Pleasantville Page #4

CUT TO:

EXT. WAGNER HOUSE. DUSK.

lt is a south-westem version of "Leave it to Beaver." The

uniformity of Suburbia has been washed in earth tones. There

is a red tile roof gracing every home. All the houses have

the same anemic palm tree. It's a urban planner's version of

hell.

JENNIFER (VO)

... I know, I know--He's just like so

FINE ... I'm still like: "Omigod."

INT. WAGNER HOME.

lt is just as sleek and impersonal as before. Maybe more so

at night. Jennifer crosses through the living room with the

cordless phone attached to her ear.

JENNIFER:

It was amazing, Daph ... I'm like:

"Well my Mom'll be out of town." And

he's like "Well then, maybe we could--

you know ..." And I'm like "Yeah, sure."

And he's like "Well, cool."

(beat)

I know, he's just so smart.

(pause ...)

I don't know. Maybe that black thing I

just got.

(pause ...)

It is not slutty, Daph, it's cute.

(pause ... )

Well, "hello?" He's not coming over

here to study ...

(beat)

I know. Well I'm jealous of you too

sometimes.

INT. DAVID'S BEDROOM.

lt is studious and academic--not joyless, but not colorful

either. David stands at his bedroom window, staring outside

with a cordless phone in his hand.

DAVID:

... He's not homeless Howard, they just

don't say where he lives.

(pause ...)

Well it's a silly question.

(pause ...)

Because nobody's homeless in

Pleasantville.

REVERSE ANGLE. HIS POV.

His mother loads the final Louis Vuitton bag into her

Mercedes.

DAVID:

... because that's just not what it's

like.

She fires up the car and pulls out of the driveway...

DAVID (CONT)

Listen Howard--it's almost six-thirty.

I gotta go.

INT. WAGNER LIVING ROOM.

The huge black TV sits like a monolith in the middle of the

room. All at once David comes bounding down the stairs making

a B-Iine for the couch. Jennifer enters just as quickly from

the other direction, fiddling with her clothes.

DIFFERENT ANGLE.

They hit the coffee table and reach for the remote control at

exactly the same moment. Both of them freeze then look up at

each other in shock.

JENNIFER:

(stunned)

What are you doing?

DAVID:

What are you doing?

Neither one moves. They clutch the remote together.

JENNIFER:

David, cut it out. Mark Davis is gonna

like be here in five minutes.

DAVID:

Well great. The Pleasantville Marathon

starts at six thirty.

JENNIFER:

Pleasantville Marathon?

DAVID:

(almost reverently)

Yeah. Every episode ever.

JENNIFER:

(getting hysterical)

Omigod, I don't be-lieeeeve this! He's

gonna like beeeee here!

DAVID:

Weil great. You can watch TV upstairs.

JENNIFER:

Upstairs! Up-staiiirs! There isn't any

STEREO!

Jennifer gets panicked and yanks at the remote. David yanks

back and before they know it, the remote goes flying out of

their hands, CRASHING onto the hardwood floor. lt smashes

into a million tiny pieces.

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