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RISKY BUSINESS
by Paul Brickman

Titles. Riding a subway, above ground. Through the big city.

Joel in sunglasses. The dream is always the same. Instead of going home, I go to the neighbor's. No one is home, he goes in. Hears shower. Girl in shower. She wants him to wash his back. But the girl is hard to find through the steam... he ends up in class, taking a test for college and he knows he's going to fail.

Poker game. He's telling them about a girl who wanted him. He didn't go for her.

Joel and buddy... "sometimes you gotta say, what the fuck, and make your move." Joel thinks his friend is set, and is going to Harvard. Joel doesn't want to make a mistake and jeopardize his future. "what the fuck" gives you freedom, which brings you opportunity, which makes your future. Miles says "so your folks are going out of town..." tomorrow. Got the place to yourself... "What the fuck."

Kitchen. Mom, into camera, asking if he can take his SAT's over. Father asks if this is the way he left the equalizer on his stereo. Zoom in on the glass egg.

Airport. Father has arranged an interview at the house on Friday night with Princeton. Mention Future Enterprisers. Parents give him instructions, and he's to use her wagon. They say they trust him with the house.

He makes Chivas and Coke while he eats his dinner. Sucks off the frozen food. Does dance number in his underwear, sings to Bob Seger song. FADE OUT.

Coffee shop. Friend got into Harvard. Aced his SATs. They're talking about how much money everyone makes. Joel wants to know if they want to accomplish things. Joel wants to serve his fellow mankind.

Class. Discussion. Joel and Barry are behind in the Future Enterprisers. Haven't even got a product yet.

Home. Glenn comes over with girlfriend to borrow a room. Barry demonstrates the memo minder, a stupid machine. Meanwhile, they have to listen to Glenn upstairs fucking. They leave.

Garage. They take out the Porsche. It stalls.

Car. Barry and Joel discuss Glenn's sex life. They cruise girls. A Toyota comes by and they drag. Cut doughnuts in parking lot.

Day. Yard. Mile suggests the Leather Castle, now that they've done the car bit. Sex ads. They come right to your house.

Kitchen. Call Jackie. Another ad. "A good time." Joel doesn't want to call. Miles calls, leaves Joel's address on her machine. Miles eats the phone number. Miles leaves.

Joel cleans up the yard. Joel watches TV and eats dinner alone. He studies. A cab drives up. Joel hears footsteps. Jackie is a black man. Joel leaves Jackie outside and calls Miles, tells him to get over here! Miles is not going to come.

Front door. Jackie asks to call a cab. Kitchen. Jackie and Joel come to an agreement. $75. He gives Joel Lana's phone number. "Its what every white boy off the lake wants."

Joel masturbates. Imagines fucking Lana, and then a SWAT team comes. His parents come, beg him to get off the babysitter, and not to throw his life away. "You'll never have a future!" He gives up masturbating. Reads massage ads, gives up. Hold's Lana's phone number.

Bedroom. He calls Lana. Puts on his catcher's mask to talk to her. Tells her his name is Ralph. Gives her the address. She says she'll see him tonight.

Bathroom. He shaves. Living room, flips through a magazine. Wind blows leaves. Knocks over his bike. He's asleep on sofa. Doorbell rings. Footsteps come in. Lana asks if he's ready for her. He undresses her and they do it. They do it on steps, PAN to photos of him as a kid. they do it in chair. TV goes off the air.

Morning. She's reading paper. She likes his house, wonders what it's worth. He tells her his name is Joel. She wants $300 and he doesn't have it. He has $50. He says he has a bond at the bank... she doesn't like to wait.

Bank. He goes and gets the bond. From his grandparents.

Home. He's back. She's not there. He has the money but the crystal egg is gone.

Miles and Joel sweat about getting the egg back. Miles can't help him, he's got a Trig midterm tomorrow and can't help. All the "What the fuck was bullshit," says Miles, then he goes to help him.

Hotel. She shows up. She sees them. She walks away.

Outside hotel. They are going, and she runs up. She wants to talk, in the car.

Car. She wants a favor, a lift. Pimp wants her. Joel waits, gets a promise about when he'll get the egg back. She promises and the Pimp pulls a gun. They run off. She asks Miles if he likes excitement. "Love it." Pimp follows in Cadillac.

Joel asks where they're going. She doesn't know. Pimp comes up on them. She screams, "What are you gonna do, shoot us all?"

They drive. Guido follows. Finally, Joel decides he can take him. Drives like crazy. Chase. Joel cleverly turns the other way, shuts off lights, and loses him.

Parents call from their trip. they'll give their flight number. Saturday, 3:30. Lana serves him breakfast. She says she quit Guido. He thought he owned her, and nobody owns her. She owes him money for clothes and hospital bills. He's got to go to school. he has to ask her to leave. She says she's sorry. He tells his buddies to go on without him. He just wants his egg back. He wants his house back. She asks if he had a good time, he did, wonders if he owes her another $300. Wants the egg back. She has to use the phone, to figure out how to get her stuff back from Guido. He asks her not to steal anything. She tells him to go to school, to learns something.

School. He runs up. Gets a pop quiz. Meanwhile, at home, she's checking out the possessions in the house. Miles swears he didn't tell anyone, just Glenn and Barry. Lana checks out the house. Science lab. she takes car goes to train station. Science lab ends.

House. Glenn wanted to meet her. Glenn swears he didn't do anything wit her. Joel thinks he did it with her. They leave. Vicky is there. Glenn asks Lana to leave. Vicky gives Joel $50 for the house. He asks them to leave. they leave.

Bedroom. Does weights. Hears a car drive up. Looks out, it's Guido. Women in yard, and they are fighting with Guido. they run past Guido who approaches Joel. Guido gives him advice, then Joel asks him to leave. Kids watch from street. Lana says they work for Joel now. "Never fuck with another man's livelihood." "If you're smart, you're not going to make me come back here."

Dining room. They eat frozen food. the egg is with her stuff, and then they'll lave. Vicky think there's a future with his friends. Clean, polite, quick.

His bedroom. He studies. He's working on his Free Enterprise workshop. He competes with other student companies. She wants to go out, get high, and get ice cream.

They drive.

Park. Barry thinks he's stoned. Joel swears he's not stoned. then admits he is, and asks Barry to keep him from doing anything stupid. Lana asks about living at home. Walk on pier. Lana's amazed that Glenn had the money. She wants to get their friends together, to make money. He says no. She offers to be his girlfriend, no charge. Her mind is working all the time, nothing she can do about it.

Angle on Car. she gets her purse, knocks it into neutral. they sit on hood and talk. She left home because her stepfather kept coming on to her. He asks about her brother... she's sick of him judging her, and she walks off. The car rolls and the keys are locked inside. It rolls onto the pier, and he thinks he's saved. Then the pier collapses. His friends come running as the car sinks. Fade Out.

Dealership. Car is emptied out. Fish come out. they wait, Salesman comes, "Who's the U Boat commander."

School. Nurse is writing "Unexcused," which will wreck his average. He tells her the truth about the call girl and she keeps writing. She refuses to listen to him. He grabs her and asks for compassion. Gets none.

Night. All his buddies are there. He's suspended for five days. Kicked out of Future Enterprisers. Trashed his whole record. He comes out, wrecked, says he needs a bike, borrows Glenn's.

Rides like crazy through town. Gets very surreal. Tangerine Dream music is playing. He thinks, he sweats and ponders. rides a train. Takes a cab. Runs up steps in apartment building. Lana's roommate lets him in. Lana is there. They slow dance.

Morning. Her apartment. They work together. She has no guilt, no doubt... his specialities. He loves the way her mind works.

They buy mattresses. She tells him he'll make more money in one night than he could make all year. Pay for father's car. She'll be his girlfriend. All this in V.O. She told me a lot of things. I believed them all. The egg is replaced on the mantel. "She introduced me to her friends." the girls come over, a dozen of them. I introduced her to my friends... we see the boys go to the bank.

"I concentrated on sales." He talks to kids at fast food place about how much money they spent on dates where they got nothing. He's in shades. Smoking. While "I'm A Man" plays. He catches up to some kids on the sidewalk. Talks to a kid at a gas station. "College girls can smell ignorance, like dogshit." Guys watching an exercise video in showroom window. To a kid, "Walk like a man."

The house. Roaring good party. "Some of the girls are wearing my mother's clothing, talk to 'em."

Outside... lots of people are there. Interviewer arrives as more beds are delivered. Interviewer watches the party.

Back yard. Joel and Miles discuss his not having to pay for it. "I can get it anyway." Miles doesn't want to pay. Joel says "Whatever you want to do..."

Interviewer meets Joel. Joel is totally unflustered. Takes him into the office, starts the interview. Lana comes in, says they need the room. Interviewer gives him his stats, he's 84th percentile. Kid knocks on the window. Lana brings in a bed and watches the interview. Joel and Lana make eye contact. "It's not quite Ivy League now, is it." "You know Bill, you've got to say 'What the fuck, make your move..." "Looks like University of Illinois!" Joel grins.

Joel plays with train set in attic. Lana comes. The guy from Princeton is still here... Joel feels the party is way out of control, he's gonna kill Miles. She says he's making good money, providing a service for his friends. And he's one hot shit future enterpriser. Tells him not to worry so much. And, you got a girlfriend to boot. He gets a phone call, and she holds the phone. Talks to him sexy with the phone in her hand. She says she wants to make love on a real train. Parents wonder about the party... Mom says to use your best judgement, we trust you.

They count the money. Interviewer leaves with one of the girls. They close up. the girls were exhausted. Everyone gets paid. Lana wants to make love on a real train...he buys a ticket. They get on the train. Kiss. A wino watches. Joel gently sets him off the train. They make love. Shots of trains.

/Day. Porsche dealer. they pick up car, perfect. Joel drives very very slowly home. With flasher on. A kid on a bike passes him.

Home. Joel counts his money. He walks past living room. All furniture and the egg are gone. All furniture is gone. He calls Lana, but she's not there. His parents are going to be back in two hours. Guido answers. He knows about the train. Guido hangs up when Joel calls him an A-hole. Joel tells him he has to listen! Guido hangs up again. Guido tells him he insulted him, and says that it should be his legs, etc. "Do we understand each other." "You're lucky in one respect. I like you, Joel."

Airport. Parents come. Joel's not there. Father decides to get a cab.

House. Guido sells him back his own furniture and his dad's stereo, etc. Furniture is stacked in the yard. Intercut with parents coming home in taxi. Finally, the egg. Joel's got $40 left. Guido doesn't want to sell it for $40. Guido says he'll sell it for $340 and spot him the $300. Hooker tosses the egg, which Joel catches.

Joel and Barry move furniture into house while Taxi comes home. They have trouble getting the art stuff back on the right shelves. Taxi. Parents come in. Joel hops onto sofa. He says he wrote down the 6th. First thing she does it look at the egg. Says, "Can I talk to you for a minute. What happened to my egg. There's a crack in it. My egg is ruined." He says he doesn't know what happened. Joel says he'll pay for it. She is very disappointed in him. Father doesn't really mind. Sends Joel out to do yard work.

Back yard. Leaves blow. Joel, in shades, grabs a smoke. Dolly into his eye. He finishes the work. His father is there, "Do you have something to tell me?" "I just got off the telephone with Bill Rutherford." Princeton can use a guy like Joel. Father says, "Every once in a while, you've got to say what the heck, and take some chances."

Expensive dinner with Lana. She thinks they're both going to make it big. He wants to know if their night together was just a set up for Vicky and Guido. She says, "No. You don't believe me, do you?"

Future Enterprisers. They make speeches. Talking about their profit. Intercut with dinner with Lana. They take a walk. She's only got $20. "What are we going to do about this..." using same dialogue about bond in the bank.

"My name is Joel Goodson. I deal in human fulfillment. I grossed over $8,000 in one night. Time of your life, huh kid?"