MAN: Marker.
Yo, nothin' can Keep me detained
I've retained To numb pain
Brain insane The opposite of humane
To go against this Animus, lyricist
And you shall bear witness For the end of your existence
I've rapped gloom Give niggas cap wounds
And pack 'em in catacombs
'Cause your lives will expire when you test the empire
A.K.A. body out, Lana I sense a win
And feast when I release The beast within
It's time to meet The reaper's twin
So run from the truth And you might get boost
My dezzy goose will abuse And misuse your bulletproof
Then watch you spit red juice When your bones rip loose
Niggas that's full of it
Bite the bullet and get Their lead hit and split
Seeds get eaten in this apple I'm the type of nigga
That'd clap you while You prayin' in your chapel
Fillin' caskets with cattle 'Cause bastards try to battle
For example I told this chump to stop
Didn't know the pump cocked Till the pump was up the block
So you guys better realize Inflammation what you facin'
From hell, I'm armed well
Test the vest I got a medal to chest
Execution-style sentence To death, no other choice
Weapons are useless 'cause Verse murders with the voice
[]
That's cool.
WOMAN: Hey, Jamal!
Jamal, you awake?
Jamal, I know you hear me, boy.
Jamal, I'm writin' all this down,
but I've got that thing with your teacher.
And they got me workin' late,
so take care of yourself for dinner.
Okay? Okay?
Okay.
Hey, I thought you wanted to get up by 7:30.
MAN: Play ball.
Baby, hear the chains singin'? Check that up, man.
Stop cryin'. Hold on, hold on.
What up, J? Where you been?
Sleep, yo. What's up, man?
Up late, wondering how I was gonna save your ass.
What are you savin'? What up, Damon?
Let's go. J!
Break him up, man.
Oh, he broke your ankles, man!
[Softly] Can't give him that.
I'm awake now.
Come on, yo.
Come on, man. You got something for me?
Souffle, baby!
JAMAL: Got nothing for me. Lot of good that's doin'.
[CAR LOCK CHIRPS]
Bringin' something for The Window.
DAMON: You ever seen him? The Window?
Yeah. No. But he see us, man.
Come on, man. Y'all don't wanna play ball?
All right. Wake up.
DAMON: You got to help me out, man.
In 1845, Poe wrote his most famous piece, "The Raven,"
a poem he wrote while he was strung out on coke
and obsessed with death.
"The Raven" is like the football team.
A team obsessed with death. Always get their ass kicked.
[EVERYONE CHUCKLES]
TEACHER: Baltimore Ravens,
only pro football team named after a classic poem.
Anyone read it?
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered,
weak and weary--"
Jamal, how 'bout it?
Nah. I never read it.
[BELL RINGS]
I need those essays by next Tuesday.
Yo, man, my dad saw The Window. 'Bout 20 years ago.
Just like a ghost, like the ones in our science books and all.
Just like that. So what? He was white?
Ain't milk white? Seen a ghost that wasn't white?
I'm just playin', man. He killed somebody.
That's why he has to stay inside.
You gotta kill an army to hide here.
Y'all play too much, man.
Remember Shurrita? The one that lived below The Window?
She calls me up this one night, buggin', dog.
Talkin' 'bout she heard tapping from upstairs by The Window's.
Tap, tap, tap. [KNOCKING ON TABLE]
While she was on the phone, man, she started screamin', dog.
'Cause now the tappin', made its way down the stairs.
Tap, tap, tap.
Listen to him, fool.
And now it was on the other side of her door, dog.
She could tell there was some knife he was tappin' with.
She didn't know. Before she can even hang up,
the phone disconnected. That was
the last time we seen Shurrita.
Shurrita across the street.
Oh! That girl is a crack ho.
No, no. She was nice. She'd be pissin'.
All I know is that The Window is bad news.
Rules was if you wanted to go outside,
stay away from The Window's place.
We need to stay away from your lyin' ass.
J, what you feel? You believe me?
You full of shit, dog. [LAUGHS]
Damn.
Let me guess. So you'd go up in there, right?
Ooh. Old man lookin' out a window.
Superman, you'll go, right? He won't go.
Let them know, J. DAMON: He's not gonna go.
This nigga's scared. Yo, I got the next call.
So? So...
I dare you to go up there, right?
Right, right? Whatever, man. I'll go up there.
He's going. Big shot.
Bring it, son. That's my dog.
You feel me. D, I believe you, dog.
Man, shut up, dog. Go to class or something, man.
Here, man, sit over here, son.
Stop playin' with me.
It's a vibrant thing. Go. Fine. Not sittin' next to you.
Take your apple too.
[]
[KNOCKING] Ms. Joyce?
Yeah. Hi. Good to see you.
Have a seat. Thank you.
Okay.
So, we got Jamal's test scores back this week.
Test scores? Assessment tests.
The state education department requires all kids take them.
He didn't tell you, did he?
Mrs. Wallace, Jamal maintains a "C" average,
which means he does just enough to get by.
It also means he does just enough not to stand out.
What makes Jamal's case unusual are his test results.
Oh, my God.
I see him reading all these books all the time--
books I never read, some I never even heard of.
And he's always writing in his notebooks.
Ever since his father left.
But that's what I see.
All he ever talks about is basketball.
Well, basketball is where he gets his acceptance.
Kids here don't care about what he can put down on paper.
MAN: Let's go! Between the yellow lines. Let's go!
Yo, T. What up, Fly? How you, baby?
Maintainin'. Look.
You lookin' for tickets, little bro? Dead tonight.
Sorry 'bout that, fellas.
Come on, man. We know you got tickets.
I got four words for you. Bos-ton Red Sox.
All right? The Yanks and Sox tickets,
they damn near been sold out almost a month now.
All right, Mr. Fly? And by the way, why don't you
go tell Camry boy over there that he need to go and back up
his cheap ass bumper on that Mercedes over there.
Go handle that. Let's go, Fly! Let's go.
What up, Jamal? Moms called.
Told me about the test you took. What's up with that?
Nothin', man. What you mean, nothin'?
This gettin' in the way of your plans?
Remember, it was your plan first, T.
I know. A little college ball and all of that.
Start signin' checks, solving everybody else's problems.
Look at me, though.
Whoa. Hold a minute.
Hold onto these.
I guess this makes it our plan now.
One thing. What up?
Don't say nothin' about them test scores to nobody.
Don't worry about that. I'm your brother, dog.
Whatever me and you discuss stay between me and you.
Right. Love you, dog. All right?
You just make sure you keep one thing in mind.
Mom's gonna know when the game is over, so take your ass home.
All right. Don't get into no trouble.
Be careful. Stay safe.
Love, dog. All right, T. Good lookin'.
All right, Jamal. Be careful, man.
Stink in here.
J, see that window? He keeps that one cracked sometime.
Light's been out for two hours. FLY: You sure he asleep?
Listen. That Methuselah's like a thousand years old, man.
That's all he ever do.
Yo, J, man. For the reals, son, I don't know about this.
[RAT SQUEAKS] I'm thinkin'-- Shit!
I think I'm gonna pull the call, yo.
No, yo, I got this one. Rats.
Yo, Fly. Keep it.
You gotta bring somethin' out.
DAMON: You hear us, drop down. All right.
Make sure you don't stay in there too long, dog.
I got you.
Damn, this thing's rickety.
[]
[VOICES ON TV]
[TV CONTINUES]
[MAN YELLS]
Look, look, look.
Oh, shit. Yo, got somethin'?
Oh, shit! What happened?
MAN: You son of a bitch! FLY: Shit!
He wasn't asleep. He was right there.
DAMON: Did you see him? Nah, not for long, yo.
Jamal, would you stop bouncing that damn ball in the house?
I got Michael Jordan's name
written in dirt all over my floor.
Don't worry. I'll clean it.
I got a better chance of Michael Jordan cleaning it.
Hey, if you're thinkin' of a shower,
the hot water's taking a few minutes.
I wasn't thinking about it. Hey, where's your pack?
I don't know. Don't know?
What do you mean, you don't know?
We wanted you to bring something, not leave something.
Why don't you leave this one alone?
What was in your bag, anyway?
I'm not talkin' about the damn bag.
Bet you ain't, man. Let me teach you somethin'.
Now watch the eyes. Watch the eyes.
He's probably watchin' you right now.
Stop, stop. See? You don't know about that, man.
Here's how you do it.
You saw that, right?
[]
[CAR LOCK CHIRPS]
I'm not gonna do anything to your car, man.
I'm sorry?
You look like I'm about to do something to your car.
I worry about this car everywhere,
so don't take it personally.
It's just a car, man. It's not just a car.
It's a, uh-- a B.M.W. Oh.
As anybody who knows anything about that company
knows that it's more than just a car.
Anybody who knows anything about that company.
I wouldn't know anything like that?
That's not what I meant.
Last thing I knew about B.M.W.
is they used to make plane engines when they started.
A guy by the name of Franz Popp started it all.
Franz Popp. I like that name.
Made this one engine before 1920.
Flew six miles up.
Popp and his boys, they was just gettin' started, man.
Made this one engine, the 801, World War II,
fourteen cylinders, 2,300 horsepower,
seven miles up.
If they had more time, they would've been bombing England
and maybe even won the war.
That's where this comes from.
White propeller zippin' around a blue sky.
So after the war, we told 'em
they couldn't make plane engines anymore.
That's when B.M.W. gave some serious thought to makin' cars.
Kinda like this one.
But you probably knew all that, being as you lease one.
Thanks for the history lesson.
No problem, man.
[LOCK CHIRPS]
[]
Messin' with my stuff, man.
Hey, um, the other night was--
It was just this dare thing me and my boys do.
Um--
Well, I was wonderin' maybe I could bring you
some more of my stuff, or maybe I could write somethin' else.
How about 5,000 words
on why you'll stay the fuck outta my home?
[WOMAN MOANING, HEADBOARD BANGING WALL]
WOMAN: Fuck me! Fuck me!
[MOANING LOUDLY]
[]
[SOFTLY] Come on, man. I know you in there.
Take your goddamn hand off my door.
Um, I-- I just came to--
to drop off that thing you-- you asked me for.
What thing?
The 5,000 words on why you wanted me to stay out.
At least that's kinda the way you said it.
Try remembering it exactly as I said it.
[SIGHS]
I got a crown Up in-a the kingdom
Ain't-a that good news Ain't-a that good news
I got a robe Up in-a the kingdom
Ain't-a that good news Ain't-a that good news
I'm gonna lay down this world Gonna shoulder up-a my cross
Gonna take it home to my Jesus Ain't-a that good news
Good news
Come on in, Jamal.
MRS. WALLACE: Hi, honey. It's okay.
Sit down.
Mrs. Wallace, Jamal, when we got your recent test scores,
we figured there might be interest from private schools.
Well, it turns out we were right. Mr. Bradley?
Jamal, Mrs. Wallace, my name's David Bradley.
I'm with the Mailor school in Manhattan.
Mailor? Mailor-Callow?
That's right. You familiar with us?
Yeah.
Mailor-Callow is not only the best school in the city,
it's one of the finest private schools on the East Coast.
Only the best go there. As you might imagine,
we're a few weeks into our fall term,
but every year we like to hold some openings
while we wait for the test scores to come in.
Jamal, your test scores, to put it mildly,
caught our attention.
I'm here to see if you'd be interested
in attending our school.
Jamal, we know leaving for another school,
especially a private school, is not gonna be easy.
But this isn't the right place for you anymore.
It's not a difficult choice. Mr. Bradley, um...
there is no way that we could ever pay for this.
We're not asking you to.
Jamal, when Dr. Simon mentioned only the best go to Mailor,
he neglected to mention our commitment to excellence
extends beyond the classroom.
[LOCK CHIRPS] I figured that.
We thought you might.
Mrs. Wallace, about 40 of our students
have gone on to play college ball,
and three have made it to the professional level.
We evaluated your play last year,
and while this would be strictly an academic offer,
we won't be disappointed if you choose to play.
Come out for a couple days, take a look, think it over.
Okay. Mrs. Wallace.
Thank you. Jamal.
Good-bye. We'll be in touch.
CHOIR: I got a crown up in-a the kingdom
Ain't-a that good news Aint-a that good news
I got a crown up in-a the kingdom
Ain't-a that good news Aint-a that good news
I'm gonna lay down this world Gonna shoulder up-a my cross
Gonna take it home to my Jesus
Ain't-a that good news
Good news Good news
My Lord
[DOOR SLOT OPENS]
I didn't knock this time, man.
To whom were you speaking? I'll tell you that
when I get my 5,000 words back.
[SLOT SLAMS SHUT]
[DOOR UNLOCKING]
Bolt the door, if you're coming in.
[LOCK CLICKS]
The man in the car?
Um--
He was from this private school.
They want me to go there.
We don't have to pay anything though.
We live a couple of blocks from here, me and my mom.
Well, brother was there a couple of years ago,
but he left after my dad left.
Uh, well,
my mom got tired of waitin' for my dad to get himself clean.
Then my dad got tired of trying.
But that's when I started writing.
What's your name? Jamal Wallace.
Sounds like some kind of marmalade.
How old are you?
I'm 16.
Sixteen! And you're black.
It's remarkable. Remarkable? What?
It's remarkable that I'm black?
I mean, what does me being black got to do with anything, man?
You don't know what to do right now, do you?
If you tell me what you really want to tell me,
I might not read any more of this.
But if you let me run you down with this racist bullshit,
what does that make you?
I-I'm not playing this game, man.
Oh, I say you are playing it.
An expression is worth a thousand words.
But perhaps in your case just two.
Hmm?
[GRUNTS]
Here.
[SOFTLY] Bum-ass old man.
[DOOR CLOSES]
One hand to give, one hand to receive,
as we eat together in unity.
May our minds, bodies and spirits grow strong.
And congratulations to Jamal. Amen.
Amen. Amen.
Did you see this? Let me see.
Don't mess it up, now. Let me see. Let me see.
Wait a minute.
From the cover this look like the funny-man school.
Terrell, eat your food. Jamal, you gonna be just fine.
Being broke. Mommy don't make nothin' but soldiers.
You coulda done the same thing.
I work at a parking lot,
and I ain't just no regular attendant.
I am the supervisor of all the attendants.
You don't know how much money you gonna make week to week.
One week $50. One week $100. That's not a real job.
Leave him alone. Look, I rap, I get busy.
I got my rap thing going. Don't bring up the rap.
Eat your food. Wanna hear one of my songs?
Eat your food. I'm gonna sing it for you now.
When I come due And I blow the spot
Your son, the supervisor Of the parking lot
[LAUGHING]
Tell her, Jamal. My joints is hot. Right, dude?
[]
Jamal Wallace?
Yeah? Hi. I'm Claire Spence.
Bradley asked me to show you around this morning.
All right.
Come on.
Don't worry about answering any questions or anything.
Not till you decide what you're gonna do.
Besides, the teachers here
aren't all that into student participation.
They're too busy listening to themselves talk.
What you mean? You'll see.
This morning we begin
our third required reading of the semester,
the study of a novel that offers everything...
and an author who could've offered much more.
[SOFTLY] That's Robert Crawford.
He's been here as long as most of the buildings.
When William Forrester was 23, in 1953,
he set out to write his first book.
A lot of aspiring authors
talked about writing the great 20th century novel.
Well, William Forrester did it on his first try.
Have you read this?
Yeah. You? Only about a dozen times.
This was the only one he chose to publish.
For all we know, it was the only one he chose to write.
Your job over the next week-- [STUDENTS GROANING]
Your job over the next week, is to read it and tell me why.
So, you gonna be back tomorrow?
Yeah. They want me to spend some time on the court.
Yeah, I heard.
Graduation was a little rough on last year's team, that's all.
But it's just like college, right?
You get an education, and they get what they want.
Or maybe you both get what you want.
Yeah, maybe.
Well, it was very nice meeting you, Jamal.
You too, Claire. You gonna be around tomorrow?
Not where you'll be, but...
you might be able to find me for lunch.
[EXHALES]
I didn't say those two words the other day.
Why didn't you?
'Cause I want you to read some more of my stuff.
You know, they talk a lot about you out there, right?
All this legend bullshit.
They got some stories, though.
People wonder if you killed somebody.
That and wondering why you been in here so long.
I wouldn't move, though. I'd stay for the quiet.
You don't hear nothin' in here.
Our place got these noisy neighbors.
Their kid's always yellin' 'cause he's only a year old.
Or the pops is yelling 'cause the kid's makin' noise.
And then moms on top of that is yellin'.
But then that's a different kind of yellin',
'cause that's when the man's playing the tunes for her
and she got her head bangin' up against the wall.
She be screamin' like, "Ah! Ah!" And then--
You better stir that soup. What?
Stir the soup before it firms up.
How come ours never gets anything on it?
Come on, come on. Closer.
Closer.
Now. You got somebody yellin'?
What I have here is an adult male.
Quite pretty.
Probably strayed from the park.
A Connecticut warbler.
You ever go outside to do any of this?
[CASE SNAPS SHUT] Stay with the soup question.
The object of a question is to obtain information
that matters to us and to no one else.
You were wondering why your soup doesn't firm up.
Probably because your mother was brought up in a house
that never thought about wasting milk in soup.
Now, that question was a good one,
in contrast to do I ever go outside,
which fails to meet the basic criteria
of obtaining information that matters to you.
All right, man. Guess I don't have any more soup questions.
No?
Why'd you say all that stuff before about me being black?
It had nothing to do with you being black.
It had everything to do with me finding out
just how much bullshit you'd put up with.
Oh, so you knew I'd come back. Yes.
Just like I know you'll go to this school.
Well, how you know that?
Because there's a question in your writing
suggesting what is it you wish to do with your life.
And that is a question
your present school cannot answer for you.
Let's match up. Wallace, you take Hartwell.
[PLAYERS CHATTERING]
What's up, man? I'm Jamal.
Just check it, all right?
Check the ball. COACH: Let's go, guys.
Come on, now.
Ball's in.
COACH: Play him tough, play him tough.
[PLAYERS CHATTERING]
Way to go. Way to go, gang.
Oh, D up. Let's go, garbage. Come on, come on.
Step up, step up.
Why don't you leave the trash talkin' back home. All right?
Huh? What? Get that goofy look off your face. What?
Gonna make you my son right now. Right.
You're gonna be my son now. Come on. Huh?
Let's go.
Come on, man. What?
You too small. What? You go.
Nice handles. Nice handles. Whoa.
COACH: Hartwell, a little defense would be nice.
Coach, you're right. A little defense. Let's go.
Try and get past the line. What did you say?
I said get past the line.
[CHUCKLES] Pressure.
Too much. Too much.
I need some help! Ten seconds. Go the other way.
Shit.
I'm taking your spot? Taking what?
I'm taking your spot. Take nothin'. Come on. Come on.
Ooh. Ooh.
Let's go. All right.
[PANTING]
My court, man. My court.
That's how we play it down here, man.
PLAYER: That's right.
John Hartwell's just a rich kid who wants
as much of the spotlight as he can get his senior year.
That's all it is. They take things serious here.
Well, it's a serious place.
Serious enough that I end up getting lunch on my books.
What's that you're workin' on?
Forrester's book.
I thought you read it a dozen times.
Yeah, I know, but look at this.
My dad got it for me. It's-- It's an early printing.
Um...listen. I gotta go.
But you just got here. I know, but...
I forgot something-- I gotta check up on something.
I'll see you later.
"Born 1930...
in Scotland."
"Moved to New York with his family in his late teens."
"Mr. Forrester was unavailable for comment."
Yeah, I bet he was.
Are we now planning to make these visits a habit?
Well, you said you knew I'd be coming back.
Yes, but I thought you meant once.
I need some help with this thing they got us doing at school.
Ah, yes, this thing at school.
And what thing are we talking about now?
You ever read that?
I'm trying, man.
I just can't seem to get past the first ten pages though.
[CHUCKLES] As I recall...
quite a while to get past those pages myself.
Oh, Christ, you've dog-eared one of them.
Show a little respect for the author, huh?
That's you, isn't it?
You're the author.
I read the whole thing. It's not bad.
Especially the part-- Hey! I know what it is.
The last thing I need is another person telling me
what they think it is.
I wasn't gonna say that. What were you gonna say?
I should tell you everything about me?
Well, I told you about me.
You could learn something about, uh, holding back.
[BREATHING UNEVENLY]
If I ask you not to say anything to anybody...
about here, us,
is that something I can trust you on?
Yeah. I promise.
Fine.
And if I ask you to keep helpin' me with my writin'?
There'll be no questions about me, my family...
or why there was only one book.
Then I won't ask.
Hmm. Good.
And good night.
What's it feel like? What?
Writin' something the way you did.
[SIGHS] Perhaps you'll find out.
[HIP HOP MUSIC PLAYING]
Listen, you five-foot-nothin'.
[LAUGHS] Yo.
DAMON: That's what I'm saying. Probably sleepin' in the crib.
FLY: Kenzo, how old are you again?
Why? 'Cause look at your face!
Your moms didn't do that to you, did she?
She started you young?
Know where that starts from? Eating too much cookie.
Leave it go. CLAY: Yeah, Teresa told me.
I like 'em big. You got a problem with that?
Nothin' wrong with a big girl! But that big?
It's like when I'm home with all three of your mothers.
So it don't really matter! Not talkin' about my mother.
Hold on, Oscar Mayer wiener. Stop playin' with me.
You got beat like Tina in school one day.
I seen Duke smack you.
Listen, throw it at your mama. Every day towards your mama.
FLY: In your tank. Stop throwing your mama.
It's all in your tank, brother. Son.
You laughin'?
DAMON: Your glasses are like Coke bottles.
Classics.
[ALL LAUGHING]
You ever met somebody famous? How famous?
Like, I don't know.
Like somebody people would know.
Nobody like that comes around here, man.
So, you here for good now?
Yeah, I'm just trying to get started.
Well, at least they look good. Right?
You'll be pleased this year's writing competition
has now been scheduled.
For those who take part, all entries must be turned in
before spring break.
Which means you have a few months of procrastination.
[EVERYONE CHUCKLES]
Feel free to experiment with a more proactive approach.
[BELL RINGS] The-- Oh.
Mr. Wallace. Please.
Mr. Wallace, I had a chance this morning
to review the files sent by your former school.
Test scores, impressive.
Actual classroom work, not so impressive.
Is this the, uh, level of work I should anticipate?
Hmm?
Because if it is, it will go a long way toward
helping me determine whether to treat you as a student
or as someone who is here simply to pursue--
How should I put it? Other endeavors.
Your work will give you ample opportunity to respond.
Good day, Mr. Wallace.
Mmm. Just so you know, you handled that the right way.
How's that? Well, you didn't say anything.
It's the ones that do that run into trouble.
John Coleridge. Jamal Wallace.
So how many people do say something?
And actually stay in Crawford's class?
[SOFTLY] Not many.
Um, I missed what you said.
I didn't say anything.
You read all these? No.
I just keep them to impress all my visitors.
[SCOFFS] All your visitors.
We've been talking about your book at school.
People have been talking about it for years.
They just haven't been saying anything.
Yeah. I think I got it down, though.
I figure you were writing about how life never works out.
Oh, really?
You had to read a book to figure that out?
Yeah, but Crawford's messed up on it anyhow.
Says the guy having trouble after the war is really you.
Some symbolism shit
for all the problems you were having with everybody.
Robert Crawford?
Yeah. I think it's bullshit, though.
I think there really was somebody else.
[KNOCK AT DOOR] MAN: Mr. Johannsen?
Here. Mr. Massie.
Another trip to your favorite destination, hmm?
I've got four bags today. I can leave them if you like.
Oh, no, no, no. [DOOR OPENS]
Come right in.
How you doin', Mr. Johannsen?
It's at least a half hour before the sun goes down.
Then you can begin your panic-driven quest
back to Manhattan.
This should last you till next week.
Your mail is in,
uh, this one. Mr. Johannsen?
The essentials are in, uh-- Essentials?
[BOTTLES CLINK] I took care of your bills,
and put the copies in this one.
Mm-hmm. And the phone company
wants to know if you want to continue service,
as you haven't had a call in six weeks.
Okay. Mr. Johannsen, I got your socks
for the next couple of weeks, which are in this one.
And I have your latest check from Accounting.
They wanted to know if you cashed the last one,
'cause it's still showing up outstanding.
Not as outstanding as it once was. Hmm?
Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company.
Oh, yes, we were just having a discussion
on, uh, German automobile history.
Care to join us? Uh, no. I'm in a tow away.
Of course you are. So I'll see you next week.
Not if I'm lucky.
Why not give that guy a break and do your own shopping?
And why are your socks inside out?
Because socks are badly designed.
The seams are on the inside. Hurt the toes.
In some cultures, it's considered good luck
to be wearing something inside out.
And you believe that? No.
But it's like praying. What do you risk?
And I do go outside.
How do you think these windows get cleaned?
[LOCK CLICKS]
Now, about this professor of yours.
How did it feel having him tell you what you can't do?
Like he knew he was better than me.
Then let's show him what you can do.
Why is it the words we write for ourselves
are always much better than the words we write for others?
Move.
Sit.
[KEYS TAPPING]
Go ahead. Go ahead and what?
Write.
What are you doing?
I'm writing, like you'll be...
when you start punching those keys.
Is there a problem? No. I'm just thinking.
No. No thinking. That comes later.
[]
You write your first draft...
with your heart.
And you rewrite with your head.
The first key to writing is...
to write, not to think.
Jesus. [BOTTLES CLINKING]
Is there any chance you might sit down?
"A Season of Faith's Perfection."
What's this? Start typing that.
Sometimes the simple rhythm of typing
gets us from page one to page two.
And when you begin to feel your own words,
start typing them.
Punch the keys, for God's sake!
[TAPPING LOUDER]
Yes!
You're the man now, dog.
[CHUCKLES]
[]
Jamal, whatever we write
in this apartment, stays in this apartment.
No exceptions.
MAN NEXT DOOR: That's my angel. There you go.
[WOMAN MOANING PLEASURABLY]
[HEADBOARD BANGING WALL]
[WOMAN MOANING LOUDLY]
Okay, let's push it, guys. Come on.
BOY: Yo, D.
That's a foul. What? I had the spot.
I'll let you know when you got the spot.
Hey, hey, hey. Gentlemen, gentlemen.
Our season begins in one week. If I see this one more time,
I'm gonna have you shooting fouls to see who runs today.
Is that understood? Is that understood?
One.
Two.
Three.
Eleven.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Twenty-nine.
Forty-eight.
Forty-nine.
Hold it.
One more.
That was one of the most impressive things
I've ever seen on a basketball court.
Why do I know it was not good enough for either one of you?
Shower up and get out of here.
You may think we're the same. We're not.
Oh, Mr. Wallace.
Mr. Wallace. Professor Crawford.
The latest paper you turned in,
it displayed quite a bit of improvement
from your earlier work.
Thank you. Yes.
How long did it take to write?
I wrote it last night.
[CHUCKLES] Last night?
Well, I have some, uh, things to finish up here.
Good day, Mr. Wallace.
That's right. Select again. "Birds of a feather" for 600.
TREBEK: Answer: Vibrant in color,
its name borrows from Vivien Leigh.
The scarlet tanager.
It's, "What is the scarlet tanager?"
What is the scarlet tanager? See?
Gotta know the rules if you wanna play.
It was written by a writer you have never heard of.
"Thy duty, winged flame of spring,
is but to love and fly and sing."
He was writing about the song of the tanager.
A song about new seasons, new life.
That's James Lowell, man.
I know who he is.
I'll stay with "Poor Assumptions" for 800, Alex.
You ever seen any scarlet tanagers around here?
They don't stray that far from the park.
So, your professor
wasn't exactly full of praise this afternoon.
No, not exactly.
There's something you should know about Robert Crawford.
He wrote a book a few years after mine.
And all the publishers rejected it,
which was the right decision.
And instead of writing another one,
he took a job teaching others how to write.
How you know all that? Just keep in mind
that bitterly disappointed teachers
can be either very effective
or very dangerous.
[]
[POLICE RADIO, INDISTINCT]
[THUNDER]
All right, this is the first step tonight, guys.
Mailor, on three.
One, two, three. Mailor!
[HEART BEATING]
[CROWD CHEERING]
[WHISTLE BLOWS]
Gold. Black.
Here we go. Straight and high, boys. Not yet.
[CROWD CHEERING, SHOUTING]
What up, J? You was in there tonight?
Twenty-six points. Eight out of ten from the floor,
ten for ten from the line. I'm supposed to miss that?
All right, it was hot. Serious ink on that stat page.
What's going on? Yo.
Brothers was going by Red Rose. Told 'em we'd catch up.
Friday night, kid. Come on. Come on.
Hi, Jamal. You plan on doing that every night?
Worked out, I guess. I'd say it worked out.
This is Fly.
Hi, Fly. I'm Claire. How you doin'?
You a friend of Jamal's? Claire! Come on.
I'm coming. Hey, don't hold that bus up too long.
Nice meeting you, Fly.
All right. What the hell you working there, man?
Shut up, man.
Yo, about Red Rose-- I ain't gonna make it.
I gotta go to this dude's house. They do it every year.
Hey, don't be goin' off on this, man.
You big-time. Best be goin'. Don't wanna hold your bus up.
You gonna be around this weekend?
Where you think I'm gonna be? The Hamptons?
[PLAYING SLOW JAZZ]
[CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY]
It was very nice talking with you.
Remember, anything you need, please give me a call.
Okay? Anything.
Okay.
Building up a collection of those things?
Yeah, a few.
Do you wanna get outside for a while?
Yeah. You know this place?
I live in this place. Come on.
They'll be in there till midnight
congratulating themselves on your game.
Which means that I get to cram tomorrow
for this test on Monday.
Test on what? On the Sherlock Holmes books.
They've got us tracking down completely worthless stuff,
like who introduced Watson to Holmes.
They give it to you 'cause it forces you to read everything.
[PARTY GUESTS LAUGHING]
Looks like it might be a while.
Maybe so. So, this friend Fly,
how long have you known each other?
For a while.
He was born there, and I was born there too.
In the Bronx? Yeah.
Must be hard. What?
I don't know, new people, new school.
It's not?
No. What's hard is growing up in a place
where the cops don't even want to be in after dark.
What's hard is knowing that you're safe there,
'cause the people you need to worry about,
they know you got nothin' to give 'em.
So, it's a good thing you're here.
Yeah, but these people don't think
I got anything to give 'em either.
Don't let me get by you now.
Once I get by you, I'm gonna score.
Okay. You ready?
Ready. Now stay in front of me now.
Yeah. All right?
I got by you, man.
You're bigger than I am.
Doesn't matter. You still gotta play defense.
How do I do that?
How do you play def-- I'll show you one right here.
Turn around. Turn around.
Feel that? I feel it.
I know where you're gonna go
'cause I can feel where you're gonna move.
All right. Now try and move left.
Okay, see, I'm still here.
You can't get around me 'cause I feel you movin' left.
Try and go right.
See, I'm still here.
I feel when you go right, so you can't go there neither.
Now try and get by me.
Hold on.
You gotta dribble first. Dribble.
Mm-hmm. Dribble. Okay.
Like this? Yeah.
Sorry. Claire.
Daddy?
Some of our guests are leaving.
I'll see you on Monday, okay?
Oh, Claire. Yeah?
It was Stamford. Excuse me?
At the bar in London.
He's the one who introduced Watson to Holmes.
Might save you some time after everybody's done in there.
You know how long I been working on that, man?
It ain't one season of Faith's perfection.
Feel like I been working on it for two or three seasons.
You're in that place where you can't even hear me, huh?
I could ask you why you never moved out, and you wouldn't--
Paragraph three starts with a conjunction, "and."
You should never start a sentence with a conjunction.
Sure you can. Oh, no. It's a firm rule.
No, no, no, see. It was a firm rule.
Sometimes if you use a conjunction at the start,
it can make it stand out a little bit.
And that may be what the writer's trying to do.
And what is the risk?
Well, the risk is doing it too much.
It's a distraction,
and it could give your piece a run-on feeling.
But for the most part, the rule on using "and" or "but"
at the start of a sentence is shaky,
though it's still taught in too many schools.
Some of the best writers
have been ignoring that rule, including you.
Well, you've taken something which was mine...
and made it yours.
That's quite an accomplishment.
Thank you.
The title is still mine, isn't it?
I guess.
Now, it was the neighborhood that changed, not me.
I ain't seen nothing change. "Ain't seen nothing"?
What in the hell kind of sentence is that?
When you're in here, don't talk like you do out there.
I was messing with you, man. It was a joke.
[SIGHS]
I wanna hear about the neighborhood
back when people were still reading your book.
[COUGHS] What did you say?
Nothin'. You said,
back when people were still reading my book.
Didn't you?
WOMAN: We have 24 copies, but I'm sorry.
They're checked out.
Oh. Well, thank you anyway.
You're welcome.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Any luck?
Did you get on the waiting list?
Yeah, man, your book was checked out.
And yes, I did pay for dinner.
It cost me $13, so I guess you made your point.
I tried to call you to see what kind of food you wanted,
but the phone kept ringing.
I took the bell out 20 years ago.
Let me ask you somethin'. How come a guy like you...
wastes his time reading the National Enquirer?
What's wrong with it?
I mean, it's trash, man.
You should be reading like the Times or something.
I read the Times for dinner. But this--
this is my dessert.
They got some contest at school, this writing thing.
You ever enter one of those?
A writing contest? Yeah.
Once, a long time ago. Did you win?
Well, of course I won.
Like money or something?
The Pulitzer.
Oh. Well, they make all the students
get up and read in front of everybody.
What the hell's that got to do with writing?
Writers write so that readers can read.
Let someone else read it. You ever read your own book?
In public? Hell no!
Barely read it in private.
You know those things they do,
that, uh, coffee shop reading shit?
You know why they do it?
Sell books, I guess. 'Cause they wanna get laid.
Oh, really?
Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book.
Did it ever happen to you? Sure.
Did you ever get married?
Not exactly a soup question, is it?
No. No, I never did.
But I learned a few things along the way,
which might be of help with this young lady
you're always talking about.
Like what?
The key to a woman's heart
is an unexpected gift at an unexpected time.
You're giving me advice on women?
Unexpected gift, unexpected time.
This is so unexpected.
Oh, Jamal.
It's not a first printing or anything, but--
Oh, my God! What happened?
This is a signed copy.
I can't accept this. It must have cost you a fortune.
It didn't cost that much, really.
Maybe the bookstore missed it.
Bookstores don't usually miss this stuff.
JAMAL: So, how'd you end up going to Mailor?
Mailor was originally an all-boy's school.
So my father did what anyone in his position would do.
He got on the board and changed the rules.
And every kid there knows it.
They would've done it anyway.
That doesn't change anything. I'm still Dr. Spence's daughter.
Jamal? Yeah?
That night at my home, after the game,
when you were showing me how to play basketball,
was that all you were showing me?
Listen, I don't think that's gonna work.
What?
That. Why not?
Ask your father.
Jamal...
I'm not asking for some kind of prenuptial agreement here.
It's just a question.
Why does everything have to be so black and white with you?
I forgot what the question was.
You don't forget anything, Mr. Stamford.
[CROWD SHOUTING, CHEERING]
MAN: You don't think he wrote it?
That's a serious accusation, Robert.
You come to the faculty board with this--
I'm aware of how serious it is.
It's remarkable work.
You recognize any of it?
It smacks of something. But I don't know.
The boy does well in my class. He had good scores coming in.
Maybe all he needed was some direction.
Carl, he's a basketball player from the Bronx.
Who just happens to have won 17 straight.
For a school that likes winning--
Robert, have you considered he might just be that good?
Not this good.
[NUMEROUS SPEAKERS OVER TV]
[TYPING RESUMES]
Do you know what the absolute best moment is?
It's when you've finished your first draft,
and you read it by yourself...
before these assholes...
take something that they couldn't do in a lifetime...
and tear it down in a single day.
People love that book, man.
[CHUCKLES] I didn't write it for them.
And when the critics...
started all this bullshit...
about what it was I was really trying to say,
[SCOFFS] well, I decided then...
one book was enough.
William, that was 50 years ago, man.
[GROANS]
William. [GRUNTS]
[THUNDER RUMBLING]
[]
William, I actually spent money on these tickets. Come on.
Is it still light outside?
It's nighttime, man.
Well?
You look good, man. I mean, it's not the latest stuff out--
I wasn't asking how I look!
I was asking, are we ready to go?
Oh, yeah. Come on, man.
Let's go.
Come on.
We're playing here in two weeks.
I said, we're playing here in two weeks.
State tournament.
Come on.
Hold on. They got programs. Let me get a program.
[AIR HORN BLOWS]
[]
[STADIUM ORGAN PLAYING]
William.
Yo, William!
Damn.
Hey, William!
[CROWD CHATTERING]
William.
Come on. Let's get you out of here.
I got you.
You used to get out, right?
Yeah, a long time ago.
What happened? How the hell should I know?
I didn't keep track of the time.
Sorry for losing you back there. No apology needed.
Well, good, 'cause I got one more place.
It's quiet, and it's on the way home.
You only got ten minutes, yo. All right.
Keep it goin'. It's all good. Take that.
Thanks a lot.
Ah, ground level.
House that Ruth built.
Why did you bring me here?
Because it's your birthday, man.
I looked it up in the almanac.
They don't even have you in the dead people section yet.
I figure with all the games you watched,
with whoever you watched 'em with,
you probably never got down this close.
What the hell are they doing on the dirt?
What you worried about, man? You acting like
they gonna play a World Series championship game. Relax.
My brother and I, we were here for every game.
Till he left for the war.
I thought it would be the same when he came back, but, uh,
he talked a little less,
he drank a little more.
I promised my mother I would...
help him get through it all.
So I caught up with him this one night...
and I was already a half a dozen drinks behind.
So we had a few more.
And after a while, he tells me he wants to...
drive me back to the apartment.
[CHUCKLES] I said, "No thanks."
We were all still living there then.
I just stood there and...
watched him drive off.
[CHUCKLES]
Makes it through the whole goddamn war.
I let him drive.
Later that night,
the nurse was typing-- well, whatever it is they type.
And you know what she tells me?
She tells me how much my book meant to her.
My brother's getting cold in the next room,
and all she can talk about is a book.
Well, everything changed from there on.
Within five months, I buried him, my mother,
my father.
All of them here, in the Bronx.
We'd spend our summers here.
And if we were lucky, the fall.
A lot of falls with those teams.
Yeah.
Well, not enough.
"The rest of those who have gone before us...
cannot steady the unrest of those... to follow."
You wrote that in your book.
[]
Jamal, I realize that if I give you enough time,
you'll find a way to amaze even me.
Does he know?
No, he doesn't know.
This was one of the best evenings
I've had in quite some time.
All of it?
Yes, all of it.
Well, I--
This guy, man.
So, how you say you know this guy again?
He's my teacher. Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
Seem like a different kind of a dude, man.
CRAWFORD: Anyone in particular?
I sometimes come here in the morning.
Just me, the aspiring...
and all of them.
There was a note downstairs, said I should come and see you.
Mr. Wallace,
I think it's time you and I had a very honest...
and very open discussion about your writing.
I thought you liked it.
Your recent work? Heh, heh.
I liked it very much. No, Mr. Wallace,
the question concerning your most recent work...
isn't whether it's good.
It's whether it's too good.
The acceleration in your progress
from your old school to this one is unusual
to the point I'm faced with drawing one of two conclusions.
Either you've been blessed with an uncommon gift
that has suddenly decided to kick in,
or...
you're getting your inspiration from elsewhere.
Given your previous education and your background,
I'm sure you'll forgive me
for coming to some of my own conclusions.
I wrote those papers, man.
Then you won't mind showing me.
The next assignment is due in two weeks.
I'll schedule some time for you to come to my office.
I, uh--
I'd like to have you write it there.
In the meantime,
if there's anything you wish to talk about--
I'm not writing anything, man! Which proves what?
Think if one of his two-comma kids was writing these papers
he'd be doing this shit? "Two-comma kids"?
A million dollars. One comma, two commas.
No, I don't.
Do you know what people are most afraid of?
What? What they don't understand.
And when we don't understand, we turn to our assumptions.
Crawford cannot understand
how a black kid from the Bronx can write the way you do.
So, he assumes you can't.
Just like I assume he's an asshole.
You knew him, didn't you?
Crawford? No.
But he thought he knew me.
What's all this about his book then?
A lot of writers know the rules about writing,
but they don't know how to write.
So? So, Crawford wrote a book
about four authors who did know.
I was the only one still alive. And?
Well, he convinced a publisher to buy it.
So, I made a polite telephone call to...
this publisher telling him and others,
that I was in the process of writing a second book,
and if they wished to bid on it--
Oh, so that's why Crawford's book went away.
[CHUCKLES]
But you already knew there wasn't gonna be a second book.
Yeah, but they didn't.
Interesting what happens
when the resources aren't close at hand, isn't it?
CRAWFORD: Sounds like the rich tradition
of handing in competition entries
on the final day continues for yet another year.
Ladies and gentlemen,
may I have your attention, please?
If you don't mind.
"Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade,
"death came with friendly care.
The opening bud to heaven convey'd and--"
How nice of you to join us.
That's not part of the poem. Hm?
"And bade it blossom there."
Anyone?
A little more early morning reticence than usual.
Mr. Coleridge.
Please. Mr. Coleridge,
how many students would you say we have here today?
Uh, I'm not sure.
Perhaps you could, uh, humor us with a guess.
Thirty. Thirty? And of that 30,
there isn't one person who knows the author of that passage.
I find that remarkable, don't you, Mr. Coleridge?
Perhaps we should back into this.
Mr. Coleridge, in looking at this,
what, if any, conclusions might we be able to draw?
Um, you mean about the author?
About anything.
Um--
Do any of the words strike you as unusual?
Mr. Coleridge, feel free to view this
as the appropriate time for a response.
Um, "ere."
"Ere." And why is that unusual?
Because... it sounds old.
It does sound old, doesn't it?
And you know why it sounds old, Mr. Coleridge?
Um--
It's because it is old, more than 200 years old.
Written before you were born, before your father was born,
before your father's father.
But that still does not excuse the fact
you don't know who wrote it, now does it, Mr. Coleridge?
Um, I-- I'm sorry, sir. I don't--
You, of all people, should know who wrote that passage.
And do you know why, Mr. Coleridge?
I repeat, do you know why?
Just say your name.
Excuse me. Did you have something to contribute?
I just said that he should say his name.
And why would it be helpful for Mr. Coleridge to say his name?
Because that's who wrote it.
Very good, Mr. Wallace.
Perhaps your skills do extend a bit farther than basketball.
Now if we can turn to-- You may be seated, Mr. Coleridge.
Turn to page 120. The blue book I'm certain all of you--
Further.
I'm sorry?
[WHISPERS] Don't.
You said my skills extend farther than the court.
"Farther" relates to distance.
"Further" is a definition of degree.
You should have said "further."
Are you challenging me, Mr. Wallace?
Not any more than you challenged Coleridge.
Perhaps the challenge should have been directed elsewhere.
"It is a melancholy truth that even great--"
"Great men have poor relations."
Dickens.
"You will hear the beat of a horse's--"
Kipling.
"All great truths begin--" Shaw.
"Man is the only animal--" "That blushes...
or needs to."
It's Mark Twain. Come on, Professor Crawford.
Get out!
Get... out.
Yeah, I'll get out.
Jamal. Leave it alone, Claire.
Hold on, please.
That's what they do? Kick you out if you know something?
You have no idea what Crawford does to students.
You're right about that.
Jamal!
Think you should apologize? No.
Do you? No. You did nothing wrong.
Just beat him at his own game.
But, uh, however, it'd be a good time to be careful.
Careful? Mm.
Careful about what?
You've been blessed with a gift that should allow you
to do remarkable things with your life.
That is, if you don't screw it up
by being a 16 year old right now, okay?
Jamal.
Yeah? Got a call from the office.
All right.
Mr. Wallace, please.
As you know,
Professor Matthews is on the faculty board,
and Dr. Spence is chair of the trustees board.
The three of us have been reviewing work
submitted for this year's writing competition.
And we were hoping you might clarify
a couple of points concerning your submission.
The, uh, "Season of Faith's Perfection."
Your piece, correct?
Yeah, that's it.
Mr. Wallace, it is standard policy to ask our students
if they wish to credit any source material
or acknowledge other writers when turning in an assignment.
Um, do you wish to do that?
CRAWFORD: 1960.
An essay titled, "Baseball's Best Year,"
with a subtitle that reads,
"A Season of Faith's Perfection."
Published in the New Yorker and written by one...
William Forrester.
Your version is actually quite original,
but there is the title and the first paragraph to consider.
Isn't there?
MATTHEWS: Jamal, either you happen to have
the permission of William Forrester or--
Have you some other explanation?
No. That's my paper.
Well then, your entry's now withdrawn,
and this becomes a matter for the board to consider.
And bear in mind the board does have the authority
to place you on academic probation,
which would prevent you from playing basketball here.
DR. SPENCE: Jamal,
look, being as the board doesn't meet until next week,
we've decided to let you play this weekend's championship.
But the board has a history of taking these matters...
quite seriously.
So, we would like to suggest
what we feel is a solution that may satisfy these concerns.
Robert.
The most important thing
is making certain this doesn't repeat itself.
So, you will be required to write a letter of apology
to the students you took advantage of
by submitting this piece.
And you are to read that letter in front of my class.
I'm not reading anything. The board will consider that
deciding whether to renew your scholarship.
DR. SPENCE: You haven't left us with too many options.
Excuse me.
Don't ever embarrass me in front of my class.
Please return the pen when you're finished.
No conventional greetings today?
How come you had me rewrite something you published?
Be careful where you take this. Why didn't you tell me?
Why the hell should it matter? You should have told me.
What did you do with it? I turned it in.
I had to show 'em something.
You promised me anything we wrote here would stay here.
I know.
I just thought-- Shut up.
What are they telling you?
I go on probation unless I write
some letter saying I was wrong.
Then write the letter.
I told you I'm not writing anything.
You got him, he gets you. Write the letter.
And you'd let him do that?
[GROANS]
This is supposed to be another lesson, huh?
I'm getting tired of all these lessons, man, every time.
So the title of your essay's at the top of my paper.
What's the lesson in that?
I'm not the one who turned it in.
But you talked all this trash when all you had to say was,
"Keep this one here 'cause it got printed in the New Yorker."
That's all you had to say, man.
I could use a little help on this one.
Oh, no. That's not an option.
You don't have to go anywhere. I said, that's not an option!
That's all right.
Got a nice little history of people not helping me.
[MUTTERING] Oh, Christ. Not that self-pity father bullshit.
What'd you say?
Man, fuck you, William!
You wanna hear the real bullshit?
How about you let me take it on this one
'cause you're too scared to walk out the door
and do something for somebody else.
You're too damn scared, man. That's the only damn reason.
[GLASS SHATTERS]
You don't know a thing about reasons.
There are no reasons! Reasons why some of us live
and why some of us don't.
Fortunately, you have decades to figure that out.
What's the reason having a file full of writin'
and keepin' the shit locked so nobody could ever read it?
What is that, man?
I'm done with this shit.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Oh, look. Jamal Wallace, here to pay us a visit, man.
What's up, J? What's up?
What's up, y'all?
Come on, Hill.
[BOYS CHATTERING]
BOY: That should do it, Ash.
[CROWD SHOUTING, CHEERING]
How's your first game in the Garden feel?
A little closer than I thought.
That's why I thought it might be a good time for us to talk.
Listen, I know it's difficult handling all of these classes
with all the time they ask you to spend on the court.
I couldn't handle that load. Not at this school.
And maybe it was unfair of us to ask you to do it.
I've been talking to other board members and to Crawford,
and the bottom line is,
we don't want to pursue this any more than you do, any of it.
So I'm here to present you with an offer.
We forget about the whole thing.
We set you up with an academic schedule that's less demanding.
You mean Crawford wanted that?
Crawford wants what's best for you, and for the school.
So then what am I supposed to do?
You hold up a trophy at the end of this tournament.
You make that happen. I'll make the rest of it happen.
All right?
Now go finish up what you came here to do.
Let's go, Pilgrims! Let's go, Pilgrims!
Okay, let's go! Throw it to Jamal.
CROWD [CHANTING]: Defense! Defense!
Three!
[CROWD GROANS]
Damn, man. Come on, man.
CROWD [CHANTING]: Defense! Defense!
Oh, oh, oh, oh. Jamal, get the ball!
Yeah! Yeah!
Good pass, man. Good pass.
Pick it up.
REFEREE: Offensive foul! That way!
Ten gold, offensive. That way.
Okay, you got 'em now. Let's go.
[WHISTLE BLOWS]
Five.
COACH: Time-out! Time-out!
Okay, this is still our game.
We make a stop here, and they'll have to put us on the line.
And when that happens, it's all over.
Don't lose your composure out there.
If they score, we're not gonna call a time-out.
I want the ball to go to Hartwell or Wallace.
Okay? Hartwell or Wallace. Let's go, guys.
Go!
Come on, man. What's the score?
Ain't looking good, Ma. It ain't looking good.
REFEREE: Foul! Twenty-two, blue. Two shots.
Foul, blue team, twenty-two.
Hit two. Go line up, guys.
Two shots.
Come on. We're gonna make these.
I can't look.
He's gonna be all right.
MAN: Put it in, baby!
Do it.
[CROWD GROANS] Damn.
One shot.
[CROWD SIGHS] REFEREE: That's game.
[]
Ma.
MRS. WALLACE: Oh, thank God! He must've come in after we left.
Just let him sleep. I'm gonna turn his light off.
Turn the light off and come on. All right.
You started cleaning up your room, Jamal?
MAN ON TV: He looks happy with himself, that coyote. Ears down.
[KNOCKING]
So this is how they avoid that problem.
Because he might be Wile E. Coyote,
but he's also wussy coyote,
because they don't like getting their feet wet.
Hey!
Jamal, he wrote that for you.
When? After the game.
He's going back to the school this morning.
It's funny, though.
They always let you get but so far...
before they take everything away from you.
God, he's such a good kid, man.
Then he gets to come back to this shit.
[FOOTSTEPS]
That seat open?
Think so.
This isn't exactly where I thought I'd find you.
Still my school, man.
They want me out, they gonna have to do it themselves.
They will.
Whatever.
"The winter's darkness and cold
"is but a momentary prelude to the new day of spring.
"While its grip seems endless, our perseverance proves equal.
"We renew ourselves once again,
"seeking out the bright moments that will serve, uh--
"that will serve therefore, uh,
"uh, uh--
therefore serve as the foundation of our future."
Thank you.
FORRESTER: Professor Crawford?
May I read a few words?
What's he doing here?
Yes, of course, by all means.
Thank you, Professor.
My name is William Forrester.
[STUDENTS WHISPERING]
Excuse me.
I'm that one.
"Losing Family.
"Losing family obliges us to find our family.
"Not always the family that is our blood,
"but the family that can become our blood.
"And should we have the wisdom
"to open our door to this new family,
"we will find that the wishes we once had for the father
"who once guided us,
"for the brother who once inspired us,
those wishes are there for us once again."
[]
"The only thing left to say will be,
I wish I had seen this or I wish I had done that or I wish--"
Well, most of you are too young
to know what your wishes will be.
But when I read these words,
words of hope and dreams,
I realize that the one wish that was granted to me,
so late in life,
was the gift of friend-- of friendship.
Mr. Forrester, I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone
in thanking you for this unexpected visit.
The quality of your words
is something we should all aspire to reach.
Mr. Forrester.
May I ask,
to what do we owe this honor?
Professor Crawford,
I spoke here today because...
a friend of mine wasn't allowed to.
A friend who had the integrity to protect me
when I was unwilling to protect him.
His name is Jamal Wallace.
Jamal Wallace is a friend of yours?
Yes. Yes, he is.
I helped him to find his own words
by starting with some of mine.
And in return, he promised
never to say anything to anybody about me.
A promise which he kept.
Mr. Forrester, while your visit appears to be heartfelt,
I'm sure you will appreciate that...
it will not change or interfere with this institution
reaching a fair and proper decision in his case.
Oh, there's one more issue here.
Those words that I read today,
I didn't write them.
Jamal Wallace did.
CRAWFORD: Quiet. Shh, shh.
Quiet! Quiet, please! Be still.
Shush, shush, shush!
Quiet, please.
That has no bearing on the decision--
Robert. I--
As director of this competition, I have final say.
Robert, sit down.
I have been a teacher for more than 30 years.
That's long enough to know integrity counts for something.
I'd say that Mr. Forrester has cleared up
this matter very nicely for us all.
And as chairman of the faculty board, I have
the last word in that matter.
Mr. Wallace, you are excused from next week's board meeting.
Mr. Forrester, should you ever
have an interest in a teaching position--
Oh, no.
Jamal, these are your words?
Sixteen.
[SMACKS LIPS] Remarkable.
Well done!
Whoo!
I'm thinking you'll make your own decisions from here on, hmm?
I'm thinking you're about to say, "I always could."
Oh, no. No more lessons.
But I have a question, though.
Those two foul shots at the end of the game,
did you miss them, or did you miss them?
Not exactly a soup question, is it?
[CHUCKLES] Let's go.
Do you think our vaudeville act today
will merit the National Enquirer?
Oh, yeah, definitely.
Well, whatever happens, I'm off.
What's, uh, the word
you and your friends would use for that?
Leaving? Oh, God.
Where you off to?
Well, I have a homeland I haven't seen for too long.
You mean Ireland. Scotland, for God's sake!
I'm messing with you, man.
Be sure to write.
[]
Hey, Jamal. What's up?
Hey.
What's up, John? Have you heard from William?
Yeah, but I don't know what he's doing.
But he keeps sending letters checking on college recruiters.
I was just downstairs. Looks like you got another one.
Word? Heh. Yeah. I'll see you around.
All right.
MAN: Jamal? Hi. Yeah.
Steve Sanderson. Hi, how ya doin'?
Good. Thanks for coming down on such short notice.
No problem. Uh, so what school are you from?
Oh, no, I'm a lawyer here in town.
I work with Roberts and Carter. Oh, a lawyer.
Yeah. But congratulations with all that. That's great.
That's really, really, really great.
We got a bunch of the guys in the office following you.
So-- But we're the legal representation
for William Forrester.
How is he? Here.
Sit down.
Um...
we've received word that, uh, William passed away.
I'm sorry.
He wanted you to have...
these things right away.
What happened?
William had cancer.
Uh, they found it a couple years ago.
[]
Jamal, this is crazy.
Oh, my God! Wow!
Look at all these books. Don't touch anything.
FORRESTER: "Dear Jamal, someone I once knew
"wrote that we walk away from our dreams
"afraid that we may fail,
"or worse yet, afraid we may succeed.
"You need to know that while I knew so very early
"that you would realize your dreams,
"I never imagined I would once again realize my own.
"Seasons change, young man, and while I may have waited
"until the winter of my life
"to see the things I've seen this past year,
"there is no doubt I would have waited too long
had it not been for you."
Hey.
You gonna be here a while, man?
Just can't watch the eyes this time.
You're gonna be okay, man. Come on.
Come on, man.
Get up.
[]
Somewhere
Over the rainbow
Way up high
Messing up lay-ups now? What happened to you, boy?
And dreams That you dream of
Once in a lullaby
Where'd the first step go, man?
Oh, somewhere
Over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams That you dream of
Dreams really do come true
Someday you'll wish Upon a star
Wake up where the clouds Are far behind
Where trouble melts Like lemon drops
High above The chimney top
That's where
You'll find me
Oh, somewhere
Over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams That you dare to
Oh, why, oh, why can't I
Well, I see trees of green
And red roses too
I'll watch them bloom For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well, I see skies of blue
And I see clouds of white
And the bright blessed day I like the dark
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people passing by
I see friends Shaking hands
Saying how do you do
They're really saying
I, I love you
I hear babies cry
And I watch them grow
They'll learn much more
Than we'll know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams That you dare to
Why, oh, why can't I
I
[]