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[typing]

[door opens]

Heather Wolfe, I presume.Yeah.

Professor Schiller. I can't believe it's you.

Well, I can't believe it's me, either.

Please sit down.

What'll you have, Professor?

You go first.

Um, I'll have a BLT and a cup of coffee.

And I'd like a baked potato. No salt, no--

No butter, no sour cream.

I know.

Tea. Skim milk, no sugar.

Thank you, Dolores.

I'm not allowed to put butter on anything anymore.

I had a heart attack last year. I had surgery.

They cracked me open like a lobster.

Oh. That must've been very scary.

Well, it did tend to concentrate the mind.

I can imagine.

So you've embarked

on a project of questionable merit.

You're doing a study on me.

I think it's a very worthy project.

I'm flattered by your interest,

but I'm afraid I can't be of any help.

Why not?

Miss Wolfe-- Heather.

I'm trying to finish a novel.

My one remaining goal in life is to finish it.

I'm not in good health, and I just can't afford

to spend time discussing four old novels

that aren't even in print anymore.

The Sound and the Fury would've gone out of print in the '40s

if Malcolm Cowley hadn't published The Portable Faulkner.

And you're going to save me from obscurity

with a Portable Schiller, is that the idea?

Something like that.

I've had several pieces published,

most recently on Stanley Elkin

in the fall issue of Illuminata.

Maybe you saw it?No, I haven't.

And it's not a question of my doubting you.

It's just that I must avoid anything

that will distract me from my own work.

And your project, however flattering,

is really a distraction.

So I'm afraid I must say no.

[sigh]

May I ask one favor?

Um, if I do have a copy,

it would be in my bedroom.

Do you think I could have a look

at the room where you write?

Well, I suppose so.

It's those doors behind you.

Don't touch anything.

[sigh]

[Woman] Hello?

Are you a burglar?

Not professionally.

Well, it's good to have a hobby.

I found it. Oh, hello, darling. Hey.

Heather, this is my daughter Ariel.

Ariel, this is Heather Wolfe.

She's writing her Master's thesis,

for some unknown reason, about me.

Well, here's that copy of The Lost City.

It's like a sacred text.

I believe there's only one copy of it left in the world.

Thank you.

I can't believe I left my copy in Providence.

But I can return this next week

when I go back for the rest of my things.

[Schiller] Fine. You can leave it with the doorman.

So, Dad, are we still on for movie night?

I picked up Notorious

and The Shop Around the Corner.

Would you mind terribly if I took a rain check?

I really have a lot of work to do. No problem.

I was in the neighborhood, anyway, giving a private.

I should get out of your way.

No, no. It's all right. It's all right.

Heather was just about to leave. Oh, yeah.

I gotta fight that traffic back to Hoboken.

You have a car?

Yeah. Do you need a ride?That'd be great.

Give me two minutes.

All right.

I respect your decision, Professor Schiller,

but I can't help but think

that you've made up your mind too quickly.

Young lady, I haven't done anything too quickly in years.

Well, maybe the best thing for your health would be

to have a fascinating young woman in your life.

Miss Wolfe.

Promise me you'll give me a chance.

So what's it like to be the daughter of a great writer?

You think he's a great writer?

Don't you?

Yeah, but he's my father.

The truth is I'm not really much of a reader.

I'm more of an action person.

That's right. You're a dancer. Yes, yes.

You read about me in his second novel?

The difficult birth, the tumultuous childhood,

the unquenchable desire to dance.

So are you still dancing?No.

I teach Pilates and yoga and exercise.

That's what happens to dancers when they die.

Right up here. This is just fine.

Thank you for the lift.

You know I'm gonna reintroduce

your father's work to the world.

I know an editor at the University of Chicago Press

who's already very interested.

Cool.

It was nice meeting you.You, too. Okay.

[Man] Hey, listen, it's not as bad as Chicago.

[Man] Casey Davis back!

Congratulations.I'm happy about this.

Great to see you.Thank you. Thank you.

Good to have you back.All right. See ya.

Bye.Bye.

[whistles] Hey!

[Woman] I have two Casey Davises.

A Dr. Casey Davis on Fifth Avenue. No.

And a Casey Davis on 107th Street.

Is that a new listing? Yes, it is.

I'll take it.

The number is 646-555-4325.

[Man] "Now he understood

"that our birth into the world of the body

"is only our first birth

"and by no means the most important.

"He was laboring this beautiful labor

"on his second birth.

"He was undoing the threads

"that kept him bound to the body.

"To dissolve them

"was to become a creature of light.

"He thought about one of the threads,

"and it dissolved.

"He never knew that liberation could be so simple,

so full of joy."

Frank would like to meet you.

All right. Let me sign these first.

Of course.

Charles.

Leonard Schiller.

It's been forever. How are you?

I can't complain.

How are things over at GRB?

Oh, I left there 15 years ago.

I'm at Mulberry.

Well, that's very impressive.

A little hard work, a lot of luck.

But how are you? Are you still writing?

Well, yes. Yes, of course.

As a matter of fact, I'm just putting

the finishing touches on my new novel.

I'd really be happy to send it over to you as soon as it's finished.

Leonard, I respect you too much to blow smoke.

I mean, this business

has turned into the film industry.

It's all about the name.

Literary novels are such a tough sell anyway.

It would be very hard to get anyone on board.Well--

To tell you the truth, most of the business we do

is celebrity confessions and self-help books.

All right. Well, I understand.

It's good to see you.

You, too, Charles.

Well, it was really nice meeting you.

Okay.All right. Take care.

Bye-bye.

A friend of yours?No.

Just another woman nearing 40

obsessed with her biological clock.

You know you have the same gift your mother had:

that ability to strike up a conversation

with complete strangers.

Yeah, except Mom made a career of it.

I'm just a blabbermouth.

You'd be a wonderful therapist yourself.

You used to talk about going back to school to become one.

Let's be honest, Dad. The time for going back to school has passed me by.

Oh, that's nonsense, Ariel.

You're so young and so full of potential.

Aw, it's a little late to be talking potential.

That grad student, Heather, now, she's young.

She has potential. What time is it?

It's 9:30. 9:30.

Oh, I gotta go see Victor.

Oh, Victor's back in the picture.

Well, that's good. I always liked Victor.

He's a very decent man. He's kind. He's hardworking.

Maybe you should marry him.

Well, if I were nearing 40

and anxious to start a family,

I probably would.

He's a good catch.

Every guy I've dated in the past five years

has been a good catch, right?

Every guy but Casey, hmm?

I make no apologies of my opinion of Casey.

I wish him a long and prosperous life,

so long as he prospers in Chicago.

And I'm sure you don't feel any differently.

No, I don't. Do you want to share a cab with me?

I have to go.You go ahead, darling.

I'm gonna stay and browse.

Okay. Bye, Dad.

Bye.

[heavy breathing]

[Man grunting]

God.

It must be so creepy being around drug dealers all day.

Your neck is a mass of knots.

The drug dealers are actually the nice guys.

They're always polite. They never tell me they're innocent.

Tell me something, Victor.

Why did you become a lawyer?

I was deeply in love with the majesty of the law.

Really?

Yeah, right. I was an English major.

What's an English major gonna do in the real world?

Nothing. So I went to law school.

[gasps] What's up?

Stay!

I'll make you French toast for breakfast.

No, I can't. I have a 7:30 in the morning.

I gotta get home.

[ring]

[Man] Yeah. Hello.

Hello.

Anybody there?

I'm so glad you called.

It was an unexpected surprise.

Please come in.

When you were writing Tenderness,

were you reading a lot of D. H. Lawrence?

A New York Jew imitates D.H. Lawrence at his own peril.

Oh, no, I didn't say you imitated him.

But you do remind me of him

in the way that you give your characters room to reject things.

Like in Tenderness,

you allow Ellen to walk away from her marriage

without ever portraying her as cruel.

She did what she needed to do.

Yes, that's what I mean--

that you give your characters freedom.

It's not mine to give.

What I give them is the freedom

to find their own way.

When you start a book,

do you have the story clearly in mind?

No. Never.

I wish I did.

I always start with a character.

Um, in Tenderness,

I had a picture of a woman being asked to leave a museum

because she had run her hand over one of the statues,

and I had no idea who she was

or why she was touching the statue.

I wrote the book to find out.

How do you find out?

You follow the characters around,

waiting for them to do something interesting.

Sometimes they do so right away.

Sometimes... [grunts]

I follow them around for months

only to find that they don't do anything interesting at all.

Is that what's taking you so long

to finish your current novel?

I think it would be in your interest to know

you've just hit upon the worst question

you could ask a writer.

The book is taking so long

because following one's characters around takes stamina.

I'm old, and I'm having trouble keeping up.

I noticed you've made several references to being old,

and I can't help but wonder if you're using your age

to mask a deeper conflict.

Miss Wolfe...

I agreed to assist you in your enterprise

because you strike me as a serious young woman.

However, this is our first interview,

and there is such a thing as decorum.

Point taken.

However, Professor Schiller, should you encounter

any shortcomings in my thesis, I hope you wouldn't allow me

to use my youth as a defense.

Okay, then.

Point taken.

Are you sure about this, Dad?

Won't this be a distraction from your book?

Not necessarily.

She seems like a very intelligent young woman.

Well, I'm sure she is, but you've always been so inflexible

about letting anything take you away from your work.

And you've argued convincingly

that a little deviation

may be exactly what I need.

Dad, I meant a few extra laps around the reservoir.

Well-- Careful.

I appreciate you looking after me, darling.

But don't worry. It's just a few interviews,

and off she goes.

Oh, by the way,

an old student of mine

is having a book release party on Saturday.

Would you like to come?

I can't. I have a date with Victor.

Oh, I'm glad you're keeping an open mind about him.

Well, Dad, seeing that I'm nearing the big 4-O,

I decided to make a bold move.

I'm gonna have a baby.

Oh, that's wonderful.

I'm so happy for you.

I must confess, I'm a bit surprised.

The last time we spoke,

you didn't seem very enthusiastic about Victor.

I'm not. He doesn't know about it.

It's a solo project.

What do you mean, a solo project?

Dad, let's face the facts.

I'm not getting any younger.

If I can't have a family,

I want to have a child before it's too late,

so I've stopped taking precautions with Victor,

and, you know, hopefully, the stars will line up for me.

Darling, I sympathize with your predicament,

but you're acting out of desperation,

not to mention the moral implications.

Here we go.It's dishonest

and a violation of Victor's trust in you.

You know, Dad, maybe the characters in your books

have the luxury of grappling with moral issues,

but I'm in the real world.

♪♪ [African drums]

In Tenderness, you portray the breakdown of Ellen and Ira's marriage

with such brutal honesty that it's tempting to assume

it's drawn from personal experience.

Miss Wolfe, the writer's words are his fingerprints.

The writer himself should be forgotten.

Right. But you'd agree that knowing what we do about Hemmingway's life

informs any serious discussion of his work.

Perhaps. But there's still no substitute

for two or three close readings

of The Sun Also Rises.

I've had many close readings of all of your novels,

and I still think that it might be illuminating

for us to spend a little of our time together

discussing the man behind the words.

I thought this was meant to be a critical analysis of my work,

not a magazine profile.

Well, I'm looking for the theme of my thesis, Professor.

And I think it's unfair of you

to accuse me of writing some puff piece

because I've asked you to discuss any biographical origins of your fiction.

Oh, my God.

Can't a writer draw from his life

without being accused of autobiography?

Do you at least concede that your first two novels

were more tied to you personally?

Now you're answering your own question.

If you'll excuse me for a minute.

[exhaling slowly]

I'm a little tired.

Why don't we make this your last question till next week, hmm?

Oh. Of course.

Ellen, in your first book,

is very similar to Beth in your second.

And those women were so ahead of their time

in how they refused to sacrifice their lives

for the sake of their husbands' happiness.

And then, no character resembling her

appears in the next two, so...what happened to her?

She died late one evening

on an icy stretch of the Taconic Parkway.

Right. But Ellen doesn't die. She moves to Paris and h--

I'm sorry.

That was insensitive of me.

Don't be sorry.

You had no way of knowing.

I...

I concede this, Miss Wolfe.

I have, in my writing,

occasionally drawn from my own life,

but only in the spirit of objectivity.

You know, I never told you

why your books are so important to me.

Oh?

Your novels set me free. [chuckles]

Growing up, you know,

I always felt like an alien.

I never really fit in anywhere,

especially not Cleveland Heights.

But I always found solace in writing and in books.

And then I had this English teacher

who encouraged me to apply

to this early-entrance program at Brown,

where they allow you to skip your last year of high school.

And, uh, I got in.

But I had this boyfriend who was brilliant.

He-- He was a brilliant writer and musician,

and at the prospect of my leaving,

he really started coming apart.

Uh, and I had all but made up my mind not to go.

So I did what I always do in times of great uncertainty.

I, uh-- I went to the books.

I went to the library, and--

and that's when I found you.

Oh.I found Tenderness,and...

I sat on the floor in the stacks,

and I read the whole book.

And by the time I finished and the library was closing around me,

I knew what I had to do.

You decided to go to Brown.

Yeah.

You gave me the courage to live my own life.

Freedom isn't the choice the world encourages.

You have to wear a suit of armor to defend it.

I, uh... You've-- You've always explained my life to me

more sympathetically than I could explain it to myself.

Well, I'm glad I could be of some small service.

What happened to the boyfriend?

Oh, he got over it.

Well, uh, have patience.

It's the slowest elevator on the Upper West Side.

Nice to have seen you.

[dialing]

[Electronic Voice] First unheard message.

[Schiller] Um, hello, Heather. This is Leonard Schiller.

This Saturday evening, I'll be attending a book release party.

If you think you might find the occasion of interest to you,

you're certainly welcome to join me.

Thank you and good-bye.

Mmm!

Oh, wait a second.

Why?

Wait a second.

Why?

What about your diaphragm?

Right.

[sigh]

♪♪ [Woman singing]

There's some heavy hitters here, Leonard.

You didn't tell me you moved in such lofty circles.

Well, I'm not out of circulation yet.

That's Robert Randolph. He wrote Time Out of Mind.

I've never heard of it.

Oh, it's one of my favorite books from last year.

You should read it. It's brilliant.Hmm?

That's a nice tie, by the way. Is that new?

No. No, I've had this for years.

Oh, my God.

Will you excuse me for a minute?

Hi. My name is Heather Wolfe,

and you rejected two of my book reviews.

Heather Wolfe.

I can't say I remember them.

I guess they weren't very good.

Oh, well, I just wanted to tell you

I loved your article last spring about Max's Kansas City.

It was the best piece in The Voicein years.

Thanks.

But I also thought you weren't saying

everything you knew about Lou Reed.

Maybe you were pulling your punches?

Uh... [chuckles]

maybe I do remember those reviews.

You're a graduate student somewhere, aren't you?

Yeah. At Brown.

Do you want to get a drink?

What is your Master's thesis about?

She asked in trepidation.

Oh, it's a critical biography of a great American novelist.

Who?Um, him.

[Woman] Who is he?

It's Leonard Schiller.

Tenderness.

The Lost City.

I know the name.

He was one of the New York intellectuals.

Bellow, Schwartz.

To be honest, I was never really interested in that crowd.

I imagined them as a bunch of white guys in suits

going to bed early.

It's bad luck to make love without knowing your fortune.

No, not that one. Try this one.

I have a good feeling about this one.

So what does your fortune say?

Okay. Uh...

maybe I moved too fast.

Uh, let's table the whole marriage thing.

We'll go back to the way things were.

I-I'm sorry. I can't.

Well, don't be sorry.

I just thought we were good together.

Victor, it's not you. It's-- It's me.

Oh, I hate it when people say that

because they're usually lying.

I know, but I'm not.

Don't leave.

I have to.

Two minutes ago, you couldn't take your hands off me.

[sigh]

Victor, I didn't put in my diaphragm.

Well, put it in now.

I didn't bring it with me.

I haven't brought it for weeks.

You've been trying to have my child,

but now that I want to marry you,

you don't want to have a child with me?

See, Victor?

It's not you. It really is me.

Sandra, I assumed I'd see you at the Vanity Fairbash.

I was just heading over.

Frederick, this is Heather Wolfe.

Hi. Pleasure to meet you.Hello.

You don't have to introduce Leonard Schiller.

He and his wife were dear friends of my parents.

Got your message, Professor.

Morally earnest as always.Well...

Frederick was kind enough

to offer me a job writing ad copy.

Just paragraphs about Central Park.

You didn't even have to mention American Express.

I'm old-fashioned enough to believe

that art and commerce are at war.

I think that's inspiring--

to be that pure about your art.

I don't see what's so pure about turning down paid work.

As if making a living means you're guilty of selling your soul?

I make my living writing

and, until recently, teaching literature.

That's my world, and I'm faithful to it.

Of course your magazine owes its existence to advertising revenue.

I suppose there's nothing wrong with that,

but it's just...

a compromise that I'm not willing to make.

But that advertising revenue

allows us to introduce new writing talent to the world.

I don't see the compromise in that.

Thank you for going out of your way.

Leonard, do you mind if I come up?

I have to use the little girls' room.

[sigh]Oh.

Well, then.

But you haven't fed me yet.

Oh, I thought you ate at the party.

A chunk of cheese on a cracker?

That will hardly do.

You look sad tonight.

The Knight of the Mournful Countenance.

Honestly, I can't stop thinking about my daughter.

She seems forever adrift,

and I can't help but blame myself.

Her mother died when Ariel was still in her teens,

and I'm afraid I didn't do very well after that.

I kept concerning myself

with the perfection of my work,

and I reduced her to begging for my time and attention.

You're very hard on yourself.

Sorry.

Ohh.

I'm sorry for getting honey on you.

You'll excuse me.

I'm sorry, but...

I think it's time for you to go.

Oh, dear.

Did I do something wrong?

No. You've been very kind to me.

It's just...

that I'm too old.

Please, I'm not being kind.

If you want me to go, I'll go,

but...I'm not expecting anything from you.

Can we lie down?

We don't have to do anything.

I just want to be next to you.

[breathes heavily]

[door opens, closes]

Hello, Daddy.

I should've called.

I'll call you tomorrow.

[running footsteps]

[door opens, closes]

If we get into an accident and die, I won't be able to tip you.

Fuck. Fuck. My purse. My purse.

Fu-- Okay, excuse me.

Okay, I don't have my purse. I-- I'm s--

I forgot my purse. I don't have any money on me.

I'm sorry. I have no money.

If you don't have money, I cannot drive you anywhere.

Good luck to you, miss.

I hope you locate your purse.

[phone rings]

[Man] Hello.

Hello. Hello.

Ariel?

How did you know it was me?

[chuckles]

I know your silence. Where are you?

29th and 7th.

Nick's? Nick's.

I'll see you in 20 minutes.

[sigh]

I thought you were in California.

I thought you were in Chicago.

I just moved back.

Folks eating?

No, just coffee.Okay.

Hey, I haven't seen you kids in years.

I thought you left us for another diner.

No, we didn't go find another diner.

We just moved out of the neighborhood, Nick.

Well, it's good to have you back. Coffee's on me.

So...

uh...

What's new?

I joined the glee club.

When? Just now.

Oh. Hello.

Um, coffee's ready.

I could make you something to eat.

Oh, no, thanks. I never eat breakfast.

Oh, I love Narayan.

You've read him?

Oh, my God, yes.

He reminds me of Chekhov.

Not as tough-minded, but more of a sense of humor.

What?

Nothing.

It's just nice to meet a young person

who wants to talk about R.K. Narayan

at 7:00 in the morning.

I always thought that people would still be reading him

in a hundred years.

Do you think people will still be reading you in a hundred years?

What I wonder is whether people

will still be reading in a hundred years.

But really, don't you ever think about it?

If I do, it would be unseemly to talk about.

It's got nothing to do

with what the whole enterprise is about.

What is the whole enterprise about?

It-- It's not something I can put into words.

Not at 7:00 in the morning.

To put it bluntly, Leonard,

your novels are out of print,

and you're not sure if anyone will publish

the one that you're working on now.

So why do you keep going?

Heather, what can I say?

Whatever I say will either be too much or too little.

Yes, but when I'm summing up my thesis,

what should I say it is that keeps you going?

Just say it's the madness of art.

The madness of art.

Hello, Davis.[chuckles]

Stop glowing at me, Schiller.

Am I glowing?

Mm-hmm. Kept me up half the night with your glowing.

If he had money, I'd think she was scheming to get in his will,

but Dad doesn't have money.

Well, maybe she thinks he has money.

Oh! How could she get naked with him?

She's, like, 25. It's against nature.

Wow. Let your father have some fun.

What are you doing defending him?

I'm not defending him.

I'm just saying, you know, be glad he's happy.

I want him to be happy.

If she was a nice old librarian, I'd be delighted.

What's going on?

I know that look.

Ariel, before we get too far in again,

I-I-I feel I should let you know that

I haven't changed my position on having children.

Really?Yeah.

I thought I should let you know that right away

so there are no misunderstandings later.

That's fair.

I would rather walk away right now

than risk the kind of pain we went through last time.

So there are no misunderstandings later,

I haven't changed my position, either.

Yeah.

But don't worry. I--

I'm just gonna toy with you for a couple of months,

then leave you by the wayside begging for more.

Mmm. But until then,

let's just keep things like they are right now--

hot and light.

Okay. Okay?

Thank you.Okay, Tina.

Take care. Take care.Thank you.

Okay. Bye.

They adore you.[chuckles]

I can see it on their faces. You inspire them.

Well, that's because I taught them how to breathe.

It's amazing what a little oxygen will do.

I left the keys in the side pocket.

Okay. Good.

About last night, Heather wasn't feeling well,

so I just let her sleep in the guestroom.

That's what I figured. Give me five minutes to freshen up, okay?

Great. Hi, Chelsea. Hey, that's my dad.

It's nice to meet you.Hello.

Okay, Dad, let's have it out.

Ariel...

this is a man who doesn't want what you want,

and he proved it beyond a doubt five years ago.

Dad, that was a decision Casey and I made together.

No, that was a decision Casey made.

If your opinion had mattered,

you'd have a 5-year-old child by now.

Ah! That is a terrible thing to say!

The man left you when you needed him most.

Dad, it's not that simple.

And now he has the gall to waltz back into your life

and waste more of your valuable time.

I called him.

People don't change, Ariel.

Well, maybe not. We'll just have to see.

I was happy last night. Doesn't that count for something?

No! No, it doesn't.

Not when it leaves you so depressed

you can't get out of bed for a whole year.

That's not gonna happen again. I'm older now.

Yes. That's what worries me.

[Woman] "To sit across the table

"and talk with someone you love

"is itself a complex engagement.

"To go to bed with someone,

"to carry your conversation into the realm of the body--

"a realm of insecurity and vulnerability

"and fear as well as pleasure--

"was always fraught with the sad evidence

"of how difficult it is to understand another person

and make yourself understood."

Thank you for inviting me.

She's a wonderful writer.

Yes, she is.

The excerpt she read was very nicely observed, I thought.

Lucky break for me Ariel couldn't make it.

No. To be honest,

I was surprised you were available.

Really. I assumed you'd be out

with a gentleman friend on a Friday evening.

I am out with a gentleman friend on a Friday evening.

To tell you the truth, Leonard,

I find very few men my age interesting.

They're like chewing gum.

Ten minutes of flavor followed by bland repetition.

Oh, surely it can't be that bleak.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love a good time

as much as the next girl, but I have too much to do.

You know, I want to be bold.

I want to be like Joan Didion,

Joni Mitchell, Joan of Arc.

I guess I have the under-30 disease.

Well, I understand.

I was your age when I started my first novel.

And three years later, when I finished it,

I was a very different man.

What do you mean your first novel?

I wrote two unpublished novels when I was in my 20s.

I would love to read them.

I'm afraid that's impossible.

Why? You destroyed them?

I had to in order to keep writing.

And if I hadn't,

I might not have written Tenderness,

and we wouldn't be here right now.

And where are we, Leonard?

Well, it's-- it's getting late.

I think maybe we should pick this up next time.

Okay.

[chuckles]

Where are you?

[typing]

I'm leaving, Dad.

Soup's on the stove. Let it simmer for an hour.

Thank you, dear. See you tonight.

Love you.Love you, too.

Hi, Miss Wolfe. Why don't you head on up?

Thanks, Jeff.

Hey, Ariel.Hey, Heather.

I don't think Dad's expecting you. He's working right now.

I know. We got a lot of ground to cover. I gotta crack that whip.

He's very strict about his writing hours.

Well, maybe a little shakeup in the routine

is just what Leonard needs.

Hey, by the way, Happy Birthday.

Oh, thank you. How did you know it was my birthday?

Of course I know it's your birthday.

Hi, Leonard. I know it's not a work day,

but last night I came across something

that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote.

It really got me thinking.

Can't it wait till Monday?

I really must get back to work.

He said that most good writers line themselves up

along a solid gold bar.

Heather, these are my writing hours. You must respect them.

I'm sorry.

I guess it'll have to wait.

[sigh] Now that you're here,

if you have work to do,

you're welcome to the living room.

Well, since you're here,

I suppose we should get our work in now.

What's all this about F. Scott Fitzgerald's solid gold bar?

Okay. He says that most great writers

have an essential theme that runs through their best work,

like Hemmingway's courage

or Dostoyevsky's spiritual violence.

I trust you resisted any impulse to place me in their company.

Well, I do say that you breathe the same moral air,

especially in your first two novels

when you adhere closely to your solid gold bar.

Ah, yes, personal liberation

in the works of Leonard Schiller.

Don't misunderstand me.

The last two novels are brilliant,

but I sense a stylistic change

where you're writing less nakedly,

less personally.

Well, I did attempt to work

on a larger social canvas in The Lost City.

But in my estimation, it's my most passionate novel.

It's true, my work did change after Stella died,

but I suppose my life as a source of inspiration

began to interest me less.

You must've loved her deeply.

My wife was not a bounded entity.

She made me feel that I existed in her

as much as I existed in my own body.

You never experienced that again

after you lost her?

No.

No, I suppose not.

But then I wouldn't be a writer, would I,

if I weren't...

blinded by optimism.

[Ariel]Oh![Casey] Wow.

[Leonard] I always loved this photograph of you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Dinner'll be ready in a sec, okay?Mm-hmm.

So Ariel tells me

you are about to launch your own magazine.

Yeah, yeah. I've always wanted to provide a forum

where, um, people on the left could argue.

It just remains to be seen

if anyone's up for a good fight.

I was involved with a magazine for a while back in the '60s.

A literary journal to be published and edited

by eight young writers.

No kidding. Anything become of it?

No. There's something about collaboration

that brings out the worst in writers.

Hmm.

Well, there's only four of us, so, uh,

I guess we'll have fewer opportunities to disagree.

Well, it takes a capacity for compromise, doesn't it?

As in any worthwhile endeavor, be it a magazine

or a literary journal or a family,

one has to be willing to...

surrender, occasionally,

one's beliefs for the greater good.

Ariel tells me you've got a young biographer

doing a study of your work.

How's that going?Oh, marvelous.

Suddenly the literary world

is abuzz with curiosity about my every move.

Hmm.

Well, you-- you deserve it, Leonard.

I mean, if anyone knows

the meaning of the word compromise.

Ariel has often told me

how you locked yourself away in your writing room,

cutting yourself off from the rest of the world.

I'm-- I'm really glad you're finally gonna get your due.

Case, can you give me a hand?

Yeah, yeah. I'm coming.

Excuse me, Leonard.

Duty calls.

What can I get you?

♪♪ [rock]

I'm done with the first part about his first two books.

And that came easily, because I love them.

But I'm having the hardest time

writing about the last two.

I just don't get them.

You don't get them, or you don't like them?

I guess I took it for granted that I would grow to like them.

But-- But they never catch fire.

They're too neutral, they're too careful.

The books I love, they valued a certain kind of recklessness.

At first, I was in awe

of that single-minded devotion to his art,

and now I suspect it's drained the life out of his work.

Two great novels is nothing to sneeze at.

I thought my thesis was going to be about

one of America's great unacknowledged writers,

not one that was written out

by the time he was 45 years old.

To-- To be a writer, sometimes you have to hurt people's feelings,

sometimes you have to be a bastard.

You'll be speaking with conviction.

When you speak with conviction, people notice.

[sigh]

But he's had enough disappointment.

I mean, I don't even think he's gotten over losing his wife.

I hate to tell tales out of school,

but from what I hear,

it's a little more complicated than that.

What do you mean?

Well, when I was heading down

to the Vanity Fairparty with Frederick,

he told me a few things about your friend Leonard.

It's good.

Did you see the newspaper this morning, Ariel?

No, I didn't get a chance.

Well, here's a--

there's a story here-- ahem--

of a comet that will be visible

probably within the next few months.

Russel's Comet.

It comes close to the Earth every 45 years.

I saw it with your mother.

And, um, I think you should see it,

and then you can tell your children about it.

And when it comes around in another 45 years,

they can see it for themselves.

My children. That's nice.

Maybe I will just have a couple.

If you'll allow me, I'd like to, uh,

make a toast to Ariel, our birthday girl.

Ariel, back when we first met,

and we shared those years of our lives together,

I always felt like

I was the luckiest guy in New York City.

And now, five years later,

for us to find each other again,

well, I know I am.

The way you encouraged me to go after my dreams

and take chances with my life,

even if those chances run contrary to your dreams,

is a quality that,

well, you know,

it comes around as often as Russel's Comet.

So, um...

so I raise my glass to you

on your 40th birthday,

uh, in the hope that I--

I give you some measure of what I know you give me.

You do.

Good evening, Jeff.Hi, Professor.

Miss Wolfe is here to see you.

I told her you were out, but she wanted to wait.

Thank you, Jeff.

Leonard, I want to read your book.

What's this all about?

I know you have a strict rule

against letting anyone see your work

before it's completed,

but I want you to break it for me.

That's out of the question.Why?

Because I am not ready to show it.

But that's precisely why you should let me read it.

Take a chance. Maybe it'll free you to finish it.

I'll finish it by sitting in front of my typewriter

first thing in the morning.

So if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get to bed.

Ohh, I thought you would make an exception for me.

You'll have to make do with my published novels.

Good night, Heather.

I'm sorry. It's not good enough, Leonard.

What are you not getting, Heather?

What's the problem?

[sigh]

We had an understanding, Leonard,

that if I was to do justice to your work,

you would share with me the events that shaped it.

That's precisely what I've done--

talk with you openly about my life and my work.

With one glaring omission.

What in God's name are you talking about?

Your marriage.

Oh.

So you've done some investigative work

and uncovered details about my personal life?

You've been dishonest with me,

and it makes me wonder if you're honest with yourself.

I told you from day one, I would not indulge in gossip.

Oh, but you had no problem feeding me a myth

about a marriage that was some work of art.

It was a work of art, and like many works of art, it was imperfect.

Your wife left you for another man!

One year before my wife died,

we went through some troubled times, yes.

What does that tell you about my work?

That life betrayed you,

and you went into hiding,

and you took your characters with you.

So they began guarding their lives.

They stopped giving in to temptation.

No, Miss Wolfe!

They learned the cost

of living only for themselves,

and I became aware

of problems far greater than my own.

And you insult my writing by trying to define it

by a single unhappy event from my past.

If I had known you were gonna subject my work

to such simplistic, psychological criticism,

I never would've wasted my time with you in the first place!

You don't have to insult me, Leonard.

You insult me.

You insult me...

by insinuating that I should write the same book

over and over again.

[mutters]

[exhales forcefully]

I'm sorry I kept you up.

I should really get going.

Heather,

if you'd like to... stay here

and not drive all the way back to Hoboken at this late hour,

I understand.

You're welcome to the guestroom.

[knocking on door]

Come in.

Would you like me to wake you

at any particular time?

No.

I'm always up by 7.

Well, uh...

I'll say good night, then.

[phone rings]

[Heather] Hi. Please leave a message here for Heather Wolfe.

[beeps]

Hi, Heather. This is Leonard.

I just wanted to wish you well as you finish your thesis.

There's no need to call back.

I'll see you next Friday as planned. Bye.

Hi. I'm sorry I'm late.

The car died. I had to take the train.

Oh, that's perfectly all right.

Is this it?

Yes.My.

But it's only a first draft,

and I hope you bear that in mind.

Don't say a word.

How we doing tonight?

Oh, we're doing just fine tonight.A drink to start?

Yes, I--Yeah. What do you have on tap?

Amstel, Bud, Bass, Harp, Dos Equis, Rolling Rock...

I'll have a Dos Equis.

Good choice.

For you, sir?

I'll have a glass of the house white.

I won't be a minute.

Um...

There's something I'd like to give you.

This is the key to my apartment.

I thought since you spend so much time in the city,

if there are some nights

that you don't want to go all the way back to Hoboken,

you could stay in the guestroom.

Or if you need somewhere to read in the afternoons.

Here.

I just want you to know that...

there is a place that you can come

without having to explain yourself.

Thank you.

This is an honor.

Oh.

Well.

Here's to the completion of many months of hard work.

Oh, I should remind you it's just a draft,

and I plan on doing a lot more work on it.

Don't worry so much.

If you really want to continue with literary criticism,

I could lend you some books by the great critics of my era.

I appreciate that.

I doubt that they're taught in academies anymore,

but that's really all to their credit

because they weren't theorists, they were readers.

I would like to continue with criticism.

It'd be a good excuse to read the books I love over and over again.

[breathing heavily]

Heather, I'd like to sit down for just one minute.

Are you all right?

How can I help you?

It's all right. It's just a little bit of heartburn.

[chuckles]

There. It's passed. So let's continue, huh?

Let me get a cab.No, I'm fine.

I'm really fine. I'd love to walk.

It's such a lovely evening.

Hmm?Okay.

Yeah.

[sigh]

It is.

Now let's see.

Ah, yes. Trilling,

Howe...

and, oh,

especially Edmund Wilson.

Take your time with them.

That's very generous of you.

Thank you for a lovely evening.

Oh, I enjoyed myself, too.

[door closes]

Hey, hopper.Hey, flapper.

What are you reading?

It's your dad's last novel, The Lost City.

I really like this book.

It's stronger than his first one.

That was so soft and sentimental.

Soft and sentimental? My father?

Yeah, yeah. You know, it was one of those relationship books.

Two couples and all their problems

and all of that, yadda, yadda, yadda.

This one's great. It's about something. It's got guts.

What you got there?

I have a course guide in a Master's program

in expressive arts therapy.

What? [chuckles]

Expressive--

What is expressive arts therapy?

It uses movement and dance to work through your issues.

And who exactly would benefit from that kind of treatment?

Oh, I don't know.

I mean, someone who might have difficulty

tapping into his soft and sentimental side.

I don't know.

[Leonard] I can't say your study filled me with elation,

but I appreciate your honesty,

your kind remarks about the first two books

and, especially, the seriousness

with which you thought about my work.

I'm grateful that you looked

for a common thread in my work,

although I do wonder

whether it was precisely your conclusion

that my true theme is freedom

that left you unable to appreciate my two later books,

especiallyThe Lost City.

But I suppose it's not for me to say.

A writer isn't the best judge of his own work.

I once knew a literary critic who,

when asked to characterize his critical methods,

said that he simply tried

to read the hell out of a book.

"You've certainly read the hell out of mine,

"and that's all a writer can ask.

"Yours, Leonard.

"And P.S., your prose is good,

"but here and there, it could be more direct.

I made a few suggestions on the manuscript."

And then he went ahead

and gave me a complete line edit,

strengthened all of my arguments.

And the amazing thing is

he made it much more clearly critical of his own work.

That's great. You must-- You must be thrilled.

I should be, shouldn't I?

How's the writing going?

It's not too bad, I suppose.

I haven't seen your friend Heather around in a while.

Where has she been?

Couldn't say. Her work is done.

Did she finish that book? Or whatever it was?

Master's thesis. Wasn't very good.

Kind of half-baked, really.

Mmm. I'm not surprised.

Hey, Dad, The Young Girls of Rochefort

is playing at Cinema Village tonight.

Do you want to join me and Casey?

I don't think so. Not tonight.

It's a new print.No, I really don't feel up to it.

Oh, come on. You love that movie.

What do you mean, you're not surprised?

Excuse me?

Why are you not surprised?

She graduated from an Ivy League school.

Do you have any idea how much hard work

and how much discipline that takes?

What basis do you have for denigrating her work?

Hey, you're the one that said it was half-baked.

She's been published in a major literary journal.

I didn't mean anything by it. I-- I just-- She--

She just didn't impress me as being deep enough

to write about your work.

I thought she'd be wasting your valuable time.

Wasting valuable time?

There's a subject you're well-schooled in.

Oh, well, what's that supposed to mean, huh?

Are you talking about Casey, Dad?

Because you don't know

what goes on between Casey and me!

You don't know the first thing about our relationship!

I know enough. I was there for his birthday toast to you.

Apparently I'm the only one who heard it.

I heard it. He said that he's lucky to find me again.

He said that you give him everything,

and you ask for so little in return.

Of course he feels lucky!

How can you accept such a condition?

A man who says you're secondary to his dreams,

and you always will be!

I don't know, Dad. How did Mom do it?

[door closes]

Oh, come on, Casey.

You look like you're going to the dentist.

Keep an open mind. You might even enjoy it.

Yeah. Two hours of French people

singing and dancing for no apparent reason.

I think the world would be a better place

if everybody sang and danced for no apparent reason.

Just remember your part of the deal, all right?

This week, we see the-- the-- this.

Next week, Battle of Algiers.

You know, Case, go see The Battle of Algiers.

No, no, no. A deal's a deal. Um...

Go ahead. Go see the movie you want.

Really? You don't mind?

What's the difference? I mean, we're both sitting in the dark anyway.

Right?Yeah.

Okay. Well, uh, yeah.

You see the movie you want to see,

I'll see what I want to see,

and we can discuss them over dinner. Okay.

One for Algiers

and one for Rochefort, please.

And how are you today, Miss Wolfe?

All right, Jeff. Thanks. Is the professor home?

He took a walk this morning, but he's been back for hours.

That's weird. I just called him a few minutes ago,

and there was no answer. [ring]

Maybe he's taking a nap.

No, he never naps in the late afternoon

because it keeps him up at night.

[ring]

He's not picking up.

[door buzzer buzzes]

[knocking on door]

[lock unlocks]

Leonard!

Oh, Leonard! Are you okay?

Let me help you up, Professor.

[Leonard grunting]

There you go.

Oh! [panting]

How is he?Oh, I don't know.

What did they say? What happened?

They said they can't be sure,

but they-- they think it might be a stroke.

I'll be right back, Case.

[sigh]

Hi. I'm Heather Wolfe, a friend of Leonard's.

Casey Davis. I've heard a lot about you.

You're writing that book about him.

Oh, it's only a thesis.

I've just been reading The Lost City.

It's brilliant.

Yes, it is.

Okay, the doctor's gonna be out soon.

It might not be a stroke. It might be stress.

He has been under a lot of stress lately.

I know he's had a hard time finishing his book.

If I fall apart, will you take care of me?

I will if you do, but you won't.

All right? Hmm?

I can accept he's gonna die.

I just can't accept he's gonna be dead forever.

Oh.

Hey, he's gonna be all right.

Are you the doctor?

Yes.I'm Ariel Schiller.

This is Casey.Nice to meet you.

First, let me tell you that your father is resting comfortably.

His vital signs are stable, but it does appear

that he suffered a fairly large stroke.

Now, he hasn't caused any further damage to his heart,

which is encouraging,

but he's still not responsive.

It'll be 24 hours or so

before we really know where we are.

Can I see him?Yes, of course.

Now, he may not know you're there,

but you can go ahead and talk to him just the same.

I want to see him.He's in ICU right now.

They're finishing up. I can take you over there.

Is this what you mean by shaking things up?

Is this what you had in mind?

[sniffles]

[whispers] Dad.

Dad?

[sniffles]

[sigh]

[sobbing]

What?

Diaphragm.

I can't do it, Casey.

Can't do what?

I can't do hot and light.

Hey, I never called it hot and light. That's your term.

Oh, yeah. What do you call it?

Love. That's what I call it.

Right. With one condition.

And I can't live with it. I never could.

I thought that was behind us.

You know, what can I say, Case?

I have a bad habit

of silencing myself with you.

I barely survived it the last time.

That doesn't say much for me

if I get in line for more of the same, does it?

Ariel, Ariel, why-- why go back there, huh?

I mean, we talked it all through.

No, we didn't talk it through!

You defended yourself, and I got over it.

You asked me to leave. Remember? I wanted to stay.

Oh, lose the child, and then go on as if nothing happened?

Come on. How long would that have lasted?

Let's be honest, Casey.

It may not be my fate to have children.

I can live with that,

but I just can't live without possibility.

And you're a closed man, Casey.

There's just not enough air in your world.

Can we sleep on it?

What is there to sleep on?

Ariel, I'm not leaving you alone.

Not tonight.

Not with Leonard in the state he's in.

That's exactly why you have to leave.

If anything happens to my father,

I'll never be this strong again.

[door closes]

Hey, I set you up in the kitchen.

Just get a cup of tea or-- or just...

Can I get you a cup of tea? Water?No. No, thank you.

Here, Dad. Do you want me to--Oh, no.

...get it?

[grunts]

Dad, I'm gonna leave your walker by the door.

A walker?

My goodness.

[typing slowly]

Shouldn't you be resting?

Are you-- Are you sure you should be working so soon?

I'm running out of time, dear.

I have to finish.

[typing]

My daughter.

[door buzzer buzzes]

Hi, Heather.

Glad you could stop by.

Well, I meant to come by sooner.

Your visits have always meant a lot to him.

Thank you. How's he feeling?

He's-- He gets tired after about a half an hour,

but he's-- he's a lot better than he was a month ago.

Let me put these in a vase.

Heather.

Daddy, see the nice flowers Heather got for you.

Lovely.

Your snack's ready. I'll be back in about an hour, okay?

Mm-hmm.I love you.

Bye, Heather.

How are you?

Hanging on.

Ariel tells me you're writing again.

I sit...

and look for the typewriter keys.

Sometimes I find them.

Well, I'm glad you're working again.

I'm glad you're gonna finish your book.

I was reading about how Rosellen Brown, um...

she got all her old books back in print

after she hit it big with Before and After.

I really think that could happen for you.

I think it's really wonderful that you're going on.

And I have a good feeling about this new book.

I think it's gonna be your best.

I didn't deserve that.

I'm sorry everything got so fucked up.

You gave an old man some excitement.

It's been good knowing you.

I got the best of the bargain.

[exhales deeply]

[sniffle]

[keys jingling]

Excuse me. I'm sorry. Uh, I got-- I got lost.

Is this the right room for Advanced Booty Ballet?

[chuckle]

No, Advanced Booty Ballet is across the hall.

This is Pilates.

See, I gotta do something about this big old caboose of mine.

Okay, well, in that case, how about a cup of coffee?

No, I can't. I have-- I have class in 15 minutes.

But what about after class?

Uh, I can't. I have school tonight.

School? Oh, wow. You got into that, uh,

expressive arts therapy program.

Well, there's a cause for celebration.

That's it. I'll take you out to dinner straight after school.

No, that's not a good idea, Case.

I'd have to disagree with you, Schiller.

Um, look, I've been doing a lot of thinking,

and I'm seeing things more clearly.

People don't change.

Not that fast, Casey.

Look, I know my reputation precedes me,

but...I'm ready, Ariel.

I'm-- I'm ready to make some-- some big changes.

It's not gonna hold.

You just miss the comfort of us being together.

That's not change. That's fear of change.

Come on, Ariel. Come on.

Huh? You're selling me short here.

Case, we're not a good match.

It kills me to let you go, but I am.

I'm letting you go.

Um...

Oh, Ariel. There you are.

Please tell me you're free to cover my 3:00 tomorrow.

Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. I can cover it.

Oh, you're a lifesaver! I cracked a crown.

It's the only time my dentist can fit me in this week.

No, no, I can't.

I've got to take my father to the doctor tomorrow.

I can't. Did you-- Did you ask Brenda?

[Chelsea] She has a private. And Ruthie's out of town.

I'll do it.

You can't teach Yoga. Um...

No, I mean I'll take your dad to his doctor's appointment.

Really?

Yeah. Why not?

Okay. I guess you're covered.

Thank you, kind stranger.

You've earned many Karma points.

Case, this doesn't change anything.

Yeah, well, I'm just helping out.

Nothing more than that.

Thank you.

So how'd it go?

Don't grow old.

That's my advice.

[grunts]

Oh, dear.

Hey, is something wrong?

My stomach.

Oh.

[exhales forcefully]

My body's not my own.

It's time to die.

Uh, no, it's not time to die, Leonard.

It's just time to get you to a restroom.

Give me your hand.

Come on.

I'm sorry to have to put you through this.

Don't mention it.Thank you.

I don't want to make a scene.

Don't worry about it, all right?

I got you. I got you.

Can I help you?We're fine.

Restroom's for customers only.

All right. We're customers.

Stand up on three. Okay, Leonard?

One, two, three.[groans]

That's it. That's it.[groaning]

That's it. Yeah.

All right.

Stepping out. Huh?

That's it. Lean on me.

All right.

[Leonard] Thank you.

That seems to be all I'm able to say to you today.

Let that thank you stand for all the others.

All right.

I wonder if I might be so bold as to ask another favor of you.

Uh, what can I do for you?

Perhaps you might be able to find a place to store these for me.

What is it?

Something I've been working on.

Leonard, this is your novel.

You've been working on this for 10 years.

Yes, precisely.

And I've only recently come to realize

why it's eluded me for so long.

Why is that?

My characters haven't done anything interesting.

I followed them faithfully for over a decade,

but I finally have to admit they never will.

Well, why not put it in your closet

and spend some time away from them?

You may be inspired to figure out what to do.

I already know what to do.

But that would mean starting over,

and I'm not so sure I have the strength.

I understand, but...all the same, I--

I can't imagine Leonard Schiller

not working on a novel.

So what are you going to do now, my friend?

[yawns] Right now

I'm gonna go home and sleep

for maybe a hundred years.

Thank you, Casey.

[sigh] Oh.

[chuckles, groans]

You're glowing at me again.

What?

I just talked to my dad.

And?

Let's just say you have a fan in Leonard Schiller.

Yeah? What'd he say?

He said you held his hand in hell.

Nah, not hell. It wasn't hell.

Hell's Kitchen, maybe, but...

Wait a second. How'd you get in here?

Just 'cause I let you go

doesn't mean I had to turn my key in.

Well, I had to turn in mine.

That hardly seems fair.

What's fair got to do with it?

[grunts]

[typing]

[typing continues]

Closed-Captioned By J.R. Media Services, Inc. Burbank, CA