Original subtitles

Mnh-mnh, if I was Saddam Hussein I'd be getting real worried.

- Why, pop? - Well...

Clinton's approval rating is slippin' again.

He's gonna have to bomb somebody. Hmm.

Yeah, well, I'm not surprised, it's droppin', pop, huh.

- The economy is still a mess. - 'Mm.'

You know, I read where it's gonna cost me and Eleanor

$135,000

to raise our child till the age of 18.

A 135,000?

It didn't cost me half that much to raise you.

Well, I guess you get what you pay for.

'Hey, baby.'

- 'Oh, hey, Eleanor.' - How you doing, sweetie pie?

Hey, you little baby in there.

- You wanna feel the baby kick? - Yeah, yeah.

Oh, no.

- Got you. - Oh.

You just tired, sweet heart. That's it.

Oh, of course, she is tired.

She's pregnant and she's been standing on her feet all day.

- Yeah. - Eleanor.

When are you gonna stop working?

Well, I was thinking about cuttin' back

to part-time next week.

Oh, really?

Well, I hadn't, uh, I hadn't figured that in the budget

I've been working on.

What did you think, Roc, that I was go on work

right up until my water broke, then stroll on

down to the delivery room and say

"Will y'all grab him quick 'cause I gotta finish my shift?"

Well, is it, is it completely out of the question?

Alright, baby, look, I-I'm sorry, you know.

But with a baby comin', we're gonna need this budget.

You know, if we're gonna keep up this standard of livin'.

Let it go, daddy.

Hey, Roc, come on, come on, come on, you ready to go?

- Let's go, let's go, let's go. - Okay. I gotta run, baby.

You gotta run? Where are you two runnin' to?

Oh, we're going down to Charlene's, some of the guys

we're going to get together and buy Calvin a last drink

before he goes to the penitentiary tomorrow.

Joey, why do you even care? You hardly even know Calvin.

Sure, I know him. I used to see him two, three times a week.

I'm goin' to miss him.

Well, where did you see Calvin?

At the track. He used to give me a lot of winning tips.

He was.. Man, look at me.

I'm gettin' all choked up. Come on, let's go.

No, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute, hold it, Joey, hold it.

No, I know... I know you ain't go hit on that man

for racing tips on his last day of freedom, are you?

Yeah, you're right, I should wait. Yeah.

He'll probably have better information

once he's on the inside anyway.

♪ Ah ♪

♪ Yeah yeah yeah ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ There's a man ♪

♪ With no future ♪

♪ So it seems ♪

♪ Can't live out his dreams ♪

♪ Now he's trapped into thinking ♪

♪ He won't succeed ♪

♪ And he can't believe ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪

♪ Oh yeah ♪ Not for tomorrow ♪

♪ Not for tomorrow ♪

♪ Yeah ♪ Oh-ho-ho ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪

And then, and then, Calvin said, Calvin said.

"Don't you see, lady...

"...as life generates garbage...

...so does garbage generate life."

And then the woman said.

"Mister...

...you've flushed life."

Oh, man, you know what?

All this reminiscing makes me think about that day

at the track, Calvin, when you picked five winners in a row.

Man, just, ah, just...

Uh, you know, speaking of horse racing.

Uh...

Some of them same horses are running today and I'm...

I'd.. Maybe this ain't a good time, man.

Well...

...I'd like to toast...

...a man who cared enough about this neighborhood...

...that he thought it'd be better...

...with one less drug dealer.

- Hear. - Alright, Calvin.

- Heres to you, Calvin. - Yeah, yeah.

Peace in the neighborhood.

Hey!

Hey, party over where?

Anyway, uh, look, me and grandma got together.

Calvin, we got you a little gift for you.

Hey, thanks. It's real thoughtful, huh.

- Now, that's a day planner. - A what?

Plan your day.

Uh, George, I think, uh...

...I think the warden pretty much has, uh

Calvin's days planned for him.

Oh, yeah, you see I got some dope stuff in

see I got the schedule for B.B. King's prison tour

so you can get your boogie on.

Then, right here, what's it like on the inside

by Mike Tyson, James Brown and Mike Milken

who's a white man, my brother, so you won't be by yourself.

And then right here I got the worst

of Ike Turner's brand new song,

"What's Bustin' You In Your Eye Got To Do With It".

Thanks, man.

Hey, uh, Joey, Roc. Talk to you alone a bit?

- Yeah, sure. - Yeah, sure, sure.

George, don't get in no trouble.

Yeah, no alcohol for George

he's already high on life.

So, uh...

...what's on your mind, Calvin?

Well...

...since I'm gonna be doing a little time you know,

there's a... there's a few

responsibilities that I can't take care of.

Hey, hey, well, then you, you know, you just name it,

man, and we'll do it, okay?

I mean, you've always worked hard for this community.

Whatever it is, Calvin, you name it, you got it.

I want my 11-year-old daughter to move in with you.

No, really, Calvin, what?

Yeah-yeah, that's what I want, really.

- Well, uh-- - Look, look, look.

I know, I know I'm askin' a lot.

Man, but you gotta realize that Sheila means

everything to me, man, and I-I can't just have her

move in with anybody.

Yeah, well, um. Uh, ex-e-excuse us a minute, Calvin.

Joey and I need to talk for a second.

Nice going, Joey.

"Oh, anything you want, Calvin, just ask."

You know, y-y-your mouth done wrote a check, I can't cash.

Roc, come on, now don't blame me, I thought the man

was goin' to ask us you know, to water his plants or something.

Well, you got us in to this, you figure a way to get us out.

Don't worry, don't worry about it, okay.

I-I will simply tell him that we'd love

to take Sheila in but, uh...

...but our pop has multiple personalities and he--

No, no, no. We gonna, we gonna tell him the truth, you know.

A-and, w-well, look, we havin' a baby

and we can't afford another mouth to feed.

Alright, let's tell him.

Um...

Uh, listen, Calvin, uh...

...Joey and I have, you know, we-we've talked this over

and, uh, well, um...

...Eleanor is about to have a baby and, uh

we-we-we really can't afford it.

I mean, that's cool, Roc, I got savings

and it should be enough to cover all of Sheila needs.

- Uh, um... - Uh, uh, Ca...

You know, Calvin, uh, our pop has a-a multiple uh--

S-s-shut up, shut up, Joey, shut up.

Hey, Roc, listen, man.

I mean, she lives with you guys and I know

you'll take her to see me on weekends

and she can still be a part of my life.

- Calvin, man, look-- - Roc.

You know, I lost her mother over to drugs, man.

I can't take the chance of losing Sheila the same way.

If she lives with you guys I mean, I know she'd be okay.

Hey, look, Calvin, man, look, I-I'm not the only one

livin' in that house.

What do you think, Joey?

Uh-uh, Calvin, look, man, you know

I-I-I feel for you, man, but this is a big responsibility.

- Joey. - And I, I, you know...

Joey.

I need you, man.

I mean, you can really teach Sheila how to enjoy life.

And Seabreeze is your pony in the fourth.

Well, you know, when you put it that way

it does make a lot more sense.

- Yeah - Oh, alright.

A-a-alright, Calvin, look, okay.

It's okay with me and Joey.

You know, but we've gotta go home

and clear this with Eleanor and pop.

Hey, hey, okay. Alright, Calvin, that's my good neck.

- That's my good neck. - Hey drinks on me, come on.

- Hey, Joey. - Yeah.

It's good thing we didn't ask to borrow his car

we would've ended up with his mother.

Eleanor. I've just been goin' over Roc's budget.

I'm worried about some of the things he wants to cut.

Uh, look at what he calls luxuries.

Telephone?

Hot water?

No, no, no.

I ain't goin' out like that now.

- J-just shut up, just shut up. - 'Roc?'

Now, we gonna have to talk about your budget here.

If I have to take one cold shower

you gonna be takin' a whole bunch of cold showers

if you know what I mean.

Okay.

I'll agree to keep the water hot...

...if you and pop...

...will agree to what we're about to ask you.

- What? - What?

- Uh, I gotta go call my bookie. - Jo-Jo-Jo-Joey, get back here.

'Hey, Roc-Roc-Roc, don't worry'

they'll still be mad when I get back.

What's going on, son?

Well, um...

...you know, when Joey and I saw Calvin

you know, he, um...

...you know, he, uh, he asked us to, uh, you know, um...

...you know, take care of his daughter.

You know, while, uh, while, uh

he was, he was in prison.

So what did he say when you turned him down?

I didn't, uh-uh, I-I didn't turn him down, you know.

I told him it was okay with me and Joey

but I-I had to talk to you first. Mm-hmm.

You what?

I can't believe you! You gonna make me the bad guy?

No, no! I told him it was up to pop too!

Oh, this is beautiful!

My own son's gonna make me say no to a man

who shot a drug dealer.

- Joey! Get in here! - 'Huh?'

I'm on a, I'm on a, I'm on a... Yeah, yeah, look

$50 on Seabreeze in the fourth.

Yeah, yeah, I'm good for it. I'll just pay you Friday.

Now will you two please explain to me

how you figured this family has the means

to take in yet another person under this roof?

Oh, w-w-well, you see, Calvin is gonna give us some money

to, uh, pay for the extra expenses.

And so where is she supposed to sleep?

Oh, I-I been thinkin' about that and, uh

and she can, uh, she can sleep in Joey's room.

Yeah-yeah, she can sleep in my room.

And where Joey gonna sleep?

Uh, Joey can sleep in pop, in pop's room.

Yeah, I can, I can wait... Ho! Ho! Wait a minute!

No, no, you makin' a mistake now.

Okay, it's my turn.

Now if you think I lived through

the Great Depression, four wars

12 presidents and enough Civil Rights marches

to walk to Africa and back just to have my grown son

move his twin bed into my room all because of some little girl

then it's no wonder some animals eat their young.

Well, I'm sorry, Roc, this is just not gonna work.

No, you just gonna have to go back to Calvin

you gonna have to tell him we are sorry

but we not gonna be able to take Sheila in.

How do I tell Calvin we can't bring...

Sheila?

What-what-what are you doin' here?

Uh, well, come on in, Sheila.

My dad told me what you all had planned for me

so I just came by to say, no way, I'm outta here.

- Later, peace! - W-wh-wait-wait-wait!

Hold-hold... W-w-wait a minute, Sheila.

- Wait-wait-wait, wait a minute. - Uh, Roc.

Let the sweet little girl do what she wants.

- Peace. - Uh, look, no, no, no.

Why don't you come in here so we can discuss this

for a minute, okay?

Mr. Emerson, I'm going to live

with my aunt in Los Angeles.

Even though I would love living here

surrounded by all these beautiful...

...antiques.

I tell you.

These young people today know what they want

and they're not afraid to say it.

Uh, I'll get the door for you, honey.

- Daddy! Stop. - Now-now-now, Sheila, look.

This is a very, very big decision.

I mean, have you given this enough thought?

Sure. I can't make you spend your money on me.

Do you know what it costs to raise a kid today?

A hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars.

Only a 135,000?

That would take care of my clothes.

But I still gotta eat.

Sheila, honey...

...what about you? Do you really wanna move to LA?

I'm sure. Baltimore is over.

I've seen the aquarium. I've eaten the crab cake.

What's left?

And all your friends here in Baltimore?

I can make new friends.

If you look at all my report cards they say

"Plays well with others."

Sheila...

...now you realize, honey, if you move to LA...

...you wont ever be able to see your daddy.

But I can't worry about that.

The way I look at it, he's in there, and I'm out here...

...alone.

But I've got to start doing for myself.

And I'm gonna start in Los Angeles.

Sheila, would you excuse us just for a minute?

Roc, um, daddy, Joey

can I see y'all in the kitchen for a minute?

- Sure. - Sure.

Hey, Sheila, well, look, why don't you, uh, sit down

and, uh, make yourself at home, huh?

Hey, you wanna, you wanna-wanna watch-watch some TV?

I don't see anything.

Well, just think of it as a big radio.

What is it, baby?

There's something wrong with that girl out there.

Well, what you thinkin', sweetheart?

Well, seems like she got

a lot of feelings about her father

she's keeping all bottled up inside.

This isn't a girl who's excited about moving to LA

this is a girl who is running away

from stuff she can't deal with.

You know, I think you're right about that.

And if she moves away now

she will grow up without her father.

That's no good for a little girl.

She won't even know him when he gets out.

Yeah, yeah, Calvin sure doesn't want that.

Oh, man.

I knew when I taught you boys to have compassion

one day it would bite me in the butt.

Daddy, I'm not sure we can handle this either.

I mean...

...personally I think Calvin made a big mistake

trying to solve his problem with a gun.

But he is our friend...

...and he's asking us to help keep his family together.

How can we turn him down?

Okay, okay, okay.

Okay, if we gonna do this...

...we've all got to agree on it.

- I say we take a vote. - 'Alright.'

I say she stays.

- Me too. - Hmm-mm.

Pop, you still snore?

Yep, louder than ever.

Damn!

Either she goes or I go!

- Fine. - Alright, alright.

Good-good man, pop. Let's go talk to her. Okay?

- Alright, alright. - Hey, Sheila?

Sheila?

Whoa! Dodge, baby!

Torpedo's away, baby! I've been hit!

Go on without me!

Whoo! I got him!

Blew him away!

Whoo, I got skills.

I'm good at this.

George, are you ready to put a quarter in now?

Oh, good, good, George kept her here.

'George! George! George! George, come here.'

Hey, thank-thanks for calling us, man.

You did good, George, you did good.

See, lucky for you, see I can think

with the mind of an 11 year old.

Yeah, yeah, well, hey, you-you got skills.

See, cause like one time, like, my dog ran away, right?

And I put my mind in his mind, right

and like we was going down the street, right?

And the next thing you know, a car hit the dog...

...and see we was going--

Okay, George, l-l-look

let-let-let us take it from here, okay?

I'll be over here in the produce.

- Okay, George. - Okay, George.

So, uh, so, Sheila, you-you playing, um...

...playing video games there, huh?

Yes, I am, Mr. Emerson.

Oh, that was a great icebreaker, Roc.

"Oh, Sheila, you playing a video game.."

- I'll handle this, okay? - Right.

Hey, look here, man, what color kool-aid goes with fish?

Uh, Sheila, you know, I'm sorry

you know, that you ran out before, um...

You know, me and my family, you know, we were talking and, uh...

...we kind of, you know, want-want-wanted to talk to you.

I'm not moving in with your family, okay.

Well, I-I don't wanna talk to you about that.

I wanna talk about your dad.

What about him?

Well, Sheila, it's real important to him

that you to stay in Baltimore.

And to be near him, you know, so you can...

...so you can come and visit him.

You know, he needs to see you.

He should have thought of that before he shot that drug dealer.

Sheila, let me ask you a question, um...

...how do you feel about what your father did?

Why?

I wanna know, you know?

Come on, Sheila, what's goin' on with you?

Well...

...I guess...I...

...I'm mad.

- You're mad at your father? - Yeah.

Sheila, do you know why...

...your father did what he did?

He said it was 'cause he wanted to keep

all the kids in the neighborhood off of drugs.

Then I guess he had his reasons.

But he shouldn't be caring about all those other kids.

He should care about me!

Now I'm out here all alone.

Why didn't he think of that?

Hey, hey, hey, wait, wait.

Wait a minute now.

You're not all alone, sweetheart.

We're here for you.

But I don't want a new family.

- I want my dad. - Now, Sheila, look.

Your dad cares a lot about you.

I mean, that's why he wants so bad for you to be near him.

I mean, he loves you too much...

...for you to be 3000 miles away.

If you're trying to make me cry...

...I'm not gonna cry.

I'll go home with you, Roc, man.

Oh, God.

You don't have to treat me like I'm a little kid.

I'm more grown up than you think.

I can take care of myself.

I know you can.

But this just isn't about you.

You gotta think about your dad.

He's gonna need all the help...

...he can get... to make it through the next few years.

And he's going to need your help...

...more than anybody's.

You sure you really want me livin' with you?

Of course I do. No doubt about it! Sure!

- Oh. - Okay.

Ah! That's my girl.

Hey, hey, hey! Hey, look at this.

Look at this. Look at this.

Hey, this must be my lucky day, huh?

I gotta great kid movin' into the house with me

and the tip from your father paid off.

My horse won, I just called my bookie.

Have a cigar.

Roc, have a cigar.

- Uh, never mind. - Joey.

When my dad gives you tips on the horses and you win

does he ever ask for anything in return?

Uh, no, he's not that kind of man.

Well, that's the difference between him and me.

Where's my cut?

Don't hold your breath, kid.

That's right. You'll pass out. Li-listen, listen.

I'll tell you what I will do for you, though, okay.

I'll by you dinner. My treat. What do you want?

- If it's pizza, you got a deal. - Pizza? I love Pizza.

- Let's have pizza. - Oh, well, now, I-I'm sorry.

The pizza will have to wait until tomorrow.

Eleanor has a home cooked meal waitin' for us

and we don't waste food in my house.

So come on, let's go.

My dad told me he wasn't much fun.

Yeah, my dad told me the same thing.