You Understand That Don't You?

08-08-2008

Diana - You could help me out with Howard if you wanted to. He listens to you.
Max - I’m tired of all this hysteria about Howard Beale.
Diana - Every time you see your family you come back in a morbid middle-aged mood.
Max - I’m tired of finding you on the phone every time I turn around. I’m tired of being an accessory in your life. I’m tired of pretending to write this book about my maverick days in the great early years of televisión. Every goddamned executive fired from a network in the last years has written this dumb book about the great early years of televisión. And nobody wants a dumb, damn book about the early days of televisión.
Diana - Terrific, Max. Maybe you can start a whole new career as an actor.
Max - It’s the truth.
Diana - After living with you for six months I’m turning into one of your scripts.
Max - Well, this is not a script, Diana. There’s some real, actual life going on here. I went to visit my wife today because she’s in a state of depressión. So depressed that my daughter flew from Seattle to be with her.And I feel lousy about that. I feel lousy about the pain that I’ve caused my wife and my kids. I feel guilty and conscious-stricken and all of those things that you think sentimental but which my generation calls simple human decency. And I miss my home, because I’m beginning to get scared shitless. All of a sudden it’s closer to the end than to the beginning, and death is suddenly a perceptible thing to me, with definable features. You’re dealing with a man that has primal doubts, Diana, and you’ve got to cope with it. I’m not some guy discussing male menopause on the Barbara Walters show. I’m the man that you presumably love. I’m part of your life. I live here. I’m real. You can’t switch to another station.
Diana - Well... what exactly is it you want me to do?
Max - I just want you to love me. I just want you to love me, primal doubts and all. You understand that, don’t you?
Diana - I don’t know how to do that.

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