hi, everyone. i don t think we've met. i'm sam coulson- although for some reason the school has this thing about not letting you guys call me sam.
josie since you're new--i love to drink my coffee during class, and since i allow myself to do this, i allow everyone to bring beverages to class as well. welcome to shakespeare's "as you like it." okay. how many of you actually read the assignment last night? about five hands go up. sam not bad. now how many of you spent more than thirty minutes eating salty snack foods? twenty hands. sam laughs. sam man. if i could just get you guys to read while you eat. sam opens his book. aldys notices josie has no book. she moves next to her.
'as you like it" is an example of a shakespearean-- sam turns to the blackboard and starts writing. we cu on his butt, hardly discernable in his loose 501 jeans, all the girls swoon. sam pastoral comedy. anyone know what that means? an enthusiastic, if slightly dim girl, sera, waves her hand.
that's pasteurize, sera. but close. same letter-- --three syllables--
okay, anyone else--- josie can't contain herself.
did i mention to the class that i love our new student? josie beams.
gibby, that's not exactly the kind of participation i'm looking for. gibby looks right at josie.
anyone have any idea what shakespeare meant by that? no one answers. sam anyone? sera .  megan .  exchange student who doesn't speak english? we cu on the students, ending on an asian boy who smiles wildly at sam and waves. sam smiles, and waves back. sam it's about disguise, playing a part. it's the theme of "as you like it." can anyone tell me where we see that?
right. and it's when she's in costume that she can finally express her love for orlando. see, shakespeare's making the point here that when we're disguised, we feel freer. we can do things we wouldn't do in ordinary life. cu on josie's face. she's clearly uncomfortable. sam walks up to a huge football player, brett. sam brett when you go out on the football field in your uniform, what happens?
you hit people. you yell. you touch other guys' butts. the class giggles. brett looks horrified.
but it's okay, because you're in uniform. disguise changes the rules i had these spiderman pyjamas. i thought when i wore them, that i had super powers. one night i tried to walk up the side of the garage.
to the emergency room. yeah. josie smiles at this, a little smitten. sam josie, why don't you read from act 5, scene 2, rosalind's speech-- josie stands up, starts reading--
whoa. deja vu.
you like her?
not the happiest of souls. "art is a form of catharsis, and love is a permanent flop."
true. i guess she hadn't completely given up hope. are you sure you're seventeen?
because seventeen-year-olds do not like writers from the '30's. they don't even like people in their 30's.
hey, josie, hold on. you've been hiding something from me.
your writing. it's amazing, josie. you're really talented. and far less depressing than dorothy parker.
so what are you thinking for college?
that's crazy. i'll get you some applications.
josie you owe it to yourself to go. for your writing. you're a natural.
josie, you're different. when you speak in class, i can tell--you actually feel the words-- in here. they're alive. like-eurdora welty talked about the word it moon"? how for her it was like a concord grape. "that grandpa took off his vine and gave to me to suck out of its skin--" sam. josie it --and swallow whole." they both take a breath in. look away from each other. interior. george's van – same george watches the monitor.
josie--out on a school night. a woman, lara, emerges from the crowd. and puts her arm around sam. an awkward beat.
oh, right, sorry. lara--josie. josie--lara. josie's a student of mine. lara's my-date.
she's from bali. and as josie continues to dance on stage, making a total fool of herself, jimmy cliff turns to camera. jimmy: freak.
this seat taken?
whoa. they start a slow ascent. sam seems ill at ease.
i'm gonna tell you something here, and i hope it doesn't undermine my position as an authority figure. i'm a little afraid of heights.
actually, it's more the plunging head first into the crowd part that gets me.
you remember that story?
yoooooow.
out of my control. tommy! cut it out! enough! tommy stops. sam turns to josie.
i said that as a chaperone. they start to ascend again. sam relaxes. sam okay this is okay. smooth. can i ask you something? do you think i tell too many stories in class?
god, i would love to think i'm an interesting teacher. i mean, i had maybe one or two teachers in high school who had any passion at all.
you have to say that. you're my student.
boys.
i'd like to tell you that we all grow out of it, but that's a lie. some of us will always be rattling cages.
i don't know. and you know what's scary--when you get older it just gets more confusing. i've spent the last ten years with women who are basically all wrong for me. you know what, i shouldn't be talking about this stuff with you.
same here. they stop rocking but they're still stuck at the top. sam all i can tell you is that when you're my age, the guys will be lined up around the block for you. they share a smile.
i shouldn't say that, because i'm your teacher. they look at each other, their smiles fading into realization. suddenly, the car jerks, and they start to move down. josie and sam are pulled out of their reverie. they smile awkwardly at each other and laugh a small laugh. wide shot of the ferris wheel as josie and sam descend.
thanks, josie. this wasn't as bad as i thought.
i'm thinking when i'm home.
hi. you're here for the sex talk?
you're pam?
welcome juniors and seniors, this is pam kitterman. she's our district health counselor. she's here to lead our sex discussion. he ushers a surprised anita to the front of the room. josie reacts.
i thought this was a 45-minute seminar.
it's an analogy. a surprised josie looks up to see sam next to her. she lets her condom go. and it flies off her banana into his face. josie turns to tracy.
all right guys, let's calm down. calm down. sit! they all do, including anita. sam now look. let's focus. prom theme. we need a new idea.
what about the "roaring twenties"… or "the 80's"? the class lets out a giant groan on that one.
oh yeah. betty was so spunky and fun. veronica may have had great legs, but she was too moody. very high maintenance. josie laughs. angle on: a table where kristen and tommy are selling prom tickets. aldys is standing in front of them.
you're really doing a great job here, josie. i like your "can do" attitude.
maybe distant cousins. they did have that egg shape in common.
that's sad, isn't it? he had to sit on that wall all by himself. he deserved to have somebody.
yeah. to watch the world go by.--
our penguin, right?
yeah, actually i do. they are lost in each other. they lean closer, as if they may kiss, then sam breaks the moment.
oh my god! i almost forgot--i got you a meeting with the admissions guy from dartmouth!
no, i know, but i pulled some strings, got him to look at your writing, and he agreed to meet you.
i told him --if i'm wrong about this girl, you can take away my teaching certificate!
of course i do. josie, you owe it to yourself--to your writing, to go to college. you're a great writer. you just have to find your story. as they share a meaningful look, we freeze frame.
well, the moment has arrived. he looks at the card.
our 1999 prom court - the princesses are - miss kristen rey, miss kirsten leosis and miss gibby zarefsky. and the princes are mr. thomas salamey, mr. jason way, and mr. rob - sam looks at the card, and then looks around. nobody can help him.
mr. rob .  mr. rob! the crowd cheers. gibby, kirsten, and kristen all jump in preplanned delight. rob seems genuinely surprised. jason carries tommy up to the stage piggyback. the girls make their way to the stage, and put on their "prom court" sashes. sam looks to the card again.
next up - southglen's prom king… guy is already halfway to the stage-
guy perkins! the crowd goes wild. guy reaches the stage and takes his crown and scepter.
and - this year's prom queen - sam looks at the card, then at josie. josie is standing; eyes open, staring at the podium.
ladies and gentlemen – josie geller! the crowd cheers like crazy, josie smiles.
and now - as it is custom - the king and queen will have their first dance. on the dance floor: guy and josie begin to dance. from josie's p.o.v., it's in slow motion, the world glittering and wonderful around her.
josie--you make a really beautiful prom queen.
i always feel like such a goofball in these penguin suits. like i'm at my own wedding or something. an awkward beat.
you wanna-- he gestures towards the dance floor. josie smiles.
proms always make me sad. they're so final. graduation. everyone's scattering, moving on.
no, i'm alone.
you're amazing, josie geller. angle on: guy and aldys as they dance, we see the cool girls and jason standing to the side of the dance floor laughing gibby reaches into her purse and pulls out a can of alpo. she hands it to jason who pulls a can opener out of his pocket, opens the lid. he hands it to kirsten who take the lid off. she hands the can to kristen, who hands the can to tommy.
so--have you thought anymore about dartmouth?
there's something i have to tell you, too-- josie's eyes shift from sam to over his shoulder. she spots aldys, who smiles at her. josie's eyes travel up to the can of dog food. flash: teenage josie on the porch, facing billy and his date. flash: teenage josie with egg dripping all over her.
"surprise!" you were doing a story on me?!
what? happy? why? because it turns out all along that i was allowed to be attracted to you?
goddamnit, josie! drop the act. do you have any idea what i went through every night because of you?! i was attracted to a 17 year old! when i wasn't taking cold showers, i was trying to figure out what the hell i was going to do when i couldn't teach anymore! i thought i was the one being unethical.
you set me up. for a story. you know what's crazy? i was actually considering waiting for you.
now i don't want to! i bought all of your penguin crap. i thought i found her--the right one! and the problem was she was too young! no - the problem was--she didn't even exist!
the person i cared about wouldn't have done this. everything out of your mouth has been a complete lie. i don't know you at all. for all i know you could hate dorothy parker.
i just can't look at you the same way. sam gets into his car and drives off. josie is devastated.
i told you you could write, josie geller.