Original subtitles

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

♪ Baby ♪

♪ High 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, oh, I'm gonna keep on tryin' ♪

♪ Get by with a little help from my friends ♪

♪ I'm gonna keep on tryin', now, babe ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

Over the years, a family develops a kind of character,

A sense of heritage, a feeling of roots.

For my family, those roots

Extended all the way to the back of our garage.

It was kind of our Plymouth rock.

Hey, look at this. The old place mats.

These would be great if we have a dinner party.

Yeah, great.

- Remember these? - Those are mine!

Bonnie will love these in the kid's room.

Hey, but... thanks.

The final week of 1972.

Where I lived, it was a time of change,

Most particularly in the person of...

Wow. Curtains. [ Chuckles ]

My new brother.

Sure, maybe this looked like the same doofus

I'd shared a room with for 15 years,

But in one way, he was different.

Will you look at this pattern, huh?

Wayne was in love.

[ sighs ]

Come on. Let's show Bonnie.

And somehow our garage was never gonna be the same again.

Hey, look at these!

This stuff's great!

Not that I begrudged the guy his good fortune.

After all, he'd found the girl of his dreams.

These are nice, Wayne.

Bonnie Douglas... 23, divorced, and mother of one.

You sure it's all right if we take all this?

Oh, of course it is.

Yeah. Of course it is.

Uh, peekaboo!

[ Baby crying ]

Oh. Oh, oh, oh, sweetheart.

What did I do?

But it wasn't what he'd done that was so perplexing.

It was how he was doing it.

Honey, you know, you're looking awfully thin.

Are you sure you're getting enough rest?

Still working two shifts at the plant,

He doesn't have time to sleep.

Besides... Who says I want to sleep?

God.

Wayne, a little help here.

Oh, yeah.

Well, put it in backseat. Don't break anything.

Gotcha.

Okay, there. This is the cutest little baby.

Look at those eyes.

What a handsome, handsome boy.

Yeah. Hell of a lot better looking than his old man.

Which, around my house, was kind of a sore subject.

Has, uh, James been calling again?

Well, no.

A couple times, but, you know, just to say hi.

Oh.

Mom, don't worry. I mean, the guy's a jerk.

Come on. We got to go.

And there it was.

Almost overnight, Wayne had changed.

He'd become a picture of patience, sacrifice...

So, can I give you a buck for your help, huh?

Generosity.

Hang on to it.

Suit yourself.

I'm going for the night shift.

It was almost ironic.

My no-good, layabout brother had become...

A devoted family man.

As opposed to say... Me...

A man devoted to avoiding his family...

Hut! Hut! Hike!

No matter what the cost.

All right, back. Back.

In the first 10 days of Christmas recess,

I'd participated in 13

Semi organized, semi suicidal touch football games.

Geez. This ground is rock-solid.

[ Groans ] I think I broke something.

What are we doing here?

Of course, the reason was obvious.

Got you out of the house, didn't it?

He's right. Come on, guys, let's huddle up.

At 16, we were men on the run,

Fleeing house, home, and parents.

Afraid of nothing, except maybe...

What are you guys doing for new year's eve?

Serving drinks at my parents' party. You?

My uncle's showing home movies.

New year's eve...

The nightmare of family togetherness.

Hey, you know, Eddie Putnam's having a big party.

Yeah, at his parents' ski condo in the mountains.

- Yeah? - Yeah.

Plus, Eddie's folks are gonna be out of town, in Aruba.

It was an image to warm the heart

Of any red-blooded adolescent.

A beacon of romance, revelry, freedom...

[ "somewhere, my love" plays ]

A moonlit night...

Eddie Putnam's Dad's ski condo...

And Winnie.

[ music continues ]

Happy new year.

And suddenly, from the ashes of Christmas at home,

A new hope arose,

A new year's inspiration.

And all of it just two hours by car.

All right, I'm going. Count me in.

Everyone, long. Ready?

- Break! - Break!

And with that, the plan was set...

A new year's blowout with all the trimmings.

Down. Set.

Hut-hut!

And nothing could stand in my way, except...

A party?

[ Grunts ]

At a ski lodge?

Just one little hitch.

Well, it's not exactly a lodge,

And... and it's not really a party.

Just...

The bash of the century.

A get-together, you know?

They're not gonna have beer, are they?

Mom, come on. Beer?

Totally ridiculous.

So, what do you say?

Well...

I guess it would be okay.

Great.

Except we already have plans for new year's eve.

"We"?

We do?

Your brother's taking us all out to dinner.

The whole family, including Winnie.

What?

Isn't that sweet? He wants it to be his treat.

Well, that's great, but I'm gon...

You know, I think this is really important to Wayne.

He's been working so hard,

Knocking himself out for Bonnie and the baby.

Yeah, well...

Thanks, but no thanks.

Kevin!

Mom!

Hmm. Clearly, we were at an impasse.

So faced with a tough decision,

Mom did what any fair-minded parent would do.

Why don't you ask your father, honey?

Ask me what?

Listen, Dad, about that new year's eve thing...

You're going, and that's that.

So much for fair-mindedness.

Bye, honey.

I'd been set up, sold out, and shipped down the river.

So with new year's eve fast approaching,

I knew my only hope was to look to a higher source.

Wayne, why can't the family just get together another night?

Because holidays are a time for family.

Yeah.

Ow! These clothes are hot.

Wayne!

Besides, I thought it'd be a nice thing to do.

Geez, who was this guy?

And what had he done with my brother?

Look, I've got other things to do on new year's eve.

And I was just thinking

That the family could hang out without me.

"Hang out"?

We're not just hanging out.

We're going to a supper club.

A supper club?

God, it was worse than I thought.

Oh, yeah!

Dinner and a show, maybe a comedian or something.

I reserved us a table right up front.

Can you give me a hand folding these before Bonnie gets here?

Okay, then.

Maybe it was time to take a different tack.

Boy... That must be setting you back a few bucks.

You know, I hear those supper clubs cost a bundle.

Hey, what's money if you don't have people to spend it on, huh?

And that's when it hit me.

This wasn't love. This was insanity.

Besides...

It wouldn't be the same without you there, son.

- Son? - Son?

Okay, enough was enough.

Look, Wayne, number one, I'm not your son.

And number two, I don't want to spend new year's eve

In a stupid supper club.

You don't?

No! That's what I'm saying!

Well...

Sure, maybe it was selfish,

But under the circumstances... absolutely necessary.

Hey. I'm sorry I'm late.

Oh, that's okay. You get caught up?

Kind of. I saw James.

Whoops.

What'd he want?

"What did he want?"... the same old thing,

To hash everything out we've been through like a hundred times.

I'm shopping, I'm having a good time,

And I come out of the store,

And he's sitting there, waiting for me.

Why? W-what? Is he following you?

I'm gonna kill this guy! You know, I'm sick...

Wayne, don't worry. I set him straight for good.

I told him it's over like 20 times.

Are you sure?

Definitely.

And there you had it... love at the laundromat.

Two kids working it out...

And one kid making his getaway.

So, Kevin, we gonna see you on new year's eve?

What?

Rats.

Well, you know, I was just talking with Wayne...

Don't worry. He's gonna be there.

But I thought...

It would mean a lot to us, Kevin.

Right, honey?

And with that kiss, there went my night of revelry.

There went Eddie Putnam's Dad's ski condo.

See you there!

And in its place, I was left with just one thought...

New year's eve was gonna be one long night.

[ whistle blows ]

Secondary.

Everybody on this field's a hitter today.

December 31, the final day of 1972.

Bands were playing, crowds were cheering,

Teenagers were sulking...

Big-time.

So, what do you think?

About what?

My new suit.

Pretty sharp, huh?

You bought a new suit?

Yeah! I want to look good for tonight.

You don't think it's too, uh...

Wayne, you're blocking the TV.

Oh. Sorry.

Great. It wasn't bad enough I was stuck in the house.

Now I had to share it with a love-struck clotheshorse.

Oh, maybe Dad has a better tie.

Wayne, look. About tonight...

Hey, you don't have to say a word.

I know what you're thinking.

You do?

Sure! You don't have to wear a suit.

Jacket and tie will do just fine.

Okay, buddy?

Uh-huh.

[ singing indistinctly ]

So, while the rest of my teenage world was heading off

For a new year's bash in the snow-covered north,

I was doomed to a night of...

[ indistinct conversation, baby cooing ]

Family.

[ laughter ]

I remember the first new year's eve

That Jack and I spent together.

I was 19 and we had dinner with your parents

You remember? Yeah, I remember.

Yeah, this was homey.

I just think it's so great what you have here.

The two of you...

The history you have...

How much you love your kids.

Well... That's what we're here for.

Right?

Right.

Gimme a break.

[ baby voice ] and David's gonna have

His first new year's eve!

Isn't he?

God.

Okay! Let's get a move on!

See ya there.

You want to take him? All right.

Wayne, you sure I can't help you out with the bill tonight?

Sorry, Dad. Tonight's my treat.

It's gonna be a night you'll never forget.

Right, Kev-bo?

Which, as it happened, was exactly what I was afraid of.

See ya there!

Bye!

And so there was nothing to do but roll out the barrels

And start the fun.

I mean, hey, how bad could it be?

[ Hawaiian music plays ]

[ Indistinct conversations ]

It's happy new year time!

By 9:15, it was clear this was gonna be

The worst new year's eve in history... bar none.

I'll tell ya, I wouldn't mind having those girls

At my next luau, if you know what I mean.

[ Rim shot ]

He's funny, isn't he?

Yeah, a riot.

I feel like I'm on location with Jack lord.

[ Rim shot ]

But it wasn't just the bad jokes and the stupid hats

And the god-awful music that were gnawing at me.

Did ya hear the one about the peanut...

There was something missing here.

Something like...

Dad, where's Wayne?

Got me. Probably hit traffic.

What, for an hour and a half?

Don't worry, honey. He'll be here.

This is his night.

But I wasn't so sure.

I bet he went someplace good, like a party.

Kevin, will you stop?

Why don't you just relax and have fun?

Okay, ladies and gentlemen,

Now we got a very special treat for you!

Straight from god know where,

Zanic... let's hear it!... The Magnificent!

Oho! Here we go!

That's it. I'm calling Wayne.

Kevin.

But I'd had it. I was out of there.

[ audience "oohs" ]

- Thank you. - Look at that.

[ Applause ]

You know what I need from the audience is a volunteer.

How about you, sir?

No, I... no.

Oh, go on, Jack.

- You love magic. - No, I...

- Go on. - Actually, I insist.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Ah, well.

Like they say, a bird on the head...

Come on, butthead. Pick up.

But Wayne was still unaccounted for.

[ sighs ]

Great.

Face it.

This whole evening was one colossal bust.

Bonnie?

You're late.

Kevin, hi.

The way she was dressed made me glad I hadn't worn a tux.

Is your family here?

Well, they're inside. Aren't you gonna come in?

Is is Wayne here?

No.

Isn't he with you?

No.

What happened?

What, he spill something on his suit?

But suddenly I had the feeling this wasn't about haberdashery.

I was hoping he was here. He was so upset when he left.

He left?

What do you mean, he left?

Kevin, Wayne and I split up.

What?

It's not that I don't love him.

I mean, he came into my life, and he's done so much for me

And you see how great he is with David.

- But... - It's just I saw James,

And I didn't think I'd feel anything.

Oh.

It was weird.

There we were... some phony magician harassing my Dad

While my brother's whole life was coming apart.

Maybe I shouldn't have told him tonight.

God, you really must hate me, huh?

Not to mention your folks... what they're gonna think of me.

But if she'd come looking for forgiveness...

I'm sorry.

I really am.

But not for you.

Yeah.

Kevin, you don't want to miss this.

They're about to saw your father in half.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, for my finale...

Sawing a human body in half.

But somehow I knew I couldn't stay to pick up the pieces.

Kevin, is everything all right?

No.

We got to find Wayne.

That night, we looked for Wayne everywhere...

Bonnie's house, our house,

Six coffee shops, four bars,

Even the bowling alley.

But he was nowhere.

It was like he vanished.

And then just when we were ready to give up...

Isn't that Wayne's car?

Where?

We found him.

Yeah, that's it.

Maybe you should go in alone.

Yeah.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

For some reason, I'd never actually hung out

At a laundromat on new year's eve.

So I tried to prepare myself for the worst...

An outraged maniac, a jilted slob...

He sets! He shoots!

Yah!

Or just a guy in a bad suit

Tossing socks at a washing machine.

Wayne?

Hey, butthead!

Fancy meeting you here, huh? [ chuckles ]

Catch.

Thataway.

You missed it. I sank 16 in a row.

16!

Okay, seven.

All the people that were here doing laundry earlier

Were very impressed.

You'd be surprised how many people save their laundry

For the major holidays.

[ Chuckles ]

Is it me, or am I the only one talking here?

You know, we missed you at the dinner club.

Oh, yeah? How'd it go?

Good.

They had a m-magician.

Sounds like hell.

Kind of.

[ Clears throat ] listen, uh...

I heard about what happened.

Yeah. Me too.

You know...

You can't make someone fall in love with you.

Yeah, no, you can't make them fall in love.

It's just got to happen!

And I guess that's when it hit me...

How hard this guy had tried.

How hard he'd been trying his whole life.

And suddenly it all made sense,

Who my brother really was.

Not the family man he wanted to be

Or the stupid older brother I'd fought with my whole life.

But just another grown-up kid...

With a broken heart.

Kevin?

Are you guys okay?

It's almost midnight.

Say this for my girlfriend... she had timing.

Whether you're here in times square...

How about that?

Another year, huh?

1972 was a memory, like it or not.

Four, three, two, one!

Happy new year!

[ "Auld Lang Syne" plays ]

Happy new year.

The funny thing is, looking back now...

Happy near year, Kevin.

Happy new year.

What I remember most is how it ended.

So, butthead, you gonna kiss her or not?

Come on! You're only young once.

Hell, the guy was right.

So maybe that new year's eve 1972 didn't work out

Exactly like any of us planned.

There was heartbreak we didn't anticipate

And events we couldn't have imagined.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

There was a magician.

So maybe there was a message in it all.

The future was calling us.

And no matter what, there was no turning back now.

[ people cheering ]