American Beauty Page #3

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CAROLYN:

--there is no decision, you just

write the damn thing!

LESTER:

You don't think it's weird and kinda

fascist?

CAROLYN:

Possibly. But you don't want to be

unemployed.

LESTER:

Oh, well, let's just all sell our

souls and work for Satan, because

it's more convenient that way.

CAROLYN:

Could you be just a little bit more

dramatic, please, huh?

As they get out of the car, Carolyn scopes out the MOVERS

next door.

CAROLYN:

So we've finally got new neighbors.

You know, if the Lomans had let me

represent them, instead of--

(heavy disdain)

--"The Real Estate King," that house

would never have sat on the market

for six months.

She heads into the house, followed by Lester.

LESTER:

Well, they were still mad at you for

cutting down their sycamore.

CAROLYN:

Their sycamore? C'mon! A substantial

portion of the root structure was on

our property. You know that. How can

you call it their sycamore? I wouldn't

have the heart to just cut down

something if it wasn't partially

mine, which of course it was.

INT. BURNHAM HOUSE - DINING ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT

We HEAR EASY-LISTENING MUSIC.

Lester, Carolyn and Jane are eating dinner by CANDLELIGHT.

RED ROSES are bunched in a vase at the center of the table.

Nobody makes eye contact, or even seems aware of anybody

else's presence, until...

JANE:

Mom, do we always have to listen to

this elevator music?

CAROLYN:

(considers)

No. No, we don't. As soon as you've

prepared a nutritious yet savory

meal that I'm about to eat, you can

listen to whatever you like.

A long beat. Lester suddenly turns to Jane.

LESTER:

So Janie, how was school?

JANE:

(suspicious)

It was okay.

LESTER:

Just okay?

JANE:

No, Dad. It was spec-tac-ular.

A beat.

LESTER:

Well, you want to know how things

went at my job today?

Now she looks at him as if he's lost his mind.

LESTER:

They've hired this efficiency expert,

this really friendly guy named Brad,

how perfect is that? And he's

basically there to make it seem like

they're justified in firing somebody,

because they couldn't just come right

out and say that, could they? No,

no, that would be too... honest. And

so they've asked us--

(off her look)

--you couldn't possibly care any

less, could you?

Carolyn is watching this closely.

JANE:

(uncomfortable)

Well, what do you expect? You can't

all of a sudden be my best friend,

just because you had a bad day.

She gets up and heads toward the kitchen.

JANE:

I mean, hello. You've barely even

spoken to me for months.

She's gone. Lester notices Carolyn looking at him critically.

LESTER:

Oh, what, you're mother-of-the-year?

You treat her like an employee.

CAROLYN:

(taken aback)

What?!

Lester is quiet, staring at his plate.

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