in the next house
Sorry, hi. Lester Burnham. I live next door. We haven't met.American Beauty · 1999 — 第 8 / 14 章 · 3'06" · B2
Lester Meets the Neighbors, Explained：cut a deal
Lester finally introduces himself to the new neighbors, then follows Ricky upstairs, where a casual visit becomes a transaction: Ricky shows him the clean urine he uses for drug tests and offers to sell him something better. The price is high, but Ricky waves it off — "You don't have to pay now. I know you're good for it."
あらすじ
At the fence, Lester introduces himself to the new neighbor, Colonel Fitts, and they exchange a few stiff pleasantries. Ricky then invites Lester up to his room to borrow a movie, and the visit turns into a small deal: Ricky explains the clean urine he buys for his drug tests and offers Lester a supply of his own.
注目の表現
we haven't metcut a dealthis shitgood for it
00:00 / 03:06Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
このシーンの表現
cut a deal
strike a mutual bargain
Ricky explains that a nurse client supplies clean urine and he returns the favor.
We cut a deal with the landlord for early access.
このシーンの他の表現
- we haven't met
we have not been introduced
- this shit
this stuff, crudely put
- good for it
trusted to pay later
- actually
in fact, correcting you
- the power of denial
the force of self-deceit
このシーンのメモ一覧
44 行のセリフに 28 件のメモ
mentioned before
I was thinking about... the movie we talked about.take and return later
You want to borrow it? It's up in my room.hold it briefly
- Can you hold this for a sec? - Sure.Link for and a; keep sec short.
- Can you hold this for a sec? - Sure.negation shift: The not belongs to the thought, not to thinking: I believe he will not come in.
I don't think my dad would come in while someone else is here, - but you never know. - What is this?undergo a drug test
I have to take a drug test every six months just to make sure I'm clean.check and confirm
I have to take a drug test every six months just to make sure I'm clean.subject agreement: The verb agrees with one, not clients, so the singular is is correct.
One of my clients is a nurse in a pediatrician's office.strike a mutual bargain
Ricky explains that a nurse client supplies clean urine and he returns the favor.
I cut her a deal, she keeps me in clean piss.supply me steadily Clean piss means urine that passes the drug test.
I cut her a deal, she keeps me in clean piss.urine, crudely — Familiar talk only; say urine in polite settings.
I cut her a deal, she keeps me in clean piss.not for a long time
Man, I haven't listened to this album in years.the very best
This shit is top-of-the-line.a gentle buzz High here means the drug's effect, not height.
It's extremely potent, but a completely mellow high. No paranoia.two thousand dollars — Casual for thousands; keep it out of formal writing.
- How much? - Two grand.trusted to pay later
When the price stuns Lester, Ricky waves off payment and says he trusts him.
You don't have to pay now. I know you're good for it.Have to reduces to hafta; catch pay as the key word.
You don't have to pay now. I know you're good for it.whenever you need
Beep me any time, day or night.Run day, or, night together; or almost vanishes.
Beep me any time, day or night.work a fast-food job
When I was your age, I flipped burgers all summer just to buy an 8-track.for no reason but to
When I was your age, I flipped burgers all summer just to buy an 8-track.is really bad — Everyday complaint, too loose for formal talk.
That sucks.pseudo-cleft: The pseudo-cleft fronts the action for emphasis: that is all I did.
All I did was party and get laid.have sex — Crude and private; avoid it outside close company.
All I did was party and get laid.a future still open
I had my whole life ahead of me.fund it by doing something
My dad thinks I pay for all this with catering jobs.the force of self-deceit
Ricky notes his father believes the catering story, and adds a quiet verdict on self-deceit.
Never underestimate the power of denial.「Lester Meets the Neighbors」を読み解く
What's really going on
The scene pretends to be a friendly introduction and a small favor between neighbors, but almost every line is about a transaction. Colonel Fitts answers a handshake with rank and branch; Ricky turns a movie loan into a sales pitch and then closes it on credit, saying, "You don't have to pay now. I know you're good for it." What makes it eerie is how casual it all is: the same boy who talks about clean urine and cash-only deals also trades memories with an older man about summer jobs, and the exchange ends on a line about self-deception — "Never underestimate the power of denial." Nobody calls the arrangement what it is. The neighborliness is real, but it is also a cover, and the scene lets both read at once.
Theme
DeceptionA friendly visit doubles as a drug deal, and both neighbors keep up the surface of ordinary neighborliness.
IdentityFitts leads with rank, Ricky with merchandise; each man performs a version of himself the other is meant to buy.
このチャプターで学べること
- Good for it means the seller trusts you to pay later.
- Top-of-the-line praises quality before any price is named.
- Ricky keeps his voice flat while selling a controlled substance.
- Lester's summer job becomes pride, not a complaint.
発音のポイント
- for a sec — Link for and a; keep sec short.
- don't have to — Have to reduces to hafta; catch pay as the key word.
- day or night — Run day, or, night together; or almost vanishes.
You don't have to pay now. I know you're good for it.Ricky extends credit like a favor, which makes the sale feel personal even though it is strictly business.
I had my whole life ahead of me.Lester looks back at his teenage summer as a time of open possibility, the opposite of his life now.
When I was your age, I flipped burgers all summer just to buy an 8-track.A small memory that measures the distance between then and now: an 8-track's worth of effort bought a whole summer's freedom.
All I did was party and get laid.The punchline to the memory: what looked like nothing at the time was, in hindsight, the best part.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Ricky sell to Lester?
He treats it as an ordinary transaction with a neighbor he trusts. He knows Lester's story and figures he can pay, so he offers credit and a beeper number rather than a hard sell.
Why does Ricky use someone else's urine?
His father makes him take regular drug tests. Ricky says he cut a deal with a nurse so he can stay clean on paper while still using, which is why the test means nothing.
What does "good for it" mean here?
It means Ricky trusts Lester to pay later. Offering credit turns a drug sale into something that sounds like a favor between neighbors.
Why does Lester talk about flipping burgers?
Ricky's room and easy money remind Lester of his own youth. His memory of an 8-track is less nostalgia than a measure of how far he has fallen since then.
How does Ricky afford all his equipment?
Lester says it out loud: "Now I know how you can afford all this equipment." Ricky has clients, cuts deals, and takes cash only, so the same money behind his gear is what he is offering Lester.
アメリカン・ビューティー · 全 14 章
すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 9 章nothing to loseLester Blackmails His Bosses
第 1 章cut cornersBrad Warns Lester to Save His Job
第 2 章come right out and sayThe Burnhams' Cold Dinner
第 3 章cut to the chaseJim and Jim Welcome the Fitts
第 4 章take something out on someoneJane Meets Ricky at School
第 5 章sell an imageCarolyn Demands Lester Attend the Party
第 6 章pick your brainLester Quits His Job
第 7 章make your head spinCarolyn Confronts Lester
再生中 · 第 8 章cut a dealLester Meets the Neighbors
第 9 章nothing to loseLester Blackmails His Bosses
第 10 章drive someone nutsLester Applies at Mr. Smiley's
第 11 章whatever happened toLester and Carolyn's Couch Fight
第 12 章put him out of his miseryRicky and Jane Share Their Secrets
第 13 章so bustedLester Catches Carolyn at the Drive-Thru
第 14 章sit back and watchColonel Fitts Confronts Ricky第 8 / 14 章 · 残り約 18 分