Original subtitles

- He stepped out of bounds.

Throw the flag.

He's out of bounds.

- Don't you shut that door on me, young lady.

- Ally, what happened?

- You get back here.

- No!

- Ally.

- No!

- She won't finish her piano lesson.

- I don't want any stupid lesson!

- Hey.

I'm trying to watch here.

- Marie, what happened?

- Well, I've never had a student like her.

She just slams the piano lid down and runs out of the house.

Is this how you raise your daughter?

- When the game's on, it's her daughter.

- Ally, if you don't take your lesson seriously,

You cannot play the piano.

- Okay.

- You have 20 minutes of arpeggios left today.

Are you coming back across the street or not?

- No! - Uh...

- Hey, ally--

Hey!

- You know, marie, maybe we should just let it go for today.

- Let it go.

Fine.

We can let it all go.

We'll let it all go!

Music.

Culture.

Civilization.

Mozart would have been one of those bang-ganging rapsters.

- Snoop mozie mozart.

- Ally, do you want to tell mommy what's wrong?

Does grandma scare you?

- No.

- Well, then, what is it?

- Piano's boring.

- Boring?

Ally, you've had three lessons.

- Ray, just...

Honey, if you really don't like it

And you don't want to do it anymore,

You don't have to.

- Great!

- That's it?

- What?

- No more piano, just like that?

That's okay?

If she doesn't want to take piano lessons,

We're not going to force her to, are we?

- Well...

I mean, what if she's great at piano?

You got to stick to stuff.

You don't quit after three lessons.

Did I quit asking you to marry me

After three rejections?

No.

No, no.

You don't get anywhere if you quit.

I don't want ally to be...

Like that.

- Ray...

- What?

- Well, I had no idea you'd feel so strongly about it.

I'm glad that you do.

You know, I feel very strongly about it.

You should tell ally that you want her to continue.

- No, wait, wait, please... - Yes, that's great.

- Sweetie, come here. Come here.

- No, I don't want to be the one who forces--

[groans] - come on.

- I was watching the game, that's all.

- Sweetie, daddy and I were talking, and...

Go ahead, ray.

- No, you're doing good.

- Come on. - You're doing good.

You've got a knack for this.

- Hey.

I need a vase.

- You need a vase?

- I broke a vase.

Mom's blue vase.

I'm ironing...

Right? Yeah.

Okay.

Let's go. Vase. Vase.

- What is with you?

- Ma's already upset about...

"the one who quit the lesson."

I don't want to be "the one who broke the vase."

I'm still "the one who broke the bidet."

- Hey, uncle robert, you know what grandma told me?

She sees potential in ally. Huh?

And grandma's a pretty good piano teacher.

She doesn't see potential in just anybody.

- Ha, well, that's true.

She tried to teach me piano when I was a kid,

But I got the nosebleeds.

That's why you'll notice some of the keys

Are still a little discolored.

- Did you take piano, too, daddy?

- Yes. Yes, I did. - You did?

- Yeah. Yeah. We took lessons from grandma.

- So you can play piano?

- No. No, that was, uh...

It was a long time ago.

I...

- Did you quit?

- Ah.

- How's that book?

- It's great. - Yeah.

You like it? - Mm-hmm.

- How long is it?

- Ray, do you want to talk?

- If you want.

- Look, I know you feel bad about ally.

- Well, I mean, how can I tell her not to quit, when...

- When you're a quitter?

- Thanks.

What's that book about-- gelding?

- Nobody would blame you

For not wanting to take piano lessons

From your mother.

I mean, jeez, she gave me a knitting lesson once,

And by the end of it, I wanted to impale myself.

- My mother is not why I quit.

- Well, you know, I'm no shrink,

But of course it is!

- No.

It wasn't her, okay?

It was my father.

He wasn't very...

Supportive.

- He just--he hated the idea of me taking piano lessons.

He thought a boy should be out playing ball

And stuff and...

- What, are you saying, that you miss the piano?

- Well, I don't know, you know?

My mother was a really good teacher.

In fact, I'll tell you, some of the best times we had

Were at the piano.

She was different there, you know,

'cause she-- she loved the music,

And that just made her...

Nice.

What the hell was that?

- I just can't believe how adorable you are.

I never knew you had all these feelings.

- Don't tell anybody.

[chuckles]

But, yes, I'm full of feelings.

- I have an idea.

- Good.

Oh, wait, wait, wait.

- Take some more piano lessons from your mother.

- What? - Yes!

- No, no, no... - Yes, no, listen.

Not for you-- just to show ally.

Just enough to be able to play a song or...Something.

- No. - You know, to set an example.

- I can't. I can't.

- Sure you can.

- No. Come on! I'm--I'm--

- Are you a quitter?

- Heh.

You know, I'm going to stop being so adorable

If this is what I get.

[vacuum whirring]

- Ma.

[louder] ma.

[clattering]

- [gasps]

What are you doing?

[muttering]

- Have you been lifting weights?

God, you don't need that thing.

Just pick up the house and shake it.

- What do you want from me, huh?

Are you hungry?

I'll make you something to eat.

- No, no, no, I'm not hungry.

Listen, uh...

What are you doing after vacuuming?

- I reload the bag and go again.

- I was wondering if, uh, maybe later on...

If you could maybe give me a piano lesson.

Maybe later.

- What are you doing?

- Nothing. I'm--

- You're-- you're making fun of me?

- No. No--

- You don't think I know the kids make fun of me?

- Nobody's making anything--

- "ha-ha-ha-ha, the old piano lady!"

Yeah, like I'm from the lost world.

Yeah, maybe if more children took piano lessons

Instead of shooting lessons today,

We'd be better off.

- They don't take shooting lessons, ma.

They just shoot.

- Go. Go ahead. Go.

Go buy your kids guns.

That's what they want. - Come on...

- Guns and crack. Go ahead.

You should do whatever they want.

- Mom, listen.

You were right yesterday.

I don't think ally should give up piano so fast,

So I wanted to play something for her

To set an example,

To show her, you know.

And I need a brush-up, a lesson.

- That was 25 years ago, raymond.

- So? We--

We pick up right where we left off.

Come on.

Look at this.

See, I sit here,

You sit there.

Remember?

- I remember.

- So?

Come on, it's still good.

Still nice.

Remember nice?

No yelling.

We break later for a chocolate milk,

Butter cookies.

- You're serious?

- Yeah, yes, yes.

I want to do this, ma.

Ma?

- I knew you'd come back.

Ohh.

Here, get up.

We were working on this piece.

- You kept my music?

- We don't throw out music.

- You got what I was wearing in there?

I think it was bell-bottoms and a vest with fringes.

[laughter]

- Oh, raymond, I'm so happy.

- What's all this?

- Oh, robbie.

Your brother's returned to music.

- Oh?

- You can never turn your back on your talent.

You know, I was thinking of, uh,

Taking up the drums again.

Just got to scoop the kitty litter

Out of the bass drum.

- Oh, that's silly, robbie.

You're a policeman.

- I'm a sergeant.

Come on, shamsky.

Let's go scratch.

- You remember this one?

You almost had it down.

- "theme from love story."

- Good, see?

And your posture's still very good.

Leaning in.

- Sitting up's for the dinner table.

- And relaxed elbows and in.

- We're not flying away.

[laughter]

- Oh, you do remember.

All right, shall we try it?

Now, now, no pressure.

Just take your time.

- Okay, wrists up. - Right, right, right.

- Right, all right. - Okay.

- What--what's that note?

- That's "c."

- "c"?

No, that's not a "c," sweetie.

Does it have a line running through it?

- Yes.

- Well, then how can that be a "c"?

No.

F-a-c-e, face,

Are the ones in the spaces. - Right.

With the line running through it.

You know that.

What's e-g-d-b-f?

- "ellen garvey's behind deserves framing."

- I don't like that, raymond.

- Sorry.

- It's "every girl bakes delicious fudge."

- Or "eric gunsel boinked"--

- Oh, raymond.

- That's how I remember it.

You got the fudge way.

- Get up. - What?

- Well, you're obviously unprepared for this number.

We need a practice book.

- Oh, I hate the practice book.

- Here's the brown one.

- Oh, brown.

- Now, do you want, uh, "pretty polly"

Or "eskimo boy"?

Well?

- "pretty polly." - okay.

Here we go.

Okay?

All right, wrists, posture.

- Ow! Ow!

[singing] pretty polly is a polly

Go ahead, third finger.

- Where?

- "where?"

Get up.

- What? What the-- - oh.

Because it's too hard for you.

You need the purple book.

There.

All right?

What's this note?

- "b."

- Get up.

The orange book.

- Orange? You skipped the blue book.

- You have to earn the blue book.

You don't even know the basics, raymond.

Don't you listen to me when I talk?

- That was 25 years ago!

- And you remembered ellen garvey!

- Her behind deserved framing!

- Oh, you think that's funny, huh?

Well, you listen to me.

There's nothing funny about throwing away your talent.

- Oh, come on, ma. What talent?

- You had talent.

You had potential.

You had sensitivity.

Look at your fingers.

They're beautiful.

- Oh, come on.

Oh, mom!

Ma!

I'll try "eskimo boy."

[groans]

- Oh, hey, ray.

The rat go home?

- Rat?

- Yeah, I heard your mother giving a lesson

To one of her piano rats.

I was hiding out.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, the rat went home.

I hate the sound of a kid on that thing.

[singing] plink, plink, plink

I'm going to chop it into kindling

And put a big vibrating chair right there.

Hey?

- Yeah.

Yeah, that'll sound better,

You bouncing around in a chair.

- You want to watch the jets?

- No, no, no, thanks.

Listen, dad, when I was taking piano lessons as a kid,

How come you never, you know...

- Killed myself?

[chuckling]

[grunts]

- I was--I was gonna say "encouraged me."

- Encouraged your piano lessons?

- Yeah.

- Why the hell would I do that?

I heard some parents were into encouraging, dad.

You know?

Maybe you could've been better about it.

- What in the holy name of crap are you talking about?

You always ragged me about practicing the piano.

And I think that's maybe why I quit.

- Good!

- Good?

I don't think so, dad.

- What are you saying?

Are you saying I didn't do my job by you?

I did my job.

I got you away from that thing.

I got you outside.

Who taught you how to hit, catch, throw?

Who took you to shea stadium?

And, hey, am I mistaken,

Or does somebody here make a decent living now

As a sports writer?

No, I think what you meant to say was,

"thank you, dad."

- I--I could've done music and sports.

- No.

Unless you want to play the organ at shea.

At least those songs are good.

[chuckles]

Hey, you sorry I didn't take you to ballet class?

Hey, I think I did all right by you.

- All right? What did you do, dad?

Maybe I liked the piano, you know?

Maybe I had potential or something.

I don't know, I--

Huh, all right, huh.

- Aw, catch the damn ball, you stinking hump!

- Listen, ma, I'm sorry.

- No, no, no.

I'm the one who's sorry.

I shouldn't have expected you

To remember all those things.

I overreacted.

You know, I have that.

- The overreaction thing.

- For years. - Yeah.

- It's just that--

Ah, never mind.

- What? What? - No.

Sports is so stupid!

I mean, who would've ever dreamed

That a child of mine would end up in sports?

- I like sports. - I know, I know.

And you're very good at it.

- You know what the amazing thing is?

That I can function at all.

- You know, when I was a girl,

I loved the piano.

And my mother wanted me to play, too.

But she--she had these ridiculous expectations for me.

And I--I always disappointed her.

- How?

- Fingers: Short and stubby.

Again the point is that I love music.

And I wanted to impart some of that

To robbie and you.

Except that every time your brother sat down at the piano,

[groans]

- The nosebleeds, yeah.

- I mean, a mother shouldn't be disgusted, but "ecch."

But you, you had an ear.

- Hmm, and fingers.

- Yes.

- Well, I know why I quit. It was dad.

- No, no, no, it wasn't your father.

It was you.

Okay, your father,

His idea of culture is an undershirt with sleeves.

But you know, you were the one who lost interest

In the piano, raymond.

- No, I liked the piano.

- No, you liked the idea of the piano.

- I liked the lessons.

- Mm.

We had nice times.

But you wanted to go with the other boys,

Running and punching and spitting.

[laughs]

What could I do?

I had to let you go.

I didn't want to be my mother.

- Thanks.

Thanks, ma.

- Just know...

You could've been something.

- Thanks.

- Just promise me that even if you don't play,

You'll somehow have music.

It is so important to have music.

- Hey, any more pretzels or what?

- You got legs?

I'm not your damn slave girl!

- Girl?

Ha!

- Ha?

Oh, I'll give you "ha."

- Ma, ma, ma,

So you want to try giving me a couple more lessons?

- Why?

You don't have to do it for me, raymond.

- I know. It's--it's for ally.

I want her to have music, too.

- Ohh, raymond.

- All right, okay.

- Oh, raymond, you're so sweet.

- Daddy, I got your pretzels.

[playing "theme from love story"]

[music pauses]

[music resumes]

[music concludes]

- Oh! - Oh, that was good.

- Oh.

Whoo.

[applause]

- So, ally, what do you think?

- Nice.

- Who wants to play t-ball?

- Play t-ball. - Me! Me!

- Everybody, come on, come on.

Come on, come on.

Come on. Come on.

- 1, 2...

[drumsticks clicking]

[upbeat drum music]

Nosebleed!