Original subtitles

[curtis laughs]

Whew. Praise the lord?

No, just curtis.

Hey, how was church, baby?

Oh, baby, that pastor--

Come here, baby.

I need you real quick.

Real quick.

What, baby?

I can't--I--I can't--

Reach this?

Yeah. It's--I don't know why

It's sitting way over there.

Thank you.

Okay, baby, that pastor--

Baby, do this for me, before

You run all that.

Do this for me, 'cause this

Is--I got a crick.

What, baby, this?

Just pull it out for me,

Because--

This way, or this way?

Yeah, it's hurting my--pull

It out.

Thank you, baby.

That's a good wife.

That's a good wife.

Okay. So, baby, the preacher

Says--

One more thing, baby--

Curtis!

If you were any lazier, you'd

Slip into a coma.

Ella, today is sunday.

The day of rest and relaxation.

If I don't relax, I'm defying

God.

And if I don't know nothing

Else from reading the bible, if

You defy god, something bad

Gonna happen to you.

I could end up like that, uh,

What's his name--johanu--be in a

Shark or something.

Curtis, please do not quote

The bible to me, and it was a

Whale, and that was jonah.

Don't judge me, ella.

Don't judge me.

[phone rings]

Curtis, can you get the

Phone?

Well, now that you've

Identified it, you can answer

It.

Okay.

Hello?

Oh, cousin sheryl!

How are you?

Oh, what's wrong?

Oh!

Oh, I thought you and doug were

Going to host it.

What?

Could we host the reunion?

No, no, no, no!

Well--

[ella chuckles]

Well--oh--their house burned

Down, curtis.

Their house burned down.

Well, baby, they still got a

Backyard, don't they?

And the backyard was flooded?

Then make it a pool

Party--duh!

Well, I totally understand

Your situation.

No, we don't, ella!

I suppose we could do that.

No, we can't, ella.

I'll get right on it.

Well, then get off it, ella.

Get off it.

Uh-huh. Bye, hon.

Oh, curtis--

Ugh!

Oh.

Whew. Home, sweet home!

Well, I think I got everything.

Yeah, in the store.

In the state.

How many relatives do we have?

Way too many.

Just like you spendin' way too

Much of my money on these

Groceries.

That's just my people.

If you include ella's folk, it's

Way, way, way too many.

I can't believe you let them

Bamboozle us into this.

Not really into the family

Reunion thing, huh, pops?

Listen, I love family

Reunions.

If you can find a way to do it

Without the family, I'm there.

Curtis, it's going to be fun!

No, not for me.

I'll be surrounded by a bunch of

Old folks that smell like

Menthol, telling me over and

Over again how much I've grown

And pinching my cheeks and

Telling me how cute I am!

But you are cute, jazi.

Yes, but I won't be, once

They pinch my face into a

Raisin!

Pops, I think me and miranda

Are finally starting to find

Our way.

And if you keep the faith, your

Boy might be able to get

His--his s-w-e-r-v-e on,

If you know what I mean.

Ha, ha, ha.

Cousin calvin, even I know

What you mean.

You do?

Duh. I can s-p-e-l-l, comma

D-u-m-m-y.

God, that's a big housefly!

I hope you're mr. Payne.

And I hope you have the

Wrong house.

Allow me to introduce

Myself. I am brett eisley

Hyde-white.

That's funny, your hide

Don't look white.

My--ha!

I was contacted by ella payne.

I work for "Big to-do,"

Atlanta's newest and freshest

Event planning organization.

I'm here to make sure that your

Reunion worries are things of

The past.

[snaps fingers]

Oh, hello!

Oh, hello.

I'm brett from "Big to-do."

Hi, brett.

You must be the event planner.

I'm ella payne.

And what do you plan to do?

He better plan on getting

Paid less money than he's

Used to.

Oh, mr. Payne, you cannot

Put a price on family joy.

Oh, mr. White in hiding,

Yes, you can.

$10. Make your magic!

$10? Heh--my people.

I do not do it for the money.

I do it for love.

Then

* love you .

Consider yourself paid in full.

I like him.

Curtis, stop clowning.

He come highly recommended.

Believe me, sir, neither snow

Nor heat, nor gloom of night

Shall stay me from making your

Family reunion a big to-do.

That's the post office motto.

I work there part-time.

Ugh. Are you all talking

About that reunion again?

Brett, please, could you

Please go to the backyard and

I'll be right out?

Very well, ma'am.

I shall relocate to the backyard

And survey the site, and

Conceptualize.

Oh, love it!

A black tinker bell.

I think I'll go

"Conceptualize," too.

Okay, enough. Freeze.

Don't make any sudden moves.

I think she's ready to strike.

Young lady, you will not

Become cynical like him, okay?

Oh, girl, please.

I'm a wise man.

A wise man knows when to

Shut up.

Auntie ella, our family's so

Boring.

I mean, all the stories sound

The same.

"It was so hard when we was

Younger.

We had to paint our feet so

People would think we was

Wearing shoes."

Jazi--

"And we couldn't afford a

Vegetable garden, so we had to

Eat dirt."

Hee! Ha, ha!

Curtis! Jazi, stop!

Curtis!

Okay, jazmine, your ancestors

Really did have a hard time.

And they made real sacrifices.

Why can't you see that?

Auntie ella, it's gone.

It's in the past.

I can't see it.

You can't even see it.

It's gone.

You must not want to see

Tomorrow, talking like that.

You know what, young lady?

You are going to help me with

This reunion.

What? No, I can't do that.

One of the things that must

Be done for the reunion is

Creating a family tree.

But, auntie ella, I do not

Have time to do that.

What, you going to be late

For work?

Everything you need is in my

Bedroom dresser, bottom drawer.

But, auntie ella--

Get to work, jazi!

Ugh!

Ugh.

Well, well, well.

How's the family tree coming,

Alice haley?

This sucks, uncle curtis.

Well, it's your fault.

You the one that pushed your

Aunt ella too far.

Yeah, but what's the big

Deal?

I don't care about any of this.

Well, you better learn how

To fake it, and you better

Learn real fast.

So, are you finished?

No. But I'm done.

Uh-oh.

Trouble on the factory floor.

And what do you mean, you

Are done?

I'm all done! This is crazy!

I've wasted a perfectly good

Day.

I already know about all this.

Oh, you do, do you?

Yes, and I'm sick of looking

At pictures of old people and

Reading about slaves.

I got it.

They took us out of africa, put

Us on a boat, made us pick

Cotton for a few years, and now

We're free.

Done.

Curtis, if you don't grab her

By her neck, I'm--

Okay. Wait, baby--baby, wait

A minute.

Take a deep breath, ella.

Curtis--

[ella inhales/exhales]

Little girl, if you look

Behind you, about a mile or so

Back, you'll see the line that

You just crossed.

Now, go back to that line and

Get your uncle some water.

Now, baby, do you remember when

Calvin was in the sixth grade?

Yes.

What we did?

Same situation.

Oh, you are a genius.

I--I've been telling you

That for the longest--

Sometimes.

Oh, jazmine!

Yes?

[ella chuckles]

Uh-oh.

Why do I feel like my life just

Took a really bad turn?

Okay, thank you very much.

All right, see you later. Bye.

There.

Jazmine, I just spoke with your

Mom and dad, and it's all taken

Care of.

You belong to us now--until

We're done with you.

I want to go home.

You can't. I just bought you.

You what?

Best $5.00 I ever spent.

Make sure janine gets that.

Wait! You paid $5.00 for me?

Well, you're probably worth

A little more, but you know, it

Ain't easy putting a price on a

Human being.

Oh, yeah.

They only did it for, what, 400

Years.

["Roots" theme music plays]

Aah! A worm!

[calvin laughs]

Hey, little bit.

Cousin calvin! Whoo!

I'm glad to see you, too.

Oh, finally some help.

Come on.

Oh, no, I'm not getting down

In that dirt with you.

Well, I don't blame you.

This is so--oh, ants!

[calvin laughs]

This is so awful.

You see, aunt ella made me put

On these dirty old clothes that

Are all hot and itchy.

And all I did, cousin

Calvin--all I did was say a

Little--a little bit comment

About--about our brothers'

History.

But she is working me now,

Like a--

Like a slave?

Yeah, they told me what you

Said.

They--they--they told you

What--

Hey, jazmine, come here.

Sit down.

Water.

Look, no one should talk about

Slavery like it was a long boat

Ride or a bad tour package.

Yeah. I know.

And I know they're working

You hard out here, but real

Slaves were treated worse than

Animals.

You think you could have lived

Like that?

No.

But they did.

And when they were finally

Allowed to rest, you know what

They did?

Sleep?

[calvin laughs]

Yeah, they--they slept.

But they also dreamed.

They dreamed of a better life

For the people that would come

After them.

Like me and--and like you.

Look, we've got great, great,

Great uncles and aunts that

Really struggled to be the

Doctors and the lawyers and the

Teachers.

I never thought about it

Like that.

I guess I really do owe aunt

Ella an apology, huh?

Hey, and they'll accept it,

Because they're your family.

They're the people who love you

Even if you do mess up.

And trust me, I should know.

I'm an expert at it.

[jazmine and calvin laugh]

Thanks for the lesson,

Cousin calvin.

Hey, that's what family's

For.

Hey, and you know what else

Family's for?

What's that?

Come on.

Come on.

To help other family members in

Need.

Help me pick these darn weeds.

Come on.

Here's the first sample.

Blam! Okay! All right.

I see you got the eggs and stuff

And the little stuff.

Uh-huh.

Okay, what we gonna have?

What we have, right here?

Yes.

Mmm. That's good.

[brett laughs]

I like that, I like that.

What is it?

That, mr. Payne, is what you

Call escargot.

Mmm.

Well, now it's escar-gone.

[curtis and brett laugh]

Oh--what is escargot?

Snails.

[curtis gags]

Do the heimlich or something.

Oh, forget it!

Perhaps we should move along to

Entertainment.

Perhaps we should before you

Try to serve me something else

Out of the garden, like

Earthworms or ladybugs or

Something.

Mr. Payne, are you ready to

See the ultimate in digital

Entertainment?

Oh, hell, yeah.

But ella won't let me buy those

Channels.

"Family."

The word brings about a swirl

Of imagery.

What do you see, mr. Payne?

I see my aunt cleo trying to

Steal $20 out my pocket.

She thinks I'm drunk.

Oh, but I'm not.

Mr. Payne--

I know she's taking it.

I know she's taking it!

Mr. Payne, what I am

Suggesting is a digital video

Presentation of your family for

Generations.

At the appropriate magical

Moment, I will flip a switch,

And thus the extravaganza

Begins.

Okay, look here, brett.

You done gave me bad food, bad

Feelings.

Why should I trust you with all

This digital video mess--all

This?

Because your family reunion's

Tomorrow, and you don't have

Anything else?

Good point.

Look, put some seasoned salt on

The snails.

Mr. Payne, you don't put

Salt on snails.

Well, then put some hot sauce

On them!

Do something, all right?

Just make it happen, all right?

All the money I done spent on

This, you better make something

Happen.

Ugh.

Thank you, mr. Payne.

[ella chuckles]

Now, look, take it easy on

That cheese.

You know what happened last

Year.

[man laughs]

Get away from me, get away

From me!

Oh, hi, baby. Come over here.

Right here, right here.

I am so glad you learned your

Lesson.

Yeah. I was way out of line,

Especially with you, aunt ella.

Well, you know you don't have

To stay.

You've already done your chores

And everything.

Good.

Yeah, I know, but I want to

Be here.

Mr. Payne, it's time.

Shall I hit the switch?

Well, hit the switch then.

Let's go.

It's time, it's time,

Everybody.

Come on, come on, come on.

Hey, hey, hey.

Ladies and gentlemen, please

Focus your attention on the

Screen.

Allow me to present, for your

Remembering pleasure, a trip

Back through the ages, a

Cinematic tribute to family

Present and past, about those

Who gave and those who continue

To give.

Ladies and gentlemen, the

Family-orama!

The family-orama!

And there.

Wait.

There!

Wait!

There.

Oh, no!

No, no! No!

What the--

I'm sorry.

It seems like I've, uh, lost

Your family history.

You did what?

It's not my fault.

I checked it. It's not working.

I told you this man was a

Fake, ella.

I want my money back!

Cur--curtis, we didn't pay

Him.

We have not paid him yet.

Wait, no! No, I got it!

It's all in the family tree I

Built.

I got this. I got this.

Ha, ha!

Okay, so, this lady, ladies

And gentlemen, is my

Great-great-aunt myra.

She sewed a quilt for president

Franklin d. Roosevelt when he

Came to warm springs, georgia.

And, everybody, this man is my

Uncle essex.

He lost his left leg in italy in

World war ii.

And when he got back to georgia,

He had to work 3 jobs to pay for

His kids' college.

Uncle e!

Now, where's aunt wanda?

She's right here.

Yeah? And, everyone, this is

My aunt wanda.

She's been working in the

Chicago school system for 35

Years.

That's right.

That's right.

Looks like little bit did

Her homework.

Sure does.

Take note.

Now, everyone, this is my

Cousin laurie.

She is a professor at harvard.

Ooh.

Yeah. And both of her sons

Are teachers, too.

And now, everyone, this is my

Uncle curtis and my auntie ella.

And thanks for teaching me about

Family and the importance of

Family history.

Aww.

I love you, auntie ella.

Oh, I love you, too, jazi.

You don't love me?

I love you, too, uncle

Curtis.

Yeah, okay, you already

Said it.

Okay, everybody, come on,

Let's eat.

[ella laughs]

Come on, let's eat!

She loves me more, she loves

Me more.

Yeah, whatever.

Wasn't it great, mr. Payne?

You know what--

Did you see it?

Yeah, I did see it.

Did you see it?

I did see it.

Ah!

It was really something.

Conceptualize--ooh!

The conceptualization.

Yeah.

[both laugh]

Hey, it really is something.

You do some good work.

Whoo!

And you know, and you showed

It to me so well, I could even

See it outside.

Where?

I--it's right there!

I see all the--look, look!

Right there.

Ow!