A guy goes to europe On a business trip,
And he finishes up early,
So he sends His wife a fax saying,
"Honey, i'm coming home Tomorrow."
He's coming Home a week early.
He gets home, and walks In the house,
And he catches His wife in the act.
Yeah.
Doesn't even say anything, He's devastated.
He slinks Out of the house.
Goes to a shrink, tells the Shrink what happened.
The shrink listens Very sympathetically
And says, "maybe she didn't Get the fax."
( Laughing )
Yeah, that's A really good one.
It's not a great joke.
It's not ?
It's really about the Limitations of technology.
Hey, guys, how About a toast ?
Okay.
You with me ?
What are we toasting ?
What's today ?
Today's, uh, thursday.
To weekdays.
To weekdays in general ?
That's a little Thin, katz.
Well, think about it: Without weekdays,
The weekend would Just be the end of the week.
So to weekdays Everywhere.
It's the thinking Man's weekend, the weekday.
Definitely.
If you put it that way.
You smell good.
I do ?
No, it's me.
Yeah, they're identical.
I'm glad They're identical,
'Cause you save money On photographs.
That's what i like.
"There's my little boy, and i've Got another one just like him.
"All right ?
"So i don't have Another picture.
"I have two of these.
"You can't Tell 'em apart.
No one can tell 'Em apart."
That's the annoying thing.
You know, my mother will Come over to baby-sit for us,
And it frightens her that They look alike.
She's neurotic, my mother.
She's afraid.
My mother's Actually afraid
She's gonna keep feeding the Same on over and over again.
She's psycho.
We can't leave Them with her.
We're afraid, we're Afraid to go on vacation,
'Cause there'll be a big fat Baby when we come home.
"Oh, nice job, ma.
"Beautiful, Nice going.
"Look at that-- i'm gonna need Two pictures now.
"Are you happy ?
"Come on, Look at my children.
They're siskel and ebert !"
You mean they both Used to be siskel ?
She'll put-- You know what it is ?
'Cause my wife dresses Them alike still.
My mother will put, like, Nail polish on one of 'em--
Really ?
... Anything to Distinguish them.
One day we came home and she Told us she had no problem
Because one of 'em had A little scratch on his nose.
She's happy for The scratch.
It helped her,
Which was fine with me, And then it frightened me,
Because i didn't remember The scratch being there
When we left the house.
Oh dear.
That's right.
That's a horrible thought, but i Wouldn't put it past my mother.
She panics.
She's, "Oh, have a good time.
"Okay, i'm all right, Oh, hi, boys.
( Snickt )
"You're matthew, That's matthew.
Matthew has a scratch and He's a crybaby."
( Clearing throat )
Mr. Romano, Your account is past due.
Oh, yeah, all right.
What is it, What's the number ?
Well, you haven't paid for The last three appointments,
So that comes to $450.
All right, I got this one.
No worries.
How about a round ?
A round of mental health for Everyone in here, all right ?
I'm buying.
Don't even think twice, Put your money down.
Your money's No good here !
There you go, all right ?
You are One crazy guy.
Okay, ben, say when.
That's plenty, dad, thanks.
Dad, the rice-- you have Really outdone yourself.
The rice is great.
Well, thanks, ben.
That really Means a lot to me.
Dad, the rice is perfect.
I mean, it's moist, It's perfectly cooked.
You timed it right.
So tender, But it's not mushy.
It yields to the bite.
But not without a little Struggle, you know ?
You gotta still open Your mouth and chew it.
It's not that it just Goes right in.
Well, it's not Gonna just bite itself, ben.
I know what you're saying.
But thanks for The compliment, ben.
That means so Much to me,
When you just take The time to notice.
And i'm not a great cook, You know that.
But i'll let You in on a little trick:
You're not cooking a bunch Of individual grains.
You're cooking the rice.
It really works, If you think of it.
"I'm gonna cook the rice."
Your maternal grandmother Told me that before she died.
You know, it's funny.
I don't even Remember grandma.
Did i ever meet her ?
Well, she used to baby-sit For you until she died.
And then We said, "enough !"
We cut her off cold.
You know, you should maybe call It quits with the wine, huh ?
You know, just a thought.
You're getting A little silly.
No, i just--
It's nice at The end of the day.
I've had a rough day, and to let Your hair down a little bit.
I figure i Should let my hair down
Because it let me down.
( Laughing )
Yeah, that's rich.
Yeah, you're doing All right, dad.
How about a glass Of water or a cup of coffee
And then you can call It quits for the day
And start Drinking early tomorrow ?
You know, why don't You just put a--
You know, I've noticed lately
That you've been drinking More than usual.
I'm wondering If that's a problem.
I think the problem is you've Been noticing it more.
I'm drinking the same, and You're looking for some flaw.
You're all bloated, dad.
I feel A little puffy !
When you're done, do you wanna Watch tv or something ?
What's that ?
What are you gonna Do after dinner ?
I was thinking I was gonna watch tv.
There's a special on a really Drunk guy who drinks a lot.
You should watch that.
What's that called ?
It's called, "drinky guy Who's drunk all the time."
Drinky the drunk guy ?
Yeah, whose name Is my dad.
Ben, very sweet, This concern of yours, but--
It's not as much Concern as--
Enough already, Come on !
Well, dad, You know, hey.
I like to have fun as much As the next guy.
Not if The next guy is me.
You don't like to have Fun as much as me.
No, you like to Have fun with the juice,
With the booze, With the sauce.
Yeah.
I'm saying cut it, dad.
I swear to god-- It's killing you.
Yeah, i'm going down The tubes, ben.
Hi, i'm janeane garofalo.
I'm here To see dr. Katz.
Garofalo, how do You spell that ?
Like the animal.
So you blame yourself for A lack of romance in your life,
For the lack of a lasting Relationship ?
I mean, when it comes To sex and stuff, i totally--
Whenever anyone spends The night at my house,
Come 2:00 a.M., I'm like a bartender.
It's like, "all right, People wrap it up.
You don't have to go home, But you can't stay here."
There's a side of you that's Very nurturing and soft
And could bring a lot To a marriage, to a family.
I just think you need to Keep an open mind.
Well, doctor, an open mind Is why i don't get married.
What about these people
Who marry their high school Sweethearts ?
That's just like throwing A blanket over your head
And sitting indian style on the Floor for the rest of your life
And saying, "all doors that Are open shall now be closed.
"I'm going to stay with The person
Whose locker happened to Be near mine when i was 15."
I don't think You should be allowed
To get married 'til After you're 35.
I'm not so much Disagreeing with you, janeane,
As much as i'm-- i guess, i'm Agreeing with what i said.
I don't wanna get married, 'Cause how am i gonna--
What am i gonna do ?
I was such A straight-c student.
I can't help my kids with Their math homework.
I'll be like, "honey, just Look in the back of the book.
"That's where the Answers are.
That's what your Father and i always did."
You know what you have To offer a kid ?
Not necessarily What you know about math
But a certain playfulness That you could bring
To a relationship with a kid.
You're A playful person.
You are.
No, you are.
Dr. Katz's office.
Hi, laura, It's ben katz.
How are you ?
Uh-huh.
Yeah, doing well ?
Yep.
Good-- i can hear it In your voice.
It's nice and crisp.
Why are You afraid of me ?
I'm not afraid Of you, janeane.
You're always looking down at Your paper, and i just--
It just seems Like you're afraid.
No, on the contrary.
I'm just very secure With my paper.
It's not that I'm afraid of you.
I'm just very comfortable With the paper.
Do you like me ?
Do i, do i like you ?
Why do you Wanna know that ?
You're a bottle rocket today.
He's the same as ever ?
Yeah.
You think he's On an even keel ?
Maybe a little more so Than usual.
But the same.
But the thing is-- You know,
Last night, we sort of Had a little run-in.
He seems to be drinking A little bit more than usual.
The booze, you know ?
Liquor.
Ben, don't let your hypochondria Extend to your father.
Well, that's not Hypochondria, is it ?
Liquor ?
That's alcoholism.
If you think that you're An alcoholic when you're not,
That's hypochondria.
No, that's denial.
No, denial is when You are an alcoholic
And you don't think You are.
Okay, so what's Hypochondria again ?
It's when you don't have it But you think you do.
Right, okay.
You don't have it, You think you do.
Your father has it even less, And, uh, you think he does.
God, i could use a drink.
Okay, bye-bye.
I don't enjoy the moment, I don't go for the gusto,
I don't grab The bull by the horns,
I don't spend money on anything Other than designer coffee.
I spend, like, $1,800 a day on lattes.
That's an expensive habit.
You shouldn't have to pay That kind of money.
What is the street value Of a latte ?
Speaking of drinking, Would would you be interested
At all in a drink tonight ?
And i hold My nose when i say that,
Deliberately.
Why ?
I don't know, i'm just Pressing on it.
Okay, well, The answer's no.
About the drinking ?
Yeah.
Would it help if i asked You without the nose ?
Wait a minute-- It's the same.
I press my nose and I don't press my nose.
I have the same voice.
It's A nasal voice.
I can't help it.
Bye.
What about that drink ?
I'm sure that must have been A terrifying experience.
Getting mugged was one of
The worst experiences I've ever had,
And what's terrible is the Violation, as you know,
And they got my Wallet, with a really good
Driver's license picture.
What are the chances Of me duplicating that ?
Slim.
Slim to none.
To none.
And i don't understand why, In the animal kingdom,
They have so many Devices of protection,
Where in the human kingdom
We don't Have any of those
Biological imperatives That protect us.
Why couldn't i be walking, And then the muggers come,
And then it's like "See as janeane
Blends into the geo metro."
And they Have to move on.
It's not just Your things,
Not just Your belongings.
But they, really, in the end End up taking a piece of you.
They stole my pride.
They stole My sense of rhythm.
They stole my whimsical Good nature.
You shouldn't leave all That stuff lying around.
So are you guys eating ?
Are you guys Gonna eat something ?
Stan, you wanna share Something ?
Yeah, you got any of That brownish-reddish meat
You had yesterday ?
Yeah, i'll have a piece Of brownish-reddish meat.
On whole wheat ?
Yeah, i got Whole wheat.
Give us just A study in khaki.
A plate of earth tones, yeah.
I don't know how To buy food.
I screw it up when my wife-- That's kind of our defense.
Just screw it up so bad They'll never send you again.
That's what i do.
"Oh, honey, they were Out of celery,
So i got a hammer."
And that works ?
She gave me a list And she gave me coupons.
Why do they do that To us, doctor ?
That's what Puts us in therapy.
We can't handle coupons.
There's no man That secure.
No man.
There's no man who's That secure with himself,
Where he can look a register Girl right in her eye--
"Look, i believe it's 20 cents off the cocoa pebbles.
"Slow down, lady.
"20 cents-- shut up !
"I'm having A coupon problem.
"Mind your business.
Your milk is leaking, You shmuck."
We can't do that.
Men, we're idiots, We're stupid.
We're insecure, And we know it.
We have That macho image.
You can't even Hold the door.
You ever watch that ?
You ever watch a man, When he's
Holding the door Open for a woman,
And then another man is trying To get in right behind her ?
Eeeh !
Can't do that.
Can't hold it For him.
The most you can do is give him That little "there you go" flip.
Here.
I'm not gonna hold it, I'll get you started.
Get away from me, You weirdo.
You wanna Talk about my wife ?
Okay.
It's our anniversary Coming up.
Hey, congratulation, ray, How do you celebrate ?
Do you do Something special ?
It's less and less Every year.
It's just a card now, That's all.
Really ?
A card. I heard you.
We're just too tired.
I like when i have To buy a card for my wife.
Because then the men usually Like that,
'Cause the card can Express things that we can't.
That's how i shop For a card.
I read it, and if i can say It, i'm not gonna pay for it.
I look at the card, "i could Say that if i had to.
Oh, if i was drunk, I would say that."
When we drink, we get A lot more demonstrative.
Yeah, cops could give a drunk Driving test that way.
Just pull the guy over--
"Sir, how's Your marriage ?"
"I love my wife."
"You're under arrest, Son, that's all.
Put the balloon down."
Dad ?
Yes, ben ?
Dad, you know I love you very much.
Love you, too.
Well, i'm not gonna Beat around the bush.
I'm not gonna mince Words here.
I am here for a Specific reason, and that is--
Wait a second, Let me guess:
Did i forget Your allowance ?
No, no, no, it's Not that, dad.
It's actually More serious than that.
This is an intervention, dad.
I mean, i don't wanna Make any bones about it.
I'm here to tell you--
Can we do this later ?
Sure.
'Cause i'm almost Done with this chapter,
If you hold on one sec.
Well, why don't i leave And come right back ?
'Cause i didn't think i got A good start on that anyway.
I've never Done this before.
Well, it's not easy, Take your time.
I just-- i read a pamphlet.
Nothing worse than A bad intervention.
Yeah, that didn't Come off right.
Okay, so try it again.
You know, The truth is, ben--
You might find some Comfort here--
Is that i don't drink a lot For a guy with my body weight.
Really ?
How does that work ?
Well, there's a formula you can Use, depending on your weight.
For instance, a guy My size can have two beers
And not really feel The effects,
But a six-year-old, Who's much smaller--
Yeah, i've been there.
Cannot put Them away like that.
Yeah, that's true.
Dad, take off the mask For one minute.
Ben, i appreciate this, You know, your concern.
It's very sweet.
Dad, i will Never give up on you.
But, you know, this has Really gone far enough.
I've been very patient.
I blame myself, I blame mom.
You know, we should have seen The handwriting on the wall.
Ben, most american men And women who work for a living
Will have an alcoholic beverage At the end of the day,
And any medical Expert will tell you
That's actually A good thing.
It prolongs life.
Dad, you call This living ?
Walking around in A stupor ?
Reeking of liquor, sinking Deeper and deeper into debt ?
Okay, i'm gonna read.
What you see as My drinking problem--
The drinking !
The drinking, yeah ?
I see as My drinking hobby.
So it's a hobby ?
It's a hobby in the broader Sense of the word,
Because a hobby Really implies something
You do to relax, to enjoy Yourself.
Yeah, but Drinking is bad, dad.
You shouldn't have to do it All the time, like you do.
I don't have To do anything.
I don't have to drink.
Well, you do drink, Though, every day, right ?
Well, i have to drink.
That's what I'm getting to.
No, what i have to do Is i have to relax.
I have a--
I'm just saying: If you can get to that point
Where you can relax without the Use of alcohol, i think--
How about if i say This: point well taken.
And we leave it at that, You know ?
You've made your Point, and my point is
You're coming from a 24-year-old Vantage point.
I understand, I'm a younger man.
And when you're 24 years old, Relaxing could be, for you,
Just, you know, lying down And feeling your own manhood.
I don't know why I said that.
All right, I have a problem, too.
That's another question I had for you:
Is it a bad sign when you can't Tell if you dreamt something
Or if it Actually happened ?
Like what, ray ?
Like you Know what i mean ?
It'll be a few days later, and I'll have to say to my wife,
"Did we see my Aunt a few days ago ?
"We did, okay.
"And was her face Made of pudding ?
"It was-- it wasn't ?
All right, That's where-- okay."
You ever have That dream--
You know what i like Is when i know i'm dreaming.
Like, i'm seeing whatever I'm doing,
And i realize it's a dream, And so i know all rules are off.
You know what i mean ?
Right.
You just Go that extra step.
"Fat free my ass !"
Sure, go for it.
That's what The kids would say, right ?
( Music )
Whoops, you know What that means.
Already ?
I'm sorry, ray, Our time is up.
I want the extended Version next time.
I can't Get it all in !
You gotta go.
Ah, i feel A little better.
You are the youngest Of six ?
No.
I'm sorry, Let me check my, uh--
Okay, so you are The middle child,
Classic middle child syndrome.
No, i'm the Youngest of three.
My next guess, okay.
And the Only female ?
No.
You're not making this easy For me, janeane.
I have a sister who is Three years older than me
And a brother who is six Years older than me.
Classic, uh, stacking Every three years syndrome.
Good memories ?
Oh yeah, all good.
That's why I'm with you today.
What is your earliest Childhood memory ?
And take your time, Because sometimes--
I can't think of any.
No, well, what about Adolescent memories ?
It's dinner time, You're home
With your sister Or your brother,
Your dad's just gotten back From an out-of-town trip.
Nothing-- not working ?
Your mother's had A couple too many, maybe ?
Not ringing any bells.
Let's back it up, You're ten.
The braces Are about to go on.
I never had braces.
You're holding Back, janeane.
You know what, i think I'm just gonna go.
Well, we still have a couple Of minutes, janeane.
Why don't we Keep working here ?
Yeah, i really feel Done, though.
I feel like It's just-- it's time.
Yeah, so go with That feeling.
I will go with that--
No, don't go With that feeling.
I mean, just--
Why don't i just take The feeling to my car
And sit with it in my Car and drive home with it,
And if i feel that It's appropriate
To come back With the feeling,
I'll bring it on Back to you ?
Hey, you know, Our time is up.
( Music )