this very person here
Someone names a man in front of a crowd, using the phrase as a public endorsement rather than a plain introduction.
Hey, boys, this guy right here, Julius.American Hustle · 2013 — Chapter 10 of 20 · 2'55" · B2
The Atlantic City Pitch, Explained: back on its feet
The public talk is all resorts, jobs, and tax base: "He's gonna get this community, he's gonna get this state, back on its feet to where it belongs." Underneath, the sell is a foreign visitor's dollars—how far they will go for Camden and for the people there.
What happens
In a group, a speaker praises Irving Rosenfeld and predicts he will bring the sheik to Atlantic City to rebuild resorts and put everybody back to work. Later, someone asks whether the sheik is black and proposes showing him Camden; a gift microwave is then called a "science oven."
Listen for
this guy right hereput everybody back to workwork outarrange for
00:00 / 02:55Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
this guy right here
this very person here
Someone names a man in front of a crowd, using the phrase as a public endorsement rather than a plain introduction.
This guy right here is the one who fixed my bike.
Also in this scene
- put everybody back to work
give everyone jobs again
- work out
succeed or end well
- arrange for
make plans for someone to do something
- how far his dollar will go
how much money can buy
- going to kill us
will be furious with us
Everything marked in this scene
28 notes across 57 lines
He's gonna blurs together; don't wait for a clear 'going to'.
He's gonna bring the sheik to Atlantic City, that's what he's gonna do.give everyone jobs again
A public speech paints rebuilt resorts as the obvious way to bring jobs back to the community.
Where we can rebuild all those resorts there, put everybody back to work.where-clause: Where links back to Atlantic City, adding what can happen there rather than asking a question.
Where we can rebuild all those resorts there, put everybody back to work.healthy and working again The subject is an economy, not a person standing up.
He's gonna get this community, he's gonna get this state, back on its feet to where it belongs.in its rightful place It means rightful status, not returning an object.
He's gonna get this community, he's gonna get this state, back on its feet to where it belongs.Stress back and feet; let on its pass quickly.
He's gonna get this community, he's gonna get this state, back on its feet to where it belongs.increase taxable income Tax base means the taxable income pool, not an office.
He's gonna grow our tax base and create thousands and thousands of jobs for everyone.a huge number of jobs
He's gonna grow our tax base and create thousands and thousands of jobs for everyone.kind and generous It means generous, not literally a large heart.
Come on, this guy right here, he's got a big heart.succeed or end well
In private, a quiet worry about the deal failing is met with quick confidence, and the reply names Irv directly.
I'd just hate it if n didn't work out.hypothetical conditional: The if-clause presents a feared future; I'd makes the reaction hypothetical.
I'd just hate it if n didn't work out.people like us
Come on, guys like you and me'?ask you something
Hey, can I ask you a question?a silly or awkward question — Self-deprecating and casual; avoid it in formal interviews.
I don't know, maybe it's a dumb question, but...only asking out of curiosity
I'm just wondering.make plans for someone to do something
In private, one man frames a favor as a trip he can formally set up.
I would like to arrange for the sheik to see Camden.the people I work for
The people I serve. The people I love.relative clause: The relative pronoun is left out: the people (that) I serve.
The people I serve. The people I love.how much money can buy
In private, the speaker wants the sheik to see how much a dollar can do in Camden.
And he can see how far his dollar will go.embedded question: The how-clause is the object of see; it keeps statement word order.
And he can see how far his dollar will go.Put the beat on far and let the rest run.
And he can see how far his dollar will go.bought you a present
Yeah, I got... I got you a gift.Got you blurs into one beat; don't split it.
Yeah, I got... I got you a gift.leave this place
Let's get out of here. Okay.will be furious with someone Hyperbole for anger, not literal violence.
The girls are going to kill us.warm up all kinds of food
It's a microwave. It heats up everything.or anything like that — Casual list-closer; too vague for formal writing.
Pasta, lasagna, meatballs, whatever.The Atlantic City Pitch, explained
What's really going on
The public language is civic revival: "back on its feet to where it belongs," "thousands and thousands of jobs." The second language is arithmetic. When someone asks to take the sheik to Camden, the stated reason is the people—"The people I serve. The people I love."—but the same request ends on "how far his dollar will go." The scene lets both languages sit side by side: the community is real, the need is real, and so is the calculation. The microwave gift keeps the tone friendly while the talk stays about what a visitor's money can do.
Theme
MoneyThe pitch keeps returning to tax base, jobs, and "how far his dollar will go."
CorruptionCivic revival talk and a friendly gift sit beside a plainly transactional ask.
Listen for
- He's gonna — He's gonna blurs together; don't wait for a clear 'going to'.
- back on its feet — Stress back and feet; let on its pass quickly.
- how far — Put the beat on far and let the rest run.
- got you a — Got you blurs into one beat; don't split it.
He's gonna get this community, he's gonna get this state, back on its feet to where it belongs.He will restore the community and state economically, returning them to the condition they are supposed to be in.
The people I serve. The people I love.A claim of devotion to local residents, offered as the reason to bring the sheik to Camden.
And he can see how far his dollar will go.The sheik can see how much his money can accomplish in Camden.
And you specifically bought this science oven for me?A question about a microwave; "science oven" is a nonstandard name for it, not a real appliance term.
Questions about this scene
Why does the speaker mention Atlantic City?
He says the sheik will be brought there so the resorts can be rebuilt and everybody put back to work; he also promises a bigger tax base and thousands of jobs.
Why does someone want the sheik to see Camden?
The stated reason is to show him the people of Camden—mostly black and Puerto Rican—and how ready the community is for the opportunity, so he can see how far his dollar will go.
What is the 'science oven' in the scene?
It is a nonstandard name for the microwave. The gift is described as a microwave that heats up everything, and 'science oven' is the phrase used for it in a question.
Is the sheik black?
The scene leaves it open. One line asks "Is the sheik black?", the reply is "He's an Arab," and then "That's black, isn't it?" gets only "I don't know."
American Hustle · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 11the life of the partyRosalyn Cuts In on the Call
Chapter 1last resortLast Resort Loan Pitch
Chapter 2the Picasso of passive-aggressive karateA Sun Lamp Starts a Fight
Chapter 3mess with your judgementFBI Reveal at the Loan Meeting
Chapter 4off the beaten pathThe Jail Cell Confession
Chapter 5on a first-name basis withEscape Plan Argument Over Danny
Chapter 6quit while you're aheadThe Fake Rembrandt Reveal
Chapter 7out of his leagueThe Deal Gets Too Big
Chapter 8grease someoneA $75,000 Bribe for the Mayor
Chapter 9can't get enough ofGuests Smell Nail Polish, Talk Business
Watching · Chapter 10back on its feetThe Atlantic City Pitch
Chapter 11the life of the partyRosalyn Cuts In on the Call
Chapter 12right off the batThe Ocean Room Pitch
Chapter 13keep the upper handCasino Pitch at a Party
Chapter 14falsified my recordsSydney Reveals Her Real Name
Chapter 15get over onI Should've Gone Away With You
Chapter 16get someone on a wireNegotiating the Sherman Suite
Chapter 17let something die to let something liveA Wife Spills Secrets Over Dinner
Chapter 18knock some sense intoIrving Pitches the Two Million Plan
Chapter 19pay somebody offThe Lawyer Takes the Wire
Chapter 20make this rightIrving's Apology Goes WrongChapter 10 of 20 · about 35 min to go