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T H E C U R S E written & directed by JACQUELINE GARRY Registered WGA East #118420-00 (c) 1998 Jacqueline Garry ______________________________________________________________________ T H E C U R S E EXT. STREET - DUSK FRIDA and JENNIFER walk down the sidewalk together. Frida is mousy and frumpy. She wears glasses and has her hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail. She wears baggy drab clothes -- has no fashion sense and wears flat "sensible" shoes. Jennifer, on the other hand, is trendy, stylish and sexy. She's a head-turner. Men check out Jennifer and ignore Frida. FRIDA I have cramps. I can't believe I let you talk me into this. JENNIFER Come on, we've been double dating since the fourth grade. FRIDA Yeah even then look what happened: Michael Mortenson kissed you and Billy Sullivan threw a worm at me. JENNIFER Well that's not going to happen tonight. George said Carlton's a nice guy. FRIDA Translation: a total geek. JENNIFER Anything's better than Mark. FRIDA My shrink says he's not so bad. JENNIFER Your shrink always gives you bad advice. He only hears what you choose to tell him. Mark's an asshole, he cheated, he borrowed money and never paid it back, he's never had a regular job. FRIDA He's a very talented musician. JENNIFER Every woman at some point has to date a musician. I wish you'd get rid of Mark for good. Every time you break up you see him more than when you were going out. FRIDA I guess I have a weakness for him. It's those big brown Bambi eyes. JENNIFER So don't look in his eyes. Two guys passing by on the street check out Jennifer. One of them stops in front of her. GUY That's the girl who should be havin' my baby. JENNIFER Yeah, that's likely. She rolls her eyes and walks around the gawking guy. Frida and Jennifer continue walking in silence for a moment. FRIDA I wonder what it's like being you. Being noticed all the time. JENNIFER People notice you Frida. Another guy gawking at Jennifer, isn't watching where he's going and bumps smack into Frida. FRIDA Oh, uh, sorry. The guy, still not noticing Frida, keeps walking and turns back around to check out Jennifer's ass. Jennifer and Frida turn a corner and keep walking. Both a bit embarrassed, for different reasons, at what just happened. They head into a bar/restaurant. Pan up to the name of the restaurant. It's called "Coyote Ugly Saloon." INT. RESTAURANT/TABLE - NIGHT Jennifer sits between GEORGE and CARLTON, who both lean in, hanging on her every word. They're all having steak. JENNIFER So I asked the bartender what "coyote ugly" meant. It's like the "bagger" system. You know, a two- bagger -- someone so ugly that you need two bags -- one bag to put on their head and another one in case it blows off. Or a three-bagger... GEORGE Two bags for them, and one bag for your head in case her two fall off. Jennifer, George and Carlton laugh. JENNIFER But coyote ugly... well it's so totally offensive... it's when a guy wakes up with a girl sleeping on his arm. He looks over, and she's so ugly that he chews through his own arm to get away from her. Carlton and George crack up. Too much. PULL BACK to reveal Frida, also sitting at the table, though a bit apart from the other three, picking meekly at her salad. Jennifer looks over and sees Frida's not having a good time. JENNIFER Have you heard of that Frida? Frida looks up from her plate of leaves. FRIDA Sorry? I guess I wasn't listening. I just have really bad PMS. A total mood killer. Jennifer, George and Carlton just stare at Frida. Jennifer puts her fork down and clears her throat. JENNIFER Uh, Frida... sorry about the steak house. It's Carlton's favorite. CARLTON How come you're a vegetarian? FRIDA When I was a kid, we couldn't eat meat on Fridays. I loved Fridays because of that. Now I can't stand the thought of eating bloody flesh. Jennifer, George and Carlton look down at their rare steaks. Suddenly they don't look so great. INT. RESTAURANT/BATHROOM - NIGHT Jennifer and Frida are in neighboring stalls. We see only their feet below the stalls and panties around their ankles. Jennifer's panties are red lace; Frida's are white cotton. FRIDA He hasn't said one word to me. JENNIFER Maybe he's just shy. FRIDA My date always pays more attention to you than to me. JENNIFER Frida, I don't mean this as a criticism, but you might not want to talk about PMS around men. FRIDA Sorry. It's just so bad lately. You're so lucky you never get PMS. JENNIFER I get a little bloated sometimes. FRIDA I'd kill for just a little bloated. We hear a toilet FLUSH. INT. RESTAURANT/TABLE - NIGHT George and Carlton are sitting at the booth, waiting for the women to return from the bathroom. GEORGE It all starts with them going to the bathroom together. CARLTON That many women in one place -- nothing good can come from that. GEORGE Sorry about Frida. She's been friends with Jen forever. CARLTON What's with her? If they're not bleeding they're PMSing. If they're not PMSing, they're warning you about the impending doom. If you're lucky, you get a sane person one week a month. Then you gotta date three or four women just to get some normalcy in your life. They laugh. GEORGE I'm lucky Jen's not like that. CARLTON I don't believe in PMS. Women made it up just so they can be bitchy. GEORGE My brother has an answer to PMS. A-S-S: Abundant Sperm Syndrome. A man gets sperm build-up, and if his woman isn't givin' it to 'em, he's gotta get it elsewhere. CARLTON Yeah and when your woman says you're an ass, say yes, I have Abundant Sperm Syndrome. They both laugh. INT. RESTAURANT/BATHROOM - NIGHT Jennifer and Frida are now in front of the mirror. Jennifer fixes her make-up while Frida watches her. ECU of Jennifer putting lipstick on in slow motion from Frida's POV. Jennifer smacks her lips in a sexy way when she's done. Frida avoids looking at herself in the mirror. FRIDA I always say the wrong thing. I shouldn't have come. Frida catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror. FRIDA I'm coyote ugly. Jennifer looks at Frida through the mirror. JENNIFER How about I give you a make-over? You'll feel better about yourself. You're actually pretty, you're just not bringing it out. FRIDA You're just saying that. Jennifer squints at Frida for a closer look. She pulls Frida's hair out of the ponytail and tries to fluff it up. She takes off Frida's glasses. JENNIFER Do you really need these? FRIDA Only to see. JENNIFER Can't you get contacts? FRIDA No, it grosses me out even thinking of putting something in my eye. JENNIFER Try to get through dinner without them. You have beautiful eyes. She snaps open Frida's purse and drops the glasses inside. Frida looks at herself in the mirror. We see her POV and it's out of focus. INT. RESTAURANT/TABLE - NIGHT Jennifer and Frida rejoin Carlton and George at the table. From Frida's POV things look blurry. She stumbles as she sits down. She squints, hoping things will come back in focus. CARLTON You two must be in sync. JENNIFER Excuse me? GEORGE He was saying that when women are close friends they get their periods at the same time. JENNIFER (sarcastically) Yeah and when we're mad at each other we're out of sync. It only works if you're on good terms. FRIDA Or if there's a full moon. JENNIFER Or if your boyfriend's an asshole. She elbows George in the stomach. Frida tries to take a sip from her drink, but because she can't see well she knocks it over. Everyone stands up and it's a huge ordeal. FRIDA I'm so sorry! I'm such a clutz. She fishes in her purse for her glasses and puts them on as Jennifer helps her wipe up the spilled drink. INT. FRIDA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Frida's apartment is neat and conservatively decorated. She's got some film posters on the wall. Frida, in a big puffy bathrobe with bearclaw slippers, lounges on her sofa. Sammy, a black cat, sits on her lap purring as Frida reads a script. She nibbles on a chocolate bar. From the way Frida shakes her head and flips through the pages of the script, we can tell it's awful. INT. FRIDA'S OFFICE - DAY Frida sits at a claustrophobic cubicle. There's a small stack of screenplays sitting in front of her. Frida's on the phone. FRIDA Yes, I do think it's important to tell the Mother Teresa story... but no way can I pitch that to my boss. MAN (ON PHONE) Why the hell not? FRIDA It won't get the ratings. He only wants "women in jeopardy" stories. MAN (ON PHONE) How about if Mother Teresa's being stalked by the Pope? FRIDA Only if Jane Seymour plays Mother Teresa and Richard Chamberlain plays the Pope. It's just not for us. I'm sorry. Good luck with it. Frida hears the phone slam down and a dialtone. She hangs up just as her boss, MR. GRANT, barges in and barks at her. MR. GRANT The Nielson's? FRIDA On your desk. MR. GRANT Script coverage? FRIDA On your desk. MR. GRANT Coffee and... FRIDA Your desk. Mr. Grant abruptly turns and heads back into his office. FRIDA There was a script I wanted to talk to you about... I thought maybe... She gets up with a script. As she does, she spills her coffee all over the desk. FRIDA ... I could produce it. Mr. Grant ignores her and slams the door to his office. Frida wipes up the spilled coffee with the script. INT. SHRINK'S OFFICE - DAY Frida's at her SHRINK's office. FRIDA I had a dream last night, that I was a doormat. CUT TO: EXT. FRONT DOOR - DAY Frida lies on her back outside the front door of a house, like a welcome mat. People walk over her. We see from her POV: people stepping over her and wiping their shoes on her. BACK TO SHRINK'S OFFICE The shrink makes a note. SHRINK And what do you think this means? Frida stares at the shrink for a second, surprised he doesn't get such an obvious reference. FRIDA That I'm a doormat of course. The shrink makes more notes. SHRINK Oh, I see... interesting theory. EXT. PARK - DAY Jennifer and Frida sit on a bench surrounded by shopping bags. JENNIFER Okay, just one more stop and you'll be all set. Victoria's Secret. FRIDA What do I need overpriced fancy underwear for? Shouldn't a guy have already decided that he likes me before he sees me in lingerie? JENNIFER It's not about him seeing you in it. It's how you feel. You'll feel sexy in lingerie and it'll show. It's an inner thing. FRIDA I don't know. JENNIFER There's a sale. It's such a nice place -- classical music, relaxing atmosphere. You deserve to pamper yourself. Come on, it can't hurt. INT. VICTORIA'S SECRET - DAY Chaos. Hardly the "relaxed atmosphere" Jennifer described. Though there is indeed classical music playing. CUT TO an overhead shot of a huge circular bin of women's underpants and another bin of bras. All different colors. Various women's hands pick frantically through the bins, looking for the right size and color. Sometimes hands grab at the same one simultaneously. The atmosphere seems hectic. WOMAN 1 Give me that. You ain't a D cup. WOMAN 2 If you're a D cup, I'm Pamela Anderson. WOMAN 3 Is that a medium? WOMAN 1 Why do they have large thongs? Anyone in a large ain't gonna be wearin' no thong. FRIDA Where are all the mediums? JENNIFER Frida, grab that red one. Jennifer's finger points to a red panty and Frida snatches it and gives it to her. WOMAN 2 Large, small. No fucking mediums. More and more hands pick through the bras and panties, with increasing fervor. Frida's hand grabs a pair of blue panties. FRIDA Jennifer, I got a medium! As Frida pulls the pair of panties out of the pile, she realizes an OLIVE-SKINNED WOMAN is grabbing the other end of the panties. They have a bit of a tug of war over it. OLIVE WOMAN That's mine! FRIDA No I had it first. The tug of war continues. Frida and the Olive Woman both refuse to let go. It looks like they're about to rip when the Olive Woman's head comes into frame -- the back of her head fills the frame with brunette curls. Frida screams. FRIDA OUCH! EXT. STREET - DAY Frida and Jennifer walk down the sidewalk with Victoria's Secret shopping bags among others. FRIDA Can you believe she fuckin' bit me? JENNIFER And she got the medium. FRIDA Even on sale that stuff's a fortune. I worked all week to pay for a bra. Frida looks at her wrist, which is beginning to swell. FRIDA I think she broke the skin. JENNIFER What a bitch. You should see a doctor. That can be dangerous. George bit me once and I had to go to the emergency room. FRIDA George bit you? JENNIFER I kind of asked him to. We were, you know... he got a little carried away... Frida looks at Jennifer uncomfortably. Jennifer smiles to herself, reminiscing. INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY Frida sits, wearing a white hospital gown, on an examining table. She's bored as there isn't much to look at and it's cold in there -- especially in the skimpy gown. She goes to a mirror and puts on chapstick. She smacks her lips as Jennifer had in after putting on lipstick. Suddenly the door opens and nearly hits her. Frida backs up, embarrassed, as a male DOCTOR in a white coat walks in. He barely looks at Frida and stares at his clipboard. DOCTOR A bite... Where'd you get bitten? FRIDA At Victoria's Secret. The doctor looks up from his clipboard, confused. FRIDA There was a sale. DOCTOR I mean where on your body? FRIDA Oh, on my wrist. She holds it up for him to see. He takes a look at it. DOCTOR A dog at Victoria's Secret? FRIDA No, it was another woman. The doctor seems skeptical. He examines her wrist closer. DOCTOR This doesn't look human. Did she wear dentures or... damn this is the oddest bite I've ever seen. The doctor makes a note on his clipboard. DOCTOR How's the rest of your health? FRIDA Good. Except for PMS. The doctor resists the temptation to roll his eyes. DOCTOR PMS. What symptoms are you experiencing? FRIDA It's hard to describe. I get really bloated and irritable and emotional and depressed and... DOCTOR That's just part of being a woman. Diet and exercise should help. Avoid salt, sugar, starches, caffeine, alcohol... FRIDA What else is there? DOCTOR And keep a journal of your symptoms to make sure it's related to your period and not just in your head. FRIDA It's not just in my head. The doctor snaps his folder shut and heads for the door. DOCTOR I'll send a nurse in to clean that bite and give you a tetanus shot. And a rabies shot... just in case. INT. FRIDA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Frida chomps on a carrot. She presses PLAY on her answering machine and picks up a framed picture of herself and MARK. They're both smiling. Frida puts the picture back, face down. FRIDA'S MOM (ON MACHINE) It's mom. I ran into Herman today. I wish you'd move back home and marry him. He's got a great job at Penneys. I don't know why you're in New York with all those freaks. Sammy, the black cat, whizzes by with his tail puffed. Frida enters the kitchen and sees the cat's dishes are empty. She gets a cat food can out of the cupboard and accidentally scratches herself. She notices her nails are surprisingly long. She stares at them, confused, then opens the cat food. FRIDA Sammy? Seafood Feast? Frida sniffs the cat food as though it smells good to her. She nearly eats some -- then shakes her head, realizing it was a crazy thought. She stands up and sniffs around her kitchen. She searches the cupboards. Then the refrigerator. It's full of fruit and vegetables. The other cupboard has healthy stuff as well. Frida slams the cupboard shut. Obviously not finding what she's looking for. A MONTAGE with jump cuts as Frida paces in circles. She clips her fingernails and toenails, which are quite long and thick. She goes to the refrigerator, opens the door, looks in and closes the door. She does this several times as if its contents will change the next time she opens it. She paces faster and faster in a tighter circle. She feels claustrophobic in her clothes and practically rips them off. INT. GROCERY STORE - NIGHT Frida hurriedly shoves several chocolate bars in her basket, which is filled with junk food (frozen yogurt, chocolate- covered pretzels, Doritos), a box of tampons, and some Midol. Frida senses someone watching her as she grabs a bag of Hershey's kisses. She looks up and sees BRUNO, an intriguing- looking man. They make eye-contact and he smiles at her. Frida is nervous but flattered. She heads for the cashier. EXT. GROCERY STORE/STREET - NIGHT We see Frida walking from behind. We're in the POV of someone who's following her. Then CU Frida as she continues walking, holding her grocery bags. She senses someone following her and spins around to look. She sees Bruno walking behind her. She smiles a tad and then turns back around and keeps walking. She hears Bruno's pace quicken and she quickens her own. We see Frida from Bruno's POV as he speeds up and is gaining on her. What started out as a briefly sexy moment has suddenly become kind of scary. CU on Frida walking fast. We hear her heart beating fast. Bruno catches up to her -- he's right behind her. Frida can hear him breathing hard. Frida spins around and stares at Bruno. Her normally blue yes look oddly bright -- like they're orange. She swipes at the Bruno's face with her fingernails and slashes him. He jumps back in pain and covers his face. BRUNO Jesus Christ! He pulls his hand from his face to reveal large bloody scratches on his cheek. He looks up at Frida, but she's gone. INT. FRIDA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Frida, in her bathrobe, is downing chocolate bars rabidly. Her cat, Sammy, is hiding, frightened under the bed. INT. FRIDA'S APARTMENT - MORNING Frida's asleep on the sofa with her bathrobe draped over her. She wakes up slowly, in a daze, like she has a bad hang-over. She looks around, squinting -- the light hurts her eyes. Her apartment's in disarray -- furniture moved around. She sits up and puts her bathrobe on, realizing it's ripped. FRIDA Sammy? Frida gets up and notices the cat food dish is empty. She opens a can of cat food. The cat's nowhere to be seen. INT. FRIDA'S BATHROOM - DAY Frida looks in the mirror. She examines her arms and legs and thinks they look hairy. They look fine, but she's obsessed. She has a quick flash in which they look hairier, but then they're normal again. Is it all in her head? Frida leans closer to the mirror and scrutinizes her face and "mustache" area. She then opens the medicine cabinet and finds some Neet liquid hair remover and turns on the shower. INT. FRIDA'S BEDROOM - DAY Frida takes a brand new bra out of her Victoria's Secret shopping bag. She puts on the bra -- it's clearly too tight. She adjusts the straps to no avail -- she's still bulging out. She pulls on a shirt and blazer. Frida grabs her coat and briefcase and leaves. As soon as she shuts the door, the cat comes out and goes to its food dish. EXT. PARK BENCH - DAY Frida sits in the sunshine eating chocolate pudding like there's no tomorrow as she reads a script. She wears tennis shoes with her suit. She feels a little hot and unbuttons the top few buttons of her blouse. GREGORY, a tall, good-looking guy in a suit, stands casting his shadow on her. Frida is startled for a moment. She looks up at him looming over her, but he's hard to see since the sun is right behind him. GREGORY Didn't mean to scare ya. It's Frida, right? I'm Gregory. From accounting. Frida's a little uneasy about him staring at her chest. FRIDA I know. GREGORY So you're Grant's secretary? FRIDA I do development for TV movies. GREGORY Oh, a D-Girl. You know... I have a really great idea for a screenplay. Frida tries to avoid cringing. FRIDA (slightly sarcastic) You're kidding, really? GREGORY No, I'm serious. How about we have dinner and I tell you about it? EXT. POLICE BUILDING - DAY Two male police detectives, PETER and LLOYD, are getting out of an unmarked car. LLOYD Nah, I don't wanna break up with Wanda, I just wanna see Carmen too. PETER Man, you're livin' dangerously. Let me ask you somethin', you always have to get women drunk before they'll sleep with you? LLOYD You kiddin'? They try to get ME drunk. PETER You're some catch Lloyd. LLOYD Hey, you hear about the chick that came in today? Said some chick bit her at Victoria's Secret. Bitches are outta control these days. INT. FRIDA'S APARTMENT - DAY Frida, in her ripped bathrobe, is setting up her new makeup on a table. She hears a knock on the door and heads for it. FRIDA Jennifer, you're early... She opens the door and sees MARK, the guy from the photo she'd put face down. Mark is cute, but a bit of a geek. He does have the nice brown eyes Frida mentioned earlier. He carries a McDonald's bag and is eating a French fry.
Approximate Word count = 14805
Approximate Pages = 59.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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