Original subtitles

[enchanting, spectral music]

[Jesse] We can't control what happens in our lives.

We can only control how we respond to it.

And while nothing could've prepared me

for how I felt when we found out

my dad had dementia at age 58,

my dad's struggle brought my family

even closer together.

[television playing in background]

Those we love with Alzheimer's or dementia

might not remember us.

However, we can always remember them.

This is my dad's story.

This is my family's story.

[plane whirring]

[traffic din]

["The Package Store Petition" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones]

[traffic din]

♪

[Jesse] Hey, Mom.

Yeah, hey, is Dad coming to pick me up?

Well, how long ago did he leave?

Okay, here he is. Okay. I'll see you soon.

- What's going on? - [Paul] Not much.

Heard UNO has a big game this weekend.

Yup, they've been pretty good this year.

- Oh, we should try to go. - [Paul] Maybe.

[honking]

Everything okay, Dad?

It's fine.

[music continues]

♪ Don't look at me or look in my direction ♪

♪ Unless like me ♪

♪ You'd like to see some change ♪

♪ I am the one-man coalition ♪

[music stops]

[doors shutting]

[somber piano music]

[Anne] Hi, honey!

- Hi! - Mama! Hi, how are you?

[both groaning happily]

- Ah, how was the flight? - It was smooth, Mom. Thanks.

Oh, great. I'm so glad.

Yeah. Yeah, I love the paint. When'd you do this?

- Oh, a while ago. - I painted.

Paul, um, we're gonna eat soon.

Why don't you go watch some TV?

- I'll be in the den. - 'Kay.

Why don't you settle in?

- Okay. - And we'll talk later.

- Okay? - Okay. Sounds good. All right.

Oh, you look so great,

- you're so handsome. - Ah, thanks, Mom.

It's so good to be here. Let me grab this.

- Okay. Sure. - Excuse me.

- My big, strong boy! - [both laugh]

[emotional piano music]

♪

[TV din]

[announcer on TV] For the most part, he's been held

in check in the series so far, just two for nine.

[whispering] Artie.

Morning!

- [loudly] Artie. Wake up, dude! - [Artie groans]

Hey! Aren't you happy to see me?

Hmm? Yeah. It's great to see you, bud.

I mean, you never call or anything.

- It's heartbreaking. - [Artie groans]

- Phone works both ways, bro. - [Jesse] Yeah.

- You know what? You and me. - Mm-hmm.

We're gonna have a little chat later.

- Okay. - Yes!

[snapping fingers] Yes, yes, yes, yes,

yes, yes, yes, yes...

Dad, what are you doing?

You don't even like these teams.

- [Paul laughs] - [Artie groans]

It's what he does now.

Since when?

I don't know, past six months.

Okay, and what's going on with the yard?

Ah, he just doesn't care anymore.

[Jesse] What about you?

Hmm? Dude, I'm tired.

Okay. Hey, Dad.

You wanna clean up the yard this weekend?

Get it all straightened up?

[TV din continues]

Hey, Dad.

I'm gonna take Stella for a walk, you wanna go?

- Okay. - All right. Let's go.

- [Paul] Stella. Come. Come. - [Jesse] Come on.

- Nice day. - Yup.

Oh, wow, a lot of memories in that truck.

That's my pride and joy right there.

Too bad it doesn't run.

- Been tinkering with it. - Oh, yeah?

Maybe we can get it runnin'.

[birds chirping]

[leaves rustling]

These are beautiful.

It's a Knock Out rose.

Rosa Radrazz.

Let's go home.

[Jesse] Mama!

Should've heard Dad.

He knew, like, every scientific name

of all the flowers on the street.

[Jesse sighs]

[Anne] I just got a call.

Yeah?

Your dad got fired.

Fired?

For what reason?

For the golf cart incident.

You're kidding me. He...

Mom, he's given his whole life to university.

They could have prosecuted him.

[gently] Okay, okay. Here. Let me take this, Mom.

It's okay. I got it, I got it.

What was he doing driving a cart anyway?

[sobbing]

He was... working on the grounds crew.

How did he go from running the biology lab

to the grounds crew?

It happened several months ago.

Mom...

You gotta tell me these things.

I didn't want to worry you.

Well... Okay.

So, what does Tony say about all this?

Tony doesn't know about it.

I... I... I don't want to bother him.

He and Marilyn are going through a lot together.

The doctor told her that

he doesn't know if she can get pregnant.

Ma, that's horrible.

Mom, hey, everything's gonna be fine.

- All right? - I hope so.

Did you take Dad to see Dr. Michaels?

Of course I did.

We had a follow-up appointment

but he was too stubborn to go back.

[Tony] Ooh, sounds like Mom's cookin' up a storm!

- [Anne chuckles] - Hey!

- There he is! Ah, man. - Tony. Oh, brother. [laughs]

[Tony] What're you doin' here? What? You miss me?

Or you just come home for Mom's famous meatloaf, huh?

You already know the answer, man, Mom's famous meatloaf.

- Come on. - [Tony] Of course.

[Anne] Yeah, my famous meatloaf.

Mom, it's the best

and you know it, all right?

And I will fly 2,000 miles any day for it.

And the only reason? 'Cause I get to eat it with you.

You want the biggest piece, don't you?

- Of course I... yeah, of cours... - Hey, hey, ho, whoa, whoa.

Thought I was your favorite son.

- You wish, big guy. - Oh, yeah? Do I? Do I? Do I?

- Do I? - Been eating too much meatloaf!

[Tony laughs] You look great, man.

[Paul] Bless us, oh, Lord, for these thy gifts

we are about to receive from thy bounty.

In Christ's name, our Lord, amen.

[all] Amen.

[Paul clears throat]

Mom, I gotta say, the potatoes

- look a little lumpy. - Ah!

Maybe if you mashed 'em, they'd be perfect, Artie.

[Tony] Hey, Artie.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be just like you.

Ha-ha, funny guy.

You know, you really need to start

chipping in around here.

You know what? I think I've lost my appetite.

- So, excuse me. - Artie. Artie!

Artie, come on. Get back here.

[Anne] Let... Let him go. Let him go.

He's got a lot of figuring out to do.

[Tony chuckles] Well, he better figure it out fast.

Mom, what's going on with him?

He just...

He hasn't been himself

since he dropped out of college.

Maybe he should go back to school.

I mean, it beats laying around here,

sleeping all day.

Plus, he might meet a nice girl.

That's how I met Dad, 40 years ago.

Paul, where are you going?

- I'm going to go to the garage. - [Anne] No, no, no, honey.

Honey, sit down, have dinner with us.

It's Jesse's first night home.

I'm gonna go work on the truck.

Has... Has he done much work on the truck?

No. Not really.

He just...

sits out there and listens to the radio or...

the game.

That old heap ain't ever going to run. Ha.

You know what? [clears throat]

I'm going to go talk to him.

Hey, whatever happened to family dinner?

Mm.

Maybe he can help.

Maybe.

So...

how ya feeling, honey?

I'm okay.

The doctor's gonna run more tests.

[Tony] Yeah.

Oh. [chuckles]

- It's in God's hands. - Yeah.

[TV din]

[announcer] The ball's in one strike.

Fouled away...

Hey, Dad.

- Brought you some pie. - Thanks.

Since when do you care about the [indistinct] Irish?

Hmm.

Well, I'm German and your mother's Italian.

Huh?

Uh, hey, Dad, can I get 20 bucks?

[whispers] What're you doin'? Dad's unemployed.

What? No "thank you"?

Well, if I'd known it was comin' from you,

I would've asked for a 50.

[Jesse] Oh, really? Okay.

Little worried about you, Dad.

I'm fine.

Mom said you missed your follow-up

- with Dr. Michaels and... - I'm fine.

Okay, well, you still gotta go in for your follow-up.

[sighs] I'm fine.

Okay. All right.

Mm.

I'm gonna go back in and finish eating, okay?

- Okay. - All right.

Hey, what do you say we clean up that messy yard tomorrow?

[emotional music]

[sighs]

I'm fine.

♪

[announcer] The ball hit hard to the left side.

Right at the third baseman and that'll end the inning...

[leaves rustling]

Dad, you gotta break the sticks down.

Yup!

Dad, come on, we gotta keep the process movin'.

I trim the branches, you break 'em down.

Okay.

Dad, do you wanna switch?

Do you wanna trim and I'll break 'em down?

No, that's okay.

[Jesse] Dad, Dad, where you goin'?

- Inside. - Apparently.

What happened to workin' on the yard?

I told you, man, he's... He's been like this for months.

Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense.

He loves working on the yard.

Well, now he doesn't.

Now you're the only one who likes to work on the yard.

Okay, so tell me, why'd you drop out of college?

[sighs] You know what?

Just wasn't really feeling it anymore.

[sighs] Come on.

Artie.

I moved back up here to help out with Dad, okay?

Mom's strong and nobody would tell her

that she needs help, but I know that she does.

I can go to college any other time.

Right now, I need to be here to help her.

You know what?

It's too early in the morning for this crap.

Uh, your condo doesn't have a garden, right?

So, you can... You probably miss it.

[rain pattering]

[honking]

Aha! Bubs! There he is.

We're gonna head over to the bar, but...

Um, I'm gonna tell him to forget it.

- No, no. - Yeah.

No, you go. You have fun.

Just tell Bubs no drinking and driving.

If you need to take a taxi home, you take a taxi.

You go. Have... Have a good time.

All right.

- Hey. I love you, Mom. - I love you, too.

Don't come home too late because I'll just, you know...

- 'Cause you'll be worried. - [sighs] I'll be worried.

Yeah.

- Okay. All right. - Okay.

[rain pattering]

[hip-hop music blaring]

[Bubs] Toast to our boy, Jesse.

[glasses clinking]

Movin' up in the big city.

I never thought you were gonna come back this way, man.

- Big timer. - Oh, what?

And stay away from this dump?

Oh, easy, easy, hotshot. Right?

- There's no place like home. - You're right. I'm playin'.

You stickin' around for a while this time?

Yeah. Few days.

And then I gotta head back to L.A.

Girlfriend's waiting for me.

Oh, it must be so hard to be away

from your supermodel girlfriend.

- You know, I just... - [glasses clinking]

[Bubs] Speakin' of girlfriends.

- Can we get two beers? - [Steve] You got it.

Hey, make it three, Steve, and I got them.

[Steve] Okay, Jesse.

[Jesse sighs]

- Look, I'm sorry. - What's your problem?

No excuse.

Yeah, exactly. At least you're being honest.

[Steve] Here you go. $7.50, Jesse.

And good to see you back in town.

[Jesse] Thanks, Steve. It's good to be home.

Oh, yeah, how is the big city, by the way?

Los Angeles. Is it cool?

Yeah, it's good.

- Yeah? - Just workin' a lot.

You seeing anybody?

- Yeah, I'm seeing somebody. - Awesome.

I heard. She's a model?

Something like that.

So, what's going on with your dad?

Is... Is he okay?

I mean, yeah, he's okay, I guess.

So, why'd he get fired?

Well, he just wasn't keeping up

with his tasks at work

and just hasn't been acting

- like himself lately. - Mm.

So, how's work at the kindergarten?

I work now at the, um,

Waterford, uh, Communities of Lincoln.

Waterford Communities of Lincoln.

Yup.

It's like a senior citizen home?

No, we refer to it as a, um...

It's like a memory care facility.

All right, look, I don't want to keep you from...

You're not keeping me. It's all good.

[sighs] Hey, hey.

Can we get a coffee and talk sometime?

Nah, I'm good.

- Thank you, though. - Wait.

We can't be friends?

I mean, you're the one that left, Jesse.

[Bubs] I don't know.

I just don't get how you could let her go.

She's... She's a keeper, man.

Yeah, she seems mad still, huh?

Come on, dude.

You just up and left.

- I mean, can you blame me? - Yeah.

Major job in the big city.

Jesse, there are a million jobs.

There's only one April.

You hurt her, man.

I didn't mean to.

Let's talk about something else.

Like, for instance, I have a family of six

and I have one pizza.

It's only you, your mom and your sister.

- You have two. - Well, it's not rocket science.

One's for me and Mom and...

- Well, you've seen my sister. - [Jesse laughs]

[Bubs] Hey, don't tip the box.

She's picky about the cheese.

[hip-hop music playing in car]

Go say hi to Mom and Dad for me.

I will. Thanks for picking me up.

- Give me a shout tomorrow. - All right.

♪

[heartfelt acoustic guitar music]

[clattering]

[Jesse chuckles softly]

♪

[music fades out]

[somber piano music]

[Paul grunts contentedly]

♪

[kissing]

♪

Here you go, honey.

[coffee pouring]

♪

[coffee pot clinks]

[dishes clatter]

[frustrated shout, glass shattering]

Hey, Mom. Everything okay?

[whispering] I got it.

[sobbing]

♪

If you need me, I'm here.

[footsteps departing]

[Anne breathing heavily]

[wind rustling, birds chirping]

[Anne] Art, will you please tell Jesse

- to come down and eat? - Yeah, Mom.

Jesse! Come down and eat. Lunch is ready!

[Anne sighs in frustration]

[Tony muttering indistinctly]

Jess, lunch is ready.

[Anne] Thanks for joining us.

Paul, honey.

We're waiting for you.

Okay.

[shakily] Okay.

[Anne] Honey, just...

say the prayer,

so we can eat.

Bless us, oh Lord,

for thy gifts we are about to receive from thy bounty.

- In Jesus Christ's name, amen. - [all] Amen.

Thank you, God.

Good and kind.

Thank you for our home

and food.

Amen.

[all] Amen.

Haven't heard that one in a while.

My dad used to say it.

[Jesse] That's right.

Here, Ma. You want salad?

No, no, no. No, thanks.

[whispering] You okay?

[Anne] Yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm just...

just a little overwhelmed, that's all.

Hey, Artie, can't you offer, you know,

- to help Mom out? - Chill out, bro. I'm tired.

- You're tired, all right, huh? - Stop it.

- Stop it. - Sorry, Mom.

But, you know, he can... He can offer to help.

I mean, he's not a baby anymore.

You know, why don't you just relax?

- Why don't you relax? - Will you stop?

- [Anne] Stop it, stop it! - [Tony] I'm sick of him.

Stop it.

It's just... come on.

Let's just have a nice, peaceful lunch.

- All right? - [softly] Sorry.

[tense music]

So, Dad, how's work?

Jesse.

- Fine. Yours? - Will you let your father eat?

- No, Mom. - [Tony] Hey!

What's your problem, huh?

I know you drove the maintenance cart home

and they fired you from your job.

But you never told anyone why you really got fired, Dad.

- He was confused. - Confused?

Maybe it's the booze and the pot

- that's got him confused. - Wha... What? [laughs]

What in the Lord's name are you talking about now?

I found a stash of hard liquor and a pot pipe in Dad's truck.

Oh! I don't believe that!

[chuckles] I don't believe it either.

What are you picking on Dad for?

[Jesse] I found it in his truck.

Yup.

For somebody who's never here,

you're pretty quick to point the finger.

Oh, like you're ever around?

- Look who's talking. - Hey!

Me and Marilyn are going through a lot right now, okay?

Why don't you mind your business?

[Anne] Enough! Enough! No. Paul, wait.

Sit down. Paul.

Sit down, please. Please, Paul.

Please, sweetheart.

Whatever you want to say, we're here for you.

We want to hear it.

Just... explain to me what Jesse found

- in the garage. - No!

No!

Paul, don't just walk away from us!

It's mine.

What?

[Tony] You serious?

I'm sorry. It's... It's not a big deal.

It's not a big deal?

It is a big deal, mister!

[host] It's so much...

[Anne] You weren't raised this way!

- I will not... - [phone ringing]

...have drugs in my house!

Do you understand me?

[loud TV din]

You know,

that's why you're so lazy and quit college.

- I'm not lazy. - Yeah, you are.

- I'm not lazy! - [Tony] Yeah, you are!

[Art] I'm not lazy. Okay?

You don't know what you're talking about.

I'm doing more around here than ever,

since you two don't live here anymore.

So, don't sit there and pretend

that you know what's going on!

[TV din continues]

[man on TV] All right!

Yes!

- [contestant 1] An automobile. - [host] An automobile?

[contestant 2] Yeah! That's what we need.

[contestant 3] I think that's good.

[host] Auto!

[bell dings, contestants cheering]

[host] TV!

[bell dings, cheering]

[cheering fades]

- [wrench clicks] - Ah!

Hey, Dad.

Thought I heard someone out here.

Yeah, it's me.

You know what you're doin'?

Kinda.

Just thought it'd be kind of cool to get it running again.

[Jesse sighs]

It'll never stop running.

Well, you just need to check the carburetor,

the spark plugs and the oil.

- Wow. You remember all that? - Sure do.

Which way you wanna go?

Ah, let's just head home.

Jeez, there's all this construction,

all these road blocks.

Yeah. It snows all the time.

Dad, it's not even winter yet.

[somber piano music]

[music fades out]

Hey, Dad.

- This way. - Okay.

[Jesse] Dad didn't know the way home.

I know.

Well, we'll just see what the doctor says next week.

He can't leave the house alone.

And he can't be driving either.

[sighs]

Sometimes I just feel like I'm...

I'm staring at the man

I've been married to my whole life.

♪

[voice breaking] But he's not here.

He's right in front of me.

Just...

I keep waiting for him to...

snap out of it.

For things to go back to being normal.

Sometimes he's okay.

Sometimes he isn't.

♪

You okay?

We're just worried about you, Dad.

I'm fine.

[exhales] Something isn't right, Paul.

♪

Okay.

[Jesse] Liv, hey.

Listen, I... I can't make it to Vegas.

[Liv] I'm sorry to hear that.

Things are just getting a little crazy around here.

[Liv] Jesse...

And I gotta stick around for...

[Liv] You don't have time for me.

- You never really have. - [line beeps]

Liv? Liv?

[upbeat ska music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

♪

You guys need anything from inside?

Oh, no, we're good, honey. Thank you.

[Tony speaking indistinctly]

[laughs]

What's so funny?

Uncle Walter just...

He ain't cuttin' it on the grill.

Oh, so what? You're an executive chef now?

No.

[clears throat] Hey, Allison.

Could you bring me the mustard?

- Sure. - [Tony] Please? Thanks.

- I mean, look at this thing. - [Jesse] Yeah, I know.

How can you mess a hot dog up, right?

[both laugh]

- Here you go. - Thanks, cuz.

Wow. She's getting big.

And beautiful, man. Poor Uncle Walter.

Man, he's got his hands full.

Yeah, that's why I'm secretly praying for a boy.

So, what do the doctors say?

It's 50-50.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

So, what's going on with you and Liv?

Oh, she hung up on me

when I told her I was staying for the block party.

- Yeah. - Ugh, that's a tough one.

- [indistinct]. - Oh, yeah.

[sirens wailing in distance]

Mom?

Mom, hey. You're not eating.

Oh.

[chuckles] I'm not hungry.

I'm... I'm... I have no appetite.

I'm just... I'm okay. I'm fine.

[indistinct chatter]

Have you guys seen Lisa?

She was just here a minute ago.

She was just playing Cards of Death.

Maybe she's in the house.

I don't know. Art. Art.

Is Lisa in the house with Dad?

No. Why? What's up?

We can't find Dad or Lisa.

Okay, I'll, uh, check across the street.

Okay. All right, hold on.

Uncle Walter, you and Aunt Joanne,

Allison, you guys go around this way, okay?

Tony, stay here with Mom in case they come back.

- I'm gonna head around back. - [Tony] Okay.

- What's going on? - Can't find Dad.

[ominous music]

Jesse!

♪

[Paul] You cannot tell me what to do!

We found Lisa! Your... Your dad's over there.

[Paul] You can't tell me what to do!

- You can't tell me what to do! - [Jesse] Dad!

I called an ambulance.

No, no, no, no. Please, why? He's fine.

Look, he walked in our house unannounced.

He said he lives here, acted disoriented.

And he got agitated,

- so I called the ambulance. - Okay. No, no.

No need for ambulance. Okay? Please.

My... My dad, he just... Lately, he just... he just

- gets confused, all right? - Con... confused?

Look, I'll call them back right now,

but I think there's something wrong with him.

What do you mean I'm confused?

Everything's fine, okay?

We're just gonna go home.

Everybody's there. All right?

Come on.

- Thank you. - It's okay.

I'm really sorry.

[plane roaring]

- [door creaks open] - Hey.

- [door shuts] - Hey. You didn't tell me

you were coming home this morning.

Well, I didn't get a chance

to after you hung up on me.

Come here.

Liv, come on, don't stay mad.

I am sorry about Vegas.

I will make it up to you.

You know, my family needs me, too.

[sighs] I... I gotta get to work.

[knocking]

Hey. Good morning, Jesse! How was your trip?

It was really great, thanks. Is Mr. Stewart busy...

[Joe] Is that Jesse? Come on in, son.

Hey, can I get you a coffee or a water?

- Uh, water's fine, thanks. - Okay.

[Joe] Helen, I'll take a water, too, please.

Okay, you've got it.

I was just gonna call you into my office.

You must have... Well, what... What do they call that there?

- Um... - Uh, ESP.

[laughs] That's it. Yeah, ESP.

So, how's it going? How's your dad?

[clicks tongue] Uh, thanks for asking.

We'll find out what's going on after his doctor's appointment.

Well, son,

prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

- Thanks, Helen. Uh... - Joe, you're welcome.

- Hold my calls, please. - Okay, Joe.

I'm okay, Mr. Stewart.

Please.

My dad was Mr. Stewart. Call me Joe.

Well, this whole thing with my dad has been tough.

It's put a strain on my relationship

with my girlfriend, too.

Yeah. Women will guilt you.

Look, you take as much time as you need.

Oh, I wanted to thank you

for giving me a couple extra days off

to be with my family.

Son, family's first.

And I want to thank you

for coming up with a marketing strategy

that sold 42,000 units in less than 42 days.

- Really? - Yep. [laughs]

Where did you ever come up with the idea

to do a bobblehead doll?

Oh, well, when I was a kid,

my dad would take us to all the games at UNO.

They had a Bobblehead night and we collected them.

I mean, we never missed a game, Mr...

Joe.

Well, it was genius.

I remember when I was a kid,

my dad took me to a World Series game

and I got a Roberto Clemente bobblehead doll.

It meant the world to me.

I like a man that brings passion to his job.

I sense a decent raise next quarter.

[distant traffic din]

[doctor] Great.

Now, would you mind if I tested your memory?

- Okay. - [doctor] Okay.

Could you repeat these three words after me?

- [Paul] Okay. - [doctor] Apple, table, penny.

Apple, table, penny.

[doctor] Do you know what month it is?

It... It's August.

[doctor] Now, Paul, remember those three words

- from a minute ago? - Yes.

Great, can you repeat them again, please?

Okay.

Do you know what year it is?

No.

How about who the president is?

[scoffs] Bill Clinton.

[doctor] How old are you, Paul?

Um, 51.

Okay.

You know, just one last thing I need from you.

I want you to draw a clock for me.

Can you do that?

- Sure. Of course. - Great.

Here you go.

[pencil scraping on paper]

Okay.

All right. Thank you, Paul.

[doctor] I'm gonna need to go over these tests.

[Paul] Mm.

I'm gonna refer you for some

more memory tests and also to our specialist,

Dr. McFadden.

You may need to have a PET scan.

[solemn music]

- [machine whirring] - Hi, Paul!

Please just lay down here.

Yeah, have a seat right here.

You're gonna want to make sure

your head is in the right place.

Perfect!

All right.

Now, I'm gonna put these velcro straps

around your arms during our scout of your brain.

'Cause I can't have you movin' around on me.

And I will be blindfolding you.

[Paul] Wha... Why?

There is a very bright laser

that triggers rapid eye movements

and that causes brain activity that could hurt the test.

I'm gonna be in that computer room right there.

Perfect.

Hang in there, Paul. I'll be right back.

[velcro ripping]

- [Paul muttering] - Paul, Paul, Paul, Paul.

You're not supposed to leave the room.

What's wrong? What's wrong?

He got up before we could finish the scan.

Oh. Paul.

- You have to go back in there. - No.

[gently] Why? Why?

- Why? - I'm scared.

Honey.

It's okay.

I know... I know this is hard.

I want to go home. I just want to go home.

[Anne] I know you're scared.

But we have to do this.

Okay.

- Okay. - Okay.

Come on. I'll go in there with you.

[Dr. McFadden] So, based on these initial test results,

it looks like we're dealing with some

dementia and memory loss,

which is uncommon for a 58-year-old.

But once we get the PET scan results back next week,

we can, uh,

start to move forward,

evaluate, monitor the extent of the cerebral deterioration.

And allow for a full diagnosis.

Dementia?

Yes.

I'm gonna give you some literature

that'll help your family deal with this

and suggest some local support groups.

Um, can he, uh... So, can he... Can he still drive?

It's probably best he doesn't.

You say he's been getting lost.

I'm a good driver.

Oh.

You're a great driver, Paul.

For the most part,

you're in perfect health, Mr. Reeves.

But, um,

there's no doubt you've been having

some trouble with your memory.

I have good memory.

Does he know anything is wrong with him?

Why don't you ask him?

Hey, Dad.

Do you realize you have dementia?

No.

[Jesse] Dr. McFadden says you do.

Dad,

do you remember who we are?

Yep. [chuckles]

Okay, um,

who... who's present here, Dad, right now?

Art, Anne, Tony and...

I'm... I'm your son.

Jesse. That's Jesse.

Okay, uh, I'm gonna write the prescription

and... and get you that list...

[Jesse] That's it?

I thought you were a specialist.

- I... I thought... - Jesse, take it easy.

Hold on.

Let me ask you a question, doctor, how old are you?

I'm 37.

Okay.

So, what experience do you have

with this disease to tell us

that my dad has dementia?

My grandfather died from dementia.

That's what inspired me

to study memory loss and brain disease.

Look, I... I... I know you're upset.

I felt exactly the same way.

You're not alone.

There's over five million Americans with this disease.

[Jesse] I'm sorry.

It's okay.

Just... It's... It's like we're losing him

right in front of our eyes.

[Dr. McFadden] It's one of the cruel tragedies of dementia.

It's like you have to lose the person you love twice.

- You okay? - I'm okay.

Good. It's good. It's good.

[somber music]

[bell tolling]

♪

♪

[crickets chirping]

Hey!

[door slams]

You gonna run it yet?

Uh, I'm hopin' those new spark plugs

will do the trick. [grunting]

[motor sputtering]

No. Just stop it!

Just stop. You're floodin' it.

A'right, try it again with no gas!

[engine rumbles on]

Yes. Ha!

[Jesse] What'd you do?

Ah...

I just adjusted the carburetor.

You had it running a little rich.

Ah, it's my pride and joy.

I remember when I bought this thing.

Used to be red.

Paid $200 for it.

Two hundred, really?

Yup.

May 10th, 1973.

How did you remember that date?

Fir... First time I told your mom I loved her.

So, just leave her idle.

Let her warm up. You can take her for a spin.

[Jesse] All right.

So, I was thinking.

How'd you like to go fishing?

We could take the truck.

- Up to the Snowies? - [Jesse] Yeah.

Huh. We'd need a mechanic.

Nah, I got you.

Okay.

[cellphone buzzing]

Hello? Hey!

[Liv] Hey. How's your dad?

Uh, not so good.

[Liv] I'm sorry to hear that.

I need to talk to you about something important and...

[Jesse] And what?

Jesse, your family needs you and I understand.

But so do I.

You don't have time for me.

You never really have.

I don't want to sound selfish, but I'm moving out.

Can we talk about this, please?

It's best we both move on.

Come on, don't do this to me, Liv.

You know what I'm goin' through.

I hope everything works out with your dad.

[solemn music]

Take care.

You okay?

[sniffs] Yeah. Fine, Mom.

[clears throat]

Let me help you with that.

No.

No.

My palm's been itching.

I know money's coming soon. Um...

[chuckling]

Okay, but in the meantime, let me help you with that.

Mm-mm. I have faith.

God will provide. No.

- Okay. - But thank you.

- All right. - Yeah.

Or something else. [exhales]

Dad and I were just talking.

And if it's all right with you,

I want to take him fishing

for a couple days up to the Snowies.

Um, hmm.

I know, I know.

I know everything going on.

But he hasn't been in a while.

Be good for him to get some air.

Get out of the city for a little bit.

We'll take Stella. Get out of your hair.

- Will you think about it? - Maybe. Maybe.

Okay.

Let me just give it some thought.

Okay. All right.

[door slams shut]

[Jesse] What's up, man?

"What's up?" No phone call?

[Jesse] I'm sorry, man.

You want to go get a drink?

Um, it's not really a good night, man.

There's a lot going on.

I mean, you know I'm here

if you ever need to talk to anybody.

I know, thanks.

Hey, um, guess who's on her porch reading right now?

Oh, yeah?

I'll leave you alone, bro.

Hey, I'll call you tomorrow, all right?

Make sure you do.

[engine rumbling]

Hey. What ya readin'?

[car door closes]

A book. [scoffs]

Welcome back.

No place like home.

That thing still runs? [chuckles]

- I know, right? - [both laughing]

Can I sit down?

Yeah.

[sentimental music]

Surprised to see you out here.

Oh, really? At my house?

I wanted to talk to you.

[laughs]

I didn't mean to leave you hanging.

So, you didn't mean to leave me hanging?

You just left me hanging.

The money's good. What do you want me to say?

[April] Money's good?

'Cause last time I heard,

um, you could have had a great job in Omaha,

making that kind of money.

I mean, UNO wanted to hire you

for, like, their sales marketing team

for the exact same amount of money.

Well, maybe I wanted

to experience something outside of Omaha, okay?

That was your lesson.

Well, I'm gonna go have some tea.

Do you want tea?

♪

♪

♪

♪

Good morning.

Morning.

Looks like your tea's cold.

[Jesse sighs]

There's coffee in the pot.

Wow. I'm sorry.

I... I guess with the flight

and just everything going on with my dad,

I just... it took a toll on me.

[grunting]

Well, your phone has been ringing like crazy.

Oh, I'm sorry about that.

It's okay.

Um, I actually have to get going.

Gonna be late for work.

Uh, is it cool for you to let yourself out?

- Yeah. It's okay with you? - Mm-hmm.

- Okay. - Just lock the bottom.

I remember.

Thanks for letting me crash.

Of course.

All right, well, have a good day.

Okay. Have a good day at work.

[April] All right. Thank you.

Morning.

You could've called.

[Jesse] I know. I'm sorry.

Well, I... I don't like it.

You call me next time.

Deal.

So, where you been all nigh?

Uh, I mean, I was wiped. I just fell asleep at April's.

[stammers] Not like that, Mom, but yeah.

Okay. I'm gonna go shower. I'll see you in a bit.

[bags thudding]

[children playing distantly]

Hey. What's up?

Heard you were gonna take dad fishing.

Yeah, just for the weekend.

Did you check the weather?

Clear skies. I got the tents just in case.

You think it's a good idea to take him?

Yeah. Why not?

Because he can barely remember who you are.

That's why.

Well, he remembered how to get the truck running.

Yeah, well, I don't think it's a good idea.

Okay.

What do you mean, "Okay"? That's it? "Okay"?

He loves it up there, Tony. You know that.

Are you sure you can handle it?

I am sure.

I don't know.

[Jesse] Hey.

Mom deserves a break.

True.

Well, think this old heap's gonna make it?

This old heap is what Dad used to pick us up from school in.

- You remember that? - Yeah, I do.

And we used to fight over the window seat.

- [laughing] - Exactly. Yeah.

She's runnin' like a champ.

Don't worry about it. Hey, we'll be fine.

Keep your eye on him, huh?

[upbeat music playing]

♪

What the heck are you doing?

Stella, huh?

What do you think of this, huh?

Yeah!

Hey, there's a stockyard.

Do you want to get some food?

[Paul] Yep.

[bell dinging]

[diner din]

Hey, guys.

- I'm Jolene. - Hey, Jolene.

Uh, burger with everything.

Great.

- Dad, what do you want to eat? - Burger.

[Jolene] How would you like it cooked?

- Medium. - With everything?

Hey, Dad, what do you want on your burger?

Oh, no mustard.

[Jesse laughs] You always want mustard.

[Paul] I don't want mustard.

He always gets mustard, I...

Do you want mustard?

Yeah.

Okay. We'll get you mustard.

I don't want any mustard!

Fine.

No mustard, please.

Okay, great. Two burgers, one no mustard.

- Thank you. - [Jolene] Be right up.

- Hey, she's cute, huh, Dad? - Yeah.

Hey, that was a little embarrassing

with the mustard, though.

[Paul] Yeah.

He's sure agreeable.

Can you get that?

Pick that up.

Don't touch that!

- Dad. - [child crying]

Wow. I'm real... I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry.

[quietly] Shou... Shouldn't touch that.

Dad, what are you doing?

That's someone else's kid.

- [Paul] Yup. - All right...

- [Jesse] Stop saying yep. - Two burgers.

- One, no mustard. - Wow. That was fast.

- Thank you. - [Jolene] Enjoy.

Looks great, huh?

Where's my mustard?

[pensive acoustic guitar music]

We're almost there.

Think we'll catch anything?

Always do.

No, you always do.

It's a four-count rhythm.

Ten, two o'clock, 10, two o'clock.

Yeah, I mean, that's what you always tell me

but I can never figure it out.

You try too hard.

Maybe.

♪

Ten and two, 10, two...

Ah!

You need to relax and not try so hard.

You might catch a fish.

It's looking good.

[water lapping]

[Jesse] Boom!

Hey, hey, hey!

Ah, you got one!

One second.

There's dinner right there.

[fire crackling]

This is nice.

Yep.

Church of the great outdoors.

[Jesse chuckles]

Yeah, I can remember being eight years old,

coming here for the first time.

You... You remember when Art fell in the river?

You remember that?

He sunk like a stone.

Yeah. Yeah, he did.

Yeah, and you just jumped in straight after him.

No hesitation. No thinking, no fear.

No option.

Guess not.

But not everyone's like you.

That's why I love you, Dad.

♪

So...

what do you think about what Dr. McFadden said?

Nothing.

Dementia's a pretty serious thing.

I'm fine.

Dad.

You're not fine. You need help.

I don't need help.

[Jesse] Okay. You don't need help?

Okay. Everything's fine.

It's just hard on Mom.

She's fine.

[Jesse] Yeah, she's strong...

but everything falls on her now.

Come on, Stella.

Stella.

Come on, bed, bed.

[tent zipping]

[crickets chirping]

[tent unzipping]

Dad?

[ominous music]

Dad.

Dad?

♪

[sighs]

♪

[cellphone buzzing]

[sheriff] All right, everybody,

we're gonna break into three groups.

We're gonna walk down the bank of the river

for about a mile in each direction.

Then we'll circle back here and meet in one hour,

at which point we should have some air support from Albany.

I've got two deputies rounding up

more volunteers to come in and help.

They should be out here by then.

- Great. - We'll find him.

The highest probability's in this area right here.

If he's not, we'll move on to stage two.

Copy.

I just want to say thank you,

you know, everyone, f... for helping us out.

Yeah. That's what we do. Let's move out, everybody.

[suspenseful music]

[Jesse] Dad!

Mr. Reeves!

♪

Dad!

Dad! Hello!

[Jesse] Dad.

Mr. Reeves!

Dad!

Mr. Reeves!

- Sir? - Yes?

How much more ground is there to cover?

Well, we've pretty much gone as far north as possible.

So, we'll swing back around here

and head back to camp.

[rustling]

[Jesse speaking indistinctly]

[sheriff] Mr. Reeves!

Stella, where's Dad? She wants to go this way.

[sheriff] Let's go.

Dad!

Mr. Reeves!

[Jesse] Dad?

Dad!

You're okay!

Yup.

Dad, we've been searching

all over for you.

Hey, you can't just walk off like that.

Are you okay, sir?

I'm fine.

- Hey. - Can we go for a walk?

- Yeah, yeah. - Can we go for a walk?

Stella, let's walk.

Come on.

We found him. Call it off.

[engine rumbling]

[birds tweeting]

There you go.

Hey, guys. How's it goin'?

Uh, it's been a rough morning,

but we're doing okay.

I know what you mean. Uh, let me get you some menus.

No, I think we know what we want.

Two burgers,

mustard on the side just in case?

Dad, that sound good to you?

No mustard.

Okay, it'll be on the side just in case.

- [Paul] I don't want mustard. - [Jesse] Okay.

I'll take two burgers

with two mustards on the side just in case.

Great.

Dad, you really scared me out there.

- Yup. - Yeah.

Dad, you can't do that. We worry about you.

I think we should start going to dementia support groups

when we get back.

- I'm fine. - No, Dad, you're not fine!

You just disappeared on me, and we had to call in

the rescue team to find you.

Dad, sit down, sit down, what are you doing?

Dad, we just ordered food.

- Sit down, Dad! - No!

We just ordered food! Dad!

[door slams shut]

Dad, what're you...

Dad, that's not our car!

I'm going home!

Okay, Dad, but our truck's over here.

No!

[Jesse] Dad, Stella's waiting for us.

[gently] Dad.

Okay. Come on.

Come on.

- Where are we going? - Dad, we're going home.

[Paul] Okay.

[indistinct]

Hey! Hey!

Thanks. Sorry about that.

It's okay.

I'll get you some change.

No, don't worry about it.

Here, Dad, hold that, okay?

- What'd you get? - Two burgers.

- With mustard? - Yeah, with mustard.

[engine sputtering]

Come on.

Come on.

Start! Come on!

Stop. You'll flood it.

What are we gonna do, then?

Hold this.

[hood slamming]

Try it now!

[engine starts]

See?

[Paul] Stella.

You got your sunglasses on?

Yeah, I got my sunglasses on.

Okay, let's go home!

What happened up there, Jesse?

Mom, he was catching fish. He was happy.

Things were goin' great and he just wandered off...

He can't take care of himself.

- I'm fine. - You're not fine!

You can't take care of yourself.

You could've died out there!

[Anne sighs]

[voice breaking] I didn't know it was that bad.

It's my fault.

He's gotten a lot worse

in the months you've been gone.

I see it now.

[quietly] I just want to protect him.

Paul.

As we suspected, you're dealing with a pretty advanced case

of frontotemporal dementia.

And what that means

is your memory is deteriorating rapidly.

You have atrophy in the frontal lobes of your brain

and it's causing memory loss and behavioral changes.

We understand.

[sighs]

Dementia is progressive.

It's... It's fatal. There's no cure.

Fatal?

[Dr. McFadden] The good news is

there's none of the common co-occurring illnesses.

No diabetes, no heart disease, no cancer.

How's it fatal, then?

Well, in the latter stages there is brain cell depletion,

which leads to a loss of basic functions

like swallowing, causing respiratory complications

and often developing into pneumonia.

So, what can we do?

Well, let's get Paul started on those medications

and get him to exercise and have a lot of family time.

Make sure he's eating the foods that he likes

and doing puzzles and showing him a lot of photos

of family and friends.

Really, just keep loving him.

How long does he have?

The disease tends to run a ten-year cycle.

He's roughly halfway through it.

[Tony sighs] Is it hereditary?

Well, Anne mentioned

that Paul's grandfather and mother both had the disease.

So... So, what are you saying?

With Paul being the third consecutive generation,

the three of you have about a 50% chance

of developing what your dad has.

[Jesse sighing]

[bar din]

[Jesse] So, how about your kids?

They doing good?

[Pete] Oh, yeah, man. They're doing great.

My parents come over all the time, you know?

So, I... I've never seen them so happy.

[Jesse] That's awesome.

Yeah, my little cousins, Allison and Lisa,

they never got to know their grandparents.

[Pete] Yeah, that's too bad.

I wish my dad would get to be a grandpa. Um...

You know, Tony and Marilyn,

they're trying but there's complications, and...

It bothers me... that he might not get to...

That my kids someday will, um,

never get to know this strong,

intelligent, amazing guy

that they would call their grandpa.

[Bubs] Come on, Jess.

Your kids would just get to know your dad

a different way, that's all.

Here's to your dad. To Paul.

Paul.

Hey, sugar. You want to dance?

- No, thank you. - C'mon!

- [April] Stop. - [man] C'mon!

Get your hands off me. Thanks.

- Hey. - Hey, how are you?

- I'm good, how are you? - Good.

Uh, listen,

I've been thinking about you a lot

and I didn't get a chance to tell you the other night

at your house, before I passed out...

I really miss you.

Yeah, well, I really miss you.

I was thinking a lot about...

You know, about your dad

and what's going on, and, um...

You know, people with dementia

might not remember us, but...

we can always remember them.

I have something in my car for you.

I forgot. I'll be right back.

All right.

[smacking]

Did you touch my butt?

- Hey, you know that guy? - [April] No.

No, he's drunk.

Well, he should apologize.

No. Just forget it. He's really drunk.

Hey, man.

Think you owe this girl an apology.

For what?

For grabbin' her ass.

Yeah, whatever, man. She loved it.

[April] Yeah, you wish.

Jesse, just let it go. Let it go.

Look, I'm gonna give you one last chance to apologize.

What are you gonna do?

[April] Guys, come on.

[thudding]

[Jesse] Get off! Why don't you grab her again, huh?

Calm down.

I think you broke my nose.

[April] You grabbed my butt!

You're lucky that's all he broke.

[Paul] Got your sunglasses on?

Yeah. I got 'em right here.

Love you, too, Dad.

So, you're getting into bar fights now, huh?

That wasn't my fault.

I don't care whose fault it was.

Come on. You know better than that.

You're right.

Hey, Artie!

[Art] Yo!

Look, April's been callin' you all night.

She couldn't get a hold of you

so she came by and she brought this.

Let me know what you guys think.

[paper rustling]

You're here more than anyone, bro.

What do you think?

Uh, you know, I think it's... it's mom's call.

Agreed.

Okay, I gotta go.

Uh, I'll see you guys later.

Hey, Art.

Nice job.

Hey, Mom, you got a minute?

Sure. What's going on?

Have you ever thought about an assisted care facility for Dad?

I've thought about it. It's not an option.

Why not?

[sighs]

Because he's my husband.

I married him for better or worse.

And he doesn't belong anywhere but home.

Well, it looks like I'm gonna have the freedom

to be around a lot more.

What do you mean?

What about work?

I spoke to Mr. Stewart. And he can relate.

Family first.

[chuckles] That's a blessing.

We'll weather this together.

[exhales]

[Paul laughing]

Hey, Dad.

Those are meerkats.

Sure are.

[laughing] These are meerkats.

[Jesse] Dad.

[Paul laughing]

I love you, Dad.

That's all right.

[emotional piano music]

[hospital din]

♪

Mom.

This is your grandson,

William Edward.

Oh.

- Oh... - [Tony laughing]

[laughter]

[Anne murmuring]

[Art] Look what you did, got something right.

Oh.

♪

Paul.

This is your grandson, Will.

Do you want to... Do you want to hold him?

♪

♪

♪

[real Tony] What do you think about that?

♪

It's like an old hat, huh?

[real Jesse] Dad!

What do you think of your grandson, Will?

[real Tony] He's pretty sweet, isn't he?

Yeah.

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪

♪