AUTUMN IN NEW YORK [2000]

He taught her how to live

She taught him how to love

Will: It's got nothing to do with you.

Lyn: Really?

Will: Really. I can only offer you what we've got, right now, just this.

Until it's over and it will be over.

I could've put off telling you but it wouldn't be fair, so...

Lynn: I don't understand this.

How can you be so sure? It's only been a few weeks!

Feelings change, situations evolve. You don't even really know me.

Will: Maybe not, but I know me. I'm sorry.

[when Will leaning to her]

 Will: Close enough?

Charlotte: Yes. I was hoping gravity would do the rest.

I can smell the rain.

When did I learn how to do that?

What should we do, Will, with this moment that we're in?

~Charlotte Fielding

Will: This isn't right. You... You are...

Charlotte: Young.

Will: Yes, and I am...

Charlotte: Old.

Will: Older.

Charlotte: Much older.

Will: Alright, much older.

The point is, I could put this off, but I genuinely like you.

So I want to be clear from the start, so there's no confusion later on, okay?

What I want to say to you is that all I'm able to offer you 

is this, what we have right now. Nothing more. Until it ends.

What I mean is, we have no future.

Charlotte: I know.

I'm sick.

Will: What do you mean?

Charlotte: It's my heart. Nobody even thought I'd last this long.

I could've put off telling you but I genuinely like you.

And I wanted to be clear right from the start

so there was no chance for any confusion later.

Dolly: What can I say, Will? Time is a thief.

One day you're rich as an Arab. 

Next day you're lucky if you can afford pistachio nuts.

[Will took a photograph of Katie]

It's funny. Most of us are young for what, about a minute and a half?

Not Katie. Katie will be young forever. So will the guy she married.

I console myself with that idea sometimes.

Who'd have thought what time had in store for her.

Will: I'm sorry, I should have called after the accident.

Dolly: On the other hand, time is in love with some people.

Like you, for instance. You look exactly the same.

Will: Please...

Dolly: Handsome. And up to your old tricks, looks like to me.

Leave her alone, Will. 

Will: We're totally wrong for each other, I know. I could be your father.

Charlotte: I prefer Uncle.

Will: Do you think we should break this off?

Charlotte: Afraid you might feel something?

Well, look at it this way.

We can have it real, which we both know is way better.

And you wouldn't have to pay full price, 

because in a year or so I'd be just a sob story you could use to bag more chicks.

Will: That is pathetic characterization.

Charlotte: I'm way out front in the love race.

Will: What? Love is not a race.

Charlotte: Our love is.

Will: Our love?

Charlotte: Yes, we're going for it, aren't we?

Will: I'm a food guy. Why don't you ask me about food?

Charlotte: Why are you the food guy? What is it about food?

Will: Food is the only beautiful thing that truly nourishes.

Charlotte: Is that a quote?

Will: That's me.

Will: Look, I never pretended to be what I'm not.

Charlotte: Why?

Will: Why? Alright, fine, why? 

Because I felt like it! Because nothing stopped me!

Charlotte: What about love?

Will: Why do you have to be so juvenile?! 

It was nothing! It was nothing! It meant nothing!

If I could be different... I would.

Charlotte: What about love?

Will: You know what? 

This was all wrong. This was a mistake, right from the beginning.

You're a kid, I'm a creep.

You've got better things to do with your last... with your time, then spend it with a man like me.

Charlotte: You never talk to me. You never tell me what to do.

Dolly: Charlotte, take a good look at me. You want me to tell you what to do?

Charlotte: Yes! You're my family! You're my family.

You're supposed to take care of me.

John: Don't bullshit me, what did you do?

Will: I had sex with Lynn McHale up on your roof.

John: You're kidding me?

Will: No, I'm not kidding you.

Charlotte found out. Now she's gone. Totally.

John: I'm really sorry you did that.

Will: I blew it.

John: You can't get her back?

Will: I blew it.

John: So?

Will: So, I just go back to the way I was.

John: How are you gonna do that?

Will: It's just gonna get worse. The more attachment on both sides, leading to what?

Is now or later, right?

I leave her a few months from now, she... No, this is better. This is much better.

[lean on John] I wish the fuck I'd never met her.

John: I hate to tell you, but there's only 2 kinds of love stories.

Boy loses girl, girl loses boy, that's it. Somebody always get left behind.

Try and avoid that, you'll end up an old man looking at the mirror toasting yourself an eggnog at Christmas.

Will: I don't care!

John: You're going to die in your own arms!

Will: I don't care! I want it over with now!

Lisa: I really just wanted to meet you. And maybe... I don't know...

Will: What? Tell me.

Lisa: It's not big deal.

I've always had a fantasy that you were looking for me.

And all you really wanted was to say that you were sorry.

Will: Lisa, I am.

Will: I need to talk to you.

Charlotte: I think you've wasted enough of my time.

Will: What I did was very wrong. And stupid.

I have no excuses.

I did what I did because I was scared.

Charlotte: You were a coward!

Will: Can you forgive me?

Charlotte: You betrayed me! For what? Because you got the shakes?

Will: I was scared.

Charlotte: You don't think I'm scared?!

You don't think I'm hanging onto my courage by my fingernails?!

[Will try to hug her]

Don't touch me! Get away from me! Get out of here! Just go!

You're not good enough.

Will: I know... I know I'm not.

Can you let me love you? Please?

Please, please let me try again.

Will: She doesn't have long. Weeks. Maybe less.

Lisa: And they can't do anything for her?

Will: No, her doctor says when it's hopeless at the end, surgery could be an option.

Heroic surgery, she calls it.

That's why I'm out looking for someone to make sure that when the times comes,

it's a hero that performs it.

I haven't found anybody yet though.

I can't find anybody who's even willing to attempt it. I will!

I'm going to find someone because I can't lose her!

It won't happen. She's too young.

I'm sorry. I'm here, but I have no right to be here. 

There's no excuse for what I did to you, Lisa. 

You were my child. You needed me.

I'm so sorry.

Charlotte: What's more important is, what do you want for Christmas?

Will: No, you already gave me my present.

Charlotte: I forgot. Did you like it? [Will nod] What was it again?

Will: Misery, heartbreak, pain, happiness, love, life.

Charlotte: I remember now.

Will, hug her: What can I give you?

Charlotte: More of this.

Charlotte: What were you doing in Ohio?

Will: I had a meeting with heart specialist. He's willing to operate.

Charlotte: That's exactly what I didn't want you to do.

You went behind my back. You lied to me. This is what we talked about...

Will: Cut it out! Stop!

Charlotte: No, we talked about that!

Will: You do not want to die! You want to live!

Charlotte: You think I haven't been through this? So many times!

I don't want to give people hope when there isn't any.

Will: Why not? Maybe we need hope.

Maybe I need to know that I've done everything that I could do.

Charlotte: What would I do, Will, if you weren't here?

Where would I be, seriously?

Will: You'll never have to worry about that.

Charlotte: I'll do whatever I have to do.

I'll tear up the papers, I'll tell the doctors. Whatever you want.

Cause I really want... I don't want to leave you.

Will: "Time cannot break the bird's wing from the bird.

The bird and wing together, go down, one feather.

No thing that ever flew, not the lark, not you, can die as others do."

Charlotte: What have I done to you?

Will: You ruined me for other women.

Charlotte: I saved you for them.

*****

TWO WEEKS NOTICE [2002]

 A comedy about love at last glance

Lucy: Mr. Wade? Hi, I'm Lucy Kelson. I'm an attorney.

George: Have you ever heard heard of Saint-Tropez Law School? 

Lucy: No.

George: What a shame.

Where did you go to aw school?

Lucy: Harvard.

George: Harvard?

Lucy: Yes.

George: Intriguing. Tell me more, what's your background?

Lucy: I don't see how that's relevant. I work for the Coalition for the Homeless.

At Legal Aid.

George: That can't pay much.

Lucy: I'm not very interested in money.

Lucy: You couldn't possibly want me.

I've spent my life working against people like you.

George: Maybe if you work for me, you'll win occasionally.

Lucy: I, I don't...

George: I need an answer immediately. Here is my direct number at The Grand Hotel.

Lucy: You live at a hotel?

George: Well, I own the hotel and I live there. My life is very much like Monopoly.

And I know you wouldn't care, but I'll start you at $250,000.

Hi. The man you're dancing with is deeply troubled, okay?

Even though he's rich and very attractive, you're much too young to trade yourself like a stock on NASDAQ, for someone who won't remember your name or his in the morning,

is still married and has recently had a very suspicious rash.

It is 2:16. Go home, finish high school and reach your potential!

~Lucy Kelson

Lucy: Why did you give her the money?

George: Because she'd never have stopped till she got what she wanted.

You always say I have a responsibility towards those less fortunate.

Lucy: Everybody is less fortunate than you. 

So why don't you just give me the money to someone who's not gonna spend it on collagen.

Lucy: My heroes are Clarence Darrow, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Ginsburg...

My parents! My father worked for Martin Luther King. My mother is a law professor.

They taught me that lawyers should be treated with respect.

George: I have complete respect for you. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Lucy: You got the towers, I got Coney Island.

Why don't we just call it quits, okay? I can't take it anymore.

George: What, are you serious?

Lucy: Yes. Please consider this my 2 weeks' notice.

George: I find you ungrateful.

Lucy: Ungrateful?

George: Yes. I hire you with no corporate experience.

I give you a wonderful apartment, an office, the non-fat-muffin basket every morning.

If you don't want me to disturb, why do you keep your phone on?

Because you like emergencies. You crave the excitement.

Lucy: All right, George, you are absolutely right.

This has nothing to do with you. 

This is entirely my thing, because I've managed to turn myself into this... 
shit, there's not even a name for it!

George: It's not like I enjoy it either.

Before you came into my life, I was capable of making decisions. Now I can't, I'm addicted.

I have to know what you think.

Lucy: George, I think you are the most selfish human being on the planet.

George: That's just silly. Have you met everyone on the planet?

George: I lost Lucy.

I just think it's a shame because I've come to rely on her for everything.

And I trust her completely, and she's funny. Not deliberately, of course.

Tony: It's probably for the best though.

George: Why is that?

Tony: 2 things I know is chess and women.

Chess, it has rules, pieces, rooks, knights, bishops.

They move in predictable patterns. Somebody wins, somebody loses.

But women, they don't have no rules, man.

They move in unpredictable ways too.

Nobody ever wins or loses when it comes to women.

You talk about your feelings until your breath is sucked out your body.

All men are pawns when it comes to women.

Especially a smart one like Lucy. She's hard to control.

And you know, the man has got to be in control.

George: You could loosen up a little, get in touch with your feminine side.

Lucy: Okay, that's a good suggestion.

George: Perhaps soften your appearance, not that I don't love that look,

but you could get dolled up occasionally.

Lucy: I'm not gonna spend hours fluffing my hair and applying animal-tested makeup to my face, just so I can turn myself into some male fantasy, degrading Kewpie doll.

Unless I really like the guy or something.

Lucy: It's pretty amazing what dreams and lots of money can do, isn't it?

George: Yes, it is.

Lucy: You know you're part of that, George.

George: Yes, I am.

Lucy: All you have to do is use your power for good instead of evil.

George: If only I would.

Lucy: Where do you come off?

Believe it or not, I didn't take this job so I can sleep with you. I took this job for a cause.

George: You are a cause!

You make Gandhi look like a used-car salesman.

Lucy: My God, you know what I can't believe? How easy you are being on yourself.

Why don't we go over this again, okay?

You promised me a community center.

George: Yes, I promised, I promised, I promised. I'm sorry.

I can't control the economy, I can't control my brother.

I did promise and I did let you down. I'm sorry. 

But you know what? I'm human. I think you'll find a lot of people are!

Lucy: I'm human, too!

George: Are you? Because you're too perfect, too wonderful, none of us can keep up with you.

That's probably why all those other guys bolted as fast as their birkenstocks could carry them.

Cause you're intolerable and no one wants to be preached to!

No one wants to live with a saint. Saints are boring!

Mr. Kelson: As long as people can change, the world can change.

Lucy: But what if people can't change?

Mr. Kelson: Let me put it this way.

I'm sitting here eating a piece of cheesecake made entirely of soy.

And I hate it. But I'm eating it.

"I'd like to welcome everyone on this special day.

Island Towers will bring prestige to the neighborhood and be part of Brooklyn's renaissance.

And we're very pleased and proud to be here.

Unfortunately, there is one fly in the ointment.

I gave my word to someone the we wouldn't knock down this building behind me.

Normally, and those who know me or were married to me can attest to this,

my word wouldn't mean very much.

So why does it this time?

Partly because this building is an architectural gem, and deserved to be landmarked.

Partly because people do need a place to do senior's water ballet and CPR, preferably not together.

But mainly because this person, despite being unusually stubborn and unwilling to compromise and a very poor dresser, is...

She's rather like the building she loves so much.

A little rough around the edges, but when you look closely, absolutely beautiful.

And the only one of her kind.

And even though I've said cruel things and driven her away, she's become the voice in my head.

And I can't seem to drown her out. And I don't want to drawn her out.

So we are going to keep the community center.

Because I gave my word to her, and because we gave our word to the community."

~George Wade

*****