Original subtitles

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

(BOY READING)

That's me!

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

MAN: Hey, hey, hey.

Don't do anything I wouldn't do!

(KIDS CHATTERING)

Oh. Thank you.

(PEOPLE CHEERING)

BOY: Okay, here's a true fact.

See? Sometimes it's bad when they break.

Sometimes it's good.

You don't always know which it's gonna be.

(LAUGHING)

Dad says that's a metaphor.

Mom says Dad doesn't know what a metaphor is.

I'm gonna get something...

I'll be right back. I'll be right back.

BOY: In my life, lots of things have broken.

I'll tell you about all of them. Don't worry.

But I'm starting with this one,

'cause this is the night when everything broke.

MAN: You are lost, my friend.

Your moral compass is broken.

You are failing as a husband and as a father.

Who are you to judge me?

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

BOY: Look at me. I'm rocking that hat.

I'm Austin. Richard Austin LeRette.

But you can call me Auz, or AuzMan.

When I meet new people, I tell them everything.

Ready? Here we go.

I love sneakers, dragons, Star Wars,

pancakes, SpongeBob,

Back To The Future, chicken nuggets,

and ranch dressing.

Ranch dressing is the bomb.

I have a lizard named Marty, A.K.A. Marty McFly.

I have a killer movie collection,

and a hat collection.

Wearing the right hat makes my day.

I have a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta.

Those are big words,

but it basically means my bones break easily.

I've broken my arms,

my nose, my ribs, my feet,

pretty much everything.

Oh, yeah! I also have autism.

Some kids with autism can't talk.

But I sure can.

But hold on, I don't wanna lose my train of thought.

(REWINDING)

Where was I?

Oh, right.

The night when everything broke.

Did you guys have a good time?

Oh, I had the best time ever.

Dancin' on the... Hold on. Whoo-hoo!

MAN: We gotta get back to Mom.

AUSTIN: We should totally come back here.

Dad? Here we go. (GRUNTS)

BOY: Are you okay?

Hop in, Logan. Whoo-hoo!

LOGAN: Dad?

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

(ENGINE STARTS)

Oh. Ooh. LOGAN: Dad!

Right on, boys!

PEOPLE: Ten. Nine. Eight.

Seven. Six. Five.

Four. Three. (CAR HORN HONKING)

(TIRES SCREECHING) Two. One.

Happy New Year!

AUSTIN: Oh, wait.

I need to tell you about the green khaki pants.

Without the green khaki pants, I wouldn't even be here.

MAN 2: Huh? MAN: Yeah. I mean, you know.

You gotta find your size, but...

(CHUCKLES) This is a... Oh, yeah.

Yeah. It's Stetson. It just won't...

MAN: Yeah. Just won't work.

Hmm. Maybe the barber shirt.

Dude, dude, dude, dude. Look at this girl.

She's stunning!

Look at those blue eyes.

Those are the most amazing blue eyes I've ever seen.

Buy something.

Buy what?

I don't know.

Buy pants.

Here ya go.

(CLEARS THROAT) Excuse me.

Excuse me. Hi. Can I help you?

Yeah. Uh...

I was... I'm interested

in purchasing some of these pants.

Oh. Great choice.

Thanks. Yeah. Uh...

I'm Scott. I... I travel a lot for work, so...

Yeah? What kind of work is that?

Um, medical rep. For now.

But, uh, I've got big plans.

Are those plans pants-related?

They could be. (CHUCKLES)

The pants could be a part of the plan,

so you should definitely sell me some of these.

Anything I can do to help.

Do you work on commission? I do.

Great. Then I'd like to buy four pairs of these pants,

if you would consider going to dinner with me.

(SMACKS LIPS, INHALES SHARPLY)

Well, they're already two-for-one, so...

Okay. Well, then, I'll buy eight pairs of pants.

Eight pairs of green pants? Really?

What can I say? I like green.

How 'bout this? You buy no pants...

And I have coffee with you.

Um...

Teresa. Teresa? Yes.

Teresa, I'm not sure that you know how negotiating works.

I'm not sure you know how asking a girl out works,

but here's a tip.

Don't use the word "negotiating," you know.

Oh, no, no, no. I wa...

I wasn't trying to, like, imply I was...

(BOTH CHUCKLE) Okay.

I'm gonna take this and I'm gonna leave

before I talk you out of it.

Okay. Okay.

And I actually do need pants. So I'm gonna come back

and get some, but not, like, eight pair.

That, I think, you were... It's a lot.

...Right about that. Stop talking.

Yeah, I'll just... Stop talking.

AUSTIN: After that, Mom and Dad

went on three dates in three weeks.

Date number one. Coffee.

I said coffee, like, coffee shop.

Oh, yeah. No, they serve coffee.

Don't worry. I checked. Oh, good.

Thank you.

(LAUGHS)

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

(ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(TERESA CHUCKLES)

AUSTIN: Date number two. Video games.

Come on. Come on!

(GUNSHOTS) Mom dominated.

MAN IN VIDEO GAME: Don't care.

(BOTH LAUGH) AUSTIN: Date number three.

Mostly talking.

SCOTT: Five years, I'm gonna be living in Manhattan,

working for a massive ad agency,

driving a green Volvo. Mm.

I admire your ambition,

and your stylish yet responsible taste in vehicles.

Well, thank you very much. (CHUCKLES)

And you know what? I admire

your incredible blue eyes.

That if I'm being honest, I've been admiring

since I saw you at the store that day.

(SMACKS LIPS) Yeah. Funny thing about them,

it's actually a genetic defect.

Um, my collagen doesn't work right

so the whites are really thin

and the blue arteries show through.

(CHUCKLES)

Well, that defect is working for you.

What about you?

What's your five-year plan?

I am, uh,

more of a one-day-at-a-time kind of gal.

You know, another thing I admire about you...

What's that?

It's your green khaki pants.

Yeah. You should.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

I tried to buy 'em from this smokin' hot salesgirl

with these, like, amazing defective eyes,

but she was too principled to take my money.

Wow. She sounds like my kinda girl.

(SUCKS TEETH) Mine, too.

Do you wanna get outta here? Yeah.

AUSTIN: They never had a fourth date,

'cause then this happened.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

ANNOUNCER: (ON TV) So at Denver Stadium,

the Sooners tied at 10, here.

MAN: Bet it's your girlfriend.

"My girlfriend." Gimme a break.

I don't even know her last name.

Oh! Told you. Shut up.

(RINGING CONTINUES)

Hey there, if you wanna go out again,

I'm gonna need to know your last name. (CHUCKLES)

TERESA: Scott? Hey, listen.

Is everything okay?

Yeah. Well, no.

(TERESA SIGHS)

I'm pregnant.

(CROWD ON TV CHEERING)

What? ANNOUNCER: That is not good!

(HEAVY SIGH)

MAN: But you like her, right? SCOTT: Oh, yeah.

And you want kids.

(SCOFFS) After I've done a million other things.

I was gonna quit my job and go back to school.

This is the worst timing ever. And a kid.

That's...

Forever.

They do tend to last.

Beer?

Shouldn't have beer.

Don't mind if I do.

AUSTIN: Oh, yeah.

I forgot to tell you the thing about Joe.

It's pretty important.

He's not real. He's made-up.

He's my dad's imaginary friend.

Dad invented him as a kid.

It's how he talks through things,

like Tyler Durden in Fight Club.

I flippin' love that movie!

SCOTT: This is bad, Joe. This is very, very bad.

JOE: Yeah. Your mom is gonna destroy you.

WOMAN: This is so stupid! (PLATE SHATTERS)

I mean, honestly, you went and got some girl pregnant.

Did you ever think about getting married first?

Did you ever think about that?

Nobody does that anymore, do they? No.

Obviously, I'm a huge...

I try... (SIGHS) Give her a minute.

You know, the warden,

she processes through destruction.

Seriously, I didn't raise you this way.

How can you be so stupid?

I don't even know why you bothered to come and tell me.

SCOTT'S DAD: Hey. You didn't listen to me

all these years... SCOTT'S DAD: I'm proud of ya.

You're steppin' up.

Facing consequences. That's what a man does.

(SCOTT'S MOM CONTINUES RANTING)

That's what a dad does.

(SIGHS)

And what if I'm not ready to be a dad?

I'm not, either.

Parents have no idea what's goin' on.

Do you know what it takes to raise a child? Do ya? No.

No. You don't. No, you don't.

You don't know what your father and I

have been through raising you boys...

I gotta say, this went a lot better

than I thought it was gonna go.

(BOTH LAUGH) (PLATE SHATTERS)

SCOTT'S MOM: I mean, no doubt, what is the matter with you?

SCOTT: Pivot! Ow! (GRUNTS)

JOE: Okay. Which way we goin'?

(GRUNTS) Left. Left. Left.

Left, dum-dum! Left! (CHUCKLES)

So, we're really doing this?

SCOTT: (INHALES DEEPLY) I think we're doing this.

SCOTT: (SINGING) ♪ When the sky is gray

♪ And when you're feeling blue

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ I'll rub your back and sing our little favorite song

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you ♪

That's really sweet.

Is that for our kid?

Yeah, maybe. (CHUCKLES)

By the way, I know

this isn't the best place to raise a baby.

It's much better than my place.

Well, you know, we'll get a house soon.

Once my band goes platinum.

It's the album that goes platinum,

not the band, you dummy.

Do you want the new house or no?

(TERESA CHUCKLES)

So, um, there is something that I haven't told you yet.

That's a terrifying way

to start our first night together.

No. It's just, um,

a side effect of my amazing blue eyes.

Um...

(SIGHS)

I have a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta. O.I.

Which means?

My bones are really brittle. They break easily.

I mean, I'm just Type 1.

It's not nearly as bad as some people.

And I've learned how to manage it.

You know, I just can't do a lot of things like...

Sports and skydiving.

Okay. No skydiving. I can live with that.

Hmm. Yeah, I just thought you should know,

'cause it's genetic.

So...

Hey. T, hey, hey, hey.

Our baby's gonna be perfect. Okay?

And if we're lucky,

their eyes will be half as defective as yours.

Okay?

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

(SCREAMING)

You're doin' great, T. You're a champ.

You don't know that. You don't even know me!

SCOTT: That's not... That's not true.

I know her. It's just new. (TERESA CRIES IN PAIN)

I'm here.

Stupid boss made me settle the register.

Then my dang truck wouldn't start again.

This is my sister, Lori. Lori, Scott.

Hi. Nice to meet you.

I told you, it's new.

DOCTOR: We're so close. We're gonna go on three.

Ready? TERESA: Yeah!

Here we go. Here we go. DOCTOR: One.

TERESA: Okay. Yeah. DOCTOR: Two.

Three!

(SCREAMING)

Oh, great, I can see the head!

Oh, God, that's a lot of blood. Don't look!

(TERESA WHIMPERING) Oh, God.

(BODY THUDS)

DOCTOR: Cord's wrapped around the neck. Get me the forceps.

TERESA: What? What happened?

SCOTT: Is everything okay? Is everything all right?

TERESA: What is it? DOCTOR: It's fine.

Your baby will be fine. What's happened?

DOCTOR: I just need one more push, okay?

No. I'm good. SCOTT: Yeah, baby.

DOCTOR: Here we go.

Come on, come on! I don't wanna do it.

DOCTOR: One. You got it, you got it!

Two. You're a champ!

AUSTIN: Okay. Pay attention.

Here's the part where I come in.

DOCTOR: Three!

(SCREAM ECHOES)

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

SCOTT'S MOM: Where's my grandson?

Mom, Dad,

meet Richard Austin LeRette.

Aw, he is a miracle. (BABY AUSTIN COOING)

Despite your bad choices. Yes, you are.

SCOTT: Check it out, T.

We made a boy. Yeah.

SCOTT: Look at him. He's perfect.

He is perfect.

(CRYING)

AUSTIN: I cried a lot, right away.

Partly because I was a baby,

and partly 'cause those metal things broke my ribs,

but no one even knew.

(CRYING)

That was break number one.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING) (BABY AUSTIN CRYING)

(CRYING CONTINUES)

(TV PLAYING)

(BABY AUSTIN CRYING)

(BABY AUSTIN RETCHES) Oh.

(BABY AUSTIN CRYING)

SCOTT: Okay.

(JOE SHOUTING IN DISTANCE)

(BABY AUSTIN CRYING)

SCOTT: When does he sleep?

When do we sleep?

What have we done?

Looks like you guys got this under control.

I'm gonna hit the sack.

(GROANS)

TERESA: (SINGING) ♪ When the sky is gray

♪ And when you're feeling blue ♪

SCOTT: You know what I admire about you?

You can soothe the baby

and kill mutant bugs at the same time.

They're not mutant bugs. They're the locust horde.

(SNICKERS)

SCOTT: Come on.

Ahh! (SCOTT LAUGHING)

TERESA: Yay!

SCOTT: Oh, my God.

YOUNG AUSTIN: Lookee!

TERESA: Ooh, ooh. No, no, baby.

Watch out. Okay, I'm gonna head to the store.

But he's movin' fast today, so watch him, okay?

Yeah. I got him. We're good.

TERESA: Bye, honey-bunny. We'll see ya in a bit.

Go see Daddy. Mwah! Monkey!

TERESA: Bye. YOUNG AUSTIN: Bye!

(DOOR CLOSES) (KEYBOARD CLACKING)

Monkey! Austin.

Monkey!

Yeah, yeah. I hear ya, monkey.

I can hear you jumping on the table. Hey.

Monkey! (THUDS)

Austin! (CRYING)

(SCOTT PANTING)

It's okay. You're gonna be okay, little dude.

(YOUNG AUSTIN CRYING) You're so strong.

You're so strong. You're doing great.

You're doin' great, AuzMan.

Help! Hello? Hi. A little help? Thank you.

He's broken his leg, I think.

Hello. Really, really good.

Show me... Can you show me this one?

Hi, baby. What happened?

Nothing. He... He tripped.

He barely tripped. He fell, like, six inches.

I don't get it.

Mr. And Mrs. LeRette,

can I speak with you for a sec?

So his leg's gonna heal fine.

But I ran the body scan,

and noticed that two of his ribs

have been broken and healed over.

What? How?

Well, most likely from childbirth.

(GASPS) Oh, my God.

That's why he was crying so much. Scott! (GASPS)

Also, we ran the tests.

And you're right,

he does have O.I.

I'm sorry.

I'll give you a moment.

TERESA: Oh, Scott.

Hey, hey, I'm sorry, T. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

I didn't know.

AUSTIN: Break number two.

That's when Mom and Dad

got really good at keeping me safe.

Are you watching him? SCOTT: Yeah.

TERESA: Where is he?

He's right... Scott, he's running!

That's all right. Okay, yeah. Oh, okay. AuzMan!

(TOY CLATTERS) Oh!

Watch out. No, no, baby. SCOTT: Okay, okay.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No running.

I don't know what to do.

I don't wanna break him, you know?

Let's just put you right over here.

Careful, careful, careful!

No, that's... Let's put you back down on the ground.

Let's keep you on the ground.

He's good. He's good.

(YOUNG AUSTIN CRYING) Oh, my God, Scott!

SCOTT: Come on.

TERESA: "Go, dogs, go."

AUSTIN: Break number three.

After a while,

the nurses started calling me "a gold star member."

(SCOTT CHUCKLES) How cool is that?

(SIGHS)

That's weird.

JOE: What's weird?

What?

Well, Teresa's last name is Houser.

It's not that weird.

What, dude? Why're you making that face?

Uh-oh.

TERESA: Yeah. I was married.

Twice.

What? Twice?

Craig for a few months,

and Rudy for a few years.

I was 18 the first time.

My dad was an alcoholic,

and my mom tried so hard.

They're not bad people. It's just that it was a mess,

and I felt like marriage was my way out.

Is there anything else that you wanna share with me

while we're getting to know each other,

'cause now would be the time. No.

Are you mad? Yeah. Yeah, I'm mad.

I mean, I think I'm mad. I don't know.

How am I supposed to feel?

I feel duped, Teresa. That's how I feel.

I wasn't trying to hide anything. I just...

I've been divorced twice.

I have bones made of chalk.

I used to, like, dream about being in a fairytale,

except that I never knew if I was the princess or...

The ugly stepsister.

'Cause I always felt cursed.

And, um, I was...

Afraid that you would be done with me, and I...

(SUCKS TEETH) wouldn't blame you.

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

(DUCKS QUACKING) (BIRDS CHIRPING)

(BIKE BELL DINGS)

Twice.

It's fine.

Married two times. That's a lot.

It's fine.

JOE: Okay. Doesn't seem like it's really fine.

Think you're suppressing your emotions,

and that's not healthy.

Scott! SCOTT: I'm sorry.

(YOUNG AUSTIN CRYING) Come on. Hang on.

You wanna zoom-zoom with your truck?

TERESA: Okay.

AuzMan, do you wanna zoom-zoom?

Come on. Come here. Yeah. Come on. Go with Mommy.

You tired? (WHIMPERS)

Yeah, I know.

We had a big day, huh?

(SCOTT SIGHS) Yeah.

Say, "Night-night, Daddy." Night-night, bubba.

TERESA: (SINGING) ♪ When the sky is gray

♪ And when you're feeling blue

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ I'll rub your back and sing our little favorite song

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you ♪

Hey, um...

I, uh... I think we should get married.

No. Not right now.

Why? Why not? Because it's too soon.

SCOTT: But I...

I think I might love you.

You're telling me right now,

as you propose, like this,

that you "might" love me?

T, I'm just being honest, okay?

This is where we're at. What do you want me to say?

Not that.

Well, do you love me? No.

Come on, don't be like that.

We agreed that we should get married.

I don't want to.

I got it.

So you're saying you don't wanna marry me?

TERESA: Not now, I don't.

To be fair,

that was not a very romantic proposal.

Also, you got poo on your hand.

Don't worry, bro. She'll come around.

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

AUSTIN: Dad wanted to get married in a courthouse.

Mom wanted to get married in a church.

So they compromised.

Dad says Mom doesn't know what compromise means.

Do you know what I admire about you?

(CHUCKLES)

You always make me feel so calm.

You think you're weak, but you're not, T.

You're unbelievably strong.

Austin is lucky to have you for his mom.

And I am even luckier

to have you for my wife.

TERESA: You know what I admire about you?

You're not afraid to say

sappy, sentimental stuff like that.

I'm serious.

I've never had that with anybody.

It's so nice. (SIGHS)

And also, I lied before.

I think I might love you, too.

All right, then.

Husband and wife.

Go ahead and kiss your bride.

(SCOTT GRUNTS)

Gotta hurry up.

LORI: How much does he make selling medical supplies?

Enough.

It's not his dream job,

but it gets us this. LORI: Well, dang!

Can I sell medical supplies?

Never gonna get me a house like this

with Cracker Barrel money.

Hey, Austin, what do you think of the new digs?

He doesn't know what "digs" are.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

AUSTIN: Blue cast. Break number 12.

Come on, Austin,

it's time to see your little brother.

Wait till you meet him.

He looks just like a little pink tomato.

(FALLS)

(CRYING) Austin!

Oh. All right. Oh, baby!

AUSTIN: And... That was break number 13.

Oh, baby! Oh, baby!

Hey. Uh...

He fell on the stairs. I...

I am very sorry. (SIGHS LOUDLY)

Hey, buddy, you okay?

AuzMan, hey, what do you think

of your new little baby brother?

TERESA: He's so sleepy, huh?

YOUNG AUSTIN: Four red, five blue.

Huh? Four red and five blue? (BABY FUSSING)

TERESA: The stripes.

The blanket.

It's four red, five blue.

AUSTIN: Logan was lucky.

His bones didn't break,

and he barely ever cried at all.

(BABY LOGAN BABBLING)

That's when Mom and Dad

started to realize I was different.

20.

21.

22.

23.

SCOTT: Hey, Austin.

Austin, hey, buddy, shoes on! Right now.

Dad's late for work.

What're you doing? Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa.

What're you doing? Why are you making a mess?

Hey, hey.

Austin, what're you doing? One.

Don't start... I need you to put your shoes on, now.

Two.

Austin, now means put your shoes on.

Don't start... (TOYS CLATTERING)

(SIGHS) Austin.

What is happening? Austin.

One! Austin, what are you doing?

Two! What is wrong with you?

Three!

(MUFFLED) Get out the door. You understand...

TERESA: Hey, Scott. Scott. Let him finish.

SCOTT: Babe, I have to get him in the car

so I can take him to school, so I can get to work.

It's faster if you let him finish.

AUSTIN: Six.

Seven.

(AIRPLANE BUZZING)

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Sometimes I feel like my dad is close,

and far away, at the same time.

SCOTT: One, two, three, go!

Whoo-hoo!

AUSTIN: Like, even though I'm right there,

he doesn't really see me.

Look, Dad, it's a dragon! It's a dragon!

Isn't he awesome?

(WONDROUS MUSIC PLAYING)

I'm just saying, I'm worried about him, babe.

He... He won't stop counting. He talks constantly.

He gets lost in these fantasies.

And when I try to connect with him,

he just melts down for no reason.

AUSTIN: Why can't you see it, Daddy?

Hey, hey, hey! Hey, little dude!

Austin! Hey, Austin! Why? Why? Why?

I'm sorry, I just don't see what you see, all the time.

Hey, hey, Austin. Austin...

This is, um, just

not what I thought it was gonna be like, you know.

Why? It's okay, it's okay...

I feel like I'm failing every day,

and the harder I try, the worse I do.

I can't seem to figure him out.

Maybe you're not supposed to.

Come on, T. Something is not right.

You gonna tell me you're not worried?

(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)

Autistic?

I mean, how is this even...

How is this possible? We would've known.

DOCTOR: Autism presents itself in many different ways,

as a spectrum.

Some are more verbal than others,

and some don't show signs as early.

And what do we do now?

I mean... What're... What're we supposed to do now?

Is he gonna grow out of this?

Is there some kind of medication he can take?

DOCTOR: Looks like he's already on SSRIs for OCD

and various other things.

We can experiment with additional medication.

But, no, don't expect him to grow out of it.

TERESA: Honestly, I'm kind of relieved.

Just to know.

I mean, to finally just know.

I need some air.

(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

All those times I yelled at him...

Got so frustrated, made him feel stupid,

just for being who he is.

(SIGHS)

You didn't know.

Now you do.

TERESA: Hey, Austin, can you please eat your toast?

I told you 100 times.

No, you told me four times.

Scott!

What? I'm going golfing. No. You're coming to church.

We need to do family things, especially now.

T, I don't even know anyone at this church.

Yeah. And that's a problem.

It's weird that nobody knows who my husband is.

Come on, let's go.

SCOTT: You're gonna be on your best behavior

today, right, AuzMan?

AUSTIN: Mm-hmm.

I gotta poop! SCOTT: Yeah, I got it, buddy.

Daddy, I gotta poop! We're gonna get ya, buddy.

Daddy, I gotta poop! SCOTT: Yeah, yeah.

(SNIFFS) Yeah. Okay, he needs a diaper.

I got it. Let's go. Come on.

(CRYING) (TOILET FLUSHES)

AUSTIN: I did it, Daddio. All good. No worries.

No more poop! AuzMan wins!

That's great, buddy. Oh, no, no!

No, no, no, no! No more poop. AuzMan wins.

Go put your pants back on, please.

No more poop. You need to put your clothes

back on. Austin, I need you to listen to me.

AuzMan wins! Sorry.

No more poop! Austin, please.

Please, please, help Daddy out.

(CRYING CONTINUES) I'm doing my best, buddy.

I'm doing my best.

Austin, can you please put your clothes back on?

Your mother's gonna kill me.

You need some help?

Uh, no, no. Thank you.

We're good, despite what it looks like.

Yeah, that's actually meant to be a changing table,

if you want. Ah, yeah, no, it's just...

This is... This is better

for the both of us down here, safer.

Trust me. AUSTIN: No more poop!

AuzMan win! Hey, little man. Come here.

Watch this. Which hand is it in?

SCOTT: Thank you. You're welcome.

Hey! How'd you know that?

Sorry, we're, uh... We're new.

Kinda feel like I've been dragged here against my will.

(CHUCKLES) You know, I've often felt the same.

Here.

(BABY LOGAN CRYING)

Nice to meet ya, AuzMan.

No more poop! AuzMan wins. Okay.

Austin, do not.

No.

Austin.

Do not... Austin!

Austin!

(BABY LOGAN CRYING)

Austin? Shh!

Austin? Austin.

Austin, no, no, no!

AUSTIN: See that?

He saw me. For just a second.

That was the first time.

Damn it, Austin, get back here.

(LORI LAUGHS) Oh, my... Um...

Well, hello there, peanut.

TERESA: This... This is my husband.

Uh, Scott, this is Preacher Rick.

Preacher. Of course it is. Hi.

Nice to meet you, Scott.

SCOTT: Sorry. Hey, little buddy.

Where are his clothes? They're in the men's room.

Okay.

Uh, are you sure you don't want me to get that?

(BABY LOGAN CONTINUES CRYING)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

TERESA AND SCOTT: (SINGING) ♪ Happy birthday to you

♪ Happy birthday... ♪

AUSTIN: One, two, three, four, five.

Five years of Austin.

Five-year plan.

Dad never got to go to Manhattan,

or be in a rock band,

or work for an ad agency,

or drive a green Volvo.

(SCOTT CHEERS) (TERESA LAUGHS)

AUSTIN: He says plans change, and it was fine.

Fine means good, and good means happy.

(RAP ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

After that, more birthdays, more years,

more broken bones.

Break 19. I fell off my bike.

Break 22 was a sled.

I think 27 was a closet door. I'm not sure.

One time, it even happened to Dad, me, and Mom,

all in the same week.

(RAP ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

Dad called that the Trifecta.

AUSTIN: You're gonna love middle school, Logan.

The hallways are so big,

the teachers are "the bomb,"

and all the food is

a la carte. (CHUCKLES)

SCOTT: Hey, uh, AuzMan,

are you sure that that's the right hat

for your first day?

AUSTIN: Don't be a goober, Daddio.

Jester is the best one.

It's the Mountain Dew Code Red of hats.

Oh, is it? I didn't know. Why is that?

Because it makes me happy

and I feel good when I wear it.

The colors, the way it moves and jiggles.

It's just cool.

And the best part is,

the chicks dig it. Oh, do they?

AUSTIN: Yeah. Okay.

All right. (CHUCKLES) See ya.

I love you. AUSTIN: Bye.

Hi, guys! KIDS: Hi!

Hey, Dad. He'll be fine.

All right, dude.

Bye. Love you. I love you!

I'm gonna be here right after school

to pick you up, don't forget.

AUSTIN: Hi, Jeff! Hi, Michael!

(AMUSING MUSIC PLAYING)

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)

No need to worry, AuzMan's here!

How's it going?

Arthur, how was your summer? Mine was great!

Are you excited for school? Welcome back, everybody!

Hi, Max. First day of school. Hey.

I know school is hard, but it's worth it.

You're gonna do great.

Have a great day, everyone!

You can pick whatever you want.

Á la carte flippin' rocks.

You can choose anything and everything.

French fries. BOY: Wow.

Like, there's vegetables over there and it's great.

LUNCH LADY: Enjoy. Thank you and you're welcome.

Like, at my old school, there wasn't any á la carte,

and you had no options.

What you got is what you got,

and sometimes it wasn't that good.

But here, we can choose. Everything okay, Auz?

Logan, this is Tyler.

He said we can be best friends.

All I have to do is shut up. (BOYS CHUCKLE)

Hey, man, that's my brother. He's autistic.

I'm autistic. True fact.

Oh, geez, one of those? Hah.

What's your excuse? Still waiting on puberty?

Come on, AuzMan.

Wait.

See you in class, Tyler.

Glad we're best friends.

Please, thank you, you're welcome, I love you.

(SCOFFS)

Welcome back, guys. Who's excited?

First day of school.

I'm excited to have you guys back. You look great.

All your new backpacks and school supplies.

(MUFFLED) So, who had a great summer?

(ZIPPER SOUND GROWING SHARPER)

Earth to Austin.

Are you with us?

Austin?

I think his brain's on another planet.

(STUDENTS CHUCKLE) TEACHER: Tyler.

Nope. My brain is right here in my head on Earth.

(STUDENTS CHUCKLE) Okay, Austin,

can you lose the hat? AUSTIN: Okay.

TEACHER: All right, let's learn about the Civil War.

Take out your textbooks, turn to page 34, please.

(ZIPPING RESUMES)

SCOTT: Come on, you little hooligans!

Let's go. We're holding up traffic!

Winner-winner, chicken dinner!

Well, I gave you a head start.

So, how was it?

It was good. No! It was great.

I made a new best friend. His name is Tyler.

He's so cool.

It was fine.

Well, good.

Fine is good.

(ENGINE STARTS)

Well, no meltdowns, no calls from teachers.

I would call that a great success.

(TERESA LAUGHS)

When's dinner? Is that what's for dinner?

Is that meat?

Is that pot roast or poop with white sprinkles?

What? Hey, Dad, I've been thinking,

are werewolves real?

What if we had one right here in Oklahoma?

You know, I just know they're real.

Dad, I have a migraine. Do you have a migraine?

Why do we get migraines?

Probably because I talk so much

and my cortex can't keep up.

I'm such a dork, aren't I?

Do you love me, Dad? Please tell me you love me.

I do. Anyway,

werewolves must be so cool, right?

(MUFFLED) I bet they have one at the zoo.

If they don't, you have to get them one.

Somebody has to do something, right?

I would just love to meet a werewolf and invite him

to lunch. What do you think the werewolf eats?

It's probably the same thing as us because...

All right, one other question.

Is Bruce Lee Chinese?

Oh, I know he is. Oh. Austin...

But if he were alive, would he still be Chinese?

AuzMan. Hey. Or was he Japanese?

Either way, he could come to lunch.

Listen to me. I have an idea. Yes, let's hear it.

Do you wanna fly?

(GASPS) Yeah!

Yeah! Gimme that.

(HEROIC MUSIC PLAYING)

Whoo-hoo, yeah! SCOTT: Whoo-hoo! (LAUGHS)

Flying is so easy, Dad!

I'm surprised more kids don't do it.

Yeah, little dude!

(BOTH WHOOPING)

Yeah!

SCOTT: Logan, you're getting so strong, dude.

You're pushing so high, now.

AUSTIN: Push me higher! Okay. Here it goes!

SCOTT: Not too high, though, please.

AUSTIN: Higher! Higher!

I am AuzMan, the Awesome AuzMan!

Hey, Austin, watch this!

LOGAN: Whoo-hoo! This is awesome!

What's up, Dad? SCOTT: Ha-ha-ha!

Hey, Logan, you havin' fun?

Where's Austin?

Austin, no! (AUSTIN YELPS)

Austin!

(GASPING) Oh, my God!

Say something. Say something.

(TEARFULLY) Daddy, why did you hurt me?

Logan, here! Take my keys, get to the car,

get my phone, call Mom!

Logan, listen to me! Listen to me!

Take the keys, go to the car

and call Mom and tell her Austin's hurt.

Please, go, right now!

(TEARFULLY) I'm sorry, Dad,

I just wanna be strong like Logan.

I'm sorry, Dad.

No, no, it's all right. It's okay. It's okay.

(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

(SOMBER MUSIC CONTINUES)

(SIGHS)

(CRIES QUIETLY)

SCOTT: I just didn't see him.

(VOICE QUIVERING) It happens, T.

It could've happened on your watch, too.

But it didn't. And it doesn't.

Did you ever notice that?

It's always you.

JOE: You are not a terrible father.

You are not the worst person ever.

You are not selfish. (SCOTT CRIES)

Or reckless.

Or irresponsible.

Okay. Okay. Okay, Joe, thank you.

Did I say selfish? Okay. (SNIFFLES) Thank you. Yeah.

But you're not that, is what I'm saying.

Think he's gonna be okay?

I'm Batman!

Break 42, 43, 44.

(LAUGHS) Wow!

He is good to go.

Spent the morning cheering up the nurses,

reassuring them that he's fine.

Yeah, he'll have to wear that cast for a couple months

until his vertebrae heal,

but as you can see,

he doesn't seem to mind so much.

Hey, you are a remarkable kid, Austin.

(LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING)

TERESA: They really need you in Topeka?

SCOTT: Yeah, it's my job, T. I kinda have to go.

No, you get to go.

And travel, and golf, and fish,

and I'm always stuck here with all of this and the kids.

You can do other things.

Scott, I broke my ankle the last time we went on a walk.

I don't know what you want me to say, babe. Okay?

I'm late for the airport, as it is.

AUSTIN: Mom, where is the Count Chocula?

(SIGHS)

Forget it.

It's fine. AUSTIN: Mom!

TERESA: Just go. I love you. Okay. I love you, too.

(DOOR CLOSES)

AUSTIN: Mom!

When Mom was a little girl,

she wanted to be a racecar driver,

or an Olympic ice skater,

or a mountain climber.

But she can't do any of those things

because of her bones.

Sometimes it makes her sad.

Just like it makes me sad when I can't do things.

Mom says, having O.I. Bonds us,

that we're in it together.

And that helps.

You know what else helps?

Dancing.

(UPBEAT PUNK ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

So every now and then, we crank up the tunes,

and remind our stupid bones who's boss!

(CHUCKLES) Be careful. Be careful of your back.

AUSTIN: These are my favorite moments with Mom.

(BREATHING DEEPLY)

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

(GAME TRILLS)

(CHIMES)

(COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING)

SCOTT: Mmm. (SIGHS LOUDLY)

Another round?

(CHUCKLING)

Dude, we got a meeting in six hours.

I don't know how you do it.

(SIGHS) I'm out.

I'll see you in the morning. Mm-hmm.

I...

Am in. Yeah! (LAUGHS)

Let's go!

Uh, bartender, two whiskeys.

JOE: Champagne for my real friends,

real pain for my sham friends.

(LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY) What?

(DOOR OPENS) (ENTRY BELL JINGLES)

(DOOR CLOSES) TERESA: That's it?

No warning? Nothing?

They said the company needed someone

more available for travel, or whatever.

(CLEARS THROAT) Apparently,

I've been too distracted lately,

you know, with Austin and everything.

Really?

They didn't say anything

about being late or missing meetings?

Drinking? Nothing like that?

They don't want a family man, T.

They... They... They want a kid who can commit

his whole life to this stupid job,

and that's just not me anymore.

(TERESA SIGHS)

What're we gonna do?

I get three months' severance, you know. We'll make do.

We'll cut back while I find something else.

We'll figure it out.

(SIGHS)

AUSTIN: You're lucky if you have a dad without a job.

Know why? He's home all the time.

So, I'm reorganizing my DVDs and Blu-rays.

Instead of alphabetical or color-coded,

I'm sorting by genre.

So, comedy, drama, superheroes,

comedy with superheroes, drama with superheroes,

miscellaneous with superheroes...

Austin, I gotta use the bathroom really quick,

okay? I'm gonna see ya in just a bit.

AUSTIN: Bye.

And also, you know what?

It's even better if your mom doesn't have a job, either.

Hey, Mom. So, I'm reorganizing my DVDs and Blu-rays.

Instead of alphabetical or color-coded,

I'm sorting by genre. Yeah.

KID: Trick or treat!

(LAUGHTER)

TERESA: Hi, Dad!

AUSTIN: Oh, Dad! LORI: Hi! Hi!

JOE: Look at 'em.

AUSTIN: Come get your candy with us.

TERESA: Come on, kids! JOE: Adorable.

AUSTIN: Don't be a hermit, Daddio. Get your candy!

Go on. Engage.

What is it with you? You're always in my business.

I'm just saying that sometimes

you have a tendency to retreat.

TERESA: Sorry. Thank you.

Or maybe I just think

they'd have more fun without me.

Scott! Come on! Come on!

Yeah! Bud, yeah! Let's do it!

AUSTIN: Let's trick or treat!

SCOTT: You get a good haul from that last house?

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Hi.

(GROANS)

Are you doing okay in here?

Yeah. Uh, we were playing hide-and-seek.

That was, like, three hours ago.

Well, I guess I won.

(CHUCKLES) I just, uh, needed a break.

You know, T, that boy, he can really talk.

Oh, my God, he's amazing.

I wonder where he gets it.

That's not the same thing.

You talk to yourself every day.

Or to "Joe," anyway.

(CHUCKLES) Hey.

Join me. Come on. (CHUCKLES)

Join me.

Oh, my God. You okay?

Yeah.

Just one of those days where everything hurts.

Mm.

(KISSES) Sorry, babe.

(TERESA SIGHS)

Hey, we're gonna be okay.

Everything's gonna be fine. Okay?

AUSTIN: Mom, Dad, where are you?

(QUIETLY) So, can you...

AUSTIN: Daddio!

(BUZZER BLARING) (CROWD CHEERING)

ANNOUNCER: Now please welcome your lady Tigers!

(BRASS BAND MUSIC PLAYING)

SCOTT: Austin, you sure you wanna do this?

There's a lot of people out there.

Don't be a goober, Dad.

Team mascot is the greatest honor there is.

Okay. Just go easy on the Velcro.

ANNOUNCER: And now,

the moment you've been waiting for.

Put your head on. Put your hands together

for your team mascot...

Go get 'em, Tiger! ...The one and only,

Pouncer!

(CROWD CHEERING) Yeah!

AUSTIN: Hi, everybody! It's me, AuzMan!

Whoo-hoo!

(MUFFLED CHEERING AND MUSIC)

(AUSTIN BREATHING HEAVILY)

(DOWNCAST MUSIC PLAYING)

Here's a true fact about me.

Sometimes a happy moment feels sad.

And sometimes a sad moment feels happy.

I don't always know why.

I don't always understand.

That's just what it's like to be Austin.

(SIGHS) SCOTT: Hey, Austin.

You're doing awesome, dude.

Go on, gotta get back out there.

Go finish your dance.

I can't.

Sure you can. (CLEARS THROAT) Watch this.

(BRASS BAND MUSIC CONTINUES)

(CROWD CHEERING)

AUSTIN: Whoo-hoo!

SCOTT: Yeah! (LAUGHS) You're doing it, AuzMan!

Come on. Whoo! AUSTIN: Whoo-hoo!

Whoo!

SCOTT: Hey, where are the bins?

The trash bins, they're not out front.

Um, they, uh, took them.

Who took them? Who's "they"?

The company, the trash company.

They, um...

They came today and they took them.

Why?

You didn't pay these? You didn't pay any of these?

I've been trying to keep up,

but with the surgeries

and the therapy and the medication,

I had no choice.

I had to put it on cards.

And then the cards raised the rates,

and it got... It got out of control.

Out of control? Out of control?

They took our trash bins, Teresa!

I didn't even know that was a thing!

While you're, what, gallivanting around,

spending God knows what,

buying Austin 20 pairs of sneakers

that he doesn't need,

bunch of Star Wars crap and DVDs and whatever!

It's not just me, okay? What about you?

What about your hobbies and your gadgets,

and your country club membership, Scott?

How did you think we were paying for all of this?

I don't know. I didn't know! You didn't wanna know!

AUSTIN: Sometimes Mom and Dad yell when they talk.

Mom says Dad doesn't hear a word she says.

Which is impossible

because she says the words so loud.

TERESA: Maybe everybody else has it figured out,

and it's too much. Yeah, it is too much.

It's $70,000 too much, Teresa, okay?

How are we supposed to pay this?

Stop yelling. You sound like my dad...

We could lose our house!

Stop yelling!

(SIGHS)

(SIGHS)

We can't pay this.

What other choice do we have?

We negotiate. We... We... We hire a firm.

There's firms that do this kind of stuff.

We call someone for help.

(TERESA SIGHS)

AUSTIN: Here's another true fact.

Sometimes if you spend too much money,

you have to spend more money

for someone to help you spend less money

on the money you already spent.

But after spending all that money,

we didn't have any money left.

So, other people got to have our house

and a bunch of our stuff.

But then we got to have a new house

that was actually an old house.

Do you need help? I got it. I got it.

Are you sure? Yeah.

Don't worry, we got it. SCOTT: We're good.

JOE: Why're you dragging it? (DOORBELL DINGS)

That's filthy. Why're you dragging it?

LOGAN: I got it!

It's Nanny and Poppa!

Hi! There he is!

Hi, honey. God, you're so big!

Aw, Logan, look at you!

They're here! They're finally here!

SCOTT: Hey! TERESA: Hey!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, bubba. Grandpa! How's it going?

Happy Thanksgiving.

SCOTT'S MOM: The place looks great.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

SCOTT: Go show your grandpa

the living room. I like it.

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

AUSTIN: Yeah. And I hit a homerun. I hit a homerun.

Excuse me. May I please have some more mashed potatoes?

There's just not enough,

and they're the best part of Thanksgiving.

You got it, Auz.

SCOTT'S MOM: Okay, before we eat,

why don't we all go around the table

and say what we're thankful for.

Hmm? Dick, why don't you start.

Well, I am thankful

that my grandrascals are living closer,

so we can visit any time we want.

I'm thankful for my family. TERESA: Aw.

I'm thankful for food, all of it. Yum!

Especially mashed potatoes.

And of course, SpongeBob. Who could forget.

(TERESA CHUCKLES)

And I am grateful for our new home.

(SMACKS LIPS) Agreed, on all fronts.

Let's eat. AUSTIN: Totally.

I've been waiting 365 days for this meal.

SCOTT'S MOM: Okay. Happy Thanksgiving.

DICK: Happy Thanksgiving. AUSTIN: Happy Thanksgiving.

I don't know, maybe I'm cursed.

I mean, it's always something.

Another injury, another setback,

another catastrophe. It's just...

It's a lot.

Yup.

Well, there's a word for all that, you know?

Life.

Now you just gotta learn to enjoy it.

Come on, Dick, we should get going.

(BOYS CHATTERING EXCITEDLY)

You hear that?

You're right, son.

It is a lot.

(PATS ON KNEE)

(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

(SIGHS)

(GRUNTS)

(SCOTT EXHALES HEAVILY)

Happy Thanksgiving.

Where are the kids?

(PLACES BOTTLE DOWN)

At a friend's house.

No school today. Remember?

(LIQUID POURING)

What is going on?

TERESA: No more drinking.

(BOTTLES RATTLE)

I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you

had such a problem with the drinking.

Why didn't you say anything?

(DRINK POURING) Well,

there's a lot I haven't said.

Oh, is that right? Why is that?

I don't know. You don't know?

(BOTTLE THUDS)

Maybe it's because I haven't had the guts.

Because I've already been divorced twice.

And I have two kids.

And I'm afraid that I don't have options,

that I don't deserve options.

But you know what?

I watched my mom put up with this for years

and I know how it ends.

I'm tired of it, and I'm just not gonna do it anymore.

You stop this nonsense right now, Scott,

or I am done.

Done.

Now take this out.

(BOTTLES CLINK)

JOE: You know, she's not wrong.

You do drink a lot.

(BALL CLATTERS) Yes.

I drink the exact amount that you do.

And it's usually your idea.

My ideas are your ideas, pal. Look, people drink.

She drinks, and I don't say a word.

Plus, she's always playing

those stupid video games, you know.

That, my friend, is an addiction.

Come on!

Who said anything about addiction?

What? I don't know.

Why bring it up?

I didn't. You did.

Mm...

(SCOTT GROANS)

(SCOTT SIGHS)

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING) AUSTIN: Hey!

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great!

Hi, Austin! Hi! AuzMan loves you!

KIDS: Hi, Austin!

AUSTIN: Hi! Are you excited for Christmas?

Christmas is my favorite!

Did you have Thanksgiving? I know I did.

Hey, AuzMan loves you! Have a great day!

Hello, everybody! It's me, I'm back, AuzMan!

Hi. How's it going?

How's it going, everybody? Woo-woo!

Tyler, what's up, my man?

Did you get my Facebook messages?

I see you didn't respond.

I wanted to make sure you got them.

Do you wanna come to my house after school

and watch Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Are we still friends?

Yeah, Austin. Best friends. Cool!

Hey, Austin. "You want answers?

"You want answers?" (BOY CHUCKLES)

"I want the truth."

"You can't handle the truth.

"Son, we live in a world that has walls,

"and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns.

"Who's gonna do it? You?

"You, Lieutenant Weinberg?

"I have a greater responsibility

"than you can possibly fathom."

All right, Austin, let's settle in.

"You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines.

"You have that luxury.

"You have the luxury of not knowing what I know..."

TEACHER: Austin, thank you for the performance.

"...That Santiago's death, While tragic..."

That's enough. "...Probably saved lives.

"And that my existence, while grotesque

"and incomprehensible to you, saved lives.

"You don't want the truth because deep down in places

"you don't talk about at parties,

"you want me on that wall!

"You need me on that wall."

TEACHER: Okay, I think you need a break.

Would someone walk him to the office?

"We use words like 'honor,' 'code,' 'loyalty.'

"We use these words as the backbone

"of a lifetime defending something.

"You use them as a punchline.

"I have neither the time

"nor the inclination to explain myself

"to a man who rises and sleeps

"under the blanket

"of the very freedom that I provide..."

It's okay. Thank you. "...And then questions

"the manner in which I provide it."

Shh! "I'd rather you just said

"'thank you' and went on your way."

It's okay. "Otherwise, I suggest..."

(DOOR CLOSES) TEACHER: Hey, guys.

Let's get settled in.

TERESA: She called it Resource Class.

It's a class for kids with special needs.

She said they think that it's time,

that it's only gonna get worse,

and that it's not fair for him or the other kids.

Apparently, they have classrooms right on campus.

She said they could enroll him right away.

Like they're doing us some kind of favor.

SCOTT: (ON PHONE) Maybe we just need to change

his meds again or something.

What did you say? I didn't know what to say.

I... I agreed. I mean, honestly,

it really didn't seem like we have much of a choice.

Scott, I really feel like I just made

the worst decision of my life.

No. T, relax. You always know what's best for him.

(SIGHS)

Where are you?

Uh, Christmas shopping.

Just doing some last-minute Christmas shopping.

I'll be home soon. I love you.

Yeah. You, too.

(CROWD ON TV CHEERING)

(SCOTT GRUNTS)

SCOTT: Here you go, AuzMan. You need help opening that?

Nah, I'm good, thank you. LOGAN: It's so good.

Thank you.

Austin? I don't want those.

What? You love mashed potatoes.

Well, now I hate them. They're retarded.

Hey. We don't talk like that in this house, okay?

Retarded! Retarded! Retarded!

Austin! Austin, stop, young man.

You stop it, asshole!

Hey, hey, little dude, what is going on with you?

Do you wanna go to bed early?

No, I don't wanna go to bed. I don't wanna go to school.

I don't want to go anywhere!

Hey! What has gotten into you?

No. Don't touch me!

Don't come near me!

Oh! SCOTT: Austin!

Hey, hey, hey. TERESA: Oh, my God!

Oh, my God, what is wrong with you!

SCOTT: Are you okay? Let me see your head.

TERESA: I'm fine. SCOTT: Okay, babe.

I'm fine. Just check... Oh, my God!

(LOGAN CHOKING) (AUSTIN SCREAMING)

SCOTT: Austin.

Hey, hey, hey. (STRAINING)

Hey, Austin. It's Daddio.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(INDIE FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)

(AUSTIN GRUNTING, SCREAMS)

(CONTINUES SCREAMING)

(PANTING)

(INDIE FOLK MUSIC CONTINUES)

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

(INDIE FOLK MUSIC CONTINUES)

AUSTIN: The doctor said

I was taking the wrong medication

and I was under a lot of stress.

Which means, it was actually

the medication that choked Logan.

Not me. Stupid medication.

(MUFFLED) It's okay. I'm right here.

AUSTIN: And even though it wasn't my fault...

It's okay.

...They said I had to stay there

for a while for something called

"psychiatric evaluation."

(INDIE FOLK MUSIC CONTINUES)

SCOTT: That's a great spot, right there.

Right here.

Yeah, let's get you some more of these cars.

He's gonna love it. Yeah.

LOGAN: He'll be so happy when he comes home.

(SIGHS SOFTLY) I'll be right back.

(DOOR CLOSES)

AUSTIN: (SINGING) ♪ When the sky is gray

♪ And when you're feeling blue

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ I'll rub your back and sing our little favorite song

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you ♪

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

TERESA: ♪ When you can't sleep at night

♪ You're feeling so alone

♪ Just call out my name and I'll be running home

♪ Be there in the rain to wipe the tears away

YOUNG AUSTIN: (GIGGLES) Stop.

TERESA: ♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

Mom! TERESA: Okay, okay, okay.

TERESA AND AUSTIN: (SINGING) ♪ I'll love you

♪ Under chilly winter skies

♪ I'll love you through the night

♪ Just close your eyes and count to three

♪ I'll meet you in your dreams

♪ Dance in shallow moonlit streams ♪

(SOFT MUSIC CONTINUES)

(GIGGLING)

Stop. (CONTINUES GIGGLING)

Stop! (CAR ZOOMS PAST)

(TIRES SCREECHING)

(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)

(INAUDIBLE)

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

SCOTT: Hey, I'll be back in a little bit.

Hey, Scott. Good to see ya.

Listen, look, I just wanted to say... (SIGHS)

if you need anything, okay, anything...

Yeah, okay. I could use a favor.

Tell God that if he feels the need to punish someone,

that that someone should be me

because I can handle it,

and I probably even deserve it.

But I'd really appreciate it

if He'd leave my wife and kids out of it. Thanks.

(DOOR CLOSES)

TERESA: So, um, how's he been doing?

DOCTOR: He's been great.

We'd kinda like to hire him, to be honest.

I think everybody here is gonna be sad to see him go.

Oh, that looks great.

May not be much at first, but it's a great start!

Hey, dude.

Mom! Dad!

SCOTT: (CHUCKLES) Hi!

Let me see you.

How are you? I missed you.

I'm good, thanks. Yeah?

There's a lot of messed up people in here.

Wanna meet them? TERESA: Sure.

(WHISPERS) Let's not call them "messed up."

Right. Right.

Hi, guys. KID: Hi.

(ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)

Like you can't tell just from the wrapping paper.

AUSTIN: What's it gonna be?

(LAUGHS) It's lighter and it's more narrow,

so it's even better for doing tricks on.

LOGAN: Oh, this is so cool!

Austin, I think it's your turn.

Can you hold Marty

so I can open my gift? TERESA: Yeah.

AUSTIN: Be very gentle in petting him.

LOGAN: It's this one right here.

Let's see what you get.

AUSTIN: Oh, this one has my name on it!

Whoo-hoo!

What is it? Oh!

TERESA: We know it's a smaller Christmas this year.

I just thought that you might

wanna add one to your collection.

Are you kidding? It's the best gift ever.

Thank you so much!

But you know there's something else I want, though.

I saw this the other day

and decided to keep it because I think it's so cool.

There is no way we're sending him back to that classroom.

I know.

AUSTIN: And best of all, it's free! Look, Dad.

There is this Father Son Camping Trip in February.

It's annual, which means every year.

We have to go.

(SIGHS) AuzMan,

I don't think this is a good idea, uh, little dude.

It's camping, and that's gonna be cold.

You're gonna be sleeping in a tent,

and there's gonna be a lot of other kids there

doing stuff that you might not be able to do.

AUSTIN: Isn't that the point?

Please, I just want to do

something normal with normal kids.

I don't wanna be special.

I wanna be like every other dude.

I wanna go camping with my daddy. And like...

Here's a trick I know.

If you really, really want something,

just talk and talk and talk about it,

and whatever you do, don't stop talking

and then you get it.

And it can be like an extra Christmas present,

since this was a smaller Christmas because of money.

And also I've been so good this year,

and I did have to spend four days

in a mental institution.

I just wanna go camping with you!

Please, please, please, Daddio!

(ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC CONTINUES)

(SIGHS) Yes!

I'm going camping with my daddy!

Oh, you just got so played. I know.

(CHUCKLES)

Dad, guess how many days

until the camping trip! Oh, my God. Austin.

19 and a half. AuzMan, AuzMan, AuzMan,

it's way too early in the morning,

and also the camping trip is two months away.

Nah-uh-uh. 'Cause tonight

is New Year's Eve and there's a party.

So tonight doesn't count

because we won't be thinking about camping.

Plus, there's eight weekends until the camping trip,

and weekends are fun, so those don't count.

Also, I'll be sleeping nine hours each day,

so I won't even feel those.

Plus, I've got two friends' birthday parties,

and then How to Train Your Dragon 3

comes out February 22nd.

And it's 1 hour and 44 minutes long.

But with popcorn and trailers, that's a solid 3 hours

we won't be thinking about anything else.

So none of that counts.

Which leaves us with 19 and a half days...

Please, don't. No, no.

...Until Father Son Camping weekend!

Austin. Okay. That's... Whoo-hoo-hoo! Whoo!

(SIGHS)

I hate camping.

ANNOUNCER: (ON TV) It is freezing cold here

in Times Square...

TERESA: My joints are all swollen, babe.

I can't dance tonight. I can barely walk.

Why can't you just stay home?

The boys wanna go, T.

They wanna have a fun night.

You wanna have a fun night.

We all wanna have a fun night,

and you're just gonna be here, relaxing anyway.

Daddy! Jester hat on. It's time to party!

Hi, honey. Love you, Mama Bear.

Feel better. Oh, I love you.

You look so handsome. Thank you so much.

It's time to party! (TERESA CHUCKLES)

You sure you don't wanna come?

Yeah. Mommy's bones hurt a little.

Just be home by 11:00. Okay?

'Cause I wanna watch the ball drop with you guys.

Love you. Bye. Love you. Have fun.

SCOTT: Have a good time. LOGAN: Austin, ready to party?

AUSTIN: What do you think? Yes!

LOGAN: Yeah. Let's go.

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC PLAYING)

LOGAN: Why didn't we do valet? AUSTIN: What is valet?

SCOTT: Uh, valet is French for "expensive parking."

AUSTIN: Oh, okay. Bye!

SCOTT: Hey, hey, hey.

Don't do anything I wouldn't do!

(KIDS CHATTERING)

Oh. Thank you.

AUSTIN: Here it is. This is the night

I was telling you about, remember?

The night when everything broke.

(FAST-FORWARDING)

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

(LAUGHS)

I'll be right back. I'll be right back.

I'm fine, I'm fine. Get off. Get off.

I'm fine. I'm fine. (MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYING)

JOE: Hey, look at me.

You're lost, my friend.

Your moral compass is broken.

And, brother, you're failing

as a husband and a father.

Who are you to judge me?

Hey, dude. Sweet tie. Happy New Year.

I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm still in control.

Right, okay.

Then let's just walk back out there,

sober up, and go home. Okay?

Okay. I'll drive.

No. No.

No, I am not letting you behind the wheel.

And I am not asking your permission.

No! No! This is none of your business, and it never is.

Scott! Do not follow me.

I am done with you. I mean it.

Scott!

(TOILET FLUSHING)

MAN: I'm coming out.

(SOUL ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

Dad, are you okay?

CROWD: Ten. Nine.

Eight. Seven.

Six. Five.

Four. Three.

Two. One.

Happy New Year! (CHEERING)

AUSTIN: Like I said,

sometimes it's bad when things break.

Sometimes it's good.

You don't always know which it's gonna be.

I want you out of this house right now.

Oh, God, the kids?

TERESA: The kids are fine. They're in their room.

And that's where they're gonna stay until you're gone.

I don't want you near them. Or me.

Get out.

Tere... Teresa... Get out!

(BREATHES SHAKILY) I'm so sorry.

(SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING)

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

(SOMBER MUSIC CONTINUES)

I don't know where to go and I don't know what to do.

I'm sorry, Mom.

You'll stay here with us.

(INHALES SHARPLY)

Break that.

Go on, break it.

Go on.

Is that you right now?

It's me, too. It's all of us.

But, honey...

Your mistakes don't define you.

How you heal does.

Okay?

So get to work.

ALL: "An honest regret for harms done,

"a genuine gratitude for blessings received,

"and a willingness to try for better things tomorrow

"will be the permanent assets we shall seek."

(WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

As proud as I am of that, I just...

I don't know...

When do you stop feeling so ashamed?

(AUSTIN AND LOGAN SHOUTING EXCITEDLY)

AUSTIN: Yes. SCOTT: Yes!

LOGAN: Dad, come on!

(SCOTT GRUNTING) AUSTIN: Hey, hey!

LOGAN: I got it.

When are you coming home, Dad?

(SIGHS)

I don't really know, AuzMan. Uh...

I think I need a little more time to get better.

Oh, maybe you should go

to that crazy hospital like I did.

Maybe I should.

LOGAN: Watch out! AUSTIN: Oh!

TERESA: No, Lori, don't try to talk me down from...

Are you kidding me?

After everything we went through growing up?

I am not doing that again.

Will you put down the game and let me finish?

I don't know how she put up with it all those years.

Just let me finish. Okay. Chill, chill, chill.

I'm listening.

Okay. Go. Thank you.

My point is, you're not Mom, and Scott's not Dad.

I mean, come on.

With Dad, this went on for years.

He was gone all the time.

But, Scott, yes, he messed up, but he's here.

He's trying.

And you know what? I...

I bet he's struggling

with a lot right now. But... (SCOFFS)

Hey, you've had your share of struggles, too.

Be honest. So?

So, do you wanna struggle together

or do you wanna struggle apart?

Apart. Definitely.

(LORI CHUCKLES)

All right. Fair enough. (GUNFIRE ON GAME)

TYLER: Happy New Year, Tiny Tim.

Check out my sweet new board.

Why're you such a jerk, man? Give it back.

No, but you can borrow it sometime.

Give it back!

That's mine!

Get off.

(PUNCHES) (LOGAN GRUNTS)

(GROANS)

(BOTH GRUNT)

Bro, get off! Stupid piece of...

KIDS: (CHANTING) Fight! Fight! Fight!

Fight! Fight! Fight!

(SHOUTING) What is it with you?

You mess with my brother! You mess with me!

Why?

Do you even see yourself?

You're a cliché!

A bully!

You're nothing! TEACHER: Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Logan, what is this?

He took my board.

TEACHER: Principal's office. Both of you.

LOGAN: But he... TEACHER: Now!

(SCHOOL BELL RINGING)

AUSTIN: Why did you hit Tyler?

(SIGHS) It's fine. Logan,

we have to keep the ice on it, please.

Logan, why did you hit Tyler?

He hit me. He's such a jerk.

Why do you even wanna be friends with him?

Because he's sad.

He's what? He's sad.

His dad's been in jail

for a really, really long time.

And his mother's sick, like, really sick with cancer.

And I heard that they don't even get to do Christmas.

So I think he's sad.

And it makes me sad.

TERESA: That's pretty sad.

Tyler, will you come in here, please?

(BREATHES HEAVILY)

What's this?

It's for you.

(SCOFFS) I don't get it.

Open it.

I want you to have it.

Why?

Well, I thought

you may have not had

a great Christmas, so... You what?

(HESITATES) I don't know.

I just wanted you to have that.

And I know it's kinda weird,

but I guess I'm kinda weird.

So, anyway...

Look, I really don't wanna fight with you anymore.

I'd rather be friends.

Is that okay?

(TENDER MUSIC PLAYING)

(TENDER MUSIC CONTINUES)

SCOTT: Hey. Mornin'.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

(CLEARS THROAT, EXHALES)

(PATS ON KNEE)

(CHUCKLES) Rick, what are you doing here?

I'm an alcoholic. You?

Yeah. Same.

Well, here's to one day at a time.

AUSTIN: And he's been going to these meetings every day,

but he doesn't even have a job,

so I don't know who the heck he's meeting with.

Every day? Really?

Yeah, sometimes twice a day.

It's a lot of meetings, if you ask me.

He's doing good, Mom.

AUSTIN: And guess what, after 30 days,

they give you this coin with a "30" on it.

Then after 60 days you get one with a "60"...

ALL: "God, grant me the serenity

"to accept the things that I cannot change,

"courage to change the things I can,

"and the wisdom to know the difference.

"Living one day at a time,

"enjoying one moment at a time,

"accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,

"taking, as Jesus did,

"this sinful world as it is,

"and not as I would have it.

"Trusting that He will make all things right,

"if I surrender to His will,

"so that I may be reasonably happy..."

(TENDER MUSIC PLAYING)

TERESA: Come on, Logan, you're gonna miss the bus.

LOGAN: I know. Bye, guys. Bye. Love you.

Bye. Bye, Marty McFly.

AUSTIN: Logan, have fun at school.

TERESA: Okay, AuzMan, I need you to focus, babe.

I can't do all this for you.

Hold on one second.

Hey.

LOGAN: It's just not fair. TERESA: I know.

But, hey, we're gonna find him a good school. I promise.

It's gonna be okay. Do you believe me?

Get to school.

All right.

Bye. Love you. Love you, guys.

(CAR DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

TERESA: Hey.

Hey.

How are you?

Uh...

Okay. Better every day. You know?

Good.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Well, should we head in? Yeah. Let's, um...

Do you know what this is about?

I have no idea.

PRINCIPAL: Thanks for coming in.

I wanna talk about Austin.

I know you've withdrawn him from the Resource Class.

Yes. Um, we're gonna homeschool him for now

until we can find something that (CLEARS THROAT)

works a little bit better than that did.

Look, we know he's different, Ilene.

Okay? We're not delusional.

It's just that the thing that makes Austin different

is what makes Austin... Austin.

And that's what we love about him.

And so we refuse to hide that away

or apologize for it in any way.

Which means we're gonna have to just put him

in another school, I think. That's just... You know...

He... He... He does better

when he's around kids of all kinds, you know?

"Typical kids," as you would call them,

but to him, they're just kids. They're his friends.

And he learns from them, and that's important.

And I think they learn from him, too.

I agree.

And you're right about the other kids.

Because they all love him.

Thought you'd like to see this.

It's a petition

signed by just about every student in school.

(GASPS)

This is amazing. (CHUCKLES)

Wow.

We never should've separated him from his friends.

And he's welcome back.

Anytime.

Thank you.

Oh, he is gonna be so pumped.

(LAUGHS)

PRINCIPAL: I have a special announcement.

Back by popular demand,

please give a big, rowdy welcome,

everyone's favorite mascot,

AuzMan!

(ALL CHEERING)

AUSTIN: I'm here! Whoo-hoo! I'm back!

Don't fear! I'm back here!

That's my brother! Yeah!

Whoo!

ALL: (CHANTING) AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

Hey, man. Thanks for doing this.

I don't know what you mean.

AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

(UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING) AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

(ALL CHEERING)

AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

AuzMan! AuzMan! AuzMan!

SCOTT: I wish I could enjoy anything

as much as my son enjoys everything.

I've always held on so tight to things.

I don't even know why.

I've just always needed everything

to be a certain way.

We talk about an attitude of gratitude...

That's never been me.

I'm never content. I never have been.

I used to think that that made me ambitious,

but actually, it just makes me...

Ungrateful.

And I hate that about myself.

(SIGHS)

I push everything away,

everything and everyone I care about.

I don't wanna do that anymore.

I wanna be more like my son.

(EMOTIONAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(SNIFFLES)

Thanks. Yeah.

So, um, I just wanted to talk to you

about the, um...

The camping trip is this weekend.

Ah, right. I...

Uh...

I figured that was off, that I shouldn't go.

I think you should.

I mean...

Austin's, uh...

So excited about it.

(SNIFFS)

T, I'm so sorry.

About what I did.

About what I didn't do. About everything.

I just have so much to say.

Hey.

Do you know what I admire about you?

You are broken

and lost and scared and getting things wrong...

(SHUDDERS)

...But you keep trying.

Remember how I used to wonder

if I was the princess or the ugly stepsister?

Well, it turns out that I'm...

Neither.

I'm just a regular mess.

And I don't expect you to be a perfect prince.

That'd be really boring.

And it would make me super-insecure.

(CHUCKLES)

You are a good man, Scott,

with a good heart.

You've given up so much for this family,

and you have never stopped fighting for us, not even now.

Come here.

Hey.

Two months sober?

I am so proud of you.

Fifty-four days, actually. (CHUCKLES)

But in fairness, it feels like 19 and a half.

(BOTH LAUGH)

You're damn right, I admire you.

And also,

I've been giving it some thought since our wedding,

and, um...

(SIGHS)

I definitely do love you.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

So, why not struggle together?

I feel like if Logan can forgive the school bully,

I oughta be able to forgive you.

(INHALES DEEPLY)

Oh, man.

I love you.

SCOTT: I'm excited. Yeah, are you excited?

AUSTIN: Yes.

Looks like we're gonna have to hike

in about a mile or so to the campsite,

and the bags are heavy. All right, little dude?

So, if you start getting tired

or if your ankles start to hurt...

Meet ya there, Daddio!

Hey, guys, wait up!

(AUSTIN SHRIEKS)

RICK: Hey, good to see ya, man.

SCOTT: Good to see you, too. Hey, Jack.

BOY: Hi.

RICK: Nice one, Jack! SCOTT: Oh!

That was good. Very good. High marks.

All right, Austin, your turn! Come on bud!

MAN: There, just like that, okay?

AUSTIN: All right. MAN: Straight on.

Are we sure this is a good idea?

Austin with a bow?

He's okay. He's okay.

He's, uh... He's always struggled

in the hand-eye coordination department.

He'll be fine, trust me.

Look, my son's 14,

teaches me the same lesson all the time.

That they're capable of a lot more

than we give 'em credit for.

Come on, AuzMan! You got this!

(MUSIC BUILDING UP)

(ALL CHEERING) Yeah!

SCOTT: He hit the target!

Oh, my God! What a great shot!

You gotta score in this game!

Yeah!

(CROWD CHEERS AND APPLAUDS)

You're doing great, Austin!

Watch this!

Yeah!

(IMPERCEPTIBLE)

SCOTT: You know, I didn't even wanna come on this trip.

I was gonna stay home.

I almost missed all of this.

Well, you made a good decision.

I owe you one.

Or God, maybe.

Maybe you could tell Him for me.

(CHUCKLES) No, you could tell Him.

It's not that hard.

SCOTT: So I have a question.

JOE: Yeah?

SCOTT: I've been talking to you nearly my whole life...

And it's just occurred to me...

Are you God?

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

(GENTLE MUSIC PLAYING)

Scott, look at me.

Look at my face, son.

(MUSIC SWELLING)

(LAUGHING) No, I'm not God, you dimwit.

Like, what did you think was gonna happen there?

SCOTT: I don't know. (CONTINUES LAUGHING)

You're the worst.

JOE: Keep lookin', pal, you'll figure it out.

(MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING)

Dad, I wish I was more like you.

You do?

'Course I do, silly goose. You're the best.

AUSTIN: Most of the time, Dad can't see what I see.

But that day, floating on the lake, he did.

That day he saw exactly what I see.

A great dad.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYING)

You see it, Daddio?

Yeah, Auz, I...

I sure do.

Daddio! Daddio! Daddio!

(CHUCKLES) Hey.

You were gonna leave without AuzMan?

SCOTT: What? No.

I would never leave without ya.

AUSTIN: So what're you thinking about?

Nothing, really.

AUSTIN: But that wasn't true.

Dad told me later he was thinking,

"What teenage boy wants to hold his father's hand?"

And you wanna know what he was feeling?

Grateful.

(ALL EXCLAIM) SCOTT: It's arrived.

AUSTIN: Thank you so much.

Thank you. Looks pretty good.

SCOTT: All right, let's dig in.

LOGAN: I think everyone in the whole universe heard that.

SCOTT: Logan, eat your food, please.

TERESA: Do you have a napkin? Do you need one?

So dry. Do we have ketchup... We don't have any.

Actually, no. But do you know what's the best ketchup...

I can ask her when she comes back around...

Guys, wait, stop, look at me. Dad, look at me, please.

Thank you. You're welcome. This is important.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm looking. What's so important?

This is the best strawberry shake I've ever had.

You have to believe me.

Thick texture. The smoothness.

And it is so creamy.

Oh, man, it is just like Heaven.

This milkshake is perfection.

Do you get it?

This milkshake makes the deal! It makes everything better!

This is the best day of my life!

Okay. So happy to hear that.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(SOFT FOLK MUSIC PLAYING)

SCOTT: I believe Austin,

that it really was the best milkshake ever.

Because to Austin,

every milkshake can be the best milkshake.

Every day can be the best day. Every moment, the best moment.

You just have to be able to see it.

Until that day,

I spent most of my son's life trying to figure him out

so I could fix him.

But it turns out, he wasn't broken at all.

He didn't need me to fix him.

I needed him to fix me.

That's a true fact.

Look, see this moment,

right here?

Best moment of my life.

(INDIE FOLK MUSIC CONTINUES)

JOE: (SINGING) ♪ When the sky is gray

♪ And when you're feeling blue

(HARMONIZING) ♪ Don't forget that I

♪ Will always be with you

♪ I'll rub your back and sing our little favorite song

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ You can't sleep at night, you're feeling so alone

♪ Just call out my name and I'll be running home

♪ I'll be there in the rain to wipe the tears away

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ I'll love you under chilly winter skies

♪ I'll love you through the night

♪ Just close your eyes and count to three

♪ I'll be there in your dreams

♪ We'll dance in shallow moonlit streams

♪ So when you've lost your way out in the falling snow

♪ Sing this song and hear that little echo, dear

♪ I'm right behind you, love, and everywhere you go

♪ Don't forget that I will always be with you

♪ Just remember I will always be with you

♪ Don't forget that I will always be

♪ With you ♪

(TERESA GIGGLES)

(JOE LAUGHS)

We did it. Yay.

(PERSON APPLAUDING)

Thank you, Oklahoma!

Tip your waiters.

DIRECTOR: And cut. Cut. Threepeat.

(AMUSING MUSIC PLAYING)

(SOFT PIANO MUSIC PLAYING)