Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

Arliss: For most of us,

the dream of becoming a champion,

remains a fantasy.

(shouting)

But for a special few,

it is very much a reality.

We cheer them,

we live through them.

Athletes are our last warriors.

My job is to make their dreams come true.

My name is Arliss Michaels.

I represent athletes,

these are my stories.

♪ Don't know what it is that makes me love you so ♪

♪ I only know I never wanna let you go ♪

♪ 'Cause you started something oh, can't you see ♪

♪ That ever since we met you had a hold on me ♪

♪ It happens to be true ♪

♪ I only wanna be with you ♪

♪ I just wanna be beside you everywhere ♪

♪ As long as we're together, honey, I don't care ♪

♪ 'Cause you started something oh, can't you see ♪

♪ That ever since we met you had a hold on me ♪

♪ No matter what you do ♪

♪ I only wanna be with you ♪

(classical music)

(ticking)

Knight takes queen.

(laughing)

You know, Stanley, I never used to be able to beat you.

Don't flatter yourself, Stewart.

Our contest is a marathon.

In the long run, the better player will prevail.

I believe you said that same thing last week

and the week before that.

And...

the week before...

that!

Checkmate.

Marathon man.

(laughing)

Arliss: As an astute observer of life,

I've learned one absolute truth.

Just when you've got it all figured out,

something else comes around the corner.

Mm! What did I tell you, Carl?

This girl has got world class speed.

I tell you, if she keeps her head down just a little bit,

she'll get a medal in Sydney.

And if anyone knows about winning the Olympics,

it's eight time gold medalist, Carl Lewis.

That's nine gold medals, Arliss, and one silver.

Details, details.

The key to your daughter is to keep her focused

and not get distracted.

Absolutely.

No distractions.

Huh, huh?

Now, of course this is just a crude mock up.

Very crude, look at that cleavage.

It's, uh, very Britney.

I mean, both men and women seem to respond to it.

Men will respond to anything.

Vera, you have got to trust me.

Think of me as Nicole's Sherpa,

guiding her through the mountainous terrain

of professional sports.

Fine, but you think of her as a 17-year-old

who doesn't need to grow up any faster than she already is.

Look...

my job is to market your daughter.

My job is to protect my daughter,

and I don't want her exploited.

Why don't you and Rita, go to the photo shoot early,

pick out the outfit you like,

and I will personally pick up Nicole after practice

and drive her there myself.

Fine.

I don't know about you,

but I got her down to her panties.

Well, don't get on top of her, 'cause you'll be fucking me.

Kirby: Aren't you glad you signed with "AMM"?

Oh, yeah.

She's a client, guys.

Advantage Ryan.

She's only 17.

Game set.

Match.

(scoffs)

And I assure you

I only have your daughter's best interest at heart.

She's still studying.

You know, you've done such a great job raising Nicole.

Such a nice, normal kid.

Straight "A" student, Olympic contender.

Must have been hard for you to do on your own.

I'm lucky, she's a great kid.

Although, she has a bit of a stubborn streak in her.

Must have got that from her father.

(phone rings)

Arliss Michaels.

Arliss, Mama died.

Lincoln, are you alright?

She's gone, man, Mama died.

I'm sorry, Lincoln, how'd it happen?

Playing "Scrabble".

Playing "scrabble" where?

In the middle of a Triple Word Score.

Mama's dead, Mama's dead!

She's gone, man.

Where's Mama now?

She's dead.

I got that. I mean, where is she?

She's at Lakehurst Funeral Home.

I'm on my way. And Lincoln, don't worry,

I'll take care of all the details.

Rita, I got to go meet Lincoln Kennedy.

Athletes and their mothers, and speaking of mothers,

I need you to meet "Ma Tight Ass" at the photo shoot.

Vera is not a tight ass.

She's a responsible single parent

who's done a damn good job.

Yeah, fine.

I just wish she'd get out of the way and let me do my damn good job.

Hey, by the way, which looks more sympathetic?

Sunglasses on, sunglasses off?

On or off?

Rook to bishop three.

Computer: Not the brightest star in the galaxy, are you, Sparky?

Say goodbye to your bishop.

Alright, wise ass.

Queen to knight three.

Huh, huh?

Your bitch is mine!

(laughing)

Ah! Oh!

No!

Computer: Loser, loser, loser!

- Ahh! - (phone rings)

Hello!

Ooh.

A bit jumpy, aren't we?

Stanley, you're not getting sick, are you?

Stewart, I'm very busy right now.

I mean, no flu-like symptoms,

upset stomach.

Hot flashes.

Is this regarding anything to do with anything?

Just making sure that you're not gonna have any excuses

at the finals tomorrow.

Your car does have gas in it, doesn't it?

(laughing)

Thursday.

Kirby.

What do you do if you've lost your "A" game?

Take one of these one hour before kick off.

- What's this? - Viagra.

It's not my dick, it's my chess game!

Chess game? Give me that.

Those are ten bucks a piece.

This year I was determined to become club champion.

My lead has evaporated.

So, you're choking.

I'm not choking, I'm in a slump.

How bad a slump?

Bad.

No, I mean, how bad a slump?

You know, is it time for a slump buster?

Excuse me?

(clears throat) C'mon.

Okay.

You probably didn't learn this at Wharton,

but when an athlete's in a slump,

there's a tried and true method of getting out of it.

You pick up the ugliest girl you can find and you fuck her.

It changes your luck.

You animal!

That's outrageous! It's sick!

It works!

Early 80s,

I'm coaching junior high football up in Oakland.

Okay? We'd lost five in a row.

My job was on the line.

So, one night I go to this local dive, got shit-faced,

found the biggest pig in the trough,

rolled her out, did the deed.

That is the cruelest thing I have ever heard.

To change your luck, you had sex with an ugly girl?

Oh, no, this girl was on the wrong side of ugly.

- (both scoffing) - I mean, I've been sacked by guys

That weren't as big as this heifer.

Plus, she had six toes.

And not like a regular toe,

I mean, this little kind of half pinky.

That is appalling.

Oh, I know, it wasn't easy.

- I meant for her! - Oh.

So, I suppose your team won the next game.

Got our asses kicked!

But the next day, Arliss called me, offered me this job.

The rest is history.

That lay changed my luck.

You are a scumbag's scumbag.

Hey, she liked it, you know.

Ha! How do you know?

She kept calling.

I kept losing the number.

The worst thing about this job is hearing how men really think.

Six toes?

I hope you're not buying that.

Rita, let me ask you a question.

Do I strike you as the slump buster type?

I'd like to think you are more evolved.

Let me tell you what turns my luck.

A really extravagant purchase, something fine.

Something stylin'.

Something stylin'.

Arliss: As a perfectionist,

I'm not satisfied until every detail is laid to rest.

(guests crying and speaking foreign language)

Here you go, put everything on the credit card.

Do you belong to any mileage clubs?

Sorry, no.

Arliss, where's Mama? Where is she?

She's in the hearse at the end.

Arliss: Lincoln, where are you going?

Excuse me, you can't...

C'mon, Arliss, let's go.

Go where?

Look, if anybody's taking mama to her final resting spot,

It's gonna be me. Come on!

You want me to get in the hearse?

Come on, Arliss, let's go!

In the hearse, ew!

Arliss, man, thank you.

I couldn't let Mama be with strangers.

No, no, of course not.

Mama, everything's gonna be okay.

- Arliss, tell Mama everything's gonna be okay. - What?

Tell her.

Yeah, yeah, Mama, everything is gonna be okay.

You hear that, Mama?

Arliss and I, we're gonna put you next to Daddy.

That's right, that's right, Mama.

You're gonna be next to Daddy.

Uh, where's Daddy?

Whispering Glade Cemetery.

You hear that, Mama?

You're going to Whispering Glades.

How far is that from here?

About an hour past Phoenix.

Phoenix!

Phoenix?

She says, "Do you mind if I just do myself for a while?"

So, she starts strumming that love ukulele.

- Know what I'm talking about? - Oh, I love when they do that.

Look out!

I got it from my Wimbledon winnings, baby.

Wait till you see the chicks we get.

- Oh, yeah. - This thing is going to drip pussy.

- Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! - (phone rings)

Oh, shit, hold on one second.

Hello.

Arliss: Kirby.

Arliss, where are you?

I'm in the middle of east bumfuck gassing up a hearse.

A hearse?

It's a long story. Listen,

I need you to pick up Nicole Moore

at Pasadena City College

and take her to the photo shoot in Santa Monica.

Boss, that's two hours in traffic!

What are you complaining about?

I've got an 11 hour drive ahead of me. Just get going.

Uh, you know, I got a bad connection.

I can hardly hear you.

Cutting in and out and stuff.

I can't hear ya!

You're fired.

I can hear you now.

I'm on it, bye.

Arliss, they have Mahalia.

Mama loved Mahalia.

Mahalia.

It's calf suede, best there is.

Tony Gonzalez only wears the best.

Oh, very nice.

How much is it?

$2,800.

$2,800!

Oh, don't be such a cheapskate, Stanley.

I bought one for all my guys on the Chiefs.

That's a phat jacket, man.

That's a champion's jacket, wouldn't you say, Tony?

(chuckles)

I can't imagine Stanley filling this thing out.

Oh, man, you dogged him.

You gonna let him talk to you like that, Stanley?

You know, Stewart, I look forward to

kicking your ass tomorrow night.

Ooh, talking all that stuff.

Are you gonna let him talk to you like that, Stewart?

Stanley, let's say we embellish your pleasure

with a little wager.

Let's say we indeed.

How much?

Not money, my good man.

I am thinking of something of a little finer pedigree.

First time I saw Flo Jo, I was five years old.

That's when I decided I was going to the Olympics.

She was my inspiration.

Shit, Miami's losing.

She had it all.

You know? She had speed, style, strength.

My mom and I, we drove from the bay area all the way

up to Portland just so I could watch her run.

Mom drives me around a lot.

Sometimes I wish she had more of a life, but my dad,

you know, he took off before I was ever born.

So, it's always just kind of been like my mom and me.

Those idiots! They blew a 21 point lead.

Hop in.

Okay.

This is cute.

This would look great on Nicole.

Not a lot of material here.

It looks a little skimpy to me.

Why don't you try it on?

Me?

Yeah, you got the body for it.

You know, it's funny, all I have to do

is feel spandex and in my mind I'm a size 24 again.

Size 24, you?

When Nicole was little

and she decided she wanted to be Florence Griffith-Joyner,

I started running with her.

You'd be surprised how much weight I lost

keeping my daughter company around the track.

Oh, those are cute, you should try those on.

Okay.

Hey, Mom.

Hi, honey, where've you been? I've been worried.

Oh, hello, ladies.

Oh, having a fashion show, huh?

What are you doing with my daughter?

Uh, Arliss had an emergency, I was just filling in.

Kirby Carlisle.

I don't ever want to see you with my daughter again.

Oh, Vera, it's alright.

Kirby is an associate agent.

Tell Arliss he's fired.

- Fired? - What?

When Arliss gives me his word

that he's gonna do something with my daughter,

I expect him to do it!

Mom, are you okay?

I don't want an agent

who doesn't keep his word!

Not when my daughter's welfare is at stake!

Come on, sweetheart, we're gonna go.

Mom, what's going on?

Umm... what was that all about?

Kirby, I think you should sit down.

♪ ♪

Arliss, I want Mama to see God's country one last time.

Lincoln, maybe Mama could see God's country

from inside the car.

Oh, mama, it's as calm as a millpond out here.

It's a sign.

It's a sign of the peace that awaits you.

(screaming)

Arliss, that was a prickly pear cactus you landed on.

It's a sign!

Mama loves some prickly pear cactus

and she wanted to share it with you.

(singing along with radio)

♪ Oh, yeah (indistinct) ♪

There's no way Vera Moore was my slump buster.

I saw her foot, she has six toes.

Lots of people do.

Besides, my slump buster was huge.

My slump buster would have eaten Vera Moore.

She lost a lot of weight.

You're crazy, it's not her.

How do you explain Vera's reaction to you?

Every girl's mother gives me that reaction.

Kirby, face the facts.

She has six toes.

She used to live in Oakland in the 80s when you were there.

Nicole's father is obviously white.

No way, no way!

Shake your head all you want, but that girl is your daughter.

(clock ticking)

Well, my slump is over.

Loser!

(laughing)

(screaming)

Oh, my God!

Still time.

There's still time.

Arliss: A champion never rests on his laurels.

He does what has to be done.

♪ ♪

I need another one.

Sure. There you go.

♪ I feel my heart pumping up like crazy ♪

Hi.

How you doing?

What happened to the girl who was here?

She left.

What about the girl who's here now?

Arliss: Luck is a strange and fickle lady.

You're up, you're down,

- you're in, you're out. - Come on, baby.

Like a ride on a roller coaster,

life can be a hair raising experience.

Lift off!

Lift off, oh!

That's right.

(doorbell rings)

Hi.

Hello.

Umm... is this your newspaper?

Uh, hey, we've met. Haven't we?

Goodbye.

No, wait. Am I her father?

Nicole's father?

Father...

as in caregiver,

nurturer?

Someone who takes care of their child when she's sick?

Someone who makes sacrifices,

relocates?

I would say no.

How about as in...

Asshole?

Who takes advantage of a woman

who doesn't feel particularly good about herself?

Lies to her,

doesn't return her phone calls for the next three months?

In that sense, maybe yes, you are.

Look, I was a jerk...

then.

But now, I'm kind of alright.

Maybe I can just see her...

No!

Every once in a while?

I don't want you to see her ever.

Nicole has enough to contend with.

She doesn't need you turning her life upside down.

You didn't do the right thing before.

Do the right thing now.

Disappear.

(Nicole giggling)

You know how beautiful you are?

No.

You could be a Victoria's Secret model, you're so hot.

Yeah?

Hey, what the fuck is your problem?

She's 17, asshole!

What are you doing?

Who the hell do you think you are?

Who am I?

I'm your...

your... your agent!

Arliss: There are many bumps along the freeway of life

until you finally arrive at the end of the road.

Shall we begin the viewing?

Yes.

Arliss, thanks so much for everything, man.

- Ah. - I know Mama thanks you too.

She really loved you.

And, uh... I loved Mama.

You hear that, Mama?

Arliss love...

Arliss, where's Mama? That's not Mama!

I don't know.

I thought you told me she was in the hearse on the end.

I guess it must have been the hearse on the other end.

You guess? You lost Mama!

No, no, she's been misplaced.

I'm sure she's gonna turn up.

Mama always warned me about you.

She never liked you and she never trusted you.

This is a sign, isn't it, Mama?

Another sign.

Where's Mama? Where's Mama?

I mean, I know that motherfucker's MO

and when I saw him pawn her, I couldn't take it.

You know, I dropped him.

I mean, I shouldn't have, but I was crazy!

I was acting like a...

Like a father.

Nicole probably thinks I'm an asshole.

Who knows?

Maybe someday the phone will ring and...

we'll all go out to a movie together.

Until then...

Until then, you've got a daughter going to the Olympics.

That's right.

Hey, baby, who's your daddy?

Hello all.

Oh, nice jacket.

Ooh-hoo.

Looks like someone bought themselves something fine.

Away, peasants!

I bought nothing.

This is the jacket of a champion.

You won.

Handily, my luck turned without using a slump buster.

Well, that slump buster stuff is a big crock of shit anyway.

Now, if you'll excuse me,

a sumptuous beauty awaits my call.

(Arliss groaning)

Oh.

Kirby: Oh. So, everything go okay? How's Lincoln?

He fired us.

How'd it go here?

Uh, nothing special.

Oh, um, Vera and Nicole are leaving "AMM."

Leaving "AMM"? What are you talking about?

They decided to move on.

What the hell does that mean?

Kirby, what happened?

Nothing happened.

Ryan fired us too.

What the fuck's going on here, people?

I want answers!

Hello, Miss Monica Lin please.

Miss Lin is on the trading floor and can't be reached.

Oh, are you sure?

Oh, yes, she's having an amazing day.

Every trade she makes is a winner.

Really? Sounds like she stepped into a bit of good luck.

Oh, she has.

Monica has been in such a slump.

Last night she finally took my advice.

Are you familiar with the term, "slump buster"?

What?

What the hell happened here?

I'm gone for less than 24 hours and I've lost three clients!

How dare she! I am not slump buster!

I was voted most handsome in my eighth grade class.

Stanley Babson!

What the hell am I paying you people for?

A few more days like this

and we'll all be out on our asses!

Ow!

My name is Arliss Michaels.

I represent athletes.

These are my stories.

♪ ♪