To the strain of Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon”, Mark relates how he filmed his wedding reception when he and Lorna married the summer after they graduated from film school. In the home movie footage, L.’s cousin directs M. to film her elderly parents as they discuss the secret to their fifty-year marriage. Roused from his snooze, the husband avoids the question, but the woman begins to reveal the key to their marriage’s longevity. At that moment, M.’s Super-8 mm camera runs out of film. Looking back, he wishes that he could recall what she said.
M. is followed down a hallway by the movie crew. Next, we see him sitting in the office of the studio ‘suit’ in charge. The executive relates how the corporate office people loved the “10 minute highlight reel” of the movie of his life and want to add it to CBS’ (one of the Viacom subsidiaries) fall line up. M. replies that his life is more “cable” that “CBS”, but the exec. has big plans to cross-promote M’s ‘movie’ on the other Viacom networks- including MTV. The exec. suggests a stint on “Hollywood Squares”. M. is intrigued and asks if he can have ‘center square.’ The exec. replies, “Don’t get cocky kid.” {‘Center Square’ is reserved for the biggest star, currently Whoopi Goldberg, who also produces the show}
“A League of Their Own”
M. flashes back to his separation from L. during which, in his depression, he went on an all-chocolate binge and started writing country and western songs. In M.’s ‘movie’ flashback, he sits on the side of the hotel tub, wearing a cowboy hat, strumming his guitar, and singing through a mouth full of chocolate covered teeth.
“Just one toothbrush
M. goes to Alberta to watch the “Bear Movie” being filmed and hangs out with a flirtatious P.A. The P.A. gossips about a crew member’s liaison with one of the actors and tells M. that she was “down on her knees like … a fluffer.” M. doesn’t understand and she explains the term. M. then flirts backs by doing an imitation of an imaginary phone call between the ‘fluffer’ and her mother where she has to explain exactly what she does on the set. The P.A. insinuates that M. must be horny so far from his wife and asks him if he wants to go out later. Surprised by his luck, M. agrees. The P.A. then informs him of the next scheduled flight leaving for LA and back to L. and Walt and then abruptly leaves.
M. knocks on his front door and is welcomed in by an apologetic and frisky L. Later, in the tub, L. quizzes him n the details of their first date. She then explains that she has started seeing a psychiatrist and promises that they will never part again.
Adult Mark awakes out of the dream and moves closer to L. The next morning, M. yawns during his session with the ‘therapist.’ M. tells of having the ‘rat dream’ for 4 straight nights while still worrying about L.’s sleepwalking. The therapist points out that the hamster and rat inhabit the same dream and that they are related in the animal kingdom. M. wonders if they represent the two sides of him. The therapist points out that rats go places that humans don’t normally want to go and s that M. look at the context in which the rat appears. – his past in his childhood home. The therapist suggests that M. should “follow the rat” in his dreams.
Ryan, the producer, gives M. and Zach the bad news that several popular actresses have passed on the offer to play the lead in their movie. Later, M. talks to Purity (Zach’s assistant and lover) about her experience with the psychic that M. went to for research. Purity feels the psychic was being truthful; M. has his doubts, but says, “A broken clock is right at least twice a day.” It takes a few seconds before Purity gets it.
M. & L. and Phillip and Annie play ‘chicken’ in the pool. M. and L. win when A. falls off of P.’s shoulders. L. goes for a celebratory margarita – to M.’s consternation. The doorbell rings and M. leaves to answer it. He opens the door to find Brock. In M.’s movie version, Brock takes out a gun and blows him away. In ‘real’ life, B. enters and insists on speaking to M. Mark hesitates and tells Brock that he has company, but B. takes a seat. B. tells him that Danni has kicked him out and that he suspects her of having an affair. B. describes the other man and asks if M. knows anything about him. M. tells B. he knows nothing of the mystery man. B. leaves & M. wonders about this new information.
“Follow the Rat”
Later that night, L. finds M. in his study and wonders if he is okay. M. admits that he’s uncertain, worried, and afraid, but when he sees the lost look on L.’s face, he changes his tone to reassure her. L. asks him if he still loves her and he replies, “Of course, of course.” L. says that she doesn’t expect them to be in love every day for years. She remembers the elderly woman from the wedding reception and her advice.
“We never fell out of love at the same time.”
“The Death of Frank Mills”
M. returns to find L., Phillip, and Annie having a party at his house. L. gives him another ecstasy tablet to relieve his “stress.”
“Truth or Dare”
“To Dream, perchance to sleep…”
“Return of the Rat”
Mark stares at himself in his bathroom mirror and remembers that “Life is not the movies.”
M. and a somber Danni spoon in a hotel bed. She tears up at the thought of his leaving and he imagines aloud what it would be like to spend more time together. D. informs him that she has decided to divorce Brock because their relationship has deteriorated. She also tells M. about a large financial loss brought on by Brock’s bad investing. D. asks M. if he has thought about what he wants for his future. M. gives a noncommittal reply.
sittin’ on the sink
Got too much time
to sit and to think.
Just one toothbrush
and a lonely comb,
I reach for you
but I’m all alone*.”
(*”alone” is sung off-key and he plucks a string to find the pitch again)
Young M. crawls through the hole behind the radiator and follows the rat. A tunnel takes him to an Italian restaurant where he sees himself sitting with his mother. She tells him that her friend is joining them and asks that M. not tell his father about “Ben”. Later, a bored M. flips his spoon onto the floor, when he retrieves it; he sees his mother and Ben holding hands under the table. From inside the tunnel, Young M. crawls away to observe another room. Young M. gives his mother an ultimatum – him or Ben. Adult Mark awakes and discusses the dream with his therapist. M. is convinced that his dream is telling him to end his affair with Danni and save his family like he did as a child. M. relates how he convinced his mother to stay instead of running off with Ben and that he witnessed the reconciliation between his mother and stepfather from his window overlooking the driveway where they sat in the family car. The therapist is skeptical of M.’s childhood memory and ridicules his assertion that he was solely responsible for saving his family. The therapist tells M. that the rat is leading him back to the scenario in order to look at it “through the eyes of an adult.” M. balks, but starts to recollect the events. The therapist guides him to examine the back seat of the car more closely and recognize the truth that he has ignored – that his mother’s suitcase has been in the car while she was talking to her husband. Even after M.’s ultimatum, she had planned to leave them. The revelation unnerves M. and he decides to stop. The therapist challenges him to identify why he has clinged to the idea that he was in control of his mother’s decision. M. tells the therapist to leave and when the therapist reminds M. that they are in his office, M. starts to trash a bookcase. M. accuses the therapist of being sub-par and the knock-off of a movie character and demands he leave. The therapist pushes M. to admit to whom he is trying to really control. M. declares it’s L. that he wants to control, but admits that he can’t and that he’s afraid of her dying prematurely. The therapist suggests that M. can’t control whether L. lives or dies, but M. insists that he has to try.
L. reassures him that their marriage will endure even if he isn’t sure of his love for her because she still loves him.
M. and Danni meet in a bar and m. tells D. that he won’t leave L. D. is upset and wants a reason. M. accuses D. of cheating and reveals his run-in with Brock. D. explains that the mystery man was her divorce attorney. D. tells M. of her own fantasy where M. professes his devotion to her, but she admits that it’s just her ‘movie’, not reality. D. asks M. to leave because she’s not “good with good-byes.” M. is non-plussed because he doesn’t realize this is the end of their relationship. D. insists he leave and not drag it out. M. leaves, but looks back on her from a distance. Danni sits and sings, in music video fashion, the song “Frank Mills.” During the music video, a montage of scenes replays with M. and D. together starting with the soccer field where they first met, through their walk in the park on a rainy day, to their meetings at hotels, to their liaison in the pool, and their afternoon listening to old records. The video ends with a single tear falling down Danni’s cheek. M. notes that the music video went over well with the execs at Viacom.
The 2 couples relax in the dry sauna and play Truth or Dare. L. dares M. to kiss Phillip; he comes close, but backs out at the last second. M. has to go again and L. dares him to dance around like a ballerina. Phillip then challenges Annie who chooses ‘dare.’ P. dares A. to bare her breasts which are then admired by M. and L. Mark then challenges L. who chooses ‘truth.’ M asks L. if she has “fooled around” with Teddy. She answers no, but refuses to tell him who Teddy is.
M. dreams he’s pounding on the bathroom door again and awakes to use the toilet. Finding L. missing again, he heads downstairs to find L. and Annie sitting together stroking each other’s arms and hair. They explain that they have taken another ecstasy tablet and that Phillip is passed out elsewhere. L. invites M. to come and sit with them. L. tells A. that M. has been incredibly supportive of her recently. A. offers to kiss M. for being so good to L. and she agrees to let her. A. licks her lips and gives M. a short closed-mouth kiss. L. tells M. he can “do better” and orders them to kiss again. A. leans in and kisses M. with parted lips – their tongues meet and entwine. They hold the kiss for a moment before parting. L. tells M. that he can have whatever he wants, but only now and in her presence. A. agrees and whispers to L. what she thinks M. wants to do. L. asks A. to ask M. and A. whispers in his ear. M. considers it with a slight smile in his face before saying he “doesn’t know if it’s a good idea.” A. and L. exchange a glance and L. kisses him while gently pushing him onto his back on the floor. A. takes her turn kissing him. They both kiss their way down his bare chest, then L. whispers to A. and they head towards his pajama bottoms. M.’s eyes open wider and he gasps.
Adult Mark lies in his childhood bed next to the hamster. He gets up, looks around, and goes over to the radiator. M. crawls through the tunnel and sees himself at Danni’s door in the pouring rain. D. comes to the door and M. admits they are supposed to be together. They kiss and M. thinks how he doesn’t really know why his mother made the choice that she did. We see that M and D. are actually kissing on a set on a soundstage. M. thinks that his mother realized that there were ‘movie’ and reality versions of her life.