Bottle Rocket Scene 3

[INT. CAR. DAY]

[Anthony stretches out across the backseat on pillows, playing electronic football. Dignan reads Bob's WWII book. Bob eats a Ding-Dong and smokes a cigarette.]

[EXT. FIREWORKS STAND. DAY]

[A fireworks stand on the side of the highway. The car's pulled over and they're buying roman candles, M-80's, and Black Cats from a KID wearing a baseball cap way back on his head. As they get back on the highway Anthony lights a roman candle and fires it from the window. Dignan lights an M-80 and throws it out of the car.]

[EXT. LAKE. DAY]

[They drive to a big lake. A dog splashes in and swims for a tennis ball. Anthony does some nice dives. Dignan swings from a rope out over the water and lets go. Bob sits on a bench.]

[EXT. CAR. DAY]

[Late afternoon. They're driving on the interstate. Anthony's got a copy of Runner's World magazine.]

ANTHONY: Here's mine right here. See?

[Anthony lifts up his foot so Dignan can compare his shoe with the picture.]

DIGNAN: See if mine are in there.

ANTHONY *looks at Dignan's shoes*: Dignan, those aren't running shoes.

DIGNAN: Yes, they are.

ANTHONY: Look at the treads on those.

DIGNAN: What about them?

ANTHONY: They obviously weren't designed for racing.

DIGNAN: Well, those treads stink. You'd blow a knee out racing on those.

BOB: Will you guys shut up? God. It's like having two little kids in the car.

ANTHONY: OK, Dad.

DIGNAN: Really. OK, Dad. But seriously, Anthony. These are fast shoes.

ANTHONY: You've never had a pair of fast shoes in your life, Dignan. *to Bob* In fifth grade Dignan used to wear cowboy boots for P.E.

DIGNAN: That's real cool, Anthony. Yeah, I wore boots. My parents wouldn't buy me any $200 running shoes like yours. I wasn't spoiled.

ANTHONY: Don't call me spoiled, Dignan.

DIGNAN: You were spoiled rotten.

BOB: Enough. Jesus Christ.

[EXT. SIDE OF HIGHWAY. DAY]

[Anthony and Dignan are lined up to race on the side of the road.]

ANTHONY *yelling*: You want to say it, Bob?

[Fifty yards away, Bob's sitting on the hood of the car parked on the shoulder. He's reading a magazine. He shakes his head without looking up.]

ANTHONY: I'll just say it.

DIGNAN: I'll say it.

ANTHONY: OK. Go ahead.

DIGNAN: On your marks...*waits a second, says very fast:* Get set go.

[They take off. Dignan has the jump, but Anthony pulls past him. A car blows by going the other way and they keep racing. Anthony's out in front as they pass Bob sitting on the car. Bob's watching. Dignan raises his fists into the air.]

DIGNAN *points at Anthony*: You owe me fifty bucks.

ANTHONY: Bob?

BOB: Anthony won.

[Bob gets in the car.]

DIGNAN: Bob wasn't even looking.

[EXT/INT. MOTEL. DAY]

[A Holiday Inn. Bandera, TX. Bob's car is parked in front. Inside: Dignan, Bob, and Anthony are checking in. There's a teenage GIRL behind the counter. Dignan pays cash. The girl hands over the keys. She's looking at Dignan's shirt:]

GIRL: Was that shirt made from a towel?

DIGNAN: What?

GIRL *seeing his reaction*: It's just terrycloth, isn't it?

DIGNAN: Yeah. I think so.

[EXT. MOTEL. DAY]

[They're walking along the balcony, looking for their room. Anthony has on his backpack. Dignan's got his tennis bag. Bob's got two large suitcases, a carry-on, and a garment bag.]

ANTHONY: Look, man. She didn't know anything about shirts.

DIGNAN: No, I'm not saying her. I'm just saying, I don't know.

ANTHONY: It's a great shirt. Don't worry about it.

[They find the room and unlock the door.]

[INT. CAR. NIGHT]

[Driving in a small town. Bob's behind the wheel. Dignan's in front. Anthony's in back.]

DIGNAN: Armored trucks are very difficult to steal, Anthony.

ANTHONY: I know. But once you get inside you're home free.

DIGNAN: Right.. Get back to me on that one. Once your plan is worth a shit.

ANTHONY: It's not a plan. It's just --

DIGNAN: Actually. If you knew the exact route, you could plant explosives under a manhole cover and blow it up as it went over.

ANTHONY: Yeah, but you wouldn't have the truck if you blew it up.

DIGNAN: True.

[There's a car stopped in front of them. A couple of girls are standing beside it, talking to the driver. Bob can't get around.]

DIGNAN: What the fuck is this?

[Dignan leans over and holds down the horn for about five seconds. The guy in the car sticks hi s hand out the window and shoots the finger at them. Dignan sounds dead serious:]

DIGNAN: Ram him, Bob.

[Bob waits for a nervous moment. He does two quick honks. The guy's reverse lights go on.]

DIGNAN: Hit him!

[Bob hits the gas and slams into the car. He puts his car in reverse and backs up a couple of feet. He leans forward and sees the back of the guy's car. It's all smashed up. The guy gets out of his car, shaken up, and looks at them. His expression is confused. Bob punches it and flies backwards down the street. The guy stands beside his car and watches them.]

DIGNAN: Shit, Bob. What the fuck did you do that for?

BOB: He wouldn't move.

[They go around the corner. Bob shifts into first and goes.]

BOB: Is he chasing us?

DIGNAN: I don't know.

ANTHONY: Speed up, Bob.

INT. MOTEL ROOM. NIGHT

[They're unlocking the door. They go inside.]

BOB: You think he got my license plates?

ANTHONY: He looked too shaken-up.

DIGNAN: I'm sure he did. We'll have to get new plates.

BOB: It's registered in my mother's name.

DIGNAN *shakes his head*: What the fuck possessed you?

BOB: You're the one who kept saying ram him.

[Dignan's walking into the bathroom.]

DIGNAN: I meant tap him. As a warning.

[Dignan closes the door. Anthony lies down on one of the beds. Bob just stands there.]

[INT. MOTEL ROOM. MORNING]

[The next day. Dignan and Bob are still asleep. Bob's on a folding bed. Anthony's sitting at the table, reading a newspaper eating some cereal from one of those little boxes where you cut open the sides.]

[EXT. MOTEL POOL. DAY]

[Anthony's swimming laps. He stops and hangs onto the side for a minute. Across the pool he can see a good-looking Mexican MAID about twenty years old standing beside her cart looking at him. He waves. She waves and gets back to work. A little while later. Anthony's sitting in a chair by the pool, letting the sun dry him off. He's wearing just a swimsuit. Dignan and Bob are fully dressed, standing beside him.]

ANTHONY: Dignan, I can't get my hair cut. That's just not possible, all right?

DIGNAN: Then you're going to have to dye it, Anthony. We've got to hide our identities. Especially after Bob crashed the car.

[Bob has no reaction to this.]

ANTHONY: No, Dignan. I'm sorry. I can't do that.

DIGNAN: Even if it's the difference between some trooper recognizing us and throwing us in prison or not?

[Silence.]

DIGNAN: Well, Bob, Samson has decided that his hair is more important than our safety. *screaming* My friend, that is a reckless decision! Let's go, Bob.

[Dignan starts walking away.]

DIGNAN: Bob. Are you coming?

BOB: See you in a little while.

ANTHONY: See you, Bob.

[INT. MOTEL ROOM. DAY]

[Anthony's wearing a bathrobe, sitting on one of the beds. The maid unlocks the door and looks inside. She sees Anthony and starts to go back out.]

ANTHONY: No, it's OK. Come on in.

[She goes in and starts cleaning up. Anthony sits down in one of the chairs and makes conversation.]

ANTHONY: It's hot out, isn't it? Yeah. This is a nice little town. So, what, do you do all these rooms yourself? Or what? I'm Anthony.

[He puts out his hand. She shakes it.]

ANTHONY: What's your name?

MAID: Inez.

ANTHONY: Inez?

[She nods.]

ANTHONY: Let me give you a hand with that.

[He helps her make the beds.]

[EXT. MOTEL HALLWAY. DAY]

[Anthony walks with Inez from room to room, helpinq her clean up.]

ANTHONY: How do you say nineteen?

INEZ: Dies y nueve.

ANTHONY: Right. Yeah. Yo soy dies y nueve. How old are you?

[INT. MOTEL ROOM. DAY]

[Inez opens the door to one of the room.. They go in to clean it.]

ANTHONY: Are you ever scared of finding a dead body in one of these rooms?

INEZ *laughs*: No.

ANTHONY: It could happen. This is the exact kind of place where it happens. But I don't want to scare you.

[Anthony picks up a magazine off somebody's suitcase. He flips through it. Inez takes it out of his hands and puts it back on the suitcase.]

[INT. BATHROOM. DAY]

[Inez is putting a new bar of soap in the shower. Anthony picks up some wet towels off the floor. It's cramped in there.]

ANTHONY: People think because they're in a hotel they can act like a slob. It's bad manners.

[Inez takes the towels. She pulls the shower curtain shut.]

ANTHONY: Were you born in Mexico?

INEZ: Cuba.

ANTHONY: Oh, really? That's interesting. Do you prefer Cuba or the United States?

[Inez is trying to get out of the bathroom but Anthony's in the way.]

INEZ: Scuse me.

[EXT. MOTEL HALLWAY. DAY]

[Inez is pushing the cart. Anthony has his hand on the cart.]

ANTHONY: These towels are still warm.

[He picks one up and holds it to his face.]

ANTHONY: I guess from the dryer.

[He hands the towel to Inez. She holds it to her face.]

ANTHONY: I've never met anybody from Cuba before.

[Inez says a few sentences of very fast Spanish. Anthony nods. Inez knocks on the door of a room.]

INEZ: Housekeeping.

[A WOMAN about thirty-five years old opens the door.]

WOMAN: We're just checking out.

[The woman goes back into the room. Inez follows her.]

[INT. MOTEL ROOM. DAY]

[The woman's packing a bag on the bed. Anthony comes in. The woman looks at him. 8he's about to say something when Anthony takes the liner out of the trashcan. The woman's HUSBAND comes out of the bathroom. Anthony picks up some stuff off the floor.]

HUSBAND: Hi.

ANTHONY: Hi.

[Anthony follows Inez into the bathroom. The husband looks at his wife.]

[INT. BARBERSHOP. DAY]

[Diqnan's sitting in the waiting area of a barbershop reading a newspaper. We can see Bob out the window, talking on a pay phone. He hangs up and comes inside.]

DIGNAN: You can go first, Bob.

BOB: My brother's in jail.

DIGNAN: What are you talking about?

[EXT. BARBERSHOP. DAY]

[They're standing next to the spinning striped pole.]

BOB: The weed.

DIGNAN: But it's not his. How can they arrest Future Man?

BOB: They said he's a drug dealer.

[Bob looks off into the distance. Sickened.]

DIGNAN: Those assholes. We got rapes. Murders. Violent crimes every second. And this is what they come up with. *shaking his head* They're just fucking him because he's from a prominent family.