The Dust Factory (2004) Movie Script
RYAN: Grandma Randolph
used to smile a lot.
She said it was good
for the heart.
Grandma was the first dead
person I'd ever seen.
She also said there was
nothing a smile couldn't fix.
So it started.
An endless line of relatives
waiting to toss dirt on my grandma.
My dad loved astronomy.
Most mornings I'd wake up and
find him asleep in the attic,
his telescope
aimed at the horizon.
He loved watching the moon set.
He died when I was nine.
Oh, it's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
Come on, sweetheart.
It's okay. It's okay, Ryan.
ANGIE: I should never have
let him look in the casket.
(SIGHING) He'll be all right.
His cousins are the same age.
They did fine.
Tossing the dirt.
I should have seen that coming.
It was all too final.
He wasn't ready for that.
You can't protect him
from everything,
from life.
I do that?
In a way.
It keeps him tucked away
in his room.
He's a boy,
let him fly.
RYAN: My dad told me the moon's a big,
magic ball of dust,
and I believed him.
I used to be able to see
the Man in the Moon,
until my mom gave me
my dad's telescope.
Then all I found up there were
a bunch of craters and rocks.
It's weird.
Sometimes when I look at the
moon without my telescope,
I can almost see him again.
Almost.
My dad was crazy
for Gordie Howe.
"Guy walks on water,"
my dad used to say.
"Frozen, of course."
Grandpa doesn't even know
Grandma's gone.
Mom says that's the silver
lining of Alzheimer's.
ANGIE: Ryan, honey, why don't you
take your cousins outside? Okay?
Show them how to play hockey.
Come on. Come on.
Come on.
(GRUNTS)
Hey, did you notice one of
Grandma's eyes was open?
You know what that means.
One of the relatives
is gonna die in six months.
Maybe one of us.
It's true. I swear it.
ROCKY: Yo, Flynn O'gain!
Yeah!
Mazzelli goes low and scores!
What's up?
Think your mom will let us go fishin'?
The trout are jumpin'.
All right.
Hey.
Does he ever talk?
If you watched your dad get mashed by
a train, you'd probably go mute, too.
Why? You having trouble
understanding him?
I'm sorry about your grandma.
She was a real nice lady,
made us laugh.
It's all right. We really didn't know her.
We live in New Jersey.
Oh, then I'm real sorry.
Later.
Dude, the fish are
gonna be great.
My cousin caught
a 20-inch trout.
20 inches.
All right, it was 18.
Oh...
(CAR APPROACHING)
(CAR HORN HONKING)
ROCKY: Slow down, butt wipe!
MAN: Get out of the road!
ROCKY: Jackass!
You all right?
You all right?
He didn't really hit you,
did he?
You sad, Ry, about your grandma?
Hey, come on. Don't worry about it, buddy.
She's in heaven.
What, are you an atheist, Flynn?
Someone who
doesn't believe in God?
If you're even thinking about it,
that can't be good.
I mean, if there weren't a God,
that would be harsh.
Gonna go for the bridge?
No, thanks.
That bridge is like a pile of toothpicks.
Besides, it's not even
a shortcut to the lake.
But whatever.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(ROCKY SIGHING)
Check it out, Flynn O'gain!
Am I the master or what?
Look at that.
Look at that, baby.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, it's a lively one.
I got it. I got it. Hey!
(SIGHING)
Hello!
Hello! Hello!
I could reel in Orca
the killer whale here,
and you'd only notice
if he bit you in the butt.
What's up, dude?
You're like a pile
of moldy cheese today.
You're usually up six fish
on me by now.
Ryan, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Oh! You're so history!
Come here!
(RYAN GASPING)
(SCREAMING)
(SCREAMING) Oh, no.
Don't move! Don't move.
That hurts!
I know, but what were you
doing in the lake
where your hook was still cast?
Ask Flipper.
(GRUNTING)
Success!
(SIGHING)
I'm not gonna be able
to ride my bike for a week.
Oh, you'll live.
You'll live.
Yo, Ry.
Ryan?
Ryan?
See you tomorrow.
Thanks, Mrs. Flynn.
You saved my butt.
Ahh. Get out of here.
Go, go, go, go!
Ryan?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(TIRES SKIDDING)
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
Oh, God. Ryan,
we've got to get out!
Ryan!
Ryan, get out of the car!
Oh, my God.
(HORN CONTINUES BLOWING)
Dad!
(PANTING)
(HUMMING)
(DIALLING)
Ryan?
ROCKY: Morning, Ryan.
When do you want to meet?
(DIALLING)
All right. See you in five.
Excuse me!
How about asking for the phone?
Uh...
Come on. What's going on?
Are you...
Are you angry with me? What?
Oh, well,
Rocky will just have to wait.
Besides, I thought
we had an agreement.
On the weekends
we fish together.
All right,
but next weekend
it's you and me, okay?
All right. Go on.
(WHISTLING)
Hey! Slow down!
Ryan!
You all right?
You all right?
ROCKY: Ryan!
Ryan, where are you?
Ryan!
Ryan!
Grandpa Randolph?
Do you like the car outside?
When did you start talking?
I, I didn't know I stopped.
I mean, when did you start?
Where's my mom?
She's not here.
Am I dead?
(LAUGHING)
No, no, you're... No.
Where am I?
In your room.
No! Things are different.
Well, you must have
wanted them to be.
I didn't ask for this.
Frankly, neither did I.
Some things you don't ask for.
Is my dad here?
I don't bite, boy.
Just need a hand getting up, please.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
What?
Your hand.
It... It just went
through the glass.
Ahh.
Oh, yeah. That...
That explains why...
why you've been standing in the toilet there.
You'll have to forgive me.
Before the Alzheimer's, this was a bathroom.
There was a closet.
Obviously, your... your mother renovated.
(GRANDPA HUMMING)
Oh.
Your father was
quite a stargazer.
Astronomer.
He was an astronomer.
Someday, I'm gonna fly up there.
The moon.
An astronaut.
You have a...
You have a taste for adventure.
Never miss a shuttle launch.
Oh, yes.
Grandma said you were a dreamer.
Yeah. Well, sometimes
you have to step back
to see what's
right in front of you.
(MIMICKING TAKEOFF)
And dreamers are good at that,
very good at that, yeah.
(GRANDPA SIGHING)
You are coming or are you going
to stand in the toilet all day?
That's the closet.
Not for me.
(GIRL WHOOPING)
(CHUCKLING)
RYAN: Who's that?
(HUMMING)
GRANDPA: Pretty, huh?
Why is she wearing a coat
in the summer?
Why don't you ask her?
Go on, tortoise, chase the hare.
I'm not a turtle.
Prove it.
(CHUCKLING)
Ryan.
Come on out.
What's the matter?
You won't get wet.
Of course I will.
Course you won't.
Come on.
Come on.
(EXCLAIMING)
That is so unfair.
It's always winter for me.
You're lucky
you arrived in summer.
Give me heat any day.
Tahiti, now that's the place.
How do you do that?
What's your name?
Ryan. What's yours?
Melanie. But I like
the name Pan better.
Like Peter Pan, only a girl.
Oh.
You do believe
in Peter Pan, don't you?
(LAUGHING)
Uh...
If you don't,
I couldn't ever speak with you again, ever.
Why?
It would mean
you have no imagination.
So, do you believe?
Sure.
Have you been to the Factory?
What factory?
Oh, excellent!
I get to take you.
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Come on.
What's the matter?
Ryan?
It's nothing.
Let's go.
Come on. Let's go, slow mo!
(WHOOPING)
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Pretty creepy, huh?
He runs the show. Boo!
(CHUCKLING)
How long have you been here?
A while, I guess.
Time is kind of unimportant
here in the Dust Factory.
That's what you call this place,
the Dust Factory?
Yep.
Kind of a home away from home
until you're ready to go back,
which I'm not.
You gotta see how the Big
Top works to understand.
Come on.
Who are all these people?
People like you and me.
We're stuck here.
Stuck?
It's called "getting dusted."
You see,
when you decide to make the leap,
you only get one chance to fly,
so either you make it
and move on
or get dusted and go back home.
RYAN: That's the only way
to go home?
To jump and miss?
No one's getting me up there.
(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
RYAN: Wow! So she made it?
MELANIE: Yep, she moved on.
Perplexing, isn't it?
Hey! Do you like to spin?
I don't know what you mean.
Spin in circles so you get
queasy and see double. Spin.
(RYAN AND MELANIE LAUGHING)
(MELANIE SCREAMING)
Bet I can ride this longer than you!
Yeah, right!
I can go forever without puking.
Bet you can't!
(LAUGHING)
MELANIE: I'm gonna win.
(GROANING)
Come on.
Oh, careful!
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Don't feel bad about puking.
I always win.
I wasn't puking.
I was spitting.
Uh-huh.
See you tomorrow?
Not "tomorrow."
Just "see you."
She, uh, she a nice girl?
I guess.
Have you been to the Factory?
Sure. Joined the crowd once.
Didn't jump, of course.
Yeah, I'm definitely
not big on jumping.
And I don't like that dust.
Hmm, can't blame you. Hmm?
Sit down.
Falling all that way.
How do you know if you're ready?
I'm certainly no expert.
I suppose it's different
for everyone.
Some folks
probably dawdle around here
quite a while,
trying to figure that out.
Melanie, for instance. She...
She seems a bit of a dawdler.
I don't mind dawdling if it
means not having to jump.
Hitting that floor
looked awful painful.
Oh, you are afraid
of a little pain.
That's an overrated phobia.
So what's it like?
What?
You know, dying.
I don't know.
Well, you must.
You're practically dead.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very, very much. Thank you.
It's gotta hurt.
Hurt? Life hurts, boy.
Boxing, that's a real pain.
I was a boxer myself.
Yeah, not a good one, but I was a boxer.
Come. Let's see.
(LAUGHING) Come!
Come, come. You can do it.
Two, three.
Now box, box, box, box!
Bish, bish, bish.
Yeah. Come, come, come, come.
More, more! Come! Come!
Oh, no.
You are too strong for me.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Heard you called me a dawdler.
Not me.
I didn't!
Promise you didn't?
If it means you letting go,
I promise!
Mean it?
Yes, I mean it. Let go!
Better mean it.
What was that for?
Doesn't this day ever end?
What do you mean?
Well, there's a beginning,
but no end.
How do you know it began?
Well, it had to
or it wouldn't be.
That's not true.
It just is what it is.
You know, light all the time.
Maybe if we run away from
the sun we'll find night.
Let's go east.
That way we're going
with the earth's rotation.
Gives us a better chance
of outrunning the sun.
Wow! You're a boy scout, too.
Grab your skates, slow-mo,
and I'll race you
to the train tracks
and the cemetery.
Maybe it's night there.
(LAUGHING)
Catch up, dawdler!
Dawdler? You wish.
(WHOOPING)
Yeah!
Don't! Cheater!
RYAN: Catch up!
Get off, you nut!
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Don't. Ow!
Bet those skates
don't work on grass!
(MELANIE EXCLAIMING)
First!
That was great, wasn't it?
You don't like to lose, huh?
You don't hate me
for winning, do you?
No.
Besides, it's not
the last race we'll have.
(LAUGHING)
You have no idea
how long I've waited
for someone like you
to come along.
Too long, I'd say.
We didn't beat the sun.
It must be night somewhere.
I miss the moon
and the cool breezes.
I love the sun's warmth.
(CHUCKLING)
I suppose you would.
Make me a promise?
Sure.
If you decide you want
the four seasons again...
That means
jumping at the Big Top.
Forget it!
I'm never going home.
But if you change your mind,
promise you'll tell me first.
Why?
I might consider going is all.
Partners?
Partners.
(LAUGHING)
GRANDPA: Bonjour!
(LAUGHING)
Mademoiselle. Monsieur.
Been a while since I tried my green thumb,
but I think I found it.
Grandma died.
When?
The other day.
Where?
There.
Here?
No.
There.
You're not supposed to be down there.
I was supposed to go first.
I suppose I...
I messed it up.
Ah.
It's a...
It's a beautiful day.
There's a celebration
this evening.
What's the point?
She's dead.
Exactly. If no one celebrates her life,
what's the point?
We bring meaning
to each other's life,
and now particularly
your grandmother's.
Here. For the Grand Ball.
The formal initiation of all neophytes,
of which you are one.
You serious?
Yes, I am serious.
He serious?
MELANIE: Yeah!
Do you dance?
Course he does.
You know, tangos and waltzes?
Of course not. I'm a guy.
Oh, lame-o excuse.
Dancing is the most
Exhilarating,
glorificating, fantazilating
Just let your toes go tapping,
heels kerplanking
It's the essence of life
And if you think you are too fancy,
too grand-iancy
Just let your feet
explore the floor
They'll know the layout
Forget yourself and play out
'Cause there is
no substitute
And now
for the romp-stompinest
Skip-alonginest,
kind of fun around
Heck, it's the essence of
Heck, it's the essence of
Life!
Life!
(LAUGHING)
What do you say, Ryan?
I guess.
(BOTH WHOOPING)
What was Grandpa thinking?
I can't wear his old clothes.
That is definitely out!
Here. These will fit.
If we're gonna get anywhere,
you've gotta start using your imagination.
Try these on.
I can always stitch them up.
Okay.
Oh, please. I won't look.
Ready for the shirt?
Hey, come on! Turn around.
MELANIE: (LAUGHING)
Oops! Sorry.
Oops.
You wear butt-huggers?
Briefs.
They're cotton briefs.
You should wear boxers.
They're way cooler
than butt-huggers.
Baseball cards?
Hockey.
They're collector's issues.
There's nothing wrong
with having heroes.
Baryshnikov! Nureyev!
I adore them.
Oh, but Pan.
Oh, he could fly.
Oh, cool!
I love astronomy!
Really?
Yeah.
Wow,
it's got your name engraved and everything.
It was my dad's.
We used to watch
the shuttle launches together.
So you spy on your neighbors?
(CHUCKLING)
No! The stars, the moon.
Isn't the moon kind of close?
I mean, you don't even need
a telescope to see it.
I was looking
for something more specific.
What?
The flag Apollo 11 planted?
No.
Did you know Galileo
thought that oceans made up
the face of the Man in the Moon?
Actually, they're lava flows.
I know.
They're called "maria."
Do you know the name of the biggest,
nearest crater to the Apollo 11 landing?
Julius Caesar.
Know when Apollo 11 landed?
Summer of '69.
Which hemisphere?
West. Can you name
an eastern landing?
Apollo 15. Summer of '71.
Name another west.
17. Winter of '72.
(CHUCKLES)
Name a landing
near Copernicus crater.
Apollo 12, summer of '69,
and 16 landed in spring of '72.
And 14 in winter of '71.
We're all out of missions.
Wouldn't it be fantastic
to go there?
Someday I will.
They'll have really fast
interplanetary ships.
Yeah, and they'll use...
What's that power source?
Electromagnetic propulsion.
(LAUGHING)
Yeah, that's it.
Good thing you met me,
then, huh?
Every space traveler
needs a partner.
Only we can't see the moon
if it never gets dark.
Here. Try this on.
(HUMMING)
Very handsome.
What'll you wear?
Hmm?
What was that for?
I don't know.
Bonjour.
I'm still not used
to you doing that.
Sorry,
it's the only way in for me.
Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh. Stunning.
Your grandmama wore a dress
just like that
the first time
I fell in love with her. Yes.
You fell in love with her more than once?
Of course.
How old were you?
Sixth grade. What a romance!
It lasted a week. Then,
then my family moved,
and I didn't see her again
till I went away
to college.
Did she remember you?
No, not a bit,
but we fell in love
all over again.
That is so romantic.
Yeah. My beautiful wife.
Let's see. Come.
Let's see. Here.
Is the tortoise ready to dance?
Hmm.
(SCATTING)
(ORCHESTRA PLAYING)
Shall we?
We shall.
(WHOOPING)
(LAUGHING)
Ryan.
No.
Oh, come on.
You're a quick study,
when you want.
I've never seen him outside
the Big Top before.
(GASPING)
(SCREAMS)
Let go.
No.
(MELANIE SCREAMING)
Stop it! Stop it!
The kids...
The kids have to finish
the tango.
What does he want with me,
Grandpa?
Don't fear him, boy.
That would be a mistake.
He's no one to be afraid of.
No.
No one
to be afraid of.
ANGIE: Ryan?
Ryan?
Oh, Melanie would love this.
You ever get bored?
Didn't know
I needed more than this.
No, I mean knowing
you're stuck here.
Who says I'm stuck?
Did your mother ever tell you
about the Fair-Footed Flekk?
No.
What about the Flekk?
Fair-Footed Flekk.
Is there a point to this?
Oh, there will be
if you have any patience.
I'm patient! You're patient, huh?
We will see.
Come. Come. Come.
Once upon a time,
there were three men
who decided to climb the tallest
mountain in their country.
Which mountain?
The tallest.
That's the point.
These fellows knew
if they succeeded,
they would be showered with
wealth and power by the king.
For climbing a mountain?
(LAUGHS)
This happened a long time ago
when climbing a mountain wasn't,
wasn't a weekend sport.
They even referred to the mission as a
"quest for paradise."
Now, this is an honest
to goodness fable, huh?
You'll see.
Now, the king
had a beautiful daughter,
and he promised her hand
to the bravest of the men.
So even if the guy was an
ugly toad with fart's breath,
she'd have to marry him?
Yes, yes.
Halfway up the mountain,
one of the men turned
to the guide and said
he couldn't justify the strain
of another day's hiking
just for
the king's good blessings.
Go on, Grandpa.
Go on. Go on. Go on.
Next morning, the second man
decided the climb was foolish.
Even if the king
were offering pails of gold,
he figured it wouldn't be worth
spending from his deathbed.
So off he went.
The last man...
(CHUCKLING)
The last man was chipper
as a fox in a chicken coop.
Already counting
his good graces.
Anticipating wealth!
Wench! Happiness!
(EXCLAIMING)
The guy's styling.
Guy's styling, yes.
Well, his excitement
was short-lived.
As the guide outlined the final
day's journey, treacherous,
this fellow just shook
his head in disgust.
I mean,
for a spoiled child bride,
it would take all the king's
money to keep her happy anyway.
So without even a proper fare-thee-well,
he turned on his heel
and left the young guide alone.
And you know
what the guide did then?
Bailed?
He went for it.
Cool!
Good! Yes!
RYAN: So then what?
After two more days
he reached the precipice
and discovered
a weathered bench,
looked out over the countryside,
cupped his hands and shouted,
"What paradise is this?"
He was answered
by a beautiful voice.
"What paradise do you seek?"
The Fair-Footed Flekk?
Yeah, she skipped through the clouds
as if she were
light as air itself.
She explained how the men he'd
started with were glory seekers
expecting paradise,
but disappointed.
Disappointed at the price.
The young man
was touched and moved
as he looked over this,
this tiny piece of the world,
seeing with a clarity
he'd never known.
And a word
tumbled from his lips,
"Paradise."
And the Fair-Footed Flekk?
Gone into the clouds.
(EXCLAIMS)
Memory.
Climbing the mountain
was his reward?
Climbing was his paradise.
You all right, Grandpa?
Yeah. Never better.
I wish Melanie was here.
She'd dance for us.
Melanie?
But, Ryan, you can dance!
(LAUGHING)
Ryan, you can dance, huh?
(SCATTING)
And left turn.
And right turn.
Left again, and right again.
And now...
(CONTINUES SCATTING)
That's impossible.
In the Dust Factory
anything is possible.
You just have to unlearn
your cans and can'ts.
Besides, the walk back
would have finished me.
So you have been getting tired.
And you are feeling stronger?
Yeah, I guess?
Ever heard
of "conservation of energy"?
Can't create it...
Or destroy it.
Just keeps moving around.
As it should.
MELANIE: Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
MELANIE: Ryan.
Come on.
(GIGGLING)
Let's go!
See you later, Grandpa.
Boy! Boy!
Don't forget you're on a quest for paradise.
Yeah.
Oh, careful there, partner!
I almost got it. All right.
Eyes forward.
What's up with you?
I don't know.
I just feel great.
Feel like you're in Neverland?
I suppose.
I never saw the movie.
But you get it now.
Now, more balance.
Try again.
All right, balance.
Eyes forward.
Ryan?
He's not ready.
Ryan, are you okay?
Of course.
Don't worry.
I'm not gonna fall in the lake.
Now show me
that spinning move again.
Okay.
Pirouette, eyes forward.
(GASPING)
(WATER SPLASHING)
ROCKY: Mazzelli goes low
and scores!
What?
I don't know.
It's like
I forgot to do something.
(LAUGHING)
It runs?
Why wouldn't it?
I didn't have butchers
for mechanics.
Hop in. Jump. Come on!
You, too. Come right here.
Yeah, oh-ho,
yes, it's wonderful.
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
So three aboard and gone!
Where are we going?
Patience.
Patience.
(MELANIE SCREAMS)
What are you doing?
Hey, what's with you two?
You didn't see any trees?
No.
RYAN: This is an orchard.
(SCREAMING)
Grandpa, watch out!
GRANDPA: Hey, hey, hey,
what's with you two?
(GIGGLING)
That was so close!
RYAN:
You didn't see any trees.
Uh, no.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Look at all the leaves.
My grandfather told me
when a leaf floats past you
it means somewhere
someone is thinking of you.
Oh, please!
What?
You don't think
anyone thinks about you?
Oh, Melanie!
You have to believe.
I know what you're up to.
It's not fair.
Oh, Melanie.
Little lady.
I believe.
Patience. Patience.
(LAUGHING)
(GRANDPA HUMMING)
(GIGGLING)
I don't want this to ever end.
Again with that word "end."
It's a myth.
That's a lie.
Don't be selfish, Melanie.
When you make the leap at the Big Top,
time in the Dust Factory ends.
Melanie.
Let Ryan decide.
Melanie!
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Dust.
I hate it!
I don't want to jump
and I never will!
(GROUND RUMBLING)
(EXCLAIMING)
Melanie.
(SCREAMING)
Ryan, help!
Mel, pull! Please! Pull!
I'm trying! It's too strong!
(SCREAMING)
(BOTH COUGHING)
I'm sorry, Ryan.
I didn't mean to bring us here.
Everything was gonna be perfect.
It was gonna be just you and me.
Your grandpa went and ruined
everything with those leaves.
The dust.
You never should have
messed with the dust.
(TAPPING ON FLOOR)
Careful, Ryan.
I think...
Ryan! I think
you're supposed to shoot!
Ryan, don't leave me here!
Mel!
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
RYAN: Grandpa?
Grandpa?
There is no paradise for me.
Fair-Footed Flekks don't
exist. They're all lies!
Where are you, Grandpa?
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
Boy! Boy! Boy!
Grandpa, it's Melanie.
Ah, she can wait.
You don't understand.
I understand perfectly.
But, Grandpa, I left her
in that awful place.
No. Her lack of faith
keeps her there.
No.
She's just scared.
Melanie will learn on her own.
Otherwise,
she'll never make the leap,
and we can't dawdle here
forever.
You're leaving.
What?
I should...
I should overstay my welcome?
But I like the way things are,
here with you and Mel.
No.
You have a home, a family,
a life
that mustn't be tossed aside
because you're afraid of dying.
I won't go back!
Boy,
the beauty of living is
that you get to work
all the world's myths.
Let each have a tug
at your insides.
Take a shot at answering the questions of,
of life and death.
When I die,
I don't want it to hurt.
I don't see paradise, Grandpa.
I want to,
but I don't.
Patience.
I hear the circus clowns.
Hear them.
They are
singing.
Will I ever see you again?
GRANDPA: Ah.
The colors of sunset,
warm and cool,
always extraordinary.
Always extraordinary.
Live your life,
Ryan Flynn.
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
No!
No! No!
No! No!
(CREATURE CRACKLING)
Mel?
Mel!
Mel.
I'm not afraid of you!
You're afraid
I can win her back.
I challenge you!
Yes!
Come on, Mel, let's go.
We're out of here.
What? I beat you. I scored!
I'm ready to leave.
I proved it.
What's wrong?
You won, Ryan.
I didn't.
No!
You just have to believe
there's more to life
than one long winter.
You're asking me
to risk everything.
I've been here too long.
I don't even remember where I came from.
Where would I end up?
I can't handle
that kind of uncertainty.
Grandpa would tell you to turn
all that doubt into trust.
Take a chance, Mel.
Do you trust me?
Do you trust yourself?
Do you trust yourself?
Say it, Mel!
Come on, get off
those toe-picks and skate.
Skate now!
Meet me halfway, Ryan.
(GRUNTING)
(BOTH PANTING)
Grandpa took the leap.
Did he make it?
He made it, Ryan.
It's all right.
Thanks for coming.
Special catch, he was.
He would have caught me
if I'd done nothing
but offered two stumps
for hands.
What a man.
What a man.
RYAN FLYNN SR.: Son?
I miss you.
Dad?
I wanted to tell you so much.
Remember when you showed me
the Man in the Moon?
And I couldn't see him
for the longest time,
and then you drew
that picture of him.
Told me his eyes
were so droopy because
he only slept three days
of a month?
And that his smile was so big,
because he loved
to watch me play.
Ever since you told me that story,
I've wanted to visit him.
I really miss you, Dad.
Ryan?
He was right here.
Ryan, it's okay.
No, he was right here!
It's okay.
No!
My dad! I saw him.
I saw my dad.
He looked so real.
They're waiting for us.
Come on.
He would have caught me
if I'd done nothing but
offered two stumps for arms.
What a man.
What a man.
Come on. This is supposed
to be a celebration, remember?
A toast, to Grandpa.
Not here.
I'm not sure I understand
anything Grandpa said,
but at least
I'm not afraid anymore.
I figure he's in eternity.
I almost grasp
the meaning of it,
but then it slips away.
Maybe because I'm just a kid.
Fill her up.
To a wise old man
who's better off not drivin'.
(SIGHING)
I never saw
the Fair-Footed Flekk.
Do you know what she looks like?
No.
Then how do you know
you haven't already met her?
Funny,
I still don't see paradise.
I wanna go home,
really go home.
I know,
and I don't want you to.
It was always my plan
to leave, too, you know?
But I was just
waiting for a sign.
I figured there'd be
this perfect moment
where I'd just know
it was right.
I guess I'm just a dawdler.
You know, I can still do
everything better than you can.
Faster. Always will.
You can't always win.
I'll always beat you.
And I won't mind.
I'll never forget you, Mel.
You will.
No. I won't.
See you later.
Not "later."
Just "see you."
(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
I wish I had the courage
to climb a mountain.
All I have is this stupid lake!
It's not winter. It's not winter.
It's not winter!
It's summer!
ROCKY: Ryan!
Ryan! Ryan, come on.
Over here, Ry! Swim!
Come on, you can do it. Swim!
Come on!
BOY 1: Shoot it! Go past it!
BOY 2: Go for the net, man!
BOY 3: Get around the guy!
BOY 1: Watch the goalie.
BOY 2: Wow! He scored!
BOY 3: How did you do that?
BOY 4: Goal!
LIONEL: Honey, when are you going
to tell him his grandpa died?
ANGIE: I don't know.
He just got out of the hospital.
He hardly knew his grandpa.
That's supposed
to mean something,
when a leaf falls.
Um, it means no Indian summer.
Oh, right.
(BOY SHOUTING)
The Lewises brought
their daughter home.
BOY 1: Shoot! Shoot!
Now, there's a girl
you want to get to know, Ryan.
She's got spunk.
Like a good power forward, huh?
A girl?
Yeah, right.
You got a problem
with girl hockey players, huh?
Huh? Huh? All right!
All right! All right!
All right! Let me hear you say it!
I wanna hear you say,
"Women are the best
athletes on the planet."
Let me hear you say it.
All right, all right, all right.
Women
aren't the best athletes...
I got you!
I got you! Let me hear you say it.
Let me hear it.
Mom!
Let me hear it.
Oh, no! All right, all right, all right.
I give up! Mercy, mercy!
(SHOUTING)
Oh, mercy? Oh, mercy!
You were, like, dog paddling.
No, I wasn't.
I know how to swim.
Oh, well, you must have forgotten
there for a minute, buddy,
because you were paddling
like a hound dog.
You know, I don't even think you
knew that your foot was busted.
Adrenaline rush
just does that to you.
God, it's so weird
hearing you talk.
I don't have to.
No, no, no, no, no!
It's good.
Doesn't look like such
a bad fall from here.
Are you kidding?
I saw you fall.
You landed way out there.
(HUMMING)
Aren't you comin' out?
You know her?
No.
Go on, Flynn O'gain!
Go for it!
Bah!
Your friend should see a
doctor for that tongue thing.
People might think
he's trying to catch flies.
What happened to your leg?
I fell
off this bridge.
Right.
Really. I did.
Wow!
That's pretty cool.
It was an accident.
I had an accident, in my head.
They said it was an aneurysm.
Oh.
Is that bad?
Not anymore.
How long do have
to wear your cast?
Couple of months.
You really fell off this bridge?
Yeah.
Cold, huh?
I really don't remember much.
I don't like cold water.
Give me heat any day.
There's this island
called Tahiti.
I'm going there when I grow up.
No winter.
Just long, hot days.
I don't know.
I kind of like fall
and winter.
That's 'cause
your parents told you
winter makes you
look forward to summer.
Why wait nine months?
I suppose you're right,
but I'd still miss the colors
and the leaves.
Boy, someone snowed you over
but good.
(LAUGHS)
ROCKY: Come on, Ryan!
Race you.
Yeah, right!
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Fair enough?
(LAUGHING)
We'll look like
a couple of turtles.
So?
Your friend can call it.
Go!
(GIGGLING)
Look at them go, folks!
I'm running!
ROCKY: Now she's running!
She's cheating!
She's cheating!
Look at her!
She's using two legs!
Ryan only has one!
This is a bit unfair, folks,
but Ryan's making his way back.
It's a good race.
The final stretch...
GRANDPA:
Dust is a funny thing.
It's everywhere all at once
like a teeny, tiny snowstorm
in every ray of light.
Even the moon
is just a big dust ball.
But you know,
it's all in the way you look at it,
not this way or that way,
not forways or backways.
Just believe before you look.
The Man in the Moon
has a magic all his own.
used to smile a lot.
She said it was good
for the heart.
Grandma was the first dead
person I'd ever seen.
She also said there was
nothing a smile couldn't fix.
So it started.
An endless line of relatives
waiting to toss dirt on my grandma.
My dad loved astronomy.
Most mornings I'd wake up and
find him asleep in the attic,
his telescope
aimed at the horizon.
He loved watching the moon set.
He died when I was nine.
Oh, it's okay.
It's okay. It's okay.
Come on, sweetheart.
It's okay. It's okay, Ryan.
ANGIE: I should never have
let him look in the casket.
(SIGHING) He'll be all right.
His cousins are the same age.
They did fine.
Tossing the dirt.
I should have seen that coming.
It was all too final.
He wasn't ready for that.
You can't protect him
from everything,
from life.
I do that?
In a way.
It keeps him tucked away
in his room.
He's a boy,
let him fly.
RYAN: My dad told me the moon's a big,
magic ball of dust,
and I believed him.
I used to be able to see
the Man in the Moon,
until my mom gave me
my dad's telescope.
Then all I found up there were
a bunch of craters and rocks.
It's weird.
Sometimes when I look at the
moon without my telescope,
I can almost see him again.
Almost.
My dad was crazy
for Gordie Howe.
"Guy walks on water,"
my dad used to say.
"Frozen, of course."
Grandpa doesn't even know
Grandma's gone.
Mom says that's the silver
lining of Alzheimer's.
ANGIE: Ryan, honey, why don't you
take your cousins outside? Okay?
Show them how to play hockey.
Come on. Come on.
Come on.
(GRUNTS)
Hey, did you notice one of
Grandma's eyes was open?
You know what that means.
One of the relatives
is gonna die in six months.
Maybe one of us.
It's true. I swear it.
ROCKY: Yo, Flynn O'gain!
Yeah!
Mazzelli goes low and scores!
What's up?
Think your mom will let us go fishin'?
The trout are jumpin'.
All right.
Hey.
Does he ever talk?
If you watched your dad get mashed by
a train, you'd probably go mute, too.
Why? You having trouble
understanding him?
I'm sorry about your grandma.
She was a real nice lady,
made us laugh.
It's all right. We really didn't know her.
We live in New Jersey.
Oh, then I'm real sorry.
Later.
Dude, the fish are
gonna be great.
My cousin caught
a 20-inch trout.
20 inches.
All right, it was 18.
Oh...
(CAR APPROACHING)
(CAR HORN HONKING)
ROCKY: Slow down, butt wipe!
MAN: Get out of the road!
ROCKY: Jackass!
You all right?
You all right?
He didn't really hit you,
did he?
You sad, Ry, about your grandma?
Hey, come on. Don't worry about it, buddy.
She's in heaven.
What, are you an atheist, Flynn?
Someone who
doesn't believe in God?
If you're even thinking about it,
that can't be good.
I mean, if there weren't a God,
that would be harsh.
Gonna go for the bridge?
No, thanks.
That bridge is like a pile of toothpicks.
Besides, it's not even
a shortcut to the lake.
But whatever.
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
(ROCKY SIGHING)
Check it out, Flynn O'gain!
Am I the master or what?
Look at that.
Look at that, baby.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, it's a lively one.
I got it. I got it. Hey!
(SIGHING)
Hello!
Hello! Hello!
I could reel in Orca
the killer whale here,
and you'd only notice
if he bit you in the butt.
What's up, dude?
You're like a pile
of moldy cheese today.
You're usually up six fish
on me by now.
Ryan, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Oh! You're so history!
Come here!
(RYAN GASPING)
(SCREAMING)
(SCREAMING) Oh, no.
Don't move! Don't move.
That hurts!
I know, but what were you
doing in the lake
where your hook was still cast?
Ask Flipper.
(GRUNTING)
Success!
(SIGHING)
I'm not gonna be able
to ride my bike for a week.
Oh, you'll live.
You'll live.
Yo, Ry.
Ryan?
Ryan?
See you tomorrow.
Thanks, Mrs. Flynn.
You saved my butt.
Ahh. Get out of here.
Go, go, go, go!
Ryan?
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
(TIRES SKIDDING)
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
Oh, God. Ryan,
we've got to get out!
Ryan!
Ryan, get out of the car!
Oh, my God.
(HORN CONTINUES BLOWING)
Dad!
(PANTING)
(HUMMING)
(DIALLING)
Ryan?
ROCKY: Morning, Ryan.
When do you want to meet?
(DIALLING)
All right. See you in five.
Excuse me!
How about asking for the phone?
Uh...
Come on. What's going on?
Are you...
Are you angry with me? What?
Oh, well,
Rocky will just have to wait.
Besides, I thought
we had an agreement.
On the weekends
we fish together.
All right,
but next weekend
it's you and me, okay?
All right. Go on.
(WHISTLING)
Hey! Slow down!
Ryan!
You all right?
You all right?
ROCKY: Ryan!
Ryan, where are you?
Ryan!
Ryan!
Grandpa Randolph?
Do you like the car outside?
When did you start talking?
I, I didn't know I stopped.
I mean, when did you start?
Where's my mom?
She's not here.
Am I dead?
(LAUGHING)
No, no, you're... No.
Where am I?
In your room.
No! Things are different.
Well, you must have
wanted them to be.
I didn't ask for this.
Frankly, neither did I.
Some things you don't ask for.
Is my dad here?
I don't bite, boy.
Just need a hand getting up, please.
Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
What?
Your hand.
It... It just went
through the glass.
Ahh.
Oh, yeah. That...
That explains why...
why you've been standing in the toilet there.
You'll have to forgive me.
Before the Alzheimer's, this was a bathroom.
There was a closet.
Obviously, your... your mother renovated.
(GRANDPA HUMMING)
Oh.
Your father was
quite a stargazer.
Astronomer.
He was an astronomer.
Someday, I'm gonna fly up there.
The moon.
An astronaut.
You have a...
You have a taste for adventure.
Never miss a shuttle launch.
Oh, yes.
Grandma said you were a dreamer.
Yeah. Well, sometimes
you have to step back
to see what's
right in front of you.
(MIMICKING TAKEOFF)
And dreamers are good at that,
very good at that, yeah.
(GRANDPA SIGHING)
You are coming or are you going
to stand in the toilet all day?
That's the closet.
Not for me.
(GIRL WHOOPING)
(CHUCKLING)
RYAN: Who's that?
(HUMMING)
GRANDPA: Pretty, huh?
Why is she wearing a coat
in the summer?
Why don't you ask her?
Go on, tortoise, chase the hare.
I'm not a turtle.
Prove it.
(CHUCKLING)
Ryan.
Come on out.
What's the matter?
You won't get wet.
Of course I will.
Course you won't.
Come on.
Come on.
(EXCLAIMING)
That is so unfair.
It's always winter for me.
You're lucky
you arrived in summer.
Give me heat any day.
Tahiti, now that's the place.
How do you do that?
What's your name?
Ryan. What's yours?
Melanie. But I like
the name Pan better.
Like Peter Pan, only a girl.
Oh.
You do believe
in Peter Pan, don't you?
(LAUGHING)
Uh...
If you don't,
I couldn't ever speak with you again, ever.
Why?
It would mean
you have no imagination.
So, do you believe?
Sure.
Have you been to the Factory?
What factory?
Oh, excellent!
I get to take you.
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Come on.
What's the matter?
Ryan?
It's nothing.
Let's go.
Come on. Let's go, slow mo!
(WHOOPING)
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Pretty creepy, huh?
He runs the show. Boo!
(CHUCKLING)
How long have you been here?
A while, I guess.
Time is kind of unimportant
here in the Dust Factory.
That's what you call this place,
the Dust Factory?
Yep.
Kind of a home away from home
until you're ready to go back,
which I'm not.
You gotta see how the Big
Top works to understand.
Come on.
Who are all these people?
People like you and me.
We're stuck here.
Stuck?
It's called "getting dusted."
You see,
when you decide to make the leap,
you only get one chance to fly,
so either you make it
and move on
or get dusted and go back home.
RYAN: That's the only way
to go home?
To jump and miss?
No one's getting me up there.
(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
RYAN: Wow! So she made it?
MELANIE: Yep, she moved on.
Perplexing, isn't it?
Hey! Do you like to spin?
I don't know what you mean.
Spin in circles so you get
queasy and see double. Spin.
(RYAN AND MELANIE LAUGHING)
(MELANIE SCREAMING)
Bet I can ride this longer than you!
Yeah, right!
I can go forever without puking.
Bet you can't!
(LAUGHING)
MELANIE: I'm gonna win.
(GROANING)
Come on.
Oh, careful!
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Don't feel bad about puking.
I always win.
I wasn't puking.
I was spitting.
Uh-huh.
See you tomorrow?
Not "tomorrow."
Just "see you."
She, uh, she a nice girl?
I guess.
Have you been to the Factory?
Sure. Joined the crowd once.
Didn't jump, of course.
Yeah, I'm definitely
not big on jumping.
And I don't like that dust.
Hmm, can't blame you. Hmm?
Sit down.
Falling all that way.
How do you know if you're ready?
I'm certainly no expert.
I suppose it's different
for everyone.
Some folks
probably dawdle around here
quite a while,
trying to figure that out.
Melanie, for instance. She...
She seems a bit of a dawdler.
I don't mind dawdling if it
means not having to jump.
Hitting that floor
looked awful painful.
Oh, you are afraid
of a little pain.
That's an overrated phobia.
So what's it like?
What?
You know, dying.
I don't know.
Well, you must.
You're practically dead.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you very, very much. Thank you.
It's gotta hurt.
Hurt? Life hurts, boy.
Boxing, that's a real pain.
I was a boxer myself.
Yeah, not a good one, but I was a boxer.
Come. Let's see.
(LAUGHING) Come!
Come, come. You can do it.
Two, three.
Now box, box, box, box!
Bish, bish, bish.
Yeah. Come, come, come, come.
More, more! Come! Come!
Oh, no.
You are too strong for me.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Heard you called me a dawdler.
Not me.
I didn't!
Promise you didn't?
If it means you letting go,
I promise!
Mean it?
Yes, I mean it. Let go!
Better mean it.
What was that for?
Doesn't this day ever end?
What do you mean?
Well, there's a beginning,
but no end.
How do you know it began?
Well, it had to
or it wouldn't be.
That's not true.
It just is what it is.
You know, light all the time.
Maybe if we run away from
the sun we'll find night.
Let's go east.
That way we're going
with the earth's rotation.
Gives us a better chance
of outrunning the sun.
Wow! You're a boy scout, too.
Grab your skates, slow-mo,
and I'll race you
to the train tracks
and the cemetery.
Maybe it's night there.
(LAUGHING)
Catch up, dawdler!
Dawdler? You wish.
(WHOOPING)
Yeah!
Don't! Cheater!
RYAN: Catch up!
Get off, you nut!
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Don't. Ow!
Bet those skates
don't work on grass!
(MELANIE EXCLAIMING)
First!
That was great, wasn't it?
You don't like to lose, huh?
You don't hate me
for winning, do you?
No.
Besides, it's not
the last race we'll have.
(LAUGHING)
You have no idea
how long I've waited
for someone like you
to come along.
Too long, I'd say.
We didn't beat the sun.
It must be night somewhere.
I miss the moon
and the cool breezes.
I love the sun's warmth.
(CHUCKLING)
I suppose you would.
Make me a promise?
Sure.
If you decide you want
the four seasons again...
That means
jumping at the Big Top.
Forget it!
I'm never going home.
But if you change your mind,
promise you'll tell me first.
Why?
I might consider going is all.
Partners?
Partners.
(LAUGHING)
GRANDPA: Bonjour!
(LAUGHING)
Mademoiselle. Monsieur.
Been a while since I tried my green thumb,
but I think I found it.
Grandma died.
When?
The other day.
Where?
There.
Here?
No.
There.
You're not supposed to be down there.
I was supposed to go first.
I suppose I...
I messed it up.
Ah.
It's a...
It's a beautiful day.
There's a celebration
this evening.
What's the point?
She's dead.
Exactly. If no one celebrates her life,
what's the point?
We bring meaning
to each other's life,
and now particularly
your grandmother's.
Here. For the Grand Ball.
The formal initiation of all neophytes,
of which you are one.
You serious?
Yes, I am serious.
He serious?
MELANIE: Yeah!
Do you dance?
Course he does.
You know, tangos and waltzes?
Of course not. I'm a guy.
Oh, lame-o excuse.
Dancing is the most
Exhilarating,
glorificating, fantazilating
Just let your toes go tapping,
heels kerplanking
It's the essence of life
And if you think you are too fancy,
too grand-iancy
Just let your feet
explore the floor
They'll know the layout
Forget yourself and play out
'Cause there is
no substitute
And now
for the romp-stompinest
Skip-alonginest,
kind of fun around
Heck, it's the essence of
Heck, it's the essence of
Life!
Life!
(LAUGHING)
What do you say, Ryan?
I guess.
(BOTH WHOOPING)
What was Grandpa thinking?
I can't wear his old clothes.
That is definitely out!
Here. These will fit.
If we're gonna get anywhere,
you've gotta start using your imagination.
Try these on.
I can always stitch them up.
Okay.
Oh, please. I won't look.
Ready for the shirt?
Hey, come on! Turn around.
MELANIE: (LAUGHING)
Oops! Sorry.
Oops.
You wear butt-huggers?
Briefs.
They're cotton briefs.
You should wear boxers.
They're way cooler
than butt-huggers.
Baseball cards?
Hockey.
They're collector's issues.
There's nothing wrong
with having heroes.
Baryshnikov! Nureyev!
I adore them.
Oh, but Pan.
Oh, he could fly.
Oh, cool!
I love astronomy!
Really?
Yeah.
Wow,
it's got your name engraved and everything.
It was my dad's.
We used to watch
the shuttle launches together.
So you spy on your neighbors?
(CHUCKLING)
No! The stars, the moon.
Isn't the moon kind of close?
I mean, you don't even need
a telescope to see it.
I was looking
for something more specific.
What?
The flag Apollo 11 planted?
No.
Did you know Galileo
thought that oceans made up
the face of the Man in the Moon?
Actually, they're lava flows.
I know.
They're called "maria."
Do you know the name of the biggest,
nearest crater to the Apollo 11 landing?
Julius Caesar.
Know when Apollo 11 landed?
Summer of '69.
Which hemisphere?
West. Can you name
an eastern landing?
Apollo 15. Summer of '71.
Name another west.
17. Winter of '72.
(CHUCKLES)
Name a landing
near Copernicus crater.
Apollo 12, summer of '69,
and 16 landed in spring of '72.
And 14 in winter of '71.
We're all out of missions.
Wouldn't it be fantastic
to go there?
Someday I will.
They'll have really fast
interplanetary ships.
Yeah, and they'll use...
What's that power source?
Electromagnetic propulsion.
(LAUGHING)
Yeah, that's it.
Good thing you met me,
then, huh?
Every space traveler
needs a partner.
Only we can't see the moon
if it never gets dark.
Here. Try this on.
(HUMMING)
Very handsome.
What'll you wear?
Hmm?
What was that for?
I don't know.
Bonjour.
I'm still not used
to you doing that.
Sorry,
it's the only way in for me.
Oh! Oh, oh, oh, oh. Stunning.
Your grandmama wore a dress
just like that
the first time
I fell in love with her. Yes.
You fell in love with her more than once?
Of course.
How old were you?
Sixth grade. What a romance!
It lasted a week. Then,
then my family moved,
and I didn't see her again
till I went away
to college.
Did she remember you?
No, not a bit,
but we fell in love
all over again.
That is so romantic.
Yeah. My beautiful wife.
Let's see. Come.
Let's see. Here.
Is the tortoise ready to dance?
Hmm.
(SCATTING)
(ORCHESTRA PLAYING)
Shall we?
We shall.
(WHOOPING)
(LAUGHING)
Ryan.
No.
Oh, come on.
You're a quick study,
when you want.
I've never seen him outside
the Big Top before.
(GASPING)
(SCREAMS)
Let go.
No.
(MELANIE SCREAMING)
Stop it! Stop it!
The kids...
The kids have to finish
the tango.
What does he want with me,
Grandpa?
Don't fear him, boy.
That would be a mistake.
He's no one to be afraid of.
No.
No one
to be afraid of.
ANGIE: Ryan?
Ryan?
Oh, Melanie would love this.
You ever get bored?
Didn't know
I needed more than this.
No, I mean knowing
you're stuck here.
Who says I'm stuck?
Did your mother ever tell you
about the Fair-Footed Flekk?
No.
What about the Flekk?
Fair-Footed Flekk.
Is there a point to this?
Oh, there will be
if you have any patience.
I'm patient! You're patient, huh?
We will see.
Come. Come. Come.
Once upon a time,
there were three men
who decided to climb the tallest
mountain in their country.
Which mountain?
The tallest.
That's the point.
These fellows knew
if they succeeded,
they would be showered with
wealth and power by the king.
For climbing a mountain?
(LAUGHS)
This happened a long time ago
when climbing a mountain wasn't,
wasn't a weekend sport.
They even referred to the mission as a
"quest for paradise."
Now, this is an honest
to goodness fable, huh?
You'll see.
Now, the king
had a beautiful daughter,
and he promised her hand
to the bravest of the men.
So even if the guy was an
ugly toad with fart's breath,
she'd have to marry him?
Yes, yes.
Halfway up the mountain,
one of the men turned
to the guide and said
he couldn't justify the strain
of another day's hiking
just for
the king's good blessings.
Go on, Grandpa.
Go on. Go on. Go on.
Next morning, the second man
decided the climb was foolish.
Even if the king
were offering pails of gold,
he figured it wouldn't be worth
spending from his deathbed.
So off he went.
The last man...
(CHUCKLING)
The last man was chipper
as a fox in a chicken coop.
Already counting
his good graces.
Anticipating wealth!
Wench! Happiness!
(EXCLAIMING)
The guy's styling.
Guy's styling, yes.
Well, his excitement
was short-lived.
As the guide outlined the final
day's journey, treacherous,
this fellow just shook
his head in disgust.
I mean,
for a spoiled child bride,
it would take all the king's
money to keep her happy anyway.
So without even a proper fare-thee-well,
he turned on his heel
and left the young guide alone.
And you know
what the guide did then?
Bailed?
He went for it.
Cool!
Good! Yes!
RYAN: So then what?
After two more days
he reached the precipice
and discovered
a weathered bench,
looked out over the countryside,
cupped his hands and shouted,
"What paradise is this?"
He was answered
by a beautiful voice.
"What paradise do you seek?"
The Fair-Footed Flekk?
Yeah, she skipped through the clouds
as if she were
light as air itself.
She explained how the men he'd
started with were glory seekers
expecting paradise,
but disappointed.
Disappointed at the price.
The young man
was touched and moved
as he looked over this,
this tiny piece of the world,
seeing with a clarity
he'd never known.
And a word
tumbled from his lips,
"Paradise."
And the Fair-Footed Flekk?
Gone into the clouds.
(EXCLAIMS)
Memory.
Climbing the mountain
was his reward?
Climbing was his paradise.
You all right, Grandpa?
Yeah. Never better.
I wish Melanie was here.
She'd dance for us.
Melanie?
But, Ryan, you can dance!
(LAUGHING)
Ryan, you can dance, huh?
(SCATTING)
And left turn.
And right turn.
Left again, and right again.
And now...
(CONTINUES SCATTING)
That's impossible.
In the Dust Factory
anything is possible.
You just have to unlearn
your cans and can'ts.
Besides, the walk back
would have finished me.
So you have been getting tired.
And you are feeling stronger?
Yeah, I guess?
Ever heard
of "conservation of energy"?
Can't create it...
Or destroy it.
Just keeps moving around.
As it should.
MELANIE: Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
MELANIE: Ryan.
Come on.
(GIGGLING)
Let's go!
See you later, Grandpa.
Boy! Boy!
Don't forget you're on a quest for paradise.
Yeah.
Oh, careful there, partner!
I almost got it. All right.
Eyes forward.
What's up with you?
I don't know.
I just feel great.
Feel like you're in Neverland?
I suppose.
I never saw the movie.
But you get it now.
Now, more balance.
Try again.
All right, balance.
Eyes forward.
Ryan?
He's not ready.
Ryan, are you okay?
Of course.
Don't worry.
I'm not gonna fall in the lake.
Now show me
that spinning move again.
Okay.
Pirouette, eyes forward.
(GASPING)
(WATER SPLASHING)
ROCKY: Mazzelli goes low
and scores!
What?
I don't know.
It's like
I forgot to do something.
(LAUGHING)
It runs?
Why wouldn't it?
I didn't have butchers
for mechanics.
Hop in. Jump. Come on!
You, too. Come right here.
Yeah, oh-ho,
yes, it's wonderful.
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
So three aboard and gone!
Where are we going?
Patience.
Patience.
(MELANIE SCREAMS)
What are you doing?
Hey, what's with you two?
You didn't see any trees?
No.
RYAN: This is an orchard.
(SCREAMING)
Grandpa, watch out!
GRANDPA: Hey, hey, hey,
what's with you two?
(GIGGLING)
That was so close!
RYAN:
You didn't see any trees.
Uh, no.
(ALL LAUGHING)
Look at all the leaves.
My grandfather told me
when a leaf floats past you
it means somewhere
someone is thinking of you.
Oh, please!
What?
You don't think
anyone thinks about you?
Oh, Melanie!
You have to believe.
I know what you're up to.
It's not fair.
Oh, Melanie.
Little lady.
I believe.
Patience. Patience.
(LAUGHING)
(GRANDPA HUMMING)
(GIGGLING)
I don't want this to ever end.
Again with that word "end."
It's a myth.
That's a lie.
Don't be selfish, Melanie.
When you make the leap at the Big Top,
time in the Dust Factory ends.
Melanie.
Let Ryan decide.
Melanie!
(MELANIE LAUGHING)
Dust.
I hate it!
I don't want to jump
and I never will!
(GROUND RUMBLING)
(EXCLAIMING)
Melanie.
(SCREAMING)
Ryan, help!
Mel, pull! Please! Pull!
I'm trying! It's too strong!
(SCREAMING)
(BOTH COUGHING)
I'm sorry, Ryan.
I didn't mean to bring us here.
Everything was gonna be perfect.
It was gonna be just you and me.
Your grandpa went and ruined
everything with those leaves.
The dust.
You never should have
messed with the dust.
(TAPPING ON FLOOR)
Careful, Ryan.
I think...
Ryan! I think
you're supposed to shoot!
Ryan, don't leave me here!
Mel!
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
RYAN: Grandpa?
Grandpa?
There is no paradise for me.
Fair-Footed Flekks don't
exist. They're all lies!
Where are you, Grandpa?
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
Boy! Boy! Boy!
Grandpa, it's Melanie.
Ah, she can wait.
You don't understand.
I understand perfectly.
But, Grandpa, I left her
in that awful place.
No. Her lack of faith
keeps her there.
No.
She's just scared.
Melanie will learn on her own.
Otherwise,
she'll never make the leap,
and we can't dawdle here
forever.
You're leaving.
What?
I should...
I should overstay my welcome?
But I like the way things are,
here with you and Mel.
No.
You have a home, a family,
a life
that mustn't be tossed aside
because you're afraid of dying.
I won't go back!
Boy,
the beauty of living is
that you get to work
all the world's myths.
Let each have a tug
at your insides.
Take a shot at answering the questions of,
of life and death.
When I die,
I don't want it to hurt.
I don't see paradise, Grandpa.
I want to,
but I don't.
Patience.
I hear the circus clowns.
Hear them.
They are
singing.
Will I ever see you again?
GRANDPA: Ah.
The colors of sunset,
warm and cool,
always extraordinary.
Always extraordinary.
Live your life,
Ryan Flynn.
(TRAIN APPROACHING)
(TRAIN HORN BLOWING)
No!
No! No!
No! No!
(CREATURE CRACKLING)
Mel?
Mel!
Mel.
I'm not afraid of you!
You're afraid
I can win her back.
I challenge you!
Yes!
Come on, Mel, let's go.
We're out of here.
What? I beat you. I scored!
I'm ready to leave.
I proved it.
What's wrong?
You won, Ryan.
I didn't.
No!
You just have to believe
there's more to life
than one long winter.
You're asking me
to risk everything.
I've been here too long.
I don't even remember where I came from.
Where would I end up?
I can't handle
that kind of uncertainty.
Grandpa would tell you to turn
all that doubt into trust.
Take a chance, Mel.
Do you trust me?
Do you trust yourself?
Do you trust yourself?
Say it, Mel!
Come on, get off
those toe-picks and skate.
Skate now!
Meet me halfway, Ryan.
(GRUNTING)
(BOTH PANTING)
Grandpa took the leap.
Did he make it?
He made it, Ryan.
It's all right.
Thanks for coming.
Special catch, he was.
He would have caught me
if I'd done nothing
but offered two stumps
for hands.
What a man.
What a man.
RYAN FLYNN SR.: Son?
I miss you.
Dad?
I wanted to tell you so much.
Remember when you showed me
the Man in the Moon?
And I couldn't see him
for the longest time,
and then you drew
that picture of him.
Told me his eyes
were so droopy because
he only slept three days
of a month?
And that his smile was so big,
because he loved
to watch me play.
Ever since you told me that story,
I've wanted to visit him.
I really miss you, Dad.
Ryan?
He was right here.
Ryan, it's okay.
No, he was right here!
It's okay.
No!
My dad! I saw him.
I saw my dad.
He looked so real.
They're waiting for us.
Come on.
He would have caught me
if I'd done nothing but
offered two stumps for arms.
What a man.
What a man.
Come on. This is supposed
to be a celebration, remember?
A toast, to Grandpa.
Not here.
I'm not sure I understand
anything Grandpa said,
but at least
I'm not afraid anymore.
I figure he's in eternity.
I almost grasp
the meaning of it,
but then it slips away.
Maybe because I'm just a kid.
Fill her up.
To a wise old man
who's better off not drivin'.
(SIGHING)
I never saw
the Fair-Footed Flekk.
Do you know what she looks like?
No.
Then how do you know
you haven't already met her?
Funny,
I still don't see paradise.
I wanna go home,
really go home.
I know,
and I don't want you to.
It was always my plan
to leave, too, you know?
But I was just
waiting for a sign.
I figured there'd be
this perfect moment
where I'd just know
it was right.
I guess I'm just a dawdler.
You know, I can still do
everything better than you can.
Faster. Always will.
You can't always win.
I'll always beat you.
And I won't mind.
I'll never forget you, Mel.
You will.
No. I won't.
See you later.
Not "later."
Just "see you."
(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING)
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
I wish I had the courage
to climb a mountain.
All I have is this stupid lake!
It's not winter. It's not winter.
It's not winter!
It's summer!
ROCKY: Ryan!
Ryan! Ryan, come on.
Over here, Ry! Swim!
Come on, you can do it. Swim!
Come on!
BOY 1: Shoot it! Go past it!
BOY 2: Go for the net, man!
BOY 3: Get around the guy!
BOY 1: Watch the goalie.
BOY 2: Wow! He scored!
BOY 3: How did you do that?
BOY 4: Goal!
LIONEL: Honey, when are you going
to tell him his grandpa died?
ANGIE: I don't know.
He just got out of the hospital.
He hardly knew his grandpa.
That's supposed
to mean something,
when a leaf falls.
Um, it means no Indian summer.
Oh, right.
(BOY SHOUTING)
The Lewises brought
their daughter home.
BOY 1: Shoot! Shoot!
Now, there's a girl
you want to get to know, Ryan.
She's got spunk.
Like a good power forward, huh?
A girl?
Yeah, right.
You got a problem
with girl hockey players, huh?
Huh? Huh? All right!
All right! All right!
All right! Let me hear you say it!
I wanna hear you say,
"Women are the best
athletes on the planet."
Let me hear you say it.
All right, all right, all right.
Women
aren't the best athletes...
I got you!
I got you! Let me hear you say it.
Let me hear it.
Mom!
Let me hear it.
Oh, no! All right, all right, all right.
I give up! Mercy, mercy!
(SHOUTING)
Oh, mercy? Oh, mercy!
You were, like, dog paddling.
No, I wasn't.
I know how to swim.
Oh, well, you must have forgotten
there for a minute, buddy,
because you were paddling
like a hound dog.
You know, I don't even think you
knew that your foot was busted.
Adrenaline rush
just does that to you.
God, it's so weird
hearing you talk.
I don't have to.
No, no, no, no, no!
It's good.
Doesn't look like such
a bad fall from here.
Are you kidding?
I saw you fall.
You landed way out there.
(HUMMING)
Aren't you comin' out?
You know her?
No.
Go on, Flynn O'gain!
Go for it!
Bah!
Your friend should see a
doctor for that tongue thing.
People might think
he's trying to catch flies.
What happened to your leg?
I fell
off this bridge.
Right.
Really. I did.
Wow!
That's pretty cool.
It was an accident.
I had an accident, in my head.
They said it was an aneurysm.
Oh.
Is that bad?
Not anymore.
How long do have
to wear your cast?
Couple of months.
You really fell off this bridge?
Yeah.
Cold, huh?
I really don't remember much.
I don't like cold water.
Give me heat any day.
There's this island
called Tahiti.
I'm going there when I grow up.
No winter.
Just long, hot days.
I don't know.
I kind of like fall
and winter.
That's 'cause
your parents told you
winter makes you
look forward to summer.
Why wait nine months?
I suppose you're right,
but I'd still miss the colors
and the leaves.
Boy, someone snowed you over
but good.
(LAUGHS)
ROCKY: Come on, Ryan!
Race you.
Yeah, right!
(BIRDS CHIRPING)
Fair enough?
(LAUGHING)
We'll look like
a couple of turtles.
So?
Your friend can call it.
Go!
(GIGGLING)
Look at them go, folks!
I'm running!
ROCKY: Now she's running!
She's cheating!
She's cheating!
Look at her!
She's using two legs!
Ryan only has one!
This is a bit unfair, folks,
but Ryan's making his way back.
It's a good race.
The final stretch...
GRANDPA:
Dust is a funny thing.
It's everywhere all at once
like a teeny, tiny snowstorm
in every ray of light.
Even the moon
is just a big dust ball.
But you know,
it's all in the way you look at it,
not this way or that way,
not forways or backways.
Just believe before you look.
The Man in the Moon
has a magic all his own.