LAINEY: Back in the '90s,
there were so many great movies about teachers,
but one really inspired Principal Glascott
to get through to the kids in a whole new way.
They finally did it.
Good Will Hunting is a movie that combines
two of my greatest loves.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
No, I mean teaching and counseling.
But those boys do have something very special.
Some might even say it's
(BOSTONIAN ACCENT) "wicked awesome." (CHUCKLES)
(BOSTONIAN ACCENT) "How 'bout them apples?"
(NORMAL VOICE) Right? How 'bout 'em?
(NORMAL VOICE) You want to know the one thing that I don't like?
What? Them grammar.
(WHEEZING LAUGH) Them grammar.
You wanted to see me, John?
I wanted to let you know that CB is going to assist you
at the robotics competition this weekend.
(ROBOTIC VOICE) Wilma. I am ready.
Oh, sure, that makes total sense
because he's an English teacher.
At the last Sharing Circle, we decided that when teachers
are outside of their area of expertise,
they can lend a unique perspective.
Wilma... (IMITATES MACHINE WHIRRING)
...I am excited to think outside of the box with you.
Here's my unique perspective, no thanks.
(ROBOTIC VOICE) Sorry, Wilma. Mind made up.
(BOTH LAUGH)
(NORMAL VOICE) Oh, speaking of which.
Look at this adorable guy.
He's dressed like me.
Hello, little fella.
(GROANS) God! No! Why, God?
(NORMAL VOICE) Wilma, did one of your kids make this?
My kids wish they could make a robot this good.
That is some great work.
It's a prank, and I'm pretty sure I know the perpetrator!
(ROBOTIC VOICE) We need to find him immediately.
CB, the robot bit is over!
* One of these days, you're gonna get outta here
* Live your life and finally be free
* Go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do
* Someday, you will say "Those were the days" *
LAINEY: It was April 1st, 1990-something,
and I had recently gotten up the courage
to get my mom's phone number from my dad.
(DIALING)
Actually dialing it was a whole other story.
(DIALING)
I hadn't seen her in like 15 years,
so I was looking for any excuse to get out of doing it.
Oh! CB, let me help you.
That looks really heavy.
(DIALING)
This phone is gross, and I hate what I'm wearing.
Clearly, I needed some support,
so I went to the best coach I knew.
Okay. Can't believe the next voice I'm going to hear is my mom's.
(DIALING) You got this.
(DISCONNECT TONE)
OPERATOR: We're sorry.
You have reached a number that has been disconnected
or is no longer in service.
You sure you got the right number?
Yeah. It's the number my dad gave me.
Who wrote this? W-Were they on a trampoline?
No. I wrote it.
You sure you're right-handed? Yes!
Well, this looks like hieroglyphics.
You got a 4, a 7, then an L, and then you drew a falcon.
Why did you draw a falcon?
No. (STAMMERS) Okay, we get it.
I have bad penmanship.
I'll have to call my dad and make sure I wrote down the number right.
You drew an owl over here.
Caroline, why would you do this?
It'll take me hours to wash away all this blue.
My shower's gonna look like a scene
from Psycho, but with the Smurfs.
(CHUCKLES) Wait, did I just think of a genius movie pitch?
You did not.
But this robot is pretty genius.
The force of the paint, the distribution,
it is the perfect amount of humiliation.
That's what I was going for.
Well, you know what I'm going for? Two weeks' detention.
You shouldn't punish genius, John.
It may be genius, but it's evil genius, Wilma.
Evil, I say!
Well, my robotics team is soft,
and we could use someone like Caroline.
Well, I can't reward her for what she did.
I don't wanna join her team, okay?
So, it's not a reward. I'd rather take detention.
There you go. Detention's the reward.
Putting her on my robotics team is the punishment.
Okay, fine. We'll do it your way.
But with CB's help.
What does an English teacher know about robotics?
Boy, I do like you.
So, what'd your dad say?
Turns out he had the wrong number.
Then he went on some rant how my mom
is probably a carnie or a drug mule now.
That's highly unlikely.
Those two jobs require very different skill sets.
He also told me he heard she lives in Altoona now.
That's only a couple hours away.
Yeah. I might go visit during the break.
But, you know, I-I might get a summer teaching gig.
I might want to travel, find myself.
There's many things to do.
You know what I hate, Lainey?
Hippies? Russians? Poodles?
Waiters that tell you their names?
Actually, I came around on that one when, uh,
my good buddy Lance from TGI Fridays
turned me on to cilantro.
No, but what I hate is excuses,
and that's what I hear you making.
Now, you wanted me to push you to do this.
To call her. But...seeing her?
I mean, I need a little more time, Rick.
All right. I know when not to push my players too hard.
I'll tell you what. What say we go down to TGI Fridays
and my good buddy Lance hooks us up
with some barbecue quesadillas?
That actually sounds great.
I could really use some fried stuff right now.
While Rick was helping me, Wilma was trying to help
her chances at the robotics competition.
Everyone, meet your new teammate.
Caroline Dillon? Seriously?
Don't explode any paint bombs in here.
These are my only glasses with an up-to-date prescription.
Calm down. She's not here to blow anything up.
Right?
Fine.
Did you just glue a skateboard to a watering can
and stick a baseball mitt on top?
It's designed to carry an egg.
Well, I bet it can carry stupid.
You can't carry stupid. That's an abstract concept.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too, until I saw your robot.
Now, let's remember that there are no stupid ideas.
There are, however, better ideas than Mr. Eggbot,
which is why I brought in some fresh blood.
Yeah, this is actually way too lame.
I can't do this, Ms. Howell.
I can't dumb it down just to make these scrubs feel better.
I'm out.
Hey, wait. Don't go.
How about this... These guys can make their Eggbot,
and you can make your own.
It'll be like tryouts for the real competition.
I'd do that. Okay.
May the best robot win.
Oh, this is getting interesting.
It wasn't interesting before?
Wilma, can I see you over there
for un momento, por favor, please?
Listen, I thought you were supposed to be teaching the kids about teamwork.
It is teamwork.
They're working as two separate teams.
You know what this reminds me of?
The classic novel, The Three Musketeers.
Oh, interesting, and super relevant to the task at hand.
Well, originally, the musketeers were enemies with D'Artagnan,
and then they realized that they were stronger
when they worked together, okay?
And that's when they truly became "all for one."
I know you're trying to help me,
but now I'm just hungry for a Three Musketeers bar.
LAINEY: While CB was coaching Wilma,
Coach had his own plans for me.
Hey, we just passed TGI Fridays.
We're not going there. Lance doesn't even work there today.
Well, there are other servers, Rick.
It's not about that.
We're going to Altoona.
Wait, what?
Are you serious? You're kidnapping me?
I'm not kidnapping you.
Kidnapping is taking a kid away from a parent.
I'm returning a kid to a parent.
So, I'm... I'm un-napping you or possibly de-napping you.
No, you don't have to do this.
I will do it. Myself. Later.
I promise.
Maybe next weekend.
Or I travel and find myself.
That way, I can show her vacation photos I took.
(BRAKES SQUEAK)
Look, Lainey, if you don't want to do this,
I can turn around and we can go home right now.
Okay. Hear me out.
I had a huge falling out with my stepfather,
and we didn't talk for 10 years.
Well, we have that fun thing in common.
Look, I don't know if talking to him
would have made things better or worse,
but I wish I could have found out.
You still have a chance to find out.
All right.
Let's do this.
Mellor had shared a personal story with me,
while Glascott was sharing his bootleg copy
of Good Will Hunting with someone
he thought would appreciate it the most.
See? You're both maintenance workers.
That's pretty cool, huh?
This makes me believe one day,
I, too, could janitor at the Ivy League level.
Maybe you can, son.
Maybe you can.
SEAN: It's not your fault.
I know.
It's not your fault, all right?
It's not your fault.
It's true! It's not his fault!
Why won't he listen? Accept the help, man!
GLASCOTT: Oh, Wilma.
You made it just in time for the third act.
As much as I love to watch movies, I've got robotics club,
and CB can't be left in there alone.
Break dancing in the science lab just leads to breaking things.
Speaking of which, how's it going with Caroline?
That's why I came in here.
To tell you to come see for yourself.
I have to say, Wilma, I applaud how you stepped in
to help that troubled genius.
(CHUCKLES) Oh, my God!
You're "Good Wilma Hunting."
Ha. I see what you did.
I added an "M-A" to the "Will."
Is that what you saw? Yes.
Yeah, good. 'Cause that's what I did.
Hey, guys.
Get your robots ready to demonstrate for Principal Glascott.
Wait, they're doing them separately?
Isn't this a team?
That's what I've been saying. Trust me.
This friendly competition will guarantee the best robot.
Y'all ready for this?
Mr. Eggbot!
(WHIRRING)
Ooh. (CHUCKLES)
This robot is egg-cellent.
(CHUCKLES)
Okay, I'm sorry.
Now, let's see what Caroline's can do.
(WHIRRING)
ALL: No!
No!
Ooh! No!
(EXPLOSION) No!
(COUGHS) GLASCOTT: Oh, God!
No! Why, God? Why?
Sorry. I guess the best robot won.
Caroline, that is not okay!
(MACHINERY POWERING DOWN)
My robot! Great.
Now we have no robot for the competition.
You know, this reminds me of the classic novel,
Wilma Should Have Listened to CB.
LAINEY: Rick was taking me to see my mom,
and the closer we got, the more nervous I got.
I hope this isn't a bad idea.
We could find my mom in a hillbilly roadhouse
with a bunch of guys snapping her bra straps for wine coolers.
My dad's words, not mine.
It's how they met, apparently.
LAINEY: Well, this doesn't look like a hillbilly roadhouse.
No. The neighborhood doesn't seem like it's zoned for that kind of thing.
We don't know her life now.
Remarried? Job? Kids? Do I have stepsiblings?
We don't know what's behind those doors, Rick.
I think I know a really good way to find out.
Come on. Let's go.
(DOORBELL RINGS) (DOG BARKING)
I'm so nervous to see her face-to-face.
Oh, my God. Lainey?
Hi, Mom.
Look at you. (CHUCKLES)
You... You're so grown-up.
Well, it's been a long time.
Uh, Rick Mellor.
Um, friend, co-worker, and reunion specialist.
You'll have to excuse Buttercup and Duffy.
They're a little antsy after sitting for 45 minutes
while I painted their portrait.
LAINEY: Gosh, look at those.
MELLOR: There's so many, too.
Yeah. It's pretty hard to paint a bad picture of these two.
So...whatcha been up to?
Wow. 15 years. Okay.
Well, a lot has happened.
Um, I'll just give you the greatest hits.
In high school, I started a band.
Oh, fun.
You always had a beautiful voice.
Thank you.
So, I moved to Hollywood to, um, try to make it on my own.
Well, you're better as a solo act.
Anyway, I, um... I moved back to Philly,
and, uh... Oh, my gosh.
I'm dating Barry Goldberg.
Oh. I remember that boy.
Did he ever grow into that hair?
He did not.
Yeah, it's been a pretty crazy ride with him.
We actually got engaged and then we broke it off
and we were apart for a couple years.
Now we're back together.
It's long distance, but it's actually going pretty well.
I'm so glad you guys found each other again.
And now I'm a music teacher at William Penn.
I'm also the cheerleading coach.
Oh, my God. It feels like literally yesterday
you were a cheerleader there.
You remember that?
Of course I do.
I'm so happy things are going well.
Yeah, they are.
Despite, you know, everything.
I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm guessing
this is Duffy's favorite chair?
Oh, God. I'm sorry.
I'll take them out. Come on, guys.
Let's go, let's go. Not his fault.
Probably drawn to my alpha energy.
Yeah...
(EXHALES SHARPLY)
So, your mom seems like she's doing great.
I'm not buying it. This is what she used to do.
She'd pull it together in front of company,
and then she'd go to one of her many booze hiding spots.
She'd hide her mini airplane bottles in a cookie jar.
(CHUCKLES)
Ooh, Nutter Butters. Ha, ha!
Mm. Nope. Dog treats.
Seems like your mom really has changed.
Yeah, maybe.
Why are you still eating the dog treat?
'Cause I'm not a quitter.
Lainey. Lainey, stop.
It's okay, Rick.
She has every reason not to trust me.
Heck, when Lainey was a kid,
I-I did hide booze all over the house.
But I'm clean now.
Wait, for real? Y-You're not drinking anymore?
No. I swear.
I'm in a program.
I-I have a meeting tonight.
I'm... I'm getting a milestone chip for sobriety.
Really?
Why don't you come with me?
I mean, you can see for yourself.
Things are different now.
Um...o-okay. Yeah.
I'm here, right?
Uh, Rick, would you like to join us?
I'd be honored. Great.
Yeah, it's probably not a good idea for you
to be alone in the house with the dogs.
I mean, Duffy's sweet, but, uh, he definitely
is gonna hold a grudge for you taking his seat.
LAINEY: I was starting to see that my mom
wasn't the mess I thought she'd be.
Meanwhile, Wilma was cleaning up the messy aftermath of the robot battle.
I escorted Caroline to detention.
I guess I'm not Good Wilma Hunting.
I'm Bad Wilma Hunting.
Don't be so hard on yourself. You were right to try.
I created a monster, and the monster I created
created a monster who destroyed cute, little Eggbot,
whose only crime was wanting to carry an egg five inches.
Wilma, it's not your fault.
What are you talking about? I warned her and she did it.
How is that not her fault?
It's not your fault.
CB: Oh, I see what you're doing there.
You're doing that thing from the movie?
Yeah, it was a beautiful, heartfelt moment,
and it totally changed my opinion
of what Robin Williams could do as an actor.
Wilma, it's not your fault.
Yeah. It's Caroline's fault.
Having been privy to it all,
I would love to offer you my perspective.
I feel like... CB, nobody wants to hear your ideas or thoughts.
I mean, Caroline is just this know-it-all
who won't listen to anyone's ideas or thoughts.
She just does what she wants.
Who does she think she is?
Hmm. And who does that sound like?
My Aunt Denise.
I told her she couldn't afford a boat,
she bought a boat, now she's a lady living on a boat.
Okay, well, it's nice to know someone with a boat,
but does anyone else come to mind?
The lady at the deli counter.
She keeps telling me to get the combo.
I don't want the combo.
I just want a sandwich and a drink, not the chips.
Oh, my God.
Caroline is me.
GLASCOTT: She sure is.
How do you like them apples?
And now we have another chip to give out
to mark a sobriety milestone.
Deb, come on up.
Whoo!
Uh, I just want to thank everyone
in this room for all your support.
I am especially grateful that my daughter, Lainey,
is here today, and that means the world to me.
I'm proud of you, Mom.
(APPLAUSE)
I can't believe my mom has been sober for a whole year.
Congratulations on five years sober.
(APPLAUSE) Wait, what?
She's been sober for five years and she never called me?
And I know Deb's two sponsees would like to say a few words.
Maybe she was using the five years to work on herself
and she wasn't ready to be a mother yet.
Deb has been basically like my mom. (CHUCKLES)
Deb's been like, uh, my mom, too.
Huh. Not ready to be a mother yet?
But way prettier. (CHUCKLES)
And not dead.
I knew if I came here I'd get hurt again.
After my mom's stunning admission at the meeting,
I needed some time alone,
which Coach wasn't gonna let me have.
Come on, Lainey. Open up.
Lainey.
All right.
I guess you win. Nothing much I...
(GRUNTING)
(SIGHS) Come on, Lainey.
We'll go get mozzarella sticks.
I'll eat fried cheese for you.
She's not supposed to be their mom, Rick.
She's supposed to be my mom.
I understand. Sometimes...
Hey. What's going on?
What's going on is that you've been sober for five years
and didn't even think to reach out to me?
Do you know where I was five years ago?
I-I was broke and in Hollywood.
I had no clue what to do with my life
(VOICE BREAKING) and I really could've used a mom.
Why didn't you reach out to me after you got clean?
I mean, five years?
I came close. So many times.
Right before I got my last five-year chip,
which I didn't get because I fell off again, hard.
And when I got sober, I didn't know how long it would last.
I still don't know.
So, we're just not supposed to have a relationship
because of something that might happen?
I thought if there was any chance that I could hurt you again,
I-I just couldn't do it.
What if it's what I wanted?
Don't I get a say in something like this?
Well, I guess I didn't...
I didn't think of it like that.
Yeah, I guess you didn't.
Now you have plenty of time to think about it.
Come on.
(ENGINE STARTS)
(TIRES SQUEAL)
LAINEY: Wilma had seen herself in Caroline,
and now she had some good advice to pass on.
So, I guess you ended up in detention anyway.
Eh. Gave me a chance to perfect my catapult.
Do you know why your robot fried itself?
Yeah. I guess I may have used
a battery with way too many amps.
Caroline, just because you're the smartest kid in the room
doesn't mean you know everything.
Life is a group project,
and you'll find that other people have good ideas, too.
It's a lesson I'm still learning myself.
I hear you.
I missed out on a whole bunch of chips and boat rides.
I get that less.
And if you ever feel like talking about anything,
from one misunderstood genius to another...
I'm here.
Thank you, Ms. Howell.
LAINEY: Wilma had gotten through to Caroline.
Meanwhile, I was trying to leave my mom in the past
and get through to my cheerleaders.
Time, time, time!
Okay, ladies, it's your time!
Let's get out there and do this!
I'm proud of you!
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(ALANIS MORISSETTE'S THANK U PLAYS)
Good job tonight, girls.
What are you doing here?
I know I missed a lot in the past in person,
but just so you know,
I was always thinking about you.
You kept all these pictures of me?
Of course.
And this newspaper clipping?
Yeah. I look at that all the time.
It's me and Erica. (CHUCKLES)
Listen, I know I can't make up for not being there,
but if you'd let me, I would love
to be part of your life again.
Okay. (EXHALES SHARPLY)
But let's take it slowly.
One day at a time.
Well, I know I can do that.
Thank you for coming.
* How 'bout them transparent dangling carrots?
LAINEY: Sometimes in life, we have to give people second chances.
Hey.
I was wondering if you guys still had room on your team.
I have some great ideas for Eggbot Two.
I mean, along with all of your good ideas.
* Thank you, India
* Thank you, terror
* Thank you, disillusionment
LAINEY: A chance for them to prove that the person they once were
isn't who they're always going to be.
You know, this reminds me of a book called,
"I'm Sorry, CB, I Was a Big Dope.
"You're a Valuable Member of the Team."
Classic book, clunky title.
But don't worry. We're good.
Now let's go help these kids put Eggbot back together.
All for one and one for all.
(IMITATES MACHINERY WHIRRING)
Let's go.
(IMITATES MACHINERY WHIRRING)
LAINEY: Because the truth is, people can change,
and often for the better.
(INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION)
You just have to keep an open mind and an open heart.
And at the end of the day,
nothing feels greater than watching the important people
in our lives aspire to be the best versions of themselves.
* Yeah, yeah
* Oh, oh, oh
* Oh, oh
* Oh *
LAINEY: Because in doing that,
it helps you become the best version of yourself.
You can do it.
I don't know if I can.
I have faith in you.
This is super complicated stuff.
It is. But think hard.
You know the answers.
I've got it!
I have the solution!
Ah!
You did it!
You missed my hand.
No, I was doing the thing from the movie.
What thing? The now classic
Matt Damon-Stellan Skarsgard
start-out-high- pass-each-other-
continue-around- and-meet-down-low- high-five.
Oh, yeah. They did do that.
Of course they did.
You wanna try it again?
Mm, we kinda lost the moment.
I'm not feeling it now.
You can do it. I don't think I can.
I have faith in you.
You're just repeating what I said to you earlier.
I am. Let's do it!
(BOTH LAUGH)