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 Screenplay Written by Matthew Tolbert ”Man(ny) Versus Machine”
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First 10 pages:
Fade in:
INT. Manny'S home - KITCHEN - DAY
Present
day. MANNY DECKARD is an attractive, creative, driven, tightly-wound man around
his late twenties / early thirties. Manny has wet hair and a piece of
toilet-paper on his face where he cut himself shaving.
He
strikes a coffee machine with his golf club, bashing it in anger. Coffee covers
the kitchen counter where the coffee missed the pot.
Narrator (V.O.)
Manny Deckard has never been mechanically inclined.
Int. Manny's old home - family room - day
Manny
as a baby swings happily in an electric baby swing. Nearby WALLY DECKARD,
Manny's father, a wimpy man with small-man syndrome, happily sits in his
favorite chair reading his favorite newspaper.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Manny would often joke that all the machines were out to get
him.
The
swing suddenly stops. Baby Manny's whimper turns into a loud cry. Wally raises
his newspaper higher, trying to shield him from the sight and sound. EVE
DECKARD, Manny's loving mother and a bossy wife, yells from the other room.
Eve (O.S.)
Wally! The swing is stuck again. I thought you fixed it.
Wally
ducks then tosses the newspaper down. He stomps over to the swing. The baby
still screams. Wally strikes the swing's mechanical box. The chair slowly moves
back and forth again. The baby sees this, giggles and hits the swing as well.
Both laugh.
The
swing slowly sways backward as far as it can. Suddenly it shoots forward firing
the baby across the room. O.S. The baby crashes and
screams as the empty chair resumes a normal swing.
Wally
(yells to his wife)
It's working now, honey bunny.
INT. manNY'S OLD HOME - kitchen - day
Wally
playfully puts fruit and juice in a blender making three-year-old Manny giggle.
Eve drinks coffee and talks on the phone.
Wally
puts the lid on and turns on the blender. All the juice and fruit erupt,
spewing juice everywhere in the kitchen, including on the three of them. Manny
laughs as Wally turns the blender off. Eve gets angry but Wally turns to her
before she can scream.
Wally
Now snookums, it wasn't my fault. The
blender did it on purpose.
Eve
(screams)
Or maybe you didn't have the lid on tight. Clean this up, klutz.
Eve
stamps out of the room. Wally grabs a towel and wipes Manny's face.
Wally
Machines don't like people, son. Especially
me. They'll embarrass you unless you show them who's boss.
Wally
makes a fist and slugs the blender. Wally shows his fist to Manny.
Wally (CONT'D)
I always say, "slug it or unplug
it."
Manny
laughs and walks over to the blender. He makes a fist and hits it softly. They
both laugh. Eve screams at Wally from the other room.
Eve (O.S.)
It doesn't sound like you're cleaning up in there. And don't
forget to take the garbage out this time.
Int. Manny's old home - family room - day
As a
young child, Manny plays with his stuffed toy, a platypus. Wally reads his
favorite newspaper again in his favorite chair.
Every
time Manny shakes the toy platypus, it giggles and moves its arms and legs. He
shakes it again but nothing happens. Manny whimpers. He looks at his father,
who winks at him and shows his fist.
Wally
Slug it or unplug it.
Manny
laughs, makes a fist and hits the toy. The platypus seems to look back at Manny
then kicks him in his groin. Manny cries out. Wally raises the newspaper
higher.
Eve (o.S.)
Wally!
Int. Manny's old home - living room - day
Eight-year-old
Manny plays with his new toy train set in front of the decorated Christmas
tree. Wally and Eve affectionately watch their son. As the train goes around
the track, Manny gets bored and plays with his super hero action figure.
Manny
takes the super hero and pretends the toy will stop the train. Instead the
train picks up speed, goes off the track, and smashes into the wall. Sparks fly
and catch the Christmas tree on fire as Manny watches in astonishment. Wally
looks at an angry Eve and points to the burning train.
Wally
See? The train was jealous, poopsie.
Eve
Wally! Shut up and get the fire extinguisher. You are such an
ignoramus.
Int. mANNY'S OLD HOME - manny's bedroom - night
Wally
reads "I, Robot" to a grade school Manny as he lies in his bed, ready
to go to sleep. A wide-eyed Manny fears what he has heard.
Wally
See Manny, this is why you can't trust anything mechanical. They
plan to take over the world. We must stop them and show them who's boss. People created them and people need to control them.
Wally
makes a fist. Manny looks around then slowly makes a fist too.
Wally (CONT'D)
It's you and me against the mechanical world. Be strong like me.
MaNNY
I want to be like you Dad.
Wally
We are the dominators of the terminators, defiances against appliances. We're...
Eve (O.S.)
(interrupts)
Wally! It's bedtime. Put the kid to bed and come hold my yarn
while I knit.
Wally
Remember, machines are living creatures that have human
feelings. Unlike your mother.
InT. manny's old home - Garage - day
An
eleven-year-old Manny and Wally work in the garage at the workbench. Wally shows
him how to hammer a nail into a piece of wood. A number of bandages cover
Manny's fingers. Nervously, Wally holds the nail as Manny raises the hammer.
NaRRATOR (V.O.)
Some say Manny's just clumsy. Others say he has poor hand-eye
coordination. Others fear for their lives.
Wally
prays silently as the hammer comes down smashing Wally's shoulder. Wally cries
out in pain.
InT. manny's old Home - Garage - day
Manny
returns to the workbench with his hammer, wearing goggles and a hard-hat. A
nail stands partially nailed into the small piece of wood, waiting on the
workbench. Wally stands way back, hiding behind the family car. Both have
bandages on their fingers and a sling holds Wally's arm that got hit by the
hammer.
Manny looks at Wally, who gives him the thumbs up. Manny whimpers. He raises
the hammer and slams it down, hitting the edge of the nail and the wood. The
wood bounces up and hits Manny in the nose. The nail ricochets off the wood, flying around the garage, bouncing off the walls until
it finally plunges into Wally's other shoulder.
Wally
Ow! Son of a...
Eve (O.S.)
(interrupts)
Wally!
InT. manny's old home - family room - dAY
Thirteen-year-old
Manny watches football on the TV by himself in the family room.
NARRATOR (V.O.)
And like his father, Manny would blame machines when things went
wrong for him. Like the computer ate his homework. And like his father, no one
ever bought it.
The
picture suddenly becomes fuzzy. Manny gets upset, walks over and hits the set.
The image comes back but it's now a pornography film.
Just
then his GRANDFATHER and GRANDMOTHER walk into the room with Eve. They are
shocked to see this and Manny tries to cover the TV screen with his body.
Manny
The TV did this on its own.
Grandfather
Looks like it's time for the talk, Eve.
Eve
gets angry.
Eve
(yells)
Wally!
Ext. High school tennis courts - day
HIGH
SCHOOL KIDS play tennis. A ball machines fires practice rounds. After a few
rounds, a TEEN exits the court. Teen Manny and other PLAYERS line up behind him
against a fence.
Manny
walks on the court and the machine fires the ball to him. He hits it across the
court. Another ball shoots from the machine. This time Manny hits it back but
it strikes the tennis ball machine. The other teenage boys laugh and clap.
Manny smiles. He gets ready for the next ball. The machine waits, nothing
happens. Suddenly it blasts the ball and strikes Manny in the head, sending him
flying to the ground. The kids laugh even harder.
EXT. ROAD ON A HILLSIDE - NIGHT
High
school Manny and his high school GIRLFRIEND park in his car overlooking the
city lights. She wears a prom dress, he a tux. They passionately kiss while
listening to music from the car radio.
Manny
reaches over and pushes the button that reclines her seat. She giggles as he
grins and flutters his eyebrows. The seat suddenly stops halfway. Manny pushes
the seat's button many times, finally striking it with force. The seat suddenly
falls straight back.
Manny
falls on top of her as the radio suddenly plays loudly and the horn honks. As
he awkwardly tries to get up, a police car pulls up behind them.
Girlfriend
I hope my dad's not on duty tonight.
A large COP steps up to their window, surprised to see his
daughter.
GIRLFRIEND (CONT'D)
Hi Daddy.
Cop
removes his baton, looks at Manny.
Cop
Step out of the car, punk.
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S FRONT YARD - DAY
Eighteen-year-old
Manny mows a lawn of a neighbor's house with an electric lawn mower. A
beautiful, well-groomed blooming garden surrounds the lawn. The mower spits out
grass underneath since the bag is full. Instead of emptying it, Manny just
shakes the mower, bouncing it up and down.
MANNY
Give me a break! I'm almost done.
A
NEIGHBOR WOMAN walks up to him, hands him money as he stops the still-running
lawn mower. As Manny takes the money, the lawn mower slowly moves forward. He
grabs the handle and tries to pull it to a stop but the mower keeps inching
closer to the flowers, dragging Manny with it. The woman screams as the mower
mows down the flower bed. Flower debris fills the air.
The
mower stops in the garden. The angry woman walks over and grabs the money from
Manny's hand as he lies on the fallen flowers.
Int. College dorm ROOM - night
Manny
plays video games in his dorm room with BOB, his college roommate. They watch
the violent action on a television screen. Both compete with much excitement
and touting. Bob laughs since he's winning. Manny moves the controller around
with wild gestures.
TELEVISION
reads: "Winner: Big Bad Bob"
Bob
jumps up in excitement and does a victory dance that includes wiggling his butt
in Manny's face. Manny angrily throws the controller, striking Bob's butt. The
game turns off and the television screen goes blank except--
TELEVISION
reads: "Game over. All scores erased."
MANNY
Sorry Big Bad Bob.
Bob
You're so dead.
Ext. College stadium - day
Graduation day. All the students dress in their caps and gowns. One by one they
walk up the stage to get their degrees. The PROFESSOR, an elderly man wearing
thick glasses, announce each graduate's name in the microphone on the podium.
The graduates walk across the stage, get their degrees, shake the professor's
hand and walk off.
Eve and
Wally sit proudly in the audience, pointing to Manny as he walks up to get his
degree. The professor goes to announce Manny's name but the sound doesn't work.
He taps the microphone repeatedly. Wally shows his fist to Manny. Manny stops on the stage and whispers toward the microphone.
MANNY
(whispers)
Don't even think about it.
The
professor hears Manny, turns toward him, confused.
MANNY (CONT'D)
(whispers)
I'll take you down if you mess with me today.
Professor
Excuse me?
Suddenly
the microphone produces loud feedback. All the glasses in the area crack or
explode, including the professor's glasses.
Int. Sal's office - day
Los
Angeles. SAL SWIFT, the Creative Director and President for
his advertising agency, Sal Ads. Sal, a solemn, sad-looking middle-aged
man, looks tired and out of shape. Sal's office appears very bland except for a
number of dead plants throughout the office. Each plant has a numbered sign
sticking out of the pot saying "Fun with Dead Plants #1." His office
overlooks downtown Los Angeles.
A
twenty-two-year-old Manny rushes into his office and shakes Sal's hand.
MaNNY
Nice to meet you, Mr. Swift. Sorry I'm late. It seems
like all the lights turned red on my drive.
Sal
solemnly looks at a nervous Manny.
MANNY (CONT'D)
Don't get me wrong, I love Los Angeles and I'm very excited over
the opportunity to work for your advertising agency, Sal Ads.
Sal
Yeah, okay. Sit down, kid. I see you were top of your class at
the art institute.
Manny
sits down on his cell phone in his back pocket. Manny shifts his butt to make
it more comfortable, squashing the phone more. The phone plays some sappy song.
An embarrassed Manny reaches under his butt and turns
it off. Sal looks at him oddly.
Sal (CONT'D)
Can we do this interview without any interruptions?
Manny
Sorry, I thought I had turned it off. It's off now.
The
phone plays again, this time a death-march song. Manny reaches around, tapping
his back pocket continually, looking like he's scratching his butt. Sal waits
and watches.
Manny (CONT'D)
Definitely off this time.
Sal
My agency offers mental health benefits.
(beat)
I looked through your portfolio and it's impressive, especially
for a kid your age.
When
the phone rings, Manny bounces up and down in his chair, trying to turn it off.
The phone finally breaks. Manny smiles, blushes while Sal
just watches him, expressionless.
Sal (CONT'D)
We also offer workers' compensation, kid.
Ext. Manny's Apartment building - day
Manny,
FRIENDS, Bob, Wally, and Eve move his furniture and possessions into a small
moving truck parked in the driveway. The truck has an automatic lift at the
back, lowered to the ground. Manny stands on it with some boxes and Wally hands
him a chair.
Wally
I'm so proud of you, son o' mine, especially since you followed
in my footsteps.
MaNNY
I've always looked up to you, Dad and if being an art director
is good enough for my old man, it's good enough for me. Sal said it was the
weirdest interview he's ever had and that I'd fit right in.
Wally
Who knows? Maybe one day you'll win the big CLIO Advertising
Award that I always tried for. That's like winning an Oscar in the ad world.
MANNY
I'll do it for you.
Wally
pushes the button to raise the lift.
MANNY (CONT'D)
But I have to buy him a new chair.
(beat)
And a new paper-shredder.
(beat)
And a new tie.
The
lift slowly moves upward then stops halfway. Manny jumps up and down to get the
lift to drop as his dad continually hits the button. The lift slowly moves
downward and then stops.
MANNY (CONT'D)
Just like you taught me, Dad. Slug it or...
Suddenly
the lift shoots up, throwing Manny, his boxes and chair into the back of the
truck. There's a loud thud as they hit the back of the trailer and Manny's body
pushes out the wall.
Wally
Please don't tell your mother.
Int. Manny's office - day
Manny
excitedly unpacks boxes, settling into his office. He hangs up art awards he has received. His
window overlooks Los Angeles. Manny holds a box with more of his things.
Sal
walks in with ROBBY MUFFIT, a fun-loving sports fanatic dressed in a NHL Penguin
jersey and a Dodger baseball hat. (Robby always dresses in a variety of sport
clothes of all types of sports from all different cities).
Sal
Kid, this is another kid. Robby's going to be your partner in
crime. He's as good a copywriter as we can afford.
Manny
puts the box down on top of his phone and shakes Robby's hand.
Robby
Hi Manny. Sal says you have an impressive portfolio. Usually he
doesn't give compliments or use such big words.
ManNY
Nice to meet you, Robby. So, you're into sports I see.
ROBBY
(smirks)
Why do people keep saying that? When you unpack, let's grab some
lunch. Have your peeps call my peeps and we'll have
peeps for lunch.
MaNNY
Sounds good.
Robby
and Sal walk off. Manny's office phone rings. He excitedly moves the box off it
and picks up the receiver.
Manny (CONT'D)
Manny Deckard, brand new Art Director.
He
winches as he hears the screeching sound of a fax machine. He slams the
receiver down and yells.
MANNY (CONT'D)
Give me a break! It's my first day.
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