I was born in the summer of 1977 in Los Angeles, California.
My father, John Kinney, received the news of my birth two days later
when a telegram reached him on the Greek island of mykonos,
where he was directing a film.
He said it had just started raining,
and the telegram arrived sopping wet and written in Greek.
The film's camera operator translated.
"Congratulations! She's six pounds, 12 ounces,
and her name is Alice."
I'm told so much champagne popped that night
it sounded like fireworks.
My father made personal films that captured the spirit of his generation.
He found the truth in the bedroom,
the agony in love,
and the humor in it all.
In my father's obituary,
the New York times called him a "comic poet,"
a sentiment, I assure you, no one would have loved more than him.
My dad's work brought him great joy, respect and success.
And with that success, he bought this car
and this house, where I lived every other weekend of my childhood.
My dad's personal life was a little less of a success.
He married several women.
And lived with several more.
But he was the first to admit the end of his affairs was always entirely his fault.
This was certainly the case with his last wife,
my beautiful mother, Lilian.
My mother was 22 years old when she met my dad,
which made her 26 years his junior.
Theirs was a real "hold on to your hat" kind of love,
a love that would never last.
My parents divorced soon after my fourth birthday.
Unfortunately for my mother,
this inspired some of my dad's best work.
But he said it was me
who completed his third act.
My dad wasn't very sentimental, but he always loved my birthday.
Every year, he'd say the same thing.
"This is your day. Your year.
Get ready, Alice. The future is yours."
- Mom? - Mom, are you in there?
Yeah, just a sec.
Mom, remember the drought!
Oh, yeah.
- Mom, open up! - Open the door!
I'm coming.
Happy birthday!
Oh, my gosh, you guys.
Come here. Mmm.
Mom, is everything okay?
Yeah. I'm great.
It's my birthday. And I love you both so much.
Okay, who wants pancakes?
I do! I do!
So, girls, how are we feeling?
First day, new school. You nervous? You excited?
Excited. Definitely.
Nervous. Extremely.
Wait. Can kids have heart attacks?
Oh, my gosh, honey, no. But I understand.
This is a big deal. Do you want to listen to your favorite song?
Or maybe we could go over your schedule
and talk about what's making you anxious.
I don't wanna do that doctor's stupid exercises.
Can't I just go on antidepressants like every other kid?
Oh, my god. Isabel. For the billionth time, you are not depressed.
-I'm positive. -Please, mom?
You know, I'm feeling exhausted, hopeless, anxious,
and I don't enjoy the things that I once loved.
Music, please!
I'm not alone, you know.
Depression affects over 20 million Americans,
and I'm an American, so...
-Where are you getting this from? -The Zoloft commercial.
Obviously. Okay, iz,
you're being a little bit dramatic.
-You're gonna walk into first period-- -oh, no!
-What? What did you forget? -My summer reading book report.
Oh, god. Okay. It's no big deal.
I'm gonna drop you guys off at school,
and I'll go back to the house and bring it to you, okay, honey?
-But please try and be more responsible. -I'm working on it.
Okay. It's okay.
E-mail it to me, and I can print it out in the library.
-See? -Well, assuming I have time and they let me.
Okay, this is it.
Wow!
This is gonna be great.
Look at this. It is so much prettier than your school in New York.
It has trees and sunshine.
Look at that cool mural. Okay, you want me to walk you in?
- No! -Got it. Unanimous.
All right. Don't forget that after school,
we're gonna have a little birthday celebration with ice cream,
and then tonight you guys are sleeping over at Nanna's house.
Can you tell Nanna i go to bed at 9:00 now?
I think it's 8:45, missy.
But, yes, I will tell her.
Love you.
Love you, honey.
Have a good day. I will.
Hi, welcome.
Hi.
Isabel?
You got this. You've got a great first day outfit.
You're hilarious. You're brilliant.
You're cool. You're a city kid.
Mom...
You're gonna be great. I promise.
I guess.
But right now, i just wanna go home.
-It's okay. You're gonna be home before you know it. -I meant to New York.
Happy birthday, mom.
Thanks, sweetie.
Have fun!
Hollywood boulevard is famous for the walk of fame.
It has the different stars-- your payment is late.
I hear you. But all we need is another five hours. Let us keep the stuff here.
We'll figure out the money, and we'll get it to you. It won't be a problem.
I'm not running a charity here. You have to leave now.
Okay. You know what, rajeesh? We're talking in circles.
We paid the first two weeks. We didn't think we'd be here for a third.
But if you give us until tonight, it's all gonna be good.
Get out. Now! Go!
Okay. I have to say i think you are being incredibly difficult,
maybe even slightly irrational.
What are you doing? What is that?
So now I am calling the police. The pol-- oh.
So? So I gotta get changed or we're gonna be late.
What'd he say? What happened? He's a maniac.
Indians never like me. Okay.
Teddy, you packed? Oh, sorry. Thought you said you had a plan.
-You are looking at it. -George, enough.
We need to focus on our meeting. Let's go over the pitch.
Teddy, should we run lines? I think it could be good to act out some bits in the room.
I'll play Sam. You play Jane.
-But I'm playing Sam in the movie. -Oh. Fine.
-I'll play Jane then. -Let's just make sure we stick to our guns, okay?
I've heard horror stories about great scripts
getting totally dismantled by these kinds of people.
Aren't these people who are gonna help us get our movie made?
I've read about it. It happens.
Also, let's agree not to get talked out of shooting the movie in black and white.
Perfect. Right?
I get it, and I don't need the extra weird stare. Guys, we're gonna do great.
I have a good feeling about this. Everybody ready to rumble?
Yeah, wait. Where we gonna stay?
Do I look worried?
Alice Kinney is the principal owner
and designer of Alice Kinney designs.
Alice is--
a depressed,
newly separated... loser.
- Hello? - - There she is.
The California girl. Hey.
How's your birthday going?
It's good, so far.
There's a lot going on. It's the girls' first day of school.
You called them, right? Uh, hey.
I do not need you... To remind me to do that.
Okay. So you did or you didn't?
They will hear from me before the end of the day.
Anyway, look.
I was calling you to wish you a very happy 40th.
It's fine, right? It's not as bad as you thought.
It's-it's going great so far.
I'm very busy. I'm just prepping for that job interview tomorrow.
Oh, right, yeah, yeah. Good luck with that.
Thanks. Uh, listen, Austen, have you heard anything about the move here?
Because the girls ask me every single day. "Is daddy coming?
When's he getting his house?"
I'm kind of running out of answers. Oh, yeah.
I ask all the time too.
They think they might have found someone to run things out there. So that's good.
Yeah, and once that happens, then things should all fall into place.
Austen, they're ready for you.
I'll be there in one sec. Alice?
Yeah. Don't get mad at me
for saying this, but...
I miss you.
My boys. You made it!
Yes!
You told us if we were serious about this, it was la or bust.
-So here we are. -Listen. So sorry I had to keep pushing this meeting.
It's the end of the summer, the Jewish holiday. This time of year is insane.
-No worries at all. -All right. Good stuff. So here we go. Okay.
Harry dorsey, Teddy dorsey, George appleton.
Director, writer, star of mad youth, the best short--
you know what? No, the best film i saw at south by.
Whoa. Thank you.
Paul hasn't stopped talking about you since the festival.
I'm Jason. Great to meet you. I'm Jason too.
Double Jasons. Mind-blowing, yeah. I know, it's crazy.
Let's have a seat, everybody. Now listen up.
We have some great ideas
about how to turn your short into a feature.
And, again, i really did love it.
I saw it again this morning while I was running on the treadmill.
-It is special. -This is a breakout role for you, Teddy.
We should get you out on auditions right away.
- Yeah? - Definitely.
And, George, your writing--
your writing is so spot-on. I just love that Joan character.
I think we've all had a Joan in our lives, am I right?
-Thanks. It's Jane. -Would you ever be interested in any episodic work?
I mean, yeah.
But in terms of our movie, what's the next move here?
Right. Okay. Well, first thing we need to do is to attach a producer.
And it just so happens somebody's already interested.
I might have slipped your short to Justin Miller--
and he kinda flipped for it.
-Justin Miller? -Is that the guy who produces all those horror movies?
He's been looking to do something a little more human.
He's very smart, by the way, and he's done insanely well off those horror films.
Okay, guys.
He's a big producer. He likes your movie. This is a good thing.
Definitely. But does he know we don't have a finished script yet?
Yeah, and that is a great thing, actually, because Justin wants to develop it with you guys.
And this one here looks like he wants to kill me.
--No, that's just George.
Only thing is, i talked to his development guy,
and they're concerned about the movie being in black and white.
That's okay, that's okay. We can, uh--
-maybe we can talk him into it. -Right. Okay, guys, look.
If you don't like him, we're gonna find somebody else.
But Justin can make your movie happen.
So be open. Okay?
Yeah. We're open.
Here you go. Thank you so much.
I know you're his brother. Shh.
Are you-- are you Teddy dorsey from mad youth?
I'm just trying to be a normal human being for one day.
Oh, my god. I'm a huge fan.
Har, can we chat for 30 seconds about the black-and-white thing?
George, have a little faith, please. Let me get it off my chest.
Guys, guys. Hey. I wanna make a toast. Seriously.
To this incredible journey and to us and--
hey, how's it going? Hi. Hi.
That was a beautiful toast.
Very moving. I love la.
Oops. Sorry, sorry.
No problem.
Do you like it? I love this. Yes.
It is your best business card yet.
Oh, thanks. But be honest with me.
Am I one of those women who thinks every one of their hobbies
is worthy of being a profession?
-What? No. -Maybe you're just good at too many things.
I love you, but I was a terrible clothing designer and even worse photographer.
Come on. That's what you've always been great at.
No, it's true. I don't wanna say i told you so,
but I have been saying this for, what, 13 years?
Well, we will see. I have a meeting with my first potential client tomorrow.
-That's amazing. Who? -Her name is Zoey bell?
-Have you heard of her? -No.
She's a socialite, I guess.
Anyway, that's what I found out from googling her for eight hours last night.
- That's awesome. - Yeah, I'm nervous.
- Okay. - What?
Don't kill me for saying this,
-but there's this sweet guy in my yoga class. -What?
No. Just hold on. He's newly divorced.
He told me he wants to be set up with someone.
I'm not ready. You are.
I have only been separated for five months.
My god, some people get remarried after five months.
Okay, but I have a lot going on with the move
and Isabel and the girls in a new school.
And i-- look, I'm starting a business.
Right. Okay.
I need to get settled and--
girls, it's my birthday. Let's just have fun.
So where on the east coast are you from?
New York. No way.
-I'm from New York. -Really?
Yeah. Where in New York are you from? Hi.
The Upper East Side. How about you?
Well, not nearly as cool as Upper East Side. Hello? Excuse me.
Pardon me. Can I help you?
Can I have two glasses of rosé, please?
- Yes. - Thank you.
Hi. How you doin' tonight?
Me? Uh, yeah.
Oh, um, I'm doing great.
Thank you for asking. Mm-hmm.
I'd like to offer to buy you drinks-- really.
But I think the bartender is
slightly under the impression that I'm taking her home tonight.
Oh. But you're not.
No, I'm not. And why is that?
Because then I'd have to stop talking to you.
I hate to do this, but the manager is making me ask for your ID, so...
So I'll give it to you then.
Okay.
How's that? You should take it as a compliment.
Mm-hmm.
I'm Harry, by the way.
I'm definitely old enough to drink alcohol. Ooh.
I'm Alice. Me too. Obviously.
Bar's closing. How does everybody feel about dancing?
- Whoo! Yes! - For sure!
Yeah, somebody feels great.
Oh.
Sorry. Are you okay? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm fine.
Just alcohol makes me a little bit nervous.
And also kissing a complete stranger.
Mm-hmm. But I'm fine, I'm fine.
You okay? Yeah, yeah, I'm good.
Is it super hot in here?
Oh.
Sorry. I just need a second. Yeah, yeah.
Do you want water or a cold washcloth?
Wow. You are so maternal, Alice. You should be a mom.
All right. I think I'm gonna--
uh-- yep. Yep. Yep. Oh.
Okay.
-Hi. -Oh, hi.
You're awake. Yeah.
How are you feeling?
Better. Better. Good, good.
Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry you had to see me like that. Yeah.
Oh. It's not exactly a stellar first impression.
Please. I used to throw up all the time when I was your age.
Oh.
I mean, not all the time, but, you know, I get it.
Yeah. My embarrassment level is still a 10.
So-- oop.
Sorry. Oh, yeah.
I had clothes on when I got here, right?
Yeah, I don't know where-- yeah, I don't know when they--
mm-hmm. But here they are. Thanks.
I guess George and Teddy left me here.
They must have thought we, uh--
uh, no, no. Um, they're in the living room.
I guess they passed out too. Oh.
I guess we all raged last night. Yeah.
-Did you wash these? -I did.
But only because i was doing a load, and I've been up since 5:30.
-Thanks. -Yeah. No problem.
Uh-- okay. I'll get out of your hair then.
Great. Okay.
Not that you-- you do not have to feel bad about any of this.
I never get out, like, ever.
So this was actually really good for me, and I had a really fun time.
And, thanks to you, I didn't do anything I regret, so...
And I just always act out on my birthday.
It's like my own personal new year's Eve, so I just go, like, waah!
Then I just reel it back to normal.
Look, hey, I'm happy to let some steam out of the kettle.
I'm, uh, gonna stand up now.
Oh, yeah, exactly. Yes, okay, of course.
Grab it quickly. Okay, okay.
I can't believe you're making us late on our first week of school.
I said sorry.
Hurry up, you guys. Rosebud, grab the backpack.
Okay, Nanna.
Well, well.
Huh.
Okay, you're just gonna grab the backpack.
Hi. What are you guys doing home? I thought Nanna was taking you to school.
What's going on? You're acting weird.
I'm not acting weird. Oh, my--
- oh, my god. - -Alice.
--What?
He was fixing that-- you know that thing that's broken in my room underneath the--
uh, iz, can you go fix Rosie a bagel?
Sure. Come on. Thanks.
- Mom. - Who are those guys?
- I don't know. - You could've called first.
Well, who would've thought you'd have company at 7:00 in the morning?
- So, uh, we're just gonna slip out.
Thank you very much for everything, Mrs., um--
-oh, my god. -You look so familiar.
Have we met before?
That's insane.
No, I feel like i definitely know you from somewhere.
She was married to John Kinney. She was in all of his movies.
Who's this one now?
-Oh, my god. -Wait.
You're Lilian Stewart. That's awesome. Really?
And I'm pretty sure this is John Kinney's house.
Hold on. How do you know all of this?
I stumbled into that room back there with all your dad's stuff. I'm sorry.
I just got a little lost. I'm a huge, huge fan of your father's.
-You're John Kinney's daughter? -Yes, she is. And you are?
-Am I free to head home now? 'Cause i-- -not yet.
-Yep. Okay. -As fun as this has been, believe it or not,
I have a meeting to go to, so maybe we should wrap it up.
We're filmmakers too, you know? Just like your husband.
Everybody is, doll. We're in la.
I can't believe you're here and you're you. This is surreal.
-You're a terrific actress. -Come on. I mean, I did a few small parts here and there.
You were also smokin' hot. Like in the movie with the yellow bikini.
-I was like, "whoa, hello!" -Come on!
Alice, did you hear what he said? Yes.
John sits down at the table next to mine at ma Maison, and 10 minutes later,
he pulls his chair up to mine and offers me the lead in Lola.
Said he liked the way I ordered my quiche Lorraine.
- I know. - So I have to get going.
Does anybody wanna walk out with me?
Actually, I'm gonna stay and make the boys some breakfast.
So can you drive the kids to school? This is so fun.
Is that cool if we hang with your mom for a little? Yeah. No, no.
That's fine with me.
Wait, you're saying that was your first movie ever?
I know, right?
Hey, Alice? Do you have a minute? Yeah.
Sure. Could we just maybe exchange phone numbers or--
I don't know. Harry, I'm very late.
Listen, I think you woke up to a completely different person than you met last night.
And I appreciate the gesture, i really do,
but how old are you, like, 30?
Twenty-nine?
Twenty-eight? Something like that.
- Oh, Jesus. - Bye, Nanna.
Okay, girls, come on. Time to get in the car.
Okay, okay. She's so intense.
No, I'm not.
Good luck with everything. Maybe I'll see you around.
Hope so. Come on, ladies.
- Did you guys have a sleepover? - -What?
How did you meet? Yeah, are you friends with their mom?
Friends with their mom? How old do I look?
I don't know. Mom age.
Wow, you have done just a tremendous amount of work, Alice.
Oh, yeah. This is just a lot of blue.
Well, I googled your house--
yeah. And I thought the Hamptons thing would be great.
Yeah. Why don't you sit down for a second.
Oh, sure. Yeah. I-i, um--
god, I feel like i might've misled you in some way.
Because the truth is i don't have this much stuff for you.
At least not right now. Oh, okay.
Maybe I misunderstood, because on the phone you said you were unhappy with things.
Yeah, yeah, and I did say that. I did say that.
You're absolutely right. I am unhappy with things.
But if I'm just being honest with you,
I was working with this other interior decorator,
and we just have creative differences, or whatever you want to call it.
Like I just kind of hated her, and so i had to let her go.
And I'm looking for someone really just to coordinate deliveries and pickups
and that kind of thing, and then after we wrap all that,
then maybe we can talk about you doing some of the rooms that she didn't get to.
Does that sound okay with you?
Oh, yeah. Of course. Absolutely. I'm up for anything.
'Cause there is one room that I would need you to start right away.
That would be amazing. What room?
It's my daughter Gwyneth's playroom.
Okay. Do you want to show me the room?
I can't do that right now because I have to take this call.
I'm sorry about that, and I have a blowout.
But why don't you e-mail me, and then-- of course. Well, um--
okay, so the meeting's over. Then we'll sort of organize everything.
Okay. Should I follow-- okay. Marta, can you please show Alice to g's room?
Marta! By the way, can you just make sure to take your shoes off when you get into the house.
Yeah, of course. We have a strict policy. Rob, I hear you. Jesus.
Uh-- no need to yell.
So she taught you about the solar system?
Mm-hmm. Oh, can you name any of the planets?
I can name Mercury, Venus, earth,
- Mars, Jupiter, saturn, uranus, Neptune. - Mm-hmm.
Pluto isn't considered a proper planet.
All right. Here you go.
Oh. Oop, sorry. I forgot you.
What?
Just hear me out.
They need a place to crash, you've got a guesthouse.
So I thought, you know, maybe they could stay here.
Stay here? I don't even know two of their names, mom.
Oh, come on. Since when is having three adorable guys hanging around such a bad thing?
Maybe they could help you out a little. Help me out?
Help me out with what? Did they ask you to ask me this?
No. Absolutely not. Tell the truth.
It was entirely my idea.
I think these boys have a real shot at making it.
I adored their movie. It was raw and great.
You saw their movie? Yeah. Look.
They're dead broke.
If you don't let them stay here,
then they have to move home back to upstate New York or wherever
and blow their chance at having a career here.
They need you, Alice. How's that?
They don't know anyone here.
I like them. Your father would have liked them.
Be a patron of the arts, Alice. It's good for the soul.
Why are you suddenly romanticizing dad?
The man impregnated another woman while he was still married to you.
Why do you always obsess over that?
Why don't you obsess over that?
Because I'm a big girl, and he's gone now, so I won.
If they hadn't met me, was there a plan "b"?
Maybe it was fate that they met you.
Maybe you could be the person who says,
"they were living at my house when they wrote" whatever it's called.
Just for a month or so.
-A month? -Okay, a week, whatever.
If it doesn't work out, sayonara.
But just try looking at this
as something that could be sort of exciting.
What if the kids don't feel comfortable?
You know everything that Isabel is going through.
This could really set her off.
Okay.
Yes!
- Whoo! - There we go, there we go, there we go.
We can do better than that. Okay. All right, we're back.
This is so incredibly cool of you. Thank you so much.
Seriously, you're a lifesaver. Can I help you with anything?
Uh, no, I've got it.
Uh, okay. The couch turns into a bed.
The hot water over here takes a minute to turn on,
and there's extra towels in the closet.
- Perfect. Thank you.
Uh, I'm just gonna grab that and flush it down the toilet.
Okay, guys, i hope last night didn't confuse you.
This is definitely not an after-party
and crash-on-the-couch type of place.
This is more of a market-list-on-the-fridge,
Latin-homework-after-school, dinner-at-six kind of house.
I know that's not the coolest stomping grounds
for a bunch of starving artists like yourselves,
but let's just do our best not to cramp each other's style.
-Okay? -Well said.
Can I talk to you outside for a sec?
Alice, I think you and i should just start over.
Yeah, obviously, we-- well, we had no idea we'd be living together.
We're not. I mean that I'd be staying here.
And, well, uh, clearly I did not rock your world last night.
So maybe we should just pretend that whole thing never happened and start over as friends?
I agree. And I'm actually glad you brought it up.
Good, and I'm only saying something
because we're staying here and the kids and everything.
Harry, we're good. We're friends.
Who are attracted to each other.
On just my end. Not on yours. My bad.
He's telling her they should just be friends.
How do you know that? Mm, I speak Harry.
Do you think he'll stick to it? Depends how long we're here.
She seems uneasy. You think she's okay with this?
No, I think she's super cool with it, and this place is gorgeous
and, like, weirdly clean, and 600 times nicer than the hotel!
Okay, let's just stay a couple days until the Justin Miller meeting.
Oh, my god, I'm not kidding. You gotta feel these sheets.
Oh, wow, these sheets are insane. What are they made of?
Dude! This is pretty great.
You know that was his least favorite of all his films?
-He tried to buy it back from the studio. -Hi. I'm sorry.
I came over here unannounced. I'm just an early riser.
Then I noticed that the door was open and-- it's okay.
I've been dying to get back in here.
Are you joking about what you just said?
Because this movie is some of his best work, i think.
Actually, I agree.
Oh, let me show you something really cool. Sit down.
Okay. Um...
Okay.
This is the original script with his notes.
No way. Yes.
Wow. I just love to see his handwriting.
I literally have goose bumps.
Why is this all in boxes?
Shouldn't this be at the academy of motion picture arts and sciences?
Yeah, I just moved back, and I'm having a hard time letting go of some of these things.
Why did you move back?
If you don't mind me asking.
No, that's a very normal question,
and one I should probably come up with an answer for.
Um-- you know, my husband and i are separated.
He's in the music business, and there's just a lot of partying.
Which was really fun, and we had a great time. Yeah.
And then we got older, and we weren't kids anymore, and then we had kids.
And he was still coming in at 2:00 in the morning smelling like don Julio.
And I tried to hold it together. I really, really did.
So hard. It was--
but, you know, god, you make a decision about your life
when you're 25 years old, and then you fast-forward 15 years later,
and you think, "god, was that really the life decision
that's, like, a good life decision for the rest of your life?"
And then you're just like-- "i don't know!"
Yeah.
I don't know. You know?
I'm sorry about your marriage,
but you seem to be handling everything really well.
--Oh.
Oh, my god. What?
My new client wants me to come over, but I told her i can't come.
Isabel has guitar lessons on Thursdays.
And she wants me to pick her up a pressed juice on the way?
That's weird, right?
Yeah, I think that would be considered weird.
Um... I could take Isabel to class if you want.
I mean, I don't have a car, but I'd be happy to help.
Really? Thank you. Yeah.
My dad's old car is in the garage. You know how to drive a stick, right?
Mm-hmm.
So you like your new school?
Um, I do not. No.
Oh. Today actually wasn't so bad.
I want to be a writer, and my homeroom teacher, miss Avery,
told me about this playwriting contest.
Teachers pick about five plays to be performed at the fall show.
Miss Avery thinks i should submit something, but I'm really not sure.
That's so cool. You should definitely do it.
Well, truthfully, i would love to,
but we have to perform our own plays,
and I don't think my body would physically allow for that.
Won't you regret it if you don't do it? It sounds like a great opportunity.
Yeah, but I get sort of anxious, you know? Just sometimes.
It's on and off, and the cause is unknown,
but it may be related to an imbalance of natural chemicals
between the nerve cells and the brain.
Says webmd.
Ah. Sorry. I should take this.
We'll get back to that. Uh, hello?
George, Jason green from wca. How ya doin'?
Hi. I'm great, thanks. Uh, what's up? I have good news.
There's this thriller I think we told you about in our meeting.
They're looking for someone to do a new pass on the script.
I sent over your writing samples, and they loved them.
Loved. Can I set up a meeting?
Wow, uh, I'm flattered.
That's, uh-- they used the word "loved"?
Really? No, but you could just tell.
Oh. Is that the other Jason?
Hi. Yes, I just jumped on.
Oh, hi. Uh, yeah.
Can I discuss with the guys and then let you know?
It wouldn't be the worst thing for you to put your name out there,
make some money.
We got a job. I'll set it up. This is good. I promise.
- Will you let me think about it? - Hello? Jason?
Other Jason?
That sounds pretty cool.
Yeah. Yeah, it does, right?
I just don't know if I'm ready to go out on my own.
Won't you regret it if you don't do it? Sounds like a great opportunity.
- I like what you did there.
That was good. Mm-hmm.
Okay, so we're gonna redo the whole playroom.
You want it a little more age-appropriate.
You want to keep bright colors but tone down the pink.
A teepee would be cool. Hmm.
Maybe some beanbag chairs.
Hey, hi, girls. Sorry to interrupt.
Oh, hey, Dexter. Hi, honey.
Alice, can I borrow you for a second? Sure.
I was supposed to be at this event, like, 15 minutes ago,
and then my nanny calls me and tells me she's in brutal traffic.
She's not gonna be here for another hour.
I wouldn't normally do this, but could you please stay until she gets here?
Oh, well, i mean, it's 5:15, and I have to--
I know. I mean, obviously, i would pay you for your time.
I don't know what else to do.
You wouldn't have to pay me. You're so sweet.
Thank you so much. Hey, g! Well, i--
Alice is gonna babysit for you until idalia gets here, okay, honey? I love you.
And could you give her a bath, just a quick one?
And then let Dexter out before you go, okay? Thank you.
Okay.
- Hello? - When were you gonna tell me
that three strangers were living in your house?
I'm sorry. I know. I should have.
I mean, are you airbnb-ing the house?
-What? No, of course not. -So where did you meet them?
I met them at a-- you know what? Look.
It's really not that big of a deal.
They're gonna stay in the guesthouse for a few days.
It was actually my mother's idea.
Isabel told me that one of them drove her to her guitar class.
I don't want your houseguests
hanging out with the girls, okay?
I feel weird enough about not being there.
Well, then why don't you come here?
You don't think I'm not dying to see them?
But i-i just can't right now.
There's this new guy I'm tryin' to sign,
and his concert's this weekend in Miami.
He's supposed to be the next Sam Smith.
Really. Yeah. But I'll come out soon though.
I promise.
Don't shake your head.
I wasn't.
I gotta go, Austen.
You'll get here when you get here. See you.
-Hey, you're home. -Hi, mom.
Hey. I'm home and I'm starving.
It smells so good in here.
When you were working, i thought I'd make dinner, if that's cool.
- Yeah. That's cool. - Never thought of that.
I think that's absolutely brilliant.
Mm-hmm. Hola. Hey.
Isabel, I think someone needs a marg.
Uh-oh.
Thank you. Now please unlearn that.
- Hey, guys, dinner's ready. Let's do this.
Shall we take the plates outside? Mm-hmm? Mm-hmm.
-What's outside? -You'll see.
- Come on. - Where are we going?
I can't tell you.
I feel like I know you from somewhere.
Oh? Well, I just moved here.
Where from?
Wow.
Hey. Hey.
Can I help? Sure.
Thank you for tonight, Harry.
Are you kidding? I should be thanking you.
No, seriously. I, um--
my kids haven't seen that many of my dad's movies. So it was really special.
Well, they are so cool, by the way.
Job well done. Thanks.
Mm-hmm. They're really taking to you guys.
I think they're happy to have some male energy around here.
It is very pink in this house.
You seem to have aced the single parent thing though.
Really aced it. I mean, yeah. Look, I assume it's not as easy as it looks.
Well, you have an "I've got this" thing about you,
and it's super impressive.
And personally, i th--
look, I think it's pretty brave
what you did, starting over.
I don't know your ex, but, uh,
he must be some kind of maniac to have let you slip through his hands.
Where does this go?
Uh, it goes over there.
You know this cabinet is broken, right?
Okay. You gotta stop blushing.
Your face is too cute when you blush. I can't handle it.
You got a screwdriver?
Thanks.
That cabinet has been broken for so long. You have no idea.
Anything else i can do for you?
Got anything from Ikea i can assemble or...
I thought we agreed not to.
I know. I know.
But I fixed your cabinet.
Hey, you know I'm 40, right?
Uh, yeah, I knew that. Like ballpark.
Okay, good, and, uh,
I didn't know if you'd ever gone out with somebody my age who has...
Two kids.
And the girls come in at 6:30 in the morning sometimes,
so you can't be in there then. That's fine.
Then sometimes they come in in the middle of the night.
So you can't be in there then either. Not a problem.
And also-- mm-hmm.
Alice? Yeah?
You're makin' me nervous.
You don't seem nervous.
I don't wanna fight with you.
Thank you so much for coming out on Saturday. I appreciate that.
I'm heading to Shanghai tomorrow. I'm glad we could get this goin'.
Can I get you anything else?
No, thanks, Maya. This looks fantastic.
Okay, great. Enjoy. Thanks. Thank you.
So I'm not gonna pull any punches here.
I get it. I'm the horror guy.
That's all basically anybody ever sends me.
So when wca sent me your short
and nobody died in it or turned into a zombie or something,
I thought, "all right. This is fantastic."
Thank you. We're glad you liked it.
But if I'm gonna go out of my wheelhouse,
there are basically three kinds of movies
that I'm interested in producing.
-Female-centric comedies. -George writes women really well.
My love interest is a great part. Yeah.
I wouldn't exactly say it's a female-centric comedy, but--
I totally agree. Okay, forget women.
Here's something else that might work for you.
What about a found-footage love story?
You know? No one's ever done that before.
You mean, like somebody found footage of Sam and Jane's love story?
I mean, why would they have been--
filming themselves. Filming, exactly.
I have no idea. You know, just a thought.
All right, the last thing I'm into...
- An awards movie. You know?
Like a really-- like a good movie.
Like they used to make. We would love to make a really good movie.
-Yes. -Yeah?
-Yeah. -Beautiful.
Beautiful. All right, that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna make a great movie.
So where are we on the script?
I'm about halfway through. I think it's coming along really well.
Good, good, okay. I watched the short again last night.
-I made some really great notes. -Hmm?
Oh. I'm sorry, guys.
-I gotta take this. One sec. -No problem.
-Yeah, go for j. Yes, I saw the e-mail. -George, what are you doing?
-Shut up, Teddy. I have to. -Stop it.
"Try setting in the south somewhere.
More American sniper"?
It takes place in Brooklyn.
-Does it say that? -It does say that.
-He's gonna walk back. -"Add dance sequence."
"Channing," question mark. That's what it says.
I gotta go. George--
do you believe it says that?
I'm so sorry about that, guys. Just a few quick thoughts here.
- You okay?
He had interesting things to say, George. Like?
Like he wants to help us get our movie made. That was incredibly interesting.
He was a parody of a movie producer.
He did say some crazy shit. What is wrong with you both?
He's a big deal, and he believes in us.
That actually makes me like us less.
Let's just continue the conversation, okay? It was a first meeting.
George? Hey. Would you look at me? George?
We're on the same team, okay?
We can keep talking to him,
but we're not setting it in the south, where none of us have ever been.
-Fine, I agree. That's not a thing. -What are you doing?
I've never been in the pacific.
Okay, you're just gonna...
I'm goin' in.
You know these things take forever to happen, right?
I'm gonna keep writing it the way we always wanted it to be.
Between us, I kinda took another little job in the meantime.
I'm just doing it in my spare time. Seriously?
Yeah. Somethin' came my way from wca. Guys!
No kidding. What's the job? Come in!
Don't tell Harry. I won't. What is it?
-If he found out, he'd make it about him. -Just tell me already.
It's a rewrite of a thriller.
Anyway, it pays well, and it's good to have a backup plan, you know?
What if being three boy wonders doesn't work out?
Harry has this vision of the three of us
lined up in tan suits at cannes.
Meanwhile, for once, I'd like to be able to make money.
Well, just warn me before you tell him so I can leave the country.
At some point you're gonna need to learn to be less of a little brother.
I don't have the same shit with him that you do.
You support him sleeping with Alice then.
Can I not be the odd man out because I am the only one not pining for Alice?
Okay, come on. We're not goin' there.
All I'm sayin' is "iceberg ahead."
'Cause when he changes his mind about her,
or she gets tired of his shit--
all I'm sayin' is we need to start lookin' for another place to live.
Which I'll be able to pay for now because of my job.
I don't want to leave Alice's.
I like being with her family.
We're gonna have to leave eventually.
Well, eventually ain't today, my bro.
Attica!
I'm glad you do.
I mean, I just-- i don't know.
I think the dialogue needs a bit of-- yeah, well, you wrote it.
And exhale. Let it go. Ooh.
Wonderful.
Hold on. I don't think we should interrupt.
Yeah.
Okay.
Namaste. I'm Teddy. Hi.
No, I'm just kidding.
No, no, I'm doing it--
tell me about the other guys. What are they like?
Okay. Well, Teddy used to work at the genius bar,
so he's been helping me with my website, which is awesome.
He's adorable.
And George has really taken to Isabel.
He encouraged her to submit a play to a school contest,
which has been amazing for her.
Yeah, hold on a minute.
I think you're telling me
that you have free live-in childcare,
full-time tech support, and sex?
I can't complain.
Yeah, and I don't--
I think you should bring Harry to my dinner party tomorrow.
What? No, no.
It'd be good to take him for a spin in the real world,
where the lights aren't so dim and the sheets aren't so soft.
Okay, well, we are not there yet. That feels like a lot.
Why is it a lot? Seems like the perfect chance to show off your new boyfriend.
He's not my boyfriend.
What is he then?
I don't know. He's young, and I might feel too self-conscious.
All the single guys we know date women that age.
They're not self-conscious. That's true.
Come on. Bring him.
Okay. Maybe.
Maybe.
This is just gonna take a second.
Why are the gates open?
Hmm.
Hey, uh, is Zoey here?
Uh, she'll be back soon. Can I help you?
I just have these pillows for the playroom.
Oh, okay, i can take it. Uh, and you're?
Oh, uh, I'm sort of her decorator.
Really? Yeah.
I'm sort of her decorator.
Oh, right.
She said there was someone she kind of had creative differences with.
Yeah. I quit, if that's what you mean.
But she begged me to come back.
I mean, she made me an offer i couldn't refuse.
Sorry. I didn't know that she hired someone else.
She said she was desperate.
"Desperate"? What did she say when you called her?
She was talking a million miles a minute, like she'd had one too many green juices.
She said, "this other woman made her feel more comfortable
because she'd worked with her for years."
Then she said, "I'll call you back in two secs," but she never called me back.
Basically, I've been doing all this ridiculous work for nothing.
I mean, I organized this woman's jeans, Teddy.
Whoa. What are you taking?
It's for anxiety, you know.
I just take a half of a half, and never during the day.
That's a large half.
I should have quit before it came to this.
- Yeah, that sounds great.
Alice, everything you told me about this woman sounds awful, but you gotta check yourself.
-Everything's gonna be okay. -Promise?
I do. I mean, look at us. How did we end up here with you?
I think things do actually work out for a reason.
And just forget about Zoey.
This means it's time to move on, which is gonna be easy because your website's live--
-what? -And your pinterest is up,
and it's all linked to your Facebook and instagram.
My website is live? Oh, yeah. Check it out, buddy.
Oh, my god. Teddy, this is amazing!
Ah. Thank you.
That was Justin. Yeah?
He thinks he might have found someone to finance our movie.
No way! That's amazing! Yeah.
We're gonna get drinks tomorrow to talk about it. Wow. Oh, wait.
Does that mean you're busy tomorrow night?
Yeah, but just for a little. Did you have something in mind?
I mean, I did, actually.
Tracy's having this little dinner thing,
and if you were up for it, i thought maybe you would come with me?
I'd love to do that. Really?
I've been wanting to do something with you outside the house.
I mean, I love what we've been doing inside the house,
but, yes, let's be on a date.
Okay. Okay.
I'll have to meet you after the drinks.
Sure. No problem. What should I wear?
It's not, like, dressy, is it?
No. He'll have one more.
I knew that she was taking my magazines.
We're gettin' along really well.
You doing okay?
Yeah, yeah.
What are you guys talking about?
Can I come in?
Alice, I am so sorry about last night.
The drinks, they went late. And Justin, he invited all these people.
And the guy wouldn't shut up.
And I'm pretty sure he's getting us the money, so I couldn't ditch him.
I think that's-- i think that is straight.
Oh, you couldn't ditch him, but you could ditch me.
No, i-- i-- didn't know what else to do. I got caught up and--
you know what the truth is? I don't care what happened.
I know how it made me feel, and I don't wanna feel like that.
Okay, well, please don't let one stupid night get in the way of what's happening here.
What is happening here?
I don't think either of us know the answer to that.
Okay, 'cause you came to me and you said we shouldn't get involved.
And then you showed up and you fixed my cabinet door,
and-and-and then you kiss me.
And--
whatever. I allowed that to happen.
But at some point I have to start knowing better.
And that point is now.
You're a 27-year-old kid, Harry.
And it's exciting, and you're fantastic,
and you're on the cusp of being a really great guy.
But 27-year-olds just screw up.
They just do.
I know 'cause i used to be one.
But the last thing that I need right now
is to be sitting at some party in a dress
waiting for someone or something that isn't gonna show up for me.
So whatever this is or was,
it's just gotta end.
Okay?
I know this because--
because I know this.
Harry, you said you were gonna play with us.
Yeah, okay. One second, champ. One second.
Okay.
Okay. Okay. Okay, okay.
I screwed up. I was wrong. I wasn't thinking.
Can I make it up to you tonight, please?
Uh, no. Actually, I'm going out tonight.
You-- where?
I have a date.
You have--
why wouldn't I?
Miss Avery e-mailed me. They picked my play!
I knew it. I didn't.
This is major. Congrats.
Can I ask you a beyond huge enormous favor?
Oh, and you can say no.
Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting you working?
Oh, is it that other job?
Yeah, but who cares? What's up? You can ask me anything.
Will you go up onstage with me, at the play?
Onstage?
No, not like in the play or anything.
Just off to the side. You can see the whole thing from there.
I asked miss Avery, and she said it was fine.
I told her it's like having an emotional support dog, only human.
Anyways,
just in case I feel nervous or like I'm gonna pass out or anything.
Just seeing you there would make-- hey, iz.
It would be a great honor. I'll be there.
Yeah, so they never found my brother.
So naturally, i don't do boats.
But I gotta let that go.
What do you do? Because kori wasn't exactly sure.
I used to work for a developer.
Basically, we would just tear down things you love
and put up things you hate.
Are you gonna drink that? No. You can have it.
Yeah, so... oh, Alice.
Have you seen that Ted talk by any chance
on the science of happiness? Mm-mmm.
I think you'd really like it. Is it that obvious?
No, that's not what I'm saying.
It's just-- it just really touched me.
And about eight months ago, i quit my job.
Oh, yeah? Yeah. Just like that.
I had a Jerry Maguire moment.
Oh, my god, i love Jerry Maguire.
Yeah, I moved to Bali and lived there for a few months
until I came down with malaria and had to come back here.
And I'm trying to get my old job back.
I think it was Thomas browne-- sir Thomas browne--
who said, "i am the richest man alive.
I have that in me which"-- oh, my god.
I'm okay.
My arch Nemesis is here.
Why do you have an arch Nemesis?
She's standing next to the Sarah, plain and tall girl.
She looks all rich and depressed.
I'm gonna go talk to her, Nate. Oh, Alice, I don't think you should.
I'm gonna do it. Alice, don't do that.
Here I go. Alice.
They-- okay.
-Hi, Alice. My gosh. -Zoey, hi.
-What are you doing here? -Oh, I'm on a date.
With a man.
Great.
Um, I don't think you've met my husband, rob.
This is Alice. Okay.
She's been sort of helping out around the house.
Nice to meet you, rob. I'm your wife's bitch.
I don't know if I would call it that.
Really? Would you say you're a nice person to me,
or would you say you're nicer to maybe the labrapoodle?
It's a labradoodle.
Whatever.
Okay.
What are you doing with your face? Are you unwell?
-I think it's Dexter. -Okay, that is not nice, Alice.
He's a rescue, and I find that really offensive.
You've had a little bit too much to drink
and you're sort of embarrassing yourself.
I'm embarrassing myself? Yes.
Well, that's refreshing. Because normally that's your department.
-Am I right, Bob? -Alice, let's just call this quits,
and I will call you in the morning.
Hey, babe, I quits, okay? Because you cheated on me with the fancy stylish woman.
And on top of that, you're a deeply dark individual.
So... we done.
Great.
We... done.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Brutal.
Ah, boy.
So, wanna tell me what happened?
Well, I drank my date under the table.
And I was so rude.
And then I saw Zoey bell in her kimono and her cute husband,
and I went temporarily insane.
Jesus.
I hope you quit at least. Oh, yes.
That I made very clear.
Well, dare I ask why you're feeling so pugnacious this evening?
All signs point to the lead singer of your band.
Ah. I was afraid of that.
You know, he tends to have this effect on people.
Thing you gotta realize about Harry, and I say this out of love,
is he doesn't do the right thing enough.
Doesn't know how.
Trust me.
Do you know what the difference is between men and women?
Men just-- they can just do things.
And women have to think about the consequences
and the feelings and the pros and cons.
And we make lists.
And men just act.
They just do.
Not you though, George.
You're one of the good ones.
Thank you, Alice.
You're like a woman.
Oh, my god. Tell me you see him too.
Austen, what are you doing here?
Well, I've been calling you for hours.
Where have you been? Where are the kids?
They're at my mom's. But wait.
I was just--
I know I just asked you this, but...
-What are you doing here? -Oh, god, Alice.
Oh. I don't know. I don't know. I've been going out of my head.
I just can't think straight. Is that one of them?
Hello.
Hi. Okay.
Hey there.
George appleton. Hi.
Big fan of your family, yeah.
-Mm-hmm. -Okay, I'm gonna let you two, uh--
'cause I gotta-- I'm just gonna-- yeah, okay.
Oh, it feels so good to be here.
Oh, god.
You did such an incredible job with the house.
It totally feels like you now. Thanks.
I'm really impressed.
God, you remember us sittin' in here when you brought me to meet your dad?
Yeah, a million years ago.
And you look different too.
I do? Yeah. Relaxed or something.
You look fantastic, al.
Well, you're catching me on a really stellar roll tonight.
I've had quite a-- you know I had to come here, right?
You get that. I mean, there are three strange guys living with my family.
And you stopped calling me back all of a sudden, you know?
Girls are not facetiming me anymore.
-Where do you keep your forks? -In the drawer.
So you just showed up unannounced?
Don't you think you should have called first
and then told me that you were coming
so I could have at least prepared, told the girls?
I would have called. Or is this just what worked for you, Austen?
I would have called, but I was afraid you were gonna tell me that I couldn't come.
I always tell you to come.
You know, when you left...
I finally felt like I wasn't lettin' anyone down anymore.
And that was good, for a minute.
But then I realized
that the best part of my life
had just moved away across the country.
And there I was, alone in our old place.
There was no more laughter.
No meals together.
No more monkeys jumping on the bed.
And I miss our family.
So I bought a ticket to la,
and I left within the hour
because I wanted to say this to your face.
To your beautiful face.
Let's fix this.
Let's not give up.
What's he doing just showing up out of nowhere?
We should go in there. She needs us.
Oh, really? You're gonna go in there.
You're gonna say, "I'm the captain now," huh?
Look. They're sitting so close together.
Guys, enough, okay? He's the father of her children.
She's moved on. She doesn't need him anymore.
George, is he good-looking? I can't tell from here.
What's his vibe? Is it loser-y?
I don't know. He's got like a classic Clark gable thing.
There's like a little bit of Sean penn in there.
Like he could jump ya at any moment. You know what I mean?
Clark gable meets Sean penn? I'm going inside.
Harry, come on, man. The last thing she needs. How do you know what she needs?
Oh, my god. She's taking him to the guest room.
He's staying.
Well, thank you for putting me up.
I'm a little bit drunk. I'll probably regret it in the morning.
I'm not that drunk.
Good night, Austen.
Well, I meant what I said, al.
Will you just think about it?
Mmm.
Good morning.
Oh, hi.
Please, take a seat.
Harry.
Austen.
Why is he staying with us?
What am I supposed to do, ask him to stay in a hotel?
Why is this guy in la? I can think of three really good reasons.
-Seems pretty selfish to just show up like this. -Well, meet Austen.
Alice, please stop avoiding me.
Can we just-- i don't know-- talk?
-Whoa. -Girls. Girls.
-Guess what. -What?
Daddy!
Good morning!
Daddy! Oh!
- I'm so happy to see you guys. - -I can't believe you're here!
Rosie, you're so tall.
Look at you. You're like a supermodel.
Iz, look at-- oh, my goodness. Loving those sneakers.
When did you get here?
Late last night. We thought we'd surprise you this morning.
- Come on. -Good to see you, lil.
Yeah. Hi. Mwah. Mwah.
Looking fetching as usual. Me? You are nuts.
Look, I have to change for my spinning class, so I'm going to get going.
-Ally, I'll talk to you later, okay? -Yep.
Still cute.
Hmm.
Okay, let's eat.
Okay, okay, but then we were walking back from dinner
on this beautiful moonlit night
through this tiny little village
just outside Saint-rémy-de-provence.
-And we took one wrong turn. -Oh.
-And suddenly out of nowhere-- -oh, my god, i forgot about this.
This strange little woman appeared.
Yes.
She pushes me in the chest. She grabbed your mother's bag.
And your mother just immediately, without a second thought,
sprints after her,
leaps into the air and tackles her to the ground.
-Oh, my god. -That's funny, mommy.
I'm pretty sure there was no leaping, and I didn't tackle her.
So you weren't both on the ground?
Yes, but-- your mother was incredible. You should have seen her.
She was just-- just beyond.
She was wildly impressive.
I don't know about that, but...
So, iz, did you tell your daddy about your play?
She did.
It's very exciting.
I'm not surprised, because she's always been a great writer.
Will you stay for it, daddy?
-When is it again? -Next Friday.
- Yeah. - Ah.
Well, I'm not sure if I can stay that long.
But if I can, I will. I'm desperate to be there.
You know, George has been really very helpful with the play.
Did I tell you the guys are filmmakers?
Yeah, yeah. Heard that.
God, I have no idea how you guys do it.
It takes such discipline.
And I guess at the end of the day,
it's totally down to luck, isn't it?
If it turns into anything, right?
Yeah. Luck and talent.
Copy that.
Lot of luck.
Hey, I had an idea. Why don't we go for dinner tonight?
- Oh yeah! - Yeah!
Sunday night dinner like we used to. That would be fun, right?
-You could show me your new favorite place. -Yeah, can we, mommy? Please.
Yeah, we could go early, be back by 8:00.
Please. Okay, sure.
Yay!
Just a sec!
Hi. Hey.
I thought I'd check in. I know it's none of my business.
I just wanted to make sure that you're okay. Yeah. Come in.
No, I'm completely fine.
I mean, on the one hand, Austen is saying things to me
that I've wanted to hear for god knows how long.
And on the other hand, he's the actual king of manipulation.
Hey, can I come in for a second? Yeah.
Hey.
Did not know you were in here.
I hope this isn't out of line, but--
-you look really nice, by the way. -You do.
- Thanks. -Just really worried about the girls, you know?
I have experience with guys like this,
and their dad shows up out of nowhere,
and he's acting like he's father of the year when we know he isn't.
He's gonna move back to New York. What happens to iz--
--Alice, I've gotta talk to you.
Oh, my god.
Can it wait? I'm a little bit busy.
Uh, no, it can't.
I feel like everything is out of sorts between us. Wow. You look great.
And smell great. Can I come in?
Do you have an advil? I--
didn't realize i had an audience.
We're just gonna have to talk about this later--
what, I didn't make the cut for the pre-party?
No, there is nothing going on.
There's never been so many people in this room.
We're gonna be late.
You guys, i will talk to you later.
It's gonna be good.
Bye.
Good night.
Okay.
Night, kids.
I don't like him. Mm-mmm.
It's way past Rosie's bedtime.
Should we call and make sure that everything's okay?
I'm shocked she married that guy.
-She knows his bracelets are a problem. -I don't know.
I could see him having a certain appeal when they were younger.
The accent's cool.
Hey, we were just starting to--
-shh. -Oh. Sorry.
Did you guys have a good night?
Yeah. Nothin' special. Just ate some lasagna.
What was left of it.
-How was your dinner? -The girls had a great time.
And you?
I actually had fun too.
Um, well, we were gonna have a nightcap.
You wanna come over to our place?
I'm exhausted. I'm gonna hit the hay.
Night, guys.
-Yeah, good night. -Night.
It's not true. She never falls asleep before midnight.
Okay, thank you.
We did not need to know that.
Night-night. I'll see you in the morning.
I love you, daddy.
Oh, I love you too, my beautiful girl.
Sleep well.
"He reaches for the painting.
Floats in slow motion through the air."
Georgie. Hey.
Great news.
The finance guy is flying in to meet with us next Friday.
We're meeting him at sunset tower,
and then we'll go from there to see Isabel's show.
Perfect. Hey, actually, hold on a sec.
Relax. I just wanna show you an article I read about this guy.
"The painting floats in slow motion."
What is this? What are you working on? Okay, actually, I was--
you're writing something else?
Let me explain. Uh, yes.
How could you do that?
How could you do it? We're almost done with our script.
You're working on something else at the same time?
Okay, yes, but look, you've decided, right,
that we're two halves of this whole,
and I've been thinking that maybe I could be a whole on my own at some point.
And our agents agree. Oh, okay. Right. Right. Okay.
So you're the talent.
I'm just the one who got us our financing, who directed our movie,
who submitted us to the festival, who got us to la.
You know that's not what I'm saying. And then you go rogue
and you get another job without telling me.
Shit, George. You know--
this has not stopped me from working on our movie, not even one bit.
And excuse me if I wanna make some goddamn money
and get the hell out of the mess that you've created in this house, by the way.
Did you not even realize? You don't even know?
Did you think you could just have sex with her and play with her kids
and everything would turn out fine? Don't.
You know what? Leave your brain to science, Harry,
'cause it's truly one in a mil. You know what? No.
I'm not letting you do this.
I'm not, man.
You're a little in love with Alice,
and you're mad at me because of it.
Wow.
You and I have been down this road before.
Okay, I am not in love with her, okay?
I just love a lot of things about her, like her face and her personality.
Hey.
What up, guys?
What is that? What is that? What are you holding?
What? Oh, these. They're audition pages.
I'm actually testing for a pilot,
which I think is a good thing.
That's terrific, Teddy.
You're both taking other jobs? Well, George already took his.
Why can't you be happy for him? Don't turn this around on me and Teddy.
Why didn't you tell me?
I haven't gotten it yet, and we don't have a finished script.
So why can't I go on auditions?
You know what? Good luck to the both of you.
Yeah, okay, well, just call me after the show, all right?
Yeah, I'll still be up. Okay.
Okay, bye.
Hey, man.
Can I join you?
Everything cool, brother?
I saw Harry take off.
Seemed pretty heated.
I'm sorry, but I don't wanna get into it.
It's all good. You don't have to worry about it.
Well, I wouldn't say that. This is my house.
With my kids, my wife.
If there's a problem, i have a right to know about it.
With all due respect, Austen, i don't know if Alice would call this your house,
and she definitely wouldn't call herself your wife.
They are my kids though, right? Hmm.
Is that one okay with you?
What exactly is it that you're doing here?
Yeah, it's a complicated situation.
At your age, I couldn't have understood it either.
Try me.
Well, sometimes...
You need a bit of space from the things you love
in order for you to realize
just how much you really need them.
Seriously? That sort of thing just does not apply to your wife and kids.
What do you want from me, man?
I mean, you're gonna hate me regardless of what I say.
But if Alice and i are gonna try and work through our problems,
which I think it's pretty clear we are,
then this game of house you're all playing is gonna have to end.
And you think that's what Alice wants?
Alice doesn't know what she wants.
Ow!
What the hell was that for?
It was for Alice!
You do not wanna do this. I am a trained athlete. I can box.
Okay, all right, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
You wanna go for it, pal? You wanna go?
Come on. Let's go. Let's go! Hey. Hey.
Did your stupid hipster brother sleep with my wife, huh?
Come on. Man up and tell me. Tell me!
We're better off without you.
We? Yeah.
What are you even saying?
-Oh, my god. -Aah!
What is going on?
He-he started it.
Teddy, what the hell?
-Okay, hold on. -Okay, let's all just chill out for a second.
He's a liability, okay? There are kids in this house.
Come on, Alice. This is insane.
This is too much for me. I didn't sign up for this, all of this.
I agree. I think he needs to leave.
I think you guys need to find somewhere else to stay
while we get our lives back on track.
Wait.
Alice.
I'm sorry, guys.
You did the right thing, al.
He did quite a number on you.
Ta-da.
Alice, look at me for a second.
Oh, god, I've missed you so much.
I had no idea how to be alone.
Austen, what are we doing?
Well, our relationship is totally blurry. You know that.
I know it is.
And once and for all, i think we need to clear it up.
I think we should get back to-- i want a divorce.
I'm-I'm not following.
I want a divorce.
Like I legally don't wanna be married anymore.
No, I know what divorce means.
I thought we weren't ready to make such a--
you're ready. I am.
I really am.
Right.
Oh, god. So I'm the idiot who's dealt a winning hand
and still managed to lose.
I think maybe this all worked out
the way it was supposed to.
And I guess we both know that if I'd seen a sliver of hope,
I would have tried to weasel my way back in.
Ooh, I really hope he's here. He has to be.
Justin is the only other person he knows in la.
Oh, my hand's killing me.
Can we come in? We wanna talk.
Are you gonna be mean? I'm not in the mood.
What happened to your face? I beat the crap out of Austen.
Bullshit artist. Come in.
Did Alice see you do it?
Yep.
And she kinda kicked us out.
Seriously? Yeah.
And what about Austen? He stayed? Yeah.
Oh.
You guys hungry? There's some leftover nobu.
Harry, we came here to apologize.
Neither of us should have hidden anything from you.
Is that a no to the nobu?
I'll have some. What's nobu? It's just Sushi.
Okay, we were just afraid that you were gonna think
that we were doubting you or losing faith in the movie.
That's exactly what I think. We're not bailing, man.
My other job is basically done.
And if Teddy lands another part, then we will work around it.
He's right. We're doing this, all right? We're making this happen.
Oh. The nobu.
Here you are.
Is dad okay?
Yeah. Daddy is fine.
He just has a little bruise.
And he's asleep now, so he's gonna be okay.
I'm really sorry that you guys had to see that.
Is he moving in with us?
Well, he's gonna live in la, which is great,
but he's not gonna live with us.
What about the guys?
Did they leave? Mm-hmm.
For good?
I think so.
Does that mean we won't ever see them again?
I mean, George was gonna come to my play.
Yeah, yeah, i know George, honey.
And trust me, he will be there.
And I don't know about you guys,
but I'm kinda looking forward to it just being the three of us again.
Actually, I think that sounds good.
I could use some peace and quiet.
Okay.
I love you.
Thank you.
"So what began as a day like any other
ended as anything but.
The end."
Wonderful.
I love this part. Yeah, so did I.
Hi.
Um, come in.
Is it okay? Yeah. Are you kidding me? Come on.
I didn't call, but-- no, it's good.
We're still in the moving-in phase, but...
Oh, yeah. Wow. Yeah.
This place is great. Uh-huh.
Oh, man.
Are the guys here?
Oh, no. They just went out for a bit. They'll be back any minute.
Look, this should be me showing up at your door.
But, uh, I don't know. With Austen there, i-- i just--
oh, he's-- he's gone.
He went back to New York?
No, he's here in la, just not with me.
We are officially done, so...
Wow. Wow.
Well, a-plus decision.
Yeah.
Um...
Okay.
Alice, like, I should've--
I should've said this before in a realer way at least.
But i-- I'm-I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for standing you up that night.
And I think-- like, I've relived it, like, a thousand times in my head.
And I just-- I can't-- i can't wrap my mind around--
what kind of a person would do that to you?
Let alone it was me.
It was one of the top-five worst decisions i have ever made.
And I have made some-- some pretty questionable decisions in my time.
Look, bottom line, you deserve much, much better than me.
And I don't mean that like-- like most guys mean it,
which is that they don't mean it at all.
I actually do. I-- I really do.
You know, before I met you,
I was probably more alone and terrified
than I'd ever been in my entire life.
And through that crazy turn of events...
You made that fade away.
And I'll always be grateful for that.
And since you guys have been gone,
I've been really trying to get my life in order.
But it's made me realize I just--
I really miss you guys.
Oh, my god, we miss you so much. Really?
We talk about it all the time. I'm so glad to hear you say that.
Surprise!
Hey!
Hi! Oh, my god! Alice!
Hey! Hey!
Hi, Alice.
Oh, you got flowers?
They always looked so good at your house,
I thought we'd get some for ours.
Let me help you. Yeah, thank you.
Okay, where's the kitchen?
It's over here. How's iz?
We've been texting a bit. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah. She told me.
She's so hyped up for tomorrow.
Did she tell you she started meditating?
No. But I love that. Yeah.
Oh, let me put those in a vase for you.
Uh, do you have a vase?
Uh-- uh--
we do not. Okay.
We do not have a vase.
Something to buy you as a housewarming gift.
All right, my guys. My guys.
Justin. Hey, buddy.
Listen, before we go in there, whatever happens,
we're still gonna make a great movie together.
Okay? Not something you watch on your smartphone
and forget about before it's even over.
Because we got the brains, we got the heart, we got the nerve.
Yeah? Yeah.
All right, come on. It's gonna be good.
Yeah, I knew you'd come around on me.
Hey.
Yeah, yeah, we're here.
Sure. Yeah, no problem. He's running a bit late.
All right, showtime.
Hey, mom. Hi.
-Hey. -Hey.
Hi, baby. How was your sleepover at daddy's?
It was so fun. We had pancakes for dinner.
They'll be here.
Okay, fellas, here's the thing.
I love your script.
I totally get what you're going for.
But maybe we could make it even... bigger.
Okay, sure. How so?
Maybe-- I don't know-- it could be sexier.
You know, add some more excitement, more action.
Maybe the Sam character has to assemble a group of guys
from various locations,
and then they have to pull off a big heist.
So basically ocean's eleven.
Yes, love it. Great.
Young ocean's. Exactly.
Sam isn't really big-time like that.
He's just doing it to get by, you know.
-Right. Right. -I know. That's why we could dial that up.
And then we get somebody really great to play Sam,
like that kid from hunger games?
Well, actually, we got Teddy attached.
Remember? I told you about that. Oh.
-He's fantastic. -Right, yeah, yeah.
-You're Teddy. -Yeah.
Yeah, we'd definitely find something for you to play.
Look, Justin, I trust you. You know that.
- Yeah. -And I think that you guys are super talented.
My only concern is that it's too small.
-Or-- I don't know-- cute. Is that the right word? -No.
-We gotta run. -Hey, wait, guys.
We appreciate you taking the time. We really, really do.
But truthfully, we have an 11-year-old's play to attend.
So if your answer is "no," which it seems to be,
since you've missed pretty much every lovely detail in the script,
well, this isn't really gonna make much of a difference.
But I'm gonna say it anyway. I think you're making a mistake.
Teddy is one of the most talented actors of our generation.
And George, he understands people,
the way we think and why we do the unexplainable things we do.
Film is the great love of our lives,
and if you take a chance on us,
there is like an 80% chance that we will not let you down.
Now, Warren, quick question.
Do you happen to have a car downstairs?
You were amazing. Amazing!
Har. You sure you're okay with this?
Yes. There will be another guy. Do I look worried?
Just breathe. Just breathe. You can do this. You can do this.
Let's go.
-Sorry. The doors are closed. -What are you-- what?
Once the show begins, no one is admitted. Those are the rules.
You're joking, right? It's a fifth-grade play, not Hamilton.
I am under strict orders to close the doors at 6:00,
and it is now 6:15, so...
I actually need to get backstage.
There's a very, very special kid who will be totally devastated--
you know what? This is not my problem. Whoa!
-Sorry, bud! -Oh!
Maybe he should be an action star.
Go.
Okay, you're gonna be great.
And now, three plus three, by Isabel blume.
Teddy, Teddy.
There she is.
Shoot! Come on.
-Hey. -Hi.
Excuse me. Excuse me. Gotta get through.
What began--
sorry.
Come on, come on.
Are you George? Yes.
Thank god.
Wait. Who are you? I'm miss Avery.
You're miss Avery? Yeah.
And you're George? Yeah.
Come on.
She can see you from here.
What began--
Isabel.
You got this.
What began as a day like any other ended as anything but.
There must have been something pretty extraordinary in the air that day,
even though, as always,
it was 72 degrees and sunny in my new hometown,
the weirdly, wonderful city of Los Angeles,
which, as it turns out, isn't much of a city at all.
Okay, but, you guys, admit it.
It was a hit, right? I mean, can you call a school play a hit?
Because it definitely was.
-Definitely. -It was a smash.
You got a standing "o."
There were moms in the audience who were crying.
-They were crying. -Moms were crying? I was sobbing.
And that line about being a kid
and growing up in New York-- i mean, come on.
Oh. "Her bedtime was 8:30 in the city that never sleeps."
-That's the one. -Great.
I liked the kid who played dad.
What?
Was it not about us?
It was about us, right?