Original subtitles

Hey, hey, Sly. Hey, hey, Carlos. Yeah, glad you could make it.

You know, I never miss a neighborhood meetin'.

Hey, how'd you hurt your arm?

Uh, took my students horseback riding and fell off a horse.

Yeah, I almost hurt my arm on a horse too.

Yeah, I bet a lot of money on a horse and lost

and the bookie broke my arm.

Well, anyway you know, I'm glad you guys could make it.

Well, I'm glad someone's trying to do something

to help the neighborhood, Roc, I mean, I've got gangs

and crack dealers all around my school.

Yeah, and it just keeps gettin' worse.

I can't believe a kid guy shot right in front of your house.

Yeah, man. It was terrible, man. Terrible.

Yeah, yeah, you know, we're losing too many of our kids.

Yes we are, you know. But, but, people have had enough of this.

- And that's why we're here. - Hey, let's do this.

Okay, uh, let's get this meeting started. Okay.

You know...

You know most of us have lived here since we were kids.

And now, that we have kids ourselves... I mean we're sick

to see our neighborhood, just-just go to hell.

I mean, now we can complain that there's this reason

for the drug problem and that reason for gangs.

But, in the end, it's up to the people of this community

to take personal responsibility to clean this neighborhood up.

I mean, I mean, it's, it's time, you know, it's time

we took the streets back from the drug dealers and the gangs.

Roc, we're all with you on this.

But, what do you think we should do?

I mean, how can we actually have an effect on the situation?

I'll tell you what we should do.

We should round up all the drug dealers including that

arms for drugs gang in Washington DC

and stick that Lorena Bobbitt on 'em.

She'll have an effect on this situation.

Why don't we see if we can get our councilmen in on this?

Oh, not that guy.

He was just indicted in a kick back scandal.

Well, there you go. He's familiar with the criminal mind.

Well, look, no matter what

the powers' definitely in the city council.

I mean, Roc, I read where there was a councilman that got

the police to do a sweep of this one neighborhood every night

until they had flushed all the drug dealers out.

Yeah, but our guy's under indictment.

Yeah, and I heard that they're going to replace him

in a special election next month.

Well, don't get your hopes up, the front runner is

the councilmen's assistant, Ray Boyd.

- He ain't gonna be much better. - Nah.

You know what we need to do?

What we need to do is find ourselves a candidate.

I mean, she's right. You know what I mean.

I mean a candidate, you know, who speaks our language

and understands our concerns, you know.

I mean, a candidate who isn't gonna get in there and play

you know politics as usual, you know.

I mean, someone, who's not afraid to stand up

and fight for what he or she believes.

- Yeah. - Yeah! That's right.

- I say we nominate Roc. - Oh, no, no, no, no.

Wait a minute. Hold on. Wait a minute.

That is a great idea. You'd be a terrific councilmen, son.

Pop, look, I don't know about that now. Let's wait a minute.

Come on, Roc. Did you just listen to yourself?

You're the perfect person to run.

You got all the qualities you just listed.

And quite frankly with all the black meetings

you've been holding over the past few years

you doin' more than the guys in office right now.

What, wait, wait. You really think I'd make a good candidate?

I sure do, baby.

Yeah, Roc. We think you'd make a terrific candidate.

You're dynamic. You're strong. You're passionate, demanding.

- Hot headed-- - Alright, Joey.

You know it all. You think you're smarter than everybody--

I-I.. Just shut up.

See, he's a born leader, ain't he?

I mean, come on, I mean, do all you people really think

I'd make the best candidate?

- 'Yeah.' - Oh, Roc.

I say, run, Roc run.

Run, Roc, run. Run, Roc, run.

Run, Roc, run.

Hold it, wait, wait a minute, hold on. Okay. Okay.

Alright, I'll do it.

I'm gonna run for city council.

I mean, what have I got to lose?

"What have I got to lose?" What an inspiring campaign slogan.

Why, why don't you just go in hell, I got nothing else to do.

Hey, congratulations.

♪ Baby ♪

♪ There's a man ♪

♪ With no future ♪

♪ So it seems ♪

♪ Can't live out his dreams ♪

♪ Now he's trapped into thinking ♪

♪ He won't succeed ♪

♪ And he can't believe ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪ Oh yeah ♪

♪ Not for tomorrow ♪ Not for tomorrow ♪

♪ Oh ♪ Ooh ♪

♪ Live your life today ♪

Look, look, look, look, I know I'm a long shot

Mr. Wilkins, you know, but I heard

you're the best campaign manager around.

So, you know, I could really use your help.

You charge that much a week?

Oh, I see.

Well, how much would you charge if you help just

you know, say on Wednesday.

Uh-huh!

Alright, well, thanks anyway, goodbye.

Oh, man. These professional campaign managers

are so expensive.

I mean, this last guy wanted

even more than all the rest of 'em.

Yeah, that's why the only people who can run for office

these days are short, big-eared billionaires.

Roc, there must be somebody in this town who believes

in what you're trying to do and wants to help you get elected.

Not for the money, but because it's the right thing to do.

Eleanor, we need more than a guy with good intentions.

We need a wheeler dealer, a hustler.

Somebody, who's willing to break all the rules.

Somebody who's willing to take off everybody in town

and get what he wants.

Well, hail to the chief.

Hey, what's for dinner, first lady, sis?

Don't bother. I-I'll find out myself.

Well, as I was saying, a hustler.

Somebody who's willing to tick off everybody in town.

Pop, I know where you're going with this

and it's starting to tick me off.

I don't care what you say. I'm not hiring Joey. No.

Oh, Roc. Give your brother a chance.

Can't you see what he's been going through

all these past weeks? He's turning over a new leaf.

Hey, hey. I'm starting a pool on when Carlos' sling

is gonna come off his arm. It's ten dollars to get in.

Pop, I'm putting you down for Tuesday the 9th.

Roc, I'm putting you down for Friday the 32nd.

Now, will you listen to him, pop?

Do you think I'm gonna trust him

to run my campaign?

Run your camp, you-you want me to run your campaign?

No, I don't. That's pop's idea.

Roc, since you can't afford a professional manager

maybe you should go with an amateur

who's at least got an aptitude for the job.

Ho-ho-ho-hold it now. I'm not that much of an amateur.

Now, remember when I lived in New York?

I helped a friend of mine run for state assembly

and he got elected, and if you want to go further back

in my political biography

I was class president, when I was in third grade.

Yeah, I remember that.

You won 'cause you said your opponent... had cooties.

Well, he did and the public had the right to know.

Mm-hmm, you know something Joey

I want to run a dignified campaign

that focuses on the issues.

Not a mud slinging smear campaign.

Okay, so in other words, you wanna lose.

Joey.

I mean, do you really understand why I got into this campaign?

Yes, I do, Roc. And I care as much as you do.

I mean, they killed Terrence in that

drive by shooting last week.

We got drug dealers all over the place.

What's going on in this community is making me sick.

All I'm saying is, Roc, I wanna run a winning campaign.

Alright. Okay. You got the job.

- Thanks. - Alright, alright.

- Loving Lord, thank you. - Sure. My pleasure.

- My pleasure. - Congratulations.

Thank you, thank you. Now, let's talk salary.

You're drinking it.

No, no, no, no, no. See, I-I'm gonna require some remuneration.

- Eh, some money too. - Now...

Let's see. I'm getting real tired in this cold weather.

You know what, I'd like to see some, palm trees and... women

in bikinis. How about a round trip ticket to Miami beach?

Oh, you-you-you-you would've lost your mind.

That'll cost me a few hundred dollars.

Now unless my opponent has cooties

wig worm and everything else

I don't-I don't feel you're worth a few hundred dollars.

Alright. I'll make a deal with you Roc.

I'll only take the trip if I get you... at least

40% of the vote and in a crowded race, that's all you need.

40%? You got a deal.

Oh. This is so exciting.

- Oh, it sure is. - It is.

Well... this is a first.

All these years, my two sons are finally getting together

to work as a team, and all it took was

a total decline of the urban America.

Okay, Roc. You ready? Here we go.

Your first news conference.

Now, we're gonna kick this campaign off right.

- That's right. - Joey, Joey, Joey. Look, um...

There's gonna be, you know, a lot of

photographers here, you know, so I wanna make sure

you know, my first campaign pictures

look right. So, um, so, how's my smile?

Roc, that's your "they're taking me hostage

and he making me do the smile." Come on. Try it again.

Okay, now you look like a Jack-o'-lantern.

Oh, man. It's just, this is, this is, this is stupid.

- This is stupid. - Joey, excuse me for a second.

I think I know how to put a beautiful smile on Roc's face.

That's it. Yeah, yeah. That's it.

Yeah. You think you can remember what she said?

Oh, I ain't gonna forget that.

Yeah.

Hey, look. Now, that you got your smile done right

now we need to work on this political hand gestures. Okay.

There are three basic gestures every politician needs to know.

Okay. The first one is the George Bush chop.

Just like this. When you're talking make a point like this.

And the second one, is the Jesse Jackson steeple, right.

When you're talking, it's like this, right.

And the third one is the Bill Clinton

that flipping burgers thing that he does when he's talking.

Alright. You execute those right, man, you can, you can

inspire millions of people, you can invade Iraq

and you can get all the free McDonald's you want.

Joey, Joey, look, look, look, will you just come off this

superficial show-based stuff, right.

I wanna run a campaign with substance.

You know what I mean, and-and I wish you would

start taking that seriously.

I do, Roc. I take it as serious as you.

But, if you wanna win this campaign-

Guys, guys, come on now, it's no time to fight.

It's 1 o'clock. We gotta start the news conference.

Yeah, but all the other reporters aren't here.

Shouldn't we wait till the rest of them get here.

Trust me. We're it.

Okay, fine.

We're gonna, we're gonna play on the sympathy from the press

by having your wife introduce you.

- What? - Yeah, yeah, it just hit me.

You know, add a sense of family, it will add a sense of warmth.

I mean, after all, you're the one who said he should run for

the campaign, anyway. Come on, sis. Come, just say a few words.

I would like to introduce my husband, Roc Emerson

who is announcing his candidacy

for the 11th council district today.

I was the one who first suggested that he run.

And I'd like to tell you why.

He's loving, he's caring, he's honest, he's responsible.

He's hardworking and he's a wonderful father.

And when he sets his mind to something

he doesn't quit until he reaches his goal.

Like this one time, Roc got upset.

Because the paperboy kept throwing our paper in the gutter

and it would get all dirty and-and nasty and messy and so

Roc talked to the paperboy and told him to stop doing it.

But the boy wouldn't stop doing it.

So, Roc went and complained to the newspaper

and they fired that little boy.

But Roc felt so bad, he asked the newspaper

to give him his job back.

Only put him on a different route.

Now, I thought--

Oh, heh, what I'm trying to say is that

my husband can solve problems and still be compassionate.

'Cause he cared about that little boy

and he didn't want that little paperboy to lose his job--

- Ahem, ahem... - Alright.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, Roc Emerson.

Oh, Hillary get's a little carried away.

Well...

Hello, um, I'm announcing my candidacy for, um

city councilor, this district.

I'm running because, um

I think, you know, something's in this neighborhood

should be changed. Um...

Well, uh, number one...

Uh, we've gotta... stop crime.

And uh, number two...

We've got to, uh, stop the flow of drugs

you know, in this neighborhood.

- And, uh, number three- - Uh, excuse me. Please.

Uh, Roc, look.

I don't wanna say it as boring, man.

But, I think I just saw one of the reporters

take out a Gameboy. Come on, liven it up--

Joey, Joey. I'm sticking with the issues.

Right, fine.

Uh, number three, you know, we should, uh, en-encourage

uh, local businesses to return

to this area, to, you know, to provide, uh, employ...

Uh, uh, sir. You wanna put that Gameboy away.

Joey, Joey, Joey. I-I think I'm losing him. What should I do?

Roc, you got to be more personal in your approach.

Listen, why don't you tell him how you felt

when Sheila's friend got killed in your drive by.

Oh, okay, okay.

Ahem, before, I, um

tell you about my platform...

...I'd like to talk to you about... why I'm running.

A couple of weeks ago...

twelve-year-old boy was gun down in cold blood...

...on my front steps.

Terrence Lambert.

And Terrence was a bright kid.

He was a good student.

He came from a good family.

Terrance was killed... by a gang member...

...another kid...

...over a jacket.

Now, Terrance was not ...the first boy

to die in our neighborhood.

And the tragedy is, he won't be the last.

Because these dealers and these gangs are either

shooting each other or killin' themselves with drugs.

Now, we can't wait for someone else to fix this.

- We've gotta fix it ourselves. - Yes.

That's why I'm here.

I wanna ask you, if you'd help me to make this neighborhood

a place, where we can raise our children.

- Yes. - Mr. Emerson.

Mr. Boyd is a seasoned politician.

You on the other hand are novice.

Now, do you really think you can do a better job

in office than he can?

Then Mr. Ray Boyd? Ha ha ha!

I can do a better job than nothing. Hell, yes.

Good answer, Roc.

You know, and I've got a detailed 10-point program

I'd like to tell you about, right now. Number one-

Uh, Ladies and gentlemen, that's all the time we have right now.

Mr. Emerson has a very full slate of appearances.

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But that's all we can do today.

- Thank you very much. - Joey.

Why'd you do that?

Roc, never get into specifics with these press people.

You give 'em specifics, they'll use 'em against you

and pick you apart.

What are you talking about?

Look, Reagan and Bush

both state so vague it took people

12 years to figure out what the hell

they were talking about. By then it was too late.

Michael Dukakis on the other hand was very specific.

- And need I say more? - Mmm. He's got a point, Roc.

Okay, okay. But, if you'd just stop, you know, focusing

on this, you know, this-this image thing...

Alright, alright, Roc, I'll, I'll stop focusing on

the superficial aspects of your campaign

and focus on the substance of the campaign.

Well, finally. Thank you.

Oh, I just one more thing, okay, look, when you finish

your speech and the crowd starts to applaud

don't do that little, that little happy kick, alright.

Joey, that's not my happy kick. I'll show you my happy kick.

Uh, ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies, listen.

Um, this is a political campaign we're running here, okay.

So, we gotta use our assets, alright.

Now, there's a guy on the line and he wants to give

less than ten dollars, give him the sexiest voice you've got

ask him for ten more.

And if there's a woman, I'll take the call, alright.

Whoo!

What's going on here?

Oh, turning the place to kind of a political headquarters.

You know, it's kinda like a campaign war room now.

- A war room, huh? - Mm-hmm.

Well, I guess you sent all the men to the front lines.

I got it. I got it. No, no. Keep doing what you all doing.

I got it. Fellas. Just in time, please.

Come here, come here.

Damn, Joey.

I was wondering why there were none but ugly women in town.

All the pretty woman in here.

Oh, do I? I didn't even notice.

To me, they're just dedicated volunteers.

I see, you're using your position as campaign manager

to surround yourself with all the beautiful women, eh!

Yeah, I think that's a good idea.

So, who am I working with? Make sure she's not too tall.

Carlos isn't that too tall and y'all gonna be

handing out flyers. Here you go. Yes, the matchmaker--

- Joey, man it's cold out there! - Carlos--

- Match made in heaven. - Joey, I got a bad hand.

Alright, if we can get these pamphlets all over

to senior citizens home

I think we can get Roc, a lot of support.

Now, he's our kind of candidate.

He believes in the family strength

and old fashion morality.

See, unlike Senator Bob Packwood you can read Roc's diary aloud

to the grandchildren.

Alright, ladies, here's the game plan.

Wherever you see a "Boyd for council" poster, alright

I want you to either paste one of Roc's poster's over it

or I want you to draw a funny mustache on Ray Boyd.

Joey, this isn't graffiti, is it now? I'm no tiger.

I don't wanna deface the neighborhood.

No, no. It's not graffiti, Sheila. This is democracy.

Come on. Let's draw mustaches for democracy.

There you go. There you go.

So, can we count on your vote, Ms. Taylor?

Great! Great! You know, you have a wonderful voice.

Would you mind answering a few questions for our survey?

Would you support a ban on handguns?

Very good. Very good. Next question.

What're you doing Friday night?

Thank you very much for your support.

Thank you. Yes. Bye bye.

Sly, this is a political campaign

not Sly's party land.

- Hey, everybody. - Hey.

How did it go with the Latino voters?

Terrific, man. They threw a lot of top questions at him.

But he was right there with all the answers.

I think we got an awful lot of votes

because at the end, they were all shouting...

Hey, it really went well, you know.

But all that talking out worked up an appetite

so, I'm gonna go make me a sandwich.

Hey, hey, don't eat anything too fat in that sandwich.

I want you keep your weight down for this campaign.

I want you to outgrow that size 48 suits.. Pop! Pop!

- Can I help you? - As-salamu alaykum, my sister.

Oh, yes.

Is this the campaign to elect Brother Emerson?

- Yes, it is. - My name is Malik Rahman.

We're here with the Nation of Islam.

We watched your campaign and we like what you're saying.

- We want to get involved. - Oh, that's wonderful.

We certainly could use your help.

Do you have any campaign literature we could distribute?

Yes, we do. Yes, we do. Thank you, Joey.

Now, let me ask you.

How would feel about having Roc address

a meeting at your temple?

It's a fine idea, sister. I'll get back to you with some dates.

Oh, thank you.

- As-salamu alaykum. - Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.

Thank you. Thank you.

Oh, this is wonderful.

Oh, that's good news. Did you hear that?

- Roc! Roc! - Yeah.

A representative from the Nation of Islam was just here.

They wanna support you. They wanna pass out literature.

And they want you to come speak at their temple.

Well, that's great, hey, this campaign's

gonna start a take off.

It sure is. I just got off the phone with the Baltimore Sun.

Ah, this past week, your rating's in the polls have

gone up from 8 percent to 21 percent.

- Oh, Roc. - You're doing so good, son.

No one else wants to enter the race.

It's just you and Ray Boyd.

Well, if it's just between me and Ray Boyd

I'm gonna kick Ray Boyd's do nothing butt.

That's great, Roc.

It sure is good to hear Roc say that about somebody else.

Excuse me, Mr. Emerson

this man wants to help with your campaign.

- He says he knows my father. - Yeah, he knows your father.

You come with me, Sheila.

Andre Thompson, what the hell are you doing here?

Well, trashman.

The last time you saw me, somethin' bad happened to me.

I haven't forgotten that.

I haven't forgotten either. Look you're not welcome here.

This is your campaign headquarters, right.

Then it's open to the public.

Well, it's not open to you or your buddies.

- Yeah? - So, get out!

Well, I'm here to deliver a message.

You've been making a lot of noise with this campaign thing.

And it's bad for my business.

Well, that's the idea, Andre.

We want you and all your buddy drug dealers

to get out of this neighborhood.

Yeah? And as you can see I'm not going anywhere.

So, I suggest you stop this little side show of yours

and go back to collecting garbage.

You better get out of the race.

Trashman!