Original subtitles

- Hi, Joey. - Hey, Eleanor.

- What a day. - Rough one, huh?

You know, I wanted to be a nurse

ever since I was a little girl, but honestly

some days I think if I have to see another sick person

or have some doctor snap at me...

...or eat that hospital food...

- What you watching? - "General Hospital."

♪ Them that's got shall have ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ So the Bible says ♪

♪ And it's still is news ♪

♪ Mama may have ♪

♪ Papa may have ♪

♪ But God bless the child ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ God bless the child ♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

"Quality Engineer."

"Foreman". Hm.

Am I dreaming? Or you're actually reading the wanted ads?

- Yep. - You're reading the wanted ads?

No, you dreaming.

Working a crossword puzzle, I need an eight-letter word

for "Quality engineer."

"Employed."

Ah, looking at those wanted ads is a waste of time.

All the jobs in there are for white people.

- What, pop, you-- - That's right.

Here.

Look at this one.

"Hotel seeks hands-on person with professional appearance

"and effective communication skills

to handle customer relations."

Yeah, so it's an ad for a hotel manager.

If you're white, it is, if you're black,

it's for a doorman.

Doesn't sound like a good career move, Roc.

I made up the spare bed for Russell.

Joey, you can take the couch for a few days, can't you?

Yeah, sure, no problem, last time I moved the cushions

I found 76 cents and a comb.

- That was my change, you know? - Oh, yeah?

Who'd the comb belong to?

I can't wait to see my baby brother Russell.

Baby? Pop, Russell's 45 years old.

Oh, it doesn't matter. He'll always be my baby brother.

I'm the one that looked out for him after our daddy died.

I helped change him, fed him, told him bedtime stories.

I used to bounce him for hours on my knees

while we listened to the radio.

Yeah, you used to do that to me too, dad.

- You never did that to me, pop. - Ah, I tried.

But your butt was too bony.

That wouldn't be a problem anymore, would it?

When I wasn't making enough as a train porter

I took odd jobs, whatever I could find

to help put Russell through college.

And now, look at him, he travels

all over the world covering stories.

Let's see, the last time Russell was here

must be about seven years ago when he and Susan

were going through their divorce.

- Oh, it was damn ugly. - Yeah, well.

- Divorces are messy. - No, Susan.

Oh, that's him. Uh, let me get it.

There you are! You son of a gun.

Come on in here!

Hey, Uncle Russell!

- How you doing? - Good!

Lord, look at you, girl.

- You more beautiful than ever. - Oh, thanks, Russell.

Well, you lookin' pretty good yourself now.

Well, I, you know, keep exercising

try to keep myself together.

- Here. - What's this?

This is the article you wrote in this month's "Esquire."

Uh, I want you to autograph it for me.

Pop was so anxious to read it, he wouldn't wait for me

to find one in next month's trash.

Listen, Russell, if you'd like to freshen up

and take your things upstairs, you could...

Where's your suitcase?

Oh, I checked into a hotel before I came over.

Why'd you do that? We got plenty of room here for you.

Oh, I know that, but I didn't come alone this trip.

Oh-h-h, you dog, you.

You seeing someone?

Oh, for the past year or so, yeah.

I knew it! I knew it!

The minute he walked in the door, I said

"Now this man looks too happy and looks too good.

- He in love!" - You're right! You're right.

See, us women know these things.

Does your sweetie-pie have a name?

Yes, Chris, but you see--

Oh, if I know my baby brother

this Chris is some looker. Am I right?

Sure, you're right.

So when do we get to meet her?

- Uh, soon. Real soon. - Hm.

But you see, I wanted to talk to you first

uh, before you get introduced.

You see, there's something I've kept hidden for a long time.

From you, even myself.

You see, I'm gay.

And Chris is a man.

That's nice.

How about some coffee? I'll put on a pot.

- Hey, pop, are you okay? - Sure, I'm okay.

- Why? Aren't I acting okay? - Yeah, that's what I mean.

I mean, Russell here just said he was gay.

Oh, for God sakes, Roc, it's the '90s.

Don't you ever watch "Oprah?"

Uh, I'm gonna give him a hand.

Uh, well, would you, would you like anything in yours?

I'd like a little cinnamon.

That figures.

- Pop, you sure you're alright? - Hell no, I'm not alright.

My baby brother just told me he was gay.

How could I be alright? What's the matter with you men?

I know you must be shocked, pop.

I'm not too comfortable with it either.

Not about being gay, about Uncle Russell being gay.

See, I'm even uncomfortable about being uncomfortable.

That's how uncomfortable I am.

Wow, man, Uncle Russell's gay b-but, hey

he's still the same Uncle Russell

except now we know he's gay.

But, h-he's always been gay, but now we know.

- So what's your point, Joey? - Uncle Russell's gay.

I just can't see how a black man can be gay.

White people I can understand.

Now, they're all descended from those sissy European countries.

But an educated, proud black man like Russell...

...gay?

Why would he choose that?

Pop, it's not a matter of black and white.

And maybe he didn't choose it, maybe it chose him.

I mean, you can't force him to be something that he isn't.

Alright, I watch "Oprah" too, so...

That's right. You have all those afternoons free.

Oh-h-h, I don't know, Joey.

This is all too hard for me to take.

What do you think we should we do, Roc?

I'm really not sure, pop.

I mean, you see people talking about it on television.

I mean, you know people who have friends and family members

that are you know, you know, you know, gay.

And now, there's somebody in our family who's, uh

you know, you know, gay.

There's nothing we can do about it.

So, I guess we have to, you know, deal with it.

So, let's, let's get out there and deal with it like adults.

You're right, son. Go on.

- No, you go first. - No, you go.

- Joey, you go. - You, you go.

Joey, come here, man.

Roc, you can beg all you want to.

- But I'm not... - Get...

Hey, man.

Um, guys, Russell was telling me all about Chris.

Yeah, he designs outdoor living spaces for cities.

Right now he's working on a park in St. Louis.

Well, he'll be flying in tonight.

Why is he coming here? We don't even have a backyard.

Andrew, listen, there's one thing I think

I should mention to you before Chris gets here.

You see, this Sunday, Chris and I are getting married.

Y-y-you can't do that in Baltimore.

Well, you see, it's more of a public acknowledgement

of our commitment than a legal ceremony.

Andrew, it would mean a lot to me if you were all there.

Well, I think that's wonderful.

Who wants coffee?

I'll give you a hand, pop.

I'm gonna give him a hand giving him a hand.

Well, this is our second trip in here.

Shouldn't somebody be making coffee?

How can you think about coffee

when my baby brother's gonna marry another man?

Well, at least, he's marrying a professional man.

Pop, I don't understand or like thinking about this--

Yeah, man, this marriage thing is strange, huh?

I mean about Uncle Russell being gay.

I haven't even gotten to that marriage part yet.

Roc, this means a lot to Uncle Russell.

Now, if he says this is what he wants to do

and it makes him happy then the least we can do

is be there for him.

Sally Jessy Raphael.

Oh, I don't know, boys.

I don't know if I can go through with this.

Oh, come on, pop. Joey makes sense I guess.

And anyway, we'll be there for you.

Well, I'll try to do it for Russell's sake.

But I'm drawing the line if he asks me to give him away.

Where's the coffee?

Oh, the coffee, uh... slow drip.

Real slow.

Roc... uh

Russell says he's gonna have his wedding...

...at the banquet room in the hotel.

Oh, that would be real nice.

Well, I thought it would be even nicer

if he were to have it here at our house.

Don't you think so?

Here?

Sunday, here?

Russell and a guy, uh...

W-w-well, maybe Uncle Russell can't change

his plans at the last minute.

Listen, Roc, if this is an inconvenience--

Yeah, i-it is kinda late notice.

Oh, no. Russell, we're family.

And we'd be happy to have your wedding here at our house.

Wouldn't we, Roc?

Yeah, we'd, um... we'd love to have you two, uh...

...guys tie the knot here.

You all are the best. I never expected you to take it so well.

Especially you, Andrew.

Well, I had a talk with the boys in the kitchen

and, uh, t-they can still be pretty naive

about the ways of the world. E-even at their age.

Well, you know, there's one other thing I think

I should mention before Chris gets here--

Hell no, I-I mean...

I mean, I don't think I can handle much more...

...good news today.

- Yes, but-- - Whatever it is doesn't matter.

You can tell me later.

Oh, that's probably Chris, now, you want me to get that?

No, I'll get it.

I could use the air.

Mr. Emerson.

- Hi, I'm-- - White.

Chris Daily.

How do you do, Chris?

I hope that you and Russell have a long and happy life together.

And that I never have to see either one of you ever again.

Now, let me see if I can get this straight...

...so to speak.

Uh, your brother Russell is gay

but you are not upset about that.

Of course, I'm upset about that.

Well, yeah, I would be too.

And you're also upset about the fact

that he, like, wants to marry this white guy?

Yeah, I'm upset about that too.

Yeah, I would be too.

Uh, but what I can't quite seem to follow, Andrew

is what bothers you the most.

The fact that he wants to marry a man

or that the man is white?

I'm so mixed up. Who can tell?

Well, uh, ask yourself, uh,

would you rather he marry a black man

or a white woman?

- Neither. - Mm-hmm.

So, how's about an oriental bisexual?

Wiz, you been sitting here 20 minutes.

Don't you have to go to the bathroom?

As a matter of fact, I do.

But this is so good, man, I was holding it.

But before I go, let me tell you one thing that I learned

in all of my years of dealing with people and appliances.

Only washers and dryers come in matching sets.

After that, all hell can break loose.

Hey, you know, pop, your walking out like that

doesn't change anything.

- They still at the house? - 'Yeah, pop.'

You should give Chris a chance.

Yeah, pop, he's a nice guy.

Uh, Roc, I'm, uh... gonna check out that A-frame over there.

Are we still gonna have that silly wedding at the house?

Yes, we are.

Why? Tell me why.

Because Uncle Russell is still family and I like him.

This is a big day in his life.

And that's the way Eleanor says it's gonna be.

There's not gonna be a wedding between those two in my house.

Oh, now, hold it, pop, it happens to be my house

and I say there's gonna be a wedding.

Fine.

Have the wedding.

I'll stay in my room.

Since it's my house

that technically makes it my room too.

But I won't argue with you, op, if you won't come

c-could you at least park cars?

- Wiz, Wiz. I need a favor. - Huh?

I know this is kinda last minute, but, uh

I'd like to get the happy couple a wedding gift.

- Uh, you got anything? - Oh.

You think the newlyweds could use a toaster?

Hey man, it's still in good shape

except one side toasts darker than the other.

Perfect.

Roc, did you see the wedding cake?

It has two little grooms up on top.

One little black one and one little white one.

Could you tell I glued the white guy's head back on?

No. What happened?

Pop was in the kitchen this morning

when they delivered it,

pulled the little dude's head

right off.

Hello there, uh, may I inquire

as to which bridegroom you're guests?

I don't want to presume America being

such a melting pot and all.

- We're friends of Chris Daily. - Fine.

You're on the white side of the room.

I knew I should've nailed his door shut.

Pop, I thought you were gonna stay in your room.

I'll only be down here for a minute.

You know how cranky I get when I don't have my fiber.

Well, get it and get back upstairs.

- Andrew, listen-- - Now, Uncle Russell.

Are you sure you wanna do this now, I mean

I apologize for pop's behavior, but you gotta understand

this gay stuff is all new to him.

Plus, you marrying a white man, I think it's all been

a little too much for him to handle. He's just not ready.

Give him some time to get used to it

and, uh, eventually he'll come around.

Well, thanks, Roc.

At least it's nice to know that you've accepted it.

Oh, no, no, no, I-I-I'm just explaining it for pop...

Excuse me.

- Andrew, we need to talk. - Oh, you wanna talk?

- Yes, I wanna talk. - I'm happy to talk.

- Talk to me. - Let's you and I talk.

Russell, are you sure you wanna go through with this?

- T-the wedding? - The wedding. Being gay.

Marrying a white man. Pick one.

Andrew, listen, I'm not gonna through the usual story

of how I tried the straight life and it didn't work for me.

This is what I wanna do with my life!

Andrew, you're my brother. You supposed to accept me for me.

But... maybe it's just a phase you're going through.

No, no, no. I've looked back.

I realized I've been gay all my life.

Okay, so it's not a phase.

Maybe you didn't give the straight life a fair shake.

After all, you did marry an ugly woman.

Andrew!

Yeah, at least Susan was the right color.

Uh, hey, maybe if you ask her nice, she'll take you back.

Dammit, Andrew, listen to me.

Now, you told me, never ever let the color of your skin

stop you from doing anything.

Now, I also thought that that meant... falling in love.

Ah, but I meant with a woman.

- How could you do this to me? - To you?

Dammit, Andrew, what does this have to do with you?

No, no, no, forget it. Forget it, Andrew.

This is a waste of my time.

There's just no talking to that boy.

Come on, Malcolm, you shouldn't have to see this.

Well, I guess we can start now.

Ready when you are.

Dear friends and family of Russell Emerson

and Christopher Daily.

We are here today to celebrate the promise of love

'and commitment to one another.'

Excuse me.

Andrew, listen...

Well, in this sometime crazy and unpredictable world we live in...

Um, u-uh, t-time out, everybody. Take five.

Joey, music, music, music.

Pop, what the hell are you doing?

- Protein shake. - I can't believe you.

How could you do this to your own brother on his wedding?

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

That's right, pop, and that's exactly what

Russell is doing out there now.

Pop, Uncle Russell is trying

to live his life the best he can. He's happy.

Why can't you be happy for him?

Oh, but, Roc, you told me

you were just as disappointed and uncomfortable

with Russell as I was.

I know, pop, and I'm trying to deal with it.

Hey, I mean, at least I'm comfortable

about being uncomfortable. That's a big step for me.

You can say that. He's not your brother.

How would you feel if Joey w-were marrying a white man?

Clarify that. Would they be living here?

- Oh, forget it. - Hey, pop.

We ain't the only minorities

that had it rough in this country.

Look, we've been over this enough. Face it, pop.

Things ain't gonna change.

He's always gonna be your brother.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

I have to go give away my uncle.

Before taking their vows

Russell and Chris would like to address their guests.

I'd like to take a moment to thank Russell's family

for making me feel so welcome.

Uh, for the most part.

I understand how difficult this is for some people to accept.

That's why you won't see my family here today.

Well, my family is here and I'd like to thank them

for their understanding and support.

This is a very important day in my life and it means...

...a great deal to me to have you share it with me

even if the person whose...

...love and acceptance...

...means the most to me couldn't.

Andrew, I love you anyway.

I got something to say.

I've been asked to accept a lot of things

around here these past few days.

Weird things.

Real weird things.

But something my son just said to me in the kitchen...

...helped me to put things in perspective.

He told me not to be such a jackass.

Well, I never said that, pop.

Well, you would have if you were more articulate.

Anyway, Russell...

...you were right.

I guess I have been more concerned about how I feel

about this whole thing than with what's really important.

And that's how you feel.

Now, I can't fully accept this...

...but more than anything...

...I want you to be happy.

Andrew, I am happy.

And, Chris...

And, Chris...

- And, Chris-- - 'Oh, Andrew.'

You don't have to say anymore.

The fact that you didn't shoot him says it all.

Alright, cinnamon coffee for everyone!

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Keep on walking ♪

♪ Oh Lord ♪

♪ Oh yeah yeah yeah ♪

♪ Yeah yeah well well well ♪

♪ Oh good God now ♪

♪ Oh oh ♪

♪ Whoa whoa ♪

♪ Keep on walking on ♪

♪ Oh yeah walk on ♪

♪ Yeah ♪