Lassie (1994) Movie Script
1
Lassie, come home!
All right, folks,
it's movin' day.
Thought I told you
not to watch this crap.
- I like Lassie.
-Jennifer?
You'll thank me
when you're older.
Jennifer, breakfast, honey.
You better hurry.
- I'm sorry.
- I'm fine!
Matt! 2:30.
We're goin'.
Steve, you didn't load
that brown suitcase, did you?
Yes, honey, it's in the U-Haul
under four other suitcases.
I put Jennifer's books
for the trip in there.
Why would you do that?
I'm sorry.
Honey--
Last-minute jitters.
Me too.
Does this move make sense?
Yes.
We're gonna be living in the house
where Anne grew up.
I can handle that...
I think.
Think about it. How many kids
are there in the world?
- I don't know.
- Like billions, okay?
Probably a quarter of those
are kids, right?
Yeah.
Well, that means...
250 million kids
at about 3 presents a kid.
That means 750 million presents...
in one night...
with one guy
and eight reindeer.
Dad!
- What's going on?
- Nothing.
It's impossible.
The guy's a hoax.
Mom!
Her name's Laura.
Got a long drive
ahead of us, girl.
Hey, Matt, what do you say we stop
and get something to eat, huh?
Hey, Matt.
Look out!
What a mess.
I got it.
Here we go.
Now bring it on back.
That's good, Tom!
All right, people,
back in your cars.
All right, everyone. Load up.
Looks like we're movin'.
Hey, Matt, look.
It's Lassie!
Jennifer, please. You know
there's no such thing as Lassie.
First Santa Claus, now thi--
- Holy cow!
- See?
I told you.
It is Lassie.
-Jennifer.
- It's Lassie, Dad.
Don't touch a strange dog.
Come on.
- It's her.
-Jen' he'll be fine. Come on.
It's a she.
- Come on.
- We can't just leave her here.
- Sure we can.
- Steve--
Honey, please.
She's all alone.
Matt, hop in.
It's half the price for lumber...
and the cost per square foot
is a bargain.
And there's no big city hassle
for permits.
Could I play the jukebox?
I've got my own money.
No Paula Abdul or Janet Jackson.
- You're not gonna eat that?
- I'm not hungry.
Then why did you order it?
Look, it's Lassie!
She's back!
Jennifer, it's not Lassie.
How do you know?
'Cause Lassie doesn't exist.
Yeah, well, whatever doesn't exist
just followed us here.
- Can we keep her?
- Of course not.
Why?
Because it probably
belongs to somebody...
and we're full enough as it is.
- There she is.
- How'd you find us?
Jen' be careful.
See? She loves us.
She wants to be with us.
Aw, sweetie, she doesn't really
love us. She just wants food.
Come on.
But kids
are supposed to have dogs.
- It helps us grow up right.
- I think she's sweet.
- Oh, honey, you too?
- Come on.
It's weird enough as it is.
Why not add a dog?
- Honey, come on.
- Well, why not?
Please, Dad?
This is ridiculous.
Where would we put it?
How about the backseat?
Come on. Let's take her.
Please, Dad?
- All right, the backseat.
- Yes!
Hey, Matt?
Hey, what--
Hey, cut it out!
Get away from me.
I'm comin'. Move over.
This dog stinks.
- Look who's talkin'.
- I don't have fur!
Come here, Lassie.
Well...
this is it.
- Franklin Falls.
- 148?
It's the country, pal.
There's room out here.
148? There's more people
than that in a supermarket.
Matt.
There's more people than that
on a subway.
You've never been on a subway.
I know what they hold.
You took us to nowhere.
That's where we moved.
We moved to nowhere.
In a little while,
you'll like it out here.
In a little while,
I'll take a bus back to Baltimore.
There's my grandkids!
Grandpa!
- Hello, princess. How are you?
- I missed you, Grandpa.
I missed you too, honey.
How's my big fella?
Is that an earring
you're wearing, son?
Oh, yeah.
Hi, Len.
Hello, Steve.
I'd like you to meet
my wife, Laura.
I'm glad to meet you, ma'am.
It's a pleasure
to finally meet you.
I can't tell you
how good it is...
to have these two youngsters
back with me.
What do we have here?
That's our new dog.
It's just a stray we picked up
on the side of the road.
"Just a stray"?
This is a beautiful dog.
It's a fine pedigree, I'll bet you.
See?
I guess you folks
would like to see the house...
before it gets dark.
I'll get the truck,
and you can follow me--
No, that's all right, Len.
I remember the way.
Oh, thank you.
There you are.
I'll see you tomorrow.
- Right, we'll see you then.
- Bye-bye, Grandpa.
- Good to see you, Matt.
- Bye, Grandpa.
Matt, all aboard.
All right, come on.
Wow! Is that our farm?
- It's beautiful.
- No, sweetie.
We're up the road.
Wouldn't you know.
It's startin' to rain.
No way. This is it?
Don't worry.
It'll be better inside.
Wait. Let me turn on a light.
Great. Doesn't work.
There you go, sweetie.
Be careful.
There's a note.
What?
From Len.
"Electricity went down
in a bad storm.
Should be back
in a couple of weeks.
Sorry for the mess. I've
tidied up the best I could. Len."
So there's no TV?
No, Matt, there's no TV.
That means there's no MTV.
Oh, great. Really great.
Why don't we
just kill ourselves?
Take my hand, sweetie.
Watch your step there.
Let's take a look upstairs.
This bed should be okay.
We'll use sleeping bags
until we get the sheets unpacked.
Why bother?
Hey. You and I
are gonna unload the car.
Don't forget this.
Great. No pavement.
What am I gonna do with this?
What kind of kid
would want to live here?
It wasn't so bad
for your mother.
Could this be my room, Laura?
I don't think anyone's
gonna fight you for it, honey.
Yes!
Which room do you want, Matt?
Still rainin'.
Listen' Matt,
about what I said outside--
Forget it.
It was nothing.
No?
You know...
right after your mother died...
I made a point not to talk
about it in front of you...
because I could see
how much it upsets you.
I don't know if that was
the right thing to do.
I know we can't bring her back...
but that doesn't mean
we need to forget her.
Good night, son.
Dad, you gonna tuck me in?
- I'll be right there.
- You too, Laura.
Okay, sweetheart.
I'm coming up.
Well, everybody wants a dog,
but I let the dog out.
That's all right. Come on.
Oh, my God.
Cool!
- Pots and pans.
- Okay. That's a start.
All right, I'm off.
I'll come back later.
Then we'll go to the store.
Have a good meeting.
- You got enough for breakfast?
- Five boxes of Pop-Tarts.
- Honey, we don't have a toaster.
- Steve, get out of here.
I'll call you later.
I'll let you know how it goes.
- We don't have a phone.
- Honey...
it's gonna be fine.
I know.
- I'll see you later.
- Okay.
Got a monkey on my back
I got a--
Jennifer and I are going
for a walk. You wanna come?
It's not like the city, you know.
We're both gonna be
short on friends here.
What do you want?
Hey, come on. Cut it out.
Look, I said cut it out!
Hey!
Come back here!
Come on! Give me those!
Drop those!
Drop those right now!
I'm gonna kill you!
Give me my headphones!
Wait a minute!
Sit!
Stay!
Heel!
Give me those!
If you drop those--
Whoa.
How'd you find this place?
Man' they got a rope here
and everything.
Cool.
Looks cold.
Whoa!
That was awesome!
That was totally awesome!
I'm not kidding you!
- Anything with that?
- Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you.
Now, Mr. Jarman,
since our last conversation...
I've worked up three preliminary
options for the site...
depending on how much
of the existing structure...
is going to remain.
Based on your budget--
That's what
we need to talk about.
What?
Hi, Steve. How'd it go?
- They don't want it.
- Don't want what?
A new house, remodeling, nothing.
Why?
He says he was running
way too high credit at the bank.
The man just lost
half his flock...
and insurance
isn't gonna pay for it.
Len' I pulled my kids
out of school for this job.
This was gonna cover me
for six to nine months.
Well, it's a damn lousy break...
but, you know,
you got your one job.
You'll get another.
- That or some other type of work.
- What other work?
Well, being in the store,
I hear about things.
There's always folks needing help
fixing this or that.
You mean being a handyman?
Len' I'm a builder.
I'm a contractor.
Stop! Don't shoot!
- Hey, mister, that's my dog!
- Don't worry!
I think I know the difference
between a coyote and a collie.
Now, boys are another thing.
I don't often see one
I don't know on my land.
Aren't lost, are you?
No, I know my way. I'm staying
down at the Collins farm.
Collins, huh?
Boy, howdy, I bet you had to dust
the cobwebs outta that place.
You're not kidding.
Well, have a nice visit.
Thanks, but we're not visiting.
We're gonna live there.
"Live there"?
Now that's good news.
I got two boys
just about your age.
I'll send 'em around.
You tell your daddy
Sam Garland says welcome.
Went out hunting coyotes today.
Josh, pass this down
to your mother.
I ran into a youngster said they
was movin' onto the Collins place.
That's all right...
as long as they don't
mess around with our flock.
Right, boys?
They won't, sir. Me and Jim
will take care of that.
Now you're talkin'.
That's what I like to hear.
Sam, you mustn't encourage
the boys to do anything malicious.
- It's not the way--
- Now, Mildred.
Who said anything
about "malicious"?
I just want my boys
to keep an eye on things.
We need that pasture.
You know what I mean'
don't you, Jim?
Yes, sir.
Josh, you know
what I'm talkin' about?
Yes, sir.
Mildred,
you're a wonderful cook.
- I don't understand.
- What don't you understand?
They've gone under.
And you want to stay here anyway.
- Where we gonna go, Laura?
- Home.
There's no such thing anymore.
I could get my job back
at the bank.
Well, I could get
other work around here.
- Doing what?
- I'll find something.
Honey, look. I don't want the kids
to grow up in the city.
I'd like 'em to see the sky,
hear the birds, not that noise.
I'd like 'em
to walk home at night...
and not worry
about what's behind them.
Am I really wrong
to feel that way?
No, of course not.
Don't worry. They'll
probably think you're cool.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Class, we have
a brand-new student...
coming into our grade eight
that just moved into this area.
Now, Matt Turner
doesn't know anybody here...
so I want us all to make him
really welcome.
Hi, Matt.
And now April will give us
a grade nine presentation...
of her 4-H Club project.
April.
- On the desk. I hope so.
-Jim, Josh, stop that.
This is Charlotte,
a six-month-old Toggenburg goat...
who I helped birth
and then disbudded at one week.
Toggenburgs are
the oldest registered breed...
of any animal in the world.
Their markings are always
light brown with white accents...
and they're excellent
milk producers.
Thank you, April. That was
a very imaginative demonstration.
Now, I'd like to encourage
the rest of the class...
to accompany their science project
with practical demonstrations...
like the one April presented.
Now, if you turn in your books
to chapter 17--
How you doin', girl?
Can you believe that?
Show-and-tell with a goat?
I can't believe I live here!
You know what would happen
at my old school...
if I put a goat on a desk?
Wait up.
I'm not a dog, you know.
You sure this is
the right way back?
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Probably through those trees.
Oh, come on.
This isn't funny.
Is this the only trick you know?
Come on.
Give me back my bag!
Hey, come on!
Wait up, will you?
I told you it's not funny.
Give me my bag.
You like making me
chase you, don't you?
Hey, come on. Quit it.
There it is.
Doesn't look like
such a dump from up here.
"A.C."
That's my mom.
"A.C." That's my mom.
Anne Collins.
How did you know?
I thought once
we get the weeds out...
we could have some flowers,
you know, maybe some geraniums...
and over here I thought
would be a great place...
for a vegetable garden.
A garden?
Yeah.
What do you know
about gardening?
Not a thing.
- Hi, Steve.
- Hey, Len.
Laura.
Well, I told you I'd hear
about some work, and I have.
- Yeah?
- Up at the Walker ranch.
They're lookin' to repair all
the outbuildings and the fences.
They'll furnish all the tools.
You won't have to bring a thing.
Repairing fences?
Well, that's all there is
for now.
No, I understand.
Well, at least
I'll be outside.
Your apple pie's great, Laura.
In celebration
of good old electricity.
What's this thing?
Looks like an old record player.
Are these old CDs?
No, sweetie, these are 45s.
Let's see if this thing works.
- You try plugging it in?
- Yeah.
"Proud Mary"?
"Jimmy Mack"?
I used to listen to these
when I was a kid.
Those records
were your mama's, Jennifer.
She used to play 'em
all day long...
just like Matt
with his head attachment.
I know this one.
Mommy used to sing it to us.
Remember, Matt?
There are places I'll remember
All my life
though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone
and some remain
All these places
have their moments
With lovers and friends
I still can recall
Some are dead
and some are living
In my life,
I've loved them all
But of all these friends
and lovers
There is no one
compares with you
And these memories
lose their meaning
When I think of love
as something new
Though I know
I'll never lose affection
- For people and things
- You can't find it?
That went before
I know I'll often stop
and think about them
In my life I love you more
What is it, girl?
What are you looking at, girl?
It's my mom's diary.
Thanks, Lassie.
"April 23rd.
Today I got up early and rode
Lucky through the high pasture...
all the way
to the mountain pool.
It was too cold to swim,
so we sat there for a while.
I forgot about the time
and was almost late for school.
On Saturday, Dad let me
help him split wood...
and then showed me
how to mend the goat pen...
and put up the new wire
in the chicken coop.
Mom came out and said, 'Len...
what are you teaching her
to use an ax and hammer for?'
And Daddy said, 'So she can
take the place over someday...
if she wants to--
Maybe raise her own kids here. '
I didn't tell Mom then, but that's
just what I want to do--
Have a real sheep farm someday,
right here.
After all, we've got some of
the best grazing land around...
and, of course,
I'll need to get a sheepdog.
I already know what kind:
a collie.
I think I'll name it Lass--"
Sing me the one
about the mockingbird.
Oh, I think I know that one.
Hush, little baby,
don't say a word
Daddy's gonna buy you
a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird
don't sing
Daddy's gonna buy you
a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring
don't shine
Daddy's gonna buy you--
Something nice.
I love you, Mom.
I love you too.
Getting real hard for me
to get up in the morning.
Lassie, believe me, you don't
want to go out in that storm.
If we do it--
That would be great.
Lassie?
No, Lassie!
Good girl.
Quiet, girl.
Don't wake 'em up.
Come on' girl.
You're a pretty brave dog,
you know that?
What happened?
Nothing, Jen. It's okay.
Just go back to bed.
She's hurt.
She's fine.
Help me dry her off.
Hey, I thought
I told you to be quiet.
I thought I told you
to be quiet too.
Ya-hoo!
What'd you think of the flip,
Lassie? Not bad, huh?
Are you kidding?
That was great.
Where'd you learn
how to do that?
- That's no big deal.
- Yeah? You can't do it.
How do you know, dung-head?
'Cause I know you're a spaz.
You're Matt, right?
Let's all make Matt
real welcome...
'cause he doesn't know
anybody around here.
- Knock it off, Jim.
- What?
I'm April Porter.
This is Jim and Josh Garland.
You're from
the Collins farm, right?
Yeah.
What a hole.
We like it okay.
Can you do a back flip?
Sure.
Let's see.
Maybe some other time.
- Come on. Do it.
- He can't do it.
Yeah, I can do it,
I just don't want to.
Yeah, right.
He just doesn't want to.
Our dad's the biggest
sheep farmer in the whole state.
Oh?
My folks are goin' away
this weekend.
Why don't you come over
Saturday night?
We're gonna rent
some cool videos.
I don't think so, Josh.
My parents
already have other plans.
Wait till you see our place.
Now this is a real farm.
Stay here, Lassie.
I'll only be a minute.
Come on in.
Make yourself at home.
You have a swimming pool
in your living room.
You like guns?
Yeah, I guess.
Look at that.
Bolt-action .22.
It's mine.
You get all this
from raising sheep?
Sure do.
"Warm, durable American wool."
We know the motto, Jim.
Well, he doesn't.
I'm coming, girl.
Lassie?
Where'd you go?
Lassie.
There she is.
Bringing in a stray.
As good as any sheepdog.
Good girl, Lassie.
Hey, Matt, ever seen
so many lamb chops on a hoof?
-Josh!
- April's so sensitive.
They're not pets, April.
Just wool and good eatin'.
I gotta go.
Bye.
I'll see you guys around.
Yeah, see ya.
Come on' Lass!
Come on' girl.
Big city guy's gonna run off
with your girlfriend.
Shut up!
Lamebrain.
You stretch the wire...
you pound in the staple.
Then you go on
to the next post.
"Stretch the wire,
pound in the steeple...
go on to the next post."
Oh, my God.
I have a question.
What does 4-H mean?
Oh, it stems from...
"Head, Heart, Hands and Health."
"Head, Heart, Hands--"
- See ya.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Bye.
25 years of my life and still
I'm trying to get up
that great big hill
Of hope
That was all right.
Where you going?
Wait up!
Coyote.
It'll be all right.
It'll be fine.
It's just sleeping.
I don't know what to do.
I'm not a vet.
Just forget about it.
Oh, all right.
Come on' Lass.
Here.
Is April here?
It's okay, Dad.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Could you come over to my house
for a little while?
The thing is,
I need some help.
It's in here.
Will it be okay?
I don't know.
Sometimes they can make it
without a mother.
Sometimes they can't.
It just depends on the sheep.
Keep a blanket
over it tonight...
'cause it probably gets
pretty cold in here.
I'll bring you
some extra formula tomorrow.
Yeah, you like that, don't you?
Yeah, you do.
I don't think
it's hurt or anything.
It just looks really hungry.
- You're from Baltimore, right?
- Yeah.
I've been there once.
It was cool.
Thanks for coming over.
Sure.
Well, I'd better
get going home.
Yeah.
- I'll see you tomorrow.
- Right.
- Matt, guess what.
- Not now, Jen!
But guess what.
What?
We're goin' home.
Moving back?
It's not definite, but I'll know
pretty soon. Maybe in a few days.
Wait a minute.
What are you talking about?
Your dad got a call
about a job, a good one.
In Baltimore. They've been trying
to track him down for a week.
That place I interviewed
a month ago?
At the time,
they didn't have anything.
- Do you have to take it?
- "Have to"? No.
But I'd need
a hell of a reason not to.
What about the job
you have here?
Mending fences at $5 an hour?
Hey, what's going on?
I thought
you'd wanna move back.
Well, yeah, sure.
Why not?
It doesn't matter to me
either way.
"I didn't tell Mom then...
but that's just
what I want to do--
Have a real sheep farm someday,
right here."
What do you mean'
"How do they do it?"
You saw that ranch.
They make a fortune.
- How do they do it?
- They raise a lot of sheep.
And that's it?
Well, yeah.
And they got the best
pastureland around here.
Great. That's what
I'm trying to say.
Where is this pastureland?
I don't know.
Down around Greely's.
The whole high meadow. Why?
That's their flock, right?
Yeah.
And this is
their pastureland, right?
Right.
So what's that fence?
I come by here every day...
and there's no other fence
between here and our farm.
I've seen their sheep
grazing all over here.
I've seen them all the way
up to the creek.
All right, let's just say
that this is our land.
- I don't know.
- Let's just say.
Somebody's put that fence here
for something.
Raising sheep's
not as easy as it looks.
- You need pens and a sheepdog.
- I've got the dog.
Lassie, go!
Round them up.
Bring 'em here, girl!
Good girl!
- This is our boundary, right?
- Yeah.
And that puts
our farmhouse right here.
- Yeah, I can read a plot map.
- Right. Sorry.
Anyway, this is
the Garlands' ranch.
- Yeah, I've seen it.
- Guess whose land they're using.
Ours. They've got sheep
all over that pasture...
and they're making
a killing on it.
That's the best grazing land
in the whole area.
You know, if it's done right,
you can really make some money.
300 ewes and 20 or so rams.
By the end of next year,
you'll have 450 sheep.
What's going on?
I think your brother
just lost his mind, sweetie.
You ought to see
the Garlands' ranch.
- They have a swimming pool--
- Matt, I'm a contractor.
I don't know the first thing
about farming, and neither do you.
Grandpa does.
I'm no expert,
but I do know the basics.
Countin' the animals
and the construction--
And that's doing labor ourself--
We could probably get started
for 30,000...
35,000.
I'm sorry, Matt. I'd be lucky
to cover half of that.
If you'd be willing, I'd be
glad to put up the other half.
That's generous of you, but we
couldn't ask you to do that.
Nothing generous about it.
The fact is, I'm kind of
thinkin' about myself...
and I'd sure like to have
these grandkids around me.
You wanna stay here?
Yeah.
Yeah, I really do.
What do you think we should do?
I wish I knew.
Come on.
Let me try.
Okay. Just don't tilt
the bottle too much, okay?
- You're drowning the thing.
- I am not.
All right, that's enough.
That's done. Don't worry.
You'll get another one.
There you go.
Well, I hope
you're not driving.
Me too.
That's the whole flock.
I brought 'em down from
the high pasture on Friday.
So how many is that?
Well, it's 380 ewes
and 34 rams.
380 and 34.
That's just about right
for the land we got.
How much?
It's like I said on the phone.
I just don't know about this.
Sam Garland said he might be
interested in the whole flock.
So are we.
What's he offering?
Well, we talked about
57 a head for the ewes, and--
We'd like to offer you
$60 a head, Pete.
Well, I mean' 60 is fair.
- I'd say so.
- Yeah, more than fair.
Yeah, but Garland
was here first.
I don't understand the problem.
We'd like the whole flock. We're
willing to offer $3 more a head.
It's all right, Mr. Jarman.
We can certainly respect
your position.
- Honey.
- I'm sure you and Sam Garland...
go way back as friends and that
he'd do the same for you.
I hope we didn't take up
too much of your time.
Come on.
Come on' Lassie.
I'm sorry we couldn't
work something out, Pete.
Honey.
- Honey, what are you doing?
- Don't worry about it.
He's pressuring himself
more than we ever will.
Hold up a minute.
The flock's yours
if you can pay today.
Pete, you'll have the money
by 5:00.
- All right.
- All right.
You were right.
There's just one more thing.
You got just ten days
to get 'em outta here.
You think you can do that?
You!
Really funny!
That was a good one, right?
Yeah, really funny.
Back there.
Well, there it is.
That's our farm.
Good little horse.
Never been on him before.
Never been on him before.
Good little horse.
What's wrong
with this little horse, Jim?
- I don't know, sir.
-Josh?
Nothing, sir.
His steps are good.
But there is
something else wrong.
- It's with the sheep.
- The sheep?
The new people,
up at the Collins place...
just set their collie
on our flock.
Drove every one of 'em
off that south pasture.
Let's see. I guess we can stand
around here talking about it...
or we can take our hands
out of our pockets...
and get down to business
and drive 'em back.
- Come on.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
We would've had it done,
but we can't.
They got a fence goin' up...
all the way across.
A fence. Imagine that.
Let's go.
Come on' Lassie.
Sheep! Sheep!
Say, where you goin'
with my sheep?
I thought we had a deal, Pete.
We did.
They're payin' more money.
It's simple business.
Buyin' sheep is simple.
It's makin' a livin' off of 'em
that's not so simple.
Am I right, Pete?
Don't misunderstand me.
I can buy sheep anywhere.
Anywhere, anyplace.
Now, this flock is yours.
I'm just here in case
you want to reconsider.
Reconsider?
Why should we?
Pete's a full-time farmer.
He couldn't cut it.
Ever think about that?
We're aware of the risks.
Well, that's a good thing.
'Cause I'm sure you've tied up
a good deal of money.
You want me to tell 'em
about your business?
Pastures you're grazin'
that ain't yours?
You know, Pete,
you sure got a lot braver...
since you stopped
working for me.
I hate to interrupt
these pleasantries, gentlemen...
but we are on a schedule here...
and thanks a lot
for your concern' Sam.
All right.
Nice meetin' you, neighbor.
Come on' boys. Let's leave
these ranchers to their work.
- Come on!
- Come on' sheep!
- Here, sheep.
- Here, sheep. Come on.
Don't let him get away!
Come on!
Come on. Hurry up!
Good job, Lassie.
All right.
Hi.
Howdy.
Howdy.
Well, yeah, we're ranchers now.
Now, listen.
I just want you to know
that I am really proud of you.
And not just for the ranch
and sheep and all of that...
but for everything.
And...
your mom would have been
proud of you too.
Dad?
Yeah.
Do you still miss her?
- Sure I do.
- No.
No, I mean now...
with Laura and everything.
I love Laura...
but that doesn't mean
I'll ever stop loving your mom.
I don't know if I do.
What?
Love her.
I mean' I try and I try.
All I can remember is a couple
of things at the end.
You know, those kind of
go stale after a while.
I'm glad we came here, Dad.
I am too.
Let's go, Matt.
Come on' Matt. We gotta go
pick up those supplies.
Come on' Lassie.
Prepare to scare
the hell outta them sheep!
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
Sheep! Sheep!
All right, La-- Lassie?
- Grandpa, where's Lassie?
- She must have jumped out.
Lassie's gone!
All right, let's head back.
Len' I'll be right behind you.
Come on' sheep!
Sheep! Sheep!
Lassie?
Whoa!
Dumb dog! Ow! Shoo! Go!
Come on! Ow! Get off!
Lassie!
We were worried about you.
There she is.
She came home.
What do you know.
Nothing wrong after all.
What in the hell is this?
Fence.
You know how we talked about your
sheep overrunning this pasture.
I guess you been meaning
to get to it...
but when I saw the fence go up
at the Collins place...
I figured I'd save you the trouble,
take care of it myself.
Hello, Delbert?
Sam Garland.
Listen' I need a pickup
day after tomorrow, early a.m.
Uh-huh. Going to
the Benton Market.
Okay? Now, listen. There's
just one thing different.
I want you to come around
to the backside of the mountain.
Hi, April?
Yeah, it's me, Matt.
I was just calling because
the fair starts tomorrow night...
and I was just thinking
that maybe we could go together.
Yeah, you know, to learn more
about livestock and everything.
Oh, you can?
Great. Okay.
Bye.
What?
April? Josh.
Hey, you goin' to the fair
tomorrow night?
Yeah? Me too.
What say I pick you up
about 6:30?
Huh?
Who?
Yeah. Well, maybe
I'll see you there.
No, it's okay. Bye.
Nice try.
- That was real nice.
- Did you see that flip?
- There you go.
- Hi.
Yeah, I got your admission.
Line up to get your cotton candy!
Look, cotton candy.
Come on.
Here we go. Nine moving out
in front right away.
- Here comes 11 on his heels.
- Go for it!
Now it's 11 and 14.
11 and 14!
- Here comes 12 squeezin' in there!
- Come on' 14. Yeah!
- And the winner is 14!
- All right!
- Thanks.
- There you go. Congratulations.
- There you go.
- Oh, how sweet. Thanks.
Come on' Lassie.
Would you like to try one?
Look at the calf.
Isn't it cute?
- You see how big this one is?
- Oh, yeah.
His breeder's
the best in the county.
Really?
Look at that guy's horns.
This guy's won more
blue ribbons--
- Hi, Grandpa.
- Hey, princess.
Come on.
I heard they make you dizzy.
Only the first time.
What a geek.
Give me one.
- Hey, April.
- Hi, Josh.
- Hey, April, Kelly. What's up?
- Hi, Jim.
- And speaking of geeks--
- Shut up, Josh.
Ooh, April's
standin' by her man!
Real cute.
Too bad he's not
gonna be here next year.
- You want one, geek?
- No, I quit.
Real cool.
Too bad you look like a faggot
with that earring.
I like his earring.
In fact...
can I have it?
Sure.
Here.
Thanks.
Come on' Jim.
Stay.
Thanks for coming
to the fair with me.
I had a good time.
Good night.
Come on' Lassie.
She's my girl, geek!
Get off of me.
Come on.
How do you like that?
Get off!
Call it off!
Dog bit me!
Call it off.
There you go.
Thanks.
How's the knee?
- It's not that bad.
- Let me see.
But you should have seen
the other guy.
This is really nice of you.
What are stepmothers for?
Sorry.
I wish there was
something else I could call you.
I can't call you "Mom," and...
"stepmother" is too "dweeby."
What's wrong with "Laura"?
Oh, I don't know.
I guess
you're more than that too.
Hey, why are you crying?
Quiet. Quiet.
Take it easy.
Don't make so much noise.
Giddap!
Giddap. Sheep, sheep.
Sheep, sheep.
You were out an hour ago.
All right.
You're the boss.
What took you so long?
Come on' you stupid dog!
Get her in the truck.
Okay, Pop.
Go on.
Get up there!
Whoa.
That oughta hold you.
What?
What is it, girl?
Where's our sheep?
Where are they, girl?
Yeah, those are ours.
Come on' Lassie.
Let's get 'em back home.
- Bye, Dad.
- Hey. Is your brother up yet?
He's gonna miss the bus.
Have a good day.
- Matt!
- He isn't in there.
Matt?
Oh, my God.
Honey?
Honey, the sheep are gone.
Matt?
Good, Lassie.
Easy, girl.
Where are you goin'
with our sheep?
These aren't your sheep.
They's on our land.
Put 'em back.
Now!
Go home, Lassie!
God!
Damn you!
That's my old man's best rifle!
It's all right, Lassie!
Go home!
Help!
Help me!
Help! Help me!
Dad!
Take my hand!
Matt!
Help!
Matt!
Lassie, swim to the tree!
Lassie!
Swim, Lassie!
Swim!
Swim, Lassie!
Lassie!
Come on. Come on.
It's all right.
Josh! Jim!
Dad.
Matt saved Josh's life.
I can't tell you
how sorry I am.
We didn't even
get to bury her.
I know.
But in a way,
she'll always be here...
and every time you come back
to this place...
and you see her name,
you'll think of her.
She was a great dog.
Beautiful.
I was the first one
to see her. Remember?
On the side of the road.
Old Lassie...
was--
A hero.
Yeah.
I know it's hard
to imagine now, Matt, but...
you'll get you another dog
and love that one just as much.
No, I don't think so.
We gotta have
a sheepdog, Matt.
Then we'll get a shepherd
or a lab.
Not a collie.
We don't have to think
about that today.
Thomas Jefferson...
who wrote the Declaration
of Independence in 1776...
was elected third president
of the United States in 1801 ...
and held office until 1809.
He was a very well-known Virginian
and a great president.
He was an architect,
a horticulturalist...
and a world-renowned statesman.
George Washington is known
as the father of our country...
but Jefferson is known as the
father of the state of Virginia.
He was born 1743...
and died in 1826.
And in the spring,
the whole class will be taking...
a field trip to Thomas Jefferson's
home in Monticello...
which Mr. Jefferson designed...
and had constructed
to his specifications.
Lassie!
Lassie!
I love you.
Lassie, come home!
All right, folks,
it's movin' day.
Thought I told you
not to watch this crap.
- I like Lassie.
-Jennifer?
You'll thank me
when you're older.
Jennifer, breakfast, honey.
You better hurry.
- I'm sorry.
- I'm fine!
Matt! 2:30.
We're goin'.
Steve, you didn't load
that brown suitcase, did you?
Yes, honey, it's in the U-Haul
under four other suitcases.
I put Jennifer's books
for the trip in there.
Why would you do that?
I'm sorry.
Honey--
Last-minute jitters.
Me too.
Does this move make sense?
Yes.
We're gonna be living in the house
where Anne grew up.
I can handle that...
I think.
Think about it. How many kids
are there in the world?
- I don't know.
- Like billions, okay?
Probably a quarter of those
are kids, right?
Yeah.
Well, that means...
250 million kids
at about 3 presents a kid.
That means 750 million presents...
in one night...
with one guy
and eight reindeer.
Dad!
- What's going on?
- Nothing.
It's impossible.
The guy's a hoax.
Mom!
Her name's Laura.
Got a long drive
ahead of us, girl.
Hey, Matt, what do you say we stop
and get something to eat, huh?
Hey, Matt.
Look out!
What a mess.
I got it.
Here we go.
Now bring it on back.
That's good, Tom!
All right, people,
back in your cars.
All right, everyone. Load up.
Looks like we're movin'.
Hey, Matt, look.
It's Lassie!
Jennifer, please. You know
there's no such thing as Lassie.
First Santa Claus, now thi--
- Holy cow!
- See?
I told you.
It is Lassie.
-Jennifer.
- It's Lassie, Dad.
Don't touch a strange dog.
Come on.
- It's her.
-Jen' he'll be fine. Come on.
It's a she.
- Come on.
- We can't just leave her here.
- Sure we can.
- Steve--
Honey, please.
She's all alone.
Matt, hop in.
It's half the price for lumber...
and the cost per square foot
is a bargain.
And there's no big city hassle
for permits.
Could I play the jukebox?
I've got my own money.
No Paula Abdul or Janet Jackson.
- You're not gonna eat that?
- I'm not hungry.
Then why did you order it?
Look, it's Lassie!
She's back!
Jennifer, it's not Lassie.
How do you know?
'Cause Lassie doesn't exist.
Yeah, well, whatever doesn't exist
just followed us here.
- Can we keep her?
- Of course not.
Why?
Because it probably
belongs to somebody...
and we're full enough as it is.
- There she is.
- How'd you find us?
Jen' be careful.
See? She loves us.
She wants to be with us.
Aw, sweetie, she doesn't really
love us. She just wants food.
Come on.
But kids
are supposed to have dogs.
- It helps us grow up right.
- I think she's sweet.
- Oh, honey, you too?
- Come on.
It's weird enough as it is.
Why not add a dog?
- Honey, come on.
- Well, why not?
Please, Dad?
This is ridiculous.
Where would we put it?
How about the backseat?
Come on. Let's take her.
Please, Dad?
- All right, the backseat.
- Yes!
Hey, Matt?
Hey, what--
Hey, cut it out!
Get away from me.
I'm comin'. Move over.
This dog stinks.
- Look who's talkin'.
- I don't have fur!
Come here, Lassie.
Well...
this is it.
- Franklin Falls.
- 148?
It's the country, pal.
There's room out here.
148? There's more people
than that in a supermarket.
Matt.
There's more people than that
on a subway.
You've never been on a subway.
I know what they hold.
You took us to nowhere.
That's where we moved.
We moved to nowhere.
In a little while,
you'll like it out here.
In a little while,
I'll take a bus back to Baltimore.
There's my grandkids!
Grandpa!
- Hello, princess. How are you?
- I missed you, Grandpa.
I missed you too, honey.
How's my big fella?
Is that an earring
you're wearing, son?
Oh, yeah.
Hi, Len.
Hello, Steve.
I'd like you to meet
my wife, Laura.
I'm glad to meet you, ma'am.
It's a pleasure
to finally meet you.
I can't tell you
how good it is...
to have these two youngsters
back with me.
What do we have here?
That's our new dog.
It's just a stray we picked up
on the side of the road.
"Just a stray"?
This is a beautiful dog.
It's a fine pedigree, I'll bet you.
See?
I guess you folks
would like to see the house...
before it gets dark.
I'll get the truck,
and you can follow me--
No, that's all right, Len.
I remember the way.
Oh, thank you.
There you are.
I'll see you tomorrow.
- Right, we'll see you then.
- Bye-bye, Grandpa.
- Good to see you, Matt.
- Bye, Grandpa.
Matt, all aboard.
All right, come on.
Wow! Is that our farm?
- It's beautiful.
- No, sweetie.
We're up the road.
Wouldn't you know.
It's startin' to rain.
No way. This is it?
Don't worry.
It'll be better inside.
Wait. Let me turn on a light.
Great. Doesn't work.
There you go, sweetie.
Be careful.
There's a note.
What?
From Len.
"Electricity went down
in a bad storm.
Should be back
in a couple of weeks.
Sorry for the mess. I've
tidied up the best I could. Len."
So there's no TV?
No, Matt, there's no TV.
That means there's no MTV.
Oh, great. Really great.
Why don't we
just kill ourselves?
Take my hand, sweetie.
Watch your step there.
Let's take a look upstairs.
This bed should be okay.
We'll use sleeping bags
until we get the sheets unpacked.
Why bother?
Hey. You and I
are gonna unload the car.
Don't forget this.
Great. No pavement.
What am I gonna do with this?
What kind of kid
would want to live here?
It wasn't so bad
for your mother.
Could this be my room, Laura?
I don't think anyone's
gonna fight you for it, honey.
Yes!
Which room do you want, Matt?
Still rainin'.
Listen' Matt,
about what I said outside--
Forget it.
It was nothing.
No?
You know...
right after your mother died...
I made a point not to talk
about it in front of you...
because I could see
how much it upsets you.
I don't know if that was
the right thing to do.
I know we can't bring her back...
but that doesn't mean
we need to forget her.
Good night, son.
Dad, you gonna tuck me in?
- I'll be right there.
- You too, Laura.
Okay, sweetheart.
I'm coming up.
Well, everybody wants a dog,
but I let the dog out.
That's all right. Come on.
Oh, my God.
Cool!
- Pots and pans.
- Okay. That's a start.
All right, I'm off.
I'll come back later.
Then we'll go to the store.
Have a good meeting.
- You got enough for breakfast?
- Five boxes of Pop-Tarts.
- Honey, we don't have a toaster.
- Steve, get out of here.
I'll call you later.
I'll let you know how it goes.
- We don't have a phone.
- Honey...
it's gonna be fine.
I know.
- I'll see you later.
- Okay.
Got a monkey on my back
I got a--
Jennifer and I are going
for a walk. You wanna come?
It's not like the city, you know.
We're both gonna be
short on friends here.
What do you want?
Hey, come on. Cut it out.
Look, I said cut it out!
Hey!
Come back here!
Come on! Give me those!
Drop those!
Drop those right now!
I'm gonna kill you!
Give me my headphones!
Wait a minute!
Sit!
Stay!
Heel!
Give me those!
If you drop those--
Whoa.
How'd you find this place?
Man' they got a rope here
and everything.
Cool.
Looks cold.
Whoa!
That was awesome!
That was totally awesome!
I'm not kidding you!
- Anything with that?
- Oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you.
Now, Mr. Jarman,
since our last conversation...
I've worked up three preliminary
options for the site...
depending on how much
of the existing structure...
is going to remain.
Based on your budget--
That's what
we need to talk about.
What?
Hi, Steve. How'd it go?
- They don't want it.
- Don't want what?
A new house, remodeling, nothing.
Why?
He says he was running
way too high credit at the bank.
The man just lost
half his flock...
and insurance
isn't gonna pay for it.
Len' I pulled my kids
out of school for this job.
This was gonna cover me
for six to nine months.
Well, it's a damn lousy break...
but, you know,
you got your one job.
You'll get another.
- That or some other type of work.
- What other work?
Well, being in the store,
I hear about things.
There's always folks needing help
fixing this or that.
You mean being a handyman?
Len' I'm a builder.
I'm a contractor.
Stop! Don't shoot!
- Hey, mister, that's my dog!
- Don't worry!
I think I know the difference
between a coyote and a collie.
Now, boys are another thing.
I don't often see one
I don't know on my land.
Aren't lost, are you?
No, I know my way. I'm staying
down at the Collins farm.
Collins, huh?
Boy, howdy, I bet you had to dust
the cobwebs outta that place.
You're not kidding.
Well, have a nice visit.
Thanks, but we're not visiting.
We're gonna live there.
"Live there"?
Now that's good news.
I got two boys
just about your age.
I'll send 'em around.
You tell your daddy
Sam Garland says welcome.
Went out hunting coyotes today.
Josh, pass this down
to your mother.
I ran into a youngster said they
was movin' onto the Collins place.
That's all right...
as long as they don't
mess around with our flock.
Right, boys?
They won't, sir. Me and Jim
will take care of that.
Now you're talkin'.
That's what I like to hear.
Sam, you mustn't encourage
the boys to do anything malicious.
- It's not the way--
- Now, Mildred.
Who said anything
about "malicious"?
I just want my boys
to keep an eye on things.
We need that pasture.
You know what I mean'
don't you, Jim?
Yes, sir.
Josh, you know
what I'm talkin' about?
Yes, sir.
Mildred,
you're a wonderful cook.
- I don't understand.
- What don't you understand?
They've gone under.
And you want to stay here anyway.
- Where we gonna go, Laura?
- Home.
There's no such thing anymore.
I could get my job back
at the bank.
Well, I could get
other work around here.
- Doing what?
- I'll find something.
Honey, look. I don't want the kids
to grow up in the city.
I'd like 'em to see the sky,
hear the birds, not that noise.
I'd like 'em
to walk home at night...
and not worry
about what's behind them.
Am I really wrong
to feel that way?
No, of course not.
Don't worry. They'll
probably think you're cool.
- Really?
- Yeah.
Class, we have
a brand-new student...
coming into our grade eight
that just moved into this area.
Now, Matt Turner
doesn't know anybody here...
so I want us all to make him
really welcome.
Hi, Matt.
And now April will give us
a grade nine presentation...
of her 4-H Club project.
April.
- On the desk. I hope so.
-Jim, Josh, stop that.
This is Charlotte,
a six-month-old Toggenburg goat...
who I helped birth
and then disbudded at one week.
Toggenburgs are
the oldest registered breed...
of any animal in the world.
Their markings are always
light brown with white accents...
and they're excellent
milk producers.
Thank you, April. That was
a very imaginative demonstration.
Now, I'd like to encourage
the rest of the class...
to accompany their science project
with practical demonstrations...
like the one April presented.
Now, if you turn in your books
to chapter 17--
How you doin', girl?
Can you believe that?
Show-and-tell with a goat?
I can't believe I live here!
You know what would happen
at my old school...
if I put a goat on a desk?
Wait up.
I'm not a dog, you know.
You sure this is
the right way back?
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Probably through those trees.
Oh, come on.
This isn't funny.
Is this the only trick you know?
Come on.
Give me back my bag!
Hey, come on!
Wait up, will you?
I told you it's not funny.
Give me my bag.
You like making me
chase you, don't you?
Hey, come on. Quit it.
There it is.
Doesn't look like
such a dump from up here.
"A.C."
That's my mom.
"A.C." That's my mom.
Anne Collins.
How did you know?
I thought once
we get the weeds out...
we could have some flowers,
you know, maybe some geraniums...
and over here I thought
would be a great place...
for a vegetable garden.
A garden?
Yeah.
What do you know
about gardening?
Not a thing.
- Hi, Steve.
- Hey, Len.
Laura.
Well, I told you I'd hear
about some work, and I have.
- Yeah?
- Up at the Walker ranch.
They're lookin' to repair all
the outbuildings and the fences.
They'll furnish all the tools.
You won't have to bring a thing.
Repairing fences?
Well, that's all there is
for now.
No, I understand.
Well, at least
I'll be outside.
Your apple pie's great, Laura.
In celebration
of good old electricity.
What's this thing?
Looks like an old record player.
Are these old CDs?
No, sweetie, these are 45s.
Let's see if this thing works.
- You try plugging it in?
- Yeah.
"Proud Mary"?
"Jimmy Mack"?
I used to listen to these
when I was a kid.
Those records
were your mama's, Jennifer.
She used to play 'em
all day long...
just like Matt
with his head attachment.
I know this one.
Mommy used to sing it to us.
Remember, Matt?
There are places I'll remember
All my life
though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone
and some remain
All these places
have their moments
With lovers and friends
I still can recall
Some are dead
and some are living
In my life,
I've loved them all
But of all these friends
and lovers
There is no one
compares with you
And these memories
lose their meaning
When I think of love
as something new
Though I know
I'll never lose affection
- For people and things
- You can't find it?
That went before
I know I'll often stop
and think about them
In my life I love you more
What is it, girl?
What are you looking at, girl?
It's my mom's diary.
Thanks, Lassie.
"April 23rd.
Today I got up early and rode
Lucky through the high pasture...
all the way
to the mountain pool.
It was too cold to swim,
so we sat there for a while.
I forgot about the time
and was almost late for school.
On Saturday, Dad let me
help him split wood...
and then showed me
how to mend the goat pen...
and put up the new wire
in the chicken coop.
Mom came out and said, 'Len...
what are you teaching her
to use an ax and hammer for?'
And Daddy said, 'So she can
take the place over someday...
if she wants to--
Maybe raise her own kids here. '
I didn't tell Mom then, but that's
just what I want to do--
Have a real sheep farm someday,
right here.
After all, we've got some of
the best grazing land around...
and, of course,
I'll need to get a sheepdog.
I already know what kind:
a collie.
I think I'll name it Lass--"
Sing me the one
about the mockingbird.
Oh, I think I know that one.
Hush, little baby,
don't say a word
Daddy's gonna buy you
a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird
don't sing
Daddy's gonna buy you
a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring
don't shine
Daddy's gonna buy you--
Something nice.
I love you, Mom.
I love you too.
Getting real hard for me
to get up in the morning.
Lassie, believe me, you don't
want to go out in that storm.
If we do it--
That would be great.
Lassie?
No, Lassie!
Good girl.
Quiet, girl.
Don't wake 'em up.
Come on' girl.
You're a pretty brave dog,
you know that?
What happened?
Nothing, Jen. It's okay.
Just go back to bed.
She's hurt.
She's fine.
Help me dry her off.
Hey, I thought
I told you to be quiet.
I thought I told you
to be quiet too.
Ya-hoo!
What'd you think of the flip,
Lassie? Not bad, huh?
Are you kidding?
That was great.
Where'd you learn
how to do that?
- That's no big deal.
- Yeah? You can't do it.
How do you know, dung-head?
'Cause I know you're a spaz.
You're Matt, right?
Let's all make Matt
real welcome...
'cause he doesn't know
anybody around here.
- Knock it off, Jim.
- What?
I'm April Porter.
This is Jim and Josh Garland.
You're from
the Collins farm, right?
Yeah.
What a hole.
We like it okay.
Can you do a back flip?
Sure.
Let's see.
Maybe some other time.
- Come on. Do it.
- He can't do it.
Yeah, I can do it,
I just don't want to.
Yeah, right.
He just doesn't want to.
Our dad's the biggest
sheep farmer in the whole state.
Oh?
My folks are goin' away
this weekend.
Why don't you come over
Saturday night?
We're gonna rent
some cool videos.
I don't think so, Josh.
My parents
already have other plans.
Wait till you see our place.
Now this is a real farm.
Stay here, Lassie.
I'll only be a minute.
Come on in.
Make yourself at home.
You have a swimming pool
in your living room.
You like guns?
Yeah, I guess.
Look at that.
Bolt-action .22.
It's mine.
You get all this
from raising sheep?
Sure do.
"Warm, durable American wool."
We know the motto, Jim.
Well, he doesn't.
I'm coming, girl.
Lassie?
Where'd you go?
Lassie.
There she is.
Bringing in a stray.
As good as any sheepdog.
Good girl, Lassie.
Hey, Matt, ever seen
so many lamb chops on a hoof?
-Josh!
- April's so sensitive.
They're not pets, April.
Just wool and good eatin'.
I gotta go.
Bye.
I'll see you guys around.
Yeah, see ya.
Come on' Lass!
Come on' girl.
Big city guy's gonna run off
with your girlfriend.
Shut up!
Lamebrain.
You stretch the wire...
you pound in the staple.
Then you go on
to the next post.
"Stretch the wire,
pound in the steeple...
go on to the next post."
Oh, my God.
I have a question.
What does 4-H mean?
Oh, it stems from...
"Head, Heart, Hands and Health."
"Head, Heart, Hands--"
- See ya.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
Bye.
25 years of my life and still
I'm trying to get up
that great big hill
Of hope
That was all right.
Where you going?
Wait up!
Coyote.
It'll be all right.
It'll be fine.
It's just sleeping.
I don't know what to do.
I'm not a vet.
Just forget about it.
Oh, all right.
Come on' Lass.
Here.
Is April here?
It's okay, Dad.
- Hi.
- Hi.
Could you come over to my house
for a little while?
The thing is,
I need some help.
It's in here.
Will it be okay?
I don't know.
Sometimes they can make it
without a mother.
Sometimes they can't.
It just depends on the sheep.
Keep a blanket
over it tonight...
'cause it probably gets
pretty cold in here.
I'll bring you
some extra formula tomorrow.
Yeah, you like that, don't you?
Yeah, you do.
I don't think
it's hurt or anything.
It just looks really hungry.
- You're from Baltimore, right?
- Yeah.
I've been there once.
It was cool.
Thanks for coming over.
Sure.
Well, I'd better
get going home.
Yeah.
- I'll see you tomorrow.
- Right.
- Matt, guess what.
- Not now, Jen!
But guess what.
What?
We're goin' home.
Moving back?
It's not definite, but I'll know
pretty soon. Maybe in a few days.
Wait a minute.
What are you talking about?
Your dad got a call
about a job, a good one.
In Baltimore. They've been trying
to track him down for a week.
That place I interviewed
a month ago?
At the time,
they didn't have anything.
- Do you have to take it?
- "Have to"? No.
But I'd need
a hell of a reason not to.
What about the job
you have here?
Mending fences at $5 an hour?
Hey, what's going on?
I thought
you'd wanna move back.
Well, yeah, sure.
Why not?
It doesn't matter to me
either way.
"I didn't tell Mom then...
but that's just
what I want to do--
Have a real sheep farm someday,
right here."
What do you mean'
"How do they do it?"
You saw that ranch.
They make a fortune.
- How do they do it?
- They raise a lot of sheep.
And that's it?
Well, yeah.
And they got the best
pastureland around here.
Great. That's what
I'm trying to say.
Where is this pastureland?
I don't know.
Down around Greely's.
The whole high meadow. Why?
That's their flock, right?
Yeah.
And this is
their pastureland, right?
Right.
So what's that fence?
I come by here every day...
and there's no other fence
between here and our farm.
I've seen their sheep
grazing all over here.
I've seen them all the way
up to the creek.
All right, let's just say
that this is our land.
- I don't know.
- Let's just say.
Somebody's put that fence here
for something.
Raising sheep's
not as easy as it looks.
- You need pens and a sheepdog.
- I've got the dog.
Lassie, go!
Round them up.
Bring 'em here, girl!
Good girl!
- This is our boundary, right?
- Yeah.
And that puts
our farmhouse right here.
- Yeah, I can read a plot map.
- Right. Sorry.
Anyway, this is
the Garlands' ranch.
- Yeah, I've seen it.
- Guess whose land they're using.
Ours. They've got sheep
all over that pasture...
and they're making
a killing on it.
That's the best grazing land
in the whole area.
You know, if it's done right,
you can really make some money.
300 ewes and 20 or so rams.
By the end of next year,
you'll have 450 sheep.
What's going on?
I think your brother
just lost his mind, sweetie.
You ought to see
the Garlands' ranch.
- They have a swimming pool--
- Matt, I'm a contractor.
I don't know the first thing
about farming, and neither do you.
Grandpa does.
I'm no expert,
but I do know the basics.
Countin' the animals
and the construction--
And that's doing labor ourself--
We could probably get started
for 30,000...
35,000.
I'm sorry, Matt. I'd be lucky
to cover half of that.
If you'd be willing, I'd be
glad to put up the other half.
That's generous of you, but we
couldn't ask you to do that.
Nothing generous about it.
The fact is, I'm kind of
thinkin' about myself...
and I'd sure like to have
these grandkids around me.
You wanna stay here?
Yeah.
Yeah, I really do.
What do you think we should do?
I wish I knew.
Come on.
Let me try.
Okay. Just don't tilt
the bottle too much, okay?
- You're drowning the thing.
- I am not.
All right, that's enough.
That's done. Don't worry.
You'll get another one.
There you go.
Well, I hope
you're not driving.
Me too.
That's the whole flock.
I brought 'em down from
the high pasture on Friday.
So how many is that?
Well, it's 380 ewes
and 34 rams.
380 and 34.
That's just about right
for the land we got.
How much?
It's like I said on the phone.
I just don't know about this.
Sam Garland said he might be
interested in the whole flock.
So are we.
What's he offering?
Well, we talked about
57 a head for the ewes, and--
We'd like to offer you
$60 a head, Pete.
Well, I mean' 60 is fair.
- I'd say so.
- Yeah, more than fair.
Yeah, but Garland
was here first.
I don't understand the problem.
We'd like the whole flock. We're
willing to offer $3 more a head.
It's all right, Mr. Jarman.
We can certainly respect
your position.
- Honey.
- I'm sure you and Sam Garland...
go way back as friends and that
he'd do the same for you.
I hope we didn't take up
too much of your time.
Come on.
Come on' Lassie.
I'm sorry we couldn't
work something out, Pete.
Honey.
- Honey, what are you doing?
- Don't worry about it.
He's pressuring himself
more than we ever will.
Hold up a minute.
The flock's yours
if you can pay today.
Pete, you'll have the money
by 5:00.
- All right.
- All right.
You were right.
There's just one more thing.
You got just ten days
to get 'em outta here.
You think you can do that?
You!
Really funny!
That was a good one, right?
Yeah, really funny.
Back there.
Well, there it is.
That's our farm.
Good little horse.
Never been on him before.
Never been on him before.
Good little horse.
What's wrong
with this little horse, Jim?
- I don't know, sir.
-Josh?
Nothing, sir.
His steps are good.
But there is
something else wrong.
- It's with the sheep.
- The sheep?
The new people,
up at the Collins place...
just set their collie
on our flock.
Drove every one of 'em
off that south pasture.
Let's see. I guess we can stand
around here talking about it...
or we can take our hands
out of our pockets...
and get down to business
and drive 'em back.
- Come on.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
We would've had it done,
but we can't.
They got a fence goin' up...
all the way across.
A fence. Imagine that.
Let's go.
Come on' Lassie.
Sheep! Sheep!
Say, where you goin'
with my sheep?
I thought we had a deal, Pete.
We did.
They're payin' more money.
It's simple business.
Buyin' sheep is simple.
It's makin' a livin' off of 'em
that's not so simple.
Am I right, Pete?
Don't misunderstand me.
I can buy sheep anywhere.
Anywhere, anyplace.
Now, this flock is yours.
I'm just here in case
you want to reconsider.
Reconsider?
Why should we?
Pete's a full-time farmer.
He couldn't cut it.
Ever think about that?
We're aware of the risks.
Well, that's a good thing.
'Cause I'm sure you've tied up
a good deal of money.
You want me to tell 'em
about your business?
Pastures you're grazin'
that ain't yours?
You know, Pete,
you sure got a lot braver...
since you stopped
working for me.
I hate to interrupt
these pleasantries, gentlemen...
but we are on a schedule here...
and thanks a lot
for your concern' Sam.
All right.
Nice meetin' you, neighbor.
Come on' boys. Let's leave
these ranchers to their work.
- Come on!
- Come on' sheep!
- Here, sheep.
- Here, sheep. Come on.
Don't let him get away!
Come on!
Come on. Hurry up!
Good job, Lassie.
All right.
Hi.
Howdy.
Howdy.
Well, yeah, we're ranchers now.
Now, listen.
I just want you to know
that I am really proud of you.
And not just for the ranch
and sheep and all of that...
but for everything.
And...
your mom would have been
proud of you too.
Dad?
Yeah.
Do you still miss her?
- Sure I do.
- No.
No, I mean now...
with Laura and everything.
I love Laura...
but that doesn't mean
I'll ever stop loving your mom.
I don't know if I do.
What?
Love her.
I mean' I try and I try.
All I can remember is a couple
of things at the end.
You know, those kind of
go stale after a while.
I'm glad we came here, Dad.
I am too.
Let's go, Matt.
Come on' Matt. We gotta go
pick up those supplies.
Come on' Lassie.
Prepare to scare
the hell outta them sheep!
- Yeah!
- Yeah!
Sheep! Sheep!
All right, La-- Lassie?
- Grandpa, where's Lassie?
- She must have jumped out.
Lassie's gone!
All right, let's head back.
Len' I'll be right behind you.
Come on' sheep!
Sheep! Sheep!
Lassie?
Whoa!
Dumb dog! Ow! Shoo! Go!
Come on! Ow! Get off!
Lassie!
We were worried about you.
There she is.
She came home.
What do you know.
Nothing wrong after all.
What in the hell is this?
Fence.
You know how we talked about your
sheep overrunning this pasture.
I guess you been meaning
to get to it...
but when I saw the fence go up
at the Collins place...
I figured I'd save you the trouble,
take care of it myself.
Hello, Delbert?
Sam Garland.
Listen' I need a pickup
day after tomorrow, early a.m.
Uh-huh. Going to
the Benton Market.
Okay? Now, listen. There's
just one thing different.
I want you to come around
to the backside of the mountain.
Hi, April?
Yeah, it's me, Matt.
I was just calling because
the fair starts tomorrow night...
and I was just thinking
that maybe we could go together.
Yeah, you know, to learn more
about livestock and everything.
Oh, you can?
Great. Okay.
Bye.
What?
April? Josh.
Hey, you goin' to the fair
tomorrow night?
Yeah? Me too.
What say I pick you up
about 6:30?
Huh?
Who?
Yeah. Well, maybe
I'll see you there.
No, it's okay. Bye.
Nice try.
- That was real nice.
- Did you see that flip?
- There you go.
- Hi.
Yeah, I got your admission.
Line up to get your cotton candy!
Look, cotton candy.
Come on.
Here we go. Nine moving out
in front right away.
- Here comes 11 on his heels.
- Go for it!
Now it's 11 and 14.
11 and 14!
- Here comes 12 squeezin' in there!
- Come on' 14. Yeah!
- And the winner is 14!
- All right!
- Thanks.
- There you go. Congratulations.
- There you go.
- Oh, how sweet. Thanks.
Come on' Lassie.
Would you like to try one?
Look at the calf.
Isn't it cute?
- You see how big this one is?
- Oh, yeah.
His breeder's
the best in the county.
Really?
Look at that guy's horns.
This guy's won more
blue ribbons--
- Hi, Grandpa.
- Hey, princess.
Come on.
I heard they make you dizzy.
Only the first time.
What a geek.
Give me one.
- Hey, April.
- Hi, Josh.
- Hey, April, Kelly. What's up?
- Hi, Jim.
- And speaking of geeks--
- Shut up, Josh.
Ooh, April's
standin' by her man!
Real cute.
Too bad he's not
gonna be here next year.
- You want one, geek?
- No, I quit.
Real cool.
Too bad you look like a faggot
with that earring.
I like his earring.
In fact...
can I have it?
Sure.
Here.
Thanks.
Come on' Jim.
Stay.
Thanks for coming
to the fair with me.
I had a good time.
Good night.
Come on' Lassie.
She's my girl, geek!
Get off of me.
Come on.
How do you like that?
Get off!
Call it off!
Dog bit me!
Call it off.
There you go.
Thanks.
How's the knee?
- It's not that bad.
- Let me see.
But you should have seen
the other guy.
This is really nice of you.
What are stepmothers for?
Sorry.
I wish there was
something else I could call you.
I can't call you "Mom," and...
"stepmother" is too "dweeby."
What's wrong with "Laura"?
Oh, I don't know.
I guess
you're more than that too.
Hey, why are you crying?
Quiet. Quiet.
Take it easy.
Don't make so much noise.
Giddap!
Giddap. Sheep, sheep.
Sheep, sheep.
You were out an hour ago.
All right.
You're the boss.
What took you so long?
Come on' you stupid dog!
Get her in the truck.
Okay, Pop.
Go on.
Get up there!
Whoa.
That oughta hold you.
What?
What is it, girl?
Where's our sheep?
Where are they, girl?
Yeah, those are ours.
Come on' Lassie.
Let's get 'em back home.
- Bye, Dad.
- Hey. Is your brother up yet?
He's gonna miss the bus.
Have a good day.
- Matt!
- He isn't in there.
Matt?
Oh, my God.
Honey?
Honey, the sheep are gone.
Matt?
Good, Lassie.
Easy, girl.
Where are you goin'
with our sheep?
These aren't your sheep.
They's on our land.
Put 'em back.
Now!
Go home, Lassie!
God!
Damn you!
That's my old man's best rifle!
It's all right, Lassie!
Go home!
Help!
Help me!
Help! Help me!
Dad!
Take my hand!
Matt!
Help!
Matt!
Lassie, swim to the tree!
Lassie!
Swim, Lassie!
Swim!
Swim, Lassie!
Lassie!
Come on. Come on.
It's all right.
Josh! Jim!
Dad.
Matt saved Josh's life.
I can't tell you
how sorry I am.
We didn't even
get to bury her.
I know.
But in a way,
she'll always be here...
and every time you come back
to this place...
and you see her name,
you'll think of her.
She was a great dog.
Beautiful.
I was the first one
to see her. Remember?
On the side of the road.
Old Lassie...
was--
A hero.
Yeah.
I know it's hard
to imagine now, Matt, but...
you'll get you another dog
and love that one just as much.
No, I don't think so.
We gotta have
a sheepdog, Matt.
Then we'll get a shepherd
or a lab.
Not a collie.
We don't have to think
about that today.
Thomas Jefferson...
who wrote the Declaration
of Independence in 1776...
was elected third president
of the United States in 1801 ...
and held office until 1809.
He was a very well-known Virginian
and a great president.
He was an architect,
a horticulturalist...
and a world-renowned statesman.
George Washington is known
as the father of our country...
but Jefferson is known as the
father of the state of Virginia.
He was born 1743...
and died in 1826.
And in the spring,
the whole class will be taking...
a field trip to Thomas Jefferson's
home in Monticello...
which Mr. Jefferson designed...
and had constructed
to his specifications.
Lassie!
Lassie!
I love you.