Rich city folks and their fancy apartments.
But their air is so polluted, they can't even see the stars.
We'd have to be out of our minds to trade places with any of them.
...four sources, saying that it is.
What did he say?
He said, "Jeannette Walls,
you are nothing but a bottom feeder with a silly little gossip column.
If you print this story, I will have my lawyers go so far up your ass
that you will taste their ink in your mouth."
Oh my gosh. And what did you say?
I thanked him for the perfect kicker quote and hung up the phone.
The whole office gave her a standing ovation.
And you ran it?
Oh, heck yeah I ran it. Where I come from,
you never miss an opportunity to serve a bully a slice of humble pie.
Could you box this up for me, and maybe yours too if you're not gonna eat it?
- Yeah. - She's just kidding.
No, I'm not. I never joke about food.
So, where are you from Miss Walls?
I think I detect a slight twang in there somewhere.
Jeannette grew up in Virginia.
Surrounded by trees and fields of wildflowers.
If we could all be so lucky.
I own a mining company near Richmond.
Your folks still there?
Ah, yup, they are. They have, uh, little house there on a hill
overlooking a river and they love it. Yeah.
And what do they do?
My mom is an artist.
My dad, um, is an engineer.
He's developing a technology that'll burn
low-grade bituminous coal more efficiently.
Wow.
Well, you have him give me a call when he has that figured out.
I sure will.
And what do they think of you hitching off with this big city boy?
Well, I haven't told them yet.
Well, Tiffany still hasn't told her parents about me
and we've been together over a year.
Well, you better hurry up. Who knows how much time he's got left.
That was unbelievable.
I can't believe he gave me the account on the spot.
I know. This is huge for the firm.
I'm taking you with me to all of these from now on.
I'm gonna be home soon. I just want to have everything ready for them
- to sign in the morning. - All right.
Hey, when it comes to my family,
let me do the lying, okay?
You got it.
Hey, don't forget your leftovers.
- See you at home. - Love you. Bye.
You in a hurry?
Come on man. Ah, jeez.
You need to get out of the street.
Hey!
- Hello? - Hey, Lori.
Hey, Jeannette. What's going on?
I just saw Mom and Dad digging through the trash in downtown.
Did Mom find any new treasures?
I didn't stop.
What? Why not?
I don't know.
Are you okay?
Jeannette?
- ♪ My wild Irish Rose ♪ - Mom, are we gonna have any lunch?
Go outside and play with Brian and Lori.
But I'm hungry.
Would you rather me make you some food that'll be gone in an hour,
or finish this painting that'll last forever?
Go on, you know how to do it.
♪ My wild Irish Rose ♪
♪ The dearest flower that grows ♪
♪ And some day for my sake ♪
How many do you want, Mom?
Two, please.
♪ My wild Irish... ♪
♪ ...Rose ♪
Rex!
Jeannette, can you tell Miss Kelly why you were cooking hot dogs all by yourself?
I cook all the time.
You know the address that your parents gave us doesn't seem to be right.
Where do you live?
All over. Dad says, "Our home goes wherever we go."
And where do you go to school?
That's how gray wolves call for their family.
Mountain Goat, where the hell are you?
I'm in here.
Oh, sorry, doctor. Just having a little fun getting those
- healing endorphins going. - Mr. Walls, I'm Doctor Taylor.
No offense, you got a lot of sick on that hand.
This here is Miss Kelly.
She's our resident social worker.
These guys treating you okay?
There's so much food here, you can eat as much as you want.
Maybe I should break my arm.
Me too.
- What happened to him? - He fell off the couch
and cracked his head open on the floor.
- He's fine. - There was blood everywhere.
You should check him in.
One kid in the hospital at a time is enough.
Besides, Brian's head is so hard, I think the floor took more damage than he did.
Mr. Walls, I don't find any of this very funny.
Any of what, Doc?
These children need proper care and you're making a joke of it.
- Rex. - Dad.
A veteran of the US Air Force brings his little girl in here
so that you can wrap her in a band-aid and hand him a bill
for than a pilot makes in a year.
Now my family won't eat for three months so you can drive a Cadillac.
You're part of a system that is getting rich off
of the human need to survive, Doc.
You call that "proper care?"
Mr. Walls.
Can we have a moment, please?
Dad's in trouble, Mountain Goat.
We'll be back.
Come on, kids. Time to go.
Okay.
In order to pull this off, every fiber in your being
got to believe that this is real.
If you can convince yourself then you can convince them too.
You got it?
Good. Let's see that poker face.
Regular face. Poker.
Regular. Poker. Regular. Poker.
Regular. Poker. Incredible. Let's go.
Morning, sunshine.
You ready to skedaddle?
Good to go, Brian. Wrap it up!
Bye!
I've been looking into this new solar ring glass.
It lets in the light but blocks radiation.
It will drastically reduce our energy demands.
Is it still gonna have glass walls and a glass ceiling?
Of course. How else are we gonna see the stars at night?
You think my room can have glass stairs going up to it?
That's a great idea.
Uh, baby, take the wheel.
Structurally we could make that work
if it was a spiral with a steel stringer.
That way, all the weight pushes in toward the middle.
Just don't let it block any light to my studio.
I need full exposure.
Oh, I like full exposure from you, dear.
You really think we'll build it?
Of course.
When?
You know, this running around is only temporary.
We just need the perfect location and then we can get to work on our castle.
Okay, now who needs a book?
- Me. - Me.
You can drive.
Here's a new Zane Grey adventure.
And, oh, look. You'll love this one, Jeannette.
Black Beauty.
It's like Uncle Tom's Cabin, but for horses.
Dr. Taylor said, staying home and reading books on our own
isn't a well-rounded education.
Oh, really?
He said we should be going to real school.
A real school, huh?
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
You're gonna kill us!
Dad!
Everyone out.
Come on!
Look at this.
All those Juniper and Joshua trees have adapted to survive
on only five inches of rainfall a year.
That inselberg was formed from cooling magma over a hundred million years ago.
Pretty soon, the sun's coming down and we'll be watching
Orion and Aquarius and Horologion rotate through the night's sky.
This is as real as it gets, kids!
And don't let no dumbass doctor tell you different.
You learn from living!
Everything else is a damn lie.
Oh! Look at that.
What is it, baby?
That is the most beautiful tree I've ever seen!
Somebody get my canvas!
It looks like we'll be sleeping here tonight, kids.
This is actually great for your posture.
You know, the Indian's never use pillows either and look how straight they stand.
Why that one?
The wind's been beaten that tree down since the day it was born.
But it refuses to fall.
It's the struggle that gives it its beauty.
Dad. Dad.
Hmm?
I think maybe I saw something out there.
All right. Did you get a good look at it?
Not really.
Was he a big ol' hairy son of a bitch
with the damnedest lookin' teeth and claws?
- Maybe. - Uh-huh.
And uh, did it have pointy ears and evil eyes with fire in them?
You've seen him too?
Oh yeah. Yeah.
I've been chasing that demon for years.
Where'd you see him?
Ow.
I gotta get that off of you.
It's okay, fire can't get you here.
We're just gonna let this wound breathe a little.
Yeah?
Now I want you to just hold this puppy right there.
You see the top of the flames where the yellow dissolves into the heat?
That zone is known in physics as the boundary between turbulence and order.
It's a place where no rules apply.
Or at least, they haven't figured 'em out yet.
And that's how life is.
A bunch of molecules bouncing off each other at random.
So there's no point in trying to find a reason or pattern
for why you were born at a certain time
or why you got bit by that fire.
You just got a little too close to the chaos is all.
You understand?
I'm not sure I do either.
There. How's that feel?
- Jeannette. - Yeah?
Got a surprise for you in here.
Okay.
You said it was fun.
No, I said it was funny.
- Okay, well... - And it's very overpriced.
It's Italian. That's why.
Just sit down in it.
Enjoy the chair for a second.
Just wiggle around in it a little bit.
You're not wiggling... There you go.
I'll take it back. It's fine.
- No, no. It's fine. I'm just... - Don't worry about it.
- I'll take the chair back. - It's not about the chair. I...
I'm getting lunch with my mom today.
I didn't tell you 'cause I didn't want you to worry.
Are you gonna tell her?
About, about us?
I'm gonna have to tell her at some point.
Okay.
Just, please,
try to not let her dump her crap on you this time.
That's what parents are for.
Can you just try though?
- Of course I'll try. - Thank you.
Mom?
Well, your dad said he saw you pass by in a cab the other night.
Acted like we weren't even there.
You shouldn't be ashamed of us
just 'cause we choose a different lifestyle than you.
Being homeless in New York City does not count as a lifestyle choice.
Well, if we heard from you more you'd know
that we found a lovely place on the Lower East Side.
Lori says you're squatting in an abandoned building.
That does not sound safe, Mom.
Why did you lose your sense of adventure?
I have a little bit of money now, I can help you if you want.
Nuh-uh. We're fine. You're the one that needs help.
Look at you. Your values are all confused
So, what did you want to talk about?
I'm getting married.
To the accountant?
David is a financial analyst.
Well, I don't mean to be rude but isn't he a little...
Mom, David is good for me.
You mean he's got money.
I mean I'm in love with him.
Can I see that again?
Mm. Well...
I just hope you've got a good plan for telling your dad because this...
is gonna kill him.
Shh. It's okay. I'm right here.
Everything's gonna be okay, Maureen.
I'm gonna take care of you.
Let's go, kids! Time to pull off stage and leave this hellhole behind.
- What's going on? - The Feds are on our tail.
- Really? - He means the bill collectors.
Truck leaves in 15 minutes.
No, there's not enough room in the cab,
so you guys are in for a real treat.
You get to ride in the back.
What?
Hey, it's not an ideal scenario for anyone,
so we'll just try to make the best of it.
It'll be kind of like that road ride at the fair.
Except without any lights or oxygen.
Oh, don't be so dramatic. It'll be an adventure.
Be careful. There you go.
Okay, scoot back.
How long do we have to be back here?
Don't worry. This'll be the last time you have to do this.
Welcome to the oldest mining town in Utah.
- I thought that was the last town. - Me too.
That one was the oldest in Nevada.
People been striking it rich here for a hundred years.
They must've moved somewhere else to spend their fortune.
It has a real frontier quality to it.
Think we might be able to stay here for a while?
Mm, I got a good feeling about this one.
I got it.
The kids are tired of moving to a new town every time you lose a job.
They loved it in West Virginia.
I just think it'd be good for them to see where their daddy grew up.
Mountain Goat, let go.
Try floating a little.
We're fine where we are.
Taking showers at the public pool?
I'll get the water turned on this weekend.
You said that two months ago.
Okay, Brian. Don't be shy.
Everyone here is the same as us, they've just got different complexions.
Go on. Go play.
If we went, your parents can help us out with some money.
I ain't moving back to Welch.
What are you so afraid of?
I ain't afraid of nothing.
Hey!
Quit clinging to the side!
Yeah. Don't be scared. I gotcha.
Yeah. Kick your legs.
Yeah, it's not so hard.
It's all about moving the water.
Yup.
Move your arms. Go ahead.
Woo, in the water. Push the water. Push it.
Push it with your arms. That's good.
It's not so bad, is it?
Good. 'Cause you're gonna learn to swim today.
No!
Catch your breath. Catch your breath.
Oh, my goodness.
All right. Breathe. Nice.
- Why'd you do that? - Okay.
- Now, sink or swim. - No!
- Rex! - It's okay!
She's already getting it.
Pretty soon she's gonna be doing the backstroke. Right?
- No. I wanna go back. - Yeah? Okay.
- All right! - Dad!
You did it, baby!
You were swimming!
Hey!
- Mountain Goat. - Mister, you're wrong for that.
Come on, kids. Let's go.
- No! - Hey. Hey!
Don't touch me!
- You tried to kill me. - Hey.
I would never let anything bad happen to you.
But I can't let you cling to the side your whole life just because you're scared.
If you don't want to sink, you have to learn how to swim.
Understand?
Hey, you were swimming.
You were swimming. I'm so proud of you.
Hey. Everything okay?
She's fine. Mind your own damn business.
What happens in my pool is my business.
Oh, so this is your pool?
As far as your concerned, yeah.
Oh, so you're the one who limits the black families to an hour in the mornings,
so that the whites can swim the rest of the day.
That's been a federal offense since '64.
Does he always act like this, or just when he's drunk?
Dad! No!
- Dad, don't! - Rex!
I can't let you talk to me like that in front of my daughter.
- Let go! Stop - I'm gonna tap him out.
- Is that a tap? I couldn't tell. - Dad! Let go!
- Is that a tap? - Rex!
Will you stop?
- Come on, man! - You're going to jail, asshole.
Why you let him go?
Get in the car.
We're leaving with or without you.
I'd rather be in hell with my back broke than live in that godforsaken town.
Yeah? You should have thought of that before you got every
policeman in town looking for us.
I'm not gonna let them take our kids away.
We cannot live like this anymore.
Like what? This is freedom.
Freedom? You call this freedom?
Here we go.
Welch is gonna be fun.
We'll live in the mountains with the squirrels and the chipmunks.
And you'll get to meet your Grandma and Grandpa Walls.
Who are genuine hillbillies
We don't need him.
Rex!
Come on, Dad!
You're the head of this family!
Are you coming?
Negative.
Mountain Goat, you know your... your Mama has
convinced you that we need to go because she's in a state of fear.
Now what you need to do
is stand your ground. You see, that's what I'm doing.
This is a very important lesson for you.
You don't look like a very important lesson to me.
Come on.
Can I hold your ankle?
No.
Just for stability.
I feel like I'm about to fall.
You're on the ground already.
All right, let's do it.
I got him.
He's alive.
Oh, thank God.
Oh, watch out. Don't squish Maureen.
Move over, baby. I'm driving.
Come here, give me some sugar.
Oh, Rex.
Jeannette.
- Can I have another tissue, please? - Oh, jeez, David.
- I just... I need, I need another tissue. - You're sweating through your shirt.
Please don't point it out. You know when you point it out
- it only makes me sweat more. - I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
You have nothing to be nervous about.
Your dad already hates me.
If he finds out we're getting married, he's gonna throw me through a window.
Hey, he's not gonna do that.
He might kick you in the stomach though.
It's too real to be funny.
I know I'm just not there yet.
Okay.
He's gonna try to make me to get drunk with him again.
- No, he's not. - You know he is.
David, just tell him that you don't want it.
Well...
Maybe, maybe I will do that.
- Yeah, I'm not to be bullied by him. - I know you're not.
- I will not be bullied. - Hey...
- We're getting married. - We are getting married.
We can get through this. This is nothing.
Okay.
Hey, Dad.
Oh, come on.
Hey, Dad.
Oh, so you're acknowledging my existence now?
Well you're not exactly the easiest man to ignore.
Well, I wanted to get this done before you got here.
I don't know who designed this junk, but the mechanics are all wrong.
Look at you.
Fancier every time I see ya.
It's good to see you, Mr. Walls. How are you?
Did you win that wet t-shirt contest? Nice nips.
- Cut it out. - It was really hot in the car.
It's the humidity.
Humidity.
Okay, just try not to drip on my marble floor.
Grab that toolbox if it's not too much for you.
Okay.
Just finished hooking every squat in the building to an insulated
cable that hotwired it off the utility pole down the block.
Now the other squatters want to make me the mayor of the place.
Your mama's tradition of yellow door.
Still gotta get hinges for this thing.
This is my friend, Eddy.
- Does he live here? - Hello.
Oh! There she is.
- Hey, sweetie. How are ya? - Oh, Mom.
Look at that food.
What a place.
Anyone else feel like they're back at Welch?
I keep thinking we're gonna see our yellow poop bucket somewhere here.
Their bathroom's not that far off.
- Maureen! - Yeah, she's our new roommate.
I thought that you were living with that photographer.
That was months ago.
And she just broke up with Rum Tum Tugger from Cats.
- What? - Yeah.
David, you get started on this and I'll grab you dry shirt.
- I'm okay. I'm not gonna drink tonight. - Take it.
Yes, sir.
Rose Mary, grab a shirt for Jeannette's sweaty boyfriend, will ya?
So, did you hear Officer Walls
- made his first arrest last week? - What?
Drug bust.
Whoa, really? Was that scary?
Look, he's got no hair. He's so cute.
Do you wax or do you have alopecia?
Not as scary as those two.
What about you?
Lori spilled the beans.
- Lori. - I'm sorry.
Yeah, um, we are doing it.
What?
Why aren't you wearing the ring?
Because I haven't told Dad yet.
Told me what?
That Brian made his first arrest.
Oh, goodie.
I got a son in the Gestapo and a daughter who writes gossip.
Never thought I'd see the day.
Never thought I'd see you living in New York.
Well, somebody's gotta keep an eye on you.
Have fun.
Hey, Dad. Actually I have something that I wanted to tell you.
So how long is this phase gonna last?
What do you mean?
I mean...
He's a nice guy and all,
but he ain't got an interesting bone in his body.
- No. - He's got no fight.
David's not a phase, Dad.
Which is what I'm... I wanted to talk to you about.
Can you honestly tell me that you're happy right now?
Yes, I am.
No, you're not.
Hopefully couple more of these will loosen him up.
Maybe that stick will fall out of his ass.
David, here's your drink.
♪ Oh, give me land, lots of land ♪
♪ Under starry skies above ♪
Welcome to Welch, everyone.
♪ Don't fence me in ♪
♪ Let me ride through the wide open country that I love ♪
♪ Don't fence me in ♪
Gosh, things have gone downhill a bit.
But I bet there's no other artist to compete with.
My career could really take off.
♪ ask you please ♪
♪ Don't fence me in ♪
Welcome home, son.
Hey there, Rex.
Hey, Pops.
Thanks for letting me see my grandchildren before I die.
This is your Uncle Stanley.
Hi.
All right. There you go.
This one looks just like his daddy.
Only his hair was more curly.
You hated them curls, didn't you?
Used to wet his hair down and stand out in the snow.
See if he could freeze 'em straight.
Yeah, that's your daddy.
Stubborn as a mule,
dumb as a pigeon.
- Ow! - Hey!
- Don't hit my brother, you dumb witch! - Hey!
Show your grandma some respect.
You listen to your daddy, girl.
That wasn't a good simile.
Pigeons are very smart animals.
Dad?
- What are you doing? - Hey.
Oh...
Putting in your spiral staircase.
Wow.
We're finally gonna build it.
Really?
This is why we're here to... It's our chance to start over.
First thing tomorrow I'm gonna search this whole town
for the perfect place to lay our foundation.
We're getting the hell out of here.
Now, it's not exactly palatial,
it will be a lot of togetherness.
And it's a little on the rustic side.
How rustic?
Welcome to 93 Little Hobart Street.
Fifty bucks a week and in two years we'll own her outright.
Hard to believe one day this'll be ours.
Hey, she may not look like much. Wait till you see what I have in mind.
Come on.
We're gonna tear all this down and replace it with your game room.
Ping-pong, pool, foosball.
Trampoline?
Oh yeah, trampoline goes right over there and then uh,
all these walls are gone, replaced with three-inch glass, glass, glass.
- This can stay. - Doesn't that look lovely?
Yellow stands for happiness and creativity.
This place doesn't have any running water or electricity.
Ignore her. She was born without vision.
Since we're on the north facing the mountain enclosed by these two hills,
we ain't getting much sun.
So I have to do some serious reconfiguring to increase the size of our solar cells.
But before any of that can happen, we need a good foundation.
- Pick. - Yes, sir.
- Good man. - Here.
Yah! Make some noise, kids, make some noise.
- Yah! - Yah! Yah!
♪ For just one stardust stone ♪
♪ Sleepin' innocent below ♪
♪ But they'll run when the warm rain comes ♪
♪ Roaring with the thunder ♪
♪ I'll rise up from the murky mud ♪
♪ When the summer storm begins the flood ♪
Oh shit. Kids?
♪ Let me go They don't recognize a precious stone ♪
♪ I'll lay low 'til the wet wind blows ♪
♪ Take me tumblin' down the road ♪
♪ The wood vines make it hard to fly ♪
♪ The anchor holds my rope down ♪
♪ No use tryin' to make it out alive ♪
♪ And like a summer storm I've gotta roam ♪
Once it's deep enough, I can pour the slab and
we can start framing this damn thing.
We're gonna have the nicest house in the county.
You ain't just whistling Dixie there, little lady.
You know, we got the highest property on the mountain.
Which means that the heat can't burn us during the summer,
and the floods can't touch us in the winter.
We're just gliding in between all those streams.
Things are gonna be different this time around.
I'm hungry.
Try it.
Good?
What are you eating?
Butter and sugar.
Taste kind of like frosting.
We haven't eaten in three days.
Maureen's so hungry, she's eating butter!
You ate the butter? I was saving that for the bread.
We have no bread!
Well, I was thinking of baking some.
The gas is turned off.
What if it gets turned back on?
Miracles happen, you know?
We're hungry!
Hey, watch that tone, girl.
You said things were going to be different.
Can't we just get some eggs... or beans or something?
Nothing fancy.
I don't see why not.
What you got?
How about the other one?
Okay, I'll be back in an hour with a feast you can tell your children about.
Your children's children.
Children's children's children.
And their children's children's children's children's children's children's...
He probably just got stuck talking to someone.
For ten hours?
Oh lord.
Dad?
Hey, kiddo.
What are you doing up?
What happened?
Oh, I got into a fight with the mountain.
Mountain won.
Dad, that looks really bad.
Yeah. That don't look good.
What can I do?
Don't worry about me.
I'm so thoroughly pickled...
I won't feel a thing.
Here.
Okay, go ahead.
- Go on. - I can't do it.
I'm sorry.
It's okay. It's all right.
We'll do it together, okay?
It's all right. Come here.
Squeeze it together.
That's it. Now, push it through.
Yeah. Ah...
Good. Just push it right through.
Good.
Oh, that's good. Brave.
You are amazing.
Ah...
- Okay. - Push it right through. Go on.
That's it. Yeah.
Oh, my God, that's beautiful. Oh, jeez.
You don't have to tug quite so hard on it. It's not like tug of war.
Okay.
And one more. That's good.
Wow.
That's some mighty fine handiwork.
I swear... at times I think that...
you're the only one around...
that still has any faith in me.
You know I'd do anything for you, right?
Anything.
All you got to do is ask.
Do you think...
you could maybe stop drinking?
It's just... when you drink, you can't take care of us.
You must be awfully ashamed of your old man.
No.
I'd just think we'd have money for food.
Maybe even some extra for the glass castle.
You can do it if you want.
You're stronger than anyone.
Well, if you don't mind, honey, I...
I'd figure I'd like to just...
sit here by myself for a while.
Dad?
For the next few days
I'm gonna be keeping to myself from upstairs and
I uh...
I need you kids to steer clear of me.
Take your brother and sisters outside, do something fun, okay?
And no matter what happens...
If I ask for a drink, you can't let anyone give me one.
Not a drop.
Okay?
Can you do that for me?
Yeah.
You promise?
That's a good girl.
Do you think we can start building the new house soon?
Probably.
Help me!
- Oh, God! Make it stop! - Shh.
- It's okay. - Please, make it stop!
- Just breathe, honey. - Rose Mary!
- God, help me! - Shh. It's okay, it's okay.
No... Help!
- No... - Help me! Please...
Mountain Goat!
Dad...
Mountain Goat.
Please...
give me a drink.
I'll get you some water.
No, no, no.
There's some whiskey under the sink.
Go fetch it for me.
Jeannette...
I'm dying.
If you don't give me a drink, I'm gonna die.
That is a scientific fact.
Understand?
You want me to die? Do you want your daddy to die?
I can't, Dad.
I promised too.
I don't care about your stupid promise!
Go get me a drink right now!
Jeannette, go get me a drink!
Jeannette!
Foundation looks pretty good.
We're almost ready to start building.
- I've missed you. - I've missed you too.
How 'bout that?
Oh, look at that.
♪ O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ♪
♪ Forever true your color ♪
♪ O Christmas tree... ♪
Dad's leaving for work!
Stop. I can't put your hat on.
All right, make sure it ain't faulty.
Ow, ow, ow. Okay, okay, okay. It's fine.
- Oh, thanks, Bill. Merry Christmas. - Good evening, Rex.
- Merry Christmas, ladies. - You too.
The foreman forgot his toolbox
and so I had to use this macaroni noodle to insulate these cross wires
and now I got every damn person at work telling me
that I really know how to use my noodle.
♪ O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ♪
I couldn't find a good one for you, so you'll just have to write your own.
Careful, you might change the world with that thing.
♪ ...All place faithfully ♪
♪ Our trust in God unchangingly ♪
♪ O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree ♪
♪ How sturdy God ♪
♪ Hath made thee ♪
It's so pretty.
And beautiful.
Rich city folk live in fancy apartments.
But their air is so polluted, they can't even see the stars.
We'd have to be out of our minds to trade places with any of them.
Go on, pick out your favorite one.
It's yours for keeps.
You can't give me a star.
It's your Christmas present.
No one owns the stars.
Well, that's why you've got to claim 'em before anyone else does.
Like uh, Columbus claimed America for Queen Isabella.
Claiming a star for your own has just as much logic.
Maybe more 'cause you don't have to kill and subjugate millions of people to do it.
So go ahead and pick out anyone you want.
Except for Beetlejuice and Rigel because uh,
Lori and Brian already laid claim to them.
I want that one.
- The bright one? - Yeah.
That's Venus. She's a planet.
Kind of dinky compared to real stars.
She just looks brighter 'cause she's close to us.
I like it anyway.
What the hell, it's Christmas. You can have a planet if you want.
You know her atmosphere's a lot like the Earth's,
only uh, 500 degrees hotter.
- Really? - Yeah.
So when the sun starts to burn out and the Earth turns cold.
Everyone might want to move to Venus to get warm,
and now they're gonna have to get permission from your descendants first.
You know, I love you, kid.
I love you more.
I really like David.
- You really what? - Yeah.
He's not that boring
I think he'd be a nice addition to the family.
Oh, by the way, I just found out
my brother's planning to sell his half of Mom's land.
- Uncle Jim? - Yup and it's a real shame.
My father always taught me you never...
Free market my ass.
The whole thing is a rigged game and you know it.
It's a system created by all you fat cats to make yourselves richer
and keep the poor where they are.
It's nothing more than legalized larceny
- Admit it, David. - Well, on behalf of all the fat cats,
I'm not going to admit to something that's not true.
- David. - Jeannette, it's fine.
- We're just, we're just talking. - Yeah, we're just talking.
You know what, Rex? Let's just agree to disagree.
On behalf of the 90 percent in our country working for 4.75 an hour,
I will do no such thing.
Now very noble of you.
A real champion of the people.
How drunk are you?
How 'bout we settle this the way they did in ancient Rome,
with a good ol' fashion arm wrestling match?
Pretty sure that's not something they did in Rome.
Dad, enough.
Come on, Mountain Goat. David was gonna fight for your honor.
- This is ridiculous. - Yes.
It's ridiculous. We are going home.
What? You're giving up already?
You gonna just wander out of here with your tail between your legs?
I'm not gonna arm wrestle you.
Oh, okay. So you admit it.
I'm right and you're wrong.
Okay.
- What the hell? - Attaboy!
No, David.
- This is a bad idea. - Babe, it's gonna be fun.
- Babe, it's gonna be fun.
Dad, please.
Come on. Don't you want to give him a chance to prove me wrong?
Yes. Jeannette, let me prove him wrong.
Okay. You guys want to be idiots?
All right. Here we go!
- Rex, come on. - Put 'em up!
- All right. - Let's do it.
- Ready! Set! - Straighten up.
- Go! Come on, David! - Come on, Rex!
- Yay, yay. Come on! - Come on, David.
- David, you got this. David, push! - Come on, Rex. Come on.
How does that feel, boy?
Come on, David. Come on!
You're gonna lose to an old man.
Come on, honey. Bring it home, bring it home!
Let out the wild man, come on, Rex!
David, come on. You're stronger than this.
- Come on, let's go, David. - Let the wild man go!
What did I tell ya? No fight.
Go on, David, kick his ass!
Take him down!
Murder him! Murder him, David!
Let's go, David. Bring him down. Come on!
Rex, don't lose this! Come on!
You're better than this, you bastard! Take him down!
Go, go, go, go, go!
Dow Jones will live to see another day!
Left-handed rematch.
I wanted a left-handed rematch.
- No, Dad, don't be a sore loser. - Left-handed rematch.
I'm ready for whatever you want to throw at me, old man.
Oh!
What the hell, Dad?
- Oh, Jesus. - Oh, shit.
Well, you heard that man. I mean he said
he was ready for whatever I wanted to throw at him.
- I think he broke my nose. - It's not my fault.
I have a soldier's reflex.
I seriously thought you were ready.
Tell your boyfriend that he needs to be careful
about saying things he doesn't mean.
He's not my boyfriend, Dad.
He's my fiancé.
Let's get you home.
It's not stopping, I don't know where all the blood is coming from.
And please, I don't want that.
Why do you still have all these stupid boxes?
David, you're drunk. Just drink some water and let's go to bed.
- He punched me in the face, Jeannette. - I know.
You told me not to worry
and then he punched me right in the middle of the face.
And everybody was shouting. It was so loud.
And you screamed at me, you said, "Murder him!"
You shouted it right into my ear, like a madwoman.
- Please just drink some water. - This is serious, Jeannette.
Your dad is a total nut-job.
Hey, I can call him that. Not you.
Your mom is delusional.
Poor Maureen, she's got to be out of her mind
that she's choosing to live in that dump with them.
This is my family that you are talking about.
I know, and they are totally insane.
Jeannette, I...
I want to spend the rest of my life with you,
but if we're gonna try and do that together...
I can't have any more of whatever that was tonight.
I gotta, I gotta go pee.
I'm gonna pee.
Don't worry, it's about a 20-hour drive to Texas.
I can do it in under 15. We'll be back before you know it.
How did Grandma Smith die?
My mother was an old woman. Old woman die.
Did she leave you anything?
What kind of a question is that?
Why can't we come with you?
I don't want to stay with Erma.
Your dad hasn't had a drink in two months.
I think we deserve a little vacation.
But Erma hates us.
Don't blame her for her misery, it's all she knows.
She's a dumb witch.
Actually, she's very smart.
That's where your dad gets it from.
He painted a self-portrait with a bandaged ear.
Van Gogh.
- Who is van Gogh? - That's right.
You eat what I put on your plate.
If you spit that out, you're gonna eat that too.
No running in the house. No shouting. No whining.
No opening the windows or the curtains.
Edgar Bergen.
- Who is Edgar Bergen. - Edgar Bergen is right.
It's so weird that Dad lived here when he was our age.
Yeah, I thought we had it bad.
Look at this.
You think Dad really wrote all this?
Listen to this.
"There might be more than this blanket of black dust.
The stench of the tug, the crunch of the coal-stained snow.
More than the sound of her cackle, the cracks in her callused hands.
There might be more but I won't ever know
because it's impossible to breathe when you're drowning in..."
he cusses.
"It's impossible to breathe when you're drowning in shit."
Keep it down!
This is gonna be a fun week.
You bring a sharpener?
Yeah, in my bag downstairs.
No, Erma. Please.
- You do what I tell you. - Stop it.
- Just be quiet, boy. - Stop it. Stop it.
- I'm just going to... Hold still. - Hey!
Get away from him!
Lori!
The boys britches needed fixing.
I know what I saw. She's a pervert.
- Little bitch. - Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Let's just calm down, okay?
Come help me! Hold her down!
Get the hell off of me, you little beasts.
Nobody messes with our brother!
Stanley. Get them off me.
Put me down!
Dad.
We were just protecting ourselves.
- Erma was grabbing his... - Shut up!
I don't want to hear another damn word about whatever did or didn't happen!
It don't matter!
Brian's a man, he can take care of himself!
Can't you?
Let's go.
Are you coming?
Come on, kids, let's go inside.
Come on, guys, let's go.
Come on.
Get out.
Not if you're gonna drink.
You promised.
I'm not going.
I'm not going. I don't want to...
Stop! Dad...
I don't want to see him drunk.
See what you do?
It was one damn drink!
That's a lie and you know it.
- I can smell it on your sweat. - Come on.
What are you, a bloodhound all of a sudden?
Why don't you go sniff your own butt for a change
'cause that ain't smelling too pretty these days.
That's very funny. You're supposed to be at work right now
or you're gonna lose another job!
Well, why don't you go get a job instead of wasting your time on all this crap?
What the hell is this anyway?
Abstract expressionism!
Well, here's some realism for you!
You're just like your mother.
Don't you touch me!
Get back here, you castrating whore.
Hands off me!
- Come here. - Get off of me!
- Maureen, you want to jump rope? - Yeah.
Come on.
- Ready? - Get set. Go.
- Come on. Get up here! - Help!
- Goddammit - Mom! Hold on!
- Help! Help me! - Mom!
- Help! Don't help me! - Mom.
- Don't let her fall! - What did you do to her?
I didn't do anything!
Get your hands off me!
I don't think you want me to let go. Ow!
- She bit me! - Just pull me in.
Goddammit!
He's trying to kill me!
- Mom, are you okay? - I'm okay.
What do you mean is she okay? Am I okay? She just bit me.
Why did you push her?
I didn't push her! She jumped! I swear to God!
You know she's crazy! You saw she just bit me. I think she's broken...
Hey.
You are one hell of a woman.
You know that?
And you're a stinky rotten drunk.
But you love the stinky rotten drunk, don't you?
Oh, Rex.
Hey, sweetie.
You have to leave him.
You know, when your dad first met my mother,
he asked her why she didn't have any of my paintings on her walls.
And she said she didn't want to encourage a hobby with no future in it.
He looked her right in the eye and said, "To hell with the future.
Masterpieces like these should be on display right now."
So he took down all other paintings.
And put up mine.
He's never going to change.
You have to leave him.
I can't.
Maureen, do you have any queens?
Go fish.
Brian, do you have any nines?
Go fish.
We don't need them.
They're never going to take care of us, so we have to do it ourselves.
We'll all go to school, and start saving up
so we can move out when we're old enough.
If we're going to make it out of this,
we have to do it together.
Deal?
We are getting the heck out of here.
Let's go, Knights!
...is the same as.
Miss Bivens asked me to be editor of the paper next year.
What? That's amazing.
I swear by the time you graduate,
you're gonna have every school in New York fighting over you.
They're here.
Don't worry about us.
We'll be fine.
Yeah.
Hey uh...
I left five bucks in there.
Start saving up, you're next.
Dad's in the backyard.
I think it's clear.
I love you guys.
Love you.
- All right, bye. - Bye.
- I love you. - Love you.
- Lori. - Let's go.
Hey, where the hell do you think you're going?
Guess it wasn't clear.
- Hey! - Hurry!
- I'm talking to you, girl! - Get in.
Get your ass out of that car right now!
Brad, go!
You know why she left?
Huh?
Brian?
You know why she left?
Maureen?
You gonna leave too?
Answer me.
Answer me!
- Rex. - Shut up!
No, sir.
Who didn't take out the damn trash?
Lori?
- Coast clear? - Yeah.
He's passed out. How is everything?
Well, last night at the restaurant I met a writing professor from Barnard.
I told her you had applied to her school and she was really nice about it.
She said she'd be happy to read your stuff.
- Are you serious? - Yeah.
She said to call her when you get up here.
That's amazing.
How's the escape fund looking?
Oh, it's getting close.
I think I've babysat every demon child in Welch by now.
- You wanna hear? - Uh-hmm.
- Sounds like freedom. - Sure sounds fat.
Oh, you're really gonna love it here, Jeannette.
It feels like you're breathing for the first time.
I don't think he's gonna let me go.
Hey, come on. Don't even think about that.
It doesn't matter...
- What was that? - Hold on.
- Can you call me back? Call me back. - Okay.
I'm sorry.
Erma died.
Do you think...
Erma ever did something to Dad?
Like what?
Like what she did to Brian.
You can't think about things like that.
It'll make you crazy.
I'm gonna meet you back at home.
Dad...
I'm sorry about Erma.
Time to go, you go.
I'm not talking about that.
"It's impossible to breathe when you're drowning in shit."
Ready to lose that 40 bucks?
Pay me now or pay me later?
...40 bucks.
You still believe in your old man?
You want to help me hustle this guy?
Make some money?
Yeah. Okay, so, as long as you stroke his ego, he'll keep playing.
I'll pull the plug. The second we drain him...
You know the drill.
Robbie.
- Hey, Rex. - How are you?
- Who's that? - My daughter.
Jeannette?
Name's Robbie.
I didn't know Rex had a daughter.
He has three.
Rex said you like to dance.
Do you like living in this town?
It's all right.
It ain't all right and you know it.
We're all mudbugs in the boiling pot. Don't even know we're being cooked alive.
I'm heading off to Chicago as soon as I can afford up savings for it.
What 'bout you?
I'm saving up to move up to New York City to be with my sister.
All right.
The Big Apple.
I like that city.
I've been there a couple times.
You're gonna love it.
Yep.
Hey, Robbie. Do something worthwhile with those damn hands of yours.
Get over here, play a game.
Well, all right.
Side pocket.
Sure about that, Rex?
- Ooh. - Damn!
Four games in a damn row.
That'll be 80 bucks unless you want to go double or noth'.
Nope, take it all.
- You deserve it. - Here you go. Wash down that humble pie.
To your daughter.
And her big move to New York City.
To New York City, huh?
Can't believe I let that old fart take me.
I don't know if I'm ticked or impressed.
Hey, you know my apartment is right upstairs.
Got a bunch of records laying on that jukebox,
if you want to come up and listen a bit.
Thanks, but I can't.
Rex, you mind if I bring your daughter upstairs for a bit,
listen to some records?
She's a big city girl now, she can handle herself.
Holler if you need me.
- You know, I can't stay long. - That's all right.
I just want a light tune or two.
I think you're gonna like this one.
Where were we?
I think we were dancing. Sort of like this.
Trying to sniff my hair? What are you doing?
- Oh. - That's what I was trying to do.
Oh, I'm not that kind of girl.
Oh, we'll just dance then, all right?
Oh. How'd that happen?
Okay. Robbie, what are you doing?
- Stop. - Whoa.
I just want to see what you got underneath this dress.
Robbie, stop.
Easy. Take it easy.
- Robbie. - It's all right.
Hey. Hey.
Let me show you.
Okay.
There you go.
- Whoa. - Uh-hmm.
When I was a little girl, I lit myself on fire.
It gets worse down there.
I'm gonna go now.
I knew you could handle yourself.
Just like that time I taught you to swim.
You thought you was gonna drown, but I knew you'd do just fine.
We'll cut it here.
Here's your cut.
Take it or not?
Might come in handy for the big move.
I don't care what Erma did to you.
There's no excuse.
I am moving to New York. There's nothing that you can do about it.
- You okay? - I need to get the hell out of here.
Well, somebody sure gutted your piggy didn't they?
Any suspects?
That money was mine.
Why are you doing this to us, Dad?
New York Magazine, this is Jeannette Walls.
Hey, big shot.
Maureen?
How's your fancy life?
Just getting ready for my fancy engagement party.
We're excited to see you.
I can't make it tonight.
Why not?
'Cause I'm moving to California.
You're not serious.
Maureen, you can't go to California.
That's the other side of the country.
We have to stick together. We always have.
That's not true.
I gotta go.
I love you.
Why would she go to California?
It's as far away from them as she can get without swimming to Hawaii.
It's our fault.
We should have never left her alone with them.
She would have hated us anyway.
David sure doesn't.
Thank you so much for coming.
- Who needs more bubbly? - We do.
Hi, handsome.
Did you invite them?
Oops.
- Look who's here. Oh! - Okay.
- Thank you. Thank you.
This will be interesting.
Let's get this party started.
Congratulations, honey.
What does an investment banker use as birth control?
His personality.
Alright, one more.
What's the difference between a bag of manure on your lawn
- and an investment banker? - Can I speak with you for a second?
Right in the middle of a punchline.
Okay, hold that thought, gents.
All right.
Who is that guy?
Swanky.
I don't see one of your mama's paintings.
What are you doing here?
Well, just networkin' with all these fantastic people.
Every time someone leaves you act like a child.
You think you'd be used to it by now.
What's that supposed to mean?
It's not a surprise, Dad.
Maureen left because your bullshit drove her crazy.
You really want to talk about bullshit right now?
Look around. This ain't you.
You ain't like those pawns and you know it.
Don't turn this on me.
You're a Walls.
You were born to change the world, not just add to the noise.
You cannot marry that fool.
You're better than him and you're better than that goddamn gossip column.
You're a real writer.
I like my life, Dad.
Well then why is all your crap packed up in those boxes?
What's going on guys?
We don't want to upset David.
Why do you care so much about David all of the sudden?
Well, he's like, part of the family now. Right, honey?
Hey, hey, hey. This is not the time.
- Well when's the right time? - Not right now, okay?
Well, there were three more offers today.
So you can wait till tomorrow.
- I had to tell her. - Tell me what?
- Trust me now is not the time. - Tell me what, Mom?
Let me talk!
You know how I was telling you about my brother
selling his half of Mom's land in Texas?
Well, now that you're getting married and you have all these nice things...
we were thinking that maybe we could... borrow the money to buy it.
So the only reason why you're being nice to David is because you want his money?
No, it's not the only reason. I'm also just a nice person.
- You are a nice person. - Thank you.
We wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent, honey.
How much?
- Let's not get into... - About a million.
A million dollars.
A little under.
Well if Uncle Jim's land is worth that much than yours is too.
Well, I don't know, I've never had it appraised.
I-I... My father taught me, you never sell land.
- Good advice. - Right.
Grandma Smith died when I was 11.
Have you been sitting on a million dollars since I was 11?
No, no. It appreciates over time. It escalates.
You knew about this?
You realize what we could have done with that money?
I don't want my kids raised on a goddamn handout.
What the hell?
What the hell is wrong with you?
Nice, Rose.
Hey, Mountain Goat.
Don't ever call me that again.
- Uh, Jeannette. - David, please.
Come on. I know you're upset,
but let's just go back and talk about this. Come on.
Dad. Why do you think all of us ran away from you?
We were drowning.
I still don't understand why you followed us here.
We wanted to be a family again.
We were never a family, Mom. We were a nightmare.
Your mom and I did everything we could for you, okay?
We looked after you...
- and it was a happy family. - Bullshit! Bullshit!
We did it!
We took care of each other because you were too drunk to.
It was your job to protect us and you didn't even try.
That ain't true, okay?
- You got some kind of weird revisionist... - It is true.
history going on.
- You were a happy kid. - Dad...
- stop talking. - And they were happy kids.
- Stop talking! - And we looked after you!
- And... - Stop talking!
Talking is not trying!
You talked my whole goddamn life!
I believed you.
- Come on. - Don't.
Hey, don't do this.
I don't want you in my life.
- Jeannette, you do not mean that. - I don't want you to call,
or write, or show up out of the blue.
I don't want another one of your bullshit stories.
I don't want to see you anymore.
I gotta go.
See you soon, little sister.
I think I figured out how to deal with the lack of sunlight on the hillside.
I just need to install specially curved mirrors to all solar cells.
- See what I was thinking was you don't... - Dad.
go right away.
- You could just uh... - Dad.
you could finish school here
- and get a job at the Welch Daily News - Dad.
- and I will help you write those articles. - I am going.
Remember how we used to do that?
You remember that?
You are never going to build the glass castle.
- Oh, I am. - You're not.
I am.
- Um, I got it right there. - And even if you do, it doesn't matter.
I'm getting on the first bus out of here.
- Well. - If the bus breaks down, I'm gonna walk.
I am gonna finish this thing.
- I can guaran-goddamn-tee it. - I will hitchhike if I have to, Dad.
Build it if you want, but don't build it for me.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Jeannette.
Mountain Goat!
Okay, so I'm gonna pick you up after work
and we'll head straight to the restaurant from there.
Where?
We have dinner with Mr. Lehocky and his wife.
Jeannette, remember I told you about this?
Furniture designer? This guy's got more money than he knows what to do with it.
He made the chair that you're sitting in.
Oh, right. The furniture designer. I... Yeah, I got it.
Jeannette, please.
This is a very big account, okay?
It's huge for us.
I said I got it.
Okay. Can you get that? I got to go.
Uh-huh.
Jeannette?
It's me, sweetie.
It's been too long.
You can't ignore us forever, honey.
Just really need to talk to you about something.
Okay?
Have you been to the Picasso Retrospective up at MoMA yet?
- Mom. - Oh, don't, don't waste your time.
He really didn't do anything worthwhile after his Rose Period.
All that cubist stuff is so gimmicky.
Mom, I have to go back to work. Why are you here?
I-I-I need to sit down.
You know how I am with sentimental situations like this.
I just...
I don't know what to do.
What's going on?
Your dad's sick.
And he's not getting better.
He stopped talking last week.
Well, what does that mean?
Oh, he was ranting about that night at David's.
All that stuff he said about his drinking and...
how talking isn't trying and whatever else he said
And then he asked me if I think he talks too much
and I said yeah 'cause he does.
And then he just stopped.
Hasn't said a word since.
Won't get out of bed. Barely eats.
Sounds as awful.
He's dying, Jeannette.
You have a right to be angry.
And you think I don't know that?
Of course you do.
Look, I don't want to tell you what to do, ever.
But I know you love him and I just think
you'll regret it if you don't come home and say good-bye.
Mom, I said good-bye a long time ago.
Jeannette.
The doctor told him a month if he stops drinking which he won't.
So who knows.
What exactly is it?
Pretty much everything you can get from four packs of cigarettes
and two quarts of booze every day for 50 years.
He doesn't look good.
You have to go see him.
No, I don't.
You're right, you don't...
but you kinda do.
He's done a lot of shitty things but...
he's had his moments.
Daddy in the hall!
Does anybody know where Jeannette's room is?
Oh, thank you kindly, ma'am.
What are you snoseling about?
What are you doing here?
Uh, I thought I'd finally come check out this high falutin' college of yours.
I gotta say for the tuition, I expected a bit more.
Your mom says that you're jumping ship.
What happened to all your fancy scholarships?
It isn't enough.
And they don't cut a break for poor little country girls with big dreams?
I didn't say I didn't warn you.
Did you come all the way here from Welch just to rub it in my face?
You were right, okay?
I never should have come here and now I'm dropping out.
The hell you are.
That's $950 and uh,
that there is genuine 100% mink.
You should be able to pawn that for at least 50.
Where did you get all this?
New York City's full of poker players who wouldn't know their ass from their elbows
and your ma said I finally had a good reason to gamble.
You did this for me?
Since when is it wrong for a father to take care of his little girl?
So it turns out Mrs. Lehocky is actually a fan of yours.
She reads your column every week.
Rich, white and old is our target audience.
I heard your Mom's message on the machine.
Is something going on?
Ah, it's just Mom-being-Mom.
You know, whatever they want...
please don't give in.
You've been so much better without them.
Have I?
We've been a team so long it's hard to tell who does what anymore.
But Ollie's always been a master craftsman
and I'm more of a visual person.
Vi's the real artist of the operation.
I just make sure they don't fall apart
when you sit down.
But when we were your age, we didn't think any of this was going to happen.
We would've been fine making chairs out of a tiny garage for the rest of our lives.
Ah, just do what makes you happy.
You may make some money and you might not.
It don't matter either way if you're doing what you love.
And what about you Jeannette? Is this what you've always wanted to do?
Um, no, actually.
I was once a political science major.
I was very eager to write stories that would actually matter.
Your stories matter to me.
Thank you.
I don't know. It's just um,
this is not where I thought that I was gonna end up.
Well, maybe you're not at the end yet.
Jeannette's dad is developing a technology to burn
low-grade bituminous coal more efficiently.
- Well, isn't that nice? - Hmm.
Where's your dad now?
Oh.
I'm sorry. Would you excuse me for a sec?
There.
How does that feel?
It's so ugly, Daddy. I look like the demon.
Hey. There's nothing ugly about you. You hear me?
One day I promise you, you're gonna look at this
as just another side of how strong you are.
You're a Walls, Mountain Goat.
And we ain't like other people.
We got a fire burning in our bellies.
And that there is goddamn proof of it.
Now...
this knife is especially designed to hunt demons.
It's very sharp.
Don't take it out unless you see him.
You can borrow it for the night.
You know, all monsters are the same.
They like to frighten people, but the minute you stare 'em down,
they turn tail and run.
I love you, Mountain Goat.
I think that it expands the business and then there's a...
My parents are squatting in an abandoned building on the Lower East Side.
- Jeannette. - They were homeless
for three years before that which is pretty much how they raised us.
My dad is not developing a technology for bituminous coal,
but he could tell you anything that you want to know about it.
He is the smartest man that I know.
He is also a drunk.
Never finishes what he starts and can be extremely cruel.
But he dreams bigger than anyone I've ever met.
And he never tries to be somebody that he's not.
He never wanted me to either.
I'm sorry, but I have to leave.
Go.
You ready to go get that demon?
Let's go!
I'll go get some air.
I'll leave you to it.
Hey, Dad.
Do you remember when those grape pickers in California went on strike?
And the vineyards had to sell everything for a nickel a pound?
You stuffed the car so full, we couldn't see out the windows.
Brian found some in his pocket two weeks later that had turned into raisins.
Or when you let me pet that cheetah at the zoo.
She was licking that popcorn butter off your hand.
Those other parents wanted to chop my head off.
They were just jealous.
Remember when you made your own braces?
You were a goddamn freakin' engineering genius.
It was a hanger and a rubber band.
By God, worked.
Look at those gorgeous chompers.
Oh, Mom says you haven't been talking lately.
It's 'cause I'm taking some time to think.
Here.
What's this?
It's every story you've written since eighth grade.
I thought maybe you could start adding to it for me.
I've spent my whole...
life...
hunting for those demons in the wild and...
the entire time they were hiding inside my own body.
Sad state to spend your life in.
Being afraid of your own self.
I know it...
wasn't easy on you kids.
I've got a lot to regret about my life.
Dad.
Never forget...
how beautiful you are, Mountain Goat.
And smart and creative and strong.
You're so strong.
No little girl should ever have to carry her daddy on her back.
You ain't like me at all, Mountain Goat.
You're not afraid to...
I am like you.
And I'm glad.
We had some good times, didn't we?
We never did build that glass castle.
No.
But we had a good time planning it.
Hi. Happy Thanksgiving.
- Happy Thanksgiving. - Something smells good.
How's life as a freelancer?
- I'm still getting used to it. - Yeah, you like being poor again?
- Thanks, Brian. - Careful with my child.
- Hey. - Maureen.
- I like your new place. - How's California?
It's really nice. It's sunny.
Here's your housewarming present.
I thought you'd like one of him.
I didn't do so well with the hair, but
do you like it, honey?
It's perfect.
Wait. What? What?
- I never told you about this? - No you didn't.
He didn't have money for presents,
so he takes each of us outside,
and says that we could just pick out our own star.
- Seriously? - Yeah. Yeah.
Anyone we want, so you know, I took uh, Rigel.
It's that little blue, little blue one on the foot of Orion.
Yeah. What was yours, Lori?
Well, I chose Beetlejuice 'cause it was this pretty shade of red.
Then later that night Dad told me, it was only that color because it was dying.
That's right. You got the dud!
You were so mad.
Yeah 'cause he wouldn't let me pick a new one.
There's no return policies in outer space.
Right? Well that only works for plastic toys made in Japan.
But he also said...
"When everyone else's junk is broken and forgotten,
you'll still have your stars."
Yeah.
- Jeannette, what's going on? - You okay?
What are you thinking, sweetie?
I ju... I just...
I feel really lucky.
That's so sweet.
Let's make a toast to Rex.
Yeah.
A life with your father was never boring.
All these here are portraits of people.
I have a whole box of flowers back there.
Down here, people like my flowers better than they did in New York.
You know Jeannette's story about how he gave her a star?
What a difference between Lori's and Jeannette's.
"Jeannette, I got a star. Oh, Daddy, you're so wonderful."
"I love you."
And Lori says, "You goddamn son of a bitch, you did have enough money."
♪ They burn that hillside black ♪
♪ They lay the maple down on its back ♪
♪ For just one stardust stone ♪
♪ Sleepin' innocent below ♪
♪ But they'll run when the warm rain comes ♪
The stock story...
Dad loved grand gestures
that preferably did not require a whole lot of follow up.
And he did it twice.
♪ I'll hide way up high ♪
♪ Until the water runs down the pike ♪
♪ To wash aside all the parasites ♪
♪ And take the valley back alive ♪
♪ The tug flows and the rubbish floats ♪
♪ To hang up on the high oak ♪
I made this up out of my own free choice.
And so I haven't regretted it. It's been an experience. I've got a lot out of it.
Even if I go down the drain, I have still come out the winner.
Still come out a winner.
♪ Free me, let me go ♪
♪ They don't recognize a precious stone ♪
♪ I'll lay low 'til the wet wind blows ♪
♪ To take me tumblin' down the road ♪
♪ The wood vines make it hard to fly ♪
♪ The anchor holds my rope down ♪
Any idiot can see that this is a goddamn land grab
by the city officials using taxpayers money to tear down buildings
so that they can give away the property to the goddamn developers.
So the developers will pay 'em off under the table.
It's not new, but it has gone as far as we're gonna let it go.