-♪ Baby ♪
-♪ High with a little
help from my friends ♪
-♪ Said I'm gonna make
it with my friends ♪
-♪ Try with a little
help from my friends ♪
-♪ Oh, oh, I'm gonna
keep on tryin' ♪
-♪ Get by with a little
help from my friends ♪
-♪ I'm gonna keep
on tryin', now, babe ♪
-♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
-If there's one thing every
kid learns growing up,
It's that life is
a series of risks.
It's a cause-and-effect
relationship.
Nothing ventured,
nothing gained.
Still, with the proper guidance,
We learn to deal with the risks.
And pretty soon, we
set out into the world,
Sure in our options,
confident of our choices.
Until, that is...
"Metamorphosis."
Is it "a"... Transformation,
"b"... Integration,
"C"... Resurrection, or
"d"... None of the above?
- 11Th grade. The
year of decisions.
-Anyone?
Yes.
- "B."
"C." "D."
- "A."
-Around the middle of junior
year, the risks increase.
-I knew that.
-Almost overnight,
the choices get harder.
-One guess why.
-English comprehension.
I suggest you learn this, class.
It's bound to show
up on you sats.
-The scholastic aptitude test.
The living nightmare of
american adolescents.
-All right, next word.
"Pyrotechnic."
Mr. Pfeiffer, would you like
to take a cr*ck at this one?
-Uh...
-Like some kind
of biblical curse,
The sats had
descended on our class,
Reducing even the most
intelligent among us
To a state of flop sweats.
- "B."
- "D."
-I knew that.
Yeah, right.
- I did.
- In that case, mr. Billings...
"Hirsute."
Can you fill us in?
-Hirsute.
Uh...
-It was grim.
After 16 years of hard learning,
Our educational futures
Had suddenly been pinned
down to four choices.
-Uh...
-"A," "b," "c," and,
of course...
-Pudding or jello?
- I'll go with the pudding.
- Mm.
-Hirsute. Who... Who in the
world knows what hirsute means?
-Hairy.
-Oh, great.
-The truth was, potential
failure loomed at every turn.
-Next.
-Not that it was worth
losing sleep over.
-I haven't slept in two nights.
I don't know what it is. I just
keep tossing and turning.
-I just wish it was
over, you know?
-I wish I were dead.
-It was clear each of us
Was dealing with
this in our own way.
For me...
-Come on, what are you
both so worried about?
- It was denial.
-I mean, it's just a stupid
aptitude test, right?
-Maybe he's right.
-Of course I'm right.
-Are you nuts?
This test could determine
our entire future.
-What's that supposed to mean?
-Well, it means you have
to score 1400 this year
To even be considered
by the ivy leagues.
And what college you go to
Determines what
grad school you go to,
Which determines
what kind of job you get
And what contacts
you're gonna make
And... And who your
friends are gonna be
And what type of house
you're gonna live in
And what the rest of
your life could be like.
-Are you sure you didn't
leave anything else out, paul?
-Yeah. You got some
pudding on your pants.
Pudding on our pants.
Metaphors we couldn't mix.
Seemed like the stress
was getting to us all,
My dad included.
-"Competent"? What the
hell does "competent" mean?
-Probably means you
did a good job, jack.
-For my father, the crisis
Was his annual
evaluation from norcom.
You know how many
weekends I put in there?
You know how hard I work?
I don't believe this.
-Which isn't to say the old man
Wasn't graceful at taking
constructive criticism.
-Now, look, honey!
There's "excellent" right here.
-Yeah.
For "demeanor and appearance."
Means the guy liked my haircut.
-Honey, they probably didn't
even give it much thought.
You know how much
they appreciate you there.
-The hell they do.
-Still, in my own way, I kind
of sympathized with the guy.
-Spoon?
-After all, this was
really none of my business.
This was dad...
The great provider,
the man with the plan.
-Charlie barrett got
a bad evaluation, too.
-Jack, you did not
get a bad evaluation.
-Yeah, well...
He decided to leave norcom.
-Charlie?
You're kidding?
- Nope.
He knows this guy who owns
a small furniture factory.
He wants to retire.
He's gonna buy him out.
I don't know.
Maybe he's got the right idea.
-But if dad was
looking for advice,
He was pretty much on his own.
-20 Years at norcom, norma.
What have I been
doing with my life?
-Face it... When it
came to philosophy,
My family had one golden rule.
It was every man for himself.
-Kevin, I'm worried.
-About what?
-The sats.
-Oh, no. Not you, too.
-It was bad enough to have
to face this in the cafeteria,
But not in the front
seat of a hot car.
-Winnie, it'll be fine.
-You really think so?
-Yeah.
-Maybe you're right.
♪ Here I am, stuck in
the middle with you ♪
-Except what happens
after the test?
-What?
-Well, the sats are
just the beginning.
I mean, after that, we
graduate and go to college.
What if we end up at
different schools?
And what if they're
thousands of miles apart?
What if we never see
each other anymore?
-Geez.
Now my girlfriend was
turning into paul pfeiffer.
-Well...
Winnie, that's over a year away.
Do we have to
worry about it now?
-Of course we don't.
-♪ Slap you on the
back and say, "please" ♪
-I mean, we'll still see each
other at christmas, right?
-♪ "Please" ♪
-It was awful.
This one crummy test
was poisoning my life,
Plaguing my future.
So there was only
one way to fight back...
-I'll have pralines
and cream, please.
- Go for ice cream
with the folks.
Yeah, this was some fun.
-Jack. Norma.
-Hey, charlie. What
are you doing here?
-Well, I just stopped by to
get the family some ice cream
To, uh, you know, celebrate.
-Charlie barrett.
I hadn't seen him since I was...
-Kevin?
I-i... I haven't seen
you since you were 6.
What grade are you in now?
11Th.
-So, uh...
Next year you'll be in 12th.
-Yep. You couldn't get
anything past this guy.
-Kevin's taking
his sats next week.
-Whoa. Hmm. Sats.
Good luck, pal.
-Yeah, same to you.
-Uh, let me have a pint
of, uh, strawberry.
No, no, no. Make it a quart.
Might as well live
on the edge a little.
Right?
-Yes, jack told me about
your leaving norcom
And all your plans.
It must be very exciting.
-Exciting?
Hell, norma, this
is long overdue.
Right, jack?
-And there was something
About that pat on
the arm that said...
-So, norma, what do you think
About jack and me going
into business together?
-I... Beg your pardon?
-Uh...
Actually, we haven't
talked about it yet.
-Oh, I see.
-Uh, norma,
Jack and I just had
a couple discussions
About maybe buying
this little factory.
But, you know,
it's not really...
-We're meeting with
the owners tomorrow.
-I see.
-Yeah, well, anyway...
I better get moving.
I'll see you tomorrow,
jack, around 3:00?
-Uh-huh.
-See you there.
-Unfortunately, my
mother's concern
Didn't disappear as
easily as charlie had.
-Why didn't you tell
me about this, jack?
-Uh...
Maybe we ought to talk
about it at home, okay?
Kevin.
I'll... Get the car.
-And suddenly,
I had the feeling something
big was going on here...
For mom, for dad,
for the whole family.
And whatever it was...
-Hey, good luck with those sats.
I hear they're a real k*ller.
- This time...
-Thanks.
- I knew the answers
weren't gonna be easy.
-"Harassment" is
to "intimidation"
As "compliment" is to...
-As the sats loomed closer,
our brains loomed smaller.
-Come on, concentrate!
Anyone?
Mr. Coleman.
-Yes?
"Harassment" is
to "intimidation"
As "compliment" is to...
-Panic had officially
descended upon my class.
-I have to go to the bathroom.
-But no matter where
we ran for comfort...
-Anybody else?
- There was no escape.
It was getting harder and harder
To deny what was going on.
-Mr. Arnold.
How about you?
-Uh...
At times like this, there
was only one thing to do.
- "B"?
-Take a risk.
-Ah.
Very good.
Would you like to tell the class
how you arrived at this answer?
I guessed.
-Well, you were wrong.
-I knew that.
-All right, let's, uh...
Start with another one.
"Annoy" is to "irate" as...
-One thing was clear...
It was time to buckle
down and dive in.
After all, that's
what my dad was doing.
How do I look?
-You look very handsome.
-I'll bet you never thought
You'd see me in the
furniture business, huh?
-After 24 hours of
constant negotiations,
Mom had finally
accepted dad's plan.
-There you go.
-Not that she was
completely happy about it.
-I just hope it all works out.
-You know, norma, I'm a
lot more than competent.
-I know that, honey.
Good luck.
See ya.
-And there you had it.
As my father set out to
become a one-man industry...
My mother became a
one-woman vegematic.
-Mom, I'm trying to study.
-Hmm?
-Could you keep
it down a little?
-Oh. Sorry.
-Okay, it was obvious
If I was gonna get any
studying done at all,
I'd have to do it
somewhere else!
I was ready.
I was focused.
And nothing was gonna
sway me from the task at hand,
Except...
- "Let's make a deal"!
And now, here's
america's top trader,
Tv's big dealer...
Monty hall!
-Hey, I just needed a
10-minute break, okay?
-Okay. Thank you.
-Honey, you've been
watching tv for three hours.
-Yeah.
Well, uh, I'm gonna
turn it off right now.
-The big deal is worth $10,034.
Is it behind door number one?
Or door number two?
Or door number three?
-Your father should have
been home an hour ago.
-Maybe he got held up.
-After all, we were
talking about dad here.
He probably signed the deal,
Stopped off to buy
some champagne,
And was coming home
the conquering hero.
-Hey, dad.
-Hi, honey.
How'd it go?
-Lousy.
-Or maybe just the conquered.
-What happened?
-I'll tell you what happened.
The whole damn thing fell apart.
-How?
-Well, for one thing,
It's gonna cost three
times more than I thought.
15,000 Bucks.
Can you imagine that?
We can't afford that, norma.
With the mortgage...
Car payments, kevin's college...
The hell was I thinking?
-And at that moment, I
heard something in his voice
I'd never heard before...
Regret.
-I don't think you
should give up on this.
-Well, what about the money?
-Honey...
When we got married,
We didn't have two
nickles to rub together.
And we did all right.
Well...
We'll do it again.
-But if mom was trying her
best to give dad a future...
Forget it, norma.
- The old man wasn't buying.
I'm staying at norcom.
-That night I didn't have
much luck studying.
My mind was whirling.
All I could think about
were decisions and risks...
And choices.
- "Let's make a deal"!
- All right, kevin arnold.
Are you ready to
choose your future?
- Yes, monty.
- Okay, what door do you want?
I'll take, uh, door number...
- Yeah?
-Two. No, no. One.
Three. No.
No, one.
-Which?
-Door number two.
-Good. Are you sure?
- Absolutely.
- Good.
-Door number one.
-All right, don, tell
him what he won.
-Congratulations!
You've just chosen
20 years at norcom,
Where you'll receive long hours,
Constant brow-b*ating,
and a severe peptic ulcer!
-Unless, of course,
- You'd like to trade it...
- Three!
- Oh, you do want to trade away?
- Three.
- For three? All right.
- I'll take door number three.
-Here's what we have
behind door number three.
-It's... A donkey!
-Now, don, tell him
what he could have won.
-Yes, kevin. It's the good life!
A college education...
Vacations to hawaii...
The girl of your dreams...
And expensive lawn furniture!
And all because you
didn't study for your sats.
The day before the
test was t*rture.
Oh, man.
This is gonna be a disaster.
-Panic had given way
to raw superstition.
-You know, I heard
that there's a pattern.
If you break the code, you
can figure out the answers.
-Yeah. I heard they have this
card they put over the answers,
-So if you fill in
all the circles,
You get a perfect score.
- No, I heard...
-It was crazy...
The last-minute ravings
of desperate men.
-That's ridiculous. How are
they gonna know your birthday?
-Hey. They know everything.
And then you take the
question number and you add it,
And you multiply
the whole thing...
-I can't believe you guys
are wasting your time
On these stupid rumors.
I mean, don't you have
something better to do?
-You should be studying.
- Why?
- Enough was enough.
It was time to put some
sense to this whole fiasco.
-Who says we have to take
this stupid test, anyway?
Why should we let this one
test affect our entire life?
Why should one test
make us this crazy?
I say we're more important
than that stupid test,
And i, for one, am not
gonna let it control my life.
-There. Finally, a
statement of principle.
A manifesto of defiance.
A cry for unity no red-blooded
kid could fail to admire.
-Nice try, buddy.
-And I guess that's
when it hit me...
What I'd been
denying all week...
About choices and risks...
And that test.
I wasn't angry.
I was just plain scared.
By the end of the day, all I
wanted to do was head home.
Maybe catch a slow
train to loserville.
I don't know.
Maybe dad had
the same idea, too.
-Hey, kev. How you doin'?
Everything okay?
-Dad, what are you doing here?
-I thought maybe you'd
like to go for a ride.
What do you say?
-Well, I have my
car over there, so...
-We'll get it later.
Come on. It won't take long.
-And the way he said it...
-Okay.
- Guess I knew I really
didn't have a choice.
-Kevin, uh...
There's some things I
want to talk to you about.
-The funny thing was, I pretty
much knew what was coming.
-You know,
Sometimes it's not easy
being the head of a family.
Sometimes you
have to make choices
That affect everybody, and...
You're not sure if you're
doing the right thing.
Uh...
-Listen, dad.
You don't have to
explain anything to me.
-Glad to hear you say that.
-Hell, I understood
what he meant.
After all, in this world,
there were two kinds of men...
The ones with guts,
the ones who dared,
The ones who took risks...
And then there were the arnolds.
-Here we are.
-What is this?
-My new company.
Once the deal closes.
So, come on.
Let's take a look.
Here we go.
Everybody's already
knocked off for the day.
It's usually really,
um, hopping in here.
-Yeah, I bet.
-Come on. I'll show you around.
Look at that.
-It's great.
-I guess life is
full of surprises,
No matter what age you are.
-I didn't know you knew
anything about furniture, dad.
-I don't.
But I'm ready to learn.
We got a great crew here.
-What about norcom?
-Figured your mom was right.
It's time to take a chance.
Norcom was k*lling me.
So I left.
-What'd they say?
-They said, "goodbye."
-Dad, aren't you scared?
-Nah.
Yeah.
-Come on.
I want to show you
where my office will be.
-That afternoon, dad
and I took the tour.
- See this?
- We talked furniture.
We talked life.
We made plans.
- Sealed test book.
-And the next
morning, at 8:00 a.m.,
78 Students gathered
in the mckinley cafeteria
To take what was supposed to be
The most important
test of their lives.
-Do not break the seal
until I tell you to do so.
-Everyone had a different
way of coping that day.
-You'll have three hours...
-Some were more
effective than others.
-There are five sections.
The time allotted for each
section will be announced...
-But for all the
risks and choices,
I was one step ahead of them.
-When you have
finished a section,
Do not... I repeat...
Do not turn ahead.
You may now open your pamphlets.
-After all, I knew that
this was just one test
In thousands I'd
be taking in my life.
None of them final.
None of them irrevocable.
And the way I saw it,
maybe life was a risk.
But this time, I was ready.