Treatment of Story: This age is mainly considered a barren wasteland of social
mores, tv commercials selling, rampant sexual lewdity, poor work ethic, and a negative
outlook. But the one thing that should be made clear, everything is going to be okay.
Because this generation is also more in tuned to the world and how it works, free
thinking, non-conformist, racially aware, and more confused about what they should do with
their lives. Which is a good thing. The characters in this story are not particularly
happy with where they are, but at least they are not following the lemmings of past
decades. This is the future of America, and like it or not, it will be for awhile.
Everybody is now in the middle of everything, politically, socially, psychologically, etc.
This middle is safe, non-threatning, and they don't like it.
The three main characters are on a road trip. The destination or purpose is unknown. Mark
is the want-to-be writer, recent college graduate, unable to find a job in his field.
Sharon is his friend, a happy-go-lucky type with a real positive outlook. Jonathan is her
boyfriend, an ex-jock who has some depth to him, its' just nobody including himself know
it. Mark is upset, Sharon is happy, Jonathan is the median of the two. Mark is bitter
about the past, Jonathan lives only in the past. They all conflict on everything. And they
are okay with that.
The story is completely non-conventional. The first line of the script starts with a
racial slur, which is never touched upon ever again. A typical movie would go into a
complete tangent about why it was wrong, why it is demeaning. To me, that is bullshit. You
know and I know that people talk like this, and is wrong to avoid such a simple
colorization of a character. As a matter of fact, part of the films purpose is to make fun
of political correctness. Anyway, I digress...
The film also has no real beginning or end. It doesn't have a particular plot. It doesn't
have a message. It doesn't have a judgement. It doesn't have any explanation of anything
that happens within it. It is just a quick glimpse at three people.
There is a whole bunch of films now that are claiming to be the voice of a generation. The
Generation X. Voice of the Slackers. Well, I'm not aiming for that. These are just people.
They have no selfish self-pity because they think they had it rougher than their parents
did at their age. This argument has been so old its' pointless. It could have been the
fifties. It could be the nineties. It doesn't matter. Nothing does. Life is but a quick
flash in the universe, and what you do in the middle of that flash is of no importance but
to yourself. That is all this movie is. A flash of light. Twenty-four times a second.
Scene 1
Ext-Gas Station. Jonathan is walking out hurridely to the car. He is in his early
twenties, short brown hair, disheveled, loose clothing. He weaves his way through the
pumps to the car, beaten up tan Mustang, waiting near the pumps. His girlfriend in front,
Sharon, and best friend in back, Mark, sit waiting for him.
Jonathan
I just stiffed the fat cunt five bucks!
Scene 2
Ext- Road. During this montage interlude ar snaps of the pavement, roadsigns, gas
stations, diners, fast food joints, people of odd shapes and faces, hills, mountains,
cars, along with the credits which are spliced in all to the song "Overture" by
Mason Williams, off the Mason Williams Phonograph Record.
Scene 3
Int- Car. It is daytime and the sun pounds into the automobile, fading the already
fading interion. Cans & bags of old food litter the already littered car.
Mark
How many miles now, Jon?
Jonathan
Seven Hundred Fifty Three.
Mark grabs a notebook that is next to him and starts writing. We hear what he is writing
overdubbed.
Mark
We have been in the car for
about two hours now, and we
are at 753 miles. The
landscape we have been going
through is stunning but under
appreciated by the drivers,
I imagine. They don't look
up from the white broken line,
they just kind of follow it,
trying not to hit anybody,
trying not to swerve, trying
to think about where thry are
going, who they are seeing,
about sleeping with the
secretary, anything but them
being stuck like a mouse in a
maze guided by something painted
on the road... I drove the car
last night, Jonathan is driving
the car now, Sharon doesn't
believe in licenses so we keep
her driving down to a minimum.
I'm getting a little pissed off
with him, he's been a little too
easy with my car, throwing shit
around. Sharon's been wonderful,
keeping us in good spirits. She's
been engaging me in coversations,
Jonathan of course has nothing real
to say to it, not of any
intelligence or gravity.
Sharon
So, Mark, what are you writing?
Mark
Oh I'm writing about you now.
Jonathan
It better not be dirty!
Sharon
Oh will you stop it!
Mark
No, I was writing about these people out here.
Sharon
What about them?
Mark
That they're dead.
Sharon
What do you mean?
Mark
You know... they're just driving. They don't look at the road, the world, they go to
their boring jobs and everything whizzes by.
Sharon
Oh, that's just because they live here. They've seen it before.
Mark
No they haven't. They wouldn't treat it like shit if they did.
Sharon
So they don't look, why does that mean they're not living?
Mark
Because they wake up, go to work, go home, and go to sleep.
Sharon
What about their families? They have a relatives and things like that. They're living
just fine, they just don't perhaps notice things as well as a writer like you might.
Mark packs a pack of cigarettes and lights up.
Mark
Yeah, maybe...
Sharon
Those things are gonna kill you.
Mark
No they won't... They'll make me live longer.
Sharon
Pardon?
Mark
Well, you see, I got this theory. Smoking increases your life span. What happens is
the government can't support so many people with Social Security and all that shit, so
they try to discourage smoking, but if you smoke for a real long time, they come and give
you cancer. Think about it... how many people started really dying of cancer... right
around the thirites, just when Social Security started. The government made AIDS,
encouraged a shitload of people to use drugs... pot, acid... it's all money to them no
matter who lives or dies...
Jonathan
That's why I smoke dope... to support my country!
Scene 4
Int- Diner. It is around dusk, they are just finishing up dinner. Sharon gets up
quickly fron Jonathan and walks to the bathroom. The two, Jonathan and Mark, sit opposite
each other, laughing. Mark is smoking a cigarette.
Jonathan
Oh man, those old times were fucking great man.
Mark
Well they weren't all that great.
Jonathan
Ah, c'mon... don't tell me you don't miss high school!?
Mark
Not really... you move on, you know.
Jonathan
Move on? I wish I had a fuckin' remote control, so I could rewind it, slo-mo... shit
like that with it. It went by too quick.
Mark
Classes sucked...
Jonthan
Classes.... Who the fuck worried about classes? That's your fuckin' problem, ya had
your head in the books too long man... I was on the soccer team, all the pussy I got...
shit...
Mark
Yeah, you were a real showhorse then...
Jonathan
I had so much fun... Didn't have to worry about work or shit like that.
Mark
Well, I went to college after, got a degree and now have nothing to show for it.
Jonathan
See, wasted all your time and now you have to pay off the bank...
Mark
That's a way of looking at it...
Jonathan
'Member the time you, me, Sharon were at the river, we skipped school and fished on my
uncle's boat?
Mark
Yeah... (smiles)
Jonathan
You know... you don't think about shit like that when it's happening, you know we
just... fished. We didn't think about where we were goin' or if we had to be home, or if
we had to wake up for work... we were just there.
Mark
So hows your cooking coming along?
Jonathan
Good... Good, let me get a drag of that.
He puffs off the butt, quickly exhales so Sharon won't see.
Jonathan
I've been training, things are moving on.
There is a pause. They don't have much to say to each other. Sharon sits down excitedly.
Sharon reaches over and picks up the check, but Jonathan snaps it out of her hand. Mark
gets up to take out his wallet, but Jonathan waves him down.
Scene 5
Int- Car. Night now on the interstate. Cars lights blind Jonathan as he drives. The
details of the land blacken in the cold dark air. Sharon looks tired. Mark is stretched
out on the back seat, blanket covering his body. The car starts to chug, Jon looks at the
gauges.
Jonathan
Shit.
Jon is mad. Sharon looks perterbed and exhales noisly.
Sharon
I told you.
Jonathan
Shut the fuck up, Sharon.
Mark wakes up startled, he looks at both.
Scene 6
Int- Hotel, they all walk in, kind of tired. Jonathan goes up to the balding desk
clerk and asks for a room, double beds. The clerk makes him sign in.
Scene 7
Int- Hotel room. The room is already disheveled, clothes everywhere, hanging up to be
dried. Jonathan and Sharon are in one bed, facing the window, Mark is alone in the other
bed. They kind of shuffle around, Jonathan starts kissing Sharon, Sharon gets up on top,
and they start to get hot and heavy. They are beginning to have sex as we see the light
stream onto Marks face, eyes wide open, he squishes back into the pillow and very quietly
puts the covers over most of his head, but still leaves one eye free to peer.
Scene 8
Int- Car. Daytime. Mark is driving at a rapid pace. Sharon and Jonathan are in the
back seat. Cuddling. There are few cars travelling on this multi-laned road, and Mark is
increasing the spped. The music is playing and he turns it up a bit more. He starts
getting antsy. He pulls at his clothes and quickly gazes in the rear view mirror. He sees
them messing around. Cut to the toll booth approaching. Mark's foot hits the pedal and the
car darts forward. he sppeds through the toll booth, the alarm goes off and fades into the
distance.
Sharon
Did you just run that toll booth?
Mark
No, No, No... the car did.
Jonathan
What the fuck are you doing?
Mark
What, What... I didn't have a quarter.
Sharon
I have a quarter!
Mark
No one's gonna care...
Jonathan
The cops care, and they're gonna come after you.
Mark
There weren't any cops around.
Jonathan
They got cameras and shit.
Sharon
Why didn't you just ask us?
Mark
I didn't want to interrupt you.
Sharon
From what?
Mark
Nothing, it doesn't matter, it's over.
Sharon
What happens if they radio ahead, we can't afford to be pulled over.
Mark
You worry too much, you think every authority is after us... it's fucking twenty-five
cents.
Sharon
It doesn't matter, you broke the law.
Mark
You want me to turn back?
Sharon
Yes.
Jonathan
No, just keep going!
Sharon
You have to pay, we'll just say you... are a narceleptic and you fell asleep.
Mark
What?! Here, I'll give them something of value.
Mark leans down, picks up five cans of soda and throws them out the window.
Mark
You happy?
Sharon
You just littered. Thats a $250 dollar fine!
Mark
Oh who cares!
Sharon
You know it's people like you who throw sh.... things away, then everybody throws
things away and we're covered with garbage!
Mark
Those cans are recycable.
Sharon
If you recycle them...
Mark
I did! I gave the cans back to the environment.
Sharon
The fuck you did!
Mark
What!? The metal came from the ground, I gave back to the ground.
Sharon
It's people like you that kill the world.
Mark
Oh for Christ sakes, you little hippies are so big headed, like you're the most
important things on earth. There's 3/4 water on this planet, and 1/4 land. So being the
land dweller I can hardly do any damage, can I?
Scene 9
Int- Car. Mark is sitting looking disgruntled. He is starting to write, Jonathan is in
the front seat, sleeping. Sharon is driving. Overdubbed again, as he writes.
Mark
Sharon is now driving, we're at 1,638 miles. As we drive on I still get some old
feelings back, some deep urges. I thought all the same emotions were gone, that after
Wendy, I would be okay with everything, but I'm not. I've seen the two of them together,
and I think they are the worst match in the history of the world, but yet somehow they are
perfect for each other, each strengthing each other. Last night when I saw them fucking,
making love, whatever they were doing, I felt so jealous. That they are in love, they're
gonna have kids, little soccer player running around wanting to be chefs and save the
environment. I wish I was happy and in love once again. Because what I feel is not love
now, its' holding on to a ghost, a feeling I once sort of had and amplified all my hopes
and dreams into this ideal that I can't have, chosen so I fail and can feel good about it
when I don't get anywhere.
Mark gets frustrated and puts down his book. He rubs his eyes.
Sharon
What's the matter, honey?
Mark
Frustrated with writing.
Sharon
Well, maybe you should stop for now.
Mark
Yeah... maybe I should.
Mark puts down his writing tablet, slowly. He puts the pen down and picks up and Archie
comic book and starts to read.
Scene 10
Ext- Mountain. There is a beautiful river running next to the mountain, wonderful
green trees running up the slope. The three of them climb up. They pant and make their way
up the ardous path. Finally, they make it to the top. They look out. The panoramic view is
absolutely stunning. Breathtaken art the three and silent.
Jonathan
We'll never make anything this beautiful...
Mark
Yeah...
Sharon
Well, children are as beautiful.
Mark makes a face of annoyance. Quiet falls on the group. The sun is about to set.
Jonathan
Kind of like old times?
Mark
Well... sort of...
Sharon
You two sound like a fucking beer ad.