Professional Documents
Culture Documents
La La Land
La La Land
DINER - NIGHT
Mia eats, her laptop next to her meal. She takes a bite, types.
We see her screen -- an e-mail draft, glimpses of words: "one-
woman show", "one night only", "7pm", "I would be thrilled..."
MIA
Hey it's me... Not sure where you are --
I think Boston? Maybe Dallas? Anyway... I
haven't heard from you in a little while… And I
miss you...
(a beat)
Alright... Bye...
Mia walks through the courtyard. Reaches the door. Then hears
something... Music -- LOUD, FAST JAZZ...
SEBASTIAN
I thought… Surprise.
She lights up. He lifts up silver serving trays, revealing
what he's cooked. Roast chicken. Pasta.
SEBASTIAN (CONT'D)
I gotta leave first thing in the morning but I just had to see you.
SEBASTIAN
So nice to be home.
MIA
I’m so glad you’re home.
SEBASTIAN
How's the play going?
MIA
Umm, I'm nervous.
SEBASTIAN
You are?
MIA
mhm
SEBASTIAN
Why?
MIA
Because...
(a beat)
SEBASTIAN
Chichikaka! You're nervous about what they think?
MIA
I'm nervous to do it. I’m nervous to get up on a stage and
perform for people. I mean I don’t need to say that to you.
SEBASTIAN
It's going to be incredtible.
MIA
You don’t get it, but I’m terrified
SEBASTIAN
They should be so lucky to see it.
I can't wait.
MIA
I can. When do you leave, the morning?
SEBASTIAN
Yeah, 6:45.
MIA
Oooo
SEBASTIAN
Boise.
MIA
Boise?
SEBASTIAN
Boise.
MIA
To Boise.
SEBASTIAN
You should come.
MIA
To Boise?
SEBASTIAN
Yeah, you could knock that off your
bucket list.
MIA
Ooo. That would be, really exciting wish I could.
What are you doing after the tour?
SEBASTIAN
Why can't you?
MIA
Come to Boise?
SEBASTIAN
Yeah.
MIA
Because I have to rehearse.
SEBASTIAN
Yeah but can't you rehearse anywhere?
MIA
Anywhere you are?
SEBASTIAN
I mean -- I guess...
MIA
Umm well, all my stuff is here and it's in
two weeks so I don't really think that would
be-
SEBASTIAN
Ok.
MIA
-the best idea right now but, I wish I could
SEBASTIAN
Well we're just going to have to try and
see each other. We never see each other.
MIA
I know, but when are you done?
SEBASTIAN
...What do you mean? I mean...
MIA
When are you finished with the whole tour?
SEBASTIAN
But after we're finished we’re gonna
go and record and then we go back on tour.
MIA
So it's like the long haul?
SEBASTIAN
What do you mean “the long haul?”
MIA
I mean the long haul -- like, you're
going to stay in this band for a long time.
On tour.
SEBASTIAN
I mean what did you think I was going to do?
MIA
I don't, I hadn’t really thought it through I
didn’t know that the band/ was so important.
SEBASTIAN
/You didn't think it’d be successful.
MIA
Um no, that's not really what I mean. I just mean
that I mean you’re going to be on tour for what
months now years?
SEBASTIAN
Yeah, this is it I mean this could feasibly be it for -- I could be
on tour with this for years a couple years at least with just this record.
MIA
Do you like the music you're playing?
SEBASTIAN
I don't, I don’t know what it matters.
MIA
Well it matters because if you're going to give up your
dream I think it matters that you like what you’re playing
on the road for years.
SEBASTIAN
Do you like the music I'm playing?
MIA
Yeah, I do. I just didn't think that you did.
SEBASTIAN
Yeah, well, I --
MIA
You know you said Keith is the worst and now you’re gonna
be on tour with him for years, so I just didn’t/ know if you were happy.
SEBASTIAN
/I don’t know, what are you doing? Why are you doing
this?
MIA
What do you mean why am I doing this?
SEBASTIAN
I thought you wanted me to do this. It just sounds like
now you don’t want me to do it.
MIA
What do you mean I wanted you to do this?
SEBASTIAN
This is what you wanted from me.
MIA
To be in this band?
SEBASTIAN
To be in a band, to have a steady job. You know to be,
you know.
MIA
Of course I wanted you to have a steady job so that
you could take care of yourself and your life and
you could start your club.
SEBASTIAN
Yeah so I'm doing that. So I don’t understand
like why aren't we celebrating?
MIA
Why aren't you starting your club?
SEBASTIAN
You said yourself no one wants to go to
that club! No one wants to go to a club
called Chicken on a Stick --
MIA
So change the name!
SEBASTIAN
Well no one likes jazz. Not even you.
MIA
I do like jazz now, because of you.
SEBASTIAN
And this is what I thought you wanted me to do.
What am I supposed to do? Go back to
playing "Jingle Bells”?
MIA
I’m not saying that I’m saying why/ don’t you take
what you’ve made and start the club?
SEBASTIAN
/Scraping pennies so I can start a club no
one wants to go to?
MIA
People will want to go to it because you’re passionate
About it! And people love what other people are
passionate about. You remind people of what they forgot.
SEBASTIAN
Not in my experience.
MIA
I’m pointing out that you had a dream that you followed
that you were sticking to-
SEBASTIAN
This is the dream! This is the dream.
MIA
This is not your dream.
SEBASTIAN
Guys like me work their whole lives to be in
something that’s successful that people like, you know?
I mean I'm finally doing something that that that that
that that people enjoy./ Just cause I don’t enjoy it doesn’t matter.
MIA
/Since when do you care about being liked?
Why do you care so much about being liked?
SEBASTIAN
QUEYou're an actress, what are you talking about??
A moment. Finally --
Maybe you just liked me when I was on
my ass because it made you feel better
about yourself.
MIA
Are you kidding?
SEBASTIAN
No. I don’t know… QUE
They stare at each other.
But she's out the door. It slams shut, as Sebastian pulls the
burnt apple pie from the oven.
97 OMIT
98 EXT. THEATER - DAY
Revision 61.
Takes a deep breath. Nervous. And then, nodding to herself --
you can do this -- she starts setting up...