Original subtitles

Whitley, Whitley, Whitley.

I have the perfect piece of art for your exhibit.

Ta-da! It took me a month to create it.

Well, actually, it took me three weeks to conceptualize

and then one week to put it all together.

Sorry, Pocahontas, no "wannabe" artists allowed.

Well, at least look at it.

Ah�

What is it?

It's the continent of Africa.

I call it "Just say no to hunger."

You see, I've got all the beans and grains placed over the countries

that most desperately need them.

Ha!

I� I like your theme, Freddie.

You do?

Especially that "just say no" part.

No.

You are not the final arbiter of what is art.

You can play the theme song now.

? I know my parents loved me ?

? Stand behind me, come what may ?

? Mmm ?

? I know now that I'm ready, yeah ?

? For I finally heard them say ?

? It's a different world ?

? Ooh ?

? Than where you come from ?

? Yes, it is now, yeah ?

? Here's our chance to make it, hey! ?

? And if we focus on our goal ?

? You can dish it! ?

? We can take it, hey ?

? Just remember that you've been told ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? Yeah, than where you come from ?

? Ooh ?

? Than where you come from! ?

A cup of soup, please.

Oh, now, that wouldn't feed a cricket.

I want you to try my today's special.

Huckleberry ham hocks with assorted legumes.

Mr. Gaines, I can't pay for this.

Oh, shh! And a Waldorf salad.

Aunt Jemima came to me in a dream and showed me how to make it.

Thanks again, Mr. Gaines.

Hey, Whitley.

You know, I just left the art exhibit,

and the pieces that you selected, they were wonderful.

Thank you, Colonel Taylor, but none of this could have been done

if you hadn't gotten the arts foundation to give us the funds.

You are the one that talked and talked them into it.

- I am wonderful. - Yes, you are.

You know, the arts foundation president, Bruce Murphy, will be by tomorrow,

and I'm sure he's going to be pleased.

This is the mother of all exhibits.

The press will be there.

The bigwigs from E.H. Wright Industries.

I am just so thrilled to be launching the careers

of so many young artists.

Not to mention your own.

- Mmm-hmm. - You bet your bippy.

Hey, you'll, what's up now?

I want you'll to meet my niece, here, Priscilla.

- She's my sister's child. - Priscilla.

She's here checking out Hillman, seeing all it's got to offer

- before she go off to the white college. - Wha�

I told you it was between this and Spelman, Uncle Wally.

"Uncle Wally," they call you?

You got a problem with Uncle Wally?

I used to have a dog named Wally.

Priscilla's at the top of her class at Bronx Science.

Hey, that's my alma mater.

Yeah, I'm a major in engineering.

Isn't that a coincidence?

My man Dwayne here, I taught him everything he know.

He's Phi Beta Kappa.

Maybe I could take you around to some of my classes.

Uh� Uh, hey, you better watch yourself.

- Excuse me. - Oh, boy.

Listen, you know, I certainly wish that you could meet my son, Terrence.

Now, maybe your ambition would rub off on him.

Ain't going to be no rubbing off on my niece.

Oh, come on.

- Mr. Gaines. - Mmm-hmm.

- This is for you. - Oh, lovely.

Lovely.

- It's you. - Oh?

Oh, yeah.

Well, yeah, now I see the resemblance.

Mmm� Well, now, thank you.

I'll just add it to the collection.

Doesn't look a thing like me.

Oh, but it captures your spirit.

I mean, it's abstract.

What a fascinating sketch.

Oh, I got a whole drawer full of them.

But, of course, I would occasionally like a picture of George Washington

on a greenback.

Mr. Gaines, you've got to be kidding.

This sketch is money in the bank,

the work of a very gifted artist.

Where is this budding Bearden?

The guy with the sketch pad.

Mmm-hmm, and my pecan pie.

Excuse me. A star is about to be born.

Hi.

I'm Whitley Gilbert, and you're a genius.

I'm Novian Winters, and you must be at the wrong table.

No, no, no, no.

I'm holding a student art exhibit,

and your pieces must grace those walls.

Yeah, right.

I'd love to see more of your work.

Sorry. I just paint for myself.

And Mr. Gaines?

It's how I pay for my meals.

A starving artist.

Perfect!

I wouldn't be starving if you'd let me eat.

And temperamental too.

The press is going to love you.

Excuse me. I've got to go cut off my ear.

And a sense of humor.

Would you leave me alone?

I can't, and you'll thank me.

You know, I've heard about you.

Well, my taste in good art is legendary on campus.

They said you were a lunatic.

Oh.

This is incredible.

This has to be on the wall of a gallery, not in some dingy dorm room.

Look, I don't need a bunch of strangers gawking at my stuff.

And that includes you.

Why do you do it then?

Because I got something to say.

Tell me this.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it,

does it make a sound?

I got one.

How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

I think you're�

afraid to show your work.

No. Just convinced that people wouldn't get it.

I get it.

When I see this, I see Manet's The Fife Player,

reinterpreted as a man of color.

You're commenting on the exclusion of Black subjects

from the Western art tradition.

I'm right, right?

You're in the forest.

So, show me what else you got.

No. None of them are ready.

They're not how I want them to be.

Oh. I understand.

I used to paint�

when I was a child.

I was good too.

Could have been somebody.

Could have been a contender.

One day, I was riding my bike home from art class.

Had a little sketch pad under my arm and popped a wheelie.

Before I knew it,

I had a multiple fraction of the wrists, and�

I lost all my coordination.

You are a lunatic�

and a bad liar.

And you're a genius,

but no one's going to know that, are they?

Okay.

One painting.

And I really did have a super wheelie.

Jammin'.

Who are you?

Priscilla. Dwayne said I could work on his computer.

Oh. You're one of his tutees.

Not really.

He's a good friend of my Uncle Wally's.

He's just showing me around.

Uncle Wally?

Dwayne didn't tell me about you. Are you his roommate?

Yes. A very tired Ron Johnson

who just finished playing a two-day gig at Roanoke.

Oh, wait, wait. Don't tell me.

You're a drummer.

How did you know?

You have drummer's hands.

They're so strong.

They are kind of nice, aren't they?

Yeah.

But nothing compares to your eyelashes.

Wait a minute. Dwayne, come on out.

Very funny, but the joke is over now.

Dwayne� Dwayne's not here.

It's just you and me.

Oh, get out of here!

Yo, Dwayne, man.

Novian Winters' Pipe Dreams.

Ooh, that's some powerful stuff, and what a job I did hanging it, huh?

It's nice, ain't it?

It's done by this oddball cat, Novian Winters.

Look at the shadow across the baby's face.

That to me symbolizes the bleak future of the drug baby.

Look like the work of a sick man to me.

You know, these painter cats must be bugged out,

- 'cause they sniff paint all day. - Is that right?

If you sniff paint all day, you get brain-dead�

- Pookie. - �and you'll be stupid.

I see you've met Novian.

Hey, man, I� you know�

I� I� I�

Don't sweat it, man. I'm just glad you like it.

Like it? He loves it.

And the press will too.

It is my best work.

Don't tell me.

Your tribute to Homey the clown.

Whitley, I am giving you an opportunity

to include something meaningful in this exhibit.

Now open your mind and look at me.

I'm the world.

Sorry, Homey. Whitley don't play that.

All right.

I don't need your permission.

I don't need your permission.

If I want to make an exhibition of myself�

I'm going to make an exhibition of myself.

Freddie, who did your makeup today?

Crayola?

Deep.

Deep.

Deep.

Hey, Uncle Wally.

I got your Uncle Wally.

Where's my niece at?

She's at home working on my computer.

All right, that's my girl.

All work and no play. That's how I like it.

Bruce, we really appreciate the arts foundation's financial support.

Our money was well spent.

What I've seen so far is exceptional.

I didn't realize you were including performance artists.

Oh, are we?

Yes. This girl right here.

The living sculpture.

Freddie?

Hey, Colonel. I'm the world.

Well�

I know just how you feel, Mr. Murphy.

I felt the same way when I first saw it.

So, you're responsible for bringing this here?

I'm merely the wet nurse to the genius.

The man�

Novian.

Novian Winters.

So, you're the artist.

Yeah.

Would you remove it from the wall?

Oh, we haven't really set a price for it yet, Mr. Murphy,

but I'm sure we can work something out after the exhibit.

You misunderstand me.

I want it removed from the gallery.

It's obscene.

The artist has taken the image of the Madonna

and depicted her as a crack mother.

I consider that blasphemous.

I agree. I see what you are talking about.

I see Madonna. I see Michael Jackson with his old nose.

I see Warren Beatty with the Dick Tracy hat. I see all that.

This is not a religious image.

It's every man and every woman.

It's an indictment of drug use.

That's not what I see.

Bruce� May I call you Bruce?

No.

Mr. Murphy,

I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement.

Sure. We agree to remove it.

Bruce, Bruce�

we're talking about freedom of expression here.

That's our constitutional right.

The young man can express himself all he wants

in some other exhibit.

The foundation has a responsibility

to protect the public from this sort of artless work.

Excuse me, I'm a patron, and I don't find it offensive.

I think it's reality.

Mr. Murphy, art should challenge our assumptions

about ourselves and the world,

like the impressionists did with their daring use of color and light.

I mean, they were labeled obscene for painting women in petticoats.

And Goya with his naked Maja

was persecuted by the Spanish Inquisition.

Right! And in Do the Right Thing,

when Mookie was rubbing the ice all over Tina?

- It was like 25 degrees- - Dwayne!

Mr. Murphy,

when you silence the artist,

society suffers, culture dies,

and man is reduced to the state of brutishness

from which he emerged.

That's what I was going to say, bunny.

Thank you for that tram ride through art history.

Just remove the painting.

If you take this, you take everything!

Even me!

Especially her.

Fine, move it all out.

Um�

on second thought�

give me a few moments.

Novian�

maybe we can use this painting in the next exhibit.

Oh. You beg me to come here, now you're throwing me out.

Just put another painting in.

- It'll compromise- - No, there is no such thing.

This is censorship, and I'm not giving in to that.

Novian�

I got the press coming.

Now, you don't want to destroy this opportunity

for all the other artists, do you?

No.

No, I don't.

- Novian� - hey, hold on, brother.

Are you just going to let him leave like that?

Freddie, I have other artists to consider.

That's right, 'cause I spent much time on this bronze unicorn.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the opening.

I'm sorry it had to happen like this, Whitley.

What are you looking at?

A sellout.

I'm going to boycott your exhibit,

'cause somebody has got to stand up for our rights.

Okay. You go ahead and do that.

It will be a boycott of one mophead.

Fine.

No, it won't.

I'm with you, Freddie.

Girl, girl, don't worry about them.

The press is coming.

When the folks see the lights flicking and flashing,

they'll be running back.

What do you think?

Why you cut me off when I was talking about Mookie and Tina and the ice?

Here's to new friends.

And to Uncle Wally for bringing me here.

That Uncle Wally�

- Oh, Priscilla. - Oh!

I'm sorry. Uh� um�

Look in my room.

There's probably a shirt or something you could put on.

- Okay. - I'm so sorry.

What's up, my man?

- Chips, brother. - Walter. Walter.

Look. Could you come back later?

I got some company, and things are starting to heat up.

Oh. You know that.

I ain't interrupting, I'm here to pick up my niece.

- She's supposed to be here. - I haven't seen her.

- Tell her Uncle Wally came by. - Okay, I'll-

- Uncle Wally? - That's what she calls me, Uncle Wally.

Uncle Wally� Well, if I see her,

I'll be sure to tell her you came by.

Uncle Wally?

- Oh! No! No! - Oh!

Oh, no! Oh, no!

Walter, Walter.

Walter, there's a reason why your niece is in my jersey.

Walter, no, no.

Marry me. I'll be his nephew.

- Walter, Walter� - Oh, my brother.

I'm a happy Black man. I'm a happy Black man.

See, I've been waiting for four years, boy�

You don't take my niece, boy!

What sleepless night is this?

Me thinks I did not protest enough.

To uphold the first amendment,

or be a big hit on the art scene?

That is the question.

Who are you talking to?

I'm conferring with my conscience.

Would you two please keep it down?

Jaleesa, every time I close my eyes to go to sleep,

I see the Spanish Inquisition

marching Novian to the tribunal.

Mr. Murphy is the judge and I'm his henchman

with the most horrific pointy hat.

With all his wonderful artwork,

why did Novian have to pick that piece?

Isn't Novian the victim in this situation?

But you don't understand, Jaleesa.

He wouldn't even consider entering another painting.

I couldn't sacrifice 24 artists to the stubbornness of one.

You didn't do this for them.

You did this for you.

I did not.

Relax, relax.

You know, there's nothing wrong with being hypocritical and self-serving

if you can live with it,

and you seem to have managed that for 23 years.

Twenty-two.

What are you doing here?

I couldn't sleep.

I only have one bed.

I deserve that sarcasm, Novian.

Um�

I decided to cancel the exhibit.

Why?

'Cause I want to face myself in the mirror.

'Cause I wouldn't be able to sleep.

Look, if you're doing this out of guilt, Whitley, forget it.

Wait a minute.

Wait a minute, Novian.

I'm about to make a big sacrifice here,

and you just dismiss it with a brushstroke?

Look, if you're going to do this, Whitley,

do it for the reasons you told Mr. Murphy.

"Silence the artist, and society suffers,"

"culture dies and man returns

to the brutishness from which he emerged."

I said that?

Yeah, you did.

And I meant it too. Huh!

If they won't put your piece up in that gallery,

then we'll just find another one.

Where?

I don't know, Novian,

but I'll go find one.

I won't rest until I do.

And I have a feeling I won't rest either.

Gentlemen, ladies, may I have your attention, please?

I would like you to bring your eyes

to Novian Winters' Pipe Dreams.

Come on up here, Novian. Take your bow.

Say "cheese."

Cheese.

Pit.

Oh, hold on a sec.

Dwayne, it's Ron.

Ron? Hey, wha� wha�

Hey, Ron, what's up? Dwayne.

Where are you? Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Okay, I'm right there. I'll come and get you.

I'm going to kill that little bugger.

- No, wait! - Walter�

Wait!

Walter, please.

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