-Around the 1950s, something
weird happened to america.
There was a name
for it. The suburbs.
Each one had a school, a
record store, and a name,
Like park ridge,
or ridgefield park.
Or vice versa.
It didn't matter if main street
ran north-south or east-west.
Somehow they were all the same.
In fact, there
was only one thing
That set one apart
from the others.
Only one of them... Was yours.
[Joe cocker's "with a little
help from my friends" plays]
-♪ Baby ♪
-♪ By 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, I'm gonna
keep on trying ♪
-♪ High with a little
help from my friends ♪
♪ I'm gonna keep on
trying now, baby ♪
-♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
-Chemical interaction.
If the solution
turns blue, it's base...
-By the middle of junior year,
Life at my school was
becoming... Routine.
-Carefully, okay?
Add 20 milligrams of
reactant to the solution.
-The teachers, the
kids, the classes...
They were all
pretty predictable.
-Did he say 20 milligrams?
-Most of them, anyway.
-Yeah. Why?
-It just doesn't
sound like much.
-Jeff billings, the
new kid in school.
-You know, maybe
we should try 50.
-50?
-Yeah, you know, I mean,
We're both
scientists, aren't we?
-When it came to unpredictable,
this guy had the lock.
-So... 50.
-Yeah, or, you know...
-We could put
the whole thing in.
-You only live once, right?
-Here goes nothin'.
[Bubbling]
[expl*si*n]
[School bell rings]
- I can't believe
you just did that.
-Me? It was your idea.
-Never. Come on.
-In the short time
I'd known the kid,
I'd learned this about
him... He had brains...
- Oh!
- A sense of humor...
-Pardon me, sir.
-Watch your step, young man.
-He had...
-Yes, sir.
And thank you for bringing
that to my attention, sir.
- Attitude.
-Very nice.
-I do my best.
-Yep, in a way,
the guy had it all,
-Including a girlfriend
I'd never met...
Julie mcdermott,
The legendary goddess
from another town.
-How is she?
-Who?
Oh, julie.
She's great.
-You seen her lately?
-Uh, nah, but we talked
last week on the phone.
-Whoa!
-What's that supposed to mean?
-Nothing. It's just...
How can you have a
girlfriend 110 miles away?
-Yeah, you're right. It's over.
-And there you had it... A man
with an answer for everything.
[School bell rings]
- My house this afternoon?
- Yeah, sure.
-So, make yourself at home.
-Right.
-If "home" was a
2-bedroom poolside condo...
With boxes.
-So, I see you've really
fixed the place up.
-Yeah, I think it's
all coming together.
-Are you ever gonna unpack?
-Nah, I like it like this.
Kind of early-american
divorce settlement, you know?
[Knock on door]
- Hey, guys.
- Hi.
-Hey, mrs. Billings.
-How was school today?
-A complete and
total waste of time.
-Oh.
-I thought you
learned that yesterday.
-Hey, did dad call?
-Well... Yes.
But he said he can't
come in this week.
-Oh.
-Sure. No problem.
-♪ Your everlasting summer,
and you can see it fading fast ♪
-So, you want to play
some ball or something?
I know I have a mitt
around here somewhere.
-Listen, jeff, since your
dad's not coming in this week,
Do you want to do something?
-Like what?
-We can double or somethin'.
-Can't.
-Why not?
-I told you... I've
already got a girl.
So, you gonna help me
find this glove or not?
-Sure.
-♪ Have you had
enough of mine? ♪
-After all, no skin off my nose.
When it came to life's problems,
Jeff had his...
[Camera shutter clicks]
And I had mine.
-Make sure you get all the
leaves and mud out of there.
-Yeah, yeah.
-The arnold residence.
No pool... Just... Gutters.
-Dad, haven't we done
enough work for today?
-Yeah, can't we knock off
for a couple of months?
-Just keep working.
-To my dad, his house
was his fortress...
His children, his slaves.
-Oops. [Chuckles]
-I don't believe it.
-What are we gonna do now?
-We go down to
the hardware store
And pick up some new fasteners.
-Wait a minute. Did he say...?
-Me?
Why me?
-No, don't look at
me. I work all day.
-Well, you're the one who
broke it in the first place.
-Kevin, you're 16 years old.
It's time you had
some responsibilities.
- But...
- You've got until next weekend.
You think you can fit
it in your schedule?
-Fine.
-Thank you.
-[Laughs]
-Still, my father just
didn't understand.
I had better things to
do than shop for gutters.
I had my own life,
my own friends...
-Kevin!
- My own girlfriend...
-This is ann sheer.
She's new in school.
- My own girlfriend's
new girlfriend.
-Hi.
-Hi.
Well, how do you like it so far?
Oh, fine.
I'll see you guys in a bit.
-She's cute, isn't she?
-I guess so.
-She's funny.
-Uh-huh.
-She's also a little lonely.
-Uh-oh. I knew where
this was heading.
-Maybe we could fix
her up with somebody.
-There it was... "We" again.
-Winnie, don't do this.
I hate fixing people up.
It never works out,
And it always ends
up being my fault.
Besides, I don't know
anyone who needs a date.
-Hey, you guys.
What's happenin'?
-Oh, no.
No, forget it.
-After all, the guy had a girl.
No way he was gonna...
-Hi. I'm back.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Ann, this is jeff.
Jeff, this is...
-Welcome to the monkey house.
-You read vonnegut?
-Oh, sure. W-whenever I can.
-Did you read
"slaughterhouse five"?
-Yeah, billy pilgrim,
montana wildhack.
-She and billy were
so much in love.
-Yeah, but he time-traveled.
-But they kept
coming back together.
-It was kind of like being
in the middle of a furnace.
And then...
-Um, yeah. I gotta get going.
-Huh?
-I just have some stuff to do.
But i-it was nice
talking to you.
-I... Got to get a
drink of water.
-Wow. [Chuckles]
did you see that?
-Yeah.
-Wow.
-There was absolutely
no denying it.
-I have no idea what
you're talking about.
-Unless, of course,
you denied it.
-So you're telling me
there was nothing going on
Between you two?
-Well, she was nice.
-Nice?
-Yeah, she was cute, you know?
-So you gonna ask
her out or what?
-Kevin, I told you...
I've already got a girl.
-And after hearing
that about 800 times,
It finally seemed clear.
-Unless, you know,
i-it wasn't like...
Like a date.
You know, I mean...
If it were something
more like... I don't know...
-Unofficial.
-Yeah, unofficial.
-Unofficial... I
knew just the place.
Peter pan's putt-putt.
The miniature-golf
capital of suburbia.
It was hip, it was
happening... It was cheap.
-Jeff!
-Yep, you couldn't get any
more unofficial than this.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-And there was only
one thing to say.
-So, uh, I guess I'll
keep score, okay?
- Sure.
- Sure.
-Fore!
So we entered the
wonderful world of golf.
[The champs' "tequila" plays]
Now, golf was a game of skill,
A game that required
finesse, grace, coordination...
And, of course, accuracy.
-♪ Tequila ♪
-Maybe you could
just pick it up.
-What, and take the penalty?
[Scoffs] forget about it.
[Frog croaks]
-It became obvious that
while my form needed work,
Ann and jeff seemed to
have theirs down just right.
-So, why'd you move out here?
-My dad got transferred.
How about you?
-Divorce.
-Hmm.
For a while, I thought my
folks were gonna get divorced.
I mean, they never talk
to each other or anything.
-I know what you mean.
-I'm never gonna be like them.
-[Chuckles] me neither.
-It was like watching
"romeo and juliet."
-Fore!
[Ball whizzes]
-I think you're supposed
to put it in the hole.
-By the 18th hole, two
things were clear.
-Ooh, good sh*t!
-One, the unofficial date
was a rousing success.
-This is fun.
-And two...
Golf was for idiots.
-There.
-So, anybody for another round?
-No!
-Yeah, you're right.
There's no sense in
fooling with perfection.
-[Forced chuckle]
-Well, maybe we could,
uh... Go somewhere else.
-Like where?
-I don't know.
The point?
-Well, that sounds nice.
-The point...
Where unofficial dates
became official couples.
-Um, actually... I-i-i can't.
Uh...
I-i should actually get home.
-Well [scoffs]
jeff, it's only 9:00.
-Actually, you know, I live
a few blocks from here,
So I'll... So I'll walk.
But i-it was a lot of fun.
-Yeah.
-Bye.
-And just like that,
romeo took a powder.
-Hey, jeff, wait a minute.
What just happened back there?
-Well, let's see.
I sh*t a 60, and
you got about a 180.
-Will you knock it off?
Look, I don't get it.
I mean, you two
were hitting it off.
-But, of course, I
should have known.
-I told you, kevin... I
already got a girl.
-And there it was...
The same old song.
By the next morning,
The disaster on the
18th hole was history...
Almost.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Hey, kevin.
-I don't know
why, but I felt like
I had to apologize
for jeff's behavior.
-Listen, uh, about last night...
-It's okay.
I thought about it, and
jeff's really not my type.
-Well...
Yeah. Of course.
-I'll see you guys later.
-Translation... He'd
broken her heart.
-I really feel bad.
I mean, I feel like it's kind
of my fault or something.
-It probably was.
-What?
-Well, you fixed them up.
-I knew it.
-See ya.
-[Sighs]
[School bell rings]
- it didn't seem fair.
I was taking all
the heat for a guy...
-Ah, we seem to be
missing mr. Billings today.
- Who wasn't even around.
-Mr. Arnold, I'll assign you
a new lab partner today.
Try not to blow him up.
[Car horn blaring in distance]
-That afternoon, I
headed for jeff's.
I figured maybe he
was sick... Or dead.
Or... Maybe
something in between.
-Hey.
What's going on?
-Well, you know,
I'm writing a letter.
Working on my tan.
-In your coat?
-Yeah, well, you know,
you can't be too careful
With these dangerous
ultraviolet rays.
-So, why'd you
skip school today?
-I don't know. I just had
some things to think about.
-Oh.
-I saw ann.
-She say anything interesting?
-I didn't know what
to tell the guy.
-Well, you know.
-I talked to my
dad this morning.
-Oh, yeah?
How'd that go?
-Not good.
It was a bad connection.
-Listen, you want to
talk about any of this?
-Okay.
-And finally we were
gonna break through
All the wisecracks and glibness.
-You know, I was thinking, uh...
Your golf game needs work.
Maybe you should
try using a bigger ball.
You know what I'm saying?
Like a tennis ball or
a bowling ball or...
-I don't believe this!
[Scoffs] what is with you?
Is everything a joke to you?
-What do you mean?
-I mean, you have an
answer for everything,
But you never try and fit in.
-What are you... Ann landers?
-What?
-There's a proper
way to do this,
There's a proper way to do that.
I mean, it's really
none of your business.
-Okay, if the guy wanted
to keep it to himself,
Fine with me.
-Yeah, well, forget it.
-Hey.
-What?
-You know, for your information,
I didn't ask to move here.
I didn't ask to have all my
stuff put in some moving van
And come to some new place,
And meet new people and fit in.
My family was back there,
and nobody asked me.
-So that's it?
You're just gonna
sit there by yourself?
-Oh, man, you don't
know anything.
Just leave, will you?
-Terrific.
-Hey, I didn't have to stay
there and be yelled at.
-What do you mean you
didn't get the fasteners yet?
-I could be yelled at at home.
-It's saturday! How are
we gonna fix the gutters?
-Well, I'm sorry, dad. I forgot.
I didn't do it on purpose.
-I want you to get
dressed, go to the store,
And get 'em right now.
-Okay, dad. Fine.
It was nice talkin' to ya.
-And don't forget this time.
-And there you had it...
Banished to the mall.
-Oh, hey.
-What are you doing here?
-Well, um...
I kind of need a ride.
[Chuckling] I need to get
back to my hometown.
-Yeah, well... Forget it.
I'm busy.
-Well, sure, yeah. That's okay.
I mean, you can just give
me the keys to your car,
You know, and... I'll
take it from there.
-Nah. I've seen you drive.
[Chuckles]
I'll take you.
-So I forgot about the gutters
And drove the 110
miles to jeff's old town.
I couldn't say why.
All I knew was,
The guy asked me,
and I couldn't say no.
-Hang a right here.
-The funny thing was,
His town looked almost
exactly the same as mine.
-See this park over here?
One time, this guy
named tommy burns
Drank three six-packs
And puked for
four hours straight.
-They ought to declare
it a historical landmark.
-Yeah, there was a petition.
[Cash register dings]
-This town had
history. It had tradition.
-Good soda, huh?
-Yeah.
-It had soda.
But the fact was, I still had
no idea why we were here.
-Julie.
-Jeff.
Hi.
-Hi.
God, i-i-i had to see you.
Yeah.
So, h-h-how is everything?
[Chuckles nervously]
-It's about the same. I mean...
Well, the kids are the
same, and the teachers...
-Yeah. [Chuckles]
-How are things at your school?
-Well, you know,
it's... It's kind of tough
When you're the coolest
guy there, you know?
[Chuckles]
-Suddenly, I understood
why he'd come...
To get back something
he was losing.
-I, um, finished reading the
book of vonnegut short stories.
-Oh, you did?
D-did you like 'em?
-Yeah.
I loved the one where
The businessman
let the deer go free.
It made me cry.
-Yeah.
[Sighs]
Uh, listen, julie,
I-i wanted to write
you a letter, but, uh...
But I came here because, uh...
-I know.
- I-i couldn't do
this any longer.
-[Voice breaking] I know.
-I met somebody else.
B-but she'll never
replace you, you know?
-I met someone, too.
-Y-y-you did?
-But I think about
you all the time.
-Me too.
God, I hate this.
-[Sighs] me too.
-And I guess that's when I knew.
He hadn't come here to hold on.
-I, uh... Guess I
better get going.
-Yeah.
-He'd come... To let go.
When you're 16,
You have no real
control over your life.
It can be turned upside
down and inside out
At a moment's notice.
-Stop here.
-What?
-R-right here.
This is my old house.
My dad sold it
about a month ago.
Hey!
D-did you guys happen to
see a glove around here?
I-it's a brooks robinson.
You know, the webbing's
kind of sh*t, a-and...
[Chuckles]
Well, nice try, anyway, huh?
-[Chuckling] yeah.
-This was a great house.
-Yeah.
-Maybe there are times,
After all the
wisecracks and jokes,
When everybody
has to come clean.
-I think my dad's
never coming back.
-Hey!
We found it.
-Oh, hey, thanks a lot.
Hey, look, I really
appreciate this.
- You're welcome.
- You're welcome.
-So, where are we going next?
-Home.
-So we went home.
That day, I thought
about a lot of things...
My hometown, my family...
The shortcomings,
The flaws...
-Where the hell have you been?
And where are the
fasteners for the gutters?
- The arguments.
-You leave here six hours ago,
and you come back with nothin'.
What's the matter with
you?! Where's your head?!
-I love you, dad.
[Door opens, closes]
-Still, in the world of
inconsistency and doubt,
Maybe home is what you make it.
Like I said, most suburbs
were about the same.
Sure, some may have
been a little bigger...
And some may have
been a little greener...
- I'll see you.
- Yeah, sure.
-But basically, there was
only one real difference.
-How you doin'?
-I'm doin' good.
-I was wondering...
-Only one of them was yours.