to flatter someone in order to gain favor
No more sucking up to these...Swimming with Sharks · 1994 — Chapter 13 of 16 · 4'47" · B2
Guy Ditches His Partner to Obey Buddy, Explained: make a killing
One phone call from Buddy and Guy walks out on the person telling him he's been "the doddering houseboy" for too long. Guy insists he made a commitment; the answer is that it means nothing to Buddy. "You're the only real thing that I have left," Guy says — and still leaves.
What happens
Late at night Buddy calls and demands a phone number, so Guy drops his evening with the person he loves and heads back to the office. The other person pushes him to refuse, coaching him to tell Buddy "I don't care," and mocks how long he has played the obedient houseboy.
Listen for
Suck up to someoneMake a killingOn the lineDense
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Phrase of the scene
Make a killing
to make a large amount of money quickly or easily
巴迪挂电话前对盖伊说，你已经毕业了，会在这行大赚一笔，一边把人赶走，一边用赚钱的前景给他画饼。
They made a killing selling umbrellas during the rainy season.
Also in this scene
- Suck up to someone
to flatter someone in order to gain favor
- On the line
处于风险之中、随时可能搭进去
- Dense
迟钝、脑子转不过来
Everything marked in this scene
37 notes across 100 lines
egotistical idiots.No more politicking.Most of all...Guy, pick up the phone.The new draft's in. Notes by Monday.The new draft's in. Notes by Monday.Signed and delivered Friday night.We're gonna continue on with the Sunday Marathon, nonstop, commercial-free...Jesus Christ. You can't do anything right.You know I was seeing her tonight.How many times have I told you, "Your head has gotta be a rolodex, or your ass is gonna be on the line"?Now, get down to the office and get me her number.Now, get down to the office and get me her number.I know. It'll just take me a minute.I gotta get a phone number.Just try to understand, ok?You have played the doddering houseboy long enough.I know, I know, but I made a commitment.Look, do me a favor.No, really. Try it. Say it with me.You really can't do it, can you?Wyoming, my ass.You know, when you figure out what it is you really want, why don't you give me a call?You know, when you figure out what it is you really want, why don't you give me a call?in my miserable, shitty, little existence that I have to look forward to.You're the only real thing that I have left.Fine. Leave. Your project's set up.You got what you wanted, and I got laid.to make a large amount of money quickly or easily
You're gonna make a killing in this business.Protect my interests, serve my needs.No wonder your wife left you.All... all this time that I've worked for you, I still don't know a thing about your ex-wife.Tell me a story.Tell me about a young Buddy in love with a woman who just didn't want him.Was it a painful separation?Did she take you for everything you had, or did the lousy bitch only get half?Guy Ditches His Partner to Obey Buddy, explained
What's really going on
The scene is the moment Guy picks his career over the person he claims to love. He says all the right things — "You're the only real thing that I have left" — but he still cannot bring himself to say the three words the other person asks for: "I don't care." That failure is the whole point. Buddy's power works not by force here but by habit; one call is enough to pull Guy back to the office for a phone number. The other person names it exactly, telling him he has "played the doddering houseboy long enough," and then delivers the verdict: "Fine. Leave. Your project's set up." It ends with Guy being congratulated — not saved — for learning how the business really runs.
Theme
AmbitionGuy trades the one relationship he values for the career; the closing line congratulates him for learning that the business rewards people who can cut their feelings off.
PowerBuddy isn't in the room, yet one phone call and an old line about the rolodex send Guy back to the office, leaving everything else behind.
What you'll learn
- Use give action to get action in the same situation
- Hear look forward to as pressure, not small talk
- Catch who the line is aimed at
You're the only real thing that I have left.Guy's confession to the person he loves: after all the fake glamour, this relationship is the only thing he considers genuine. It makes his next move — leaving anyway — the point of the scene.
You're gonna make a killing in this business.A farewell delivered as praise: the speaker is telling Guy he has learned the trade well enough to get rich — and the tone suggests it isn't a compliment.
You know, when you figure out what it is you really want, why don't you give me a call?An open door left for Guy: the other person won't compete with his ambition, but if he ever sorts out his priorities, they can talk. It's a goodbye that keeps one thread alive.
Fine. Leave. Your project's set up.The quiet ending of the argument: the other person stops fighting and says the practical work is done, so there's nothing left holding Guy back. It's permission he didn't want.
Questions about this scene
Why does Guy go back to the office?
Because Buddy says he needs a phone number for a woman he is seeing that night. Guy treats it as an unbreakable commitment, even though it costs him the evening and the relationship.
What does "make a killing" mean?
It means to make a lot of money, often quickly. The line congratulates Guy for having learned how the business works, hinting that success here comes at a moral cost.
Why does the other person tell Guy to say "I don't care"?
Because saying no to Buddy is the only way to prove he isn't owned by him. When Guy can't get the words out, it answers the question the whole argument was circling.
What is the other person's final offer?
To stay reachable: once Guy works out what he truly wants, he can call. It's a door left open rather than a reconciliation, since the person is done being second to Buddy.
Swimming with Sharks · 16 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14the rat raceBuddy's Rat Race Speech
Chapter 1sweet-talk someoneBuddy Sweet-Talks Shelley Winters
Chapter 2End of storyBuddy Berates Guy Over the Phone
Chapter 3lose the smileGuy's First Day as Buddy's Assistant
Chapter 4Humor meBuddy Berates Guy Over Sweet'N Low
Chapter 5punch below the beltGuy Learns the Rules of Show Business
Chapter 6It's not brain surgeryBuddy Rages Over the Word Unreachable
Chapter 7give action to get actionAn Apology Becomes a Power Play
Chapter 8Get over yourselfGuy Explains Why He Loves Movies
Chapter 9written all over itBuddy Orders Guy to Bury the Story
Chapter 10White knight in shining armorBuddy Offers Guy the White Knight Role
Chapter 11on a short leashGuy Is Warned Off the Boss
Chapter 12Hit a home runBuddy Pitches Guy's Ending to Cyrus
Watching · Chapter 13make a killingGuy Ditches His Partner to Obey Buddy
Chapter 14the rat raceBuddy's Rat Race Speech
Chapter 15Paid my duesBuddy Defends Himself to Guy
Chapter 16climb the social ladderDawn Finds Guy Holding Buddy HostageChapter 13 of 16 · about 16 min to go