ARCADE

Written by

Stephen Audia

555-
641-
4443
EXT. DOCKS - DAY

(We look out over the waters of the Chesapeake bay. The
sun has just gone behind the horizon. Panning over, we see
FRED, a 15-year-old boy who looks melancholic as he gazes
out over the bay.
SUPER: Baltimore, Maryland - 1983

He gets up and grabs his skateboard. He hops on when he

reaches the road. Fred makes his way through the
streets. Eventually he comes to yet another place in
the wall of buildings; his home.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Fred enters the room. The TV in the corner is on.

Looking over, he sees his brother LUKE. Hes flipping
through magazines. He doesnt seem to be reading them.
FRED
Hey, Luke. Dad, Im home!
There is no response. Sighing in exasperation, he
ventures into the kitchen.

INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT

We see FREDS FATHER sleeping on the table. He wears a very
worn out looking t-shirt, and it looks like he hasnt shaved
for a little while. Looking over his fathers shoulder, Fred
sees piles of overdue bills. He shakes his father.
FRED
Come on, Dad, wake up.
His father wakes with a start. He looks at his son as
he blinks the sleep from his eyes.
FATHER
Oh, hey Freddy.
(yawning)
When did you get in?
FRED
Just now.
Dad gets up and goes over to the fridge. Fred sits down
at the table.
 2.

FATHER
I uh, I think theres some mac
and cheese left.
FRED
I already had some McDonalds. My
buddy paid for it, dont worry
FATHER
Oh.
Dad comes over and sits down. They sit in silence for
a moment.
FRED
...hows the job search going?
FATHER
Oh you know... hit and miss.
(BEAT)
FATHER (CONTD)
(He gestures)
Luke still uh--?
FRED
Yeah.
The sound of the television is heard in the background.

FATHER
Actually I uh... Im working down
at the docks tomorrow so... I
need you to watch your brother.
Freds face falls.

FRED
Dad, its Saturday. I already told
my friends I was gonna meet them
at the arcade.
FATHER
Look, Freddy, Im sorry but Im
not exactly in a position to turn
down overtime. You know that. And
you also know that your brother
cant be left alone. I mean, maybe
if your Mom was still here--
FRED
Dad, dont start.
 3.

Dad averts his eyes down to the table.

FATHER
Im sorry...
CUT TO Luke in the living room, still flipping
through magazines.

INT. APARTMENT - DAY

Fred gazes at the TV, bored and depressed. We see Luke

pacing aimlessly through the house. The phone rings. Fred
gets up and answers it.
FRED
Hello?
FRIEND (O.S.)
Hey, Fred. Im about to leave,
you still good for the arcade?
Fred hesitates. He glances over at his brother.

FRED
Yeah... yeah Ill be there.
FRIEND
Cool, see you in a bit.
Fred hangs up the phone. He goes over to his brother
and places his hand on his shoulder.
FRED
Come on, Luke, were going to
visit the arcade.
CUT TO

EXT. ARCADE PARKING LOT - DAY

A crowd of kids and teenagers mill about in front of the

arcade. There is a banner hung from the entrance that
reads, ARCADE TOURNAMENT NEXT SATURDAY! $5000 CASH PRIZE!
Fred and Luke approach one of the groups of kids.
FRED
Hey, Dave!
One of the boys turns and smiles. He approaches Fred
and clasps his hand.
 4.

DAVE
Hey, man.
Dave notices Luke. His smile drops from his face.

DAVE (CONTD)
Freddy, what the hell?
Fred shuffles his feet, embarrassed.

FRED
My dads gonna be at a job all
day. I couldnt just leave him
alone at the house.
DAVE
You know what, whatever. Just...
hed better not start freaking out.
FRED
Hell be fine.
Fred leads Luke along as he follows his friends into
the arcade.

INT. ARCADE - DAY

The arcade is packed. There are hardly any machines without

at least a few kids surrounding it. The air is filled with
sound of electronic music and sound effects. Over the
speakers, we can barely hear Rushs Red Barchetta. Fred
and his group of friends worm their way through the crowd.
DAVE
(yelling over the noise)
Theres some executive guy here
to talk about the competition.
Hes over near the snack bar.
Fred is struggling to lead Luke through the crowd
while keeping pace with his friends.
FRED
Hey, guys, can you wait up
a minute?
DAVE
Hey, you brought him, you deal
with him.
Fred scowls at his friend. Looking around, he spots a
machine with no one playing it. Space Invaders.
 5.

We see Freds face as an idea dawns on him. He leads

his brother over to the cabinet.
FRED
Okay, Luke, Im gonna show you
how to play Space Invaders.
Fred places his quarter in the slot.

FRED (CONTD)
Look at the screen, Luke.
Luke is staring at the screen intently as the game starts up.
As fred speaks, we see the action on the cabinet screen.
FRED (CONTD)
You use the stick to move this
thing back and forth. Then, you
use this button to shoot.
Fred eliminates a few of the sprites. He manages to shoot
the red bonus UFO as it flies across the top. He lets the
enemy projectiles eliminate his 3 lives.
FRED (CONTD)
And thats all there is to it.
Fred takes some quarters out of his pocket and gives them
to his brother. He moves him into position in front of the
cabinet. He takes one of the quarters and puts it into the
slot as if to demonstrate.
FRED (CONTD)
Now you try.
Fred places his hands over Lukes. As the game starts up
again, Fred plays the game for him for a moment. After a
bit Fred takes his hands off; Luke continues, deftly
eliminating the sprites. Fred smiles in triumph.
FRED (CONTD)
Alright. Now just stay here
and play. Ill be back.
Fred leaves.

CUT TO a balding man in a suit straightening his tie. He

looks displeased. This is MR. DAVISON. He is joined by his
assistant JULIE. A crowd of kids waits eagerly behind him.
 6.

DAVISON
Why the hell do I have to be the
one to do this? Couldnt we just
have sent an intern down here?
JULIE
Well, sir, I believe this might be
recompense for that party you
threw at the offices.
DAVISON
Oh what, somebody sneaks some coke
in and thats somehow my fault?
Julie hands him his notes for the speech.

JULIE
Frankly, sir, it could be much
worse. Eat some crab while
youre down here or something.
DAVISON
Better be some damn good crab
after having to deal with these
snot-nosed kids.
CUT TO Fred, rejoining Dave.

FRED
Did I miss anything?
DAVE
Nah. I think the dudes about
to start though.
Davison stands up on a chair and puts on his business-
man smile.
DAVISON
Hello, kids. Good to see you all
here. As you probably already know,
ENCOM is sponsoring a tournament
right here in Baltimore.
As Davison speaks we get our first glimpse of JACK, the
local arcade legend. He stands at the front of the crowd,
with his Patrick Swayze-esque swagger and his denim jacket.
He is clearly one cool dude.
DAVISON (CONTD)
The winner of this tournament
will receive a grand prize of
5000 dollars!
 7.

As he drones on about the rules in the background, Fred

turns to Dave.
FRED
Man, I could really use that
kind of cash.
DAVE
Yeah, so could I, but who are
we kiddin? Neither of us are
good enough to even get close
to winning. Besides, everyone
knows Jacks gonna win it.
Dave points to the back of Jacks head at the front of
the crowd. Fred looks disappointed.
FRED
Yeah, I guess youre right.
DISSOLVE TO the end of Davisons speech.

DAVISON
So, better go ahead and start
preparing for next Saturday.
But most of all have fun!
As the crowd disperses, we see Davison sneer as he steps
down off the chair and turns to leave.
JACK (O.S.)
You dont believe any of this
do you?
Davison pauses and turns around. There stands Jack,
alone. Davison eyes him suspiciously.
DAVISON
What do you mean?
JACK
(gestures around
the building)
This. The whole thing. The
institution of it. The concept
of it.
DAVISON
And you are...?
JACK
Jack. The local champion I
guess you could say.
 8.

Davison does not look impressed.

DAVISON
Alright, kid. You seem smart so
Ill level with you. Personally
I think these games are a waste
of time and money.
Davison approaches Jack

DAVISON (CONTD)
But, hey, if kids like you wanna
waste their energy on these things
and keep my pockets lined, who am
I to complain.
Jack is not intimidated. He keeps his cool smirk.

JACK
Well, stick around, watch the kids.
Maybe youll change your mind.
Jack turns and walks away. Davison stares after him,
a confused look on his face.
CUT TO a smiling Fred standing next to Dave as he
plays Centipede.
DAVE
Hey, what happened to your brother?
A look of realization comes over Freds face.

FRED
Oh, shit!
Fred bolts from his friends side as he jogs through the
labyrinth of machines. As he rounds a corner, he looks
off towards the Space Invaders cabinet. A crowd has
gathered around it.
FRED (CONTD)
Oh no...
He worms his way through the crowd. He sees that Luke is
still standing at the controls of the cabinet, perfectly
calm. Fred sighs in relief. He goes over and places his
hand on his brothers shoulder and pulls him away.
FRED (CONTD)
Alright, come on, Luke...
Fred is startled when he hears groans and objections from
the gathered crowd.
 9.

RANDOM KID
Aw come on, man! Dont take
him away! Hes kicking ass!
We hear the sound of the tank being destroyed in the game
off-screen.
RANDOM KID (CONTD)
Aw... that was his last guy.
Confused, Fred looks back at the cabinet. His eyes widen
in shock. We see the game is asking for Lukes initials;
he has just obtained the new high score. The crowd begins
to disperse. Fred looks down at his brother. He seems to
be thinking about something.
FRED
Hey uh, come on, Luke. I wanna
show you something else.
Fred takes Luke over to the next free cabinet, which
happens to be Donkey Kong. Taking out his quarters, Fred
once again shows Luke how the game works. Luke takes his
place at the controls.
DISSOLVE

We see that Luke is again doing very well. Once again,

a small crowd has formed.
OTHER RANDOM KID
Damn. Who is that kid?
RANDOM GIRL
Isnt that Freddys
retarded brother?
Fred tries to pretend he didnt hear that. Finally, Luke
loses his last life. Fred grabs Luke and drags him off, the
crowd following. We see a montage of Luke doing well at
many different games. We also see the crowd getting larger
every time we dissolve to a new cabinet. Fred digs into his
pockets looking for quarters. He looks at the crowd.
FRED
Hey, does anybody have
any quarters?
The crowd surges forward offering coins. In the shadows, we
see Jack looking on with an intrigued expression on his face.
 10.

EXT. ARCADE PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Kids are pouring out of the arcade. We focus in on Luke,

Fred and his friends.
DAVE
Jesus, Fred, that was insane! Why
didnt you tell me your brother
kicked ass at video games?
FRED
I... didnt know.
DAVE
Well, you definitely need to
enter him in the contest.
FRED
What?
DAVE
Yeah. Why not?
FRED
I dunno, man. I mean, I dont wanna
draw attention to Luke like that.
DAVE
Dude, did you not see the crowds?
The kids were practically
treating him like a celebrity.
Besides, I know you sure as hell
need the money.
Fred looks up, as if just noticing what the dark skies.

FRED
Oh shit. What time is it?
DAVE
(looking at his
watch) Uh... like 10?
FRED
Oh geez...
Fred hurries his brother away.

INT. ARCADE - NIGHT

Davison is shaking hands with the owner of the arcade.

 11.

ARCADE OWNER
Again, thank you so much for
all this Mr. Davison.
DAVISON
Hey, no problem.
Davison puts his jacket over his arm and heads for the exit.
He pauses as he hears the sounds of a pinball machine. He
looks over and sees Jack with his back to him, playing one of
the cabinets among the rows of machines. Narrowing his eyes,
Davison walks over to Jack. Jack doesnt seem to take notice.
DAVISON (CONTD)
I uh... think the arcades closed.
JACK
The owner lets me hang out here
for a while.
DAVISON
You were that kid from
earlier werent you?
JACK
Yup.
DAVISON
Figured youd be practicing on
the machines, gettin ready for
the competition.
JACK
I will at some point probably. Id
rather just relax at the moment.
BEAT

DAVISON
Okay then... guess Ill see
you later.
Davison begins to walk away.

JACK (O.S.)
Did you notice the crowds today?
Davison turns.

DAVISON
It was pretty packed.
 12.

JACK
I mean the kids gathered around not
doing anything except watching.
DAVISON
Yeah, I guess. What about it?
JACK
Those crowds were there to see
a boy named Luke. Hes the
little brother of a local kid.
DAVISON
So?
JACK
He has some kinda mental illness.
He doesnt go to school and he
doesnt go outside much because he
usually gets picked on by the
other kids.
DAVISON
Is this going somewhere?
JACK
Well it turns out that he has a
talent for video games. And the
weird thing is, while he was
playing them today, there were
hardly any negative comments
aimed at him today.
Davison walks back over and places his jacket over the
glass, obscuring Jacks view.
DAVISON
You trying to say something?
Jack seems to continue to play with no difficulty.

JACK
Yeah, I wanted to say thanks.
DAVISON
For what?
JACK
I hear that Lukes family isnt
doing too well financially. So
thank you very much for giving
them a chance for some relief.
Very humanitarian of you.
 13.

Davison does not appear amused. He grabs his jacket

and quickly walks away. Jack has a smirk on his face.

INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

Fred opens the door, looking around at the darkened
apartment. He goes to take his brother to their room.
FATHER (O.S.)
I just got back.
Fred scrunches his face in disappointment. He opens the
door for Luke, and Luke goes inside. Fred goes into the
kitchen, where his father is sitting at the same spot at
the table as before. Fred reluctantly sits down.
FATHER (CONTD)
Whered you go?
FRED
Just... the arcade.
FATHER
Ah, of course. And you decided
to take your brother there?
FRED
Dad... it was fine.
FATHER
Can you give me one good reason
why you would be so selfish as to
take your brother out in public.
Fred looks pensive for a moment.

FRED
Yeah... theres a contest being
held at the arcade. Cash prize
for the winner. Had to sign up
today. And, I couldnt leave Luke
alone so...
Freds father looks momentarily hopeful, then tries
to quickly bury the emotion.
FRED (CONTD)
Look dad just... I need you to
please trust me for once. I can
look after Luke outside the house.
Freds Father looks conflicted. Finally he gets up and
heads out of the kitchen. He stops and looks back.
 14.

FATHER
Normally Id be angrier but... we
might lose this place soon. I dont
know what to do, Fred. So just...
do whatever you think is best
I suppose...
He leaves. Fred appears despondent. He places his head in
his hands.

INT. ARCADE - DAY

MONTAGE

-Luke and Fred at various cabinets, playing games.

-Jack playing various games.

-Davison hovers around, interested in the intensity of

the goings on around him.
-The kids surround them all, obsessed with the outcome
soon to be determined.

INT. ARCADE - NIGHT

It is the day of the tournament. Davison stand in the

center of the labyrinth of cabinets as the kids surround
him. He seems much more serious than he was a week ago.
DAVISON
Alright, you all know the rules.
We take the highest scorers until
theres only two left.
He glances at Luke, then Jack.

DAVISON (CONTD)
Lets get started.
The kids scramble.

MONTAGE

-Focus on Luke as he plays, his brother by his side at

all times.
- Jack playing, we see his scores, and then Lukes
scores. They are always very close.
-The kids watch with a religious fervor, cheering
and prostrating themselves
 15.

Luke playing GALAGA. It is clear that he and Jack are the

only competitors remaining. The action is tight, frenetic
and uncomfortable. The lights of the arcade cabinets
produce a strobe effect as we rapidly cut between the
anxious faces of Fred, Jack, and Davison.
Eventually, we see Lukes last life succumb to the enemy
barrage. It doesnt matter, he has just barely beaten
Jacks score. The crowd erupts in cheers. Fred cant help
himself and hugs his brother.
FRED
You did it! You did it, I
cant believe it.
He is beginning to cry. Jack comes over to the brothers.
Jack tenderly places a shoulder on Lukes shoulder.
JACK
Nice work.
For the first time, Luke smiles, his eyes cast downward.
We see Davison at the outskirts of the cheering crowd.
With a pensive look on his face he slowly turns around.
Before he can get to the door he hears Jacks voice.
JACK (O.S.) (CONTD)
So Mr. Davison...
Davison turns.
JACK (CONTD)
Despite your best efforts, you
managed to help two kids get
better lives. Still think all this
is a waste of time?
Davisons face reveals nothing.

DAVISON
I think you already know the
answer to that.
He walks out the door.

FADE OUT
16.