The Skulls

What can I do for you this a.m.?

We got oatmeal. We got ham. We got omelets.

We got ham omelets.

I'll have a ham omelet, please.

More oatmeal, dude. And try to keep it on the plate this time.

Yeah, dude, more oatmeal. God, and try to keep it on the plate this time.

Chloe, sometimes you can be such a bitch.

Fascinating.

Hey, buddy. Come here.

I know it's 8:00 a.m., and you haven't had

your triple-soy decaf latte yet,

but a kid with your kind of breeding should have some manners.

I suggest you apologize to the lady.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Oh, sophomores. You gotta love 'em, huh?

The usual?

Yes. That would be lovely.

The race is at 4:00 today. You gonna be there?

Oh, gosh. I don't know.

I've got this really riveting econ seminar...

On the origins of the Gross National Product, so...

I wouldn't want to miss that.

Yeah, I would, actually.

For the lady.

Thank you, sir.

I'll see you out there.

Yes, indeed.

Okay. C. Wright Mills' The Power Elite.

The main thesis is what?

That at certain institutions, elite groups are formed

that'll network the rest of their lives.

Well, then that brings us to the question,

is America really a class society?

Or is it the meritocracy we're taught it is since we were in kindergarten?

Mr. McNamara?

Um, well, actually, I believe that it's both, sir.

How can it be both?

Well, it's been my experience

that merit is rewarded with wealth,

and with wealth comes class.

Nice recovery, Mr. McNamara.

Nice car, ladies. Tell me, when did you convert?

Since we borrowed it yesterday, Luke, as if you give a shit.

Like you give a shit, man.

I don't believe you, man.

I want you to keep on stealing cars.

When I'm a lawyer, I'm gonna make a fortune

defending all my high school buddies.

Starting with you three. How you doing, J.J.?

Your hair looked better long.

It's funny, I was just thinking the same about you.

I like it the way it is. Thank you.

See, Lukey? Things do change, even for losers like us.

Come on, McBride, I never called you a loser.

That's okay. You got your books,

your boats and your Ivy pride, right?

Right on, McBride!

We'll see you around, buddy.

McNamara, move this boat out or you're disqualified.

Sorry, sir.

Sorry, I'm late, man. It's all right.

As long as we're not late at the finish line. All your hands on.

- Ready, shove! - Hoo-rah!

Where did Mr. McNamara learn to row?

In local sewers, I imagine. He's a townie.

Mother died in a car crash when he was one. Father, unknown.

Ready, row!

He won us the Ivy championship three years in a row. That's a fact.

He's growing on me. Is that right?

No need to check him out, huh?

Why, it's Caleb Mandrake.

He was a Skull they day he was born.

Caleb, I can't see the race.

Imagine it.

So sit back and let the starter line up the boats here,

as we get ready for the beginning of the Ivy Sprints.

Lane number one, wearing blue jerseys,

are last year's All Ivy champions, the Bulldog Eight,

led by the unbeaten team of stroke, Luke McNamara and cox, Will Beckford.

The promising Harvard Crimson boat is in lane two.

Stroke by Pat McCarry and cox by Lisa Littlered Williams.

This is the start of the Ivy League Sprint.

The start will be "attention," then the gun.

Finishing out the field is Cornell in lane three in the white and red,

Princeton Tigers in lane four in the orange jerseys

and Dartmouth in the green in lane five.

Penn's on the outside wearing blue and red in lane six.

Attention.

Come on. That's three.

Push your legs. That's four.

Come on. That's five. Push!

Six! Come on. Give it to me. Seven. That's it.

That's eight. Come on, Luke. Come on! Nine.

That's ten. Come on, let's settle. Lengthen and settle.

I want you fellas to give me two seats.

Give me two seats. We'll settle at 36.

We'll settle at 36. That's beautiful, Luke.

Keep it right here, Luke. Keep it right here, Luke.

All right, that's nice. We're looking great.

The Bulldogs take a two-seat lead.

Harvard and Cornell try to keep up with them as they cross the halfway point.

It looks like another Bulldog victory.

Don't let them catch us. Come on!

That's five! That's six! Come on with the legs!

We got 'em. We got 'em. We're walkin'.

Keep it right here. Keep it right here, Luke. All right, that's nice.

We're four seats ahead. This race is ours. This race is ours.

We're men with bad intentions, fellas.

I want five with bad intentions.

That's one! Come on! Bad intentions. That's two!

Come on!

What's going on back there?

George's oar lock broke.

The Bulldogs broke an oar lock.

Okay, George. Out in three.

Toss your oar, George. Toss your oar, George.

One! Two!

Three! Bail!

All right. Take it up!

Come on. Gotta take it up.

Up! Take it up. Take it up. Take it up.

Seven oars against eight? They don't have a chance in hell.

Wait. I don't believe this!

The Bulldogs are still going!

Go! Go!

Give all you got right here.

We're seniors. We cannot let this happen.

What do you say, Luke? Take it up!

Luke say it's a go. Come on! Give me two seats.

Give me two seats right now. I need it now!

Fellers, hands to ankles. This is it. Commit now!

Give it all you got right here! Give it!

Right here! Give it all you got! We got a seat!

Right to finish! Come on, let's win this!

We got five strokes! Come on! Come on!

That's two! We got a seat! That's three!

- That's four! - Let's win this!

That's it! We won it! We won it! You guys are beautiful!

Yeah! We did it!

Are the others after him?

He turned them all down.

Either he doesn't want to join a secret society,

or he's waiting for us.

F-R-double-E to be S-A-V-E-D

S-A-V-E-D from the bonds of S-I-N

Glory, glory, hallelujah hip, hooray, amen

Hallelujah

Go! Go! Go! Yeah!

Hey. Hey.

Well, what's the matter?

You gonna turn into a pumpkin at midnight?

Or are you worried you're not gonna turn into a Skull?

I'd join the Girl Scouts if they paid for grad school,

which the Skulls supposedly do.

Supposedly supposedly.

I got my Harvard Law application today.

How much they raise tuition?

It's just over three grand this year.

Damn. Three grand? Three grand.

Which means that even with a dozen or so part-time jobs

and my scholarships... Excuse me.

I'm still gonna owe this university let's say

hundred grand, 110,000 when I get out.

Don't forget interest.

So, even if I can get everything deferred,

I'm gonna owe this school 110 grand

and Harvard Law like another, what, 100, 150?

That means you're gonna have to get one of those really exciting,

amazing corporate law jobs at, what, 80, 90 hours a week.

And then I could afford a car!

A used car. A used car.

And you know how attractive the ladies find those.

Which means you're getting no play, even less than you get now.

Which is like... Like what?

None. Thanks.

I appreciate that. Right.

So when I finally do get free and clear

to practice the kind of law that I want to practice...

You'll be 10 years from a heart attack

and a few more from the grave. Precisely.

Yeah.

My future's killing me. It's killing me.

Forget about the Skulls. Start this year off right...

And tell Chloe how you feel about her.

Let's try to remain on planet Earth here, shall we, William?

Chloe went to Miss Porter's,

and I can't even dance.

Chloe's parents...

They own a private jet, and I've never even been in a jet.

You starting to get the picture?

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I went out with a Skull freshman year.

How'd you know he was a Skull?

Well, we got into this argument

about secret societies and how they're different from fraternities

because secret societies are for life.

So, I just mentioned the Skulls and he got really uncomfortable

and left the room and never came back.

Must be one of their rules.

Rumors are they got lots of 'em.