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Swimming with Sharks · 1994 — Chapter 3 of 16 · 4'21" · B2

Guy's First Day as Buddy's Assistant, Explained: lose the smile

Guy's first day as Buddy Ackerman's assistant is a crash course in abuse. Before Buddy even shows up, someone tells Guy to "Lose the smile" and warns the job is long hours for tiny wages; Buddy's welcome is just as backhanded.

What happens

Guy starts as the new assistant to studio executive Buddy Ackerman. The outgoing assistant briefs him on the pecking order and the brutal phone system, then Buddy storms in and immediately turns a phone call about an action movie's sound mix into a shouting match, sending Guy to fetch his coffee and more.

Talking to the bossPhone callsWarningExplainingBoss & employeeB2fastamerican
IMDb ↗

Listen for

Lose the smileBe in for a treatSchmuckGrand poobah

00:00 / 04:21
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Now
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Phrase of the scene

Lose the smile

stop smiling; wipe that smile off your face

盖伊第一天上班，在停车场夸车位、笑着自我介绍，老员工雷克斯冷不丁甩来一句收起你的笑，还补一句说这样看着像个傻瓜。

Lose the smirk; the interview already started.

Also in this scene

  • Be in for a treat

    about to experience something very enjoyable

  • Schmuck

    笨蛋、蠢货，带轻蔑也常是玩笑口气

  • Grand poobah

    大老板、头号人物，戏谑的叫法

Everything marked in this scene

28 notes across 100 lines

Phrase · B1what a great ...It's a great spot. As soon as I pulled in, I thought, "wow, what a great spot."
Phrase · B1by the wayI'm Guy, by the way.
Phrase · B1one's first day on the jobWhat is this, your first day on the job or something?
Phrase · B2as a matter of factYes. Yes. As a matter of fact, it is.
Phrase · B1a piece of adviceYeah, well, piece of advice.
Phrase · B2lose the something

stop smiling; wipe that smile off your face

Lose the smile.
Phrase · B2look like a schmuckMakes you look like a schmuck.
Phrase · B2at this moment in timeI said he's not here right now at this moment in time.
Phrase · B1send someone downI'll send him down as soon as he gets here.
Phrase · B1as soon as ...I'll send him down as soon as he gets here.
Phrase · B2get your butt over to somewhereJust get your cute little butt over to his place by midnight.
Phrase · B2a lot of work for ... wagesSo I don't know what you've heard about this job, but it's gonna be a lot of work for shit wages.
Phrase · B2gas up a carPicking up dry-cleaning, gassing up his car, getting him coffee, getting him lunch, and getting him laid.
Phrase · B2after allAfter all, Buddy is the senior executive vice president of production for Keystone.
Phrase · B1for nowfor now.
Phrase · B1write something downLet me write this down.
Phrase · B2go on to bigger and better thingsAll of Buddy's assistants have gone on to bigger and better things.
Phrase · B2a good lineageIt's a good lineage. A legacy.
Phrase · B2if you don't mind me askingIf you don't mind me asking, where are you going?
Phrase · B1like I saidLike I said, it is a good lineage.
Phrase · B1get rid of someoneIt'll be nice to finally get some real help around here and get rid of this mongoloid so he'll stop screwing me up and fuck the competition for a change, huh?
Phrase · B1for a changeIt'll be nice to finally get some real help around here and get rid of this mongoloid so he'll stop screwing me up and fuck the competition for a change, huh?
Phrase · B2our gain is their lossOur gain is their loss.
Phrase · B2get someone on the phoneYou get me Rob on the phone.
Phrase · B2be in for a treat

about to experience something very enjoyable

Come on, Guy. You're in for a treat.
Phrase · B2someone's ears should bleedTheir ears should bleed!
Phrase · B2much less ...So I don't care if God told you to keep it down, much less Stella.
Phrase · B1keep it downSo I don't care if God told you to keep it down, much less Stella.

Guy's First Day as Buddy's Assistant, explained

What's really going on

The scene is a job interview in reverse. Guy has already been hired, so the pressure isn't on him to impress — it's on him to survive. The departing assistant delivers the film's thesis about Hollywood as a pyramid: Assistant, then Buddy, then a president who "doesn't like us," then the studio chairman "and grand poobah," and above everyone a man "we call god." Buddy's own entrance proves the point: he thanks Guy for starting right away in the same breath as he insults the assistant he's replacing and barks orders about explosions. "This is the most important thing in your life," he says of the phone, and "Our gain is their loss" turns a newcomer's arrival into a corporate kill. Guy's smile is the only thing that isn't for sale yet.

Theme

PowerBuddy's rank decides the tone of every exchange; even the assistant introducing Guy ranks the whole studio as a ladder up to "god."
AmbitionGuy is told the job means "wealth and opportunity," and that every assistant before him moved on to something bigger.

What you'll learn

  • Use be right down in the same situation
  • Hear As a matter of fact as pressure, not small talk
  • Catch who the line is aimed at
Our gain is their loss.

Buddy frames hiring Guy as a raid on a rival: snatching a good worker hurts the other side. It's the language of corporate war applied to an entry-level assistant.

This is the most important thing in your life.

Said about the phone on Guy's desk. The joke is the tone of worship: this job, and Buddy, will demand more of Guy than anything else in his life.

Come on, Guy. You're in for a treat.

Buddy's invitation sounds like a treat but is a threat. In this office "a treat" means front-row seats to Buddy's abuse, and Guy has no choice but to follow.

Guy, if you do this job well, wealth and opportunity are yours.

The departing assistant sells the job as a career ladder: serve Buddy well and you'll be promoted fast. Given the speech before it, the promise sounds more like a warning.

Questions about this scene

Why does the assistant tell Guy to "Lose the smile"?

In his view a new assistant grinning on day one looks naive and eager, which invites people to use him. "Lose the smile" is his way of saying act like you've been here before.

What does "grand poobah" mean?

It's an old showbiz joke for a big boss or top dog. Here it labels Cyrus Miles, the studio chairman, right before the assistant says everyone above calls him "god."

Is Buddy being nice to Guy when he says he's glad Guy could start right away?

Both at once. He is glad, but the same speech insults the assistant Guy is replacing. Buddy treats people as useful or disposable, and Guy is currently useful.

What is Guy actually hired to do?

Run Buddy's life: dry-cleaning, gas, coffee, lunch, and fetching people Buddy wants. The assistant's list makes clear the job is errands and abuse, not film work.

Who is above Buddy at the studio?

Directly above him is Stella Smiley, president of worldwide production — "for now." Above her is Cyrus Miles, the studio chairman. The assistant says he doesn't like Buddy's department.

Swimming with Sharks · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 4Humor meBuddy Berates Guy Over Sweet'N Low
Chapter 1sweet-talk someoneBuddy Sweet-Talks Shelley WintersChapter 2End of storyBuddy Berates Guy Over the PhoneWatching · Chapter 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 BossChapter 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 3 of 16 · about 67 min to go