Original subtitles

-Is the door locked? -Yeah.

Try to pull it out.

- Okay, yeah. - Now ?

Okay-

-Now, lift me up. -Okay.

Are you okay?

Can I help?

Tie it tight.

-Good? -You're gonna have to push me.

-To push you? -I need you.

-Are you sure? -Just do it.

-Okay. -One--

Two, three.

Some memories are so vivid.

They play over again and again in your mind.

Maybe because they scare you.

Maybe because they remind you...

...that you don't always know when you're about to hit rock-bottom.

Come on, Mom. Let's go.

Look, we'll go somewhere nice. Like the beach.

And we'll get beef tacos.

You know, the crispy kind with extra cheese.

Are you coming or not?

Mom, we have to get out of here!

I heard you.

Ruthie, what are we supposed to do?

I don't have a job. I don't have any money.

Well, if you're not going, I'm going.

Ruthie, go.

Hurry, before he comes.

What are you doing with the TV?

We can sell it. We're gonna need moving money.

-Okay. -Come on.

Get the trunk.

Go.

Oh, shit.

Okay. Come on.

Let's go. Go.

I was the one who always knew when it was time to leave.

Eventually, all of my mother's boyfriends turned out to be creeps.

We did what we always did:

We took what we could and ran.

This was me...

...and my mom.

Get in the car.

-Hey, this your little girl? -Get in the car, Ruthie.

You two look more like sisters.

See you soon.

Where should we go?

Anywhere you want.

Anywhere, anywhere, anywhere...

Where's Harvard?

Boston.

Too cold.

I'll get you a coat.

Mom, I'm 14. I'm not going to Harvard.

Okay.

So Boston.

Why not?

You know, maybe I'll become a doctor.

I was just thinking the same thing.

You know, Ruthie, you would make a great doctor.

I would go to you.

So good.

-What are you doing? -Just one.

Mom, you have fries.

Those are mine.

This is like old times.

Just you and me.

Fuck!

-Fuck. -Are you okay?

Mom?

What?

Goddamn it.

-Door locked? -Yeah.

-Up there? -Hold me.

-Okay. -Ready?

Now, lift me up.

Got it? Tie it tight.

Good?

You're gonna have to push me.

PUSH you?

Are you sure?

Okay. Ready?

-Three, two, one. -Two.

Mom. Are you okay?

Mom. Come on. It's okay.

It worked.

-Come on. -We got it out.

We did get it out. Come on.

To me, the hanging tooth felt like rock-bottom.

I'll get that for you.

Here. Aspirin.

I got Red Bull. It's cold.

-Here. -Thanks.

Better?

We gotta have a big house.

Like...

...at least three stories.

It's gonna be yellow.

With black shutters.

Like a sunflower.

I love it.

And we'll grow the grass out real long.

And we have to have a big pool too.

Yeah.

It's gonna be round.

I can just picture it.

And...

...I think our pool should have a slide.

I love slides.

And we can get those rafts.

You know, the ones that have a place to put your drink?

Yeah.

It's going to be awesome.

I love it.

I'm picturing it now.

How come you never tell me about your morn?

How come you always ask?

Because I wanna know.

Well, I had a lot of moms.

Foster moms.

What were they like?

Sweetie, I don't wanna remember that.

I just wanna look at you.

You always say that.

I like your cute feet.

They're not cute.

No.

Oh, my God.

Love you, Mom.

Ruthie. Ruthie, wake up.

Come on.

Wake up.

Come on.

We can't be in this parking lot all day.

My mom didn't believe in maps.

She just followed the signs.

And when the spirit hit her, we pulled over.

-Do you have any gum? -Yeah. Somewhere.

Be out in a minute!

-Trash. -Bitch.

Come on, Ruthie.

Do you think that the sprinkles have a flavor?

-What was that? -Oh, shit.

What was that?

Oh, my God. We're on fire!

-Mom, pull over. -Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

-Oh, my God. -Mom, stop the car!

-Get out of the car. -Get your Coke.

The car. Oh, shit. Shit.

Stand back.

Shit.

Oh, shit...

Fuck....

Piece-of-shit car!

Piece-of-shit life!

Why does everything in my life keep breaking, Ruthie?

Goddamn it.

Fuck!

Tell you what, get me the other wrench.

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Look, ma'am, we're--

We're looking at 6, maybe 700 dollars here.

-That much? -Afraid so, ma'am.

My daughter and I are really struggling to keep going.

That will about...

...break us.

Maybe there's something we could do to work it out.

Some sort of special deal.

You--? You thinking about selling your car?

I'm sorry, ma'am. I mean, the muffler alone's gonna run you 500.

I'll do what I can for you on our end with labor.

Save you a couple bucks that way.

But...

...it's the best I can do.

I'm okay.

Don't worry, Mom.

It's gonna be okay.

What are we gonna do?

Same plan.

We're just gonna...

...figure it out as we go.

How does this place look for breakfast?

Looks closed.

Ruthie, it's perfect. Come on. You know what to do.

Come on in.

Thanks. Thank you. We've been driving for hours.

-We're starving. -We don't really open for a half hour...

...but, lucky for you, my uncle Marty loves kids.

Is she really your daughter? You two look more like sisters.

-You want an OJ? -Oh, yes, please.

Think she still has--?

Waitresses have very good hearing, you know.

Thank you for inquiring about between my legs.

If you got to know me, you'd see that it's...

...what's between my ears that's more interesting.

Can I have a cup of coffee?

Coming right up.

So where y'all headed?

Boston.

Oh, Boston. I've never been there, but that's not too far from New York, is it?

I've always wanted to move to New York. Start a career on the stage.

Of course, I'd love to see Grey Gardens live just once.

With the great Christine Ebersole.

You know Christine Ebersole?

She came in here once. I met her. Told her I loved her.

She said:

"Thank you."

I said, "No problem."

So, what can I get you two?

I want the French toast special. With fruit.

I'll have the pancakes and eggs.

-Oh, and home fries. -What about bacon?

And bacon and two orders of sausage, and...

Oh, how about two of those muffins?

You got it.

Can you keep a straight face?

I can't do it.

-You do it. -No, you gotta go like this:

Proud members of the clean-plate club.

I understand you two ladies enjoyed our blueberry muffins.

They have a lot of blueberries.

Well, then, they're appropriately named, I think.

Pam, wrap up a couple of blueberry muffins...

...for these ladies to take with them. Okay? On the house, of course.

-Thank you. -Of course.

Here. Take your time with this. No rush.

Don't look so guilty.

I'm trying not to.

Let me tell you something, Ruthie.

They don't give two shits about you.

You don't have to be mean.

They have jobs...

...and houses.

They'll survive, no matter what we do.

So get your shit together.

The door's unlocked.

I'll be out in a minute.

Hey-

Did they see us?

No.

-Oh, he looked. -Shit.

Shit.

Okay. Go.

Come on.

-Come on. We have to get out of here. -It's not going, Ruthie. It's not mov--

-Shit. -Hurry.

Mom, you can't just go backwards the whole time.

Mom, what are you doing?

Pull over.

-Mom, you have to stop. -Shit, shit, shit.

-Shit, shit, shit. It's not going, Ruthie. -Mom--

Mom, please don't freak out.

-Mom, stop! Just chill out, please. -It's not going. It's not going.

Oh, my God...

Shit.

Shit...

It's okay.

Mom, it's okay.

What are you doing?

We gotta go back to the diner.

That diner? Why?

Our car broke down outside of a diner right after we ripped them off.

If that isn't the Lord's work working, I don't know what is.

Grab my purse.

Here.

-So we'll just-- We'll just go in. -Okay.

-Tell them. -Yeah.

Confess. Come on.

Oh, great.

I have the cops on the phone right now.

I'm sorry.

Put yourself in my shoes.

What would you expect me to do?

I don't know if you've ever been hungry.

I don't know what to do anymore except keep running.

But we can't because our car broke down.

And we have nothing.

I mean, you can go ahead and call the cops. That's fine.

They're just gonna send me to jail and send my kid to Child Services.

Do you know what Child Services is like?

It's rough.

-It's really shitty. -My uncle Marty has a bad heart.

-A stunt like that, you could've killed him-- -Stop, stop, stop. Honey.

I am sorry.

Sometimes...

...I do-- I make bad decisions...

...to make up for some other bad decisions.

And I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry...

-I just-- -You're a thief.

Look, mister.

Superheroes don't fly or look like Jesus.

They drive broken-down cars.

They take their kids with them, no matter where they go or how bad things get.

And sometimes they make mistakes, just like anyone else.

We're sorry.

Pam, hang up the phone, would you, please?

My mother always said that desperation brings out the worst in people.

So I think if you treat people right, you're gonna have a good life.

You know anything about waitressing?

Ma'am, I didn't order this.

So sorry.

-Miss? -Miss, can I get some more coffee?

Miss, I'm sorry. We're still waiting for our drinks.

-Can I get some ketchup? -You done with that?

Can I get some more water when you get a chance?

Fuck you, fag!

Suck my dick, tranny.

Faggot!

Hey, punk. Get out of here!

Bullies exist in every town.

Big and small.

People hate what they don't understand.

Ruthie...

...wake up. Wake up.

-What? -Come on. Come on.

You have to get up.

-What time is it? -I think it's about 5.

-It's so early. -I know it's so early.

-It's so early. -Come on.

We gotta get going-

Damn it.

You know, I think the world's a crazy mess.

Me, I'm simple.

I still listen to my mother.

And when I die, she's gonna be waiting for me.

I don't lie to people.

I come in every morning. I open that door.

And every night, I close it.

You know, I'm simple.

You have a prodigious talent. You know, you're one of--

You're one of the best dishwashers I've ever seen, did you know that?

You are. I can't afford to lose you.

I'm gonna give you a dollar raise. Right here. Right now.

What do you say to that?

Yeah. You gotta re-wash that though.

-Just put it back in. -Sorry.

It's perfectly clean, but it has to be re-washed.

Tell you what, you go get ready for tonight's dinner shift. Okay?

-Okay. -All right.

Cute kid.

I've always wanted a daughter like that.

Not as clumsy, all right, but she'll--

She'll do okay.

-Nine hundred. -T.

There are two T's.

Work smarter, not harder.

Just you're talking about fantasy football, and it's like...

-...nobody even goes to games anymore. -All right. Lee, Lee, Lee. That's enough.

Can I get a refill here?

Sure.

You-- You're a goddamn beauty, you know that?

Would you wanna get a drink with me in the back room?

Does that sound like something maybe we'd wanna do?

I can't. I'm working.

Well, maybe some other time.

Jesus, Lee.

-Holy-- Sorry, sorry. -Lee.

-Don't stop eating. -Come on, come on.

Just caught me out of nowhere.

Sorry. Thanks, Pam.

I'm out of here. My apologies to the lady.

I will let her know.

Okay.

How's that retainer working out?

-It's great. Thank you, Lee. -Yeah?

Looking okay.

Did you want a napkin?

Lee, this is way too much.

-See you guys- -Okay.

Shouldn't have traded Manning. That was a big mistake.

Don't forget my cut.

Here. This belongs to you.

Do you mind?

Sorry.

This is where Uncle Marty takes his catnaps.

That man can sleep through the entire Judy at the Palace record.

During a Sunday morning rush.

-It should be pretty comfortable. -Thanks.

Yep.

-Thanks. -No problem.

Hey-

This is nice.

Oh, I like stretching my legs.

All right, how much?

-Hand it over. -Okay.

A few dollars.

Okay.

All right. We'll sock money away until we can get the car fixed.

And then we'll get back on the road.

Okay.

Ruthie...

...don't trust these people.

Especially Pam.

Pam's just mad at you.

She's nice.

"she"?

You know, the nice ones always end up being the biggest assholes.

- You don't know that. -Yes, I do.

Trust me.

It's like those--

You know, those sayings.

Like:

"Shit happens."

Or:

"Life is just one damned thing after another."

It's like that-- Those just--

You know, really smart people wrote those.

It's not, like, just stupid sayings, Ruthie.

Well...

...really smart people usually end up killing themselves.

Which is sort of like not finishing a book after you start it.

The right ending can make the whole story fall into place.

You just have to keep reading.

I don't even know what you just said.

You're really smart.

Thanks.

Wherever we end up, we gotta find you a good school.

Having a place to sleep allowed us to dream.

Did you know that this aluminum can would still be here in 500 years...

...if we just threw it away?

Really?

People use like 800 billion cans a year, Ruthie.

For a while, I had this nightmare that...

...the whole world turned into nothing but aluminum cans.

Then I discovered that you could make things out of them.

Like jewelry.

Who's that?

That's Vic.

He sells real estate.

Always tips pretty well after a big sale.

Looks like he's buying what your mom's selling today.

Hi.

Hi.

You get some sleep. Okay?

My mom was better at loving men than choosing them.

With every new town came a new boyfriend.

-That's amazing. -Yeah.

My mom was wrong about Pam.

The more I got to know her, the more I realized she was just like us.

She became...

...my friend.

What's your favorite color?

-My favorite color? -Yeah.

Do you know when oil falls out of a car and is in a puddle...

...and it's like six colors put together?

Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that.

That's my favorite color.

How'd you get so good at this?

Well, I just sort of got used to building places to hide in.

I like the stripes.

-Yeah. Stripes are-- -We need a theme.

Maybe we should do something different for each bar.

Should we put paint on our face? Can I paint your face?

-Absolutely not. -Why not?

You take care of the universe, the universe will take care of you.

This is it. This is my year. I know it.

Bicycle

Bicycle

Bicycle

So, what do you think?

It's cool.

This is just for my foreign audience.

I'm gonna get famous in Asia and then Germany.

And then after that, I'm gonna conquer New York.

Wake up.

Come on. Come on. There's a surprise.

The longer we stayed at Tiny's, the more this town started to feel like home.

Oh, I love your picture.

Ruthie, it's yellow.

Yeah. It's yellow.

So you said you needed a place to stay, and it just clicked for me:

You two could buy this place.

It's perfect. It's cozy. It comes fully furnished.

And you can get a great deal on it because it's a foreclosure.

What do you think, Ruthie?

I don't understand. How can we afford a house? We're broke.

Well, I'm getting your mom an amazing deal on the sale.

-What about the down payment? -Not a dime.

You'll need to some sign some papers, make the payments.

It's the same as paying rent, except you're making money...

...because you're investing in a house.

-See, Ruthie? It's a good thing. -What about Boston?

Boston's only a couple of hours away...

...and Vic says there's a great high school here.

And we'll be saving money by investing in a house.

-That's right. Right? -Yeah. Yeah.

Ruthie?

What do you think?

I love it.

If you love it.

I love it.

I love it.

I love it. I love it. I love it.

-Initial there. -"Agreement for purchase."

Initial there. Initial there. Initial there.

And then initial there.

Go ahead.

-Hurry up, so we can celebrate. -I did.

All done? Let's see.

You missed me.

It's not that funny.

Oh, pink.

I've never seen that color before.

They're, like, almost dying.

Come on.

There's so much stuff.

It's possible one of everything in the world is right here.

Oh, we're not stealing today, Ruthie. Come on.

It's so big.

Manager, dial 3-2-3.

We should apply for a credit card.

Credit card?

Can we really qualify?

We own a house now. Of course we can.

Smell good?

Mom, we need these.

Ruthie...

-Look at that. -Oh, my God.

It's amazing.

You know, I read somewhere that art is a really good investment.

What about this? It's 50 cents more. I have to get this.

Mom.

That's cool.

No.

Across America--

Hello?

Hi.

Hi, I'm Patti.

With an I.

-I live next door. -Hi, I'm Ruthie.

-Hi, Ruthie. -Hi. Rita.

Hey, Rita. Nice to meet you.

Here you go. Welcome to the neighborhood.

These are my kids.

Greta and Tommy and Jake and Alistair and--

Hey, what did I tell you about that dog?!

Take that dog back over to her house!

Someone's gotta be watching Tommy!

I swear, I get pregnant so easy.

Like you could probably get me pregnant.

Anyway, the lady across the street's a real bitch.

She was my English teacher in high school, but now she's the principal.

-That lady's gonna be my principal? -Yeah.

I don't know. She's really into, like...

Oh, God, who's that one writer? The one who wrote the--

What was it called? Spoon River Anthology.

She's obsessed with Spoon River Anthology.

I didn't really understand that it wasn't about a spoon.

But it's not. It's, like, these dead people in a community or something.

Anyway, you should get it.

-We should go say hi. -Mom, no.

-Come on, Ruthie. -Mom.

Is that a new TV?

-Mom, don't do this. -You want me to shut your door?

-No. -Okay. I'll just leave it open.

Mom, she looks so mean.

This is embarrassing.

Hi. This is my Ruthie.

She's starting with you tomorrow.

I saw you moved into Hanson's old rat trap.

I'm Miss Frankfurt. I'm the principal.

Hi. I'm Ruthie Carmichael, ma'am.

I like your manners, Ruthie Carmichael.

And tell me, what do you like about school?

I guess I like the library.

I gotta go.

-Okay, bye. -Hey there.

Yeah.

Hey, how's the house?

It's amazing. You're so good to us.

It's amazing.

Baby, take off your panties.

-It was so tragic. -Oh, my God.

You know, my favorite wrestler was André the Giant.

Do you remember him?

"I'll get you, Hulk Hogan."

"Big John Studd." You remember him?

-No. -No?

Let's go on the couch.

I can't.

Why?

You gotta come back.

-You gotta come back. -Okay. Okay.

-Bye. See you soon. -Bye. See you soon.

Sorry.

Can't get you out.

Hey-

Ruthie. Come on.

Wake up. Time for school. Come on. Get up.

Once they find out how smart you are, they'll probably let you skip ninth grade.

I was thinking...

...you'd make a great president, Ruthie.

You know, with you as president, we wouldn't even need a vice president.

Sure, Mom.

Hey...

...you're gonna do great.

Don't let anyone tell you any different.

Okay.

You go in there and you kick some ass.

Okay.

Mom...

Gina? Is that you?

Who are you?

I'm new. I'm Ruthie Carmichael.

-Are you a freshman? -Yes.

Do you have any weed?

No.

Oxys?

-No. -Cigarettes?

Not on me.

Dyke.

I will say that the coffee and donuts...

...were a nice touch for the staff meeting, it's kind of you.

But I have to say it again, you're only in charge of the girls' choir.

-The girls' choir. -And not the boys.

We've talked about this before. Not the boys.

It does not bode well with the parents.

Okay.

-Sorry, miss? Excuse me-- -We're closed.

No, I know. Sorry. I was just-- I was driving by.

Do you remember me?

Do you happen to remember me?

-Sitting down there? -Oh, yeah. You threw up on me.

Well, almost. I almost threw up on you.

But, yeah. I--

I wanted to say how sorry I was about that.

And that, you know, I was a real mess.

And...

Well, you look good.

I'm doing well. Thank you.

You know, it's one day at a time...

...and I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about that.

And...

...it was very bad behavior, and I know you were just trying to do your job...

...so I wanted to let you know that I'm very sorry about that.

And it won't happen again, and thank you for listening to me.

-That's it? -That's it.

Thank you, and you have a good night.

Have you actually ever done weed before?

Dude.

-You got it? -Try, like, tilt it.

Yeah.

Can you light me?

Here. Let me...

...shotgun you. It'll go down easier.

What's a shotgu--?

Are you high?

Yeah.

-I am so high. -I think so.

"We are evolving backwards.

Our brains are getting bigger but malfunctioning more.

In conclusion, the human race is godless and self-destructive.

It destroys its habitation and eats its own.

If we want to save our planet, we have to start by changing the way we think."

Sit down right there.

Let me get the bottle again?

You think life's easy? It's not easy.

It's hard.

And you got a rough deal. I know that.

Do you know what my father used to say to me when I was growing up?

"Hang around with shit and shit gets on you."

I saw a kid with a lot of potential hanging around with shit. Shit's getting on you.

Is that what you want?

No, Miss Frankfurt.

Do you wanna hang out with losers...

...and get high and get drunk on my school property?

-Is that what you wanna do? -No, Miss Frankfurt. I'm sorry.

But you wanna be in that crowd that does drugs?

Who think they're cool? Because they're not cool.

I have to suspend you for three days...

...because we have a zero-tolerance policy...

...for all alcohol and drug use.

Do you understand me?

Yes, Miss Frankfurt.

I had never been in trouble before.

High school was harder than I thought.

I didn't wanna have to tell my mom what happened.

I didn't wanna disappoint her.

Mom, you need a doctor.

I'm good.

Sweetie, we can't afford that.

I don't think the NyQuil's working.

Suddenly, my problems were much smaller...

...when I saw my mom in so much pain.

It hurts so bad.

You're gonna be okay, Mom.

Hey.

Hi.

Jesus. She needs a shower, huh?

She's too weak.

-I gotta go. I just wanted to stop by-- -Come here.

-I gotta go-- No. Bye. -Come here. Come here. Come here.

You're gonna be okay.

Oh, Ruthie.

Miss Frankfurt...

...I don't know where else to go.

My mom is really sick. We need a doctor.

All right. Come on in, honey.

-Come on. -Thank you.

Hurry UP-

Hi, Rita.

-What's your name? -I'm Jacob.

Okay.

My lungs are pretty bad too.

-Faster... -Yeah. I can tell.

But it seems your heart is healthy.

Love you.

When I got back to school, everything had changed.

And I realized...

...so had I.

We were already behind on our house payments.

The more time we took to pay, the more we had to pay.

Plus, business at Tiny's had slowed.

I was afraid we'd never catch up.

I'm not drinking alone.

Can I have some of that?

Yes, you may.

Say when.

-Good. -Yeah. Okay.

-Oh, my gosh. -Long day.

They're all long days.

Oh, my God. It's just so tough.

So tough.

Day after day.

-Still open? -Yeah, man. I think so. Light's on.

-Three. -Go fish.

-I got lucky. -Yeah. You did. Do you have a jack?

Oh, we're closed.

No, no. No.

No, hold on. Hold on.

These boys look hungry. We'll get them something to eat.

-Here. I'll get you some menus. -I got it, Uncle Marty.

Are you sure?

Did you know there's a giant electrical storm on the planet Saturn right now?

No.

Lightning there is like 1000 times more powerful than lightning on Earth.

Can you imagine?

Did you guys decide what you want to have?

-Here, let me help you. -I got this.

-You should go home. -Mom, I wanna help.

You got school tomorrow. Finish your homework.

I've already done my homework.

It's late.

You're drunk.

What?

I'm not drunk.

You're drunk.

You know how many people have a glass of wine or a beer at the end of a long day?

Don't be such a nag. Nag, nag, nag.

-Nag. -So embarrassing.

Go on. Go home.

I always knew when my morn was scared because she drank more than usual.

I couldn't just leave her.

Come on!

-Freak. -Yeah. You like that?

You like that? You wanna take it?

Take it.

You like that, huh?

Mom?!

Marty?!

Mom?!

When you live this close to the bottom, calling the cops doesn't do any good.

You like it, faggot.

Stop. Stay down.

Stop it, faggot.

I saw my mom get raped when I was 11 years old.

I swore I would never let that happen again.

Oh, yeah.

Fuck you, bitch, yeah.

Stop.

Let her go!

Ruthie, no!

Fuck you!

Stop it! Get out of here! Go!

Get out of here!

Go! Get out of here, and don't come back!

Fuck you, freak!

Are you okay? Did they hurt you?

-Are you sure, Ruthie--? -You weren't even here.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It means a lot, and, Bruce, I couldn't have done it without you. Truly.

So thank you.

Some of you know my story.

Not all of you do.

I lost my wife a little over two years ago.

She was at Target...

...and she experienced an aneurism, and--

And passed away.

And, you know, I don't really have any family to speak of...

...and so it was really...

It was really just me and my wife.

Excuse me.

But...

Sorry.

It was just me and my wife...

So...

...you guys kind of became my family after that.

And...

...when I washed up here, I was sitting right in that chair over there...

...and I was just very lost...

...and you people made me feel very welcome.

Ruthie, these cookies are really good.

Ruthie?

Ruthie.

Talk to me.

How many times can I say I'm sorry? I'm sorry.

Ruthie.

I'm trying to clean up.

I wish you'd understand that.

Ruthie.

I just want things to be good again.

-Good? -Yes.

You turn every good thing you touch to shit.

Come here.

Can I get you some more coffee?

Yeah. I'll have a warm-up. Thanks.

The days felt longer as business got slower.

And Tiny's closed earlier and earlier.

Hey-

Hey-

-Do you mind? -No.

Did you know that, compared to the size of the universe...

...humans are one billionth the size of an ant?

You know, when it happened to me...

...I didn't tell anybody because I knew what they would say.

And I felt dirty all over.

I didn't wanna eat anything.

I didn't wanna swallow anything.

I walked around, and I was like:

"Nobody's ever gonna want me.

Even

I'm damaged goods."

You know what I mean? I was like:

I'm really scared.

What are you scared of?

Sometimes God makes mistakes.

Do you think he made a mistake with you?

I'm scared to live.

I won't even kill myself because I'm scared of God.

I'm scared of--

You know, whatever is waiting.

Up there. Down there...

Well, you survived this.

You can survive anything.

-I don't know. -You just have to take a deep breath.

I wanna move to New York City, but I don't think I can survive it.

Well...

I want you-- Lips.

Don't smile. I challenge you not to smile.

No, really. Seriously, don't smile.

Okay.

I want you to get up, go back in your trailer...

...put one of those fancy dresses on...

...and be you.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...

...the courage to change the things I can...

...and the wisdom to know the difference.

Hey-

-Hi. -How you doing?

I'm good. How are you?

Great.

What's going on?

-Good meeting. -Yeah.

Get real good meetings in there.

How long have you been coming to this?

I'm seven months sober now. Just got seven months.

Not bad. It's a start.

How you been doing?

-Eighteen days. -That's great.

-I like that number. -That is a great number.

It's gonna be different tomorrow, but congratulations.

I was just driving one day, and I saw the sign.

And sometimes I think...

...like if I'm driving, and I see something, I'm like:

"I should do that," you know? "I should do that."

And so it was like a sign.

And it was a real sign, you know?

-It was a sign, and then a real sign. -Yeah.

-And then I started coming. -Yeah.

You seem good.

I'm trying to be better, you know?

Well, so you're still pretty new, huh?

It's-- I'd ask you to go get some coffee or something...

...if you'd been in here a little longer.

I'd love to grab a coffee.

-You'd like to go get coffee? With me? -Yeah.

Sure, I'll-- Yeah. If you wanna get coffee, we can get coffee.

-Yeah. -Okay.

-Three. -Seven.

-Twelve. -Twenty-two.

This ain't shit.

When are times gonna change?

I don't know.

Here. Keep it.

So you're from Iowa?

Yeah. From Council Bluffs.

What do you like to do besides Skee-Ball?

-A hundred? A hundred? Way to go. -I got 100.

-Yes! -Let me try and get one.

Oh, you're good.

-How'd you get so good? -Misspent youth.

You got a great smile.

-Okay. -I could fix your first premolar for you.

I'm a dentist.

Don't be embarrassed. It's fine.

You can't-- You can hardly see it, except when you're laughing.

Well, it has been a while since I've laughed.

Maybe I can fix that for you too.

-You're not a dentist. -Best in town.

-No way. -Top 10 in town.

-Really? -Yeah.

I mean, look at these pearly whites.

-Are all those real? -Yeah.

Come on, show me. I'll give you a free dental exam. Open your mouth.

-No. -Come on, I can help you.

Why does everybody hate going to the dentist?

We do so much good. You can't hate...

...clean, healthy teeth.

It's the foundation for a good life.

Come on.

-Okay. -Let's see.

Let me see.

Okay. You know, genetically- Hold on.

You got perfect teeth.

But you're gonna need a root canal and a serious cleaning.

-Hey... -Probably a new tooth.

When's the last time you saw a dentist?

Ruthie was a baby, I think.

It's okay. We're gonna get you fixed up.

Okay.

You're nice.

I had read about what they called a "financial crisis."

And now I was seeing it.

Neighbors like "Patti with an I" and her family just disappeared.

We're fucked.

Look at that single-car garage.

-It's beautiful. -People don't even have garages here.

You will have a garage.

Why do some people get away with everything...

...while other people have to suffer for it all the time?

It's gonna be okay, Ruthie.

It's not fair.

Sometimes life isn't fair...

...but we are dealt the cards that we know how to deal with.

We're losing our house while real-estate assholes get richer.

And there's nothing we can do.

Why is life so hard?

It's not meant to be like this. I'm 15.

Ruthie, it's always gonna be okay.

You don't know that. Everything around us is collapsing!

-It's going to be okay. -Everything is falling apart!

-It's going to be okay. -It's not! It's not gonna be okay!

-Yes, it is, Ruthie-- -No, it's not.

-It's gonna be okay. Sit down, please. -No, it's not.

-No, it's not. -It will be.

You've got to relax.

Here, here. Put your feet up. Put your feet up.

Ready?

See?

I don't wanna laugh. I just wanna cry.

It's hard to have perspective right now, but...

...one day you'll look back on all of this and you'll see that it's all okay.

Come here.

Sweetie, put something sexy on.

-I'm taking you out. -What?

What's going on--?

You know, I called you when I was sick.

Yeah. Come on. I was busy.

-Busy doing what, huh? Busy? -Yeah.

I'm losing my house because of you.

-I can take care of that. -How?

How are you gonna take care of that, Vic?

How you gonna do it?

-Tell me. I'd like to know. -Come here.

No. Fucking me isn't gonna help!

-What are you gonna do? You owe me! -I don't owe you shit.

You signed those papers yourself.

-You told me to. -What, are you 2 years old?

-You told me to! -All right. Relax. Calm down.

You make your own decisions, all right?

No. You can't do that. You can't just turn shit around.

It's not fair!

That's what people like you do.

-All right-- -Get out, you motherfucker!

-All right. All right! -And don't come back.

Crazy.

Mom?

Nothing.

Stop.

Stop. I need to get this done.

Love you.

Love you.

How's that?

It was good. I liked the soup.

-It's good soup. -Anything else, guys'?

No, thanks.

I don't like tomatoes, but I like tomato soup.

It's a dichotomy.

A what?

How do you spell "dichotomy"?

Here you go, I got it.

I like helping you.

I don't need your help. It's fine.

What's wrong?

Hey...

...look at me.

We're losing our house.

Well, I mean, maybe I can help.

No.

Hey-

I can't have another guy tell us he's gonna help us.

Come here. Let's-- Come talk to me.

I can't do it to Ruthie.

You're okay.

So when are we moving in with Lee?

We're not.

Eighty-one days ago, I got up and I decided to call you guys.

I'm so grateful I did. I feel so blessed.

Eighty-one days today.

I am free.

Night, ladies.

Stay out of trouble.

Lee?

Thank you for being so nice.

-Of course. -We've been through so much.

I don't want Ruthie to be sad anymore.

I understand.

I really care about you.

It's all gonna be okay.

I want you guys to come stay with me. Okay?

Or we could stay here all night.

I hate goodbyes too.

Yeah. It sucks.

It's gonna be okay, Ruthie.

Let's go.

Come on.

-Hi. -Hi.

-Let me get this box. -Oh, thank you.

I'll show you guys around.

Hi, Ruthie. Good to see you.

-Hi. -Let's go see the rest of your house.

Come on.

Let me just get the door.

Yeah. The house is originally from 1926.

It's just kind of an A-frame, but...

Yeah. That's my record collection. Got all different kinds of music and--

-I like music. -Feel free to look through that.

This is-- Bedroom right here and a bathroom.

And this is the kitchen. I'll just set this down.

There's the backyard.

Ruthie, there's a pool!

Yeah. We can't swim.

I'll show you guys the upstairs.

-I can't wait to jump in. -Yeah.

I got a lot of this stuff from my grandparents.

Guess that's kind of obvious. Feel free to change anything because I don't--

So, Ruthie, I thought this could be your room.

I got most of my stuff out of it...

...and, you know, you can repaint it or whatever you feel like.

I'll go finish getting the stuff out of the car.

Make yourself at home.

Oh, hey, you need something, Ruthie?

-Sorry. -That's okay.

Yeah. Just that's some of the stuff I didn't clean out of there.

I just got a bunch of old stuff in there.

You play chess?

Yeah. A little bit. You play?

Yeah. I mean, what I like about chess is you can learn as you go along.

You can't win just by only making forward moves.

Sometimes you have to take a step back or even lose a few pieces to move forward.

I think you just have to be patient.

You know, it's what they say about it.

Okay. You can have the first move.

Hey, Ruthie.

-Hi. -Breakfast of Champions?

Thank you.

It's a book, Mom.

I like both.

-Good morning. -Hey, Ruthie.

Hey-

What are you doing today?

Not a lot.

-Hey, Ruthie. -Hey, Ruthie.

Hey-

-She could have called. -She could have at least called me.

Just a follow-up call.

I worked hard on that dress.

Okay.

There you go.

-Ruthie, what's wrong? -What are we doing in this house?

Look, I can't take this anymore. Can we please get out of here?

-And stop living this suburban lie! -Ruthie!

We are not going anywhere.

We're not running away anymore.

-God... -Ruthie.

Do you believe this little fairy-tale romance you made for yourself?

A couple of alcoholics getting clean and falling in love?

-Stop it, Ruthie-- -Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore!

-Yes, you are. Yes, you are. -Get away from me.

-Mom, get off! -Go to bed.

-Stop it. -I'm not gonna go to bed!

-Just leave. Just leave. -No! Damn it.

Ruthie!

Bravo, Mom.

Happy ending.

Is that what you think?

-Don't start crying. -I won't start crying!

Good. Because I'm sick of that too!

Oh, good! I'm glad you're sick of everything!

I'm really glad you're sick of everything!

You go from boyfriend to boyfriend, and why is Lee different?

-Because he's a good person. -Why is he so different?

I love him, Ruthie, and he loves us.

Because he fixed your teeth.

Because people need each other. People need each other.

Because he takes care of us.

Just like I take care of you.

-He takes care of-- -Get off me!

You can't tell me what to do!

-Yes, I can! I am your mother! -You don't act like it!

-Yes, I do! -No, you don't!

You have no idea what I've done for you!

Know why you don't know about foster care?

Because I made damn sure you don't know!

So if you wanna go, go.

-I will leave! -Then leave!

I'll go.

Oh, my God.

Thank you.

One, two, three.

She's gonna be fine. You just gotta trust me about that.

She's at that age where she's feeling kind of independent.

She's never done this before. She's never run away--

-Never run away? -This is not Ruthie.

Right, but she's 15 now, so she's gonna start doing stuff like this.

It's totally normal. You did it, right? And I did it. Come on.

It's what kids do.

I promise.

Come here. Come here. Give me a hug.

Come on.

Oh, my God.

What?

I don't--

She-

She followed in after me.

Trash.

Bitch.

Okay.

-Thank you, Pam. -I'll make some coffee.

Okay.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry too.

Sometimes I just screw up, Ruthie.

I've tried to be a good morn. I've always tried.

But I never really knew what I was doing.

And when you were little, it was a lot easier.

Because if you fell, I knew how to fix it.

Like, I could just make your boo-boo better.

And now I don't always know what to do.

I know.

I love you, Mom.

I love you, Ruthie.

You're a big girl now.

Yeah.

I never realized before.

What?

You need me as much as I need you.

Ruthie.

Honey, I need you more.

-Mom, that's my clip. -You gave it to me.

When did I give it to you?

You said you didn't wanna wear clips anymore.

-I did not give it to you. -This is my skirt.

Yeah, but this was for a party.

This was for a night.

My hair was in my face.

I saw you using it before.

-I just didn't say anything. -Here.

-Yes, you can drive. -Oh, my God.