[birds chirping]
[dog barking in distance]
- [children laughing] - [footsteps running]
[Mae Ray] Betty, get out of the way.
[Janis] "She put her arms around his neck"
and hung there as he opened her trousers.
Then he placed both hands behind her buttocks
and lifted her.
"She gave a little hop..."
[Marsha] Like a bunny?
- [laughter] - Hey, y'all.
[laughter stops]
What do you want, Betty?
Are y'all reading Lucy and Sonny at the wedding?
It's so dirty.
No.
Mama and Daddy wouldn't like you reading this.
You're too young. [chuckles]
My favorite part is, "Her hand closed around
an enormous blood-gorged pole of muscle."
[chuckles] It's not a muscle.
Janis, your little sister is such a weirdo. God, I know.
[Kitty] Betty, come on over here and help me with these beans.
[men shouting in distance]
[Mammaw scoffs] Would you listen to those fool men?
[cabinet closes]
[Butch] Why don't I chop some celery?
You can probably use it in your casserole.
[Mammaw] Oh, casserole's done, Butch,
but here, you can pour that bacon grease
out of the skillet into the Luzianne can right there.
Well, how heavy is that skillet?
I have bursitis in my good arm, you know?
Really? [Neva] Why don't you just
let me handle it, Aunt Butch.
We wouldn't want you messing up your good arm.
Well, thank you, Neva, honey.
What was it that happened to your bad arm?
[Butch] Honey, don't you remember?
The Christmas before last, I slipped.
I got a hairline fracture
in the metacarpal bone in my right hand.
[Mammaw] I didn't remember that.
It just swole up like a balloon.
[Bullet imitating engine noises, whooping]
[Mammaw] Get those young'uns out of here!
It's a hot stove, and I don't want nobody to get burned!
Bullet, Mae Ray, listen to Mammaw. Come on, go outside.
Betty, take these kids outside.
Come on, y'all. Let's go outside.
What in the world is the matter with that child?
I mean it, Bullet. I'll slap you so hard,
- your clothes will go out of style. - [men hollering]
- Ah, what'd I miss? - [toilet flushing]
[laughs] - Hey, y'all know what's good for you,
you won't go in there for a while. All right.
Gross, Daddy.
[Daddy Mac] All right. Oh, goddamn it.
Move! Move. You're in front of my Falcons game. Move.
Bullet, Mae Ray, get. Y'all, let's go outside.
[Daddy Mac] Get! Bullet, Mae Ray, get.
Get the hell out of here!
Goddamn it!
I'll whup you both with my handsaw!
Jesus Christ. [Betty] Bullet! Mae Ray!
[birds and insects chirping]
[Betty] I was always happy when my Uncle Frank came
for one of his rare visits.
Sit down.
Nobody else in my family ever seemed interested in me.
You ever read Madame Bovary?
No, I haven't.
But Uncle Frank was different.
He was a college professor, and he lived in New York City.
He used aftershave.
His fingernails were always clipped.
And he wore a gold chain underneath his shirt.
[laughing]
I could listen to him talk all day.
[Betty] Oof, well, um, supposedly...
He was the only adult that I knew who looked me in the eye...
[laughing]
I like... I don't like...
...who was curious about what I had to say...
[indistinct]
...and who liked to make me laugh.
And in the summer of 1969, when I was 14...
that was exhilarating.
[both laughing]
[Daddy Mac] I'll open this one right here. Get ready.
Here we go. Oh!
Thank you, Marsha.
A man can always use an extra pair of socks.
Oh, well, it's from me and Tee Dub.
Happy birthday, Daddy Mac. I hope you don't mind me calling you that.
Hey, you gonna be a member of this family, you'd better call me Daddy Mac.
[laughter]
Open another one! Bullet! Enough, goddamn it!
Hey, now.
That's how you handle a rambunctious child.
[sniffs] Thanks.
Well, that one's wrapped up
so nice, it must be from Frank.
[Daddy Mac] Oh. Must be.
[Butch] What is it? [Kitty] Wow!
An electric shoe polisher.
You think I'm too old to polish my own shoes,
need a goddamn machine to do it?
Of course not. No, I...
It's... I have one.
It's just faster and easier.
Next!
[chuckles]
Well, I sure do appreciate your gift, Frank,
since I'm the one who always ends up
polishing your daddy's shoes.
Hm. Thank you, darling.
[Mike] Here you go, Daddy. That's from me and Kitty.
[Daddy Mac] Ooh, look at that.
Aw, look.
It's a little, itty-bitty screwdriver.
It's a glasses repair kit for when you lose a screw from your frames and whatnot.
[Daddy Mac] Yeah, well, I could use these a lot.
I'm always fixing my reading glasses.
Thank you, Mike, Kitty.
- [Kitty] And Janis. - [Daddy Mac] Mm-hm.
- And Betty and Bullet. - Yep.
[Bullet] Happy birthday, Daddy Mac!
[laughter]
[Betty] I never knew why Daddy Mac was so mean to Uncle Frank
or why nobody else ever said anything about it.
[laughter] [Mike] Well, okay.
[yells] Can I go to the bathroom?
[Butch] Yeah, if you promise to wash your hands.
[Betty] I might understand if Uncle Frank was selfish
or rude or snobby, but he wasn't.
He was smart and funny and considerate.
He was the kind of person I wanted to be.
But he was the one Daddy Mac picked on
and belittled in front of everybody.
Uncle Frank was good at hiding how much it hurt him,
but I could see it.
[chattering continues]
Uncle Frank, what is it like living in New York City?
Oh, I love it.
See, once you get out of a town like Creekville,
not only do you see how small your world was,
you also see how much bigger it could become.
In ways you never even thought possible.
Can I come visit you sometime?
Yeah. Sure.
If your parents agree to it.
Of course they won't.
They wouldn't even let me go to majorette camp.
Well, Daddy, he said, no daughter of his
was gonna prance around half naked
in front of the whole town.
I'd probably end up getting raped,
and you know what, I would deserve it.
He said that?
Mama says it's just the beer talking.
How are your grades, Betty?
All A's.
All A's, huh? No B's?
Mm, no. [Chuckles]
Good. Keep that up.
Ace your SAT.
You could get a scholarship to just about anywhere you want to go.
Oh.
Probably just go to SC State like most of my class.
Ah, come on, now.
You gonna be the person you decide to be,
or are you gonna be the person everyone else tells you you are?
'Cause you get to choose.
You do.
I wish I wasn't named Betty.
It's a lady name, and I'm only 14.
So change it.
[laughs]
I can't just change my name.
You can do anything you want.
What about "Liz"?
[scoffs] No?
"Liza"?
"Betsy"?
[laughs]
Uh, maybe "Beth"?
Yeah, I like "Beth."
And there are so many things a Beth can accomplish
besides being a majorette.
My cousin Marsha's a majorette.
Yes, she is, and please don't do what your idiot cousin Marsha did.
She got herself pregnant,
and now she's gonna have to marry that imbecilic young man.
Marsha's pregnant?
Shh.
If ever you need me to pretend to be your father
so you can get birth control,
I will be more than happy to do that.
Look at me.
And if you do find yourself getting knocked up,
you call me first before you talk to anyone else in this family.
I promise.
Okay.
You want me to leave Madame Bovary for you?
Oh, that would be great.
[chuckles]
Thank you.
[man over speakers] Attention, new students.
Please allow our student ambassadors
to show you around the NYU campus.
These student-led tours depart every half hour.
Uh, Bledsoe. First name Beth.
Uh, Elizabeth. I'm sorry.
Thank you.
[Kitty] That was scrumptious. Wasn't that scrumptious?
Charlotte! What was that salad?
Oh. It's called tabbouleh.
I never thought to put rice on a salad.
Oh, no, that's bulgur.
What's vulgar? [Frank] Uh, uh, bulgur.
It's made from a wheat.
[Mike chuckles]
Sure was interesting.
That smells so good. [Charlotte chuckles]
What is it?
Oh, it's beef.
[Frank] Lamb.
It's sfeeha.
[Charlotte] That. Sfeeha?
Yeah, it's kind of like a shepherd's pie.
Huh?
[Frank] She is such a good cook.
She's been slaving away all day.
Oh, slaving?
And you are such a good boyfriend.
[chuckles] Charlotte, it's so good to meet you.
I have to say that no one in Frank's family
has ever even heard of you.
[Charlotte] I know.
It's crazy, right? Uh-huh.
Especially since we've been together almost five years.
Shut your mouth!
Yes, Charlotte, shut your mouth.
I bet it's because of the Jewish thing.
What Jewish thing?
[Charlotte] Oh, well, Frank probably thought
that you would all disapprove
of him living in sin with a dirty Jew.
[Kitty gasps] Sweetheart.
Uh-huh? You remember what we decided tonight.
No, uh, politics...
No religion. That's right.
Of course, yes. I'm so sorry.
I'm just a bitch. [Laughs] [Frank] Mm.
That's what Mike calls me.
[Charlotte] Oh...
I think we're gonna get along just fine.
Hell, I'm just glad you ain't black.
[laughing] [Mike chuckles]
Okay, let's not forget why we're all here.
To Miss Elizabeth Bledsoe,
New York University freshman,
class of 1976.
[glasses clink] [Kitty] America's birthday.
It's all just beginning for you, Beth.
[Charlotte] Mazel tov.
Mazel top. [Beth chuckles]
[glasses clink]
Congrats. Congrats.
Enjoy.
[students chattering]
Do you mind if I sit here?
No, of course not.
I'm Bruce.
Hi. I'm Beth.
Where are you from, Beth?
South Carolina. Charleston?
No, a tiny little town you've never heard of, I'm sure.
Well, try me.
Creekville. Never heard of it.
I'm from Bismarck, North Dakota,
but I tell people I'm from Greenwich.
I've decided I'm gonna be who I want to be
instead of letting other people dictate who I am.
Other people or facts, apparently.
[both chuckle]
[Bruce] Favorite author.
I can't pick just one.
Okay. Favorite authors.
Carson McCullers.
Eudora Welty.
Harper Lee.
Jane Austen, of course.
Uh, Charlotte Bronte.
No men. Hmm.
Mark Twain.
You?
Well, Shakespeare. Dickens.
Mark Twain.
Ken Kesey. William Styron. Truman Capote.
No women.
Grace Metalious. Jacqueline Susann.
[laughs] Sure. [chuckles]
[laughs] Actually, I want to take this, um...
this class on 19th-century women writers.
Uh, I think the professor's name is Bledsoe.
I hear he's amazing. Frank Bledsoe?
Uh, he's my uncle.
Seriously?
Yeah.
Would you mind introducing me to him? I mean, at some point.
Something tells me that you and I are gonna be spending a lot of time together.
[chuckles softly] I hope so.
[siren wailing in distance] [music playing in other room]
You okay?
Yeah, uh, I-I just... Uh, I've never...
Oh. But I want to.
I just... No.
No, no, we should wait.
No, it's okay. I just... No, no.
I don't want to screw things up
by moving too fast.
I like you too much.
[chuckles softly]
We can keep making out, though.
Okay.
Come in.
I will be right with you.
And... yes.
[chuckles] Oh, Beth!
Hi. I've been meaning to call you.
I've been snowed under. How are you?
How are you adjusting to college?
To New York? I love it.
But, um, this is my boyfriend Bruce. [Chuckles]
Your... [Beth chuckles]
Okay. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir.
I've heard raves about your class.
Good to meet you.
Um...
unfortunately, you caught me at a bad time.
I have to type an exam
and get copies made before 3:00, so...
[Beth] Oh, okay.
But I will call you, I promise.
Sure.
[chuckles] Bye.
I should've called him first.
Hey, Frank, what time does your party start tonight?
[Frank] Around 8:00. Should I bring a guest?
No. [Frank] You'd better.
[laughs] Okay.
I'll see you there.
No.
[doorbell rings]
[funk music playing over speakers in distance]
Hello.
Who are you? Oh, uh, hi.
Hi.
Uh, I'm Beth Bledsoe, Frank's niece.
Frank's niece?
Oh, my God, Beth.
Hey! Nice meeting you. [Beth chuckles]
Oh, my God. My name is Wally.
How are you?
I've been begging Frank to introduce us.
Hi. I'm Bruce.
Oh, my goodness. [sighs]
I'm just not sure why he didn't tell me you were coming.
Oh, that's because he doesn't know.
He doesn't know?
Oh, I thought he wanted to surprise me.
[both laughing]
Well, okay, it's gonna be very exciting.
I'm excited. Come on in.
Come in, come in, please!
Shut the door behind you.
Hey. Don't smoke in here. It's illegal.
I don't want to go to jail. Why not? It's a party.
[Wally] Shut up.
[Beth] So, uh, how do you know Uncle Frank?
Uh, he's my roommate.
[chuckling] Why?
Oh, uh, I thought he lived with Charlotte.
Yes, he does. We all... We live together
because it's a big apartment and, uh...
and, uh, rent is very expensive.
Uh, tell you what, I'm gonna go track him down,
and you're gonna stay here.
Uh, do not move. [Beth chuckles]
No, I'm serious, Beth. Do not move.
[laughing] Okay. Okay.
Look at this smile.
I'm gonna go find the alcohol.
Oh, what do you want?
Uh, surprise me.
[music continues]
Hey, Frank.
Seriously?
This is what you do? [chuckling]
Have sex in other people's homes?
[scoffs] We're not having sex.
Hm. Okay.
[Wally sighs]
By the way, Frank's niece is here,
and you may need to be a slut of a girlfriend... again.
I cannot believe you are still pissed at me
for getting to meet Frank's brother's family.
Don't you ever take credit for my cooking, Charlotte.
I mean it.
Okay, go on.
[laughter]
Oh, I'm sorry. I was just, um...
You want a drink?
Uh, sure.
I'll have a martini.
Gin or vodka?
Uh, vodka.
Olive?
Sure. Why not? [chuckles]
I love your hair.
Oh, thanks. I love yours.
Enjoy. Thank you.
[Frank] Oh, fuck Agnew.
It's Nixon who needs to go.
[music continues inside]
He's such a snake.
He'll figure out a way to stay in power.
I don't know, Bernard.
I have more faith in the system than you do.
It's not hard to do, as I have none.
You are...?
Bruce.
[Bruce] Hi.
[Bernard] Hi.
Bernard.
What are you, uh...
I came here with Beth. Beth is here?
Don't worry, Frank.
We're a lot hipper than you think.
I believe I'll go get another drink.
[door closes]
Beth's a sweet girl.
Yeah, she's a very sweet girl.
[Bruce] I'm not sure where she gets the idea
I'm her boyfriend.
We haven't had sex.
It's not like we ever will. [chuckles]
She's not really my type.
Do you honestly believe that I'll risk my job,
my relationship, my entire life
just to have sex with you?
Who has to know?
You think I've never had sex
with a beautiful young man, Bruce?
Hell, I used to be a beautiful young man.
You still are.
[chuckles] Come on, let it go.
My blow jobs are like poetry.
[chuckles]
How?
In what way is a blow job like poetry, Bruce?
Does it rhyme? Is it metered?
Does it employ aesthetic qualities
in addition to or instead of
its notional and semantic content?
Wow, you flunk.
Unaccustomed to not getting what you want,
aren't you, Bruce?
Seriously?
Seriously, get out of here.
Come on, get out of here.
[stammers] Come on.
[laughter, lively chatter]
[music playing]
[chattering continues]
Where have you been? Whoa.
You've had enough.
Oh, no, it's a martini.
Uh, listen, Beth, I need to go.
Your uncle completely flipped out on me.
I think he's stoned. On pot?
God only knows what he's going to tell you.
Call me.
[grunts] [bottle shatters]
[chatter stops] [music continues]
It's okay, Beth. Come on. What did you say to Bruce?
Let's go get a cup of coffee.
Oh, nope. Not on the rug. Come on. [Retches]
[vomiting] There you go. Yeah.
You're gonna feel so much better after this.
Believe me. [coughing]
[door opens] [Wally] Hey, Frank.
I've been looking for you everywhere
to warn you that she was here. [Beth coughs]
[clicks tongue] Oh, Beth.
She's okay. What happened?
You little poor thing.
So, where were you?
I was on the fire stairs.
With?
Bernard. Bernard the pothead?
Can we not, in front of her?
Oh, don't worry about that.
She's not gonna remember any of it.
Here.
Did you smoke pot?
Yes. It's a party.
Yeah, and you're sober.
And marijuana is not alcohol.
No, but it's illegal.
And you smoke it outside where anybody can smell it.
[Beth coughing]
[clicks tongue]
Did he make a play for you?
He's way too repressed to ever do anything like that.
[whispers] Her boyfriend did, though.
That shrimp?
Oh, I did not like him the minute I saw him.
[toilet flushing]
Bruce said you freaked out.
Why'd you freak out?
Uh...
Beth, do you know what, um...
Wow.
Okay, do you know what being gay means?
Well...
I'm gay.
And so is Wally.
Um, we live together. We have for ten years.
And the reason I freaked out is because...
Bruce tried, rather ineptly to seduce me,
and he seemed unwilling to take no for an answer.
So I hope you weren't too invested in him,
because he seems a little, um...
Gay.
Not worth it.
No, come on. Luckily, you don't need to think about
any of that right now. All you need to do is
go to the guest room and pass out.
I'll clean this up later. [door opens]
Oh, don't worry. I'll do it.
You came out to Beth tonight.
I know.
I did not expect that to happen.
It gave me a boner.
Also unexpected.
[laughing]
[machinery clanking and whirring outside]
[music playing softly]
[praying in Arabic]
[Frank] There's coffee on the table,
two aspirin and a big glass of water.
[laughing] You should... You should drink it.
Oh, please tell me you eat bacon.
Good, 'cause Wally, he hates even the smell of it.
But I'm a good Southern boy, and bacon's in my blood.
[food sizzling]
So, you feel any different about me?
Oh, I don't think so.
Never known anybody who was gay before.
Of course you have.
You just weren't aware of it.
Choir director at First Baptist Church.
Mr. Dickerson? But he's so...
What?
Religious. Beth...
I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone in the family about me.
Oh, sure, of course.
Eh, we're from such different worlds now.
It wouldn't do any... [Wally] Change anything?
You don't see them anyways, Frank.
Hey, Beth. How you feeling?
When's the last time you saw your family?
Uh, I think August of last year.
Good morning, Barbara Stanwyck.
[vocalizes]
I go there at least every two years. You know that.
He shows them photographs of a phony wife,
who's also played by Charlotte, by the way.
You want eggs? [chuckling] Yes, please.
If I told them I was with a man, it would bring shame on them.
Why do you think it wouldn't bring shame on my family?
Americans don't care about honor, Frank.
Ha!
I wish I thought my family could get past it, but I don't.
I think your family would eventually accept it.
[Frank] Here you go. Yeah, well, you don't know my family.
Thank you. No, but you came from them, so how bad can they be?
[song ends]
[Frank] How about this?
How about...
you tell your family, and then I'll tell mine.
Are you kidding? In Saudi Arabia, they would behead me.
[swing music playing]
Ugh.
Your bacon smells like death.
Delicious death.
[Wally] And this music.
[music stops] [Wally] Ugh.
[percussive Arabic music playing]
Oh, come on, now, Wally.
Please?
[groaning] Oh, no. Oh, no.
[chuckles] What are you doing?
[phone ringing] [laughing]
Oh, that's your phone.
Beth.
Have you met Barbara Stanwyck?
[Frank] Yeah, hello? Hey, Mama. Isn't she cute?
She's the cutest thing ever. [Mammaw] Frank,
your daddy's gone. He's gone.
What? [Mammaw] He died this morning.
Oh, Frank.
How? Heart attack.
Just out of nowhere, getting into the car. Okay.
He seemed perfectly okay, then he grabbed his arm. Mama...
[Mammaw crying] Oh, Frank, what am I gonna do?
Oh, wait, your sister's here.
Do you mind holding on?
No, I'm okay. Hold on.
[Mammaw sobbing]
[Frank] And what time's that land in Greenville?
Yes, okay, Mama. I promise.
[Frank] Is that the last flight of the day?
[Beth] Love you, too. Bye. [Frank] Eastern, 235.
[Frank] Okay.
She doesn't want me to fly.
Uh, she's scared of it. She gets hysterical.
[Frank] She's not the one flying.
She made me promise I would take the train.
You can take the car.
Can you hold on for a second?
It's faster than the train, and it'll give you guys
a chance to get to know each other.
I would love that.
Yeah.
What? Are you seriously thinking of not going?
Frank, that'll break your mother's heart. You need to go.
You need to stay out of this, please.
You're not gonna run away from this
your whole life, you know?
Please, Uncle Frank?
[sighs] Fuck.
Um, okay, sorry. Uh, change of plans.
We can take turns driving.
No, Wally, you're not coming.
[lighter clicking]
You're pushing me away again.
Just when you're gonna need me the most.
I didn't come to your father's funeral.
No, I did not want you to come to my father's funeral.
[Frank] Yes, and I respected your wishes,
and I didn't try to talk you into letting me.
[Wally] It's not the same thing.
I have a question. Are you the stupidest man alive?
Obviously. Look who I'm with.
[sighs]
Look.
You need me for this.
You know you do.
Wally, I appreciate you wanting to be there
for me, I do, but honestly,
it will be so much harder for me if you come.
Okay.
Thank you.
I'm gonna do the dishes.
[♪♪♪]
[radio playing softly]
It's so weird.
I'll never see Daddy Mac again.
You've never known anyone who died?
There was this one boy in high school who got killed in a car wreck.
But I didn't know him well.
Some of the other kids who never even talked to him when he was alive
started acting like he was their best friend.
So they could cry and people would feel sorry for 'em.
People are idiots. [laughs]
[The Capitols' "Cool Jerk" playing on radio]
I know. Aren't they? Yep.
♪ Cool jerk ♪
[Beth] What does Wally do?
[Frank] Oh, he's an aeronautics engineer.
Where'd you meet him?
[laughing]
On the subway.
I was reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence,
and he asked me why I was reading it.
And I told him I'd just seen the film Lawrence of Arabia.
And he said, "Well, I'm from Arabia."
And...
I don't know, we got to talking.
[chuckles] Okay.
Saved my life.
What about you?
Any boyfriends?
Besides the idiot Bruce.
No, I'm still a virgin.
Not because I want to be.
Just none of the boys I've known seemed worth the trouble.
I almost did it with Bruce, but he said...
He said what?
It's too soon?
Doesn't want to mess up your friendship?
Something like that?
You think that's because he's gay?
Oh, I think 99% of straight boys would have gone ahead with it.
[chuckles]
I just thought it was my fault.
[chuckling]
Guys like Bruce always make you think it's your fault.
What a jerk. [chuckles]
[Frank] That's letting him off too easy.
He's an asshole. [Beth laughs]
You can call him an asshole, can't you?
[Beth] What an asshole. [Frank] There you go.
[Beth] What a fucking asshole.
[Frank laughs] There you go.
"See the world's largest teapot."
[Beth] Yeah, or George Washington's outdoor bathtub.
Mm. What is the Mystery Hole?
The what?
"See the unbelievable Mystery Hole."
Uh, I don't think we need to go there.
[Beth laughs]
[music playing over speakers]
Did you always know you were gay?
I... I always knew I was different.
From day one.
But I... I definitely knew by the time I hit puberty.
You have to realize, it wasn't talked about then
the way it is now.
I didn't think there was anyone else like me.
Well, heck, I feel that way. [chuckles softly]
What about you?
You ever get a crush on a girl?
[laughs]
[chuckling] What?
Uh, not really.
One time, uh,
I practiced making out with Becky Eller at a sleepover.
Oh... But I pretended she was a boy.
And how... How was it?
[laughs] Embarrassing.
When was the first time you, um...
I was 16.
Who was it with?
Just a boy from school.
Ma'am, could we get the check?
[song fading]
[♪♪♪]
[Young Frank] Come on, Sam!
[both laughing]
Sam!
[laughing]
[Frank shouts]
[water burbling]
[♪♪♪]
[Beth] There's a graveyard statue in Parkersburg that weeps.
What?
Apparently, she grants wishes.
[car slowing]
What's wrong?
[engine shuts off]
Stay here.
[insects trilling, birds chirping]
Hello?
Wally?
Oh, hey.
What the fuck are you doing here, Wally?
You scared me half to death.
You forgot your razor, uh, and your favorite tie.
You rented a car just to bring me a razor and a tie?
Isn't it snazzy?
Look, it's a convertible.
You agreed to stay home.
Just admit you're glad I'm here.
Jesus. Come on.
And stop acting like your father dying is not a big deal.
Of course it's a big fucking deal, Wally.
It could end up being a positive thing.
You need to be part of your family.
I don't want to be a part of my family.
Bullshit, and you know it. [Beth] Wally?
Get back in the car!
Hey, don't talk to her like this. She's not your kid.
Beth, stay.
Stay.
Look, I just want to help, however you might need it.
And you know you're going to.
You were there for me when I did.
You can't meet them, Wally. You can't.
Okay, I won't.
And you can't come to the funeral.
But you can come to me whenever you need to.
[sighs]
[crickets chirping]
[female clerk] So, that's two rooms at $14 each.
Uh, I don't think we need two rooms.
We can make do with just one if you have a cot.
What is the relationship?
Uh... Hmm?
The relationship
between the two of you...
uh, and the young lady over there.
Oh, she's my niece.
I'm his nephew.
I'm afraid I'm gonna need the young lady
to stay in her own room.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Okay. Yeah.
I used to fantasize about different ways
for my father to die.
Which, of course, I felt tremendous guilt about.
You WASPs, you love your guilt.
That's actually not true. I fucking hate it.
You know, you have nothing to feel guilty about.
Mm, I know it intellectually.
Just make sure you don't bury it all
inside yourself and explode later.
Probably at me.
You look like you belong in a 1950s Bible movie.
Oh, yeah? I do?
[man on TV] Blessed be thou, Samuel.
Here he is, David.
[thunder crashing on TV]
[rhythmic thumping in other room]
[Frank, Wally grunting, moaning]
[bed creaking]
Hey, Beth?
You want to ride with me?
[exhales sharply] Uh, is that okay with you?
Of course it's okay. Why wouldn't it be okay?
Okay.
He's cranky today. [both laughing]
Bye.
[♪♪♪]
So, Beth...
Answer one question for me.
Why is your uncle so odd?
[chuckles] What's odd about him?
"What's odd about him?" He's the oddest man
I've ever seen in my whole life.
He seems pretty normal to me.
Really? Huh.
He's so stoic, Beth. Like a mule.
There's a layer between him and the rest of the world.
You know what I mean?
Uh, not really.
I don't really know him that well.
But I've always liked him. Oh, dear.
You're just like him. [laughing]
Must be hereditary.
[both laughing]
[Southern accent] You guys are so nice
all the time. [laughs]
I mean, don't you get exhausted being nice all the time?
[water burbling]
[muffled chatter]
[laughter]
[inhales deeply]
[laughing]
I know that Frank's father's the devil
and his mom's a saint.
[folk music playing over radio]
His sister knows about me, apparently.
She does? Mm-hm.
Oh, that's my Aunt Neva. She's real nice.
[laughing] Beth, I'm not interested in nice.
Nice always hides something.
What's hidden is what interests me.
What about his brother?
What's he like?
Well, his brother's my daddy,
and he's not that nice sometimes.
But how is he not nice? He says mean things.
Like what?
Like, um... like I'm a little smart-ass,
and ain't no man likes a girl with a smart mouth.
Yep, he's right about that.
Most men don't.
I think I'm gonna like your dad.
[chuckles] I really do.
What about your family? Are they...
Oh, they're very nice. All right. [Laughs]
[laughing] They're crazy.
My mom is a woman with a smart mouth.
And indeed, my dad did not like it.
But she's got so much love.
She's my heart.
[sighs]
[engine rattling, squeaking] What the...?
Oh, come on!
What'd you do to the car?
[Frank] Well, how long's that gonna take?
I'm gonna have to wait to get you a new torque converter
in from Greensboro.
Earliest I can have it in for you is Monday.
[Frank] See, that's not an option.
Well, ain't no other'n I can think of.
[softly] Fuck.
Just leave it here.
You can pick it up on our way back to New York.
J.B. don't usually like doing that, but...
I'm gonna say yes.
'Cause if y'all come back,
that means I get to see this pretty little lady again.
[mechanic chuckles]
[chuckles]
I'm just playing with you.
Y'all don't mind, do you?
You don't need these men's permission to play with me.
You need mine. [chuckles]
Which I will never, ever give you,
because you are presumptuous and disrespectful.
And you're probably even stupider than you look.
[chuckles]
And you look pretty goddamn stupid.
[laughing]
[laughs] You made me feel sorry for that boy.
Gross.
Look at it from his perspective, Beth.
You're a pretty girl.
You're wearing nice makeup. You're wearing nice clothes.
So it's my fault he's a creep?
You'll have to forgive Wally, Beth.
In the country that he comes from,
they like to wrap women up in sheets
and lock 'em away because they're just too dangerous.
That's why I left. Oh.
That and the execution of homosexuals.
Seriously?
Yes.
Beheading, hanging.
And sometimes they're only teenagers.
I knew I couldn't find love if I stayed there.
If I did, I could die for it,
but, uh, I did not want my life to be this way.
[insects trilling, birds chirping]
Hey.
You know he can't hurt you anymore.
It's not him.
It's Sam.
Come, let's have some ice cream.
I'm good.
My dad used to take us for ice cream every Saturday,
even if we misbehaved.
[gentle ballad playing over radio]
What's your favorite flavor? Rosewater with cream chips.
It's delicious. Sounds like soap.
No, it doesn't. No. [laughing] It does.
[Wally] Arabic ice cream is very different.
It's thicker and chewier, you know,
because of the mastic that they put...
[♪♪♪]
[Beth] Oh, we're here.
[Wally] "Welcome to Creekville."
[sighs]
[Wally] Hm.
Where's the creek?
You any kin to old Mac Bledsoe who just died?
I'm his son. Mike?
[chuckles] You don't even look like yourself anymore.
I'm Frank, the oldest.
Oh.
You're the one who runned off to New York.
That's the one.
[keys rattling]
There's your keys.
Look at me.
[key rattles] Thank you.
[chuckles]
You need to wait ten minutes before checking in.
Yeah, I know the drill.
No, Wally. Ten minutes... I mean it.
It's different down here.
Okay, sweetheart. Okay.
That old fart will call the police. They will put us in jail.
I got to get ready to go to the funeral parlor.
[Beth] I thought we were going to the funeral home.
[Frank sighs]
I'll be two seconds.
[train horn blowing in distance]
[door opens, closes] [bell jingles]
[door opens]
[footsteps approaching] [door closes]
You want one?
No, thank you.
[liquor glugging]
[swallows, gasps softly]
Do not tell Wally I'm drinking. [Engine starts]
[gentle organ music playing]
[crying softly]
[sobs softly]
[Kitty whispers] Betty.
Oh, Betty.
Beth.
Right.
I was so worried you two got in a...
Oh. Oh. Hey, Kitty.
I thought you got in a wreck and were laying dead
in a ditch somewhere.
[sighs] Thank you for driving her.
I couldn't have her on a plane. I just couldn't.
I know.
My stepdad's cousin's son died in a plane crash.
You might remember that. I get it.
It happens to real people.
I... I'm... Yeah, okay.
I'm sorry about your daddy.
[Frank] Mama.
[sobs softly]
Frank! Oh, Mama.
[crying] Oh, it's so good you're here.
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
No warning.
You know, he just dropped dead right in front of me,
getting into the car.
We was about to go to the Food Lion.
Oh, Mama, it's all right. [sobbing]
It's okay. It's okay.
Oh, Frank, Frank, Frank.
He loved you. Mm-hm.
No, he did, he did, he did. Mm.
He did. He loved you.
You want... You want to see him?
Yeah. He looks real good. Real good.
Hey, big brother.
Oh, hey, Mike.
He's the best friend I'll ever have.
Really? Mm-hm. Yeah.
I only asked him to be best man in my wedding
'cause I was scared not to. [chuckles]
After the rehearsal dinner, we got shit-faced.
[chuckles]
Goddamn, he was like another man.
He was, like, funny.
Told me how, uh, he felt like
he was never good enough for Mama.
He told me how he thought
Kitty wasn't good enough for me,
which he was wrong about.
We were both hung over at the wedding.
You didn't notice?
Uh-uh.
I just thought you seemed nervous.
[both chuckling]
I was shaking like an old hound dog
trying to shit out a peach pit.
Oh. [chuckles softly]
You know, I've been driving up here
once a week for more than 20 years...
just to have breakfast with Daddy.
He'd ask if I had heard from you.
Course, I hadn't.
But I never kept in touch much with you, neither.
Well, it's... Hey.
And for that...
[stammers]
[sobbing] I...
[whispers] I'm sorry.
[stammering]
You don't need to be sorry. It's okay.
[Mike sighs]
[Frank sighs] [Wally] Hello?
Hello?
[woman on phone] Hello.
Mom?
[both speaking in Arabic]
[bird twittering over phone]
[bottle clunks in trash]
[grunts]
[Kitty] It just doesn't make any sense.
Betty wants to stay in a motel all by herself
instead of sleeping at home in her own bed.
It's Beth, and I'm not by myself.
Uncle Frank is staying there, too. So is Wally.
Who's Wally?
He's a man that we met.
Me and Uncle Frank.
He's staying at the motel, too.
Well, that doesn't sound right.
No, ma'am, that sounds wronger than wrong.
How old are you, Betty?
It's... I'm 18, and it's Beth.
18, and you want to stay by yourself in a motel?
Aren't you... Aren't you concerned about your reputation?
My reputation with whom?
Men care about things like that.
Trust me, I know from experience.
[Frank] It's almost 9:00. We should be headed back.
Frank, I don't understand why Betty has... [scoffs]
Beth has to stay in a motel
when she can sleep at home in her own bed.
It's a waste of money.
Well, I'm not sure that's your decision to make, Kitty,
because Beth is an adult now
and she gets to make up her own mind.
It's only my second time in a motel, Mama.
It's fun.
Well, I hope it's clean, at least.
Frank, who is Wally?
I told them about the man we met at the motel,
with the Winnebago.
Oh, the guy with the dog? Yeah.
They're traveling across America.
[Beth] He's so cute, Mama.
Smartest dog I ever met.
You got to be careful about strange dogs, you know.
They can bite you.
He's blind.
[chuckling] The dog, not the driver.
[woman speaking in Arabic]
[Beth] Good night.
[woman speaking in Arabic]
[kissing loudly]
Frank. Frank.
[Frank sighs]
[sighs]
I can smell the alcohol. [sniffs]
Look, if ever I had a reason to drink, this would be it.
Bullshit.
Can you just stop?
I can't take it from you, Wally. Not right now.
At least wait till this whole thing is over.
Can you do that for me? Would that be okay with you?
Could you do it for me?
I won't go through it again. I won't.
I'll be up if you need to talk.
Good night.
Mac Bledsoe was the kind of man
you don't see much anymore.
Dedicated husband.
Loving father.
Good American. Good Christian.
A man for whom doing the right thing,
it wasn't a choice.
It was his duty.
It was his duty to teach his children
the difference between right and wrong.
[sportscast playing indistinctly]
And now it's our duty.
It's our duty to walk...
in the same path of righteousness as Mac.
[Daddy Mac] I don't want you seeing that Lassiter boy again.
If I find out you are, I'll kill you both.
You're gambling with your very soul, son.
Opening yourself up to that sickness.
You want to be a queer, hm?
A faggot?
It's perversion.
God hisself will turn his back on you.
Cast you into the lake of fire.
[sighs]
[preacher] It's what God expected of Mac,
and it's what God now expects of us.
Let us pray.
Our Father...
[others join in] who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
[insects trilling]
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done...
[panting]
...on Earth as it is in Heaven.
[sighs]
Oh, my God.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.
[water burbling]
Amen.
[engine rumbling outside]
[clock ticking]
[insects trilling]
[sighs, grunts]
[♪♪♪]
[Marsha] Mm. Everyone up there talk like a Yankee?
Not everybody. Mm, mm!
You see any famous people in New York?
Yes. Truman Capote. Truman who?
Oh, I think I saw Rhoda's mom
from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Oh!
[chuckles] So, what about you?
How's life? Mm.
Honestly, Beth, I've never been happier.
That's great, Marsha. Yeah.
I love being a mother. I love being pregnant.
I love Travis more every day.
He's a really good daddy.
Uh, Travis? Mm. Mm-hm.
He don't go by Tee Dub no more now that he's a business owner.
Yeah. [Chuckles]
But, oh, we still get it on all the time.
He is very blessed
in that department. [chuckles]
[softly] That's nice.
What's wrong, monkey?
You want to wear Mama's shoes?
[mumbles]
[laughs]
He loves to do that. I have no idea why.
[chuckles]
[Neva] So, how's Wally?
He's good.
I think he should be here with you.
He is here.
He's at the motel.
Well, go get him.
Get him?
I want to meet him. After all these years.
At Dad's funeral?
"Excuse me, everyone.
I have an announcement to make."
Frank, it is 1973.
And I know Beau would be okay with it,
and Kitty, probably.
Mike, that's a question mark.
No shit.
You want one?
No, thank you. You sure?
I'm sure. Mm.
It's just for this. I swear.
You want to pinkie-promise me?
Pinkie promise.
What kind of wake doesn't have a bar?
One in this town.
I'm just waiting for Aunt Butch to ask me,
"Is there any news on the female front?"
She has a spider in her hair.
She what? [laughing] Yeah.
I shared a car with her to the cemetery, and I...
I thought I saw something moving in there.
[laughing] I looked closer, and it was a spider.
Did you tell her?
You didn't? [laughing]
Oh, I don't want to hurt her feelings.
I mean, remember how mad she got
when I told her her wig was on backwards
and she'd just been in church all day? [Laughing]
That's why she stopped wearing wigs.
Well...
[chuckles]
My baby. My baby boy.
Mm-hm.
[chattering]
[door closes]
Well, hey there, Frank.
I've been looking for you.
Aunt Butch, don't you look pretty today.
Tell me, any news on the female front?
Nope.
Well, how old are you?
You must be getting on up there.
I'm... I'm 46.
Well, you got to get moving, boy.
You're gonna end up like me. Oh.
Course, it's different for men.
[chuckles, clicks tongue]
[sighs softly]
[Mike] Hey.
Y'all need to come in the house.
Is anything wrong?
No. The lawyer's here.
I realize this is unorthodox timing
and a rather unusual venue for the reading of the will,
but Mac wanted to make sure that it happened
while all his kids were still here.
[lawyer clears throat]
All right, then. [clears throat]
"I, Francis MacKenzie Bledsoe, being of sound mind and body,
do hereby declare this to be my last will and testament.
First, to my wife Evelyn Caldwell Bledsoe,
I leave the whole of my estate and assets,
with the exception of the following designated amounts.
To my son, Michael James Bledsoe,
and to my daughter, Neva Mae Bledsoe Henderson,
"I leave the sum of $25,000 each."
To my sister, Florence Vivian Bledsoe,
I leave the sum of $500.
To my oldest son,
Francis MacKenzie Bledsoe, Jr...
I leave nothing but disgust with the filthy
and unnatural perversion he engages in with other men,
"and shame that he carries my name." [gasps softly]
[Frank groans softly]
What?
[stammers softly]
[Mammaw exhales sharply]
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. [clicks tongue]
[crying] Frank.
I'm so sorry, Frank.
I'm so sorry.
Frank, please don't go.
Please don't go.
Frank!
[sighs] He's never gonna come back.
Jesus.
[engine starts]
[Janis] How's life?
Life sucks, Beth.
I'm 22, I work at the bakery at the goddamn Food Lion,
and I still live at home with Mama and Daddy.
Oh, my Lord, y'all are not gonna believe what just happened.
Daddy, I need to borrow your car.
Daddy, it's an emergency!
Wait, what kind of emergency?
Just give me the goddamn keys!
[insects trilling]
[gate clangs]
Frank.
[lock clicking]
Is Uncle Frank here?
Isn't he at the wake? No, he left.
Everybody knows he's gay now. Daddy Mac put it in his will.
But Uncle Frank got in the car and drove away.
Was he drunk? Was he drunk?
I think so. Oh, my God.
Why would he drive drunk?
[water burbling]
Stay right there.
We can't ever do that stuff again.
Frank. We have to stop now...
if we want any chance to be normal and not end up perverts.
Do you want to be a faggot?
A queer?
Do you want to go to hell?
'Cause it's a sickness!
And God hates it.
Don't ever come near me...
or talk to me again.
[insects trilling] [panting]
[bird squawking]
[Beth] Why do you think he's at the lake?
[Wally] 'Cause I know what happened there, Beth.
I know how Frank is when he gets drunk.
There should be a gate up here on the left.
[sighs] Fuck.
[Beth] This way.
[Beth] Maybe he went for a swim?
He'd never take these off.
[Wally] Frank!
Fuck! Fuck!
Why are you in my room?
Frank?
You fucking idiot of a moron! What? What?
Do you know what you just put me through?
I just went for a swim. I couldn't find my car.
Jesus. Wake up... the fuck up, Frank!
You're not the only one something bad happened to. Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!
[Wally] There are people who love you.
[Frank] Yeah, well, people are idiots.
Fuck.
Oh, you motherfucker.
Fine.
Go ahead, destroy yourself.
Destroy us. Us?
What the fuck is us? I hate us.
We're freaks. Cheers.
[Frank, Wally grunting]
Uncle Frank, don't! [yells]
He's just trying to help you.
[Wally] Stop it! [Frank] Fuck you!
Stop it! Get off me!
[grunts] Fucker! Stop it!
Fuck you! Frank! [Groans]
You motherfucker! You faggot!
You pussy!
Faggot! [Panting]
Frank, it's okay.
[Frank grunts] [Beth] Stop!
[Wally groans]
[door opens]
[door closes]
Wally, aren't you going to follow him?
[birds chirping, insects trilling]
Couldn't even say it to my face, could you?
Coward.
[sobbing]
[mutters]
[sniffles] What did I do?
[sobbing]
[sobbing, muttering]
Oh, God! Oh, God.
[muttering]
[exhales]
Sam.
Forgive me.
[Frank panting]
Oh, Samuel.
Sam.
Frank.
[Frank sniffles]
[Frank] I have no family.
You have me.
I'm your family, and you're mine.
Till death.
You know it, I know it, and God knows it.
And that's all that matters.
[inhales] I'm sorry.
You should be.
Mama made me promise if I found you, I'd bring you back.
I don't want to see them, Beth.
But, so years ago, when you told me
I should be what I want to be,
not what other people want me to be, that was just bullshit?
You know, that conversation changed my life.
Now I find out you can't be who you are
unless nobody around you disagrees with it.
I thought you, uh...
you might want this back.
You want to go meet my fucking family?
Yeah.
If you take a shower first. [Laughs]
Ugh, Frank, it's like the sewers of Sri Lanka.
[laughing] Geez.
[laughs]
At least she didn't crash the car.
Who the fuck is this guy?
Hey, Mike.
Frank.
I got two words for you.
No problem.
You're my big brother.
Whatever you are, no problem.
Hey, Mike, uh...
this is Walid.
Hey, man. Call me Wally. Okay.
[patting back]
No problem.
[exhales]
Thank you, Kitty.
I have to tell you something.
This makes me like you even more.
Yeah? Yeah.
[whispers] My hairdresser is gay.
Oh. He is the most hilarious person in the whole world.
I really want to introduce you to him.
We have so much in common, probably. Yes!
Wally, this is my sister-in-law, Kitty.
[chuckles] I love your name. Yeah.
[both laughing]
Aw. Mm.
[chuckles] Oh.
Okay. [laughing]
Aw.
Oh, God, you smell so good!
Do you all smell good?
[both] Yes.
[laughing] Come with me. Come on.
I am so proud of you.
And this must be Wally.
Neva. Oh!
You're exactly how I imagined you.
Oh, I've been wanting to meet you for so long.
Me, too. Welcome.
This is Beau. Hey, Beau.
Frank.
And, uh, Wally.
Right? Beau.
[chuckles awkwardly] Um...
If y'all could, uh, excuse me for a minute.
Um... It's okay.
[chuckling] It's okay.
You know, when I was a little girl in Jacksonboro,
there was a man in town.
He was a dance teacher.
He was some kind of a dago or Mexican.
Oh. He had a name
like Carlos or Antonio, but everybody called him "the tissy pretzel."
And he was a backwards bobby like you.
You're not the only one.
[chuckles]
I hear Charleston is just crawling with them these days.
You're all going to hell, you know?
Aunt Butch.
I know...
that that is the very best that you're capable of.
[Mammaw] Frank!
[footsteps approaching]
Frank.
You are my precious gift from God...
and nothing...
nothing will ever change that.
[trembling]
[both crying softly]
It's okay.
Oh, baby.
Your daddy was scared of it.
Always was.
You remember how much he hated your Great-Uncle Jasper?
Uncle Jasper was...?
Uh-huh. He was.
I figured that's probably why you were.
I mean, if being curly-headed is something
that gets passed down, why not...
You knew?
Mothers know.
Oh, well...
Who's this?
Come here. Come here.
Mama, this is... this is Wally.
I've wanted to meet you for so long, Mrs. Bledsoe.
And... and I'm so sorry for your loss.
Thank you.
Well, he has as much hair on his face
as he does on his head, doesn't he?
[laughing]
[laughs]
I've got you something. Mm.
A little gift from New York City.
[Mammaw] Oh...
[scoffs] How pretty.
Well, it's nice to meet you, Wally.
Nice meeting you, too, ma'am.
And please call me Mammaw.
Mammaw.
You... You should go on and sit down now.
Honey, go. Run. Get out.
[Mammaw] You can sit down now.
[Neva] He is my brother. That doesn't make it right.
It isn't wrong.
Well...
The Bible says it's a sin.
[Neva] The Bible also says that it's okay to have slaves.
And okay to, like, marry ten...
[Beau] Oh, so what, you don't believe in the Bible no more?
How you doing? Good.
How about you? I'm good.
[conversation continues]
[Beth] What I remember most about
my Granddaddy Mac's funeral is
just sitting around the backyard
after everybody else had left.
[laughter]
And it was just us.
[chattering, laughter]
The sun was starting to go down.
There was a breeze.
And I remember thinking...
this is where I belong.
Not like I belonged with my family.
It was bigger than that.
Like every single one of us belonged there,
in that backyard,
on that afternoon.
And I realized in that moment...
we were all exactly where we were supposed to be.
[♪♪♪]