Paul (Live Schreiber) is a young man just out of prison for armed robbery, assigned to work in the local park system with Murph (Ned Beatty), a middle-aged vet whose grown son Bobby is dying. Paul is trying to control his temper and build a spiritual side based on reading.  Murph has learned his lessons in a more down-to-earth way during his life.

 

As we watch them work and get to know each other throughout the seasons of a year, we a bond of understanding and affection develop.  We also see men in different “seasons” of their lives.  The young Paul seeks atonement and a second chance, while Murph approaches retirement, questioning his past as a father and man.

 

Among the “virtues” explored in this film are: open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective, integrity, social intelligence, forgiveness and mercy,  spirituality.

 

Movie explores beautifully what generations have to share with each other…. Youth’s desire to discover new things, to feel they have a new insight, compared to the what experience teaches over the course of a lifetime.

 

Ned Beatty;’Academy Award Nominee---Network; Other Emmy & Golden Globe nominations

 

Lex Luthors assistant Otis in Superman

Charlie Wilson's War, Cookie's Fortune, Deliverance

 

 

 

Live Schreiber (Associate Producer)

Taking Woodstock --Vilma

Various lesser award nominations:Everything Is Illuminated (Best Screenplay; also directed)), X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Daytrippers", A Walk on the Moon, The Manchurian Candidate

Emmy/Golden Globes for RKO 281

 

 

SEVEN SCENES

 

Fertilizer

Getting acquainted; people behaving badly; in the woods

Forgiveness(self and others), acceptance

Reading about vs experience

Reading about men’s souls

Language (F***)

Paul Defensive

 

Vandals

Clean up the prank

Routine

“Look up” “Things are looking up”

Karma vs punishment vs attachment

 

Balance: Body/Sex /Nature

Allergies, puppies

Synchronicity

“You gonna ask her out?  It looks like she’s got pretty good Karma!”

 

Warrior weekend

What gives meaning?

Multigenerations of men

Are people good?  “We’re all in this together”

 

Trust/Betrayal/Intimacy

 

Bobby’s Funeral

 

Father/Child relationships

What’s the role?  What’s OK?

               

What goes around comes around.

 

 

 

 

 

Opening… 2 men avoiding eye contact, avoiding contact…

 

Paul starts talking about the robbery:  “Here’s the barn”.

Standing on opposite sides of the truck

Paul values doing it himself  by reading, rather than, e.g  school

“I started reading spiritual books… men’s souls and their spirits, you know., like in society they don’t have the space, no sort of fucking outlet for all the things…

 

Paul Challenges: Don’t act like somebody’s going to do something when no one has given you an answer yet.

 

Ronnie… he means faggot because his son’s a faggot.

 

Paul… “I didn’t mean faggot… I meant pussy.”

 

I’ve been here three hours and already I….  I quit.

 

Murph reaches out… puts his hand on his shoulder.

This is the exact type of  shit those books are supposed to help you with.

 

Murph laughs while hearing the story of armed robbery.

 

Paul:  It’s one of the those places I thought I was backed into a corner… I saw red.”  Murph: “You got a lot to learn.”

 

(Paul apologizes for delay in paying $20.  Murph “This is getting a little routine.”)

 

Karma:  What goes around comes around.?

 

Murph: How does your jail time affect the things that put you in a tough spot in the first place? … with the apologizing and making up you do for it, might make you worse.

 

Dogs… synchronicity

 

“I go to church to see my neighbors, think about my life… wish people well, help people out…’ “People want to be good, they want to do good..)