Southside With You
( music playing )
( kids shouting )
( music continues )
– Lunch is almost up, honey.
– Okay.
( doo-wop playing )
( grunts )
( water running )
( spits )
( chuckles )
Yes?
– Thought it wasn’t a date.
– It wasn’t and it isn’t.
Thought you said
he was just another
smooth-talking brother.
You’re going to
an awful lot of trouble for
just another smooth-talker.
Mom, you know I try
to look my best
no matter where I go
or who I’m going with.
It’s fun
to look pretty.
– He’s a colleague.
– Okay, if you say so.
( phone ringing )
– Hello?
– Woman: Hi, Bar.
Aren’t you supposed to be
on your date?
I’ve got a few minutes
before I need to leave.
You’re not checking up
on me now, are you, too?
Well, maybe I am,
but it’s a grandmother’s
God-given right.
You have a bad habit
of being late.
And if you’re late
to the first date,
I can promise you
there won’t be a second.
I won’t be late.
But I appreciate it.
How’s Gramps?
“How’s Gramps?”
He’s Gramps!
( laughs )
He’s got his bridge game
on Tuesdays and Thursdays,
golf on the weekends,
but when he’s home and bored,
well, what can
I say, Bar?
– He drives me up the wall.
– ( chuckles )
– Well, thank you, baby.
– Of course.
So, where you going
looking so raggedy?
Girl’s got herself
a date.
– Oh.
– It’s not a date, Daddy.
He’s a summer associate
I told y’all about,
the one
from Harvard Law.
I mentioned
I worked legal aid
and he invited me
to a community event
at the Gardens.
– Huh.
– Yeah.
Because it doesn’t get
more romantic than
broken plumbing
and underfunded schools.
Woman:
Tell me the young lady’s
name again.
Michelle Robinson.
She’s my advisor
at the firm, remember?
And tell me again
what she looks like.
– Well, she’s tall.
– Uh-huh. What else?
– What else
would you like to know?
– Well, where’s she from?
– Chicago.
– Uh-huh.
– Which part?
– The side that’s
predominantly black.
– Okay, so she’s…?
– ( chuckles ) Yes, Toot.
Her skin is
of the darker persuasion.
Good. So long
as you’re happy, Bar.
That’s all
that really matters.
Thanks, Toot.
Now, I gotta go
or I will be late.
– Okay. Love you.
– I love you, too.
Mr. Robinson:
So, what’s this boy’s name?
Barack Obama.
– Barack-a what-a?
– He’s half white.
Ugh. His father’s
from Kenya
and his mother’s white.
So, why isn’t this
a date?
We work together.
It’s inappropriate.
Mm, maybe, but you are
spending the day with him.
Yeah. The meeting
sounded interesting.
Mr. Robinson:
Well, even if
it’s not a date,
the least thing
you could’ve done is
run a brush through your hair.
( both laughing )
You look
real nice, Meesh.
Thank you, Daddy.
( engine starts )
DJ:
This heat, this heat,
this heat!
Hey, women wearing
the freeze hairdo,
y’all doing that to keep cool
during the summer?
Sounds like a plan to me.
What are you doing
to keep cool?
What are you doing
to beat this heat?
Speaking of
hot, hot, hot,
Janet’s bringing the heat
with the number-one single
in the country.
I miss it so much
when I don’t hear it.
I know you do, too.
So I’m playing it
for me and for you.
( music playing )
♪ Hoo! ♪
♪ Shot ♪
♪ Like an arrow
going through my heart ♪
♪ That’s the pain I feel ♪
♪ I feel whenever
we’re apart ♪
♪ Not to say that
I’m in love with you ♪
♪ But who’s to say
that I’m not? ♪
♪ I just know
that it feels wrong ♪
♪ When I’m away
too long ♪
♪ It makes my body hot ♪
♪ So let me tell ya,
baby ♪
♪ I’ll tell your mama,
I’ll tell your friends ♪
♪ I’ll tell anyone
whose heart can comprehend ♪
♪ Send it in a letter, baby,
tell you on the phone ♪
♪ I’m not the kind of girl
who likes to be alone ♪
– ♪ I miss you much ♪
– ♪ Boy, oh, I miss you much ♪
– ♪ I really miss you much ♪
– ♪ M-I-S-S you much ♪
– ♪ I miss you much, baby ♪
– ♪ Boy, oh, I miss you much ♪
– ♪ I really miss you much ♪
– ♪ M-I-S-S you much ♪
♪ I’m rushing home ♪
♪ Just as soon
as I can, uh! ♪
♪ I’m rushing home
to see your smiling face ♪
♪ And feel
your warm embrace ♪
♪ It makes me feel
so g-g-g good ♪
♪ So, I’ll tell ya,
baby ♪
♪ I’ll tell your mama,
I’ll tell your friends ♪
♪ I’ll tell anyone whose heart
can comprehend, baby ♪
♪ Send it in a letter, baby,
tell you on the phone ♪
♪ I’m not the kind of girl
who likes to be alone ♪
– ♪ I miss you much ♪
– ♪ Boy, oh, I miss you much ♪
– ♪ I really miss you much ♪
– ♪ M-I-S… ♪
– ♪ I miss you much ♪
– ♪ M-I-S-S you much ♪
– ♪ I miss you much ♪
– ♪ Boy, oh, I miss you much ♪
– ♪ I really miss you much… ♪
– ( engine turns off )
– ( chiming )
– ♪ I broke your heart ♪
♪ And I made you blue… ♪
( door opens, closes )
Hi.
Hello.
( sighs )
You’re late.
– ( sighs ) I was hoping
you wouldn’t notice.
– It’s okay.
I expected it.
You were late for
your first day of work.
( chuckles )
You noticed that, too?
Yeah. I’m your advisor.
I’m supposed to notice.
Huh.
– Do you live here alone?
– No. ( chuckles )
No, this is
my family’s house.
My parents still live here
and, apparently, so do I.
– Huh.
– Should we?
Oh, uh, yeah.
Car’s down this way.
( sniffing )
– ( sighs )
– ( door opens )
– All set?
– Mm-hmm.
( engine starts )
♪ I can tell you
how I feel about you
night and day ♪
♪ I can tell you
how I feel about you… ♪
– You’re on
that account, right?
– Which account?
Bottle cap.
– Yeah.
– Everything cool?
Why?
What did you hear?
Some of the juniors
said you weren’t happy
with the work.
– They’re wrong.
– They weren’t disparaging you.
They were impressed
that an associate stood up
for herself the way you did.
It’s not the work.
I mean,
it is the work.
It’s tedious,
but that’s to be expected.
Second-year associates
get the grunt work.
I can live with that.
I’ll complain about it,
but I can live with it.
It’s the trademark suit
that’s got me fuming.
I take it you did not agree
with the judge’s decision?
I completely agreed
with the judge’s decision.
And I told Thompson
six months ago
that we would lose
if we tried it like
a trademark dispute.
I was basically
silenced for voicing
a dissenting opinion.
Hmm, there’s no real
contribution at our level.
There’s only the illusion
of contribution.
( exhales )
Get ready, buster.
You’re on deck.
( music playing
on radio )
Are you sure it’s the firm
you’re frustrated with?
Shouldn’t we be getting
to the meeting?
Ah, we have some time.
It’s not for another
few hours.
– What?
– I thought we’d swing
by the art center.
There’s an Afro-centric exhibit
that’s supposed to be–
Wait.
What is this?
( chuckles )
“What is this?”
I don’t know.
I mean, taken at face value,
that’s a pretty existential
question, Michelle.
What happened
to the meeting?
It doesn’t start
till 4:00,
so I thought
we’d see some paintings,
maybe grab a bite to eat.
– ( scoffs )
– We don’t have to.
Barack, you seem like
a really sweet guy,
but how many times
do I have to tell you
we’re not
going out together?
Mm, well, Michelle,
thank you for saying that.
You seem like
a real sweet girl.
But I have to
correct you.
We are in fact out
and we are in fact together.
But not on a date.
– This is not a date.
– It doesn’t have to be.
Barack, I don’t
want it to be.
You know, usually,
women I meet
are willing to look past
my hideous appearance
and get to know
the real me.
If I thought
you were hideous,
I wouldn’t have
set you up with Gina.
Gina’s very attractive.
Now, that’s true.
Gina is very attractive.
This is not a date.
That’s okay.
I’ll– I’ll go
at your pace.
Barack, there’s
no pace to go at
because there’s
no anything to speak of.
I am your advisor
at our law firm.
– It would be tacky.
– You keep saying that.
– And you keep ignoring it.
– For good reason.
You’re my advisor insomuch
as you introduce me around
at the beginning of the month
and you show me how to use
the coffee machine,
which, by the way,
I still can’t figure out,
so some advisor.
Secondly,
it’s not our law firm.
It’s your law firm.
I’m just here
for the summer.
And while you’re here,
it’s inappropriate.
So, you think
I’m attractive enough
– to set up with
your prettiest friend?
– You think she’s that pretty?
You and I share a lot
of the same interests.
I don’t know
that that’s true.
– We both love Chicago.
– I get it.
You think we have
a lot in common.
And maybe we do.
Maybe we can be friends.
But if you
can’t understand this,
then you can’t understand me.
It’s hard enough being a woman
at a giant corporate law firm.
For all the talk
of equality that
goes around
and all those
filled quotas,
I’m still surrounded
by mostly men.
So, I gotta work
just a little bit harder
to earn everyone’s respect.
I gotta work
a little bit harder
to be taken seriously.
Now add on
that I’m black.
All that extra work
I put in to compensate
for being a woman?
Being black erases that
and brings me back down
to zero.
So, now I’m working
double-time
just to be seen for who I am
and what I’m capable of.
Now, how’s it gonna look
to a guy like Thompson
if I swoop in
and start dating
the first cute black guy
who walks through
the firm’s doors?
The liberal-minded people
will think it’s precious
and the closed-minded people
will think it’s pathetic.
You think I’m cute?
I didn’t say that.
– Some of the secretaries
described you that way.
– Nice dodge.
Listen, listen,
we’re a few blocks away.
Why don’t we go in
and check out the exhibit?
I’d still like us
to go to the meeting
a little later.
It would mean
a lot to me.
Okay, it’s–
it’s not a date.
– Fine.
– Until you say it is.
( quiet chatter )
( gasps )
That’s Ernie Barnes.
You read that
in the brochure?
No, no.
I can spot a Barnes
a mile away.
You know,
Barnes is a real
interesting brother.
– Did you watch “Good Times”?
– Not a family staple.
Really?
There was a black family
in Chicago that didn’t
watch “Good Times”?
We were more
of a “Brady Bunch,
“Dick Van Dyke” kind of family.
Those kids on Euclid Avenue,
man, I’m telling you
they had it good.
“Dy-no-mite!”
– ( chuckles )
Do you remember that?
– Yes, I remember the line.
The character’s name
was J.J.
Right.
He was kind of
a screwup.
He would steal here and there,
couldn’t read or write,
talked jive.
You know, just a bad
TV stereotype, right?
Mm-hmm.
But, see,
as the show progressed,
J.J. developed
this interest in painting.
As it turned out,
he actually had
a lot of talent.
But he didn’t
take it seriously.
Not until his dad,
who was this tough,
blue-collar guy,
encouraged him
to keep painting.
He saw it
as his son’s only way
out of the projects.
What did he paint?
Black ghetto life.
They were crisp,
exaggerated, very colorful.
His style
was a lot like these.
That’s because Ernie Barnes
did all the paintings
for the show.
Hmm.
Michelle:
My brother would love this.
– Barack: Craig, right?
– Yeah.
How did you know?
I may have overheard you
talking about him
at the office.
– Stalker.
– ( chuckles )
Yeah, but who’s
the bigger Looney Tune?
The stalker or the victim
who willingly goes to a
museum with a stalker?
Willingly?
I’m more inclined
to describe this as
a hostage situation.
I’m that bad, huh?
Oh, hush.
Craig shoot hoops?
He’s decent.
Pick-up games?
Office league?
He’s an assistant coach
at Illinois Tech.
No kidding?
I assume he played ball
at school?
Yeah, at Princeton,
then for a couple of years
in the BBL.
He actually
got drafted by the Sixers,
but they never played him.
– ( chuckles )
– What?
I’d say “decent ballplayer”
is a gross understatement.
He was decent.
Great is NBA.
Uh, no.
Good is college.
Great is your brother.
Superhuman is the NBA.
I think I came
to my realization
when I missed varsity
my junior year of high school.
Cut class for a week
after that.
– Why?
– I was hapa.
So, in everyone’s eyes
I shouldn’t have just
made the team,
I should’ve been the best.
– What’s hapa?
– Hawaiian or mixed.
Hmm.
Maybe they didn’t
expect you to be the best.
Maybe you put that
expectation on yourself.
It makes me think
of Gwendolyn Brooks.
Barack:
“The Pool Players.
Seven
at the Golden Shovel.”
“We real cool.
We left school.
We lurk late.
We strike straight.
We sing sin.
We thin gin.
We jazz June.
Both:
We die soon.”
Barack:
“Room Full A’Sistahs.”
What do you like
about this one?
I guess it reminds me
of our house on Sundays.
The boys would be upstairs
watching football
and the girls
would be downstairs
singing around the piano.
– Do you sing?
– I play.
– Any good?
– I’m not bad.
My Aunt Robbie
was a piano teacher,
so I started young.
– How old?
– Four.
That’s young.
Not for my mom.
She started us early
on everything–
reading,
French lessons.
– You speak French?
– Mm.
– Are you fluent?
– I know a few words.
I never would’ve taken you
for a Frenchie.
– ( chuckles )
– I mean, any other
language but French.
It’s just
so sentimental.
( speaking French )
What does that mean?
It means
“Things are not
always as they appear.”
( music playing )
( both laughing )
( birds chirping )
( child babbling )
Turkey on rye
coming right up.
Thanks.
Here.
( chuckles )
It’s on me.
Okay, okay.
And now for
the grand finale.
What, no good?
That was sweet of you,
but I don’t like pie.
No, you’re mistaken.
This is not a slice of pie.
This is a slice of heaven.
Mm.
Who doesn’t like pie?
– I’m an ice cream
kind of girl.
– ( chuckles )
Oh, yeah?
Which flavor?
Chocolate.
– Ugh.
– What, you don’t like
chocolate ice cream?
I don’t like
ice cream, period.
Now, that’s weirder
than not liking pie.
Not when you spend
a summer in high school
working at
Baskin-Robbins, it’s not.
I overdid it.
They have Baskin-Robbins
in Hawaii?
You do know Hawaii
is part of these here
United States, don’t you?
It just seems
so foreign.
Honolulu’s
pretty normal.
Played hoops all day.
Went to a good school.
Then again, there’s a lot
about my high school years
I do not remember.
Why?
Let’s just say
a lot of it got lost
in a cloudy haze.
Oh.
– Because you smoked
a lot of marijuana?
– ( chuckles )
Yes, because I smoked
a lot of marijuana.
I had a lot
of growing up to do.
One time, when I was
nine years old,
I go to this girl’s
birthday party
and I show up,
and it’s me and 20 girls.
I’m the only boy there.
When I asked them why,
they all just started
laughing at me.
I remember running
all the way home.
I was mortified.
What made you
think of that?
I don’t know.
It just popped in my head.
Could never
figure it out.
Hey, you’re
a smart lady.
Why were they
laughing at me?
They probably
had crushes on you.
I mean,
everything’s backwards
when you’re little.
When a boy likes you,
he pulls your hair.
When you like a boy,
you kick him in the shins.
You do any shin kicking
back in the day?
If you were on the playground
and you were brown and cute,
watch out.
You, uh, doing any
shin kicking these days?
Are you inquiring
about my personal life?
I might be.
– Well, the answer is no.
– Hmm.
Tell me more about
your grade school
Casanova years.
( laughs )
No.
No, no.
I couldn’t have
been less popular.
The kids in Indonesia
used to throw me in the swamp
and call me Blackberry.
Indonesia?
Yeah, I lived in Jakarta
for a few years.
I’m not kidding.
We had crocodiles
in the backyard.
But– but–
but why were you
living there?
I mean, how did you
end up there?
Lolo, my mother’s ex-husband,
was from there
and went back
for work.
We went with him.
But where was
your dad?
( exhales )
He was back in Kenya.
And you didn’t wanna
live with him?
It wasn’t an option.
Anyway, I didn’t
have to suffer
at the hands
of my Indonesian
tormentors for long.
I moved back to Hawaii
when I was 10.
My mother wanted me
to get a better education.
Well?
Did you?
I don’t know.
How would you rate
my level of education?
You’re like that
jive-talking stereotype
from “Good Times.”
So, what about you?
What about me?
Well, you’re Ivy League
through and through.
Craig got
the natural smarts.
I just worked
my butt off.
I’m sure your mother
made sure of that.
She never had to.
Education was always
priority number one.
My dad would stand
for nothing less,
and there was no way
Craig and I were gonna
disappoint him.
What’s he like?
He’s the greatest man
in the world.
He told us
from day one
education was the key
to our happiness
and he didn’t
let us forget it.
What’s he do
for a living?
Operations engineer
for the water department.
Basically,
he fixes the boilers.
He’s been there
since ’68.
That must be where you get
your work ethic.
( chuckles )
You don’t know
the half of it.
Well, tell me, then.
You’re asking
a lot of questions.
( sighs )
You don’t have to
answer them, Michelle.
Can you keep what’s said
outside the office
outside the office?
Michelle,
I’ve been trying
to get you
outside the office
for a month now.
I’m serious.
Yes. Absolutely.
My dad has MS.
That why
you live at home?
It’s better to be there
and to help out.
He’s on crutches now.
Still gets himself
to work every day.
You know, they are lucky
to have a daughter like you.
I’m lucky to have
parents like them.
Is your mother
still alive?
Hmm, oh, yeah.
Still in Jakarta.
She’s a wonderful lady.
– But you don’t see her much?
– Nah, she has her own life.
But she’s
brilliant, warm.
Truly wonderful.
– And she’s white?
– ( chuckles ) Snow white.
Born in
Wichita, Kansas.
– You were born in ’60?
– ’61.
Hmm.
A white woman
and a black man
getting married
and having a kid back then.
They were
ahead of their time.
You want the God’s honest
truth about my folks?
– Sure.
– Okay.
My mother thought
Harry Belafonte
was the most handsome man
on the face of the planet.
– Yeah, I’d say chocolate was
her favorite flavor, too.
– ( both laughing )
No, really, I think
their attraction
was that simple.
My father looked like
Nat King Cole
and my mother
looked like Patsy Cline.
( drums playing )
Okay.
Man: Hey!
( people whooping )
– ( drumming ends )
– ( people cheer )
( Barack laughing )
Not bad at all,
Miss Robinson.
– Those drummers
were incredible.
– Yeah, they were.
– I wonder if
they were African.
– Why?
Well, it can be
a ritual.
I was part of one
while visiting my
family’s village in Kenya.
– What were the rituals for?
– Eh, prayer, mostly.
Do you believe in God?
You like to go straight
for the jugular, don’t you?
– You have a real nice jugular.
Real defined, real sexy.
– Watch it, now.
Growing up, we went
to church on Sundays,
but I don’t know.
I believe in some sort
of guiding spirit.
But I also think
God helps those who
help themselves.
– I think I saw that
on a bumper sticker somewhere.
– That’s how you know it’s good.
Ah.
And your religious
proclivities?
Let’s just say
I’m still evolving.
– What were you raised?
– Nothing, really.
My mom didn’t associate
with any one religion.
And your father?
Was he like you?
About the only thing
my father and I had in common
was that we both
went to Harvard.
The only difference is
he got kicked out.
– You still got two years.
– ( chuckles )
Think that’s enough time
for me to develop a
drinking problem
and burn through
all my student loans?
You don’t like
talking about him.
– Well, there isn’t
much to say, unfortunately.
– That can’t be true.
It is true.
– His life is incomplete…
– ( gentle splash )
…in every
imaginable way.
He married my mother,
they had me, he left.
Went to Harvard,
got kicked out,
never got his PhD.
Got a job with
the Kenyan government,
got fired,
never found
a stable job again.
Had a few too many drinks
at a bar one night,
got behind the wheel,
never made it home.
He died when he was 46.
His life was incomplete.
Even his tombstone
is blank.
– No one bothered
to have it engraved.
– No one bothered?
All that family
over there?
No one had the money.
( gentle splashing )
You’ll do it.
When you have the money,
you’ll go back there
and have
his name engraved.
You think you know me
well enough to make
that prediction?
No.
But I am
a pretty hopeful person,
so I’ll just say
I hope you do it.
Barack:
We should probably
get to the meeting.
( engine roaring )
♪ Hey, young world ♪
– ♪ The world is yours ♪
– ♪ Hey, young world ♪
– ♪ The world is yours ♪
– ♪ Young world, young world ♪
– ♪ The world is yours ♪
– ♪ Young world ♪
♪ This rap here ♪
– ♪ It may cause
concern, it’s… ♪
– ( static buzzing )
( stations changing )
DJ:
…Denby of
“New York Magazine”
thinks Spike Lee’s
new picture’s gonna cause
them black folk to riot,
but Chicago’s native son,
Roger Ebert, calls it
a masterpiece.
Have you seen it?
Who’s seen it?
What’s the good word?
You writing yet?
Hit the phones
and let me know.
And if you haven’t
checked it out yet,
“Do the Right Thing”
and see it now!
Dying to see this movie.
Sounds
interesting enough.
Blick, Thompson, and Cohen
were talking about it
in the office.
And Thompson said
the film might be racist
towards white people.
No, he didn’t.
He didn’t mean
anything by it.
He’s a little out of touch,
that’s all.
I’m just tired of being
two different people.
I played that game
at Princeton
and I played it again
at Harvard.
There were white kids at school
who would talk to me in class,
but if I saw them
out on the quad
and they were with
their other friends,
they would walk right past me
without so much as a nod.
Now, obviously,
the firm is not like that,
but sometimes
when I’m leaving
Southside in the morning,
headed for the Loop,
I feel like
I’m leaving Planet Black
and landing on Planet White.
Come on.
You got wooed
just like me.
You got wined
and dined.
You saw the corporate culture,
the racial culture.
You knew the score
and you still said yes.
Are you sure it’s the firm
you’re frustrated with?
That’s the second time
you asked me that question.
It’s the second time
you haven’t answered it.
What are you suggesting?
Take the bottle cap case
as an example.
Once you made your point,
why bother pressing further?
To try and get through
to Thompson.
Come on,
you knew you wouldn’t.
Like you said,
you’re a second-year
associate.
Thompson wants you
doing research,
interfacing with the clients,
preparing his arguments–
– the grunt work, right?
– Right.
But if I don’t speak up,
what’s the alternative?
Shut my mouth
and sit there
looking pretty?
First of all,
you always sit there
looking pretty.
Second of all,
I’m not suggesting
you silence yourself.
I’m just wondering
why you chose to work
at a corporate firm
where you knew your silence
would be expected.
And, really, what I’m wondering
is why you’re wasting the fight
you have inside you
on battles you can’t win
and issues you don’t
care about.
Excuse me?
You think because we spend
one afternoon together
and you tried
to buy me a sandwich,
you’re entitled
to pass judgment
on the choices I made
in my life?
– ( sighs )
– You think
I’m wasting my life.
Now, I never used
those words.
You didn’t have
to use those words.
You used other ones,
and they stung just as much.
Why?
If you really loved
what you were doing,
would you be bothered
by what I said?
No.
( scoffs )
You’d tell me
to go screw myself
and you’d go
on your merry way
making tons of cash
and doing trademark law
for the rest of your life.
And how do you know
that’s not exactly
what I plan to do?
Because you spent
two years of law school
in Gannett House
working pro bono cases
for poor single moms.
And my guess
is that it kills you
to know you can’t
put the same passion
and intelligence
towards cases that
actually mean something.
You’re more than welcome
to pass judgment
on your own father.
You know what?
You’re more than welcome
to pass judgment on me.
But quite frankly,
it sounds like you know me
about as little as
you knew him.
– Michelle–
– And the biggest offense
is this is
coming from a guy
who quit
community organizing
for Harvard Law
only to take
a summer position
at the same corporate firm
he’s railing against.
Now that is the height
of hypocrisy.
I apologize.
I meant no offense.
( birds chirping )
( voices echoing )
( chatter echoing )
( laughing )
( woman’s laughter echoing )
( chatter, laughing )
Watch it.
Hey, watch it!
( chatter )
Woman:
Barack!
( laughs )
Ladies!
Come in!
– Hello!
– So happy
to see you guys.
Looks like we got
a full house today.
Well, everyone heard
you was coming, Barack.
We all wanted
to get a look at
our Harvard man all grown up.
Does a year and a half
change a man?
Woman:
No, but apparently
it gets you a lady.
– Finally, a sister!
– Woman #2: Mm-hmm!
How you doing, sweetie?
My name’s Bernadette.
– Oh, Michelle.
Very nice to meet you.
– Hey, girl.
– I’m Janice.
– Hi.
We was your boyfriend’s ladies
while he was working here
in the Gardens.
– Oh, we’re not–
– Platonic ladies, child.
– Hey.
– Don’t go giving her
any ideas.
We did everything together
except the sexy stuff.
Mm. Now this is a real man
you got yourself here.
– Bernadette: Mm-hmm…
– Just going right over there.
( chatter )
– Woman: Hi!
– Tommy, my man.
B.!
( chuckles )
– Always so good to see you.
– Janice: Yo, Rafiqa!
This Barack’s woman,
Michelle.
Mm, he done well
for himself.
– Welcome!
– Janice, we’re not together.
– You saying this Barack’s girl?
– No, Kyle, this Barack’s woman.
– Michelle.
– Y’all married and shit?
Kyle, watch your mouth.
Your ass in church.
( muttering )
– Y’all married?
– No.
We’re not together
at all.
Let me tell you
a little something
about Barack.
My son Lawan wanted
to be in the navy
since he was playing
with toy boats in the tub.
But growing up
in the Gardens, whoo!
Little by little,
the place was getting to him.
And he was starting to get
the same ideas as every other
young Negro around here,
thinking there
ain’t no place for them
outside these walls.
And even if there was,
ain’t no way out.
Well,
then comes Barack,
and every time
he come by the house
to talk business,
he sets aside a little time
to talk with my Lawan
about navy boats.
Now, I don’t even
know how Barack knew
about navy boats,
and he could’ve been
making up names,
for all I know.
The USS this
and the USS that.
It didn’t matter.
He kept Lawan
interested.
He told my boy
that he could be anything
if he worked
hard enough.
You see, he didn’t have
a father to tell him that.
And you know what?
– He made it out.
– ( Bernadette chuckles )
My son is sailing
across the seas
on the USS Dakota.
Bernadette: He looking
all fly and professional
in his military uniform.
Hands off, girl.
That’s my boy
you’re talking about.
( Janice and Bernadette
chuckling )
Tommy: All right,
afternoon, everybody.
Afternoon.
– Crowd: Good afternoon!
– Afternoon. Right,
right, right.
Okay, now, today,
you know we’re here to
discuss the community center.
– ( scoffs )
What community center?
– Look, I know.
I know the city’s decision
was a disappointment,
all right?
Lord, Tommy.
It was more than
a disappointment.
It was six months
of our lives down the drain.
( crowd agreeing )
Okay, hold on.
Everybody, just hold on.
It was a disappointment.
But it wasn’t all bad.
See, now, we got ourselves
not one, not two, but three
foundations
to fund our
community center programs
when the time is right.
– And I got that in writing.
– ( crowd grousing )
Now, how in God’s name
are they supposed to fund
our community center programs
when we ain’t got
no community center?
All:
That’s right!
Well, that’s the dilemma
we’re here today to solve.
Now, what we
have to do first
is take a look at
why the city council said no.
Well, what difference
does it make?
They say no
to everything we ask for.
Now, now, that’s just
not always true, Curtis.
Now, we got that job center
up and running.
We got people’s apartments
on hold for them while
they rehabbing.
Look, all I know
is this–
Senator Torrance
got himself a state grant
to build a church
that he’s gonna preach in
and Alderman Sayid
helped him get it.
Crowd:
Tell him, tell him!
Tell him!
Meanwhile, my little girls
can’t go but a mile
up the road to play
for all the gangs
running around the Gardens,
pushing they drugs,
littering they garbage,
shooting they guns like
this is the Wild West
or something.
Shoot, our kids
can’t even go play
in they friends’ house
across the street
at the gates.
– Man: Nope.
– The senator got
himself a church.
Our kids got themselves
the shaft.
All:
That’s right!
( chattering )
Okay, okay, okay, okay,
that’s a lot of–
that’s a lot of issues
to address,
– and I know better
than anyone else.
– Man: Mm!
Come on, now,
I’ve devoted my life
to helping this community,
– but we got to stay focused.
– Woman: That’s right.
Look, we got to take
our anger and channel it
towards the goals
we setting.
– Right now, that’s
the community center.
– Woman: Tell them, Tommy.
Now, you know
from past experiences
we got things done
because we honed in
on one issue,
we pressed,
we squeezed,
and we screamed until
somebody finally listened.
It’s taking too long.
We tired of screaming!
– Well, then ain’t
nothing gonna change.
– Well, maybe it can’t!
– Huh?
– No way.
Well, look,
I disagree.
And I’m sure
our guest here
disagrees, too,
because I seem to recall
when he was standing here
in my position
by this podium
a year and a half ago,
y’all got something done.
I seem to recall
with his guidance,
your patience
and persistence,
y’all got that
asbestos problem
cleared up.
– Woman: That’s true.
– Got them toilets fixed.
The pipes cleaned.
Now, I know
when times were tough,
this brother right here
had a lot
of motivational
words for us,
and I’m gonna ask him
to come up and say
a few right now,
’cause I’ma tell you
something.
We might be down
for the count…
but we ain’t out.
Brother Barack.
– Why don’t you come on up?
– ( applause )
– It’s all you.
– Thanks, bro. Thank you.
– All right.
– Thank you.
– You know,
it’s good to be back.
– ( chuckles )
It’s good to see
all of you.
( sniffs, chuckles )
I missed
that musty smell
up here.
( people chuckling,
chattering )
Looks like Pastor Mike hasn’t
gotten around to filling in
that hole in the roof.
No.
Think we’re gonna have to
organize a meeting just
to get that leak fixed.
– ( chuckling )
– Woman: Never.
But listen.
I, um–
I feel your pain.
I do. It’s– it’s a part
of me now, that pain.
Sometimes, it hits me
like a heart attack
hundreds of miles away
in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Now, I could be listening
to a lecture in class
or studying
in the library
or watching a movie
or talking to a friend.
– I think
of all of you.
– Woman: Mmm.
I may have gone on
to a different life
at Harvard,
but you know
what I realized?
– I never left the Gardens.
– Crowd: That’s right.
Now, Tommy deserves
some credit here, folks.
Our fight with
the city council
two years ago
was proof that
these victories
do not come easy
and they don’t
come big.
They are few
and far between.
But you gotta use them
like building blocks.
You know, one by one,
one on top of the other,
and little by little,
you got yourself a building.
And that’s exactly
what you need in this case
is a building
for your community center.
Now, I feel
your disappointment.
But the truth is
you’re in
a good position
right now.
– ( all arguing )
– Woman: That’s why we ain’t
got no community center!
All right, all right,
all right.
Tommy got
funding pledges.
That’s real.
That’s money down the line
and that’s hard to secure.
Now, I know it’s not
the whole package,
but think about it.
Now all you need
is a building.
You’re halfway there.
The council said no
to the building,
but that was before
you had funding pledges
secured with the help
of Brother Tommy here.
So, now when you remount
your campaign,
you have something
to bring to the table.
You’re contributing.
And the folks downtown
who like to see us
contributing,
makes them feel like
the money they give you
is gonna be put to good use.
They just wanna know
that you care.
And Tommy’s right
when he says we need to take
a look at why they said no.
Not because
it’s the right decision,
but because
you gotta understand
where they’re coming from.
You’ve gotta understand
the city’s motivations,
its self-interest
in order to align them
with your own.
We turn self-interest
into mutual interest.
All right, so let’s give
the council members
the benefit of the doubt
for a moment.
Let’s say they want you
to have your community center.
( crowd grousing )
– Mm.
– Barack: Okay, okay.
But let’s say for a moment
that we got some good folks
on that council
and they’d like
to see your kids have
a place to go after school.
– Woman: Yeah, right.
– Barack: Now, I believe
there probably are a few.
So, if we’ve got some
good-hearted folks there…
why can’t they get
your funding request
approved?
– Getting paid to say no.
– Barack: Okay, Curtis.
I hear you, I hear you.
Anyone else?
– Don’t care enough.
– All right.
Any other ideas?
Maybe they don’t think
they can.
( chatter )
That’s what
I’m thinking, Kyle.
I don’t think they believe
they can get it done
even if they wanted to.
They know developers
don’t wanna build
in the Gardens.
There’s nothing in it
for them.
No stores,
no economy.
These council members
don’t necessarily want
the answer to be no.
They just believe
it will be.
Curtis:
So, what are you
proposing, Barack?
That we build
the damn thing ourselves?
Almost.
Almost, Curtis.
Now, Tommy and I
have been discussing this,
and we both think
you might wanna consider
changing the goal slightly.
Refocus your efforts on
obtaining a land designation.
Now, if you
control the land,
you can cut a deal
with one developer
to build everything
in the area
on the condition
that one of the buildings
be the community center.
Now, that’s more jobs,
more stores,
and a community center
for your children.
They just gonna say no
like they say no to
everything else!
Now, we gotta stop thinking
the word “no” is the end
of the line, Curtis.
“No” is just a word.
You flip those letters around,
you get an entirely
different word.
– “On.”
– That’s right.
– As in carry on.
( chuckles )
– Yeah, all right.
Say it with me, now.
– Carry on.
– Crowd: Carry on.
– They say “no,” we say…
– Crowd: “Carry on.”
– They say “no,” we say…
– Crowd: “Carry on!”
– Carry on, carry on.
– ( cheering, applause )
That’s it.
There you go.
You know,
Harold Washington…
– Woman: My man.
– Yeah.
Harold Washington
was one of the reasons
I moved to Chicago.
Woman:
Hmm, was he, now?
When I first came here,
every barber shop
and chicken shack
on the Southside
had a squeaky-clean picture
of him hanging up on the wall
for everyone to see.
– Man: He’s right about that.
– Woman: They all do.
Chicago’s first
black mayor.
– He was our mayor.
– Woman: Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
– Yeah.
– But even Mayor Washington
disappointed in some respects.
He had to face
the great truth
of our country–
that it’s not easy
to get things done.
You know, the founders
made it that way on purpose.
They made it messy…
so that no one law,
no one government,
no one man,
could decide the fate
of everything and everyone.
In very simple terms,
we got a heck of a lot
of different people
with a heck of a lot
of different agendas.
But I also believe
that people, most people,
are basically,
at their core,
good people.
So, if at first
we don’t understand
their agenda,
city council,
the aldermen,
and the state senator…
we have to try
our hardest
to understand
who they are
and what they need.
We have to let go
of judgment.
That’s a lesson…
I learned today
from a friend.
No matter what we think
about someone…
we never truly know
what it’s like to walk
in their shoes.
But we have to try.
You know, whether
it’s a colleague,
a family member,
or a particular opponent–
well, especially
our opponents.
Because where their needs
align with our needs…
is where
things get done.
Now, that’s America.
Just a bunch
of different states.
States of land,
states of mind,
states of people.
And it’s up to us,
all of us,
to keep all those
different states…
united.
( seagulls screeching )
( screeching )
Thanks
for inviting me.
It’s been a while
since I’ve had
that kind of connection
to real-life struggle.
Me, too.
In high school,
my typing teacher
gave me an A-.
( chuckles )
I wrote her a letter every day
until she changed it to an A.
I celebrated
all day long.
But that night,
I couldn’t sleep.
I kept asking myself
over and over again,
“Did I even
deserve the A?”
Sometimes, I forget
why I’m fighting.
Or even
that I am fighting.
I didn’t know I was
wrestling with myself
about the firm.
I understand that.
You think you’re
real smooth, don’t you?
Why?
Did you know you were
speaking today?
No!
Well, not exactly.
I knew there was
a decent chance, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Pretty good setting
to bring a girl.
Surrounded by people
who adore you,
people who
might tell this girl
heart-tugging stories
about how you
inspired their sons
to join the navy.
And an inspirational
speech that had everybody
in awe, Mr. Obama.
Including you?
It wasn’t bad.
You sounded
a little professorial.
( chuckles )
But you definitely
have a knack for
making speeches.
Thank you.
You know,
that being said,
it didn’t hurt
to take you there
on our first date.
– Our first what?
– You heard me.
( chuckles )
You must have misspoken,
because
according to you,
this isn’t a date
until I say so.
You know, if you don’t
wanna spend any more time
with me today,
I’ll respect it.
I won’t like it,
but I’ll respect
your wishes.
But if you wanna
keep hanging,
let’s call it a date
and move on to the next event.
– Next event?
– Drinks and a movie.
You think
you’re real smooth.
And real cute.
I don’t know
about the cute part.
I mean, they did
look good on Dumbo.
– I’d rather be Dumbo
than the Wicked Queen.
– Wicked Queen?
Now, you can’t just say
any old wicked queen.
– From which movie?
– ( both chuckling )
– ( chatter )
– ( music playing )
♪ Why can’t nobody
love me ♪
♪ Like my baby does? ♪
♪ Young girl
turned out to be ♪
♪ Two times,
twice the woman ♪
♪ That I thought
she was… ♪
Michelle: Don’t even
come at me with that
“Innervisions” nonsense.
Barack:
It’s a better album
all around.
Michelle: “You and I,”
“Sunshine of My Life,”
“Superstition.”
– Barack: All great songs.
– His best.
Huh, not better than
“Higher Ground.”
“Talking Book”
was the first album
I ever heard.
And if it was the last,
I’d be set for life.
– That’s how brilliant it is.
– Mm-mm.
( chuckles )
Man.
Well, at least we can agree
that Stevie is the best.
– Mm.
– At least we can
start from there.
Okay, so what about
that moment in the church
before the meeting?
Which?
I think
Bernadette said it
about you finally
dating a sister.
( both chuckling )
Who knows
with those two?
– They love to gossip.
– Is it true?
– Is what true?
– That you never
date black women?
– Not true.
– But you did
date white women.
I’ve dated a couple
white women, yes.
Which do you prefer?
( chuckles )
Come on, buster.
Now it’s your turn
to ante up.
My girlfriend
at Columbia was white.
Okay.
It was pretty serious.
What was her name?
Jennifer.
How long were
you with Jennifer?
A little over
two years.
( chuckles )
Mm-hmm.
Columbia was a…
strange time
in my life.
I was reading a lot,
figuring stuff out.
I had very few friends.
– Except for Jennifer.
– ( chuckles ) Exactly.
She was lovely.
She really was.
She was very caring.
Kept me company
when I was lonely.
We fell into that
private little universe
couples can fall into
where you develop
your own kind of language
and customs, you know?
I’ve never had that
with anyone
other than
my own family.
It’s nice.
Anyway,
when we went to visit
her family,
they were incredibly
gracious to me.
Very nice,
open-minded people.
But I looked around
at all the pictures
on the walls,
all the white faces,
and I knew I couldn’t spend
any more of my life
living as an outsider.
Does that answer
your question?
So, why did you
come to Chicago?
To try and make
a difference.
Mm-hmm.
Thought I would, too.
Thought maybe
I’d work civil cases.
Help women,
empower them.
Being at
that meeting today
aroused some
of those old dreams.
Lit some kind of fire.
But those
last couple years,
the corporate firms
descend upon the campus
like a pack of wolves.
And they’re so appealing.
( chuckles )
I wanted to be in a position
to pay off my loans,
pay my folks back,
live a little,
enjoy life.
There’s nothing wrong
with that.
There’s nothing wrong
with it until there is.
Yeah, I know
what you mean.
I just feel
like something else
is pulling at me.
I wonder
if I can write books
or hold
a position of influence
in civil rights.
– Politics?
– Maybe.
I just want to do more.
Yeah, so do I.
And maybe just wanting it
is enough for now.
Hm.
Whatever I end up doing,
I take comfort in knowing
I can’t do much worse
than my dad did.
That doesn’t sound
like the same guy
who gave
that fancy speech
earlier,
the one who talked about
letting go of judgment.
I’ve noticed how you talk
about your father.
That’s such an angry way
to live your life–
judging him,
living your life
against his.
You’re still fighting him,
but he’s not here anymore.
You said earlier you felt
his life was incomplete.
Every father’s life
is incomplete.
That’s why
they have sons–
to finish
what they started.
You know, my grandfather
was not a very generous man.
He could have helped
my dad through college,
but he was so terrified
of getting into debt,
he refused to lend him
any money.
So my dad had
to drop out of school
after a year.
Took a while,
but he forgave
my grandfather.
Then he got his job
with the city…
and he has spent
the rest of his life
working in that boiler room,
making sure
not to do to his kids
what his father
did to him.
You have to forgive
your father…
so your anger doesn’t
turn you into him.
You have to forgive him…
so you can be
better than him.
That’s what he would want.
( sirens wailing )
( police radio chatter )
( yelling )
Man:
Get out of the way, man!
Cop:
Break it up, break it up!
Get off of him!
Get off, man!
Get out of the way!
Man:
Let me through!
Let me through!
Let me through!
Get off me, get off me!
Get his arm!
Get his arm!
– Cop #2: Gary, that’s enough.
– Gary: Shut up.
Gary, that’s enough, man!
( man choking )
– Cop #2: Gary,
that’s enough!
– Gary: Shut up!
Man:
Radio Raheem!
Radio Raheem!
– No!
– Radio!
Radio Raheem!
Radio Raheem!
( men yelling )
( audience cheering )
Man in theater:
Yeah!
( men yelling )
( glass shattering,
objects crashing )
Michelle:
What’s the matter?
Be careful!
I feel a riot coming on.
– Ugh.
– ( chuckling )
– I’m gonna use
the restroom.
– Okay.
Woman:
No, I don’t wanna see it.
Man:
Michelle?
It is you.
Your height
gave you away.
( Michelle laughs )
Avery, what are you
doing here?
Uh, picking up groceries.
What do you think?
We came to the movies.
– You did?
– Yeah.
We partners do that
from time to time.
And, uh–
and on occasion,
we bring along our wives.
Laura, this is
Michelle Robinson,
one of our more
tenacious associates.
Michelle,
this is my wife, Laura.
So pleased to make
your acquaintance.
Likewise, likewise.
I think Avery
mentions you
at least
a dozen times
a day.
Are you here alone?
Me? Um, I’m…
with a friend.
Actually…
I have to go.
What did you think
of the film?
What did I think?
I liked it.
Well, all the hoopla
leading up to it,
I had to see for myself.
Oh, what did you think?
Compelling,
though the ending
was puzzling
and more than
a little infuriating.
Ha! Barack!
– Avery.
– Wow!
Having a Sidley Austin
reunion, here.
( nervous laughter )
We just came from a
community meeting
that we attended
as colleagues and friends,
and just thought
it might be a good idea
to stop and see the movie,
since it’s something
everybody was talking about.
Um, thank you for that
illuminating explanation.
Laura,
this is one of our
summer associates,
a very talented young man,
Barack Obama.
Very pleased to make
your acquaintance.
Pleasure’s all mine.
So, you got around
to seeing the movie,
I take it.
Yes, yes, we did.
In fact, I was just
explaining to Michelle
how angry that ending
made me.
Why would the deliveryman
have thrown the trash can
through his
employer’s window?
He must have known
his actions would cause
the mob to riot.
It seemed
totally irrational.
Let me put it to you
another way, Avery.
I’m all ears.
If Mookie hadn’t thrown
the trash can,
maybe the crowd would have
turned on Sal and his sons.
So, instead of the store
being destroyed,
they might be dead.
And Mookie knew
the insurance
would cover the damage
to the store.
He was saving Sal’s life.
I never would have considered
that perspective, Barack.
See, that’s why we need
a guy like you full-time.
( chuckles )
Michelle, make sure
to treat him real good.
We want him sticking around.
We’ll see you both Monday.
– Good night.
– Good night.
Night.
You know I only said that
to make Avery feel better.
Mookie threw that trash can
because he was fucking angry.
( chuckles )
What a coincidence
seeing him here.
That’s really wild.
It wasn’t a coincidence.
It was cosmic justice.
I knew damn well
going out with you
was the wrong thing
to do– pun intended–
and don’t even try
to convince me otherwise,
Barack,
because there’s nothing
you can say.
Nothing?
I can’t tell you that
Avery doesn’t give a hoot
about seeing
the two of us out?
“Make sure to treat him
real good.”
That was not okay, Barack.
By any measure.
It was smarmy.
You don’t think that was
laced with anything?
You don’t think he meant
anything by that?
Maybe he did.
So, what?
First thing Monday morning
he’s gonna spread
this juicy little anecdote
around the office
like wildfire.
You know, none of this
would have happened
if you had just respected
the boundaries I laid out,
but you refused.
You didn’t respect
our working relationship.
And now that’s all
there’s going to be.
( laughter, chatter )
I don’t want any…
( door opens, closes )
It’s pretty good.
( laughs )
You want some?
Sure.
( music playing )
♪ What goes underneath
your armor ♪
♪ Underneath your clothes? ♪
♪ Do you know? ♪
♪ Let’s find out
together ♪
♪ Let’s find
what we’re looking for ♪
♪ We’ll explore ♪
♪ Leave your house
of mirrors ♪
♪ Hear me out ♪
♪ Fear no consequence ♪
♪ Forget your doubts ♪
♪ I don’t know
where the road leads ♪
♪ You don’t know
if I’ll break your heart ♪
♪ We don’t know
how the winds will blow ♪
♪ And we won’t know ♪
♪ We won’t go ♪
♪ Unless we start ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, start ♪
♪ Fall into the sea ♪
♪ Of possibility ♪
♪ And hope ♪
♪ We’re letting go ♪
♪ Float away with me ♪
♪ Until we can’t see
any coast ♪
♪ That we know ♪
♪ Hold on tight
until we become one ♪
♪ Find our island ♪
♪ Underneath the sun ♪
♪ I don’t know
where the road leads ♪
♪ You don’t know
if I’ll break your heart ♪
♪ And we don’t know
how the winds will blow ♪
♪ And we won’t know ♪
♪ We won’t go ♪
♪ Unless we start ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Start, yeah ♪
♪ All the love
inside us ♪
♪ All you want to give ♪
♪ Only happens
if we let it live ♪
♪ And I don’t know
where the road leads ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ You don’t know
if I’ll break your heart ♪
♪ We don’t know
how the winds will blow ♪
♪ And we won’t know ♪
♪ We won’t go ♪
♪ Unless we start ♪
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh ♪
♪ Start, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, unless we start ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Oh, let’s start ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Unless we start. ♪
