PINHEADS
By JACOB MOTZ
FADE IN:
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
PINHEADS is a rundown bowling alley. Its lanes are sparsely
populated with FAT OLD MEN whose ages rival that of the dated
decor. They spend their time sitting around bowling and
eating greasy foods.
WILL (21) enters through the double glass doors. He wears a
messy suit which hangs awkwardly off of his frame. Will
clutches a stack of resumes under his arm and runs his free
hand nervously through his shaggy brown mop excuse for hair
as he looks around the bowling alley.
After one look around, Will quickly realizes his mistake of
coming here and turns around to leave. Just then ANDRE (21),
a redheaded male employee, approaches Will.
ANDRE
Will?
Will looks. He recognizes the guy but tries not to show too
much excitement. Or embarrassment.
WILL
Andre?
ANDRE
What’s a big college hot-shot like
you doing here?
Will is inflated by this compliment.
WILL
Oh, you know, just checking out the
old haunts.
Andre grabs a hold of the stack of resumes under Will’s arms.
Will tries to grab them back but Andre manages to keep them
away while he scans over them.
ANDRE
Oh. I get it. Don’t worry, everyone
ends up at Pinheads eventually.
C’mon, I’ll take you to the
manager.
Andre starts to walk toward’s the manager’s office. Will
stammers some protest but Andre ignores him.
2.
INT. TONY’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS
Andre knocks on an open door that says “manager.” The room is
cramped and stacked with various miscellaneous boxes. Sitting
amongst them at a computer circa 1995 is TONY (38) - shortish
man whose hair has migrated from his head to his body and
five o'clock shadow.
ANDRE
Hey, Tony. Can my friend get a job
here?
Will comes up from behind.
WILL
No, really, it isn’t necessary.
The manager doesn’t even look up from the spreadsheet on his
computer.
TONY
Sure. We can use a new busboy.
Tony reaches to some boxes above his head and tosses Andre a
Pinheads bowling shirt.
TONY (CONT’D)
Oh, and do you mind hanging this up
somewhere. Corporate’s idea.
Tony pulls out a banner that’s neatly folded and hands it off
to Andre too.
Andre gives the shirt off to Will and slaps him on the back.
ANDRE
C’mon, Pinhead. Time to work.
INT. PINHEADS - CONTINUOUS
Andre is walking with Will and giving him a tour of the
bowling alley while Will struggles to put on the bowling
shirt.
ANDRE
...and that’s why we banned
pantyhose. Oh, and this here is
Jason the bartender. Jason, this is
Will the new busboy.
JASON (31) cleans a beer glass behind the bar. With his
beard, muscle, and humble wedding ring, Jason looks like a
former Hell’s Angel member trying to go straight.
3.
He nods toward Andre and then looks at Will.
JASON
What terrible life decisions did
you make to end up here?
WILL
Having ambition.
Jason smiles.
JASON
I might like you, new guy.
Andre takes this cue to shepherd Will along.
ANDRE
Alright, Will. Let’s go put this
thing up. Do you mind grabbing the
ladder for us, Jason?
Jason doesn’t move a muscle.
JASON
Yes.
Andre just glares.
INT. ABOVE A BOWLING LANES - CONTINUOUS
Andre angles the ladder so it is propped against the wall in
front of a group of pins. A bowling ball comes racing by and
knocks some pins over.
ANDRE
Jesus!
He turns to the OLD GUYS bowling.
ANDRE (CONT’D)
C’mon, guys! We’re working here!
There’s like a bajillion other
lanes for you to die on!
The Old Guys laugh. Andre shakes his head and crosses over to
Will who is standing in the gutter.
ANDRE (CONT’D)
Alright Will, get up there.
WILL
Who? Me?
4.
ANDRE
Hey, I carried it. You climb it.
Will looks at the ladder, then at the end of the lane where
the Old Guys just were. He sighs and climbs up while holding
to one end of the banner.
When he gets to the top he pins up an end of the banner and
throws the rest down to Andre. As it unfurls it reads: “FIRST
ANNUAL PINHEAD’S TOURNAMENT - AWARD $25,000.”
ANDRE (CONT’D)
Jesus! Twenty-five grand? Do you
know what you can buy with that?
That’s a new car or like two
thousand pounds of beef jerky orWILL
(to himself)
Freedom.
As Will examines the banner, he scans the alley and sees KAT
(20), a raven haired girl with smoky eye make-up who
nonchalantly pops some bubblegum behind the shoe counter.
WILL (CONT’D)
Woah.
Will climbs down the ladder.
WILL (CONT’D)
Hey, uh, who’s that girl behind the
shoe check?
Andre looks over.
ANDRE
Who? Oh that’s Kat.
WILL
Kat, huh?
Andre can tell Will is interested.
ANDRE
Nope. No. Stop right there.
WILL
What?
ANDRE
Listen to me, she is bad news,
alright?
5.
WILL
Okay okay.
They hear A KID VOMITING at one of the lanes. They look at
each other. Andre tosses Will a dish rag from his back
pocket.
ANDRE
That’s all you, buddy.
INT. PINHEADS - CONTINUOUS
Will is cleaning up some dishes when he hears a COMMOTION
coming from Tony’s office.
TONY (O.S.)
You can’t quit! You know why?
Because you’re fired!
Will looks over. Tony is chewing out a PINHEAD EMPLOYEE;
she’s crying as she walks out.
TONY (CONT’D)
Go on! Git! You know I have a
scorched earth policy! Once you
pass those doors, you are out of
here!
The Pinhead Employee walks outside and doesn’t give any
indication she will be back. Tony just shakes his head and
goes back to his office.
Will goes back to his work and picks up the dish bin to bring
to the kitchen. While walking, he notices Kat a few feet
ahead of him.
His eyes happen to drop from the back of her head, to her
lower waist, to resting comfortable on her backside. He
smiles to himself.
When he looks back up, Kat is looking at him from over her
shoulder. Busted. He freezes while walking and doesn't notice
the bowling ball lying in his path, causing him to trip and
spill everything.
Kat gives a half-flirtatious smile at Will's misfortune as
she walks away. Will scrambles to pick everything up and
chases after her.
6.
INT. PINHEADS - KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
Will follows Kat into the cramp kitchen where ORDERS ARE
BEING SHOUTED IN A MIX OF SPANISH AND ENGLISH.
WILL
Hey, I just want you to know I
wasn’t looking at your butt.
Kat finally notices Will standing there.
KAT
What?
WILL
Your butt. I thought you should
know I wasn’t looking at it.
KAT
Oh so you weren’t checking me out?
WILL
(proudly)
Nope!
Kat crosses her arms.
KAT
And why not? I have a fantastic
ass.
Will is caught off guard.
WILL
I... er, what? I mean it is but I
wasn’tHe takes a deep breath.
WILL (CONT’D)
Let’s start over.
He sticks out his hand for Kat to shake.
WILL (CONT’D)
Hi. I’m Will.
Kat looks at the hand back to Will’s face. She smiles and
shakes it.
KAT
Hi, Will. I’m Kat.
7.
WILL
Cool. That’s really cool.
They keep shaking hands. Will holds on for a few beats too
long not saying anything while SERVERS AND CHEFS have to
maneuver around the pair.
He finally notices his awkwardness.
WILL (CONT’D)
I should, I should get going. Lots
of... dishes. I’ll... see you
around.
KAT
I guess I’ll see you around.
Will walks back out with the full bin of dishes still in his
hands.
EXT. PINHEADS - NIGHT
Will stands out in the cold waiting for his MOM to come pick
him up. Some of his PEERS walk by as they talk to each other
but he tries not to notice them, nor do they notice him.
Finally Will sees Kat.
WILL
Kat!
He waves at her and she perks up with a smile and waves back.
WILL (CONT’D)
Hey, I just want to say sorry again
forBut Kat bolts past Will and hops into an idling car which
Jason the beefy bartender is driving. They embrace for what
looks like a kiss and drive off. Will stands in the cold,
numb and dumbstruck.
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
The next morning Will and Andre are scrubbing down a table
and chairs in a lane.
WILL
So last night I saw Jason kiss Kat.
Andre looks up alarmed at Will.
8.
ANDRE
Really?
WILL
Yeah. I think so at least.
Andre hangs his head back to his work.
ANDRE
Christ. Not again.
WILL
What do you mean, “not again?”
ANDRE
Nothing.
They go back to cleaning for a moment in silence. Finally
Andre throws his rag down on the table in frustration.
ANDRE (CONT’D)
Listen, you’re new and naive, but
trust me when I tell you to stay
away from Kat. Swear it.
WILL
C’mon, what’s the worstANDRE
Swear it.
WILL
Fine, I swear I won’t get involved!
Happy?
Andre looks around at their work.
ANDRE
You think you can handle the rest
of this?
WILL
I mean, I know these table can be
quite troublesome but I think I canAndre leaves.
Will moves onto scrubbing some bowling balls when he looks
down the lane. Pins are perfectly set up. He looks around. He
grabs the ball and throws it down the wooden avenue.
It goes straight to the gutter.
9.
Will isn’t embarrassed until he hears Kat laughing behind
him. He turns around bright red.
WILL (CONT’D)
Oh like you can do any better?
Kat stops laughing and gives a sly smile. She saunters down
to him and grabs a ball from the carousel. She walks to the
lane and bowls a perfect strike.
KAT
The tournament is in two weeks. In
the mean time, I will teach you how
to properly bowl after hours in
exchange for you covering my
shifts.
She saunters away. Will stands there dumbfounded but pleased.
INT. PINHEADS - NIGHT
The alley is closed up for the night. Only Will and Kat are
there.
KAT
Okay. First things first. You need
to hold the ball like you’re
pleasing a woman.
Will stands there with a quizzical face.
KAT (CONT’D)
Really? You’ve never? Jesus. Well
that actually explains a lot.
Alright just hold the ball tenderly
and... release.
She lets go of the ball and it glides down the lane to a
perfect strike.
KAT (CONT’D)
Now you try.
Will approaches the line. He readies himself. He swings his
arm back.
KAT (CONT’D)
Stop!
Will skids backwards as he tries to regain his balance.
WILL
What?
10.
KAT
Your foot is over the foul line!
Every time you cross that lineShe points to the foul line on the ground and the toes of
Will’s shoes are clearly stepping over it.
KAT (CONT’D)
-that lightShe points to a bright red light at the end of the bowling
lane.
KAT (CONT’D)
-goes off. And any pins you knock
down don’t count. Now, try again.
Will exaggerates scooting back behind the foul line. He
readies himself again, checks his footing, and lets the ball
sail.
It immediately deviates to the gutter.
KAT (CONT’D)
And your form is terrible! Here.
Kat stands behind Will and shadows how he should throw the
ball. She presses her chest and pelvis against Will
flirtatiously, but instructively, making Will quite
flustered. But when they release the ball, it manages to hit
a pin.
Kat smiles.
KAT (CONT’D)
Better.
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
Will walks some bowling balls from one end of the alley to
the other, lifting them like weights along the way.
TRANSITION SHOT:
A few pins being knocked over.
INT. PINHEADS - NIGHT
Kat is pointing Will which way to angle the ball.
TRANSITION SHOT:
11.
More pins get hit.
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
Will is standing around practicing on how to finger the ball.
A horrified FAMILY walk by trying to protect their KIDS.
TRANSITION SHOT:
Will picks up a spare.
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
Will is moping the floor practicing how to throw the ball
when Kat comes from behind to help him out some more.
CUT TO:
Strike.
INT. PINHEADS - DUSK
Kat flirtatious leans over Jason’s bar and eventually drags
him to a back room. Will just watches as he gets crushed a
little.
CUT TO:
A 7-10 split.
INT. PINHEADS - NIGHT
Kat and Will are staring at a 7-10 split at the end of their
lane.
KAT
Ouch. A 7-10 split. There are two
ways to convert this split. The
first is to strike either pin and
have it bounce out of the pit and
strike the remaining pin. This not
only requires substantial ball
speed but the pin must be struck in
just the right spot. Additionally,
a pin flying out from the pit is a
fairly rare occurrence.
(MORE)
12.
KAT (CONT'D)
The second method is to strike
either pin on the inside with
enough velocity to bounce it off
the wall and rebound across the
deck into the other pin. Now you
try.
She hands the ball to Will. Will concentrates, throws his arm
back, and releases the ball. It glides beautifully along the
wooden planks and cleanly between the two pins.
KAT (CONT’D)
Oh well. Not even the best can make
that shot.
Will walks back to their seats.
KAT (CONT’D)
So Will, I have to ask, how did a
guy like you end up knowing a guy
like Andre?
WILL
Believe it or not we grew up
together.
KAT
You grew up in this shitty place?
Jesus. How did you not kill
yourself?
They laugh.
WILL
It was tough but it gave me the
motivation to leave and opened a
world of opportunities. Well, until
I was sucked back here.
KAT
And that’s why you need the prize
money?
Will nods sullenly.
Kat gets up to bowl.
WILL
What about you? How did you end up
here?
She chokes and throws a gutter ball.
13.
KAT
I, uh, I traveled from town to town
finding work and staying alive.
WILL
But there must be more to that.
Didn’t you want to be a vet or a
ballet dancer or something.
She still has her back turned to Will.
KAT
(under her breath)
Or something.
She fakes a smile and turns to Will.
KAT (CONT’D)
Nope. Always me, myself, and I.
She goes to throw another ball.
WILL
Well that can’t be true. Jason
seems to like you an awful lot.
Kat throws the ball high into the air so that is sails down
with a LOUD THUD. It slowly creeps to the pins and barely
makes a budge. She doesn’t turn around and just keeps looking
at the pins.
WILL (CONT’D)
Kat?
Kat turns around. Tears are silently streaming from her face,
smearing her mascara and make-up.
KAT
Screw Jason! Screw him and his wife
and his lies and- fuck!
Will rushes to her side and holds her tightly trying to calm
her down.
WILL
Woah, hey there. It’s... It’s
alright.
Kat sobs into his shoulder for a bit but then pulls back to
look into Will’s eyes. Will wipes some of her tears away.
He then leans into kiss her. But Kat turns away and smears
more of her makeup away.
14.
KAT
The tournament is tomorrow. You
should bowl again.
Will understands. He lets go of her and selects a ball. With
his back turned to Kat, he bowls a perfect strike. He lets
out a shout of joy.
WILL
Hey Kat, did you see that?!
Beaming, he spins around to look for Kat.
WILL (CONT’D)
Kat?
She’s gone.
INT. PINHEADS - DAY
The day of the tournament. The bowling alley is swarmed with
OLDER GENTLEMEN decked out with wrist guards, sweat bands,
and other sporting equipment.
Standing out like a sore thumb is Will who saunters in
wearing his Pinheads shirt. He walks right up to the counter
where Tony is registering players.
WILL
Hiya, Tony.
Tony looks up from his swamped work.
TONY
Oh Will you’re here. Great. I need
you toWILL
I would like to register to bowl,
please.
Tony is stunned for a moment. But then cracks a smile.
TONY
Ha. Good one. You know you can’t
participate if you’re an employee.
WILL
I know. I guess that means you’ll
have to fire me.
Tony gets in close and lowers his voice.
15.
TONY
Kid, are you sure? You know my
scorched earth policy; once you’re
done, you’re done.
WILL
I know. I’m risking my whole future
on this game.
Tony shakes his head.
TONY
Alright, kid. Give me your shirt
and I’ll give you your shoes.
Will takes off his bowling shirt and give it to Tony. He
feels like a weight has been taken off his shoulders. Will
grabs the shoes and heads for an open lane.
While Will is tying his shoes, he keeps scanning the crowd
for any sign of Kat. Finally he sees her come in and he runs
over to her.
WILL
Hey Kat! Where did you go last
night?
She ignores him as he follows her to the check-in counter.
She turns to Will.
She turns to Tony.
KAT
Sign me up.
WILL
What?
Tony looks up.
TONY
Jesus. Two employees in one day? I
knew that prize was too much.
He hands her the shoes.
WILL
Kat, what are you doing?
Kat walks over to her own lane.
16.
KAT
I’m sorry, Will, but hearing you
talk last night I knew I had to get
out of here as soon as possible and
this was the quickest way.
Will hardens.
WILL
I understand.
He sticks his hand out.
WILL (CONT’D)
Good luck.
Kat looks at his hand and then into his eyes. She smiles
bitter-sweetly and shakes it.
KAT
Good luck.
Will turns away to his own lane.
Tony talks over an intercom. After some MILD FEEDBACK:
TONY
(over intercom)
Alright ladies and gentlemen, the
rules are simple. Best score two
out of three advances until there
is one winner for the twenty-five
thousand dollars prize. Real simple
shit. Good luck and... bowl!
MONTAGE
-Will starts off his game with a strike. His OLDER OPPONENT
manages to get two pins. Will celebrates.
-Kat bends over when picking out her ball to reveal some very
heavy cleavage. Her OLDER OPPONENT #2 faints.
-Will does a moonwalk celebration.
-Kat bowls such a good strike her pins strike the next lane
over.
-Will bowls and walks away from the stike in slow motion and
throws on sunglasses like it was an explosion behind him.
-Kat’s OLDER OPPONENT #3 misses a split, making her the
winner.
17.
END MONTAGE
INT. PINHEADS - NIGHT
It is the end of the tournament and it is only Kat and Will
left.
TONY (V.O.)
Here it is folks, two of Pinheads
best former employees tied in the
last frame for twenty-five thousand
dollars. Who will win? Eh, most of
you can figure it out by now.
Will and Kat stare each other down. Will scoots up to the
line. He releases the ball in perfect form. It cascades
along. It makes contact. It leaves a 7-10 split.
Kat hollers in excitement. Will looks defeated. He looks
around. He grinds his teeth and grabs his ball. He throws it
again.
The ball strikes the seven pin and bounces out of the pit and
strikes the remaining pin.
The CROWD goes wild. Will pumps his fist in the air as Tony
brings over a comically large check.
Suddenly a lone voice breaks from the celebration.
OLDER OPPONENT #3
Look!
An old man points to the end of the lane. There, in the
distance, is the illuminated foul light.
TONY
(to Will)
Sorry, kid. Kat wins.
Everyone cheers again as Will walks away.
Just then Kat grabs his arm.
KAT
Hey Will, I was thinking, since you
don’t have a job anymore, would you
want to come with me and get out of
this town?
Will smiles.
18.
WILL
I’d like that.
The two embrace and finally kiss. The CHEERS are deafening.
As the couple leaves with their check and spirits high, Will
stops before heading out. He turns to Andre and clasps him on
the shoulder.
WILL (CONT’D)
Thank you, Andre.
Andre just gives him a smug smile and punches him on the arm
as the couple walks out.
FADE OUT.