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Swimming with Sharks · 1994 — Chapter 12 of 16 · 4'49" · B1

Buddy Pitches Guy's Ending to Cyrus, Explained: Hit a home run

Buddy can't stop praising the new ending Guy wrote — a laundromat scene he calls "genius" — and promises Cyrus will green-light it. The warmth turns out to be strategic: at the meeting, the same notes come back with spelling errors, and Buddy wants Guy to fix them quietly, not to be thanked.

What happens

The scene opens on Buddy celebrating: Guy's new ending for Real Life, set in a laundromat, is "genius," and Cyrus will green-light it right away. It then cuts to the pitch meeting with Cyrus and director Foster Kane, where the project gets praised as speaking to a "dissed, disillusioned" generation — until someone spots spelling errors in the notes.

MeetingsNegotiationComplimentingPersuadingBoss & employeeB1mediumamerican
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Hit a home runLet's face itGreen-light a projectDeal-breaker

00:00 / 04:49
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Phrase of the scene

Hit a home run

to have a great success, especially for a team

巴迪半开玩笑说要提拔盖伊当制作总裁，盖伊赶紧推辞，说自己不想当官，只想替团队打出一记全垒打、把这个项目做成。

She hit a home run with her first product launch.

Also in this scene

  • Let's face it

    used before stating an unpleasant but true fact

  • Green-light a project

    给项目开绿灯、正式批准启动

  • Deal-breaker

    会让交易或关系谈崩的致命问题

Everything marked in this scene

29 notes across 100 lines

Phrase · C1sheer geniusThis is genius, sheer fucking genius.
Phrase · B1great workThis is great work, Guy.
Phrase · B2set a story in a placeAnd to set it in a laundromat.
Phrase · B2a go movieWe have a go movie.
Phrase · C1green-light a projectCyrus is gonna green-light this right away.
Phrase · A2be going to love somethingHe is gonna love it.
Phrase · B2to hell with somethingTo hell with that. Don't worry about that.
Phrase · B2minor detailsIt's minor details.
Phrase · B2chairman of the boardGet ready to meet the chairman of the board.
Phrase · B1leave something at a placeI left my belt at Marnie's last night.
Phrase · B1call someone backLet me call you back.
Phrase · B2let's face it

used before stating an unpleasant but true fact

Let's face it, guys.
Phrase · B1you know what I meanYou know what I mean?
Phrase · B1respond to somethingYou think the kids are gonna respond to this?
Phrase · B2speak to a generationCyrus, it speaks to their generation, a generation that's been dissed, disillusioned, disappointed, dismayed.
Phrase · C1dissed and disillusionedCyrus, it speaks to their generation, a generation that's been dissed, disillusioned, disappointed, dismayed.
Phrase · B2sum something upThat sums it up perfectly.
Phrase · B2you never can tell with someoneYou can never tell with you kids these days.
Phrase · B1fix errorsNow, look, you just gotta fix these spelling errors.
Phrase · B1should have done somethingOh, I'm sorry. I should have checked it first.
Phrase · B1type something upI just had Guy type it up for me.
Phrase · B2too damn adjectiveBut you know what? I was just too damn excited.
Phrase · B1can you blame someoneCan you blame me?
Phrase · B2hit a home run

to have a great success, especially for a team

Me? Naw, I just want to hit a home run for the team.
Phrase · C1be a deal-breakerI'm tellin' you, I'm not gonna let that one issue be a fuckin' deal-breaker on this.
Phrase · B2close a dealYou... close the deal.
Phrase · B1get back to someoneWe're gonna lose the kid. All right? Get back to me.
Phrase · B2leave wordLeave word.
Phrase · B1go into townWe'll only go into town if we need something.

Buddy Pitches Guy's Ending to Cyrus, explained

What's really going on

On the surface this is a victory lap. Guy's ending rescued the project, and Buddy says all the right things: "This is great work, Guy," "You earned it. You deserve it." But the praise is part of a trade. Buddy frames the project as his own ticket — "It's 'Say good-bye, Stella.'" — and the meeting reveals what Guy's work is actually worth to the people in charge. When spelling errors surface, the notes are blamed on Guy ("I just had Guy type it up"), and Buddy's fix is to scrub them out quietly, not to credit him. Even Buddy's flattery is a leash: "You keep this up," he tells him, "I'm gonna have to make you president of production."

Theme

AmbitionGuy's skill wins him praise and a promise of promotion, but it is Buddy who uses the win to climb, selling the project as his own.
PowerBuddy's phone call shows the same control: he orders Guy to stay and 'concentrate on what I need,' even over a bathroom break.

What you'll learn

  • Use No way in the same situation
  • Hear Get ready as pressure, not small talk
  • Catch who the line is aimed at
This is genius, sheer fucking genius.

Buddy's highest praise for Guy's ending — over-the-top, and delivered with an energy that later proves to be part of the sell.

You can never tell with you kids these days.

A backhanded compliment from the older man: he admits the project works, but frames Guy's generation as an unpredictable market.

Oh, no. I admire that kind of enthusiasm.

Cyrus waves off the apology for the errors and praises Guy's excitement instead — politeness that also keeps him from having to take the mistakes seriously.

Well, forget about what you need and concentrate on what I need.

The blunt version of the whole relationship: Guy's own needs, even a bathroom break, come after his boss's demands.

Questions about this scene

Why does Buddy praise Guy so much in this scene?

The ending Guy wrote saves the project, and Buddy needs it to look like a win he can deliver to Cyrus — and use to cut Stella out. The praise is real, but it is also a way of claiming the result.

Why does Dawn get pushed out of the project?

Buddy wants the credit and the power. The plan is to go straight to Cyrus, so Guy's work is sold as Buddy's, and Stella — Dawn's route to the top — is cut out.

What do the spelling errors mean for Guy?

They are a small humiliation. The notes are Buddy's to present, but the typos trace back to Guy, and Buddy quietly has him fix them rather than defend him.

Does Buddy really mean to make Guy president of production?

It is a carrot. The line comes right after Guy's work pays off, and Buddy's later treatment — demanding he stay on the phone — shows the offer is leverage, not a real promise.

Swimming with Sharks · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 13make a killingGuy Ditches His Partner to Obey Buddy
Chapter 1sweet-talk someoneBuddy Sweet-Talks Shelley WintersChapter 2End of storyBuddy Berates Guy Over the PhoneChapter 3lose the smileGuy's First Day as Buddy's AssistantChapter 4Humor meBuddy Berates Guy Over Sweet'N LowChapter 5punch below the beltGuy Learns the Rules of Show BusinessChapter 6It's not brain surgeryBuddy Rages Over the Word UnreachableChapter 7give action to get actionAn Apology Becomes a Power PlayChapter 8Get over yourselfGuy Explains Why He Loves MoviesChapter 9written all over itBuddy Orders Guy to Bury the StoryChapter 10White knight in shining armorBuddy Offers Guy the White Knight RoleChapter 11on a short leashGuy Is Warned Off the BossWatching · Chapter 12Hit a home runBuddy Pitches Guy's Ending to CyrusChapter 13make a killingGuy Ditches His Partner to Obey BuddyChapter 14the rat raceBuddy's Rat Race SpeechChapter 15Paid my duesBuddy Defends Himself to GuyChapter 16climb the social ladderDawn Finds Guy Holding Buddy Hostage
Chapter 12 of 16 · about 21 min to go