Nikki Is a Punk Rocker by Kat Candler
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Nikki is a Punk Rocker by Kat Candler Candler Productions 512.771.5863 [email protected] INT. LAME RECEPTION HALL - NIGHT January 2011. Tallahassee, Fl. All girl punk band, RIFF RANDALL (late teens, prep school uniforms and ponytails) play punk rock awkwardly on stage in a birthday decorated reception hall. (The band’s not great. But they try to sound like The Donnas or a female version of the Ramones.) GRANDPARENTS hold their ears. PARENTS eat cake and LITTLE KIDS hide under tables. In a blue striped ponytail, and cat eye glasses AGNES PARKS (18) plays bass-- a young Annie Potts from Pretty in Pink-- wild outfits and crazy hair. SUNNY ARMSTRONG (17), a ditzy skater girl, with long blond hair and extra long bangs plays drums. Badass LEGS MCMURPHY (18) tall, super model beauty struts around on guitar. Lead singer, NIKKI PATTERSON (17), with long brown hair and heavy eyeliner nervously SINGS and plays guitar. A spray painted “Riff Randall” banner sags behind them. SKATER TEENS conspicuously drink wine coolers in the corner. SAM SILVERSTEIN (16), shaved head skater, short for his age (and probably picked on for it) stands at the edge of the stage bobbing his head. He’s their biggest fan. The song ends to a scattered APPLAUSE. NIKKI Thanks. This one’s for you, Sam. Happy Birthday! SUNNY (clicking drum sticks) One two three four! The girls PLAY. They fumble through a verse when-- --CHUNKS OF BIRTHDAY CAKE SMACK them in the faces-- --then crumble down their prep school shirts. 2. The band STOP. The whole room stares. Little kids, skaters, grandparents-- Shocked, Nikki wipes icing from her face. Three CHURCH-DRESSED BOYS (12) giggle down front holding chunks of cake in their bare hands-- guilty. Beat. Legs throws her guitar down and JUMPS off stage. NIKKI LEGS! She grabs a BOY IN A BOWTIE and DECKS him. LEGS You little motherfu-- INT. JUNE’S OLD VOLVO - NIGHT PUNK plays from the car stereo as Nikki (birthday cake still in her hair) stares out the window at the passing lights. In the driver’s seat, Nikki’s once cool, now over protective mom, JUNE PATTERSON (37), wears a hand knit scarf and Converses-- she looks like a Gap ad. JUNE Yeah and after all the partying and stupid stuff we did-- and trust me, we did some mind blowingly stupid things-- Nikki goes back to her doodle of a PUNK PREGNANT JUNE WITH A CIGARETTE AND BEER in a worn composition book. The comic comes to life as June puffs from the cigarette. JUNE (CONT’D) --mind you, we didn’t beat the crap out of young boys-- nevermind, I take that back-- but y’know where my band left me? NIKKI JUNE (under her breath) Broke and pregnant. Broke and pregnant. JUNE (CONT’D) I just don’t want you wasting your last semester and that stunning GPA on some-- 3. Nikki shuts the composition book. NIKKI As long as it didn't interfere with Scholar Bowl. Your words. JUNE You getting early admission into Cornell-- that’s a huge deal. Playing in a punk band-- not so much. Nikki rolls her eyes and goes back to the window. JUNE (CONT’D) Don’t- don’t do the whole teen angsty eye rolling thing. Nic- Nikki. Nikki turns. JUNE (CONT’D) Y’know just-- put the band on the back burner. We’ve got the campus tour coming up and mid terms and-- (sighs) Back burner. That’s all I’m asking. INT. NIKKI’S BEDROOM - NIGHT Nikki puts her guitar picks on her night stand and her amp on her bedroom floor. It’s a lower middle class home. Her bedroom is a mix of band posters-- the Ramones, The Distillers, The Runaways, MC5, The Donnas-- anime posters, cartoon strips and a stack of Cornell financial aid forms. She picks up a small MANILA PACKAGE from her unmade bed and smiles. She rips it open and pulls out a CD. Scrawled in sharpie on front, “History of Punk Rock Mix #12. Love Dad.” Nikki presses “Open” on her CD player and sticks the CD in. She pushes it closed and presses “Play”. She flops on her bed and puts on huge, clunky headphones eyeing the play list on the CD cover. PUNK MUSIC BLARES through the headphones. A Ramones poster stares down at her from the ceiling. 4. She stares at it for a second-- then lifts her middle fingers to the sky opens her mouth and lets out a silent scream. She kicks her legs in the air and throws a silent fit. OPENING TITLE CREDITS: NIKKI IS A PUNK ROCKER INT. NIKKI’S BEDROOM - MORNING In a ratty band shirt, jeans and black converses with neon pink laces (her daily uniform), Nikki practices guitar. She imitates Johnny Ramone’s guitar stance from a photo with a heart around it on the wall. She hops around her room. The DOOR KNOB JIGGLES. Nikki tosses her guitar to the bed. June opens the door. Nikki whips around-- NIKKI What?!? Can’t you knock, please? JUNE Agnes is here. Did you steal my graphing calculator? Nikki puts on a jacket and grabs her composition book. She slings a satchel around her chest, tosses a calculator to June and zips past her. JUNE (CONT’D) (calling out) Hey! That’s it? Maybe a hug? C’mon. June goes to shut the door-- when she eyes a FRAMED PHOTO on the dresser: a SID VICIOUS LOOKING GUY (early 20s) holding a BABY. She pulls the door closed. INT. AGNES' HATCHBACK - MORNING Nikki slides into Agnes’ old beat up hatchback, held together by duct tape and band stickers. In a “Doris Day gone punk” look, Agnes pushes her cat eye glasses up and sips from a cup of coffee. MUSIC blares. AGNES Yours truly-- got in to UT. Put it here, Jesus! Agnes hi-fives a Jesus bobble head on the dash. 5. NIKKI What? No. No Jesus hi-five. What happened to the New York plan? AGNES UT offered me a full paid scholarship-- towards my budding fashion empire. NIKKI Yeah, but-- we can’t be in a band when we live fifty thousand miles away from each other. AGNES (patting her on the back) Hate to burst the rock dream bubble, Nic, but-- we- are not that good. I'm sorry- just being realistic. NIKKI My dad says being realistic is for assholes who settle. Riff Randall doesn’t settle. Nikki Patterson doesn’t settle. AGNES Until her mom tells her to. NIKKI That’s not-- don’t say that. Agnes turns the music back up and starts the car. Nikki turns it down. NIKKI (CONT’D) What if we do make it? High School Band Night’s coming up-- I mean, what if somehow we get-- (punching Agnes’ shoulder) --and we’re not that bad. AGNES If we quote unquote - make it - like the Donnas “Lookout Records deal kinda make it” before, say, July-- I will put my life on hold to pursue a career in rock n roll-- cause I love you. Nikki grins from ear to ear and throws her fists in the air. 6. I/E. AGNES' HATCHBACK, LEGS' TRAILER PARK - MORNING Agnes pulls into a trailer park and HONKS at the DOUBLE WIDE. AGNES Legs! A pick up truck SCREECHES to a halt behind Agnes' hatchback. Nikki and Agnes turn around. In the truck, behind them, Legs makes out with an older guy, DANNY (25) in a mechanic’s shirt. Nikki and Agnes cringe. Agnes HONKS. AGNES (CONT’D) We’re gonna be late! Legs hops from the truck in a tank top and panties under a long cardigan. She runs to Agnes’ car holding a duffel bag and a worn copy of “Wuthering Heights”. She shoves Nikki’s seat forward and slides in the back. LEGS Danny Hickman’s dick is huge. No effing lie. Crank the heat. NIKKI AGNES Legs! Seriously. I just ate breakfast. Legs blows a huge bubble with her gum as she pulls out jeans from the bag and proceeds to change in the car. LEGS (CONT’D) He’s all like, ‘I want to be with you forever, baby. We should get married.’ I’m like, “I’m 18. I’m not shacking up with a mechanic, asshole. I’m gonna be a rock star.” I/E. AGNES' HATCHBACK, SUNNY’S HOUSE - MORNING Sunny’s checkered Vans hop up and down on the back bumper of Agnes’ car. A fedora on her head and skateboard under her arm, RAP BLARES through Sunny’s earbuds as she eats a pop tart, RAPPING OUT LOUD. From the car windows-- AGNES NIKKI Sunny, stop! Get in the car! Sunny, you’re making me sick! 7. SAM Hey, Sunny! Sunny hops down as little Sam skates up, cigarette behind his ear. He pops his skateboard up. SAM (CONT’D) Look! For The Engine Room. I’m making one for you too. He unzips his mailman’s jacket to reveal a hand made “RIFF RANDALL ‘OREVER” T-shirt. Sunny pulls her earbuds out. SUNNY That’s so radical. AGNES C’mon you guys! SAM Oh shit, man-- the “F” fell off. He nervously rubs his hand over his shaved head. He’s so smitten with Sunny and she’s so clueless. SAM (CONT’D) AGNES (to Sunny) (from the car window) So Friday everyone’s going to People, I don’t wanna be Kona. You should come-- cause late. And no smoking in my like-- car! Sunny grabs the cigarette from Sam’s ear and tosses it.