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When Do We Eat (2005)
- God's a fairy tale.
- God's real, dude, and for forty bucks you can meet Him. - Ecstacy costs twenty. - Not Touch-God X, man. It's got acid in it. - No. Just the eighth of bud and a bag of whizz. - You're missing out Stuckman. - Hold on. Hey, mom. - Zeke, why are you answering? I was going to leave a message. - I'm in study hall, Mom. - I hear the lawnmower. - I'm sitting near a window! - Zeke, where are you? Don't lie. - Mom, what do you want? - I want you to go to the supermarket on your way home, and get me two boxes of matzo. - No way, not on Passover! - I just need one box for my mom! Mom, I don't have any money. - Come home first. - Mom! - Zeke, don't play with me. I've got too much going on here. - What? Mom? You are cutting out here. I&hear you. Call me back later. I hate Passover. - Why man? Saders are cool. - You know what? Give me one of those tabs. I'm going to need it. Zeke Stuckman. Dropping X at Sader. - Dude, my mom is just the tip of the iceberg. - What is it, Peg? - No matzo, no seder, Ira. - Have Zeke get it. - I can't reach him. I think I caught him skipping class again. - Oh Christ. - Is that antacid? - No, it's just reflex, Peg. - What if it isn't Ira? - It is. - Now that, that's a Chubby Santa. - Thank you Mr. Stuckman. - Bye Peg. - No wait. Ira, what about the matzo, can you get it? - Mr. Stuckman? - Have his lordship get it. It's not like he's so busy. - Ira, you will not pick on Ethan tonight. - No, Peg, no. I promise you'll all be amazed how I treat him. Also I'll get you your matzo, okay? Bye bye. - Don't ask Nicole, she doesn't know from matzo. - Mr. Stuckman sir. - What's there to know? - It has to be kosher. - All matzo's kosher. - Kosher for Passover. - Oh, gee, what the hell? - Mr. Stuckman, I'm sorry, the alarm's not inside yet. I have to reconfigure for the chubby Santa. - I need a prototype today, not slop. - But it's only April. - Ira! - Don't tell me it's only April. - Ira. - I have been in this Christmas business for 30 years. Design delay equals production delay. - That's $10,000 a day. You get that? - Ira please. - What!? - I have pots boiling, men working. I have to make calls for the Autsim Society and I want Kosher matzo. - The matzo will be there. - And get it yourself. Nicole is working. - Now, I'm gonna unbutton your shirt. - I should do sensate focus? - Yes you should. - Right. You're touching my collar. - Yes. - I feel heat in my lap. - Uh-huh, very good. - Unbuttoning my top button. - Yes I am. - You are unbottoning my second button. - Yes. - Oh sorry. - No, that's excellent. - Really? - Next week we're gonna make it to the fourth button. - Nikki, you're a goddess. - Well, okay, I want you to clean up. I am going to go freshen up. When I get back, we're gonna review todays session. - Yes. - Nikki's place. She'll make a man out of you, I guarantee it. - She there? This is her father. - Oh, there's no Nikki here. - Son, I know what my daughter does for a living. - Okay, it's okay. No, no. It's okay, it's okay. Just relax. You're perfect, it's great. - Hello? - Hey, Princess. You should have that guy put a testimonial on your website. - Yeah, yeah, I will, as soon as he gets over the shock of an approving father. Are you okay? How's the reflux? - Zeke is driving me nuts. Your mother thinks he skipped class. - Well Dad, she's just paranoid. Is that really what's bothering you? - The new Christmas ornament just blew up. - Dad, you are nervous about Ethan. - What should I be nervous about Ethan? I'm the one offering that bum a lifeline. - Okay, Dad, you're going to have to show him the new you or he's never gonna take that job. - He needs a new him more than I need a new me. Honey, can you make a stop on your way over? - Dad, if I do, I'll be late. - Right. That will get her started. All right, not to worry. Big kiss, love you. - Muscle Beach. - Hey, Pop, are you winning? - Winning is for cheaters. - Pop, I need a favor. Can you get some matzo for Peggy? - It is already Passover! They will double the price! - Yeah, I will pay you back, Pop. - You should have planned ahead, Ira. - Yeah, I know, I know. I didn't. - You got to have a plan. Or what happens when they poison the water, and you don't have a gas mask? - What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense. - Sense? Did it make sense when the Nazis said, "You look dirty, you should take a shower." "Use a lot of soap. don't forget your towel." - Never mind, Pop. I will call Jen. - Men who love women who would rather check their email, when we return. - Stuckman. - Jen, this is your father. - Dad, we will be on time, okay? - Listen, I need you to pick up some matzo. - Oh, really. First Seder in three years and your wife forgot the matzo? - Please? Come on, I am trying to make this work. - Why don't you get one of your real kids to get it? - That is not fair. - Every store is going to be sold out already! - I am sure you can find one box. - The commercial is ending, Dad, I got to work. - Jen, we are counting on you! - How long have you known Amy? Because as I understand it this was a passionate marriage before email entered the picture. - Room six. - Do you love me so much? - What is wrong? - I just want you to know that I completely missed lunch today. And when I finally found these last two boxes, this old lady, she comes up to me and she says, "Excuse me. I need those for Passover." And so I said, "So do I, sugar." And she goes, "This is the bread of affliction, my dear, we don't eat it with sugar." - Oh, my God. - What is wrong? - How long have we been together? That is your best Jewish? - Ira, no. I love how I look in this picture. Put your father's picture somewhere else. - On Passover, my father's picture goes here. - This is not your house, Ira, it is our house, and certainly not your father's. - Since when are you paying the mortgage? - I pay, I pay. - Behold, the new me remains clam. - Absolutely not. If it has to go some place& - Peg, it is your daughter. - Well, that's is your son. - Yeah, yeah, you always say that. - Once we get in there, there's no turning back. This is our last chance. - All right, all right. Zeke. - Well, it is temporary. - Jennifer. - Oh, hi, Dad. Peggy. How is every little thing? - Hey, Jen. - Hi, Dad. So, this is Grace. - Hi. We brought the matzo. - We dropped it, but you don't need all the pieces intact, do you, Peggy? - Well, it is preferable, dear. We didn't expect you so early. - Come on in. - Actually, we are right on time. - And so are we. So are we. So are we. - Hi! - There is one of the half brothers, and this is Grandpa! - Not kosher for Passover. - Since when do we give a crap? - Excuse us. Come on. - Let go of the boy! - Let go of me! - You first! - I heard you skipped class. - That is a lie! - You moved the picture of your brothers and sister for a pizza? - It is not just for a pizza. - It is a better spot, Pop. Come on, go inside. Go ahead. - I love that picture. - You, hey, move it. Come on, move it. - The table is not even set yet. When do we eat? - We are doing everything differently this year. Come see. - That is too bad, because last time we all got together, it was such a treat. - My reflux is starting up again, Zeke. don't test me. Were you hanging out with your druggie friends? - No. Are you sure it is your reflux, because your doctor&? - It is reflux! Why are you changing the subject? - Because I don't want you to die! Dad, I didn't skip class today. Now, do you want a sample or not? I got stage fright. - Yeah go ahead. - Lionel! I got a lot this time. There. And the top one is the best! Seven sevens! - Seven here. Seven. Seven here. - It is an authentic Passover lamb on a spit, just like Moses had. - It smells delicious. - It smells like impaled baby sheep. - I don't have to hope, I know it will turn blue. - Justin, Justin, who is the senior publicist here? - Whoa, you look hot! - I don't care that it is synthetic. It looks like an animal product! Hello! It is a leopard print! No, Justin, she is not going to wear a black suit! She got botox for this, and she is going to wear something that shows her tits! - Hey, princess, how are you? - Hi! - It turned blue, you are clear. - I told you! - You are the master of all galaxies! - Grandpa, this is level one. - Hi. - Nikki. - Lionel. How are you? - Hey, give me a hug. I want to feel your new boobs on the back of my neck. - Can it, Zeke. - Dad, he should not direct that energy at me, but it is perfectly normal. - Zeke, do you masturbate regularly? - What? Nikki! - It is very important boys his age masturbate regularly and not feel guilty about it. - Jen, hi! - Hi! - Happy Passover! How are you? - This must be Grace. Hi. - And I brought the matzo. You must be Nikki. - Enchanted. It is so great to finally see Jen in a relationship. Look at you two! Listen, if you guys ever have bed death issues I can get the Better Sex series, Lesbian edition. It is half price. Very hot girl on girl action. - Oh, well, see, thanks, but we prefer woman on woman action Nikki. - Me, too, sis. Get me one of those tapes. - Well, this zit you met at the door is Zeke, and this is Lionel. - Lionel is an idiot savant. - Really? - He is not an idiot savant. - We aren't exactly sure what his special talent is but I think it has something to do with the number seven. - No! - What? - We will be eating dinner soon. - When? His lordship is late. Nikki and I are starving. - This hasn't been koshered. - Since when are we kosher? - Yeah, since when? - Since I said so. - don't worry, Princess. I run the world's fastest Seder. - The world's fastest Seder. I should live so long! - What is that? - Oh, Ethan! It is Ethan! - Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha'olem asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vitzivanu likboa mezuzah. - Are you out of your fucking mind? - Your mezuzah was no good. I got you a kosher scroll. Happy Passover, Papa! Hello, Ma. - Hi! - Nikki. - Ethan. Now you are going for the whole get-up, huh? - The Rebbe says, "Look righteous, feel righteous." Jen. - Hi, Ethan. So, this is Grace. - A.k.a. the matzo bearer. - Sorry, I can't touch a woman unless she is related. - What, is that like a rule or something? That is so rude. - Yeah, not to mention arbitrary. - Leave him alone, he's a good Jew. - And what, I am a bad Jew? - Ethan! - Grandpa! - Oh, that is a beautiful hat. But why do you got to look so Jewish? When the Nazis come, they're going to take the black-hats first. - You got a hell of a nerve pounding nails into my house. - Dad, the mezuzah will protect your body and soul twenty-four seven, free of charge. Mom? - Yes? - Did you get the paper plates? - Paper plates, in my house? Let me show you what I did. - Hold it, hold it. You think because some Moonie Rebbe tells you to put on a Hasid suit you can take a hammer to my house and tell me to relax? Hey Ethan. You haven't learned a goddamn thing since our last Seder. There is no product, Ethan! You are going to be in the toilet in six months! - That is old economy thinking, Dad! I made more money last month than you made in your entire life! I don't need your dinosaur advice! - Excuse me, you son of a bitch? - Oh, now you are going to call Mom a bitch? - Get out of my house! Get out of my house! - Dad! I just hope you have learned not to smash the Seder plate, Dad. It is the holiest object in the Jewish home. - don't start with me, Ethan. You got religious because you lost all your money. Maybe this Hasid crap works in bankruptcy court, huh? - Ira, you promised. - Yes, I did, Peg. Yes, I did. I got news for you, Ethan. Your life is about to change. Starting tomorrow& - Mrs. Shtuckman? - Yes? - Mrs. Shtuckman, tent is ready. - Oh, fantastic! - Wait, wait. And who the hell are you? - Rafi. - Rafi, this is my son, Ethan. He is a good Jew. - Sorry? Oh, I don't speak Hebrew. - Very interesting to meet you. Mrs. Shtuckman& - I am Mr. Shtuckman. I mean, Stuckman. You better scram. You are going to be late for your own Seder. - No, no Seder. I not religious. - Smart Jew. Bye bye. - Ira, shush. - don't shush me in front of the help. - Dad, you should get that checked out. Mom, is Vanessa inside? - She is out back. You made such a beautiful tent. Why don't you just stay and have dinner with us? - I really grateful, Mrs. Shtuckman& - Yeah, I bet you can't wait for that shower, huh, pal? Here is twenty bucks. Happy Passover. - I stay. - Great. Stay. - Mrs. Shtuckman, I can have a shirt? - Follow me. - Thank you. - Have them pick us up in a gas/electric hybrid limo and Justin, no white limos. Okay, then, we are a go. Bye. - Sorry, only immediate family. - I thought you were just going to services and stuff. You are Hasidic? - If the suit fits& - The suit fits nicely. - You look snappy too, Vanessa. - Snappy? Well, I am wearing this for an event later. I thought I would have to fight you off all night. - No. - Ethan. Too bad. I looked up the law on cousins. Ethan, we can't. - You say that but you never mean it. - Come down, you two, we are starting! - Your mommy is calling. - Vanessa. - Stop it. We are cousins. - Once removed. And that is why we can't even kiss hello. - Okay, Hasid boy. But if I turn up the heat you will take off the hat. - Everyone, we are starting! - We are already here! - Cousin! - Hi! - Nice dress. You know, I wore the same one once for a client erectile instability. He was stable that day. - Hi, Ira. - Hey, you are wearing my shirt! - Yes. - Look at all this crap. - This "crap" is what our ancestors had Seders in. - Yeah, and we descended from monkeys. Maybe we should have a banana Seder. - Ira, this matters to me. Sweetheart, did you think about what I asked you? - Yeah, Mom, I believe he's going to be nice and all, but I still can't come. The house is not kosher. - Kosher? You want kosher? It will be kosher enough for Moses. - So Ethan has gone religious, I got to eat in a teepee? - Dad, new you? - Yeah. Hey, Ethan, we all expected you to come back here on your hands and knees begging for forgiveness. But you know what? I don't need an apology. The new me is magnanimous. Matter of fact, I am going to fix your life for you. Just the way I did Zeke's. I got that yutz off drugs. - What is a yutz? - It just so happens there is an opening in Stuckman Ornaments. - Dad, you make Christmas ornaments. - So what? You didn't object when they paid for your food, your clothes& - Ira, this is not the time. - Ethan, let me ask you a question. How do you get by? - I do whatever the Rebbe asks. - How much you get paid? - I still have my investments. - Your investments, huh? You don't think I know that you are taking money from your mother? i.e. my money! - Dad, Lionel is getting upset. - All right. I am going to sweeten the deal. I know you need to make these adjustments in your life. I am going to give you your own secretary, an office, the works. You start tomorrow. - I would be surprised. - Can we just table this and go in the tent, and have a warm family Seder, okay? - You, get me the antacid. - Sure, take it out on the yutz. "I got the yutz off drugs." Prick. Prick. I am a light your inner wick. - I can't sit with my legs crossed for the whole Seder. Peggy: Stretch them out, Ira. There is room. Nikki: At least you have the camel saddle. How do I sit up straight? Ethan : It is Passover. You are supposed to recline. Mom, beautiful job. Kosher enough for Moses. Jennifer: Could have used a heater. Artur: don't worry, Jenny, I got a space blanket in the suitcase. Zeke: Dad. Peggy: Gentlemen, yarmulke. Ira: This I know something about. Nowhere in the Torah does it say I have to wear a yarmulke. Artur : It is traditional. You should not take your hat off for nobody but God. Vanessa: I thought it was because God is over you. Ethan: God is not over you, God is everywhere. We are in God. Ethan: The yarmulke just protects the mind, because it separates us from the animals. Jennifer: Okay, then why don't women wear them? Women should wear them as well. Ethan: - Well& Grace: - I will take one. Nikki: For Dad. Peggy: Ira& Zeke: Dad? Ira: Fastest Seder on Earth. Page seven. Here is the Seder plate. Peggy: Not as nice as my mother's, but we all know what happened to that one. Ethan : Grace, the Seder plate is holy because these foods, they tell our story. Grace: Sort of like the last supper. Ethan: The last supper was a Seder. Grace: Get out? Ira : Here is the egg, here is the bone& Peggy: Real lamb, not a chicken neck. Ira: The greens, the charoset& Peggy: Made with kosher wine. Ira : And the horseradish. Peggy : Which I bought extra strong because some of us have a lot to atone for. Ira : - Peg, just light the damn candles. - "Blessed are you, Lord our God Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to kindle the festival lights. Blessed are you&" - Wait, Mom, there is a beautiful melody for the holiday blessing. It goes like, "Baruch ata&" - No melody. - This is Vanessa. Hi, sweetie. It is my client. - Unbelievable. - I am here, no problem. - Page seven. All right, lift your cups. "Blessed are You, etc. for the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You etc. for the seasons of joy." Cheers. - Stop, nobody drink. Dad, these are prayers. They matter. - Ethan, when you have a job, a house, a table, you can run the Seder. Until then, just shut up. - Dad, these words can transform you. If you want a new you do this right and it will happen. Look how wise the Haggadah is. It says to repeat the holiday blessing, and that is the second chance to sing. - Baruch ata& - No singing. - Your brother Imre of blessed memory, oh, he could sing like a cantor. - Moving on. - Now, the commandment is to drink, not sip. - Right on. - Next is hand washing. Let us just rub them a little. - No, this year we wash. That is why I got these silver bowls. - Naturally. Kosher Seder means shopping for new stuff. - Guys, the Seder has power. It is not just about our ancestors escaping from the Pharaoh in Egypt. It is about us escaping from impatience and anger, and envy from our own inner Pharaohs. - Ethan focus on your own inner selfishness and stop interrupting. - It is a commandment to interrupt. That is how we learn. - It is more of a commandment to read the Haggadah in Hebrew like I did in my house. - Pop, this is my house. - What house? It is a tent. Why don't you do things the right way? Your brother David of blessed memory he could read Hebrew like a rabbi. - Page eight. Dip the parsley in salt water. - Sorry. We need this photo op, even though I am playing it like they need us but now it turns out there is an aquarium there and my client won't go where there is captive fish, and I& - Vanessa, dip. - Sorry. - "Blessed are you, etc. for the food of the earth." Eat. - Now, food is a miracle. Really taste it. - It is freaking parsley. - Imagine if food didn't come from the ground? Imagine if you had to climb a mountain for it, or swim to get it? - Or have to earn it? You would starve, Ethan. - Dad, thank you for putting food on our table. - Thank you. Now that is a miracle. - But why have a Seder if all you are going to do is rush through it? - Because that is what Jews do. Page nine. Here is the matzo. Here is the middle matzo. I break it in half, take the larger piece and I wrap it. This is the Afikomen. Later when I go wash my hands, the kids will hide it. And after dinner I ransom it back from them, we can end this whole thing. No. The way you are supposed to do it is you hide it, and the kids find it. - Peg, that is your way. And we all know why we don't do it that way anymore. - I found it! I win the prize! - Where did you find that? - Where you hid it. - Really? - Yeah. - You little cheater. - Leave the boy alone. - I was only trying to help! You hid it way too well. Nobody could find it. - That was fifteen years ago! - We could switch off who hides it each year. - Shut up. - You don't have to talk to him like that. - Page ten. - Dad, if you apologized to Zeke right now, a spark of divine light would be released. - Page ten. - God's light hides in this world. But when one soul reaches out to another a spark of that light flies back to God. And releasing those sparks releasing those sparks is the whole purpose of the human race. - Page ten. Going around the table. Profound intellectual comments not required. Vanessa. - "This is the bread of affliction. Let all who are hungry&" - Don't you dare. - This is Vanessa. No, we don't want the aquarium moved, we want the fish freed! - Oh, Jesus Christ. - From those who anger us, we learn patience. - Okay, Ethan, I admit it. You are a great teacher. - Thank you. - This is for real? You really believe this garbage? - Of course it is real. God is great. - And how do you know this God exists? - I don't. But I want to believe, so I cultivate that desire. And the funny thing is the more I want God, the more I feel God. - That is not Judaism. That is new age psycho-babble. - Works for me. - No, no, Ethan. Judaism doesn't work for you, you work for it. Your people survived by the sweat of their brows not by "cultivating desire". - You are saying that God doesn't help? - Dipping into your mother's pocketbook, that is God's help? - Problem solved. - they're freeing the fish? - We are very big. What did I miss? - I asked you a question, Ethan. - Ira if I want to give my son a gift because I love him, I will. Now why don't you just move it forward and I will check on the lamb. - And I don't love him, huh? I didn't send him to Stanford for three years? And I would have sent him for a fourth so he could get his degree if he hadn't bailed! - Oh, enough already! When do we eat? - Your inner Pharaoh anger, Dad, at losing the bragging rights to a son who graduated from Stanford? - You know what, Ethan? That is obnoxious. This man raised you! He sacrificed for you! - Do you really want a part of this? - Of what, of your sanctimonious b.s.? Go ahead, I am right here. Bring it on! - Your "career" doesn't exactly send sparks back to God. - Yeah, well, at least she doesn't mooch from her parents. - Do you even know what I do, Ethan? Do you? I have a client. His face disfigured at childhood. He can't even look at women because he's so sure that they look at him and they see a monster. So together, we follow a fourteen week protocol, and the first seven we just talk. Then I start to make him feel like an actual human being who is worthy of love. I mean, do you have any idea what that means to him? Do you? - For a price, Nikki, for a price! - What? So what, okay? Doctors make money, therapists make money, you know. We all make money helping people, Ethan. And soon I am going to be helping a whole lot more people making more money, and I am not going to be ashamed then either. - What are you going to do? Are you going to hire other sex surrogates and go public? - No, I am not! I am launching a remotely controlled cybersexual device for the home-bound. - Oh, you are going to be rich! - Yeah, I know, I know. Because all of those people in those chat rooms, typing with one hand. You know, Sexologizer 2.0 could be huge. - There is so many one-handed people in the world? - Wait, I got to tell you, I don't recall Sexologizer 1.0. - It was my partner's idea. Because people, they will think that we have already sold millions, so. - Who is we? - It is confidential at this juncture. - You are backing a cyber company? - Real people, real products. Not like your "new economy paradigm". - It is not enough Nicole is a sex worker now you are her pimp? - This will allow her to transition from surrogate to entrepreneur. - Surrogate? Entrepreneur? She has sex for money! - Oh, my God, Mom! Oh, my God, Mom! Like you are so perfect? You bringing your big gigolo here to Seder? Parading him around in front of your husband! - Do you see how your little princess speaks to me? - Shoe fits, Peg. - You allow girl speak to Mrs. Shtuckman like this? - Why don't you just scram, pig. - Pig? - This is a kosher Seder. - You insult the wrong man, Shtuckman. - Oh, my gosh! - Make apology to Mrs. Shtuckman and me. - Get away from me. - Make apology, Shtuckman! - Stop it! Lionel is getting upset! - Ira, stand up to him like a man! - Dad did it again! - You hit me with most holiest object in house, you son of a bitch? - Ira! His heart! His heart! - Oh, my God, Dad! - Let Grace through, she is a nurse! - I do laser hair removal. - Go, come on! Is it a heart attack? I told him to make that appointment! - I can't tell. His pulse feels okay. Is he on any medication? - No, he hasn't seen the doctor yet. - I don't know what is wrong. - I drugged him. - Ira, can you see my eyes? - What did you just say? - I said, I drugged Dad! - You what? - I slipped a tab of ecstasy into his antacid. It is really good stuff, should give him a new perspective. - Oh, my God! - You little bastard! - Dad! - You give me your goddamn drugs?! I am going to give you some goddamn misery! - It burns! - Guys, I think Dad is okay now. - It is all right. You are all right. Breathe. - It is all right, it is all right. In the camps, horseradish was like ice cream. - It is all right, it is all right, Mrs. Shtuckman. It is a big family Seder. It is normal. - It is not all right. His pupils aren't responding. - My pupils aren't responding? - Ira, you will be fine. The pupil thing is normal. - What do you know? You aren't the nurse. - Ira, listen to me. You will roll for a few hours, and then you will be fine. The only thing that can turn those hours into a bad experience is fear. Look at me, Ira. There is nothing to fear. Do you understand? - Are you a druggie, too? - I am a celebrity publicist. I know how to handle a drug overdose. - What? I overdosed? - No. No, not with one tab. - Vanessa, you aren't going to leave me, right? - Absolutely not. Let me explain to you what rolling is. It is like a roller coaster. Up, down, up again. Touchy, feely, connected. This is Vanessa. They got Jennifer Lopez? They don't need us! - Vanessa, wait! You said you were not going to leave! - Better buckle up, Dad. - I wish I lived on your planet. - Seven dwarfs. - No, I mean, you don't get upset unless we do. Mom doesn't spit every time you come in the room. - Nympho daughter? Druggie son. Another Seder ruined. - Peggy, I could die here. - Ira, you aren't going to die. - What do you know? You are a hair plucker. - Welcome to the family, Grace. - Okay, bathroom break. - Right. right. Okay. Oh, shoot, I am losing the signal. They have J-Lo now, they don't have to free the fish. I am sure it is a four-star aquarium. Look, look, look. I will get you in the picture with her, I promise. No, not the fish, J-Lo! Hello? Hello? I hate A minus celebrities. - Hate fuels the sinful impulse. - Isn't that lust? - Lust too. - Ethan, you are sinning right now. - I am not doing anything. - You are leering at me. - I am merely admiring. God created animals in ascending order, and He made women last. You are holy. - Ethan, you are lusting. - Fine, I will look away. - Here, let me help you. Why don't you just look into my eyes. Or you can look down if you want to. - I don't want to. - Now you are lying and lusting. - Grounded? No, no, no. Your punishment is going to be a work of art. - Masterpiece. - Wow, Mom and Dad on the same page. - You insolent little& - I told you don't hit the boy! You think I hit David or Imre? - You hit me. - You deserved it. - This is awesome. What are you looking at? Peggy, it is freezing in here. Look at me, I am freezing. - Jenny, I will get a space blanket from the suitcase. - No, it is all right. Thank you, Grandpa. But really, I would like a sweater. Peggy, do you have a sweater? - Hall closet. - Thanks. - This is her last Seder here. - This is my last Seder ever. - Seventh inning. - What kind of guy actually marries a sex surrogate? You know how many partners I have had? Well, an open-minded kind of guy, right? But those kind of guys come with their own excess baggage. - Don't walk the batter. - Why do I let her do this to me? I am a good person. I have sex with cripples, for God's sake! - Lucky seven! - I feel much better. Thank you. How is Dad doing? - Never better. - Really? Is he tripping? - Usual tyranny. But you know, he seems scared. - That doesn't sound good. - Well, it depends on your perspective. - You know what? We try to be very sweet to you, and you come in here acting like this big victim because you grew up in a smaller house than us. - First of all, it was a one bedroom apartment! Which it would't have been if dad hadn't left my mom for your creepy mom. - You are a bitch! - You are a privileged slut! - No, I am happy and interesting. You? You aren't. - I am not happy and interesting. That is it! - Where were we? - We were about to head back. - No, no, we were just about to& - Vanessa, look, I can't. - But we already kissed. - It is against the law. - I looked it up. - Jewish law! - But I feel a holy spark down here. - Vanessa, no! Please! - Fine! But it will never happen again, Ethan. You hear me? Never. - Fuck it. I will atone at Yom Kippur. - What is this? Oh, sexy. I have never seen that. - It is supposed to remind me not to sin. - You mean like this? - I feel something. It is like, I am angry, but I don't know what I am angry at. - That is not the X. That is you. - No, no. I am angry because& I lost it. - Maybe it is better I run the Seder, Mrs. Shtuckman. - Not in my tent. - Is my tent. - My yard, my rent, my tent! - Way to lay it down, Dad. - "Way to lay it down, Dad." - Page eleven. Zeke. - Why do I always have to read the four questions? - Because you are the youngest. - I am not. Lionel is. So it should rotate like every other paragraph. - Then it is still your turn. - Fine, but if it was not& - Read the damn questions before I rip your tongue out of your mouth. - I should have given you two tabs, you are such a prick. - What did you just say? - "How is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights, we eat either leavened bread or matzo. Why on this night only matzo? On all other nights, we eat all kinds of herbs. Why on this night only bitter herbs? On all other nights, we don't dip our food at all. Why on this night do we dip it twice? On all other nights, we sit upright or reclining. Why on this night only reclining?" - Ethan. Is there an inner meaning to the four questions? - No. - Oh, really? I would have thought that there was& - No! - "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt&" - Ethan, no wisdom to share? - Yeah, Ethan. Unleash some sparks. - The key word in the last part was& - "Length", isn't it? Discussing it at length? I mean, really, guys haven't we been here long enough already? - No. - No, we have. We have, okay? And at this point, we aren't going to eat until midnight. - The key word is not "length". It is "we". We are enslaved. Coveting the things we can't have. Lusting& - For dinner, growing impatient. I feel you. I got it, dude. Your turn. - "Rabbis Akiba, Joseph, Tarfon and Elazar ben Azaryah were celebrating the Seder. - Pay attention! You think David was daydreaming at Seders? - No. - No? - ."&the 'days of your life' refers to this world&" &but 'all the days of your life" refers to the time of the Messiah." These guys spent the whole night studying one adjective. - That doesn't mean we have to. - It is not about the adjective. You study it to learn about yourself. - Dad, what happened to the world's fastest Seder? Dad? Jesus Christ. Look at him, he's tripping like a hippie! - It is all here and now. - What is here and now, Ira? - This Seder, Pop's Seder, the Sages' Seder. Oh, Peggy. You have created a beautiful here and now. The fabrics, the cushions& The saddle. You did great. - Thank you very much, Ira. Of course, you are on drugs. - And all the other tents. All the tents of all the Jews of all time. - Goddamn, Dad, you are tripping. - No, listen. We are in the desert. We just left Egypt. We don't know where we are going. But we are here now, and God is near. - He is wasting our time! - I think he's cool. Cool, cool, cool. - I think he's Moses. - Guys, this is Dad. He has lots of sides to him you don't see. - Tonight he's Moses the most important person in the story, but he's never mentioned in the Haggadah because he's the one leading us out of Egypt now. Dad is Moses, and I think he's finally feeling God. - Oh, yeah. - You know what, sweetie? We need to move on. Okay. "Four times the Torah tells us: 'And you shall tell your child.'" "From this we infer that there are four kinds of children." Just like our family. "One is wise." "One is wicked." "One is simple." "And one doesn't know how to ask." - Peggy, we have got five kids here. - We do. I am so sorry, dear, really. I am sorry. - It is all right. - I am going to get some more wine. Rafi, read. - "The wise son says, What are the laws and statutes that God has commanded you?" "Instruct him in the laws of Passover; that after eating the Passover sacrifice we don't eat anything else." - That is the Afrikomen, so even if you do something horrible at the Seder you still leave with a blessing. - Jennifer? - Okay, Peggy arranged the seating so that I would get this paragraph. - She didn't do that. Why would she do that? - Yeah. It must have been God. - Jen. Jen. Look, the wicked son is the best one because look at us. We are all wicked, but he asks because he wants us to be good. When one soul reaches out to another, a spark of that light flies back to God. - "The wicked son&" Daughter. "&says, 'What does this service mean to you?' "To you and not to him. Thus she excludes herself from her people. And had he been there when we left Egypt, he would not have been saved. Okay, see? He asks and he gets left out. - Jen, you aren't left out. You are here. It is great. - Babe, your dad is reaching out. - Babe, my dad is stoned. Just read, okay? - Jen, I know you are hungry, so I am going to skip a few pages, okay? - Dad, don't make this about me, okay? Everybody here is hungry. - Jen, I want to do this for you. Because I was not there for you when you were growing up. I am so sorry. - Ira, it is about time. - There is a new me in town. Tings is going to change. - Okay, see, no. No. Tings is not going to change. You blew it a long time ago, Dad. And you can't just, "I am sorry, I am sorry and make everything all right. - Yeah, but I can try. - Yeah, well, we will see what happens when the drugs wear off, okay? - It hasn'thing to do with drugs. Well, maybe a little. But I promise you, I am never going to forget this. Raise your cups. "Not once, nor twice&" - Dad, we should all say this and with great joy. - "Not once nor twice was our destruction planned but in every generation our enemies rise up to destroy us. Yet the Holy One, Blessed be He who delivers us from their hands." - It could have been more joyful. - What joyful? This inner pharaoh, love me, love you business. Nonsense! When you thank God for deliverance, you mean it! The Egyptians only wanted to enslave us, but the Philistines wanted us dead! So did the Babylonians and the Greeks! So did the Romans! Then came the Inquisition of Spain, the pogroms in Russia. The Nazis in Germany who put numbers on my arm! Killed Ira's mama and his two brothers, David and Imre. And his sister little Monic who made the sun shine. This is the history of the world, my friends! When you thank God for saving you, you better mean it! Because if the children, and the children's children of all those bastards could kill us here and now, they would! - Grandpa, I don't think that is what the Rebbe meant by great joy. - Nuts to the Rebbe! - Grandpa, the enemies in every generation are the forces that hold us back from becoming the man or woman that we want to be. Anger, prejudice, lust! - Those are feelings! The bastards are real! - Feelings are real, Grandpa, and they lead to all kinds of problems, even war. The Rebbe says be joyful, not just because God saves us but because joy frees us from those forces. I am talking about real joy, deep joy! If we could all tap into that for just one moment, we would be a light unto the nations and that would be the end of war. - Fantasy! - "And we cried out to the God of our fathers, and He heard our voice and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." - I don't need a drug hug! - Pop, we have never hugged. - What hug? We are men! - I don't even remember shaking hands with you. - The day I made you a partner, I shook your hand. And you slapped me with it! - I gave you twelve months notice. - Six generations of Stuckmans made fine hats, but not you! - Pop, Kennedy killed the hat. Nobody wears them anymore. - Baloney. Look at me, look at Ethan, and look at you. You make Christmas balls. - I make Christmas ornaments because the people who hid me during the war gave me one as a present. Pop. I am sorry about the hat shop. I know you loved it. But I am only talking about hugs here. Zeke. Zeke. I am sorry I never hugged you. - Or listen to me. Or respect me. - Oh, no, I respect you, kid. Maybe now I understand why you enjoy your drugs so much. But hey, listen. They are dangerous, and I am going to still punish you for it. - Do not feel you have to. - Nikki. Look, I haven'thing against your profession. I mean, I know you help people. But now that you are thinking about changing your career maybe your mother is right. - Are you trying to back out of Sexologizer, Daddy? - Oh, come on, sweetheart. You can do better than the sex business. - Okay. - Jennifer. - Ethan. - Jennifer. I am so sorry. I am so sorry about so many things. I am sorry that I never showed you how much I love you. And maybe if I had, you would not be& - Gay? I would not be gay, Dad? This is unbelievable! You still think it is your fault that I am gay. All right, listen carefully. Gay is what I am, that is it. It hasn'thing to do with you. - Yeah, but I was not there for you like the others. - And thank God! Dad, they are way more screwed up than I am! You have got a drug addict, a prostitute. This guy, God bless him, he's tragic. And your precious Ethan was boning your cousin in Dad's study not one hour ago. - Dude. Nice. - I built this tent for you. I bought plates for you. I roasted a goddamn lamb because you are so holy. And you have sex with my cousin? - I am sorry. - In my house?! - I am sorry. - So, Ethan notice any sparks floating back to God while you were committing incest? - It is not incest! - Really? Cousins is not incest? - Once removed. It is a gray area. - I knew that Hasid junk was an act. - It is not an act, okay? I slipped. That is part of the process. It is not like I had an affair because my wife would not have me, Dad! - That is a lie. - Really? Mom? - It is a lie! It never happened! And that thing that never happened never happened a long time ago. It never happened. - One of you go! - They don't deserve you, Peggy. - Lousy supermarket macaroons. She buys the same ones every year. - Thank you. It is funny, in Italy when they say macaroons, it is like macaroni. It means spaghetti. Every time in America, they say, "Do you want macaroons?" I say no, because I hate spaghetti. I mean not spaghetti bologanse, but a little spaghetti& - Whose turn is it? Okay, good, I will go. - Oh, no, no, no, honey don't& - Lift your cups. - Please don't do this. - Guys, you are onto something here something your family needs. Go with it. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who weep for they will laugh." - Honey, it is the wrong crowd. - Jesus was Jewish, honey. He got it from Ecclesiastes, okay? Now, lift your cups. - Excuse me, but where do you get off telling us what to do? - I am the matzo-bearer. Without me, there would be no matzo! Now, girl, lift your damn cups! Ira? "Wherefore it is our duty to thank, to praise to honor, to glorify to exalt, to commend, to bless, to extol, and to acclaim him who performed all these miraculous deeds for our fathers, and for us. He brought us forth from bondage to freedom from anguish to joy, from darkness to great light from servitude to redemption. Let us therefore sing before him a new song! Praise to the Lord! Hallelujah!" - Hallelujah. - Hallelujah. - Hallelujah. Ethan. Sing that song, that new song! - Forget it. - Honey, I think we should go. - Oh, no. No, we need this. We need this for us. - Ira. I kissed Rafi like I haven't kissed anyone in years. Because you aren't the man I married anymore. Ethan, you want to talk about Pharaohs? You are my Pharaoh. All of you. I have been a slave to this family for years, thirty years. I have been feeding you, and dressing you, and driving you and trying to keep the peace and I failed at that. Trying to make a loving presentable family of all of you and I failed at that, too. So I am not sure when I will be back. No, no, no. No, no. - Mom, Mom, Mom! Mom, don't say that stuff. It is almost dinner. You made it, we will love it, and you will feel better. - Mom, I am really sorry about what I said. I am really sorry! - No, you aren't. - Yes, I am! - Mom, look. There is no excuse for what I did. I am an ass. - You had sex at a Seder that I made for you! - Mom, please! - Mom, Mom, Mom! - Peggy, I am sorry I said anything. - Please. Jennifer, don't bother. - No! Daddy, please say something! Dad, say something! - What can I say? She is right. - Seven minutes. - Okay, Mom, Mom, Mom! - Seven minutes. - Mom, listen to him! - Okay, Mom, stay seven minutes! - You are going to want to stay for this. I am& - What did you say, baby? - Oh, hell, I am not autistic. - Dude! Dude, you owe me a hundred bucks! - She is not here. - You are such a dick. - You are such a pussy. - At least I am master of all galaxies. - So am I. - Liar. - Look. - I will be master by tomorrow. - Dude, no. And if they knew how bad you were at video games, the gig would be up. - Only one out of ten is a savant. - But Dad always says, "Lionel is an idiot savant." Mom just says you are relatively high-functioning. - I really am evil, huh? - So come out. - I can't just come out. I got to find my way back thanks to their years of teamwork and doting attention. - Hundred bucks says you blow it before you are fifteen. - I should have lost that bet a long time ago. I am sorry. - And the doctors? - They wanted to find something wrong. All of you did. I just didn't talk at first, you know? I certainly was not normal. And then you guys, you are all such big talkers that compared to you, I seemed especially off. And then the doctors, they called it autism. And I don't know, I just went with it because I realized that I would not catch Dad's wrath like Zeke or Ethan or get the curse of Mom like Nikki, and I just shut my mouth, and that was that. Not to say it was a great decision, it was a very, very poor one, but I figured out that I could stop your fights with an episode, and Mom you became this champion for my cause and for a while, it was the only thing that kept us a family. Those were good things, really good things. What can I say but I am sorry, guys. - It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. - You goddamn liar! Do you know what you have done here? The grief you have caused, Lionel? The goddamn grief! Let me have it! Let me have it! - Dad! Dad, please, this is awesome! - Awesome? No! No, he's the devil! - Okay, Dad, please just sit down! - And all of you! All of you are out of your minds! This tent bullshit! - I guess he's not Moses anymore. - Shut up! - Ira, we're all a little overwhelmed. - Lionel. Lionel. What is with the sevens? - Yeah, that was just to get the receipts. - And you need the receipts why? - They have merchant numbers. And I wrote a protocol for credit card authorizers so I could borrow and float on the interval between approval and the actual debit. - You are a hacker? - How much did you get? - About a million five. - Dude, you never told me that! - You are a thief? - Mom, it is a gray area. But you and Dad keep the money for all I put you through. - What about the rest of us? - You knew. - Not about that! - You know, I didn't know. So if you want to invest in Sexologizer, we could& - No, Nikki, he doesn't. - Mom, it was a joke. - This money is going to the Autism Society. Period. - Didn't I tell you? Didn't I tell you he was a genius? My son, the genius. I told you! I told you, it had to do with the number seven. - Dad& - &it hadn'thing to do& - &with& - &seven. - Folks? - "Holy land tent is waterproof", Rafi? - Oh, no, this is different, the rain is different, it is& Okay, I lied. - Okay. Waterlogged outside, dried out inside. - Do you have a pressure cooker? - Paprika? - Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Who did I miss? - Wow, the room looks great! - Thank you. We work as one. One hungry son of a bitch! - Do you like the clothes I buy you? - Yeah, some of them. - You must have felt so lonely. - I have friends online. There was Zeke. - All right, let us refill the glasses, top off Elijah's cup. That is for the prophet Elijah. Later we will open the door for him and one of these years he'll come in and announce the day of the Lord is here. - I would settle for a pizza. - I am going to wash my hands. - We will hide the Afikomen. - No, Peg. We will do it your way. I am going to hide the Afikomen, the kids can find it later. But Ethan you are still banned. - That was fifteen years ago! - What the hell are you humming about? - I am filling in for Moses, and I am doing a pretty good job. - Moses? You ain't done bupkis. When the drugs wear off Jen will still hate you, Ethan won't take the job, Peggy won't touch you and Pop will still think you are a putz. - He forgot to hide it. - Dad? Dad, you with us? - I thought he was down. - It is a roller coaster. - Dad? Come on. Okay, Dad, just look at your plate. For the sake of time, we set up all the offerings already. All we need to do is bless and eat, all right? Ready? Dad, just eat what we tell you. - Vanessa, read. - "Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to eat matzo." - Zeke. - "Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to eat the bitter herb." - "This is what Rabbi Hillel did in the time of the Holy Temple; He would combine the Passover sacrifice, matzo and bitter herb." - Does anyone else get constipated from all this matzo? - Yes. - All right. That is that. Mom. Boys. - Wait, wait. Where are you going? - Page twenty-eight, the Festive Meal. - Seconds, please. - Save your appetite. Peggy has got a phenomenal meal in store. - The gelfite fish is kosher for Passover, Ethan. I checked. - The Rebbe says no packaged foods on Passover. - And what does the Rebbe say about schtupping your cousin? - What? It is matzo ball soup. - The Rebbe says& - What could the Rebbe possibly say about matzo ball soup? - He said when you put matzo in water long enough, it leavens. - The food. It has to do with the food! - Mom! It smells wonderful, Mom! - I made the lamb. We made the stew. - Mom, how did you make the stew so fast? - Pressure cooker. Jen's idea. - Thank you very much. - This stew is very good. The way Ira's mama used to make it. - What, Ethan? - It is your old pressure cooker, right? Hey, Mom, it is not kosher. - Ethan. I am sorry that we made a mistake but I really think the holy thing to do would be to eat the Festive Meal along with your family, including your resurrected brother, he'll tell you how good it is. - Yeah, it is amazing, but he's obviously trying to heed a higher calling, okay? - Shut up, Lionel. - Ethan, why would God care what you eat? - God cares that I am trying to do the right thing now. Especially tonight. - But it won't change the past. - Let the religious do his way. - Why has my dinner become a boys-versus-girls debate? - What does Moses say? - Yeah, stick up for the boys, Dad. - Will you all submit to my decision? - Hey, look, I am not going to eat the lamb, okay? Please. - I thought you were serious when you called me Moses. - No, it just served him at the time. - Ethan? - I will submit to a fair decision, okay? - And the rest of you? - Absolutely. - Okay. - Ethan wants to eat the stew as much as anyone. But he's willing to make a sacrifice. - Right on, Dad. - No, Zeke, he's wrong. Because there is no religion on Earth that says it is all right to hurt your mother's feelings. - Go, Moses. - Go ahead, son, eat. - I said I would submit to a fair decision, Dad. Yours is personal. - Ethan. - You are just steamed I won't work for you. - Is that what all of you heard? - It doesn't matter what they heard, Dad. You want me to take over the business, you know I won't, and it pisses you off! - Do I sound pissed off? - Listen to me. I am not going to make Santa balls! - Why do you mock something that I have worked all my life to give you? - Because, Dad this night aside, you are a miserable old bastard and I don't want to be you! - Take that back! Take it back, Ethan! - No, Nikki, it is okay. That is not my Pharaoh, Ethan. It is yours. You are enslaved to not being me. Maybe, maybe you don't know me that well, huh? - Maybe. - Maybe I don't know you that well? - Yeah. - What do you say we have lunch? - There is a kosher place right by your office. - It is a start. Tell you what. You don't have to eat the lamb. - No, that is not being serious, Dad. That is taking a love bribe. - Nikki, are you against a love bribe or are you still mad that I backed out of Sexologizer? - You just made a decision based on Mom's feelings, right? Are you now saying that Ethan's are more important? - That is the first time I heard you defend your mother. - Answer my question. - Ethan this must be proof that God exists! The day your sister defends your mother is the day God will permit you to eat some lamb. - Moses, my tukis. If every judge thought like you, the Fourth Reich would run the world and we would all be dead. You are milk-livered, Ira, you always were. - Pop, you are stuck in the past. You always were. - What stuck? I brought you to America. - Why do you always carry around this suitcase? - Because I am smart. You never know when the bastards are coming, especially nowadays. - You have been carrying it around for sixty years. - So? I am a survivor. And if I didn't keep surviving your mama, and your two brothers and your sister would have died for nothing! - But I am here, Pop! - Yeah, you are here. - Yeah, I am here. I am here! I may not read Hebrew like David or or sing like Imre, or make the sun shine like Magdi. But I am here, Pop. I am here! I survived! - You survived, and for what? Six generations of Stuckmans made fine hats. Hitler murdered our whole family, but he couldn't take that away from me. But you did. Why? - I am sorry, Pop. I am sorry. - I miss them. I miss them. - I know you do. - Well, I will give you one thing. Your mother, she didn't care much about the hat business either. - She didn't? - No, she always said, "Artur, you have such a beautiful voice you should be a cantor." Ira. Let Ethan do what he wants. - Thank you, Grandpa. - Wait. It is not going to be a fair decision until Mom speaks. - It freaks me out that you are a regular kid. - Wait until you get to know him, he's a regular yutz. - What is a yutz? - Mom? - I don't really care what Ethan eats anymore. - No, Lionel is right. I owe you, Peg. Not only for all the wonderful Seders you have made but especially for this one. - Thank you. - You know, your mother always believed in me. She believed in me when I started a Christmas business. I believed in making her happy, making her proud and I worked hard. Oh, geez. Then I would come home tired and expecting some gratitude, you know? Stupid, huh? It didn't matter that she was busy raising you guys working for the Autism Society. So that is when we stopped talking and I started yelling. Yeah, there was another woman. She looked a lot like your mother, she was very sweet to me. We kissed. One night, we took a hotel room& - Dad. I think I can speak for all of us when I say, none of us needs to hear this. - Please, Ethan, let me finish. - Dad, it is like the end of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy goes on and on about everything that she has learned? We are all Dorothied out. - Zeke, please. And you know what? I ran out of that room, because I love you, Peggy. And I always have. I love the way I used to make you laugh. You remember when we moved into the house, we had that pizza and we tried to reheat it with a candle? Do you remember that? I know you don't believe that guy exists anymore. I know that. I mean, after all these years of bullying you and screaming at the kids, never paying any attention to you never listening to your thoughts. I swear to you I am not that man anymore. - People don't change in one night Ira. - I can try. - Well, I guess Ethan is free to eat his matzo and salad. - Maybe he'll get matzipated. Get it? Matzo and constipated? - Grandpa. Kosher? - Of course. - Hey, hey, where are you going? - It is okay. Kiss your wife. - Rafi. Stay. You helped us with the tent. You went through hell with us. Come on, sit down. Stuckman. I stay. - Ethan, what is left? - Eat the Afikomen, two cups of wine, and open the door for Elijah. - Pass the Afikomen. - "Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine." - Ethan. Teach us that song. - It is really for any holiday, anytime you are thankful to be around the ones that you love. "Blessed are You, Lord our God, who brings us to this moment of joy." - Come on, Ethan, sing for us. - Zeke, go get the door for Elijah. - I didn't even knock yet. - Shaffer? - Hey, man, your family sings? That is cool. Hey, it couldn't have been that bad, huh? - Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, thanks. Thanks, dude, really. - Whoa, man, whoa. Do not get all sarcastic on me, okay? Look I am sorry that I jacked you over. I was sorting pills when my dad got home and I freaked. You know, I started mixing in the perkies with the jolly beans and then the roofies were there and basically, you got kiddie aspirin. They look alike, you know? The pills, they all blend together. Anyhow. Here is the Touch-God X. It is real. Hey, we're hitting a banging rave a little later. You want to roll with us? - No. No, thanks. - Whatever, man. Later man. - So, your cell phone does it have a number? - Rafi, about the tent. - Next year, rain-proof! - Next year in Jerusalem! - One more time! |
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