Original subtitles

All right, hayden, I'm gonna

Go get your dad and your sister,

And we can start eating, okay?

Catch up with you.

C.J., jazzy, breakfast is ready!

Come on down!

Good morning.

Morning.

I have your favorite -- some

Shabacon -- sitting there on

The table.

We have apple juice, orange

Juice.

It is a feast.

I got 10 international missed

Calls on this phone.

Ooh, global sexy -- just got

Women in different area codes,

Huh?

[ laughs ]

* oh, chips and dip and

Six-pack of beer *

* I do all my shopping here

* hey, jayden, hey, jayden

That's hayden.

I don't know why you named

The kids that anyway.

Where is hayden, come to think

Of it, or jayden, whichever one?

He's already eaten.

I wish everyone else would join

Him.

What are you doing?

Can I help you with something?

Oh, no, thank you. I'm good.

Hey, c.J.!

I am just repaying myself.

Oh.

I know those are always good.

I love the canned stuff.

Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Uh, excuse me, busy man.

Excuse me, sir.

Could you tell me what aisle the

Toilet paper's on, please?

Shh, I'm trying to hear this

Message.

"Shh" yourself.

That's so rude.

Hey, uncle curtis.

Hey, baby.

Look at my little jazzy, my

Little musical genius.

Jazzy.

[ laughs ]

You going shopping again?

You know I am.

Oh, peaches are in season.

Look in the bottom cabinet.

That's my baby.

Do you know they didn't say

Nothing?

You are the best employee.

Here. Here you go. Here you go.

Two for one, two for one.

[ laughs ]

Watch out. Watch out.

Watch out. Aisle 6. Aisle 6.

Uncle curtis.

What?

Jazzy, since when did you

Start helping uncle curtis treat

Our kitchen like it's

Double-coupon thursday?

Well, since uncle curtis

Became my musical mentor.

Fair exchange -- no robbery.

[ chuckles ]

[ chuckles ]

Now, play, baby.

You play, you genius!

You play!

Jazmine, jazmine, not now.

I'm trying to -- I'm on the

Phone, okay?

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

Hold on. What's up?

How you gonna do that to this

Butterfly?

Mwah!

This is a butterfly.

She she got to spread her wings.

You crushing her wings.

Don't crush her wings.

Don't care who you talking to.

She a butterfly.

Fly, baby. You fly.

And put a little funk in it.

Fly funky.

[ laughs ]

She gifted.

Jaz. Jaz. Jazmine, baby --

Mnh-mnh. Mnh-mnh.

Butterfly, butterfly.

You should just fly over to

Uncle curtis's when you want to

Do that, okay?

What happened to the pretty

Flute you were playing

Yesterday?

Uncle curtis says there was

Nothing funky about the flute.

Have you ever known a flute

Player to get a record deal?

I got to pick an instrument

By friday for the school band.

You know what?

I went and bought shabacon.

I made pancakes.

Somebody's gonna eat.

C.J. -- your food.

C.J.?

Baby, are you okay?

Uh...I don't know.

Okay, well, what is it?

Someone named clive james

Wants to meet me.

Says he's my father.

Hey, jazzy, do you know "Papa

Was a rollin' stone" in the key

Of "What the hell"?

Here you go.

That's jazzy's sheet music.

Yeah. Thank you, cat.

C.J. -- move, curtis.

C.J., tell me all about that

Phone call.

Sit down, sit down. Sit down.

Okay, what did he say, exactly?

And did he say anything about

Your mother?

Does he have any money?

Curtis.

[ chuckles ]

Does he have any money?

[ both laugh ]

He said, "I'm clive james.

I need to see you.

I'm your father."

You know what this means.

It means he's broke.

He just got out the pen, and all

He's got is a pack of

Cigarettes, some flip-flops, and

The cornrows he walked out with.

Curtis.

That's what it means.

Please.

Clive james.

Clive james.

You know what? I know him.

You do?

He used to fix carburetors

Over on glenwood avenue.

Had a bootleg house on sundays.

They got busted selling corn

Liquor to missionaries.

Did clive know your brother

When c.J. Was adopted?

No, I don't think so, baby.

No, 'cause he used to meet linda

Over at the skating rink.

Two-for-one night, you heard?

Okay, curtis, stop playing.

So, linda is c.J.'s biological

Mother?

No, ma'am.

Linda was jesse's aunt.

Jesse's aunt, the one that had

The twins -- pee-wee and

Wee-pee.

Quit acting like you wasn't

There, ella.

We was right there.

Where?

Look -- in life, when this

Happened, you was right there

With us.

The sister-in-law worked at the

Corrections department.

That's how I know that he called

From the jail cell.

Um, he called from europe.

Then that's not your daddy.

You know what?

I'm thinking of cletus james.

That's who that was.

Right. Yes.

Well, just make sure you got

One of them dna sticks to put in

His mouth.

Really, I felt a connection.

I mean, I talked to him again,

And he told me things that made

Me feel like he was a part of

Me.

C.J., that is wonderful.

He knew my birthday.

So does the dmv.

That don't mean they your daddy.

[ trombone plays off-key ]

You hear that?

See, that's your fault, curtis.

So go and just fix that.

Oh, I can handle this note,

Baby.

I got this.

Good.

Okay.

Aunt ella, I've spent my

Whole life being disconnected

From my biological parents.

Yup.

And now, baby, you get to learn

Your whole story.

I kept playing the voicemail

Over and over just to hear him

Say, "I'm your father."

[ sighs ]

Do you have it?

[ both laugh ]

I'm about to meet my dad.

[ laughs ]

Let me hear.

[ trombone playing off-key ]

And cut!

Am I dripping?

Am I dripping?

Aah!

This was white.

What happened?

Okay, look -- I got this.

Try this.

I want you to play this.

Unwrap it. Unwrap it.

* ahh

It beams like the sunlight,

Don't it?

[ laughs ]

That was given to me by my

Cousin, "Johnny guitar" watson.

Well, why do they call him

"Johnny guitar" watson if he

Plays harmonica?

Okay, look -- don't take all

The mystery out of music, okay?

[ harmonica plays ]

[ chuckles ]

Now, look -- I need you to do

It and sing a little something

And play from your soul, okay?

Do it like you've been

Suffering!

Go on.

Like life has beat you down.

Huh?

I'm 10.

I don't pay rent, I don't pay

Bills, and I eat for free.

What suffering have I done?

Oh, well, you done some

Suffering.

You just don't quite get it yet.

But you will.

[ chuckles ]

You gonna have a whole catalog

When you grow up.

Okay. Give me something.

Okay.

Put something to it.

[ harmonica plays ]

* my mama burned down my

House *

[ harmonica plays ]

* we had no place to go

[ harmonica plays ]

* asked if we could stay with

Uncle curtis *

[ harmonica plays ]

* and he told us, "Hell, no!"

* we got the payne pain blues

Uncle curtis --

* ah-ooh

I'm not singing that.

Girl, that's blues.

That's blues.

You got something better?

Mm-hmm.

Then do it.

Okay.

[ harmonica plays ]

* I got me an uncle

[ harmonica plays ]

* and curtis is his name

[ harmonica plays ]

* he's a full-grown man

[ harmonica plays ]

* but he plays with toy trains

* I got the payne blues

Play, boy!

[ harmonica plays ]

Whoo, lord, make you tired.

[ laughs ] Cut!

Okay, okay, do we have

Everything?

We got meats. We got cheeses.

Yes, we have meats.

We have cheeses.

Okay. We got sparkling water.

Mm-hmm.

We got mineral water.

We got carbonated water.

As requested.

Okay, we got -- we got meats

And cheeses.

C.J., c.J., would you like

For me to go milk and butcher a

Cow?

No, no, we don't have time

For that.

Baby, baby, it's okay.

It's all right.

Just breathe.

I done went through all these

Pretzels.

Hey, next time, you need to get

Those honey mustard.

Those are good ones.

Man, will you give me that?

You can't eat this in front of

My father.

Then where the hell you want

Me to eat it?

The man travels all over the

World.

He probably dines at the finest

Restaurants, watches the bulls

Run in spain.

I'm watching some bull now.

Would you take these, please?

Uh...

Okay.

Okay, I think we had better

Get in here.

Uncle curtis, can you bring the

Meat and cheese tray, please?

C.J. Is so nervous.

Set it down on the table.

Okay.

Hey, dad, I want to play

Something for grandpa james.

Oh. You should play off-key.

You're good at that.

"Grandpa."

My father really is your

Grandfather.

That's usually how it works,

Alex haley.

[ doorbell rings ]

Okay, everybody, stand up.

Okay.

No, no, sit down. Sit down.

No, stand up. Stand up.

Stand up.

Come on, now.

Open your arms and smile.

Open the door, too.

Open the door.

Okay.

What the hell is this?

Hi, c.J. I'm clive james.

[ laughter ]

This is -- this is my dad.

How you doing?

Hi.

I'm guessing you're a bit

Shocked, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

What gave it away, our faces?

[ laughter ]

Or our faces?

[ laughter ]

Wow.

Oh, uh, I'm janine payne,

C.J.'s wife.

Well, of course you are.

You are just beautiful.

Thank you.

Beautiful.

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

Oh, hi. Jazmine, c.J.'s

Daughter.

Aren't you a lovely young

Lady?

Thank you.

[ chuckles ]

Hi.

[ laughs ]

Hello.

I am ella payne, c.J.'s aunt.

[ chuckles ]

And this is my husband,

Curtis payne.

I'm not related.

Yeah, I just came for the meat

And cheeses.

Please. C.J.'s uncle.

Oh!

[ chuckles ]

[ laughter ]

It's great to meet all of

You.

Yeah, it's wonderful to meet

You, too.

Please have a seat.

Have a seat.

Oh, okay, I'll just sit down.

You want to sit down, too,

C.J.?

Uh, uh...

And have some meat and

Cheeses.

Or some cucumber sandwiches.

Or chicken paté.

Thanks.

I'm a little full right now,

If you know what I mean.

No wonder he got mineral

Water.

See? This explains it.

That's why he always act like

He was too good to drink water

Out the hose at the back of

The house.

Curtis.

So, you're clive james, the

Man that left the message on my

Phone?

In the flesh, baby.

Look at you, man.

You are just the spitting image

Of me.

Must have been eating

Caramel corn.

You got a lot of explaining

To do.

Don't have to explain

Nothing.

Explain what?

I think it's crystal clear, like

Snow.

Snow is white.

So is your granddaddy.

[ laughs ] Geez.

[ chuckles ]

Baby, it's a revelation.

You never wondered?

Wondered what, curtis?

Well, you the one that told

Me he can't do the electric

Slide.

And he don't have a outside

Jumper.

I do have an outside jumper.

No, you don't.

My god.

I'm sorry that I'm dropping all

Of this on you at once, but I

Can't even imagine what you

Must feel like.

[ laughs ]

Yeah, I don't know what I'm

Feeling.

I'm feeling like, uh...

[ laughter ]

I'm feeling like I'm [laughs]

Meeting my dad for the first

Time and he's...

I don't look like those cats

That you grew up with.

I'm -- I'm white.

Yeah! Yeah, that's it!

Well, actually, you look like

You got a little cherokee in

You.

[ laughs ] Don't we all?

Yeah, we do.

Oh, I like him.

Curtis --

I really like him.

Ooh, I just happen to bring

This.

If you don't mind, could you

Swab your mouth?

Uncle curtis.

What?

Will you be quiet?

You can't tell me what to do.

I'm free, mr. Charlie jr.

Curtis payne.

Baby, you know what this

Means?

I'm gonna get my job back.

I got to make a phone call.

Who are you calling?

The naacp.

Oh, no, you're not.

This has changed the status

Quo.

Give me the phone.

Gee, I know that this is kind

Of all of a sudden, but I can't

Tell you how long I've waited to

Meet you.

Why?

I mean, after all this time, why

Do you want to just pop up?

I just, uh -- I just wanted

To meet my son.

I'm sorry.

I guess I'm not very good at

Breaking the ice.

You broke the ice like a

Eskimo!

[ laughs ]

You got an eskimo in you, too?

[ laughter ]

So, where did you meet

Delores?

We met at a juke joint.

We were performing together.

Oh.

Last time that I ever got top

Billing on that one.

[ laughter ]

So, clive, you never been to

Jail?

Excuse me?

Don't mind him.

No, he's just being nosy.

Okay, so, how did you find

C.J.?

Where do you live?

Do you have any

Grandchildren?

Are you moving here?

Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

I-I don't even know where to

Start.

No, I don't have any

Grandchildren.

Great!

Then I'm your oldest

Granddaughter!

Hey, can I have a xylophone for

Christmas?

Jazmine, that's rude.

Hey, is that yours?

Do you play?

Yes.

Not really, not well, not

Anything you want to hear right

Now.

It's a work in prog--

Actually, she's really just

Starting to learn.

No, I'm just stopping.

I can't do this.

I hate music.

Jazzy!

Oh, baby, it's okay.

You don't ever have to play this

Thing again, ever.

Do you mind if I show jazmine

Something?

Is that all right?

Oh, don't even bother.

It's over with.

Come on, sweetheart.

You know, I've been showing

Her how to put the funk in it.

Therein lies the problem.

When you hold this music, you

Have to hold it very close to

You, okay?

And...

[ guitar strumming ]

There you --

And don't worry about that being

Out of tune like that, okay?

Ohh-ohh!

[ laughs ]

Here -- can you sit down?

I want to hear you play it.

Just try playing a "C" chord.

Do you know how to play a "C"

Chord?

[ guitar plays chord ]

Oh, look at that.

[ giggles ]

That's beautiful.

That's good.

That's fine.

Yeah, just like a showed her.

Now, drop your fingers down

That way.

There you go.

Now, put them on the other frets

There.

Looks like he's good with

Children.

Like father, like son.

Now, that is an "F" chord.

[ guitar plays chord]

Now try playing them together.

Can you play them together?

You know, the "C" and then the

"F."

Hear that?

You were trying to teach her

Something?

That was easy.

No, that's what I taught her

Right there.

I'm waiting for you to show her

The new stuff.

Oh, no, no.

Curtis, you didn't teach me

That.

How you gonna throw me under

The bus like that, jazzy?

[ guitar playing blues music ]

Ooh, you see her bend that

Chord?

Bend that string, baby.

[ laughs ]

That's pretty good.

Now, you taught me that,

Uncle curtis.

I did, didn't I?

[ laughs ]

"The payne blues."

[ laughs ]

Do it, baby.

You got a stanky soul, mama.

[ laughter ]

I'm want to drop something

Pretty heavy on you right now,

But I think you're ready for it.

Who's this?

C.J.,that's your mother,

Delores.

And that's me standing right

Beside her, and that's you right

There in my arms.

May 12, 1971, hope, arkansas.

[ exhales heavily ]

She's beautiful.

Yeah, she was a very pretty

Gal.

C.J., I don't want you to think

That we wanted to give you away.

We just wanted to give you

Opportunities.

See, my father didn't approve of

What we created.

He wouldn't let us get married.

This is everything that your

You.

So, what was my mother like?

She was one heck of a singer,

C.J.

When she sang, the whole place

Would stop.

So did my heart.

I loved that woman.

And she was a fighter.

Breast cancer was the only

Battle that she couldn't win.

You know what she said when she

Was passing away?

She said, "I wonder how our baby

Boy's doing."

She thought about you every day.

Thank you.

Thanks for that.

Appreciate that.

So, you dated black women,

Huh?

Mm-hmm. Several years.

Mm.

So I guess you think you know a

Little something about the

Culture, huh?

Mm.

You know, I can find out if

You really do.

Mm?

"Huh" mean you can hear.

Come on.

Oh, okay.

When they do like this...

Mm-hmm.

...What does that mean?

Wasn't like this, right?

It was like this.

You might as well just let

It go.

Ooh, I wish I'd have put some

Money on this one.

Oh!

A new perm.

[ imitates buzzer ]

It's a new weave!

[ laughs ]

Come on!

I knew you wasn't black!

[ laughs ]

Mnh!

I like you.