A Family Thing Page #3

Synopsis: Earl Pilcher, Jr., runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a black woman who died in childbirth. Plus, he has a half-brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Richard Pearce
Production: MGM Home Entertainment
  3 wins & 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.0
Metacritic:
71
Rotten Tomatoes:
73%
PG-13
Year:
1996
109 min
482 Views


In front of your nose.

Earl, what on earth

are you doing?

I told you, I'm taking

a couple days off.

I ain't had a vacation

or been anywhere

since that cousin of yours

married that chiropractor

over there in Shreveport.

Here.

Gimme these.

You're gonna wrinkle 'em.

Where are you going?

Well, I don't know exactly.

I'm gonna take my

fishing pole with me,

and maybe I'll do some

fishing somewhere.

What about the shop?

Sonny will take care.

Earl...

This is about your mama, isn't it?

Yeah, Ruby, I guess it is.

It's about mama, yeah.

Sorry.

Chicago, yeah.

Do you have a listing for

a Raymond Murdock?

It might be listed under

Raymond Lee.

No, ma'am, I don't have a street.

Well, how many Raymonds

are there?

Hell, sh*t, give me all of them.

Well, I'm sorry to bother you.

Thank you, sir.

Uh, yes, sir, is this Raymond Murdock?

Well, now, are you

the Raymond Murdock

on the police force?

You're not.

How you doin' today?

Doin' all right.

Can I help you?

Where's the main police

station at around here?

There's a bunch of main police

stations. Which one you looking for?

I'm not real sure.

You the guy looking

for Raymond Murdock?

Yes, sir. I understand he's

a policeman or used to be.

He works downtown

at the mayor's office.

Pardon me. You know where I

can find the mayor's office?

Do you have an appointment?

I don't wanna see the mayor.

I'm looking for a policeman named

Raymond Lee Murdock. Ray Murdock?

He's right over there

in that snack bar.

He just went in there

with three other old men

to tell lies and drink coffee.

He's already been out here

lying to me this morning.

Thank you.

Mm-hmm.

Can we do something

for you, sir?

Are you Raymond Murdock?

Does he owe you money

or know your wife?

No, sir, he don't.

Well, then I'm

R- R- Ray Murdock.

Could I talk to you

for a minute?

Go ahead. I mean somewhere

else besides here?

I'm on my break now.

What's it got to do with?

Well, it's a personal thing.

It's a family thing.

Be right back.

Ok, now.

I don't really know where

to start telling you this.

Just start moving your mouth and

see what comes out. Yeah, well...

You're the Ray Murdock

from Arkansas, ain't ya?

That's right.

My name's Earl Pilcher.

I know who you are.

What do you want from me?

How'd you know who I was?

I just know.

what do you want from me?

My mother wanted me

to look you up.

Are you trying to be funny?

No, no, not at all. No, sir.

See, my mother just passed on

four or five days ago,

and she left me a letter...

Crazy story about you and me

and your mama and my daddy

and some stuff.

Now, I don't know

why she wanted me

to look you up, but she did.

So I did.

Rate this script:4.3 / 3 votes

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton (born August 4, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, singer, songwriter, and musician. Thornton had his first break when he co-wrote and starred in the 1992 thriller One False Move, and received international attention after writing, directing, and starring in the independent drama film Sling Blade (1996), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He appeared in several major film roles in the 1990s following Sling Blade, including Oliver Stone's neo-noir U Turn (1997), political drama Primary Colors (1998), science fiction disaster film Armageddon (1998), the highest-grossing film of that year, and the crime drama A Simple Plan (1998), which earned him his third Oscar nomination. In the 2000s, Thornton achieved further success in starring dramas Monster's Ball (2001), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001), and Friday Night Lights (2004); comedies Bandits (2001), Intolerable Cruelty (2003), and Bad Santa (2003); and action films Eagle Eye (2008) and Faster (2010). In 2014, Thornton starred as Lorne Malvo in the first season of the anthology series Fargo, earning a nomination for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie at the Emmy Awards and won Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards. In 2016, he starred in an Amazon original series, Goliath, which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama. Thornton has been vocal about his distaste for celebrity culture, choosing to keep his life out of the public eye. However, the attention of the media has proven unavoidable in certain cases, his marriage to Angelina Jolie being a notable example. Thornton has written a variety of films, usually set in the Southern United States and mainly co-written with Tom Epperson, including A Family Thing (1996) and The Gift (2000). After Sling Blade, he directed several other films, including Daddy and Them (2001), All the Pretty Horses (2000), and Jayne Mansfield's Car (2012). Thornton has received the President's Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, a Special Achievement Award from the National Board of Review, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has also been nominated for an Emmy Award, four Golden Globes, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition to film work, Thornton began a career as a singer-songwriter. He has released four solo albums and is the vocalist of the blues rock band The Boxmasters. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "A Family Thing" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 May 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/a_family_thing_7985>.

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