Original subtitles

Around the 1950s, something weird happened to America.

There was a name for it. The suburbs.

Each one had a school, a record store, and a name,

Like Park Ridge, or Ridgefield Park.

Or vice versa.

It didn't matter if main street ran north-south or east-west.

Somehow they were all the same.

In fact, there was only one thing

That set one apart from the others.

Only one of them... Was yours.

[ Joe Cocker's "With a Little Help From My Friends" plays ]

? Baby ?

? By with a little help from my friends ?

? Said I'm gonna make it with my friends ?

? Try with a little help from my friends ?

? Oh, I'm gonna keep on trying ?

? High with a little help from my friends ?

? I'm gonna keep on trying now, baby ?

? Ooh, ooh, ooh ?

Chemical interaction.

If the solution turns blue, it's base...

By the middle of junior year,

Life at my school was becoming... Routine.

Carefully, okay?

Add 20 milligrams of reactant to the solution.

The teachers, the kids, the classes...

They were all pretty predictable.

Did he say 20 milligrams?

Most of them, anyway.

Yeah. Why?

It just doesn't sound like much.

Jeff billings, the new kid in school.

You know, maybe we should try 50.

50?

Yeah, you know, I mean,

We're both scientists, aren't we?

When it came to unpredictable, this guy had the lock.

So...50.

Yeah, or, you know...

We could put the whole thing in.

You only live once, right?

Here goes nothin'.

[ Bubbling ]

[ Explosion ]

[ School bell rings ] I can't believe you just did that.

Me? It was your idea.

Never. Come on.

In the short time I�d known the kid,

I'd learned this about him... he had brains...

- Oh! - A sense of humor...

Pardon me, sir.

Watch your step, young man.

He had...

Yes, sir.

And thank you for bringing that to my attention, sir.

Attitude.

Very nice.

I do my best.

Yep, in a way, the guy had it all,

Including a girlfriend I�d never met...

Julie McDermott,

The legendary goddess from another town.

How is she?

Who?

Oh, Julie.

She's great.

You seen her lately?

Uh, nah, but we talked last week on the phone.

Whoa!

What's that supposed to mean?

Nothing. It's just...

How can you have a girlfriend 110 miles away?

Yeah, you're right. It's over.

And there you had it... a man with an answer for everything.

[ school bell rings ]

- My house this afternoon? - Yeah, sure.

So, make yourself at home.

Right.

If "home" was a 2-bedroom poolside condo...

With boxes.

So, I see you've really fixed the place up.

Yeah, I think it's all coming together.

Are you ever gonna unpack?

Nah, I like it like this.

Kind of early-American divorce settlement, you know?

[ Knock on door ]

- Hey, guys. - Hi.

Hey, Mrs. Billings.

How was school today?

A complete and total waste of time.

Oh.

I thought you learned that yesterday.

Hey, did Dad call?

Well... Yes.

But he said he can't come in this week.

Oh.

Sure. No problem.

? Your everlasting summer, and you can see it fading fast ?

So, you want to play some ball or something?

I know I have a mitt around here somewhere.

Listen, Jeff, since your Dad's not coming in this week,

Do you want to do something?

Like what?

We can double or somethin'.

Can't.

Why not?

I told you... I've already got a girl.

So, you gonna help me find this glove or not?

Sure.

? Have you had enough of mine? ?

After all, no skin off my nose.

When it came to life's problems,

Jeff had his...

[ camera shutter clicks ]

And I had mine.

Make sure you get all the leaves and mud out of there.

Yeah, yeah.

The Arnold residence.

No pool... just... Gutters.

Dad, haven't we done enough work for today?

Yeah, can't we knock off for a couple of months?

Just keep working.

To my Dad, his house was his fortress...

His children, his slaves.

Oops. [ Chuckles ]

I don't believe it.

What are we gonna do now?

We go down to the hardware store

And pick up some new fasteners.

Wait a minute. Did he say...?

Me?

Why me?

No, don't look at me. I work all day.

Well, you're the one who broke it in the first place.

Kevin, you're 16 years old.

It's time you had some responsibilities.

- But... - You've got until next weekend.

You think you can fit it in your schedule?

Fine.

Thank you.

[ laughs ]

Still, my father just didn't understand.

I had better things to do than shop for gutters.

I had my own life, my own friends...

Kevin!

My own girlfriend...

This is Ann sheer. She's new in school.

My own girlfriend's new girlfriend.

Hi.

Well, how do you like it so far?

Oh, fine.

I'll see you guys in a bit.

She's cute, isn't she?

I guess so.

She's funny.

Uhhuh.

She's also a little lonely.

Uh-oh. I knew where this was heading.

Maybe we could fix her up with somebody.

There it was... "we" again.

Winnie, don't do this.

I hate fixing people up.

It never works out,

And it always ends up being my fault.

Besides, I don't know anyone who needs a date.

Hey, you guys.

What's happenin'?

Oh, no.

No, forget it.

After all, the guy had a girl.

No way he was gonna...

Hi. I'm back.

Hi.

Ann, this is Jeff.

Jeff, this is...

Welcome to the monkey house.

You read Vonnegut?

Oh, sure. W-whenever I can.

Did you read "slaughterhouse five"?

Yeah, Billy Pilgrim, Montana Wildhack.

She and Billy were so much in love.

Yeah, but he time-traveled.

But they kept coming back together.

It was kind of like being in the middle of a furnace.

And then...

Um, yeah. I gotta get going.

Huh?

I just have some stuff to do.

But I-it was nice talking to you.

I... Got to get a drink of water.

Wow. [ Chuckles ] did you see that?

Yeah.

Wow.

There was absolutely no denying it.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Unless, of course, you denied it.

So you're telling me there was nothing going on

Between you two?

Well, she was nice.

Nice?

Yeah, she was cute, you know?

So you gonna ask her out or what?

Kevin, I told you... I've already got a girl.

And after hearing that about 800 times,

It finally seemed clear.

Unless, you know, I-it wasn't like...

Like a date.

You know, I mean...

If it were something more like... I don't know...

Unofficial.

Yeah, unofficial.

Unofficial... I knew just the place.

Peter pan's putt-putt.

The miniature-golf capital of suburbia.

It was hip, it was happening... It was cheap.

Jeff!

Yep, you couldn't get any more unofficial than this.

Hi.

Hi.

And there was only one thing to say.

So, uh, I guess I'll keep score, okay?

- Sure. - Sure.

Fore!

So we entered the wonderful world of golf.

[ the champs' "tequila" plays ]

Now, golf was a game of skill,

A game that required finesse, grace, coordination...

And, of course, accuracy.

? Tequila ?

Maybe you could just pick it up.

What, and take the penalty?

[ Scoffs ] forget about it.

[ Frog croaks ]

It became obvious that while my form needed work,

Ann and Jeff seemed to have theirs down just right.

So, why'd you move out here?

My Dad got transferred.

How about you?

Divorce.

Hmm.

For a while, I thought my folks were gonna get divorced.

I mean, they never talk to each other or anything.

I know what you mean.

I'm never gonna be like them.

[ Chuckles ] me neither.

It was like watching "Romeo and Juliet."

Fore!

[ Ball whizzes ]

I think you're supposed to put it in the hole.

By the 18th hole, two things were clear.

Ooh, good shot!

One, the unofficial date was a rousing success.

This is fun.

And two...

Golf was for idiots.

There.

So, anybody for another round?

No!

Yeah, you're right.

There's no sense in fooling with perfection.

[ Forced chuckle ]

Well, maybe we could, uh... Go somewhere else.

Like where?

I don't know.

The point?

Well, that sounds nice.

The point...

Where unofficial dates became official couples.

Um, actually... I-i-i can't.

Uh...

I-I should actually get home.

Well [scoffs] Jeff, it's only 9:00.

Actually, you know, I live a few blocks from here,

So I'll... so I'll walk.

But I-it was a lot of fun.

Yeah.

Bye.

And just like that, Romeo took a powder.

Hey, Jeff, wait a minute.

What just happened back there?

Well, let's see.

I shot a 60, and you got about a 180.

Will you knock it off?

Look, I don't get it.

I mean, you two were hitting it off.

But, of course, I should have known.

I told you, Kevin... I already got a girl.

And there it was... the same old song.

By the next morning,

The disaster on the 18th hole was history...

Almost.

Hi.

Hey, Kevin.

I don't know why, but I felt like

I had to apologize for Jeff's behavior.

Listen, uh, about last night...

It's okay.

I thought about it, and Jeff's really not my type.

Well...

Yeah. Of course.

I'll see you guys later.

Translation... he'd broken her heart.

I really feel bad.

I mean, I feel like it's kind of my fault or something.

It probably was.

What?

Well, you fixed them up.

I knew it.

See ya.

[ Sighs ]

[ School bell rings ] It didn't seem fair.

I was taking all the heat for a guy...

Ah, we seem to be missing Mr. Billings today.

Who wasn't even around.

Mr. Arnold, I'll assign you a new lab partner today.

Try not to blow him up.

[ Car horn blaring in distance ]

That afternoon, I headed for Jeff's.

I figured maybe he was sick... Or dead.

Or... Maybe something in between.

Hey.

What's going on?

Well, you know, I'm writing a letter.

Working on my tan.

In your coat?

Yeah, well, you know, you can't be too careful

With these dangerous ultraviolet rays.

So, why'd you skip school today?

I don't know. I just had some things to think about.

Oh.

I saw Ann.

She say anything interesting?

I didn't know what to tell the guy.

Well, you know.

I talked to my Dad this morning.

Oh, yeah?

How'd that go?

Not good.

It was a bad connection.

Listen, you want to talk about any of this?

Okay.

And finally we were gonna break through

All the wisecracks and glibness.

You know, I was thinking, uh...

Your golf game needs work.

Maybe you should try using a bigger ball.

You know what I'm saying?

Like a tennis ball or a bowling ball or...

I don't believe this!

[ Scoffs ] what is with you?

Is everything a joke to you?

What do you mean?

I mean, you have an answer for everything,

But you never try and fit in.

What are you... Ann Landers?

What?

There's a proper way to do this,

There's a proper way to do that.

I mean, it's really none of your business.

Okay, if the guy wanted to keep it to himself,

Fine with me.

Yeah, well, forget it.

Hey.

What?

You know, for your information, I didn't ask to move here.

I didn't ask to have all my stuff put in some moving van

And come to some new place,

And meet new people and fit in.

My family was back there, and nobody asked me.

So that's it?

You're just gonna sit there by yourself?

Oh, man, you don't know anything.

Just leave, will you?

Terrific.

Hey, I didn't have to stay there and be yelled at.

What do you mean you didn't get the fasteners yet?

I could be yelled at at home.

It's Saturday! How are we gonna fix the gutters?

Well, I'm sorry, Dad. I forgot.

I didn't do it on purpose.

I want you to get dressed, go to the store,

And get 'em right now.

Okay, Dad. Fine.

It was nice talkin' to ya.

And don't forget this time.

And there you had it... banished to the mall.

Oh, hey.

What are you doing here?

Well, um...

I kind of need a ride.

[ Chuckling ] I need to get back to my hometown.

Yeah, well... Forget it.

I'm busy.

Well, sure, yeah. That's okay.

I mean, you can just give me the keys to your car,

You know, and... I'll take it from there.

Nah. I've seen you drive. [ chuckles ]

I'll take you.

So I forgot about the gutters

And drove the 110 miles to Jeff's old town.

I couldn't say why.

All I knew was,

The guy asked me, and I couldn't say no.

Hang a right here.

The funny thing was,

His town looked almost exactly the same as mine.

See this park over here?

One time, this guy named Tommy Burns

Drank three six-packs

And puked for four hours straight.

They ought to declare it a historical landmark.

Yeah, there was a petition.

[ Cash register dings ]

This town had history. It had tradition.

Good soda, huh?

Yeah.

It had soda.

But the fact was, I still had no idea why we were here.

Julie.

Jeff.

Hi.

God, I-i-i had to see you.

Yeah.

So, h-h-how is everything? [ chuckles nervously ]

It's about the same. I mean...

Well, the kids are the same, and the teachers...

Yeah. [ Chuckles ]

How are things at your school?

Well, you know, it's... it's kind of tough

When you're the coolest guy there, you know?

[ Chuckles ]

Suddenly, I understood why he'd come...

To get back something he was losing.

I, um, finished reading the book of Vonnegut short stories.

Oh, you did? D-did you like 'em?

Yeah.

I loved the one where

The businessman let the deer go free.

It made me cry.

Yeah.

[ Sighs ]

Uh, listen, Julie,

I-I wanted to write you a letter, but, uh...

But I came here because, uh...

I know.

Ii couldn't do this any longer.

[ Voice breaking ] I know.

I met somebody else.

B-but she'll never replace you, you know?

I met someone, too.

Yyyou did?

But I think about you all the time.

Me too.

God, I hate this.

[ Sighs ] me too.

And I guess that's when I knew.

He hadn't come here to hold on.

I, uh... Guess I better get going.

Yeah.

He'd come... To let go.

When you're 16,

You have no real control over your life.

It can be turned upside down and inside out

At a moment's notice.

Stop here.

What?

Right here.

This is my old house.

My Dad sold it about a month ago.

Hey!

D-did you guys happen to see a glove around here?

I-it's a Brooks Robinson.

You know, the webbing's kind of shot, a-and...

[ chuckles ]

Well, nice try, anyway, huh?

[ Chuckling ] yeah.

This was a great house.

Yeah.

Maybe there are times,

After all the wisecracks and jokes,

When everybody has to come clean.

I think my Dad's never coming back.

Hey!

We found it.

Oh, hey, thanks a lot.

Hey, look, I really appreciate this.

- You're welcome. - You're welcome.

So, where are we going next?

Home.

So we went home.

That day, I thought about a lot of things...

My hometown, my family...

The shortcomings,

The flaws...

Where the hell have you been?

And where are the fasteners for the gutters?

The arguments.

You leave here six hours ago, and you come back with nothin'.

What's the matter with you?! Where's your head?!

I love you, Dad.

[ Door opens, closes ]

Still, in the world of inconsistency and doubt,

Maybe home is what you make it.

Like I said, most suburbs were about the same.

Sure, some may have been a little bigger...

And some may have been a little greener...

- I'll see you. - Yeah, sure.

But basically, there was only one real difference.

How you doin'?

I'm doin' good.

I was wondering...

Only one of them was yours.

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