And He is testing us.
Every day, our Lord is testing us.
If He wasn't testing us,
how would you account for the sorry state of our society,
for the crimes that plague the big cities of this country?
When He can sweep this pestilence from the face of the earth,
with one mighty gesture of His hand.
If our Lord wasn't testing us,
how would you account for the proliferation these days
of this obscene rock and roll music
with its gospel of easy sexuality and relaxed morality?
If our Lord wasn't testing us,
He could take all these pornographic books and albums
and turn them into one big fiery cinder like that!
But how would that make us stronger for Him?
One of these days, my Lord is gonna come to me
and ask me for an explanation for the lives of each and every one of you.
And what am I gonna tell Him on that day? That I was busy?
That I was tired? That I was bored?
No! I can never let up! I welcome His test.
I welcome this challenge from my Lord,
so that one day I can deliver all of you unto His hands.
And when that day dawns, I don't want to have to do any explaining.
I don't want to be missing from your lives.
Praise the Lord in singing
hymn number 397, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus".
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
I will. You have a good week now. Bye-bye, Elroy.
Mrs MacCormack, your sister has us so excited about you coming.
- Thank you. - Did you meet my wife, Vi?
- No. How do you do? - How nice to meet you. Welcome.
- This is my son, Ren. - Hello, Ren.
Would you excuse me?
- Daddy! - Oh, Ariel...
- Come and meet the MacCormacks. - The stunning new gentleman.
This is Mrs MacCormack.
- And her son is Ren. - Ren.
Ren's gonna be new at the high school tomorrow.
- Hi. - Hi.
Daddy, me, Edna, Wendy Jo and Rusty are going for a soda at the Hi-Spot.
- See you! - Ariel, you have school tomorrow.
I'll be home for supper.
- God, is he excellent? - The new kid? Ah, he's all right.
Are you blind? He's gorgeous!
- Have you seen the new high school? - No.
Oh, my God, I almost forgot. Cindy Addis had her baby.
- How did you find out? - Who told you?
Yesterday, my mother spoke to her mother.
- Is she coming back? - I don't feel sorry for her.
You can't buy a diaphragm through the mail. Right?
- Did she decide who the father was? - No question! It was Duane Capps.
Wait a minute! I'd been going with Duane Capps. He never had the time.
- How long does it take, Wendy Jo? - Ladies and gentlemen,
moving up behind us you'll notice the incredible Barf-mobile. Crap!
Come on!
Hi, girls. Going my way?
You lonely tonight?
You wanna race? You got a race!
- What, that piece of junk? - Step on it!
I am stepping on it.
Come on! Come on, no guts?
- In the back of us! - Take this, Rusty.
- Come on! - Chicken!
- Hey, catch! - Come on, I'll take you all on, girls.
- Come on, Chuck! - Ariel, what are you doing?
- Come on! - Edna, slow down, OK, please!
- Throw it, honey! - You ready?
- Ariel, stop it! - Come on, you can do it, honey!
Ariel, get back in the car!
Ariel, will you stop it now?
It's not funny. You're gonna kill yourself!
- Be careful! - He's testing us, He's testing us!
Hurry up, there's a truck!
Get in the car now!
- Shit! Get in the truck, girl! - Get into the car!
Ariel, be careful!
Come on, get in!
Get in!
- We shouldn't have let her done that! - My God!
- Have you met your teachers? - I haven't had a chance.
Reverend, they've only been here eight hours.
I took care of all that last week, registered him and everything.
Vi, I made you some of those tollhouse squares I promised.
Lulu, you taste one of these, you'll burn your recipe.
Reverend, we have a little problem.
The English teacher at the school is planning to teach that book.
"Slaughterhouse Five": Isn't that an awful name?
That's a great book.
"Slaughterhouse Five", yeah, it's a classic.
Do you read much?
Maybe in another town it's a classic.
- In any town. - "Tom Sawyer" is a classic.
Now, that's fine, Ethel.
- Have some more ham. - No.
Are you sure Ren doesn't want something?
I don't think so. We're both tired from the move.
I'm gonna take Ren a potato.
Amy, come back and sit down. I'm sure your cousin's fine.
It's a shock, moving out here from the big city.
- What if he's starving? - Amy, you are so lame!
- Sarah! Amy! Eat. - I can't sit still!
I'm so excited you're both here!
- Ethel, you sure you're not too tired? - No, Ren did most of the driving.
If you ask me, Ren is a total fox.
- Amy! - Where did you hear that?
Ethel, you see how television and those kinds of books influence children?
You see?
- What the hell's your problem?! - Chuck Cranston, are you crazy?
- You're sick! - Ariel, here's your sweater.
Ariel, are you out of your mind? I could kill you!
You almost did, Edna!
Yeah, that's what you get for sniffing spray starch.
After he graduated, they drained his brain.
- Are you getting fries? - If I am, you can't have any.
- Wendy Jo! Wendy Jo! - Yes?
- Bring me Edna's fries. - Sure.
Hey, where are you going? What are you doing?
- Smuggled tapes. - You be careful with that.
Your daddy hears you playing it, he'll bust your butt.
He had his hands all over her!
Your mother didn't think you had any money with you.
- Ren? - Yeah, Mom.
- You about ready to go? - Uh-huh.
- Are you gonna wear that tie? - Yeah.
I think you might want to dress down for now.
Well, I like the tie.
September, when you go to college, you can dress like David Bowie.
Come on, let's go.
Why don't you comb your hair?
Shit, where you going? Son of a bitch, you're supposed to look.
- Sorry. - Where'd you learn how to drive?
You're supposed to stay on the right side.
Hey, I like that hat. Do they sell men's clothes where you got that?
Willard, come on!
- What's your name? - Ren.
Yeah? My name's Willard. Hewitt.
- Pleased to meet you. - How you doin'?
- All right. I'll see you around. - All right.
Willard, I swear, one of these days...
Hey, that tie is fabulous! Don't let anyone tell you any different.
Ariel...
- Right? - Very good.
Whoo! Girl, you are on!
Chicago? Wow, man! Must be wild, like the Naked City.
Fish.
You gonna bounce off the goddamn walls here. What do you do there?
I don't know. Same thing you do here. What do you do here?
- A lot of this. - Yeah, that too.
Oh, I tell you, man. There was this place called the Blue Heaven.
It was great. Had to steal IDs to get into this place.
It was incredible, you know. It was like a huge underground circus.
Hot pink neon, climbing up the walls.
Astral music. And girls, millions of girls, from the university mostly.
If we could get one of them to dance, that was it.
We'd get on the floor and really start to smoke, cutting in on each other,
and these girls would stop whatever they were doing, and look.
- They'd look how? - They'd start to warm up a little.
Right? Pretty soon, they'd start buying us beers.
- They're buying you guys beers? - Oh, yeah.
- Ah, shit! - Oh, yeah.
Oh, wait. There was this one... This was the best! Ginger.
Listen, we started dancing, OK?
Slow dancing, like we're stuck to each other.
Eventually, it's obvious to me she wants to do more than dance, right?
So we left the place.
On the way to the car, she's already got her tongue in my ear.
We get to the car. She says we can't go to her place 'cause of her roommate.
She says, "Hey, that's no problem!"
She's got these seats in the car that recline back, all the way back.
- If you know what I'm saying. - All the way?
Would I shit you? Right?
She rips my shirt open. She's clawing my chest.
She's biting my neck, I'm trying to get over the stick shift.
We're going like a train. All of a sudden, she starts screaming, "Oh, God!"
"Oh, God! Don't stop! Don't stop! Make Ginger pop!"
Oh, shit! Really?
No.
Yeah, but we did dance. We danced our asses off!
Willard, how could you let our new student eat this food?
- Ugh! - Don't eat this!
We have some delicious home-made food over there.
- Come on over! - It's so good. Yeah, come on.
- Come on, Willard! - Hi!
Chicken! Come on. Good boy! Come on, bring your friend.
- You won't get any of that here. - What's that?
- Dancing. There's no dancing. - That's right.
- Why? - It's illegal.
- Jump back! - It's true.
- Has been for five or six years. - Why?
Go ahead, tell him.
Started when some kids got killed in a car wreck.
Whole town went bananas, blamin' it on the music and liquor and dancin'.
Now they're just convinced it's all a sin.
- Who's convinced? - Whole damn town.
So you really can't dance here, man? I can't believe that.
It's true. This isn't the only place either. You'd be surprised.
Places upstate you can't dance.
Places in Kansas and Arkansas. All over the place.
My cousin lives in Montana. You can't dance there, either.
- She ever get busted for boppin'? - I don't know. Never asked her.
You rich?
No. No. Why?
'Cause I don't think I ever bought a tape before.
Get serious! This place is too weird! Don't you ever listen to the radio?
- No. We got one, but it's never on. - Do you like Men At Work?
Which men? Where do they work?
- They don't, they're a music group. - What do they call themselves?
Oh, no! What about The Police?
- What about them? - You heard them?
- No, but I've seen 'em. - In concert?
- No, behind you. - What? Oh, shit!
- Step out of the car. - Tell me what the problem is.
Just step out of the car, please.
Hey, Jim! These plates are Illinois state.
- So? - So you got a licence?
- Jim, catch. - Hey, I just bought that.
- Playing it kinda loud, weren't you? - Is there a law against loud music?
Watch that attitude, boy! This way, I don't have to take you in.
$25! They wouldn't even let me off with a warning.
You can't talk to our police like you do city police.
- But I wasn't doing anything. - Yeah, sure.
Sarah, hush.
Some kids snuck over the state line a year ago to see a rock 'n' roll group.
They were stopped on their way back into town by the police.
They were on church and school probation for weeks.
You'd better watch your step around here, young man.
Daddy?
I'm sorry about the other night at the drive-in. About the music.
- I was surprised. - Yeah.
Daddy? I don't know what came over me.
I can't always be with you, Ariel. I can't always look out for you.
- What's the music? - Oh, it's...
I think it's Haydn, chamber pieces.
- And that kind of music's OK? - Well, it's uplifting.
It doesn't confuse people's minds and bodies.
I don't...
What?
I see.
Tell your mother to go to bed. I still have a lot of work to do.
Yeah, I will.
- Daddy? - What is it?
- Goodnight. - Goodnight, hon.
- Hey, Chuck! - I'll catch you later.
Grab my books. Let me in!
How you doin'?
Hey, you the new kid?
I'm talkin' to you! Where'd your tie go?
I thought only pansies wore neckties.
Oh, yeah? See that? I thought only assholes used the word "pansy".
- He got you on that one, Chuck. - Shut up!
Son of a bitch is gonna pay for that.
Either you got jumbo coconut balls or you're pretty stupid.
- Who was that douche bag? - A little weasel, but watch your back.
- Can you operate a pallet jack? - Uh-uh.
- How about a bag closer? - Uh-uh.
- Where are you from? - Chicago.
- You're not stupid, are you? - Are you trying to piss me off?
A lot of folks are gonna give you problems right off. You're an outsider.
You're dangerous. They're always gonna worry about you.
Screw 'em. This is only one little corner of the world.
- Start Thursday? - Sounds OK.
Hard work, but you'll get used to it.
- Oh, hi, Ariel. - Chuck Cranston wants to see you.
Meet him at the back of his daddy's field tomorrow, five thirty.
So what happens tomorrow at five thirty?
You'll have to show up to find out.
- And if I don't? - People'll know you're scared.
Anyway, Chuck'll find you. You want that?
Hey, Ren, you're backing up in here! Where are you?
Hey, yo, yo!
- How come he sent you? - I volunteered.
MacCormack, where the hell are you?
You know her?
And so she tells me that I pissed Chuck off, right?
So he wants to see me. Then she walks away.
He's betting you're gonna chicken and never... Impressive!
Nah. Kind of out of it.
- Had to go to work last year. - Well, you still move it.
You better watch that! Ariel's gonna tell her pop and you're gonna burn!
Yeah, what's her story? Is she really tough or what?
Nah, she's just trying to make people forget she's a preacher's kid.
- That why she hangs out with Chuck? - Maybe.
- People'll think she's a hellraiser. - Is she?
I think she's been kissed a lot.
Ah, Chuck! You'd never guess your daddy's a fire chief!
You'd never guess your daddy's a minister, with red boots!
My daddy hates me wearing these boots.
And you love that, don't you? Huh?
What are you gonna do when I go to college?
- Why you wanna do that, honey? - Just 'cause.
I'm cut out for more than this small town.
You're as small-town as they come!
A chicken race with tractors?
- How hard could it be? - Just like a car, it's easy.
Just like driving a sports car. Nothing simpler.
Hell, Ren. Just remember to stay calm.
Calm? Calm, you say? And I've never driven a tractor before!
It's easy. Here's your clutch.
- You got your clutch down here. - Your brake.
- Your gas and your brake. - Start off, you shift it into high.
Just put it into third and slam it into fourth.
- Put it into fourth. - That's your emergency brake.
- These operate your buckets. - Don't mess with the buckets.
I'll bet he's scared shitless and he turns out in ten seconds.
Whoa! Hey, Chuck, are you sure you're up for this?
- Whose side are you on, honey? - You had a lot to smoke.
Don't tell me I had enough to smoke.
I didn't say that. I said you had a lot to smoke.
Don't tell me that, either. You go tell dogface we're ready to go!
- All right, let's do it! - Let's go! Catch you later!
Go on, man. This race is already won.
He's chicken shit. Hang in there, you'll be great.
- Just hope to God he pulls out. - Then I wanna split his face open!
- Cool it, Tarzan! - Give him hell, Ren!
- Get him, Ren! - We're with you.
How did I get myself into this? Hey, hey, Woody. Woody, come here.
Listen, has anybody ever died doing this?
- Just once. - Hey, Ren!
Hey, sport, when this hat flies in the air,
you better have your butt in gear!
- Forget her! - I got my fingers crossed!
Come on, show 'em, Ren!
- Come on, Ren! - Go, go!
Come on, you sucker!
Come on, Chuck! Move it!
Oh, you wanna go up, huh? There you go!
You wanna go down, man?
Kick his ass! Come on!
Man, come on!
That's it, jump! Chicken!
Sit back down!
What you doin', huh?
Stupid idiot!
- Get off! - Turn out!
Oh, shit!
All right!
- Help! The guy tried to kill me! - Get him out of there.
Excuse me! Thank you.
I don't believe this town!
Hello!
- Tell me. - OK.
He has team practice every day until four.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, he works at the Beamis Mill till six.
Whoops! You already knew that, right?
OK, he hasn't dated since he's been in town.
- And late Friday nights... - Yeah?
By the light of the full moon,
he breaks into churchyards and bites the heads off live chickens.
Ariel, what is it? Chuck? I never did think he had all his dogs barking.
Besides, what is wrong about getting a little psyched over Ren? He's cute!
He's from out of town. Don't say that doesn't curl your toes.
I know you too well.
You want out so bad, you memorise bus schedules!
You don't?
Hey, asshole! Interested in some really good shit?
My God, Rich, you sly little shit!
- You just made a whole sentence! - Don't get smart-ass!
I've been watching you these past two weeks. I know you're not stupid.
I've a friend here who can help you out from time to time.
Thanks, but I got my own sources. I've been getting into hog tranquillisers.
Let's call this a sample and you know where you can get more.
Rich, hold up. I don't want your shit.
Why don't I take it? You're taking chances being new in this school!
I gotta show you something. This is tea! This is tea!
What you doin'?
D'you think I'd do that with a real joint?
Do you know what an ounce is going for these days?
I'm gonna get you.
You wait. The reverend was right about you.
Seems a bunch of kids was raising some hell
out at Burlington Cranston's property a few days back.
Tore up the fields, turned over a tractor and everything.
Today, someone suggested to me
there's been some trouble up at the high school.
I think it was drugs. You wouldn't know anything about that?
- No. - What'd you say? I can't hear you.
- He said no. - Amy!
I said... no, sir.
Ren, whenever we used to call up to your folks in Chicago,
I don't think there was any trouble there, was there?
I don't know what to make of it.
But a lot of people are pointing a finger in your direction lately.
- What are they saying? - What I have been telling you,
about the trouble and the drugs.
You seem to be having trouble since you moved here and I figured...
You figured where there's smoke, there's fire, right?
Usually works like that.
Look, Ren. You know I would never try to take the place of your father...
Yeah, well, there's no chance of that.
Ren...
Uh-oh, he's taken the car!
Big time!
- What you doin' here? - Watching.
- Thought I was alone. - Not in this town!
There's eyes everywhere!
- How come you don't like me? - What makes you think I don't?
You never talk to me at school. You never look at me.
Maybe 'cause if I did your boyfriend would remove my lungs with a spoon.
Chuck Cranston doesn't own me!
He likes to act like he does. But he doesn't.
D'you wanna kiss me?
Someday.
Hey, what is this someday shit?
I get the feeling you've been kissed a lot. I'm afraid I'd suffer by comparison.
You don't think much of me, do you?
- D'you think I'm small-town? - I think Bomont's a small town.
I'm going away. I've already applied to colleges.
I applied to colleges my father doesn't even know I applied to.
He's gonna come after me. But I'm gonna be gone.
- Wanna see something? - Sure.
We call it The Yearbook. It started four or five years ago, I guess.
Stuff we're not supposed to read.
Whoa!
- This is all out of books? - Most of it. Some songs, magazines.
Some poems that get made up.
"I'll sing to you of silver swans, of kingdoms and carillons..."
"I'll sing of bodies intertwined underneath an innocent sky."
- You wrote that? - It's not even one of my best.
It's all right.
Wait a minute! You hear that?
- What? - The train. You hear it?
Sometimes after football games, we come out here, just a few of us.
We stand here.
Then when the train comes, we make out like crazy.
Oh, yeah?
Most of the time we just stand and scream!
- Great. - Yeah. Saw it in a movie once.
Real loud. From here.
Don't screw around.
Come on.
Come on, I'll take you home.
- It's late. - Yeah.
It's hard to impose a curfew on the young people of my congregation
that I can't even enforce in my home.
- Have you been drinking? - No.
- Were you smoking something? - No!
I wasn't stealing, I wasn't gambling, I wasn't dancing,
I wasn't reading books I'm not supposed to!
I am late.
Who were you with?
Ren MacCormack.
I don't want you to see him any more.
- Why? - I've heard he's a troublemaker.
Just 'cause he hasn't lived here 20 years, doesn't make him a troublemaker!
- I don't know what to do with you. - There ain't nothing to do with me.
You like it or not, this is it. It doesn't get much better.
Hey, what the hell happened? Why'd you get kicked off the team?
Somebody's got it in for me.
Coach finds out I brought Ariel home late, so I'm a troublemaker, right?
But that's not why I'm off the team.
No, I'm off the team 'cause they don't have the funds
for one more gymnast this year, but thanks anyway.
I'm trying to fit in and every door is slammed in my face.
MacCormack! Sorry to hear you got caught.
Don't fool around with the preacher's daughter!
How does anybody live in this town?
You know what it is? You got an attitude problem.
- I got an attitude problem?! - Yes!
I'm not the only one who's noticed it.
We're not in the Middle Ages. We got TV, we got "Family Feud".
We're not stuck in "Leave It To Beaver" land here.
Yeah, well, I haven't noticed a wet T-shirt contest in town yet.
Well, I haven't either, but I'm waiting... patiently.
I tell you what I'd like to do, man.
I'd like to glue a Playboy centrefold in each of Reverend Moore's hymnals.
You know what else? We could start one of your nightclubs in the church.
Hey, that's it! That's it, man!
- What? What's it? - A dance.
- What? - A dance! We could have a dance!
A dance! You know, dance!
- You know what I mean, dance! - You're gonna get me angry!
- We'll turn this town upside down. - Stop!
I was in Denver last year for about a week at a Bible convention there.
The whole time I was there, people would ask me,
"Reverend, how can you live in such a small town?"
"So far away from the hustle and bustle of the 20th century."
I'd say to them, "You'd never ask me that"
"if you could, just for one minute, experience the feeling of family"
"that comes from knowing that all our lives are tied up with each other's."
"That we feel all the same joys, the same sorrows, and that we care."
"Every one of us cares for the other."
I told them, "I just feel closer to my Lord out there."
"And I feel closer and safer with my people."
"I think they feel closer to me."
"The Lord smiles on us out there."
"And that's where I'm staying." Why don't you have some cake?
The council has no intention of granting a small group of students' wishes.
Eleanor and I are absolutely certain that this boy is organising a dance.
- We'll have no dance! - Let some punk push us around?
Before long every standard in the community will be violated!
- They're in a tizzy! - Get in!
- Got the whole council going! - That's a meeting I won't miss!
We're going over the state line, to see what you've been missing.
You're not gonna let Willard fight?
- I don't fight! - Right, and I don't breathe!
- Are you gonna dance? - I drink better than I dance.
- Come on! - Come on!
I'll watch you guys. Show me something new.
We didn't come all this way to sit it out!
I'll be out there! Don't worry.
- I'm just grabbing a beer. - Come on, man!
Don't be an asshole! They're waiting to dance with us.
- I can't dance. - You what?
I can't dance!
At all!
Oh.
All right. All right.
- Buy him a beer. - Rusty, take my jacket.
What's the matter?
My feet have been hurting all day.
- They weren't before! - I'm sitting this one out.
- I wanna dance. - I wanna get a beer.
Waitress, let me get another beer.
I can't help myself, Willard!
I came with that girl.
Doesn't look like you're leaving with her.
I guess you didn't hear me the first time.
No fights. You don't even know this guy.
- Flake off! - Hey!
Willard, no fights!
When's the last time you seen your dick, partner?
Hey!
Hey, whoa, break it up.
Rusty, he was fighting to save your honour.
Too late!
- I don't fight. - Is your dance gonna be like this?
- Everything but the fight. - Forget it, man.
"Up on the roof, oh, yeah. 100 proof, oh, yeah."
"Oh, ain't that fine? Oh, yeah. You cherry slime. Oh, yeah!"
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!
I hate this bridge. Gives me the creeps.
How come?
You've heard this one. The infamous Crosby Bridge accident, right?
- You've heard it. - No.
You're missing out!
About five years ago, these kids were playing highway tag. They were drunk.
One car hits the other and they both go over the edge of the bridge. Dead.
That's when they started passing the laws against dancing and drinking.
- My father had a field day. - Your father? Why?
My older brother was one who got killed.
You should have seen Bobby. He was like Warren Beatty only taller.
My father went off the deep end.
He decided we all needed saving, no matter what!
He's gonna save this little piss-ant town and deliver it up to heaven
with his daughter sitting like a cherry on top!
I called over to Rusty's last night.
I don't understand why you feel it necessary to lie to me.
I don't know why you check up on me.
I'm concerned about your well-being, that's all.
When I'm at home you're never as interested
in what I'm doing or saying as when I walk out that door.
You wanna know everything!
I don't know what's provoked this outburst, but I don't like it,
any more than not knowing where you were last night.
Shaw, don't you think we could wait?
No. I'm sick of you coming in on her side!
She's gonna have to start answering for herself.
I don't know what good that would do. You don't listen to me or even her!
I've never hit anyone in my life.
No.
We're losing her, Vi.
- Don't you see that? - No.
I see you chasing after her, and I see her running from you.
She's become so wilful and obstinate.
She's like her father. The two of you were so wonderful once.
You had so much to talk about.
I was almost jealous.
It's not as if we don't talk.
It's just that... sometimes people run out of things to say.
Shaw... it's 20 years now I've been a minister's wife.
And I've been quiet, supportive, unobtrusive...
After 20 years, I still think you're a wonderful preacher.
You can lift a congregation so high they have to look down to see heaven.
But it's the one to one where you need a little work.
- We could use your support. - My mother wouldn't approve.
But we're not talking about a free-for-all.
It won't be a drunken brawl. It's just a dance.
Just give it some thought, OK? Sleep on it, OK? Just think about it.
- OK, thanks. - Senior prom? Sounds great to me.
How you doin'? Need any help, just let me know.
- You got it. - Don't forget.
Chuck has heard something that's upset him.
I want you to tell me it ain't so, Mr Chicago Big Shot.
He's been hearing you're gonna throw a dance at school, a senior dance.
He figured only a dumb faggot would try that. Is that what you're trying?
He sure the hell is!
Excuse me, girls. Come on out, Ren. You guys stay right there!
- Is he really gonna get us a dance? - Yep. Ain't you?
- It's about time. - I'll be there.
Thanks.
Didn't your momma teach you better manners?
Do you treat animals like that? How's it feel? Not too good?
- What? - You'll have to fight City Hall.
What do you mean, I gotta fight City Hall?
Because, Mr MacCormack, there's a town council.
It's made up of about seven people. Shaw Moore's one of them.
Burlington Cranston is another one.
I don't like that lousy son of a bitch.
They meet every third Thursday of the month.
If you want something, you have to talk to 'em.
You're gonna get really creamed.
Jeez, I'm not so good with words.
Keep thinking like that, you will get creamed!
So? Woody doesn't know a dance from a dipstick!
And you do? You do? Which way is your left?
Willard, which way is your left? He don't know his left foot from his right!
If I gotta get up in front of that council, then you're gonna learn to dance.
What is this, Roger? I don't know this book.
- I would hope you wouldn't. - Reverend Moore?
Mrs Evans is calling about that dance at the school.
Tell her I'll call her back after Junior Bible.
All right, now, what were you saying?
This was found in one of the athletic lockers at the school.
A book like this should be burned!
We should remove this corruption from the library shelves.
There's no sense blowing it up into something it isn't.
Hello! Careful!
Come on, Max. I'll set up, Vi.
I think it's quite obvious what it is.
It's not quite so obvious how I should handle it.
Reverend, if you'll excuse my saying so,
when we got rid of that young English teacher, we got no support from you.
I didn't think we had any grounds for his dismissal.
Around here, it caused a lot of folks some worry.
A lot of folks worried a little too much.
Doesn't take long for corruption to take root.
How long is that? About as long as it takes compassion to die?
- Say, do I get a cookie? - No!
How about some milk? Did you drink it all?
Yeah!
- I wanted to talk... - You don't have to!
- I know why you don't call me. - I wanted to tell you myself.
I know why you don't want to see me any more. I'm not stupid!
I'm not blind.
It's MacCormack, ain't it? You're just dying to screw MacCormack.
- Aren't you? - You're so stupid!
Stupid? Think I don't see you looking at him like some bitch in heat?
- You'd wrap your legs round anybody. - Shut up!
Is that what I get? Huh? I treated you decent!
Shit!
Hey! Hey, put that down! Don't even think about that! Jesus!
You think about it! D'you like it?
Stop it, Chuck!
I was about through with you, anyway!
I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I'll sneak in at home, I'll be fine.
- Do I look OK? - Yeah, you'll pull through.
Thanks for coming for me.
I don't understand.
There's nothing to understand. It's for taking on my father.
No, wait a minute. I got no beef with him.
Wait. No. This is my fight, with the town, not with one guy.
You can't turn my fight into some "screw you" to your old man.
Hey, look...
Maybe...
Maybe you shouldn't try so hard to forget your brother.
Or try to make your father forget him, you know?
- It's not that easy. - I know.
Do I still get the box? Give me the box. Come on.
It's nice.
Think you might ever kiss me?
Harvey and Bernie were here for a long time.
- Still talking about that dance? - Yeah.
- What did you decide to do? - It's not gonna happen.
That's one more thing that Ariel's not gonna forgive me for.
Don't you realise that she's doing this for you?
Me? I don't see that.
I just know when kids dance together, they become sexually irresponsible.
I can't take the chance...
Well, what's so funny?
You talk like that's the only thing that gets them excited.
Don't you remember when we used to look at each other and get excited?
Well, it's just the same with them. You're not gonna put their eyes out.
No.
None of this'll undo one stupid accident.
I'm responsible for the spiritual life of this community.
Shaw, you can't be a father to everybody. You can't do that.
I thought that at least you believed in me.
I never stopped.
- The town council meeting! - Tomorrow night!
Only fairies dance. Hey, I'll lay you flat, Ariel!
Support Ren MacCormack at the council meeting.
- You're bringing me down! - You can make a difference!
I'm calling to remind you to show your support at the council meeting.
Hiya. Still hurt?
- Nah. - Good.
- Nervous? - No.
No, I... Yeah.
Yeah, I'm nervous. I don't know what I'm gonna say to the council.
There's only seven of them, right? Who else is gonna be there?
Everybody.
Take a deep breath. Are you ready?
What is it? Holy Bible?
What?
This is great.
This is great! How did you know where to find all this?
Are you kidding?
Come here, I wanna tell you something. Thanks.
Come on.
Come on!
What the hell was that?
- My God! - What is it? What's going on?
"Burn in hell"? This says, "Burn in hell"!
- Jesus! - Ren, what the hell is going on?
Somebody's trying to make a point.
Do you see? You don't wave your flags without people taking shots.
This isn't the first time!
Business was off, but people are taking business away.
Aunt Lulu's been getting ugly phone calls.
- Today your mother lost her job! - Is that true?
What?
Collins heard about you. He suggested I stay home and be a proper mother.
- What did you say? - I told him to shove it.
- Damn it, this is serious! - There's other jobs!
- Where? - Shouldn't you call the police?
I don't know how much good it'll do. I'll get Jim Earlhaus over.
Will you stop now? Will you stop?
I don't understand this town. It's like something's choking everybody.
Only they don't know they're choking.
Let me ask you something. Why this dance in this town?
It's not just about a dance. Not any more.
I know. That's what I mean. I watch you. I see.
- You're not gonna understand this. - Try me.
When Dad first threatened to leave, I thought it was 'cause of me.
I thought it was something that I wasn't doing right.
I figured there was something I could do to make it like it was.
And then he'd want to stay, you know.
But when he left, just like that,
I realised that everything that I'd done, hoping that he'd stay...
Everything I'd done, it didn't mean shit, you know.
Didn't matter.
And I felt, like, what difference does it make?
But now...
Now I'm thinking...
I could really do something, you know?
I could really do something for me this time, you know?
Otherwise I'm just gonna disappear.
All right, Virginia, I guess that ends the discussion on this issue.
So the price of a dog licence
will go from $3.50 to $4.50: A licensed pet is a happy one.
And that takes care of all business, Burlington.
Thank you, Virginia. It was real good.
All right, now we can consider any new business.
Excuse me, before we begin, I just wanna remind all you kids
we're conducting an official meeting.
We're not gonna tolerate any disturbances.
Floor is now open for any new business.
I'm Ren MacCormack.
I'd like to move on behalf of most of the senior class of Bomont High School
that the law against public dancing within the town limits be abolished.
Mr Chairman, could I address myself to this?
You bet.
Even if this was not a law, which it is...
..I'm afraid I would have a lot of difficulty endorsing an enterprise
which is as fraught with genuine peril as I believe this one to be.
Besides the liquor and the drugs,
which always seem to accompany such an event,
the thing that distresses me even more, Ren,
is the spiritual corruption that can be involved.
These dances and this kind of music can be destructive.
And, Ren, I'm afraid you're gonna find
most of the community agree with me on this.
I do!
I agree with you, too!
- That's all I have to say on it. - A vote is in order on the motion.
- Will all those opposed? - Well, excuse me, I...
I would just like to say something, if I could.
It is outrageous! If you think that...
Eleanor, sit down.
I think Mr MacCormack has a right to be heard.
I just wanted to say a few words about this motion,
so that you wouldn't think that we were encouraging destruction with this idea.
From the oldest of times, people danced for a number of reasons.
They danced in prayer, or so that their crops would be plentiful,
or so their hunt would be good.
And they danced to stay physically fit and show their community spirit.
And they danced to celebrate.
And that is the dancing that we're talking about.
Aren't we told in Psalm 149,
"Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song."
"Let them praise His name in the dance."
- Amen. - It was his own followers.
And it was King David... King David, who we read about in Samuel,
and what did David do?
What did David do?
What did David do? "David danced before the Lord with all his might."
"Leaping and dancing before the Lord."
"Leaping and dancing."
Ecclesiastes assures us there is a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to laugh, and a time to weep.
A time to mourn... and there is a time to dance.
There was a time for this law, but not any more.
See, this is our time to dance. It is our way of celebrating life.
That's the way it was in the beginning.
That's the way it's always been. That's the way it should be now.
- You know you were railroaded? - Huh?
Boy, when are you gonna wake up and smell the coffee?
Shaw Moore walked into that meeting with them votes already in his pocket.
- You didn't have a prayer. - Bad pun, Andy.
- Well, what are you gonna do now? - It's over.
What if it ain't? What if you have your dance in Bayson?
Uh-uh. No, the whole point was to do something here in Bomont.
Bayson's, what, 30 miles away?
Not where it runs up to these tracks, it ain't.
Huh?
If Bomont fire trucks can't cross them, neither can the long arm of the law.
What about the long arm of Reverend Moore?
He said if you could convince him
it wouldn't be a spiritual corruption, he'd think about it.
- So? - Make him think about it.
I beheld and heard an angel, flying through the midst of heaven, saying
with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitors of the earth!"
And I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth.
And to the angel was given the key to the bottomless pit.
And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit,
as the smoke of a great furnace.
And the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Yes?
I used to get such a kick watching you work up your sermons.
- And now? - It's different.
I see the stage, I see costumes. It's show business, isn't it?
Well...
It's the only way I know to reach people's emotions.
I haven't heard from you for a while. When was it? Thursday?
I was angry, you were angry.
- I was not. - Yes, you were.
If you weren't, you would have asked me what was wrong. You knew!
Ariel, I cannot let this dance happen.
Ren made lots of people stop and think.
I object to that kind of music and you know why.
- Because people fornicate to it. - I never said that!
- You did to the Church Board! - That wasn't for your ears!
When do my ears get old enough? Stop protecting me! I'm no saint.
- It's my duty to look after... - I'm not even a virgin!
- Don't talk like that here! - Why not?
Isn't this where I confess my sins?
In church! I ask to be forgiven! Am I?
- Oh, forgive me and deliver me! - Ariel, get that out of here!
Thank heavens you're here. People are calling.
They're over at the library.
Roger, Eleanor, what are you doing?
We decided these books are influences our children don't need.
On whose authority?
- You agreed this is garbage! - Wait! Listen!
When did you all decide to sit in judgment?
Who elected all of you as the saviours of everybody's souls in Bomont?
We have a right to determine what our children read.
When you've burned all of these, what are you going to do then?
Chris, take these out of here.
Satan is not in these books. He's in here!
He's in your hearts.
Go on home, all of you. Go and sit in judgment on yourselves.
Roger, go home.
Eleanor, come on. Go home now. Come on, both of you.
Sometimes things don't make any sense.
If you could explain about my father, maybe I could explain about your son.
But it makes no sense.
Look, I gotta go.
Listen, I know you're gonna do what you gotta do, but thanks for listening.
Ren...
Thank you for...
Well... thank you.
That was Ren. He came to ask me if he could take you to a senior prom.
I'm running out of answers, Ariel.
I know how hard it is for you.
I know I'm not making it easier.
I just don't know that I believe in everything you believe in.
But I believe in you.
I'm standing up here before you today...
..with a very troubled heart.
You see, my friends,
I've always insisted on taking responsibility for your lives.
But I'm really like a first-time parent
who makes mistakes and tries to learn from them.
And, like that parent...
..I find myself at that moment when I have to decide...
..do I hold on, or do I trust you to yourselves?
Let go?
And hope that you've understood at least some of my lessons.
If we don't start trusting our children how will they ever become trustworthy?
I'm told that the senior class at the high school
has got use of a warehouse in Bayson
for the purpose of putting on a senior dance.
Please join me
to pray to the Lord to guide them in their endeavours.
Lights!
- You look very nice. - Oh, no.
- Yes, you do. You look very nice. - No.
- Yes, you do. You look wonderful. - Do you think?
Yeah.
I don't know.
You can't very well go to a prom without a corsage.
This is gorgeous!
- Where should I? - It has a wrist thing, here.
- Oh, Mom, you didn't have to. - I didn't.
Don't go on to him about it, because he'll only deny it.
Hey, I was gonna come up...
I was gonna come up and get you.
- What's the matter? - You're beautiful.
What?
I mean it. You are beautiful.
Come on.
Thank you.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
- Let's take a closer look. - No, she'll think I'm checking up.
No, she won't even know we're here. Come on!
You're the last folks I expected to see here tonight.
- Evening, Andy. - Hi, Andy.
Vi. Reverend, you done a good thing here.
I'm still not sure it was the right thing.
Comes close.
Shaw?
Shaw, what is it?
It's just the two of us again.
- Shaw? - What?
We're almost dancing.
- Hi, Rusty. - Hi!
Hello, Willard.
Willard, you promised you won't fight.
Don't you look sweet?
- What do you want? - I got business with MacCormack.
Chuck, cool it. No fights tonight, OK?
Hey, no fights, fellas.
Sure, Willard.
All right.
- Cute. No fights, Willard. - Damn, man.
I told you. I promised Rusty no fights tonight, OK?
Let me go, goddamn it!
- Willard! - What do you want me to do, Rusty?
Kill the son of a bitch! Help, somebody!
- Chuck! - Hey, it's Mr Dance Fever!
Yeah, and you're a goddamn hero when it's five to one!
- Come on, Ren, get up! - Beat the shit out of him!
Bastard!
You gonna dance now, MacCormack?
Yeah! All right!
- Hey, handsome. - Great dance, man!
Our heroes! I thought you guys were gonna fight or something!
Hey, hey, what's this I see? I thought this was a party!
Let's dance!
Just watch, all right?