[somber music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Oh, sorry.
[chuckles]
Hi.
[Kitty] Hi.
[female vocalizing]
[Jose] I like who you are.
What do you mean?
You're just so...
American.
And you're so... not.
[Jose laughs]
[female vocalizing]
- [cheers and applause] - [camera clicks]
Yeah! That's my girl!
[phone clanks]
Is "Jose" Spanish for, um, "Joseph"?
Yes, it is.
[female vocalizing]
Joseph is a nice name.
[Kitty] You couldn't even bring yourself to look at him!
- [mom] You need to stop and think! - You don't understand, Mom! I love him!
[Jose] It was a pleasure to meet you. Come on. Let's go.
[female vocalizing]
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. [laughing]
We don't need her. All we need is each other.
[priest] I now pronounce you husband and wife.
It's like a dream. I'm Kitty Menendez.
[Kitty chuckles]
It is a dream.
It's the American dream.
[female vocalizing]
I'm gonna give you everything. More than you thought was possible.
[somber music intensifies]
[somber music ends]
I hate my kids.
May as well come out and say it.
You're gonna get it out of me at some point.
They're parasites, actually.
Not just my kids. Kids, in general.
They strip the calcium from your bones as they grow inside you.
[exhales]
They wreck your body as they... eat you alive.
My kids?
I don't know. Lyle?
You can't just quit. You only worked there for one month.
Mom! Mom, Mom, Mom, I can find more fucking money than that
in my goddamn laundry hamper!
Do you realize that?
[tense music playing]
[Kitty] Lyle scares me.
[lips smack] Erik's just...
[tennis ball pops]
[crowd applause lightly]
Fuck!
[tennis racquet crashes]
[Erik grunts]
Erik's pathetic.
Still, I... I do care about them in my own way.
So much.
[Kitty] When they're fast asleep...
[indistinct dialogue from TV]
...I can still feel connected to them.
The umbilical cord still holding us together.
In the deep of the night, I can remember them as little boys.
And then I can feel love for them again.
But most days,
I hardly recognize them.
It's like I'm looking through my life through fogged-up glass.
There's distance between us.
And my husband?
[inhales deeply] Excluded.
I never get enough from Jose, is all.
I had Lyle and Erik,
and they took Jose away from me.
Those boys are always trying to steal the love of my life.
Those boys and that one woman he's been fucking.
Louise, I think her name is. They've been on and off again for years.
And I get it. I really do.
He's just trying to escape the chaos at home.
- [woman screams] - [Jose grunts]
The chaos that is Lyle and Erik.
And the only thing I have going for me is renovating the house.
It's gonna be beautiful.
Jose is letting me do whatever I want.
And I have a facelift scheduled for next week,
which I'm oddly optimistic about.
I hope it settles before the holidays.
But I think Jose will like it.
A little tune-up before Christmas. [chuckles softly]
["Santa Baby" by Eartha Kitt playing]
♪ Santa baby, just slip a Sable Under the tree for me ♪
- [Kitty] What about this one? - Mm-hmm. It's nice.
No, the green is just too traditional, huh?
[Jose] Hmm.
♪ So hurry down the chimney tonight ♪
I got a fucking facelift for you, and you don't even say anything?
I... I... I said it when I paid for the plastic surgery, and you look great.
You look refreshed. You look beautiful.
But you have to take care of your body, please.
I want you to lose nine pounds.
♪ Santa baby, so hurry down The chimney tonight ♪
Where are the boys? I told them. I told them. I said, don't be late.
Well, we still have time to switch up the trees then. Okay?
One in every room. Sorry, I'm gonna need your help.
The green one is nice. Let's just stick with that one. Come on.
It's Christmas Eve. It has to be perfect.
Not just nice, but perfect.
[lighter clicks]
[tires screeching in distance]
Shit. They're here.
Don't let them in yet. Don't let them in yet.
- [door opens] - Where have you been? I told you.
What are you talking about? We were at a Christmas party.
We were gonna do presents tonight 'cause Lyle's got a tournament tomorrow.
- Dad, it's Christmas Eve. - Hey! Hey! Hold on.
It's Christmas Eve, I know, but you've got tennis in the morning.
It's the... it's the holiday tournament.
Which is why... Which is why we're doing presents tonight.
And why I told you to be on time. Okay?
Ho, ho, ho!
Merry Christmas!
Oh, here he is.
Looking so handsome, Santa.
[Jose] Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
- This is for you, my darling. - Ooh!
[Lyle] Oh, "darling."
- Hey, Erik, isn't Santa married? - Yeah.
Mom, how could you do that to Mrs. Claus?
That's for you, and that's for you.
Wow. A book.
Great.
[Jose clears throat]
Did you get something for your mom?
[gulps] No. No one told us that we were doing presents this year.
Yes, I did.
I told you it's fucking Christmas. We give gifts on Christmas.
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho ho!
Open it. Open it. Open it.
- [Jose inhales deeply] - [Kitty gasps]
[Kitty laughs]
Oh, it's so beautiful, honey.
- But is that all that's in there? - What?
I'm asking if it's that all that's in there.
Oh my God, a car? A Mercedes Benz?
[gasping in excitement]
Santa! Oh!
[Kitty gasps]
What?! Santa? I have to see!
[Kitty gasps]
Look at her.
Oh!
[Kitty screams]
[laughing] It's a convertible!
[gasps] Oh my God! I have to go show Alicia! I'll be right back, okay?
That's love. Right there, that's love. Okay, open yours.
It's really nice that Mom gets a Mercedes and that we get books.
That's very thoughtful of you, Dad.
Yep. It's a book.
[inhales] When your mother and I first moved to New York,
the only job I could get was a dishwasher.
Near royalty in Cuba and a fucking servant in America, right?
[dramatic music playing]
[Jose] Cleaning the saliva and the filth off other people's plates.
That was the only place that would hire me.
And the manager had a copy of that book.
And I would read it on breaks, nonstop.
And this became my bible on how to become someone in this country.
[Lyle] Why are there so many passages that are blacked out?
I blacked out the bullshit, because there's a lot of bullshit in there.
But what I left... Those words...
[clears throat] All you have to do... Listen to me.
All you have to do is learn them. Commit them to heart.
"Today I'll be master of my emotions."
"From this moment, I'm prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me."
"I will control my moods through positive action."
"And when I control my moods, I control my destiny."
Okay, boys?
[phone ringing]
Hello.
- [man] Is this Jose Menendez? - Yes, it's Jose Menendez.
Uh, Mr. Menendez, this is Detective Mills. I'm with the LA County Sheriff.
Hello, sir. How can I help you?
[Mills] Well, sir, your boys are here.
My boys? What do you mean, my boys? My... my sons?
[Mills] Yes. Sir, we arrested them this morning.
We have reason to believe they're involved in a series of burglaries in the area.
["Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House playing]
♪ There is freedom within ♪
♪ There is freedom without ♪
♪ Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup ♪
♪ There's a battle ahead ♪
♪ Many battles are lost But you'll never see the end... ♪
[Lyle] Dad, wait up.
- [Erik] Dad. - Get in the car.
We didn't rob those houses, okay? We didn't.
♪ Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
- [music ends] - [engine starts]
[song continues on radio]
♪ They come, they come ♪
♪ To build a wall between us ♪
Dad, Erik and I just...
We know you had to leave work and we're... we're sorry.
We wanna tell you how much we appreciate you.
[straining, grunts]
Fuck!
Fuck.
- [sobs] - ♪ My possessions are causing ♪
♪ Me suspicion but there's no proof ♪
- ♪ In the paper today ♪ - Fuck.
♪ Tales of war and of waste ♪
♪ But you turn right over to the TV page ♪
Stay in the fucking car!
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
♪ Don't dream it's over ♪
Stay... stay away from me, please.
♪ When the world... ♪
Dad? Hey.
♪ They come, they come ♪
♪ To build a wall between us ♪
♪ We know they won't win ♪
See how the pond is here?
I want it here.
You want me to move the koi pond two feet? Okay.
Well, uh, just this and a new shower room, we're doubling our budget.
What shower room? We're not doing a shower room.
The one your husband wants. Big shower room with all the shower heads.
Like a... Like a Roman Bath, he said.
[car accelerating]
We're moving. We're moving.
I found a house in Beverly Hills. We're out of here in one week.
What? Because of the mold?
Jose, that's insane. It was just a little bit of mold.
Not because of the mold. Because of our sons.
Because they're felons. They're criminals.
They're running a felonious gang here in Calabasas.
I mean, the Menendez name is ruined. Ruined.
Ruined in this town.
[lighter clicks]
We need a fresh start where no one knows us,
and I can supervise this... rehabilitation of us as a family.
I'm fucking mortified, Kitty.
This is my dream home.
Keep it. You keep doing the renovations.
We go to Beverly Hills until...
Erik goes to college, then we come back here in a couple of years.
I mean, by that time, I hope the shame those boys have brought on my name
will be a distant memory,
and I can walk down my own fucking street without worrying about these guys.
Hi, Michael. Nice to see you. How you doing?
Okay? I know. I know, honey.
- [inhales deeply] Let's start packing. - [Kitty scoffs]
Let's start packing.
[funky music playing]
[tires screech]
[car door opens]
[movers talking indistinctly]
Hold this.
Wait. Not there. Not there. In the den, please.
[phone rings]
Hello. It's Jose Menendez.
What my sons tell you, they are not to be trusted.
They're liars. They're fabulists. They're sociopaths.
And I need you to know that. Okay?
I'm bringing them to you because the court says I have to.
And I hope you can fix them.
I'm not sure anyone can at this moment.
But, uh, good luck. See you tomorrow. Bye.
[dial tone]
[chuckles]
Those burglaries were, I think, in many ways, a cry for help.
- We've just been through a lot. - Yeah.
And, uh...
I mean, home isn't always the easiest. So...
[Oziel] And what about home isn't easy?
Yes. What about home isn't easy? What?
The clothes. What is it?
Is it hard to buy thousands of dollars in... in... in clothes and shoes?
- [Oziel] No, Mr. Menendez-- - Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up.
I'm paying you. You know that, doctor.
Is it hard that your mother and I have given you every fucking opportunity?
Or is it... is it even harder for you guys to have everything you want,
everything you need?
I don't get that.
Fucking hell!
Okay.
Doctor?
[exhales] Oh God. You boys are... a joke.
They're a joke. They're a fucking joke.
Come on. Stand up.
You, stand up. We're going to Mr. Chow's.
Mm-hmm.
- [Kitty clears throat] - [Jose] Okay.
Have fun with them, doctor. They are our pride and joy, those kids.
[door closes]
[Marzi] You want to go over it again?
Yeah, yeah. Why not? Yeah.
The members of Menudo are kids.
What happens when they grow up, or worse, ask for more money?
When a member of Menudo's voice changes,
he gets replaced by a younger performer.
When a member of Menudo asks for more money,
he gets replaced by another performer.
[Inhales deeply] Oh, fuck. Did I do this to them?
My... my kids, did... did I make them this way, you think?
What way?
Just complete useless, lazy fuck-ups.
Is... is that my fault?
How is it your fault?
Come on. You know what I'm talking about.
When I came to this country, I was 16 years old.
Sixteen years old.
I mean, my family put me on a plane. I had nothing.
I... I knew one person here.
I mean, and, and, and...
Sorry.
[lighter clicks]
You've heard this story a million times, right?
Actually, I haven't.
[lighter clicks]
When you love your wife, your children, when you're working from the bottom.
I couldn't speak English and I bussed tables, I cleaned floors, whatever.
And you meet the woman you love,
and she's going to give you two beautiful children, two sons.
And then you feel so grateful to her, to this country.
And you want to give them everything you are,
everything you have, you own.
But then, from them, all I get, all I see is this entitlement.
And you fought and you fought. You... You fucking fought for all of it.
But they just want it simply handed to them
on a silver platter with silver spoons to put in their fucking greedy mouths
with no struggle, no effort, no sacrifice.
I mean, I am ashamed of them.
I'm ashamed of myself, of the way I raised them.
[glass clanks]
They've gotta reach that.
Sorry. Sorry!
But what they got is a life completely fucking backwards. That's what they got.
You're not a bad dad, Jose.
If you don't mind me saying, you're tough with them sometimes, sure--
But... but what other choice do I have at this point, in this moment?
Tell me. You think I like being like that?
You think I like screaming at them?
You think-- I mean, no. I don't. I don't.
But if I don't shout, if I don't threaten them,
those motherfuckers don't listen,
and they break into people's houses and they sell people's family heirlooms.
I mean, what the fuck is that?!
You didn't do that.
Didn't I do that?
I don't know. I think I did.
I think I did. Oh yeah.
Fuck.
[somber music playing]
Where do I go from here, Marzi?
With everything.
With all of it?
It just isn't working. It's not working.
[sucks teeth]
It's not working.
[chuckles softly]
What the fuck do we do with them?
[Kitty] What are you doing?
[Jose] I'm just having some coffee here.
Sweetheart, it is 5:30 in the morning.
I don't love you, Kitty.
I don't love our sons.
I don't love this family.
I think this family is a fucking failure.
I am a failure. But, darling...
My God, you. You're a failure.
- You're a drunk, you're a pill popper. - Stop it.
I was never in love with you. What the fuck?
I just wanted to have a family. That's all. That was my dream.
Do you know what?
The dream has failed.
Fuck.
[book smacks]
Why are you doing this?
I'm about to get on a plane to go to New York.
Gotta make more money for this family because that's what this family needs.
More money, money, money. You know what? I can't lie anymore.
I can't lie and tell you I love you when I don't.
I can't lie and tell you that I love this family when I don't. I... I... can't.
- You must be drunk if you're saying this. - I'm not drunk. I'm not drunk.
I'm sorry. I mean every word of it, Kitty.
I mean it.
Well, thanks a lot, Jose. Say hi to that girlfriend of yours.
You say you're tired of lying. Why keep that lie up, huh?
You're standing there with a straight face telling me you never loved me?
Shame on you. That is a lie!
[shushing]
You loved me the moment you laid eyes on me, Jose Menendez.
You loved me with every fiber of your being.
You adored me.
Everything about me you loved.
Just don't stand there and say you didn't because you did.
[exhales deeply] And I do not look good. I am a wreck.
I can't handle our boys.
Lyle scares the shit out of me.
And I tried to kill myself, you know?
It didn't work, right? I failed.
That I failed at.
I took all those pills, then I just woke right up.
Feeling great, by the way.
Like I had some fantastic fucking nap!
And now, every day,
I just try and make it through without thinking about killing myself.
I can't remember the last time. A couple years ago. Maybe on Christmas.
I don't even fucking know.
Because every day since you dragged me to goddamn Beverly Hills,
away from any friends I ever had in the world,
and you handed me a credit card to make it all better...
Every day I have wanted to be dead.
Kitty...
Come on. Go back to sleep.
[footsteps retreating]
[Jose] Hmm.
Hertz. [chuckling]
[exhales]
[glasses clink]
Absolutely. Yes. I closed the fucking deal.
I know. You're... you're welcome.
Sure. Bye.
[phone clicks]
Did you use soap?
What do you mean, did I use soap?
[inhales deeply] You told me to take a shower.
And? Did you use soap?
Yes.
Okay.
[bottle clanks on table]
So, you're a businessman. Yeah? Sounds like you just closed a big deal.
Stop it. Stop it. Stop talking.
[Jose sighs]
I'm different from most of your clients.
I don't do this much.
[chuckles] You'd be surprised.
[scoffs]
What do you know about ancient Rome?
The Greeks. The Spartans.
They created this man in different ways than we do now.
- By fucking each other? - Oh my God.
How cheap is that?
Someone like you don't get it.
I mean, you're labeling something. That's not what the Romans did.
Okay. What did they do?
They bonded with each other.
Learned what pain was.
What it took to put up with real fucking pain.
They spent their whole time together, did everything together.
They loved each other.
They couldn't stand to lose a fellow soldier in battle
because losing a fellow soldier was like losing themselves.
And out of this, they built this amazing fucking fighting force
that the world has ever seen again. You know?
And all of this happened... very naturally,
with soldiers teaching each other how to be a real man.
[dramatic music playing]
Okay. If that's what you want to call it?
No, no, no, no. Sit down. Sit down. Come on. None of that faggot shit.
I don't like those words. I don't like those words.
Do those words... make you want...
to hit me?
Yeah. They do.
Good.
Keep your tunic on.
I want you to get on all fours
and crawl over here
and...
[grunts]
...take my tunic off with your mouth.
[grunts] Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Okay. Let's fucking go. Go.
[Jose exhales deeply]
Come on.
[Jose grunts]
[Jose exhales deeply]
[Jose] Whoa! Oh, fuck.
[screaming] Bring it on! Bring it on!
Vien! Vien!
[Erik] "Good evening, Mother. Good evening, Father."
[Craig] "His voice is of attempted compassion,
but the hatred completely overwhelms it."
All light is extinguished and the camera glides down the stairs
as scrams are heard--"
Wait, wait, wait. "Scrams?" It's supposed to be "screams."
Oh yeah.
Mom, you wrote "scrams" and not "screams."
What the fuck? Now we have to retype this whole fucking page!
Calm down. What do you mean, we have to retype it?
I'm the one doing the transcribing and typing.
Look, you wrote "scrams." I just... I just typed what you wrote.
Damn, bro. Mom just burned your ass.
Mom, you have to be proofing this before we read it,
'cause now we have to type it again!
That's true, Mom. You're constantly fucking things up. Jesus Christ.
You boys can't talk to me like this!
You always gang up on me when your father's out of town on business.
I can't take it anymore.
You two are burglars. Both of you are psychopaths.
I should poison us all, put myself out of my misery.
[Lyle] Mom, chill.
Shut up!
You are an asshole and a ruiner of lives.
And you can type your own script from now on!
And, Craig, you can't stay for supper. Sorry, I am not a restaurant.
[somber music playing]
- [Lyle] What the fuck is in this? - What do you mean? It's Ragú.
No, it's got like...
- Erik, don't eat that. - It's like cinnamon.
- Mom, did you put some shit in this or-- - What are you talking about?
Did you poison us?
I just made everyone dinner--
Fuck that! You said you were gonna poison us, and you fucking did it.
- I was joking. Let's just-- - Erik, come on. You're fucking crazy.
We're going to Hamburger Hamlet... [scoffs]
Maybe I should poison you! Huh?
Finally, you're looking at me with some fear and respect!
Maybe I should poison you.
[scoffs]
[eerie music playing]
[female vocalizing]
[Kitty gasping]
- [female vocalizing] - [Kitty gasps]
[grunts]
- [female vocalizing] - [Kitty gasping]
Mmm.
[female vocalizing]
So, Hamlet? Yep.
[sighs deeply]
[sighs]
[Kitty exhaling deeply]
[door opens]
Hello. Hello.
[keys jangling]
[Jose] Hey.
[door closes]
[exhaling] Hi.
It is over with her. It's over. It's done.
I'm going back to my wife.
Your wife, the stalker? The psycho you can't bear to fuck anymore?
Well, you know what happened?
I signed Menudo.
Thank you.
[exhales deeply] And congratulations. Sounds like a very productive trip.
Thank you.
How are you doing?
What happened with the boys? Erik called me.
[keys jangle]
He had paged me in the United Airlines lounge before the flight.
He was very upset.
What happened between you and the boys?
I am making positive changes for this family.
Okay? And I need you to do the same.
Stop taking so many fucking pills. They're gonna turn you into an epileptic.
It's my anger. It overwhelms me.
Okay.
[inhales deeply]
[exhales]
Okay. I will help you.
- You will? - Yes.
Okay. How?
Uh... What was the thing you said last year about the... the couple's counselor?
You still want to?
Let's do it. Let's go. You find a good one and we go.
[Jose] I'm going to fix this family.
[kisses]
[Jose] Now I'm going to take care of those two kids upstairs.
Yes. Wake up!
- [upbeat music playing] - [Jose] Wake the fuck up!
Wake up! Get your clothes on!
Come on. Wake up.
[doorbell rings]
[door creaks]
[clears throat] Hi. Um...
I know who you are.
- I don't... I don't... - You don't even know how to say sorry?
What's the dollar amount of the items that were stolen from you?
- That we stole from you. - That we stole from you.
[doorbell rings]
Hi. Uh...
I... I robbed your house.
I'm... I'm sorry. I... I shouldn't have done that.
I'm really sorry.
So, the only way to do this, Erik,
you're taking the fall for all of it. Okay?
- Wait. What? - You're gonna tell that therapist.
You're saying these crimes were your idea, then you're gonna tell the police.
You're a minor, Erik. I'm 21. This could fuck up my entire life.
That's not fair!
You're gonna do some community service.
You pick up trash on the highway for a few weeks. I mean...
Who fucking cares? It's easy. Stop bitching and moaning about it.
Lyle hasn't completely destroyed his life yet. Yet.
He still has a chance.
But we need a clean record for that, and... and a degree from Princeton, by the way.
Okay? And then there will be business and politics.
And it was your idea anyway, Erik. I mean, it really was.
Damn it.
[gear shifting]
So, obviously I haven't been the father you needed.
That is obvious. But, uh...
that changes. Right now.
I'm going to get you out of this, but this is the last time.
Hey! Both of you, do you hear me?
No more handouts.
You're on your own.
- [Marzi] Do you have a minute? - Sure.
Just wondering if you're planning on calling Jack back. He's uh...
It's the Menudo numbers this quarter. He needs you to walk him through it again.
You like Miami?
Yeah, sure.
But you like it enough to move there?
[whispering] Close the door.
Sit down.
One more 20 million dollar deal. That's all I need. And then...
Boom. I'm going to Florida.
I buy a compound.
[inhales and exhales]
I run for Senate. I take down fucking Fidel Castro.
Like, fuck. Fuera.
And I could use your help. Would you like to come with me?
[sighs]
[Jose] You don't have to tell me right now. Just think about it.
Cuban music in the air everywhere you go.
[inhales deeply]
[Jose chuckles]
[laughing]
I thought I was going to be like Joe Kennedy,
paving the way for my kids to go into politics.
But, uh... [clicks teeth] No.
No. Not these kids, no.
Well, anyway, so...
If I want the American dream, I gotta do it myself.
For myself.
So think about it and keep it between us.
Take this away from me, please.
And get me Jack. I'll call him right now.
- Because, Marzi, you wanna know a secret? - Sure.
I don't know the first thing about the music industry. But... [shushes]
[mellow music playing]
[Jose] Here.
- What are we watching tonight? - L.A. Law.
Okay.
- [Jose grunts] - [Kitty chuckles]
[Jose]. Mmm.
Look at us.
A couple of fatties.
Quitting smoking. Mainlining sugar.
[Jose] Hmm.
Tonight, we're doing something fun together.
And I can't be seen smoking in public if I'm running as an elected official.
I can't.
- It's a dirty habit. - Yeah.
I heard even Nancy Reagan smokes in private.
Oh.
[mellow music ends]
["Theme from L.A. Law" playing]
[gasps] Hey, don't you have enough?
- [Jose mumbling] - [phone ringing]
Jose Menendez.
Hello, Mr. Menendez. I'm Charles Deere, dean of students at Princeton.
- Yeah. - Do you... Do you have a minute?
Yeah.
[dramatic music playing]
Marzi, book me a flight to Newark. I'm taking the limo to the airport.
[Deere] We have a strict code when it comes to cheating.
I... I just don't have a lot of flexibility here.
Lyle, here, is gonna have to be suspended from Princeton, pending a board review.
[Lyle] Dad, I didn't fucking cheat.
Okay? I swear. I swear, I did not fucking cheat.
[Jose] Do not speak to me, Lyle. Please.
[Jose] Do you know what this is?
This is the burial plot I bought for our family here near Princeton.
Grover Cleveland, Aaron Burr.
- You know who they were? - Yeah, they were presidents.
[exhales deeply]
Okay. Uh...
Do you think you deserve to be buried here in this kind of company
where American men brought feelings of pride to their families?
Do you feel you are worthy of the name Menendez?
I don't know what you want me to say.
No, Dad, I do not.
How is that?
[chuckles] "How is that?"
What... What are you, Lyle?
Are you a bad seed or a bad egg or something? What are you?
I just wanted things for you. That was the problem.
Because you were always going to do the opposite, obviously.
So I should've not wanted shit for you, then you would've had to prove me wrong.
- Are you actually asking me that? - Yes.
Why I am the way that I am? Erik and I both?
Are you genuinely curious about that?
Mmm.
[birds chirping]
What about all the times that you hit us
or called us worthless in front of other people?
Yeah. What about it?
You want me to say it?
That's abuse.
Dad, that's abuse.
Ah. Okay. And what about it?
- What about it? - Yeah, what about it?
I hit you. Whatever the fuck else. What about it? That's why you're a loser?
[chuckles]
Do you remember the first dog we had?
Khan? It was a fucking terrible dog.
I fucking hated that dog. Anyway...
I went to the pet shop to buy one of those collars
that have spikes on them, or pins.
But they were not poking out. They were poking in.
So when it tightens, uh, it immediately pinches the dog's neck, right?
And you tug on the leash and the dog feels it, right?
The... the slightest tug, the dog feels it
and knows what you want, which is to stop.
And when you walk the dog, and the dog wants to run or pull, or whatever
you tug on the leash and it hurts.
But it only hurts when it disobeys.
If the dog behaves and does what the owner wants,
the collar doesn't hurt.
So after a while, he goes back to a regular collar and that's it.
Now, my son,
a lot of people out there think that those collars are cruel.
I think it's the other collars that are cruel
because they create dogs that misbehave, pull,
and are completely fucking lost
in who they are and what they are supposed to do.
So, you know what I think when you complain that I hit you?
I think that I didn't hit you hard enough, Lyle.
The way my father hit me.
He hit me so hard my head would throb for days and days.
I mean, it was fucking painful.
But I knew exactly what was expected of me.
Okay?
So as a father that loves you, Lyle,
I'm really sorry I didn't hit you hard enough.
That is my fault.
And I'm sorry.
[kisses]
Erik, get in here.
Come, come. Sit down.
Sit.
Okay, so... Here.
- [Erik] What's that? - Your athlete's foot.
I called several doctors and told them about your problem.
They said over-the-counter wasn't strong enough,
so I got you this prescription.
It's a very powerful prescription, but... I don't know. Put it on.
[tube clanks on table]
Put it on how?
You rub it between your toes.
And you rub it deep so it kills the fungus.
- Is there a spray? Can I spray it on? - Boy, it's a medicinal cream.
My God.
[chuckles]
[hands thud thighs]
Take off your shoes and socks.
[Jose laughs]
[Jose] This is basic stuff, Erik. How do you not know this?
Okay, I'll show you.
Here.
[clears throat]
Well, I remember when you were a baby.
The only thing...
The only thing that would make you sleep was rubbing your feet, actually.
They were so tiny. Tiny, tiny. And now look at this.
It stings a little.
It's supposed to sting. That means it's working, right?
Okay, so...
Letting you know what we're going to do because I don't trust your judgment.
Did you think you were going to play tennis in college?
Because you're not good enough. Lyle was good enough.
You're not good enough. And so...
Uh-huh.
I'm going to get you into business school at UCLA.
But you're not living in the dorms.
You're living here at home, where I can keep tabs on you.
Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. I...
What? You hold on. You hold on.
Because if I let you talk,
then you're going to tell me about how you want to be...
What? A male model?
What the fuck are these, Erik? I mean, what the fuck is...
What the fuck is that?
- What the fuck are those? - They're my modeling photos.
Modeling photos?! Erik.
Are you-- Oh God.
[inhales deeply] Genuine question.
Are you homosexual?
Oh my...
I'm genuinely asking because I don't see you with a single piece of pussy ever.
What are you... This is unbelievable. I don't have to listen to this.
Sit down.
Look at me.
Wipe the look off your face.
I'm giving you a future with me.
[uneasy music playing]
When I'm a senator, you're gonna work with me in politics.
And for that future, you need a girlfriend. Janice Shemanski.
- No. Dad, no. - I already talked to her parents.
She's beautiful. She looks like Miss America. Come on.
And she likes you. You're gonna take her to the prom.
No. I'm not doing that.
Yes, you're going to the prom with her
because all I care about is the fucking prom photo,
and then you and your friend Craig go suck each other's dicks. Okay?
No. I'm not doing that.
I'm doing modeling and acting.
And I'm gonna major in theater because I did Shakespeare, Dad,
and I'm a good actor.
I'm not living here. I'm going to stay in the dorms.
That's what I wanna do.
[Jose breathing heavily]
[Jose] Come here. Let's go upstairs. Let's go upstairs.
Let's go to your room.
Get in there.
- Dad... - Fuck.
[Erik] Please, I'm sorry.
[Jose] Get down. What are those fucking photos?
[uneasy music continues]
[Jose] You shouldn't say shit!
I can't believe that all the money I'm putting into your studies,
your college, your tennis classes.
What the fuck? You want to be a what? A model?!
Fuck!
[indistinct clattering, thudding]
[uneasy music ends]
[Jose mumbling]
It's okay. Done.
[in Spanish] Here they are.
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro,
cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.
Diez.
Dad.
[Jose] Diez.
Erik... Erik is not using any condoms.
- How do you know? - Because I counted them. Ten.
He's not gonna get any girls pregnant. I know he doesn't have a girlfriend.
That's what I'm saying. And he's not using any condoms.
Do you think he's...
[Jose sighs]
He doesn't have a girlfriend. Okay? And he's not wearing any fucking condoms.
Oh, and why are you worried?
[Jose] Because I don't want Erik to have AIDS.
So you do think that he's...
I don't fucking know, but...
I know what I think he's doing.
He can't bring AIDS to this house.
[whispering] He cannot bring it into this house.
No fucking way.
[switch clicks]
[Kitty] Erik, come here.
Yeah?
I have to check your penis.
What?
For blisters.
[Erik sighs]
Just let me look, please. And herpes sores.
Mom, why? What are you... What?
You're a teenager now, and you've proven you can't be trusted.
Just let me look, please.
Mom, I told you last time, I can look, and there's not any.
I have to.
[uneasy music playing]
- [Kitty] Okay. - See?
It's just about, you know, hygiene.
[uneasy music ends]
[papers rustling]
What are you working on?
Hey. Um... Nothing. Just the... the exploratory committee.
I mean, it's still early days, but they want a slogan,
and, um, I can't think of one. I can't...
[inhales deeply]
I mean... [exhales] I might get something, but...
What happened?
What?
[softly] I love you, Jose.
I love you.
Okay.
And what?
Um... There's, um...
[lips smack]
I just...
What?
I need to know what's going on with you and the boys.
What do you mean?
Do you have...
proclivities?
It's just silly to think because of all the affairs that you've had.
It's just... we don't have sex anymore.
No. What you're asking, no. No.
Why would you say that?
Well, you just... You seem very concerned about AIDS.
Specifically, in regards to Erik.
Ask the question. Ask it, Kitty. Ask me the question.
- What it is that you're asking me? - Okay.
Is something sexual going on between you and the boys?
[uneasy music playing]
I won't tell anyone.
I just... I need to know.
I don't want there to be any more lies between us.
No.
No, there's not.
Oh my God, are you drunk?
You must be drunk in order to ask this kind of question. Are you?
Tonight? No, I'm not.
No, I... I... I never did that.
No.
I mean, what... what...
[exhales]
I don't know. Maybe it's time I tell you why.
What do you mean "time"? You're scaring me.
There's something that I haven't told you, but...
I haven't told you because of the way you'd react, what you'd think,
how it would sound.
I know what it is to be abused.
The pain and the confusion of it.
Because when I was little, um...
I don't remember... [clears throat] ...how old,
but I was still in diapers, so I was little.
My mother would fondle me and my penis until I got an erection,
and then she would start laughing... [chuckles]
...because she thought it was funny.
I didn't know what to think about that because it tickled me,
and I loved making my mother laugh.
But then later on, when I was older, I was six, seven years old,
Marta, my sister, was arguing with her
and saying, "Mom, don't do that anymore. You shouldn't. It's not right."
And my mother said,
"Marta, stop being silly. It is nothing."
And you know what?
When I heard that, I thought, "She's right. It's nothing."
I mean, it's...
I know now that that was wrong, but at the time,
to her,
maybe not. Maybe not.
Because to those people, people of a certain age...
for them, it was just something silly, something funny.
Something... stupid, maybe.
It was something that would happen in real life,
that would happen in a real family.
It's not that big of a deal.
Mm-mm.
Hmm.
Oh...
Right. I know why you're confused.
Because of... Yeah, I understand that.
Because I take showers with them sometimes after tennis.
I wrestle with them. I grab them. I touch them.
Come on. That's completely normal.
That's something that my father did with me as well.
And I... I...
have tried my whole life
to make men out of those two boys.
Soldiers. Soldiers. Soldiers. Soldiers.
I mean, have I taken it too far sometimes?
Yeah, I know.
I've shouted a lot. I know that, Kitty.
I... I hit them sometimes. What the fuck?
And, I mean, I have regrets in my life. I'm ashamed of a lot of things in my life.
But not that.
My love, I love you. You know why I'm not regretting?
Because I love you, and because we are a family.
[chuckles] That's what matters.
We are a family.
Wow, that's a good slogan, actually. Fuck! "Florida is family."
There you go.
[blows kiss] Let's go upstairs and get some sleep.
[Jose grunts]
I hate my kids.
And it's awful, but it's true.
[exhales] They've turned us into people we don't wanna be.
Pushed us apart.
- I don't want to speak for you, honey. - Oh, go ahead. Go.
That's why I'm so grateful to have a man like this man.
He's so strong.
Jose, you are so strong, and I love you so much.
I love you.
There was a lot of abuse in my home growing up.
[Jose exhales deeply]
My dad hit my mom.
Every night at the kitchen table, we had to watch.
And then he hit us, and then he left.
I think I was drawn to that.
What do you mean by that?
Well, that women marry men like their fathers.
I mean, not that Jose is that at all.
Yeah.
It's just the way he carries himself. His presence is very masculine.
- Yes. - [doctor] Yes.
But does Jose hit you?
Oh, no, no, no. I don't. I hit the boys once or twice.
And I wholeheartedly support that, by the way.
[chuckles quietly]
Was there ever sexual abuse in your home growing up?
No.
- [doctor] Jose? - What?
[dramatic music playing]
Why are we talking about this?
Was there?
Oh, come on. Kitty.
[Jose grunts]
[dramatic music ends]
[phone dialing]
[line ringing]
[Jose crying]
[glass thuds on table]
[Jose panting]
[doorbell rings]
[man] Last Will and Testament for one Mr. Menendez. Let's do it.
[Jose] Great. You're funny. Come on in. Always funny.
[man] What are you looking at doing? We crack her open?
[Jose] No. no, no. Let's go over here.
I just want to talk through some hypotheticals
because I've been doing some reflecting lately
and there are some changes that need to be made
regarding my life and concerning my legacy.
- Okay? - [man] Okay.
Okay, great. Let's get to it.
[clears throat]
[dramatic music continues]
So, yes, I flew to Europe to see Jamie and I love her.
And, yes, I think that Mom and Dad should have to pay for that.
Oh Jesus, you're ridiculous children.
[Kitty scoffs]
I have to say this is it for me.
I'm not coming to any more of these sessions.
- Kitty. - Nope. No way.
[inhales] And I regret having you.
Mom, you can't say that.
Your father crossed an ocean,
and I left behind the life of a beauty queen
or I could've been a movie star like Kim Novak.
And you're what I got?
[inhales] Erik, I'd like to go back to your shame about your vehicle.
Can you talk about that?
Well, I mean, it's a Ford Escort, so it's fucking embarrassing.
Oh, please shut up for Christ's sake.
What?
[uneasy music playing]
- Why are you looking at us like that? - [Jose] I... I can't smile at you?
Come on.
I mean, we've had a great session with Dr. Oziel here.
Thank you very much.
And I'm sitting with my beautiful wife.
[sucks teeth]
And what else can I say?
Well, yes, I'm practicing my smile
because we're going to end this session in five minutes
and head down to Sears, the four of us.
["Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House playing]
- [camera shutter clicks] - [photographer] Beautiful.
Kitty, can I scoot you in? Just a bit. Towards Lyle.
Okay. Give me another big smile.
Boy, look at those pearly whites. What a family.
And...
[camera shutter clicks]
[photographer] That's the one, I think.
[camera shutter clicks]
["Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House continues]
[Jose] Mmm.
Here you go.
[Jose] Mmm.
["Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House playing on radio]
♪ Now I'm walking again ♪
♪ To the beat of a drum ♪
♪ And I'm counting the steps To the door of your heart ♪
♪ Only shadows ahead ♪
♪ Barely clearing the roof ♪
♪ Get to know the feeling Of liberation and release ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now Don't dream it's over ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now When the world comes in ♪
♪ They come, they come ♪
♪ To build a wall between us ♪
♪ You know they won't win ♪
♪ Don't let them win ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
[gunshots]
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
♪ Don't let them win ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
♪ Don't let them win ♪
♪ Hey now, hey now ♪
[ominous music playing]
[ominous music ends]