Original subtitles

Gin.

Synclaire, we're playing poker.

Tough noogies, I have gin.

[laughing]

Ooh, I know that face.

‐ Bad day, huh? ‐ What a loser.

His credit card didn't go through.

Oh, no. Well, I hope you didn't offer to pay.

Oh, please, girl. I left him pullin' lint out of his pocket.

Well, why don't you just join us?

Yeah, girl. All for one, one for all.

‐ Oh, wow. Thanks, you guys. ‐ Hey, you're a sister, okay?

When it happens to you, it happens to us.

When you hurt, we all hurt.

Power to the people.

[telephone rings]

Hello.

Oh, hi.

Oh, sure. Okay.

Bye‐bye.

‐ Bye. ‐ Where are you goin'?

To meet up with Alonzo, my favorite fireman.

Are you done with this?

Hey, what about all that all for one stuff?

Girl, I'm doing this for you.

If I have a good time, we all have a good time.

Yeah.

[Queen Latifah performing "We Are Living Single"]

♪ Check check check it out check check check it out ♪

♪ Do what you want no free position ♪

♪ We Are Living Single ♪

♪ Hey ♪

♪ Yes we're living the single life ♪

♪ We Are Living Single ♪

♪ Ooh in the 90's kinda world ♪

♪ I'm glad I got my girls ♪

♪ Keep ya head up what keep ya head up that's right ♪

♪ Whenever this life get tough ♪

♪ You gotta fight with my home girl ♪

♪ Standing to my left and my right ♪

♪ True‐blue and tight like glue ♪

♪ We Are Living Single ♪

♪ In the 90's kinda world ♪

♪ I'm glad I got my girls ♪

Call me back as soon as you know.

Alright, thank you. Synclaire, check it out.

Whoopi Goldberg might do our cover next month.

‐ Yes! Whoopi's on the cover. ‐ I said, I said maybe. Maybe.

Here, rub Timmy Troll's tummy for luck.

I'm not rubbing that ugly little thing.

Fine, take your chances.

[telephone rings]

Flavor Magazine, news and views for you to peruse.

Okay, please hold and be held by the soothing sounds

of Luther Vandross.

Khadijah, it's Frank from the distributing company.

I don't wanna talk to that no‐butt rip‐off artist.

He wants 50 bucks for a job he didn't even finish.

Just tell him I left.

(Frank on phone) 'Hello, Khadijah.'

'It's no‐butt Frank. Got a minute?'

They put the speaker button

and the hold button so close together.

Hi, Frank.

Got you with my Khadijah impression, didn't I?

Oh, you wanna hear it again? Okay.

Frank, you'll see your money when hell freezes over.

[clears throat]

Good, wasn't I?

Seriously, I'll tell Khadijah you had called. Bye.

Hey, Khadijah, finished fillin' out those papers. Thanks a lot.

I won't let you down.

‐ That's why you got the job. ‐ Alright.

What's that about?

Oh, Jonathan's gonna be our new production manager.

You gave him a promotion?

Yeah.

Khadijah.

I was just closing my eyes and trying to imagine

why you would give him a promotion and not me.

I'm drawing a blank, how about you?

Synclaire, Jonathan has a degree in journalism.

He's been here longer and he doesn't spend

his lunch hours re‐enacting the Rhythm Nation video

with 30 half‐naked trolls.

Hey, those little guys spread joy and happiness

throughout this office.

Well, I'll give them a promotion.

Khadijah, I demand more responsibility.

Okay, Synclaire, what is it exactly that you wanna do?

Y‐you want me to tell you now?

Yes.

Can I get back to you?

This could take a while.

That's the plan.

Thanks to my fancy wiring.

This little remote can now control

the TV, VCR, CD and the tape deck.

And the lights.

Hi.

Hi. No song, no cheer

no good evening poem?

You alright?

‐ I'm fine. ‐ Okay.

Alright, you broke me.

Khadijah gave someone a promotion

and when I asked for one, she was totally unreasonable.

How?

She asked me what I wanted to do. Ugh!

Overton, man..

What are you doing down here?

The lights keep flickin' on and off upstairs.

What are you tryin' to do, man? Kill me?

It's the sacrifice we must make in the name of progress.

Oh, I got your sacrifice. Let me tell you‐‐.

Could we either dial 911 or get back to my problem, please?

Thank you.

Why, baby, what's the matter?

Just trying to figure out what I wanna do with my life.

Synclaire, it's easy.

You pick something that you enjoy

and you turn that into a career.

Mm‐hm, that's what I did.

I like, I love shopping, so I'm a buyer for a boutique.

And sometimes, you can have a career that matters.

Such as mine, you know, the art of making money

make money is intricate and complex and arcane.

In fact, some people think that‐‐.

Oh, Max. What made you wanna become a lawyer?

Well, I've always enjoyed arguing. I'm always right.

Case closed.

Well, I ain't really have a choice in my career.

When I was eight, my daddy sat me down

and told me I was gonna be a handyman.

Oh, sure. I rebelled like most young scamps. I..

I tried roofing, carpentry, the fine arts.

Then my daddy sat me down again and he said.

"Son, take off that beret and go in and fix the sink."

See, I can't find the same direction all of you have.

Oh, Synclaire, come on now. What are your goals?

‐ Don't you have any dreams? ‐ Oh, I have dreams.

I'd like to feed all the hungry children.

I'd like to cure all the diseases that infect our trees.

I'd like to be the office manager at a magazine.

I'd like to, "Hey, back up. Oh. There it is!"

I could do that.

[indistinct chattering]

No, not yet, Overton. She's still in her office.

Probably promoting somebody else.

Here she comes. Hold on. I'll let you know how it goes.

Khadijah, I've made a decision about what I wanna do.

You had help with this, didn't you?

Maybe, but that's not the point.

I wanna be the office manager.

Synclaire, you're not ready to run this office.

I knew you were gonna say that. So sit down.

You know I only sit for bad news.

I called the printer and got him to make us a great deal.

He's gonna charge us one‐third less per magazine

and all I had to do was order twice as many copies.

Isn't that incredible and responsible?

Don't you get all gushy, girl.

Flowers and my promotion will do nicely.

Synclaire, we don't have the circulation to sell

that many magazines.

You know, you could be a little more supportive.

Supportive?

I gave you a job when you were fresh off the bus runnin' around

tossin' your hat in the air like Mary Tyler Moore.

Well, you're no Mr. Grant.

A good boss knows how to get the most out of her employees.

You just keep everybody down with your temper.

I do not have a temper.

Does anyone think I have a temper?

(Overton on phone) 'I'd have to go with a yes.'

'Just a handyman's opinion.'

You see? You did it again.

Just like you, pointing out the negative.

What about all the other times I hung up properly, huh?

I swear, if you weren't family, yo‐‐.

If I weren't family, what?

Look, you know what? Let's not even take it there.

No, no. If I weren't family, what?

‐ You'd fire me? ‐ Synclaire‐‐.

Well, you can't fire me. 'Cause I quit. Hah!

(Overton on phone) 'Synclaire, I'm back from the bathroom.'

'What did I miss?'

Overton, are you still working on this?

Baby, for 20 bucks, I can buy a remote that does all of this.

Oh, sure. And put another American out of a job.

Attention, everyone.

I'm proud to announce that I'm no longer working

for the oppressive management of Flavor Magazine.

I am also scared to announce that I am unemployed and broke.

Today, Khadijah made it very clear that she doesn't

respect me or appreciate my skills.

Maybe you'd like to be a handyman's apprentice.

Nah, I'd look terrible in a tool belt. Thanks.

Is there anything that I can do?

Well, my resume looks a little skimpy.

Can you guys take a look and see what you think?

Got any more relatives in town?

Let me see.

Well, girl, here's your problem. All this stuff is true.

You got to be creative.

You see here where it says you were a cashier?

No, no, no, no, no.

You were a retail services output processor.

Mm‐hm.

And here, phone sales, mm‐mm..

Telecommunications market researcher.

Yes.

Yeah, and here where it say baby‐sitter?

How about stayed up late with kids?

Alright. I'm liking that.

‐ What's up, Synclaire? ‐ Someone addressing me?

Yeah, Khadijah. The person you walked out on.

The person who spent the rest of the day answering phones

sorting mail and undoing a six‐mile long paperclip chain.

Aw, well, a bad mechanic blames his tools.

I find that a sign of immaturity.

Now, if you'll all excuse me, there's just one too many.

Khadijah's in this room. Hm.

Khadijah, I cannot believe you.

I can't believe that you would force your own cousin to quit.

‐ I didn't fire‐‐ ‐ Have you no sympathy?

‐ Dang, yo‐‐ ‐ Have you no compassion?

And if she can't pay her rent, she out on the street.

Well, hell, she can stay upstairs with me.

What about Kyle?

Kyle can move down here.

See? This is all working out very nicely.

Khadijah, was Synclaire that bad at work?

Look, I gave her a job. She wasn't good at it.

She walked out. What was I to do? Beg her to come back?

I don't think so.

Look, I already found a replacement.

Well, I guess business is business.

That's right, and this is for the best.

Maybe now Synclaire will stop leaning on me

and stand up for herself.

Khadijah, I have something to say to you.

So listen up, miss missy.

I could use a letter of recommendation

at your convenience.

I thank you.

[upbeat music]

Ah, Synclaire James, why don't you have a seat?

‐ Tell me a bit about yourself. ‐ Okay.

Well, I was born in Minneapolis‐‐.

Let's start a little later.

Oh, well, in junior high, I ran for‐‐.

Later.

‐ Well, this morning, I had‐‐ ‐ Earlier.

Well, when I first got to New York, I‐‐.

On my way over here..

‐ On my last job‐‐ ‐ Right there.

Great. Well, I was the executive assistant

to the publisher of a magazine.

Now we're getting somewhere.

But I'd, uh, rather not talk about that right now.

Sure, why talk about work experience at a job interview.

Perhaps you, uh, have a resume?

Notice the high quality paper.

Oh, retail output processor.

You were a cashier.

And a darn good one. Watch this.

Clean up on isle seven. Check please.

Managers in the front, please.

Bag boy. Price check. Price check.

You know, Miss James, I‐I think‐‐.

Oh, Mr. Larson, please don't say it.

Please, please don't say it.

Don't say, "Don't call us, we'll call you."

That's the kiss of death.

We'll keep in touch.

Yes.

Good morning, Eunetta. Welcome to Flavor.

I prefer Mrs. Ryan in the workplace.

Oh, we're pretty informal around here‐‐.

Mrs. Ryan.

You‐kay, Mrs. Ryan. Is there any mails?

Initial here, please.

Excuse me?

Nothing leaves my desk unless it's signed out.

But it's my mail.

Yes, dear. Sign here, please.

[telephone rings]

Flavor.

Hold please.

Will there be anything else?

Well, maybe you can answer the phone with a little more warmth.

Of course.

Flavor.

Much better.

I'll connect you to that department.

You seem to have everything under control.

I do have one question.

What is this?

Oh, that's a troll.

He's supposed to spread joy and happiness throughout the office.

Yes.

Well, that's my job now.

[upbeat music]

I got a job.

I'm working at the Turkey Burger Hut.

Congratulations.

And I love their slogan too.

"Take Your Beef Somewhere Else."

Yup. We have a song too.

Don't.

Question.

What's the secret for making the gobble shake so thick?

We add a dash of real milk in each one.

That's why they stay on top.

‐ Hey, girl. ‐ Hey, yo.

Hey! How'd your first day with your new assistant go?

She's efficient, she's organized..

Girl, she got that office running

like a well‐oiled machine.

She's driving you crazy, huh?

I just want to rip the hair off her chintz.

So why don't you just get rid of her.

And look like I can't keep an assistant?

Oh, no, I'm not coming out of this one looking stupid.

Hey, guess what? I got a job.

So I see.

Hey, has anyone asked you why you crossed the road today?

[laughing]

Hardy‐har‐har. I'm laughing.

For your FYI, I am a turkey, not a chicken.

Hey, hey, either way, girl, you are poultry with a paycheck.

Yes.

And there's more.

I only worked four hours and they promoted me

to the assistant manager.

Sounds like things are working out pretty well for both of us.

My new assistant..

I can't say enough about her.

Let me tell ya, at the Turkey Hut..

I'm climbing to the top.

As Max once told me, "Doesn't matter who you step on

if you're not coming back down."

I said that?

I like it. Yeah.

So, Synclaire, are you really happy?

Yeah.

Leaving Flavor was the best thing

I could've done for myself.

At the Turkey Hut, I rediscovered something

I was beginning to lose.

My dignity. Goodnight all.

[telephone rings]

Flavor.

I'll give her the message.

Whoopi Goldberg has agreed to do your cover.

Whoopi agreed to do the cover?

Woo! Whoopi agreed to do the cover.

Aren't you excited?

If I had my leotard, I'd do a handspring.

Synclaire would get excited.

Oh, may I help you?

I just came to get something from my desk.

‐ You must be Synclaire. ‐ That's correct.

I came by to officially say goodbye.

Well, this is a picture of my dog, it's official.

Goodbye.

Synclaire?

Hi, Khadijah.

Uh, Miss James

I can't find the correspondence file anywhere.

Here you go.

I've been trying to figure out your filing system.

It's not chronological. It's not alphabetical.

What is it?

It's emotional.

The things Khadijah loves to hear about, I keep in the front.

Things that bother her, I keep in the middle.

The things that really get on her nerves

I keep out of her reach.

Really? You know that much about how I feel?

Khadijah. You've been my cousin almost my whole life.

I always know how you are feeling.

Like right now.

You're a little surprised and impressed, right?

Lucky guess.

So this old place hasn't changed much

in the last two days, huh?

You miss it, huh?

Why do you ask?

Well, I was thinkin', maybe if things don't work out

at Turkey Hut, you could come back here.

‐ On a trial basis. ‐ Are you offering me a job?

Are you saying you want a job?

Are you saying you'll give me more responsibility

a raise and a title?

How does vice president of inter‐office affairs sound?

Sounds good.

Do I get a raise?

Oh, it comes with a salary review.

How does that work?

Well, you remember what you used to make?

‐ Yeah. ‐ We just reviewed your salary.

Deal.

I guess you can give notice to Turkey Hut when you get back.

Oh, I got the day off.

Actually, I got everyday off.

When I found out turkey nuggets were all nugget no turkey

I couldn't keep silent.

When could you?

Synclaire, you might not be the best secretary in the world

but you do bring a certain something to this place.

A certain happiness and cheer.

No, that's the trolls.

‐ But you do bring the trolls. ‐ Hey!

And the best part, I get to fire Mrs. Ryan.

You probably have a lot of things to do.

Why don't you let the new veep handle it?

I'll hug you later.

You, uh, got a minute?

I'm really busy. Can you make it brief?

Certainly, you're fired.

Says who?

Says the VP of, uh, inter‐office affairs.

Excuse me. You're at our desk.

Well.

Max, this is the last time I'mma let you pick out movies.

Presumed Innocent?

The Verdict?

Legal Eagles?

Well, tomorrow, we'll rent House Party 2

and you'll be happy.

Hey, hey. Hey, Khadijah. You're home early.

Synclaire gave me the day off.

I knew you'd hire her back.

Well, she promised me she'd take on more responsibility.

Matter of fact, she's at the office right now closing up.

Aw. Well, good for Synclaire.

Good for you and good for the rent.

Now, if I could get Max to pay for all the time

she spends here, I could live here rent‐free.

I pay with my advice.

Hey, hey.

Always lock the door.

Khadijah, you mind if I watch TV with you?

Overton is upstairs enhancing our remote.

‐ Go and grab some couch. ‐ Cool.

So... I hear you hired Synclaire back.

‐ When, you see her? ‐ I‐I didn't.

But they're all abuzz at the Turkey Hut.

They're just giving away nuggets.

Hey, everybody.

Khadijah, the office is locked up tight.

‐ Did you turn everything off? ‐ Yes, Khadijah.

‐ The lights? ‐ Yes, Khadijah.

The copy machine, the computers?

Yes, Khadijah. Yes, Khadijah. Relax.

I even flipped that little switch by your desk.

The silent alarm?

I didn't hear anything.

‐ Welcome back, Synclaire. ‐ Oops!

(Synclaire) 'Here's your mail. Lalala lalalala.'

'Hey! I want a promotion.'

(Khadijah) 'You can't handle a promotion.'

(Synclaire) 'Well, then I quit.'

'Lalala lalalala.'

(Khadijah) 'Oh, Mrs. Ryan.'

[growls]

'Hey, Synclaire, you weren't so bad after all.'

(Synclaire) 'Lalala. I wasn't? Lalala.'

(Khadijah) 'You're fired.'

[wailing]

(Synclaire) 'Hey, let me close up, huh?'

(Khadijah) 'Don't touch the alarm.'

(Synclaire) 'A‐ah!'

(male ♫1) 'Yes.'