day Jack Collins driving a beat up AMC Pacer. He has grown to be an average looking man in his early thirties wearing a short sleeve dress shirt and tie. He is trying to drive fast but has to hit the breaks frequently as the car in front slows. Each time he checks over his shoulder, but stays in the curb lane even though there is plenty of room to change lanes. An elderly woman on a bicycle passes him on the left.

Cautiously, Jack moves to the left lane and prepares to turn left onto a side street. He stops and signals left, but is unable to find a gap in the oncoming cars large enough for him to turn. Behind him, a line of cars begins to build. It is only when an absurdly long gap appears that Jack turns left, leaving behind a line of honking commuters.

EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - DAY.
We see Jack drive down a residential street of comfortable 1930’s houses with neat gardens; these are homes where your grandparents might live.

He pulls up to the curb in where a similarly dressed, stout man is standing. This is WARREN OSKY, Jack’s best friend. He still lives with his mother. Behind him the house has a wide porch and a flower garden full of geraniums, irises and gardenias. Warren opens the car door and struggles to get in.

INT. CAR – DAY.

WARREN

Nice of you to show up.

JACK

Sorry. Traffic.

WARREN

Yeah. It sucks when you’re

not the only car on the road.

Warren removes his attaché from his shoulder and reveals a skateboard he had slung over his back.

WARREN (CONT'D)

Check it out. Guess what we’re

doing after work?

JACK

Where’d you get that?

WARREN

Garage sale. It was a good deal too.

The kid will be in a cast for the rest

of the summer. His mom even threw

in the helmet and pads too. Never

been used.

Over Warren’s shoulder we see a woman in her seventies, wearing a house coat coming down the steps of the house. This is MRS. OSKY. She is holding a very wrinkled brown bag. She waves at the car frantically as she approaches.

Warren rolls down the window.

MRS. OSKY

Warren, you forgot the lunch I packed.

Nice to see you Jack.

JACK

Hi Mrs. Osky.

(beat)

Your flowers look nice.

MRS. OSKY

Thank you Jack. I do what I can,

but somebody is supposed to be

weeding.

She pokes Warren in the shoulder with a bony finger.

MRS. OSKY (CONT'D)

But I can only ask so many times.

Warren takes the bag through the window.

WARREN

Let me know when you reach that

point Mom. Thanks for the lunch.

Warren rolls the window up and stares straight ahead expecting to drive off. Mrs. Osky just stands at the curb. Jack has his hands on the wheel at 10 and 2, signals, shoulder checks but does not move.

WARREN

Are we not going to work today?

JACK

Seatbelt.

Jack points to Warren’s empty seat belt buckle.

WARREN

Fuck.

Warren struggles to pull it across his rather large frame.

WARREN (CONT'D)

You know I could have put this

on while we drove.

Jack repeats his methodical approach for entering traffic and pulls out.

JACK

But you wouldn’t. I’d get all the

way to the office without you

strapping yourself in.

Warren grabs the wheel and gives it a little jiggle. Jack tightens his death grip.

JACK

Quit it! Do you want to kill us both?

Warren struggles against the seatbelt for a moment then, he opens the bag to examine what his mother packed. He pulls out a carrot and three loose Triscuit crackers.

WARREN

For this she thinks she needs a

whole bag?

JACK

Isn’t that the same lunch bag

you’ve had for four years?

WARREN

Longer. I think it might have

been my Dad’s.

They drive in silence for a few moments. Warren fiddles with the radio but settles on the station they were originally listening to.

WARREN

So why were you late? Danielle not

let you out of the handcuffs?

JACK

(shocked)

What? No, she doesn’t -- I mean,

we don’t...
(beat)
No, Funny Guy. She stayed at her

own place last night.

WARREN

So that’s why you’re cranky. Just

as well. Big day today. Please tell

me you were directing all that sexual

tension into preparing for the meeting

today?

JACK

Not answering that.

WARREN

If you get to head this development,

bring this project in on time and you'll

get your own department. We all benefit.

JACK

Who says I want to run my own department?

WARREN

Hello? Remember our five year plan?

First we get the chicks who dig

programmers...

JACK

Oh sure. The Financial Software Groupies.

WARREN

Then our noble pursuit of money and

power. What happened to those goals

Man?

JACK

Impetuous youth. That’s what we were.

WARREN

You got scared.

JACK

What?

WARREN

Every time there was a risk to take

where the payoff might be a promotion,

or a raise, or even some crappy plaque

with your name on it, you backed off.
(beat)
But this time is it. This is the big payoff,

and I’m not going to let you blow it, if I

have to drag your unconscious body

across the finish line myself. You deserve

this one Jack.

For a moment, Jack allows himself to imagine something good happening, something he might deserve, until the possibility of failure shakes him back to reality.

WARREN (CONT’D)

Were you watching something go get

pumped up?

JACK

The Right Stuff. I find it very inspiring.

All Yeager needed to break the sound

barrier with a broken shoulder was an

old broom handle and a stick of Beeman’s.

WARREN

(nodding)

Great American hero.

JACK

You said it. Who better to present the

project proposal to Mr. Ryan and the

Investment Review Committee today?

WARREN

Except it’s you that has to do it, not Yeager.

And that’s Movie Yeager you’re talking

about, Sam Sheppard with all the right editing

and lighting. Where’s your script? Where’s your

crane shot and slow motion entry?

EXT. DOWNTOWN STREET – DAY.
We see Jack's Pacer driving downtown. The traffic is moderate between rows of glass skyscrapers.

INT. CAR – DAY.

WARREN

You need to start making the distinction

between the movies and real life Jack. You

did the work on this project, not Bettman.

The only thing you’ve needed to do was

stand up, take a chance. Just like your

movie heroes: Bond, Bullitt, Die Hard.

Those guys weren’t afraid to risk something

to get it done.

JACK

I know. -- They all just make it look so -- easy.

They pull into the parkade of a generic office tower in the heart of the city’s downtown.
This is the office of Genuine Logic, the software development firm where Jack has worked for 8 years since getting his degree.

JACK (CONT'D)

Everything works out in the end, without

any downside.

EXT. PARKADE – DAY.
They exit the car, pull on their jackets and each man slings his laptop case over his shoulder. The two men walk across the parking lot to the elevator doors. Warren puts his hand on Jack’s shoulder.

WARREN

Don’t be afraid of the downside Jack.

It’s not as bad as you think. -- Many

of us even enjoy it.

JACK

Don’t you mean the Dark Side?

WARREN

(covering his mouth and breathing like Darth Vader)

I’m not your father Luke. I only

dated your mother in college.

They enter the elevator and the doors close.