Daily Dialogue — August 12, 2015

INT. SMILEY’S — CONTINUOUS

A FEW people stand IN line at the counter. Carolyn enters with Leonard. He whispers something to her and she LAUGHS uproariously.

IN the KITCHEN, which is separated from the counter By a partition made up of various food service equipment, we see Lester, in a Smiley’s uniform and baseball cap, flipping burgers on a grill. He recognizes Carolyn’s LAUGH and peers over the partition.

His POV: Carolyn and Leonard stand at the counter, scanning the menu overhead. She leans against him affectionately.

Lester’s face darkens, and then… he smiles. He adjusts his cap, and crosses toward the counter.

CLOSE on Carolyn and Leonard, peering UP at the menu.

CAROLYN: What’s good here?
LEONARD: (a grin) Nothing.
CAROLYN: (turns to him) Then I guess we’ll just have to be bad, won’t we?

And just as they’re about to kiss…

LESTER (O.C.): Smile, you’re at Smiley’s.

Carolyn almost jumps out of her skin. She stares at us, startled, and quickly disengages herself from Leonard.

Her POV: LESTER leers at us, DRIPPING with sarcasm.

LESTER: Would you like to try our new beef and cheese pot pie on a stick, just a dollar ninety nine, for a limited time only?

Carolyn struggles to appear nonchalant.

CAROLYN: (re: Leonard) We just came from a seminar. (then, all business) Leonard, this is my –
LESTER: Her husband. We’ve met before, but something tells me you’re going to remember this time.
CAROLYN: Lester, please don’t –
LESTER: (loving this) Uh-un, You don’t get to tell me what to do. Ever again.

Carolyn closes her eyes, defeated, then turns and walks out. Leonard glances at Lester, embarrassed, then follows Carolyn.

LESTER: (calls after them) Smile! You’re at Smiley’s!

— American Beauty (1999), written by Alan Ball

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Adultery. Today’s suggestion by Lois Bernard.

Trivia: In the script, Lester was supposed to go ahead and have sex with Angela, but it was decided that it would be better to have him stop just short of doing so — in spite of the filmmakers’ concerns that they might be making the change out of uneasiness with having the main character actually go that far.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Lois: “Copy of script I have has the incident inside rather than drive thru. Not sure why the change but I like it so much better. This collision of banal, humor and staggering emotional damage — brilliant is an understatement.”