Original subtitles

There's a time for love and a time for living. Take a chance and face the wind.

An open road and a road that's hidden. A brand new life I've come to be.

There were times I lost a dream or two.

Found a trail and at the end was you.

There's a path you take and a path not taken.

The choice is up to you, my friend.

Not so long, but you're not awake to a brand new life.

Brand new life. A brand new life both round the bend.

Oh, Dad, I just love my... new jeans. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Ah,

that's okay, sweetheart. Nothing is too ridiculously overpriced for my little

girl. I hope we didn't blow our whole budget.

Ah, don't worry about a thing, Sam. I still got enough left over to buy myself

stamp.

Samantha,

what are you doing?

I'm painting the whole thing so I can wear them.

Wait a minute, Samantha.

Samantha, wait a second. Let me get this straight. We move all the way here to

Connecticut from Brooklyn.

So that we could live a better life.

And now you want to walk around looking like a bum?

Yeah! Isn't it great?

You know, Dad, you too could be cool.

Not me, not me. My knees aren't cute enough.

Okay.

Well... Actually, let's see. Ooh, cute knees.

I'll get that.

Hello.

Yes, this is she.

Oh...

Oh, that's wonderful.

Oh, I'm so excited.

Oh, my little girl got her first obscene phone call.

Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine, but let me talk it over with him. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

He really is special, isn't he? Oh, well.

Well, thank you.

Bye -bye.

But I just got the best news about Jonathan.

After only one week back at school, the teacher wants him to skip the sixth

grade and go directly to junior high. Wow!

This is great!

He'll bring home his college friends a whole year early. Oh, Mona.

I am so proud of him.

I have been grooming him for this for 12 years.

Uh, Angela, he's only 11.

I know, but I read the classics to him in the womb. I knew he was listening.

Where would he go, dear?

Hey, wait a minute.

Angela, Angela, think about this for a second. Aren't we moving a little fast?

Maybe you should think this over. What is there to think about?

Any good mother would jump at the chance to give her child a leg up on life. Oh,

no, we're not going to hear that old dirge again, are we?

Well, mother, I had the opportunity to go from kindergarten to the second

but you didn't think I was ready.

I thought you lacked some of the social graces.

She kept throwing her dress over her head.

Oh, yeah?

You're not the only one with cute knees.

Look, Jonathan's bored with his schoolwork. Junior high will be a great

challenge. I have a breakthrough notion.

You probably think this is crazy, but why don't we ask the kids? Oh, that's a

good thought, Mother. It's too bad you didn't think of that when opportunity

knocked at my door. Oh, brother.

Jonathan!

Hey, Angela, now don't push this kid. Let him make up his own mind. Give me a

little credit, will you?

Yeah, Mom?

Sweetheart, how would you like to enter a world full of new challenges, new

ideas, and endless adventure?

We're going to Epcot!

Hey,

here he is, the best and the brightest of Fairfield Junior High.

How are you, Jonathan?

Hungry. Oh, man, a few words.

Hey, wait a minute. What's with this appetite stuff? What do they got you

there? Heavy construction?

Oh, there it is.

Jonathan, it's my drumstick.

Oh, sorry, Mom. I've been thinking about it all day.

Now, wait a minute.

I put the other drumstick in your lunchbox this morning.

Oh, yeah, and that was delicious, too.

Well, Tony, maybe you should start packing bigger meals for Jonathan.

Why don't I just start sending a catering truck to the school?

Is that an A I see on that test paper?

Yeah. Do we have any more potato salad?

Wait a minute.

I gave you a whole bunch of potato salad this morning.

Oh, yeah.

The teacher wrote a note.

Excellent work. Well thought out. Perfect margins.

Who's stealing your lunch, Jonathan?

Stealing?

Well, they didn't actually steal it. See, one of them pinned my arms down,

then the other one took it.

This to you.

Well, Monday, Brian took it. Yesterday, it was Greg. And today, Cynthia.

Cynthia? She's not big, but she's mean.

Why didn't you tell us this was happening? I'm calling your teacher.

Oh, no, Mom. No, no, no.

He's right. He's right. There's nothing worse than a squealer.

Well, then I'll go down there and have a word with those little hooligans

myself. You know, Angela, there is one thing worse than a squealer, and that's

mama's boy.

Well, this mama is going to get to the bottom of this.

Now, Jonathan, honey,

do you have any idea why they could be picking on you?

It beats me. They all know how gifted I am. I told everybody.

Maybe it's because they're jealous because I'm the only kid with a designer

briefcase.

Jonathan. And if you want to make friends, it's not a good idea to go

telling everybody you're gifted.

Hey, Jonathan, that's like bragging about how rich you are.

Uh -oh.

Jonathan, you know better than that.

But I don't know what else to say to those guys.

I don't think I want to be in junior high anymore.

Jonathan.

Honey, that doesn't sound like you. You have never been a quitter. But, Mom.

You're going through a period of adjustment.

And in the meantime, you know, you just stay away from the rough boys.

And Cynthia.

Do you know what you need?

You need a friend.

If you go up to somebody, pick out somebody who looks like a good

conversationalist. You introduce yourself.

You tell them a few witty anecdotes. And before you know it, you'll have plenty

of friends.

You have anything you want to add, Tony? Yeah, dump the briefcase.

Forward to meeting with you soon to discuss things further. Best regards,

Bauer. We'd better go over that again.

My mind wandered. I'm afraid I may have missed something.

All right.

Read what you have.

Dear Mr. Henderson, regarding the marketing of your new line of male

undergarments...

Yes. And that's where my mind wandered.

So touchy.

Hey, everybody.

Check it out.

Jonathan.

Outrageous, huh?

Whoa, slap me, Jack. I want to get back.

Oh, Jonathan, cool coif.

You're all spruced and moosed.

Jonathan, why did you do this to your hair?

Because it's me. It's outstanding. It's now.

It's stiff.

Now, he'll go to sleep on that.

Isn't this great? He's really loosening up, isn't he? He was so darling the

other way.

Do you want him to look like the Dutch boy paint can the rest of his life?

Come on. Look, last couple of days he's been showing a lot of confidence. You

know, he's hanging on to his lunch. He even picked up a bad little swagger. He

did kind of swagger, didn't he?

Hey, check out his male role model.

That's my friend, Walter.

He's even got a buddy.

Of course.

He followed my advice.

Walter, it's such a pleasure to meet you.

Yeah,

great earring, Walter. Can I have the other one?

Well, I was out of town. I was walking around the phone store.

He says no.

Hello, Walter.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A speech therapist?

Thank you.

Hello, Walter.

Did I get you something to drink or something to wipe your feet on?

No.

Walter, you seem a little mature for the seventh grade.

Yeah, well, you know, when I was over there, I wasn't understood.

He was held back here. He said his teachers just didn't understand him.

What are you two doing this afternoon?

Oh, we're going to go to the arcade.

Hold it. Hold it. I think I got it.

You're going to the arcade.

Oh,

they loved you, Walter.

It's not exactly the playmate I had in mind for Jonathan.

Did you say playmate or primate? Oh, stop.

Stop.

Hello. Now, listen, Angela, take it from me. I spend a lot of time on the

streets, and I could tell a real troublemaker from a good kid. That kid's

Don't judge him just because he mumbles and he's got an earring.

Mm -hmm.

Yes, I will. I'll give her the message.

Goodbye.

Angela, you've been a bad girl.

You've been called to the principal's office.

Walter and Jonathan have been terrorizing the school.

Like I said, never trust a kid who wears an earring and mumbles.

She probably just got something in her eye.

Mrs. Bauer, will you come in, please?

He's next.

You're first.

All right? All right. Now, Angel, look.

Don't think of this guy as a principal. Think of him as a man who earns less

than you. Go ahead.

Mr. Krebins, it's very nice to meet you. I think it's very important that

parents and educators work together, and I welcome this opportunity.

Who is he?

Oh, I'm Tony Massilli, sir. I'm her housekeeper.

Yeah, and he also helps me take care of Jonathan. He does a very good job. You

see, I think it's important for a boy... Miss Bauer, we have a big

problem. I'll come right to the point. Your son Jonathan is causing a lot of

trouble to our school.

Um, could you be a little bit more specific?

I could be a lot more specific.

I'll read you some of the highlights.

Throwing water bombs at the crossing guards.

Snapping girls' brassieres.

Oh, right.

You find that laudatory, Mr. Maselli?

Uh, no, no, Mr. Kreb. It's just that, you know, I mean, every guy did that

of stuff when he was a kid. You know, hey, I snapped my share of bras, didn't

you?

I guess not.

Moving right along.

Forcing a hall monitor to pretend he's a horse.

and using them for transportation.

And my personal favorite, mooning the girl's gym teacher.

You mean my son actually exposed his little... Yes, that's what he means.

Well, Mr. Crevins, I'm sorry... glad you brought this to my attention. I will

make sure that Jonathan understands that this kind of behavior is positively

unacceptable and I'll forbid him to see that boy Walter.

You know, Walter.

The mumbler. Mrs. Bauer, I had a long talk with Jonathan this afternoon and it

seems the problem goes a lot deeper than Walter.

In fact, it might be traced directly to you.

Oh, hold on here, Mr. Crebbins. Angela Bauer never wound anyone in her life.

I mean... Thank you, Tony. Well, you know what I mean. I mean, she's a great

parent and a great mother. In fact, if I was to have a kid today, right now, I

would want her to be the mother.

Tony, that's so sweet.

Well, I would.

Well, you would be a great father.

You think so? Well, I, you know, I have a future.

Would you two like me to leave?

Mrs. Bauer.

Your son desperately wants to please you. He knows you want him to be popular

and have a lot of friends.

But from a child who's just skipped an entire grade, those are very high

expectations.

Almost too high.

You see what he's doing to try to fit in.

I... I see.

All right, now look, Angela.

Don't worry about this. This is not the end of the world. We're in this

together. We'll work it out. He's right, Mrs. Bauer.

obviously have a very good relationship with your son.

Yeah. And a very interesting one with your housekeeper.

Oh, boy, oh, boy. Come on, Sam. Hurry up. Get the scissors.

I gotta get my jeans ready for my date tonight.

Now, Mona, slow down.

This takes concentration. You have to do it just right, otherwise you'll show

too much size.

Okay?

Make a little nip. Uh -huh. And then pull gently. Okay? Okay. Got it? There

go. There's the little nip.

All right.

And now gently pull.

Gently pull. Okay, here we go. Okay.

Uh -oh.

Well,

it'll be okay.

Come on.

I'll teach you how to wash them.

Teach me how to shrink them.

Jonathan?

Jonathan? Yeah, Mom?

Would you come down here, honey? We want to talk to you.

Is this going to take long? I'm working on some projects upstairs.

Science projects?

No, extracurricular.

It's the extracurricular we want to talk to you about.

We just came from the principal's office.

Oh, did he mention me?

It's funny, but you know, your name did come up.

Jonathan, I've made some mistakes.

And you have made some mistakes.

And I'm going to do some changing.

And you're going to do some changing. And guess who's going first?

But I don't want to change. Things are going real good.

Jonathan, where are you getting your information from, my man? Hold on.

Is Jonathan home, sir?

Walter, is that you?

Sir, yes, sir.

Come in.

Walter, what happened? Where's your earring? Where's your crummy clothes?

Your image is totally shot.

Tell me.

My dad sent me to military school.

He says I'm going to have a career in the armed forces.

Well, we'll all sleep better knowing that.

I just came over to say goodbye.

From now on, you're on your own.

Passing the exploding cigar over to you.

Make me proud.

This is terrible.

Oh, don't worry about it, buddy. Hey, the army has survived a lot worse.

Not him, me. I lost my friend.

Well, Jonathan, maybe that's for the best.

But he was my ticket to popularity.

No, no, no. He was your ticket to trouble. You'll be much better off on

own.

I don't feel so good. I think I'll be sick tomorrow.

Oh, hey.

Hey, yo, Jonathan, come on now. For a guy in junior high school, that's a

cop -out.

You're right.

Mom, I want to go back to sixth grade.

Well, Jonathan, if that's what you want, you got it.

What?

See, this is where I do some changing.

There's no pressure.

You can go back to sixth grade if that's what you want.

Totally up to you.

Is this some kind of trick?

No, I think your mother's on the level.

Okay, then.

I'm going back to my old school.

Well, everything was fine right up to the totally up to you part.

Well,

I think I'm going to turn in, okay? Yeah, I think I will, too.

Gosh, it has been a long day.

Hi, Tony. Hey, June.

Sweetheart, what are you doing up?

Well, I was kind of waiting for you to come up and tell me to go to junior high

tomorrow.

Jonathan, I am not going to do that.

Don't you care about me anymore?

Of course I do.

It's just that you're growing up and you've just got to start making your own

decisions.

Boy.

This is a tough one.

If I go back to sixth grade, it'll be a lot easier.

But if I stay in seventh, I'll get to chop up a frog.

I don't know what to do.

Jonathan?

Yeah, Mom?

Chop up a frog.

Really?

Good night, Tony. Good night, pal.

Mom, you did real good there, Mom.

Hey, without a manual.

You really think so? Yeah, I do. And you know what else I want to say, Angela?

What?

I want to tell you that I meant every word that I said in that principal's

office today.

Oh, Tony, I want you to know that I did, too.

Yeah, because, you know, I love snapping brassieres. Oh, no!

You're playing my song, Sam.

You're going to stop the show at that rock concert tonight.

Well, I just think it's great that Tony is letting her go. I have real respect

for a parent who gives his child some faith and a little freedom. Yeah, and a

seat right next to him.

Come on, Dad. We're going to be late.

Could you believe this? I have to go to a concert with my father? Is there

anything more humiliating?