PAPADOPOULOS & SONS
Written by
Marcus Markou
Final Version with Dialogue Changes
03.04.12
Music. Zorba - the Ballet by the Hungarian State Symphony.
Classical and uplifting.
CUT TO:
1 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - GARDEN. DAY 1. 1
A very English scene - a beautiful English garden belonging to a
mansion house. A smartly turned out gardener in green overalls
is raking leaves. It's an impressive picture of Britishness and
order. Another gardener, DAVE is trimming the edge of the lawn.
We see shots of the garden; plants, trees, a gazebo, sundial,
water fountain etc. We follow one of the gardeners pushing a
wheelbarrow across the width of the lawn and we see the rear of
this impressive property.
Title: 'PAPADOPOULOS & SONS'
CUT TO:
2 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - INTERIOR. DAY 1. 2
MRS PARRINGTON knocks on a bedroom door. The door opens on HARRY
PAPADOPOULOS in his bedroom doing up his shirt in a mirror.
CUT TO:
3 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - DRIVEWAY. DAY 1. 3
A chauffeur-driven Mercedes pulls up to the front of the mansion
house. MRS PARRINGTON, the housekeeper and nanny, waits for the
car. HARRY and his children, JAMES, KATIE and THEO exit through
the front door. As they do so, MRS PARRINGTON makes sure the
children are smartly turned out. The chauffeur gets out and
opens the door for the children.
CUT TO:
4 EXT. CAR MONTAGE. DAY 1. 4
We see the car make its way through London and images of the
City, the Gherkin, NatWest Tower, Canary Wharf. The Mercedes
pulls up outside a hotel.
CUT TO:
5 INT. LONDON HOTEL - AWARDS CEREMONY. DAY 1. 5
A PRESENTER is standing behind a lectern, with a large crystal
vase award. Behind him, on the stage, we see a 'European
Entrepreneur of the Year Award' banner.
PRESENTER
Orphaned when he was just a boy, Harry
Papadopoulos came to this country with
nothing.
(CONTINUED)
1
5 CONTINUED: 5
We cut to the family seated at a round table. The children look
bored. HARRY listens proudly.
PRESENTER (CONT'D)
Harry was a grafter, entering the
restaurant trade as a young man.
(Beat) That's a euphemism for 'Greek
waiter' isn't it?
There is some laughter in the audience. We cut to HARRY again,
who attempts to smile off the joke.
PRESENTER (CONT'D)
Only joking Harry. He then started the
now famous Papadopoulos & Sons - doing
all things Greek. From taramasalata to
olive oil and frozen mousakas - which,
I must admit, my wife and I are
partial to occasionally. Not one to
settle, Harry's made the move into
commercial property where he's about
to embark on one of the most audacious
developments yet - Papadopoulos Plaza.
A two million square foot
redevelopment in the heart of our
great city. (Applause from the
audience) Ladies and Gentlemen, I give
you European Entrepreneur of the Year.
Harry Papadopoulos.
Awards music. We now cut to HARRY getting up from the table. He
momentarily acknowledges the applause. The children are clapping
politely but absently.
CUT TO:
6 INT. LONDON HOTEL - SMALL FUNCTION SUITE. DAY 1. 6
It's the photo call for 'European Entrepreneur of the Year.' A
PHOTOGRAPHER is taking shots of HARRY holding his award. KATIE,
JAMES and THEO stand alongside their father. The children look
disinterested.
PHOTOGRAPHER
That's lovely. (Referring to the
vase) Now just hold it up a bit for
me. Yeah, that's nice. Bunch up a
bit.
HARRY
Just look at the camera.
PHOTOGRAPHER
A little bit more. Perfect. Now
touch the vase for me, if you don't
mind.
(CONTINUED)
2
6 CONTINUED: 6
KATIE
Touch it? What a perv.
JAMES
(With a stammer) Katie. You're the
p... p... perv.
KATIE
And you're the f.. f.. freak.
HARRY
Shush.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Come on guys. Big smiles. Big smiles
for me.
THEO
Did you really work in a restaurant
Daddy?
HARRY
A long time ago. Touch it.
PHOTOGRAPHER
Guys. This is supposed to be a
celebration. What's the Greek word? Is
it Opa? Opa?
HARRY
Touch the vase.
The family touch the vase and force a smile.
THEO
Cheese!!!
CUT TO:
7 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - KITCHEN. EVENING 1. 7
MRS PARRINGTON is drying dishes. HARRY, THEO, KATIE and JAMES
are at the table having supper. THEO is on a laptop, checking
stock market trends. KATIE is texting. HARRY is reading
congratulatory cards.
HARRY
Congratulations from the Prime
Minister. Sir Derek Otterly was there
today Mrs Parrington.
MRS PARRINGTON
I don't know him.
HARRY
Sir Derek? You must remember him. He's
been to the house.
(CONTINUED)
3
7 CONTINUED: 7
MRS PARRINGTON
They all blur.
KATIE
That's because they're all so dull.
THEO
Weird. Gold doing well. Tech stocks
down.
DAVE enters and hands MRS PARRINGTON some empty mugs.
DAVE
Nice one Mrs P.
MRS PARRINGTON
Oh, thanks Dave. Would you like to
stay for some supper?
DAVE
Oh no. Best not. Got some dinner at
home. That's a nice vase, isn't it?
HARRY
European Entrepreneur of the Year.
DAVE
That's impressive.
JAMES
Dave. Did you g.. g.. get my cuttings?
DAVE
I did mate. It's in the greenhouse.
I got you a Caryopteris and a
Philadelphus.
JAMES
Cheers man. Thank you.
DAVE
See you later.
JAMES
See you tomorrow.
Dave exits.
THEO
Daddy? What did Papadopoulos & Sons
borrow for the property development?
HARRY
About three hundred million.
MRS PARRINGTON shuts and removes THEO's laptop.
(CONTINUED)
4
7 CONTINUED: (2) 7
MRS PARRINGTON
Never mind the trials and tribulations
of the stock market. Finish your
supper young man.
THEO
Nanny P!
MRS PARRINGTON
Eat up or there'll be no pudding. I've
made you a nice sponge.
THEO pulls a childish grimace and starts to breath heavily
through his nose.
THEO
Two, Four, Eight, 16...
HARRY
Alright.
THEO
Thirty two, sixty four, 128..
HARRY
That's enough.
THEO
Something is happening with interbank
lending Daddy!
HARRY
Alright. We'll talk about it tomorrow.
HARRY gets up from the table.
HARRY (CONT'D)
It's going to be a long summer.
HARRY exits.
MRS PARRINGTON
Taking them to a business awards
ceremony is hardly a family day out.
My suggestion was a cottage in Lyme
Regis.
CUT TO:
8 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - HALLWAY. EVENING 1. 8
DAVE is at the front door in the hallway. He is putting on
his muddy boots. HARRY enters.
HARRY
Dave? I need to talk to you about
James. It's... Look, you really
should be doing that at the back.
(CONTINUED)
5
8 CONTINUED: 8
DAVE
Yeah. Sorry.
HARRY
Look. Its. He needs to complete his
degree. And this gardening, the
horticulture, the plants.
DAVE
Yeah, yeah.
HARRY
It's a huge distraction.
DAVE
I was just helping him out during the
holidays.
HARRY
Well, I need him to complete his
studies and you're diverting his
attention. And frankly, it's not what
I pay you for.
Dave doesn't answer.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Please don't be so churlish. You know,
if you were worked for my company
you'd probably be fired.
DAVE
Yeah. Is there anything else?
HARRY
No. That's it.
DAVE
Goodnight Mr. Papadopoulos.
DAVE exits. JAMES comes through the hallway. He has overheard
some of the conversation and he's upset. He walks past HARRY and
flashes him a dirty look.
HARRY
James.
JAMES now stops and returns to say something to his father.
JAMES
W...
HARRY
Relax.
JAMES
Wa... wa...
(CONTINUED)
6
8 CONTINUED: (2) 8
HARRY
Calm down.
He stops. He takes a couple of deep breaths and composes
himself.
JAMES
Wa.. wa..
HARRY (CONT'D)
You need to learn how to... You really
need to learn how to express yourself
more calmly.
JAMES
Wanker. (Beat) Wanker.
JAMES exits up the staircase. HARRY watches him.
CUT TO:
9 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - JAMES' BEDROOM. EVENING 1. 9
HARRY taps on JAMES' door. There is no answer. He walks in.
HARRY
James? Can I come in?
JAMES' room resembles a botanical garden. JAMES is at his desk
with pots of plants and various tools and test tubes with soil
and desk lamps. JAMES looks through a microscope, studying a
leaf, ignoring his father. HARRY surveys the room trying to
accommodate his son's interest in botany. He notices a poster of
Charles Darwin with a quote. He reads it out.
HARRY(CONT'D)
It is not the strongest to survive,
nor the most intelligent but those
adaptable to change. Fascinating.
Charles Darwin. (Latching onto a
random plant) Ah. Look at that. (Beat)
And that's...
JAMES answers without looking up from the microscope.
JAMES
Did you know, that the average garden
contains over three and a half million
species?
HARRY
No, I didn't.
JAMES
Dad. I'm not going back to...
(CONTINUED)
7
9 CONTINUED: 9
HARRY
But it's only a year and then you've
got a law degree.
JAMES
I've no intention of running P.. P..
Papadopoulos & Sons. I can't even
pronounce it.
HARRY
Look. Finish your studies. The plants.
It's a hobby. Sure. Give yourself
options. You may change your mind
about the business. You know, there
are a lot of creative roles now in
business.
JAMES
Like what?
HARRY
Like marketing. Alright. Defer the
final year. Take a year out, why not?
Fine. But don't quit. Your mother
would have said the same.
JAMES
Would she?
HARRY
Well, your mother would probably have
said do what you feel was right but
I'd argue she was wrong. And then we'd
argue. Probably. And she'd win. That
was your mother. At least consider
deferring.
JAMES thinks about it.
JAMES
Okay. I'll consider deferring.
HARRY
Yeah? Great. Great. So, there you are,
it's not a definitely not?
HARRY wants to bond but doesn't know where to start. HARRY
latches onto an English Ivy in a Union Jack plant pot.
HARRY (CONT'D)
What's this one called?
JAMES
It's an ivy.
The doorbell rings.
(CONTINUED)
8
9 CONTINUED: (2) 9
HARRY
Mrs P!(Pause, waits for a response)
Mrs P! Look, I'd better.
HARRY goes to exit and then comes back to shake his son's hand.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Hey. Well done. For. You know.
HARRY heads towards the door and just before he exits he gives
an emphatic double thumbs up.
HARRY CONT
Closed?
JAMES
Yes please.
CUT TO:
10 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - FRONT DOOR. EVENING 1. 10
HARRY opens the front door. We see a friendly door-to-door
salesman with a charity badge around his neck. He has a plastic
basket of cleaning products.
DOOR KNOCKER
Evening boss. Sorry to disturb. I work
for a homeless charity.
HARRY
Sorry. No thanks.
DOOR KNOCKER
New dish cloths?
HARRY
I know how you people operate.
DOOR KNOCKER
I got a badge.
HARRY studies the badge.
HARRY
No mention of a charity.
DOOR KNOCKER
Come on boss. Give us a break. I'm
trying to earn a living here. Look.
Got tea towels, surface cleaners,
scrubbers, brushes, window sprays,
shammies - for drying the car. Cars.
THEO appears at the door.
THEO
Daddy. You need to see the news!
(CONTINUED)
9
10 CONTINUED: 10
DOOR KNOCKER
Hello there mini boss.
THEO
Who's that man?
HARRY
He's a... he's a... he. He works for a
charity.
THEO
Is it a cake sale?
DOOR KNOCKER
Cakes? Did you say cakes? Did he say
cakes? How do you know? That's what I
want to do. Open up a cake shop.
HARRY
Cakes? Really.
DOOR KNOCKER
Cup cakes, individually decorated
gingerbread men, bite-sized apple
strudels, gooey fudge balls, mini-
muffins as well as your traditional
fare. Got a business plan and
everything. It'll be egalitarian but
feel exclusive - sort of my mission
statement really. The Progressive
People's Cake Shop. With...
progressive pricing.
HARRY
That's very good. I know a thing or
two about the food business as well.
DOOR KNOCKER
Really? I'm looking for investors.
HARRY
Retail's not for me, I'm afraid.
Staff. Nightmare. They'll nick your
cakes, upset your customers, then do
you for wrongful dismissal.
DOOR KNOCKER
Oh. Thanks for the encouragement.
THEO
Let's buy something. The news Daddy!
HARRY
Well, how much for...
DOOR KNOCKER
It's a shammy.
(CONTINUED)
10
10 CONTINUED: (2) 10
HARRY
Whatever. How much?
DOOR KNOCKER
The shammy. It's a shammy.
HARRY
I'm not going to say that word.
DOOR KNOCKER
Why not?
HARRY
Because it's a silly word and I don't
know what it's for and I don't know if
you're genuine. And I'll probably
never use it.
CUT TO:
11 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - KITCHEN. EVENING 1. 11
HARRY walks in with the entire box of cleaning products and
hands them to MRS PARRINGTON.
MRS PARRINGTON
Oh. A shammy.
THEO
Come look Daddy.
On the TV, we see a 'New Bank Crisis?' banner and a reporter
standing outside a bank in the city of London.
HARRY
Turn it up.
THEO points the remote and turns up the volume.
NEWS REPORTER
Panic confusion and chaos. They
said it couldn't happen again but
today it just did sending shock
waves through the world's markets.
HARRY
What's going on?
THEO
Another bank collapse.
The TV images cut to people leaving an office with boxes of
their belongings.
NEWS REPORTER VO (CONT)
All 8,000 members of staff have been
asked to leave while the bank is put
into liquidation.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
11
11 CONTINUED: 11
NEWS REPORTER VO (CONT) (CONT'D)
It comes as a shock but not a
surprise.
HARRY's mobile phone rings. He answers.
HARRY
Nicholas. I'm watching now. It's
insane. I don't know. Why don't you
call them? Alright. I'll see you first
thing tomorrow. Bye.
THEO
Will this have repercussions on your
loan?
Harry is lost in thought.
MRS PARRINGTON
That's a very good word Theo. Isn't
it? Daddy? Repercussions. (Beat) It's
a good word.
HARRY
Oh yes. Sorry. Yes. It's a very good
word.
CUT TO:
12 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS & SONS FACTORY. DAY 2. 12
Next morning. Establishing shot. We are at the Papadopoulos &
Sons HQ - the exterior of the factory.
CUT TO:
13 INT. PAPADOPOULOS & SONS FACTORY OFFICE. DAY 2. 13
HARRY, FAT LAKI and NICHOLAS are walking into the office.
FAT LAKI
They've revalued the property.
They're calling in the guarantees.
You need to find thirty mil now.
Six months to find the rest.
HARRY
And if we don't? What happens?
NICHOLAS
They'll put you and everything you
own into administration. Harry. You
took out crazy loans. Our business
is making feta cheese for God's
sake.
HARRY
Nick.
(CONTINUED)
12
13 CONTINUED: 13
NICHOLAS
You gambled it on a shopping mall.
HARRY
I could do without these comments
right now.
NICHOLAS
I'm the finance director of this
company Harry. You never listened.
Never. It always had to be bigger,
better. Like these offices. We didn't
need these offices. Do you know how
much we paid for that 'work of art '
up there? Do you? Two hundred grand.
For a fish.
Nicholas points towards a fish hung across the wall.
HARRY
What do you want me to do Nick?
NICHOLAS
Our business was profitable Harry.
I was going to retire in two years.
I'd like to bring that forward.
HARRY
You're resigning? Now? The accountants
coming in.
NICHOLAS
Sorry Harry. En boro. En boro.
NICHOLAS exits.
HARRY
Nicholas!
NICHOLAS
That's enough. That's enough.
HARRY
Nicholas. Can you believe that?
ROB and SOPHIE, an American, enter.
ROB
Shit, fan and hitting? Hey! Fat Laki!
You know why they call this guy Fat
Laki?
SOPHIE shrugs. FAT LAKI indicates how big he once was.
SOPHIE
Wow. Congratulations.
(CONTINUED)
13
13 CONTINUED: (2) 13
FAT LAKI
I stopped eating bread. It's sad
though. I loved bread. But. What
can you do?
ROB
This is Sophie. Just relocated from
our New York office.
SOPHIE
Hello. Really pleased to meet you. Can
I just say, I'm a huge fan of Greek
food. Especially the cakes. I love
Baklava.
HARRY
Great. The ship's going down and
we've got baklava.
ROB
I take it the banks are pulling the
rug? What are the bastards proposing?
FAT LAKI
They've demanded the 300 million we
borrowed. Thirty by close of play.
ROB
Sweet mother of God. They are sons of
bitches.
FAT LAKI
They've taken a new position on the
value of the property development.
It's triggered the guarantees.
SOPHIE
Can you sell it?
HARRY
It's not even a building site yet.
SOPHIE
So, its bankruptcy.
ROB
Put something offshore, I said. He
wanted to pay his taxes.
HARRY
Maybe I should have been more Greek
about it.
ROB
Hey. It's bankruptcy baby. Not
disaster.
(CONTINUED)
14
13 CONTINUED: (3) 13
HARRY
Accountants. When it's good, they get
paid. When it's bad, they get paid. I
want my son to be a lawyer for the
same reason. He doesn't get it. So
what are the options?
ROB
Well, the obvious is to buy back your
own business.
SOPHIE
Trick is finding the investors to back
you.
HARRY
And the banks will sell back to me
because?
ROB
Because nobody makes pink slop like
you do Harry.
SOPHIE
The banks just want a quick sale. They
have no interest in running your
business.
HARRY
Let's jump on it.
ROB
I'll talk to private equity firms,
VCs, angels. The usual suspects. We'll
find someone.
SOPHIE
What doesn't break you, makes you.
HARRY
Ah. Therapy. Don't charge me for
that, will you? Rob? Don't let her
charge me for that.
CUT TO:
14 INT. PAPADOPOULOS & SONS FACTORY OFFICE. DAY 2 14
HARRY walks through his office and down to the factory floor
where he overlooks a small army of oblivious Papadopoulos &
Sons employees processing taramasalata into containers.
CUT TO:
15
15 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - DRIVEWAY. DAY 3. 15
Music continues. We see the front of the house. A standard
removal truck is parked outside alongside the Mercedes and a
Bentley sports car - displaying (PAPA 1 and PAPA 2 number
plates). Two removal men in white overalls and white gloves
(almost forensic looking) walk out the front door carrying a
large oil painting. A third man stands at the back of the van
waiting to receive goods.
CUT TO:
16 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - HALLWAY. DAY 3. 16
KATIE walks down the stairs and we see removal men assessing
the valuables of the house.
CUT TO:
17 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - KITCHEN. DAY 3. 17
The family, including MRS PARRINGTON, are in the kitchen.
THEO is on his laptop. KATIE nervously files her nails. MRS
PARRINGTON has made everyone a cup of tea. HARRY is reading a
newspaper. JAMES is reading a book. KATIE enters.
KATIE
They're going through my things. It's
disgusting.
HARRY
Are they darling. It's temporary.
You'll get it all back.
Two bank assessors RUPERT and NIGEL enter. RUPERT has a
clipboard with items to be ticked off. NIGEL has a camera.
RUPERT
Morning.
KATIE
(Sarcastically) Oh. Hi.
NIGEL
(Under his breath) Problem.
RUPERT
This is the... kitchen.
NIGEL
Fabulous finishes.
HARRY
So how long's this going to take?
RUPERT
Most of the day, I should think.
(CONTINUED)
16
17 CONTINUED: 17
HARRY
And what are we allowed to keep?
RUPERT
Ah, well. According to the asset
sheet... let's see. Not very much.
KATIE
Little rats, with their little claws.
MRS PARRINGTON
That is quite unnecessary Katie.
RUPERT
We may as well do this now. That's a
nice computer. Oh, don't worry we're
not going to, you know, take it...
now. Anything interesting?
THEO hisses at RUPERT like a snake with an aggressive face.
THEO
Stocks. Everyone's selling. I'm
buying. Two, Four, Eight, 16, 32..
MRS PARRINGTON
Double your numbers quietly Theo and
apologise or I'll confiscate that
wretched computer for a week.
THEO
Sorry.
RUPERT
There's no easy way of doing this.
NIGEL
You have impeccable taste, by the way.
MRS PARRINGTON
It's not mine.
RUPERT
We operate very strict guidelines.
NIGEL
We have your range of Greek dips at
home. Don't we Rupert?
RUPERT
As I was saying, we operate very
strict guidelines.
HARRY
So. What is legally ours?
(CONTINUED)
17
17 CONTINUED: (2) 17
RUPERT
Well, the bank will let you keep
£25,000 in cash. And you're each
allowed £1,000 in personal items.
KATIE
My Westwood Gold Label cost more than
that.
NIGEL
It's such a beautiful dress. I
couldn't resist looking.
KATIE
I love it too.
NIGEL
(Whispering) I'll sort something out
for you.
KATIE
(Whispering) Thank you!
RUPERT
Nigel.
NIGEL
You seem like such a lovely family. We
hate doing this.
RUPERT
Nigel.
HARRY
Right, so 25k cash. And 1000 in
personal items. What else?
RUPERT
Ah. Well. One thing that came up in
the meeting with HQ this morning. The
fish and chip shop. The Three
Brothers?
JAMES
What fish and chip shop?
MRS PARRINGTON
That went years ago.
RUPERT
Well, the bank is unable to seize it
as an asset because of its co-
ownership with a... Spiros
Papadopoulos?
HARRY
Right.
(CONTINUED)
18
17 CONTINUED: (3) 17
MRS PARRINGTON
Yes, that's his brother. But they
haven't spoken in years.
CUT TO:
18 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - DINING ROOM. EVENING 4. 18
The family is sitting at the dining room table watching SPIROS
eat. No one else is eating and the table is set for one. The
dining room is spartan - less furniture/ no pictures. We see
some tea crates stuffed with tissue wrapped objects.
SPIROS
It was so strange. Oh, James - more
lemon son.
JAMES passes SPIROS a small plate of quartered lemons. SPIROS
sticks his fork into one and squeezes juice over his chicken.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Oh. This is so good Mrs P. In all the
years, I never stopped thinking about
you or your food.
MRS PARRINGTON
Still so charming.
SPIROS
So, I'm sitting there watching the
telly and suddenly I see Papadopoulos
& Sons. On the TV.
THEO
Daddy over leveraged himself.
SPIROS
Look at this little Englezo. Hey! I'm
your Uncle Spiros re. I'm your uncle,
re manga! I'm going to eat him he's so
cute.
THEO
Please don't eat me.
SPIROS
Re gugluthi. He's just like his
mother. A little Englishman.
THEO
That's because my Mummy was English.
SPIROS
Ah! I know re! I know. Ah. So! I'm
watching the news and I'm thinking,
what's my baby brother gone and done
now? And just at that moment.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
19
18 CONTINUED: 18
SPIROS (CONT'D)
As I'm thinking that thought, in the
same split second, the phone rings.
And it's him! I mean, it's gotta be
some kind of quantum physics there,
no? No? Insane. Insane. (To KATIE)
Katie. You're so grown up. I can't
believe this. You were like... just a
girl. Dumpy and spoilt. Look at you
now.
MRS PARRINGTON
She's still a little spoilt.
KATIE
Nanny P!
JAMES
And dumpy.
MRS PARRINGTON
Not so dumpy.
SPIROS
Ah, James. Sweet baby James. When you
were three. How old was he? Three or
four? We used to play fight. Remember?
You loved to fight. Why, you broke my
nose. Yeah! Fuck that hurt!
MRS PARRINGTON
Spiros.
SPIROS
Oh. Sorry. (To THEO) Duck! I said
duck. (Quacking).
THEO
I know what you said.
SPIROS
Don't tell your father. (Quaking)
Harry. Thank you for phoning me. No,
seriously. I'm so grateful. There's,
you know... I know there's so much
that we need to sort out, you and I.
HARRY
Well.
SPIROS
But we should be celebrating. Yeah? I
don't drink anymore. Just so you know.
But you don't have to be drunk to
dance. That's what I say now. You
don't have to be drunk to dance!
(CONTINUED)
20
18 CONTINUED: (2) 18
HARRY
Fantastic. So. Look. We're losing the
house and well everything. It's only
temporary. I'm in negotiations with a
top corporate finance team to buy it
back. But in the meantime, I need to
free up some capital.
SPIROS
I'll give you whatever I've got but
you know, I don't have much money.
HARRY
I don't want your money Spiro. I want
to sell the Three Brothers. We'll
split it 50/50. I get enough money pay
the rent, pay a few bills off and it's
great for you because you get some
cash to do whatever it is you want to
do.
SPIROS
You can't sell the Three Brothers.
HARRY
I knew it! I knew you'd be
difficult. I knew it, I knew it, I
knew it. You haven't changed.
SPIROS
No, it doesn't feel right.
HARRY
You're loving this.
SPIROS
No Harry. I want to help.
HARRY
Can't you see we're in the shit?
MRS PARRINGTON
Gentlemen, please. May I suggest we
sleep on this? Before it gets out of
hand.
SPIROS
Yeah. This is good advice Mrs P.
MRS PARRINGTON
Harry? Harry?
HARRY
Okay. Whatever.
CUT TO:
21
19 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - REAR OF HOUSE. DAY 4. 19
Music. Time lapse of evening into night.
20 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION - LIVING ROOM. DAY 5. 20
HARRY, JAMES, KATIE, THEO and MRS PARRINGTON are sitting on a
sofa. SPIROS addresses them.
SPIROS
I couldn't sleep last night. Not a
wink. Over and over, in my mind, I
was trying to imagine selling the
shop. Something here was saying,
no, no. I want to help you. All of
you. So I prayed for guidance. I
asked the Universe. Please help me.
Please help me help these people.
And I must've fallen asleep not
long after. A crazy sleep. And then
this dream. Banayia mou. There was
this, this music. The most
incredible music. And you and me
Harry. Running the shop. I woke
with tears in my eyes and I knew.
HARRY
Sorry. What are you going on about?
SPIROS
We are going to reopen the Three
Brothers.
THEO
Brilliant!
KATIE
Is he talking about us?
JAMES
Yeah, I think he is.
HARRY
There's nothing there.
SPIROS
Exactly. It's empty. Useless. We'd get
nothing for it. But if we made the
Three Brothers great again. Hey! That
is our destiny! Okay. It needs work.
Sure. But destiny need work.
HARRY
You're still crazy.
(CONTINUED)
22
20 CONTINUED: 20
SPIROS
We have. You. You have a better chance
of getting through this if we increase
the value of the shop.
HARRY
I'm not opening a fish and chip shop,
I'm Papadopoulos & Sons, I'm on
supermarket shelves.
KATIE
God. What would I tell my friends?
JAMES
Don't know, maybe the truth?
KATIE
(Mimicking) I don't know, maybe the
truth.
JAMES
God. Fuck off.
KATIE
F.. f.. fuck you.
MRS PARRINGTON
Enough!
SPIROS
People! Hear me out. If we get it up
and running again, we can sell it as a
going concern instead of an empty
shop. This deal you're working on
could take ages. In the meantime,
you're getting cash in and you're
saving money because it's got two
bedrooms. Eh? The Three Brothers is a
goldmine. Used to be. Can be again.
HARRY
When did you become so practical?
SPIROS
I'll get it fixed. I'm a handyman now.
MRS PARRINGTON
I thought you were a waiter Spiros.
SPIROS
Around too much booze Mrs P. I went
travelling. Belgium, America,
Brooklyn. I ended up managing a block
of apartments in LA. I do painting,
decorating, plumbing, electrics,
everything.
(CONTINUED)
23
20 CONTINUED: (2) 20
MRS PARRINGTON
A man who can fix things.
SPIROS
I've got a van.
HARRY
Oh. It's alright everyone. Don't
panic. He's got a van.
SPIROS
Let's go look at the shop. Let me go
and start working on it now.
HARRY
You're out of your mind. I know
what you're up to. You want to make
some money for yourself. That's
fine. It's okay. It's okay. At
least you're thinking smart these
days. But don't involve us in all
this.
SPIROS
I want to help.
MRS PARRINGTON
Given the current situation, I think
it's worth consideration.
HARRY
What? I'm not opening a fish and chip
shop. I'm not. I'm not! I'm not! I'm
not! Not! Not! What?
MRS PARRINGTON
May I have a private word? Now.
CUT TO:
21 INT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION, HALLWAY. DAY 5. 21
MRS PARRINGTON
You're behaving like a child.
HARRY
Mrs Parrington, with all due
respect...
MRS PARRINGTON
You are the father of this family.
HARRY
I'd rather boil my own head than go
back to a chip shop.
MRS PARRINGTON
What a terrible thing to say. Really.
(CONTINUED)
24
21 CONTINUED: 21
HARRY
He's unreliable Mrs P. He's
irresponsible, he's a talker. He
sings. He dances. He plays the bongo
drums. He's a waiter. He'll drive us
all mad and leave us broke.
MRS PARRINGTON
He seems reformed to me. He doesn't
drink anymore. I think he wants to
help.
HARRY
Moving back to a chip shop will
destroy my children's confidence.
MRS PARRINGTON
Seeing you behave like a spoilt brat
will do that perfectly well.
HARRY
We're going to smell of fish and
chips.
MRS PARRINGTON
The children need a home. I don't
give a fig for your bourgeois
snobbery. Look at you. Everything
has to be a drama with you Greeks.
Show some gumption man.
CUT TO:
22 EXT. SPIROS' VAN MONTAGE. DAY 6. 22
Music. We see the family get into Spiros' tatty white van.
SPIROS loads up some suitcases into the back. HARRY carries
his businessman of the year award. JAMES has some plants.
THEO has his laptop. KATIE has designer dress bags and shoes.
On the side of the van we see "The Honest Handyman" with a
telephone number and the strapline, "If it's still broke...
then we can't fix it. That's honesty!" The logo is a hammer
with angel wings. The van pulls out of the drive.
23 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 6. 23
The van pulls up in front of The Three Brothers Fish and Chip
Shop. The door is boarded up and covered in posters. We see
the old sign, "The Three Brothers". The family, still seated
in the van, stare out.
SPIROS
So many memories.
KATIE
Are we really going to live in that?
(CONTINUED)
25
23 CONTINUED: 23
THEO
Oh.
JAMES
I'm trying to find something good.
KATIE
And?
JAMES
No. Nothing.
SPIROS
Nonsense. You'll love it! We're going
to have a crazy time. We're going to
fix this place up. I'm going to teach
you how to do some Greek dancing, some
singing. We'll fry some good fish.
We'll laugh. Good times.
SPIROS exits the van leaving the stunned family in silence.
CUT TO:
24 EXT. THE BOGAZI KEBAB SHOP. DAY 6. 24
Across the road in the Bogazi Kebab Shop, HASSAN ALI and MEHMET
(his son) are standing in front of the shop. They watch as the
Papadopoulos family exit the van.
HASSAN
I don't believe it.
MEHMET
What?
HASSAN
The Greeks are back.
MEHMET
What Greeks?
HASSAN
Those Greeks. Hello my old friends.
Mehmet. Find out what they're up to.
CUT TO:
25 INT. DAY. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 6. 25
We are inside The Three Brothers. We hear a jangle of keys and
the door opens. The family walk in led by SPIROS. KATIE still
carries her designer clothes bags and shoes, JAMES carries some
plants, THEO his laptop and HARRY walks in last. It is an old
fashioned fish and chip shop that hasn't traded in 30 years.
(CONTINUED)
26
25 CONTINUED: 25
SPIROS
See. It looks much worse from the
outside.
KATIE
It's actually a fish and chip shop.
JAMES
Of course it is you spanner.
KATIE
Daddy. Really?
THEO
What's this?
THEO picks out an old plaque-mounted stuffed fish.
SPIROS
This is Mr Charles. Our lucky fish. He
helped us make the busiest chip shop
in London.
SPIROS takes in a deep breath.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
I can smell the past. Your father and
I. Young. The women. Young. Making
good money.
HARRY
Wasting it. Gambling it. Losing it.
SPIROS
Happy days.
KATIE
It's a crack den!
SPIROS
Don't worry. Let me show you the rest.
We'll make it homely. Furniture, beds,
TV. Come on. Let me show you. So...
here is the prep room...
The children follow SPIROS through the shop. HARRY is left
looking at the place, taking it all in. He takes out his mobile
and calls.
CUT TO:
26 INT. MORTIMER ROLF & JONES - SOPHIE'S OFFICE. DAY 6. 26
A phone rings at SOPHIE's office within Mortimer Rolf and Jones,
HARRY's accountancy firm.
SOPHIE
Mortimer Rolf and Jones?
(CONTINUED)
27
26 CONTINUED: 26
HARRY
Hello. Could I speak to Rob.
SOPHIE
He's not at his desk. Can I take a
message?
HARRY
It's Harry Papadopoulos.
SOPHIE
Oh hi. It's Sophie. We met at your
office, the other day.
HARRY
Oh hi. Any news?
SOPHIE
We're lining up interest.
HARRY
Right. Well, I just need to know... I
need to know if this is going to work.
SOPHIE
Rest assured. We'll be driving the
herd to Abilene.
HARRY
Sorry.
SOPHIE
It's an old American, Mid-West
expression. (Beat) Are you okay Mr.
Papadopoulos?
HARRY
Yep, all good. Just keep me informed
please.
SOPHIE
Of course.
HARRY hangs up. ROB enters.
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
Harry Papadopoulos called. You should
call him back.
ROB
Let's go out, yeah. Let's celebrate.
Let's find... I don't know... Let's
find a... salsa club or something.
SOPHIE
Sorry?
(CONTINUED)
28
26 CONTINUED: (2) 26
ROB
Daddy just put another pig in da
bag. Owch! A new instruction.
Wallinghams. Big UK retail chain.
Established. (Wallinghams jingle)
Leave it... Leave it to
Wallinghams... Comfortably,
elegantly, reliably. Wallinghams.
(Voice-over mode) Croydon,
Greenwich, Enfield, Wimbledon
and... Ding! Going into
administration. Coming to little
old moi for services rendered.
(Tommy Cooper) Thank you. Oh thank
you very much. God I love an
economic downturn. Joking aside
though. Five thousand laid off.
Sad. Very, very sad. But dear sweet
mother of God it was a shit
business.
SOPHIE
Happy days.
ROB
Oh yeah. Hallelujah! (He goes to
exit) Six?
CUT TO:
27 INT DAY. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 6. 27
HARRY is on the verge of a panic attack. He slowly starts to
double numbers.
HARRY
Two, four, eight, sixteen... Two,
four, eight...
THEO (O.S.):
Daddy, come at look at this giant
mushroom I've found.
HARRY
Coming.
CUT TO:
28 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS - ROOF TERRACE. DAY 6. 28
SPIROS, HARRY, JAMES and THEO walk up a steel staircase onto the
Three Brother's roof terrace.
SPIROS
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey. Remember
up here? We used to bring out the
tables and chairs with the other
Greeks.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
29
28 CONTINUED: 28
SPIROS (CONT'D)
What ever happened to Soula, Pani and
Stavro? I loved that crowd. Sometimes
there'd be a poker game. Sometimes
dancing. We had fun.
THEO
Did my Daddy dance?
SPIROS
Yeah. I taught him. And your mother.
THEO
My Mummy?
SPIROS
Hey. Manga. This is the place where
your Mummy and Daddy met.
JAMES
What? Up here?
SPIROS
Yeah. They talked all night. They
danced. Yeah, there was a lot of
dancing here. Hey. You want me to show
you? How about it?
SPIROS clicks his fingers.
HARRY
Spiros please. It's not a holiday.
Just show everyone around.
HARRY exits.
SPIROS
What? (To THEO) I'll show you later.
(To JAMES) You alright?
JAMES
Yeah. No, I like the view. I might put
some plants up here.
CUT TO:
29 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 6. 29
KATIE is outside the shop, having a cigarette. We see Mehmet
approach.
MEHMET
Hello.
KATIE
Hi.
MEHMET
Do you have a light?
(CONTINUED)
30
29 CONTINUED: 29
KATIE
You came all this way for a light?
KATIE hands him a lighter.
MEHMET
I'm from the kebab shop across the
road.
KATIE
Nice.
Silence. MEHMET's run out things to say. They both smoke.
MEHMET
My Dad wants me to spy on you. I don't
think he like Greeks. (More silence)
You want to go out sometime?
KATIE
Yeah, alright.
MEHMET
I'm Mehmet.
KATIE
It's Katie. (They shake hands) It's
shit here, isn't it?
MEHMET
Yeah. Pretty much. (Looking around)
Yeah. Catch you later.
KATIE
Yeah. Bye.
MEHMET walks back to his shop. KATIE smiles. Music - Athina,
Athina by The Trio Attico . HARRY steps outside the shop. He
looks at KATIE who is still smoking. He stands there for a
moment looking a little lost. He gets into SPIROS' van and
drives away.
CUT TO:
30 EXT. CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY. DAY 6. 30
HARRY drives to a cemetery. He parks the van and exits with
flowers. Harry walks through the cemetery. We see his wife's 'In
Loving Memory of Elizabeth Papadopoulos 1962-2001 - Devoted
mother and wife'. He lays down his flowers.
CUT TO:
31 INT. MORTIMER ROLF & JONES - SOPHIE'S OFFICE. DAY 7. 31
SOPHIE is at her desk. We see the same type of flowers in a vase
as Harry has laid down at the cemetery. The phone rings.
(CONTINUED)
31
31 CONTINUED: 31
SOPHIE
Mortimer, Rolf and Jones. Oh hi Dad.
Yeah, I got them. They're beautiful.
Thank you. Alright. Put her on.
ROB enters.
ROB
He's here.
SOPHIE
(Whispering) Right. Just a second. Hi
mom. Thanks for the flowers, they're
lovely. There was nothing wrong with
New York. Yes, you can stay friends
with Matt. And Bill and Susan. Mom,
look, I've got a meeting. I don't
know. Some meeting. Yeah, I promise, I
will. I love you. Okay, bye. Bye.
SOPHIE puts the phone down.
ROB
Parents. Is Matt your...
SOPHIE
Ex.
ROB
Right. A bit of a tosser, yeah?
SOPHIE
I wouldn't say tosser exactly. We
just wanted different things.
ROB
Yada, yada, yada. Yeah, I hear ya.
It's like me and my ex. She was
keen and everything but I don't
know, her forward thinking sort of
killed the romance. Yeah. (Silence)
It's good to have these little
chats. Shouldn't always be about
work. Society is so work obsessed.
Tragic. Right. Back to work.
CUT TO:
32 INT. MORTIMER, ROLF & JONES - ROB'S OFFICE. DAY 7. 32
Seated around a conference table is ROB, SOPHIE and HARRY.
HARRY studies a spreadsheet.
HARRY
Some big names.
ROB
Pap & Sons is still a cash cow.
(CONTINUED)
32
32 CONTINUED: 32
HARRY
What's the potential deal structure?
ROB
That's the pisser.
SOPHIE
You'd still be key to running the
business, but...
HARRY
But?
ROB
Money isn't cheap Harry. These guys
will want at least 95% of the company.
HARRY
Leaving me with nothing. I'd do the
same thing. I'd be CEO of
Papadopoulos & Sons. Get a salary.
Get my house back. My children's
future.
ROB
It beats fish and chips.
SOPHIE
You'd be working for someone else.
HARRY
I'd be working for someone else. By
the way, I'm not actually running a
fish and chip shop. Just helping my
brother relaunch.
ROB
Sure. Listen, there maybe another
way. Came up in conversation with
the Norske Velconan Bank. It'd be
along the lines of a straight loan
to buy back the business.
HARRY
Why would they lend me the money?
ROB
Well. Let's ask them. Want me to look
into it?
HARRY
Sure, no choice.
ROB's mobile alarm goes off.
(CONTINUED)
33
32 CONTINUED: (2) 32
ROB
Okay. Cool. Got to go. Got an
emergency with - get this - a high
tech portable toilet company - that
has literally gone down the tubes.
(ROB holds up a flyer for the company)
An internet ready, wireless, crapper
with a waterproof keyboard and screen.
For the love of God. Because taking a
dump needed an overhaul. Still,
somebody's got to bury them. Inomine
patre, Spiritu, Sanctu... etc, etc.
SOPHIE
Got to love a downturn.
ROB
Laters.
ROB exits. SOPHIE starts to pack her files.
SOPHIE
I think what you're currently doing
with your brother sounds liberating.
HARRY
I'm liberating myself of my last 25
grand on a disused chip shop.
SOPHIE
But its like a startup. Isn't that the
most exciting phase of any venture?
Taking a bit of a risk. Developing
your products and your services.
Learning about your market. Look, some
of the largest companies on the planet
never make a profit. Like a real
profit. It's all accounting tricks and
leveraged debt. What I'm trying to say
is, does it matter if the business is
a small one? As long as it makes a
profit and the people who work there
are happy?
HARRY
What are you doing working in a place
like this?
SOPHIE
This is only temporary. I got divorced
recently. Came to London for a fresh
start. I'm actually looking into
setting up my own business.
HARRY
Well, I'm sorry about that. About the
divorce, I mean. Not...
(CONTINUED)
34
32 CONTINUED: (3) 32
SOPHIE
I've been meaning to ask. Can I
come and visit your shop sometime?
HARRY
There isn't one.
SOPHIE
When it's up and running.
HARRY
It's a chip shop. It's hot. On your
feet all hours. Verbal abuse from
customers on a Friday night.
SOPHIE
I wasn't applying for a job Harry.
Just wanted to stop by.
SOPHIE exits.
CUT TO:
33 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - THEO'S BEDROOM. NIGHT 8. 33
THEO is in bed on his laptop. SPIROS knocks and enters.
SPIROS
It's late. What are you doing little
man?
THEO
Trading. I watch trends. Making trades
based on patterns. I don't even look
at the fundamentals.
SPIROS
The fundamentals?
THEO
You know, capital employed, gearing
ratios etc. Not even turnover or
profit. It's short term, but I can
spot a trend. I know what's going to
happen.
SPIROS
So, you can see the future? And?
THEO
Same as the past. The pursuit of order
from chaos. I'm done for today.
SPIROS takes the laptop and closes it.
(CONTINUED)
35
33 CONTINUED: 33
SPIROS
Ah! Theo, Theo, Theo. Guglouthi
mou. Kali Nichta. Onira ylica.
Sweet dreams.
THEO
Uncle Spiros? You knew my Mummy.
SPIROS
Yes. She was... She was beautiful. And
she was very kind to me.
THEO
I wish I had my Mummy sometimes.
SPIROS
It's very hard for you.
THEO
I'd have made her laugh, Uncle Spiro.
SPIROS
You make me laugh.
THEO
I've come out with some classics. Real
gems. Wasted on this family.
SPIROS
Ha! You are something else.
KATIE
We can hear everything..
KATIE and JAMES are at the doorway.
JAMES
Don't fall for him Spiros. He's a
little tinker.
KATIE
Say the magic release poem!
THEO
No.
JAMES
Actually, say it the magic release
poem.
THEO
No...
KATIE/ JAMES
Theo Papadopoulos is a hippopotamus,
who's always making such a fuss from
his top to bottomus!!!
(CONTINUED)
36
33 CONTINUED: (2) 33
KATIE and JAMES tickle THEO who squeals with delight. SPIROS
laughs.
CUT TO:
34 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - LIVING ROOM. NIGHT 8. 34
SPIROS opens the door on the sparse living room. HARRY is lying
neatly in silk pyjamas, in a sleeping bag on a camp bed. He is
staring at the ceiling.
SPIROS
Ah, your kids are something else.
SPIROS undresses, taking off items of clothes until he is down
to his boxer shorts. SPIROS then gets out an icon of the Virgin
Mary. He kisses it and then crosses himself three times.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Don't worry. I'm not too religious.
I'm a lapsed Buddhist. I do
everything a good Buddhist does
except abstinence.
SPIROS farts. Harry shuts his eyes and shakes his head in
disgust. SPIROS then hands HARRY some ear plugs.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Ear plugs.
SPIROS gets into the sleeping bag and turns off the light.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Oi re. This is a fantastic thing. Did
you ever imagine, 30 years ago? Back
here?
HARRY
No.
SPIROS
Remember how excited we felt when we
got this place? It feels like that
again. Hey. My gut says... push
Alaskan Pollock. Over Cod! What do you
think?
HARRY
I should never have taken out that
loan.
SPIROS
Ah. We'll talk fish after we fix this
place. (Singing) We'll talk fish after
we fix this place. Katie's got some
good thoughts. Says we should keep the
old look. And she had some beautiful
ideas about the uniforms.
(CONTINUED)
37
34 CONTINUED: 34
HARRY
But then, you know. The potential
yield of the Plaza. Papadopoulos
Plaza. Fully developed with a thousand
year lease. I would have kept the
freehold. I'm telling you Spiro. It
was good. I'd have been worth a
fortune. Worth, I don't know. One
billion five. One billion six. One
billion six. Big numbers Spiro. Big,
big numbers.
SPIROS starts snoring. HARRY puts the ear plugs in and stares
out into the darkness.
CUT TO:
35 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 9. 35
We are in front of the shop. SPIROS addresses a small gathering
of people who have turned up to help in the renovation. He holds
a bottle of champagne. Alongside him, HARRY carries the box of
cleaning products. We see JAMES, KATIE, THEO and MRS PARRINGTON.
We see FAT LAKI, PHIL THE TILL, FATHER JIMMY, a Greek Orthodox
priest and an assortment of Greek faces of various ages.
SPIROS
We were children when we came to
the UK with nothing. We start
again. Fat Laki. The weight you
lost is an inspiration. Phil The
Till. You've helped many Greeks
with your tax friendly till
machines. Eh, only two things are
certain in life - death and taxes.
Unless you're Greek. Then it's only
death! (The crowd cheer). Nikos,
Kyriaco, Androniki, Loula, Uncle
Panikos, Aphrodite, Maria and of
course, Father Jimmy. Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
HARRY
Didn't Father Jimmy get done for
selling illegal copies of Rambo?
SPIROS
He's got three liquor stores in
Palmers Green.
HARRY
He always hated me.
HARRY now addresses the small crowd.
(CONTINUED)
38
35 CONTINUED: 35
HARRY (CONT'D)
People. Hello. Sorry. Hi. I just want
you to know this is a temporary
situation for the family. I'm
currently in negotiations with a top
corporate finance team about re-
acquiring the assets of Papadopoulos &
Sons. That's it.
UNCLE PANIKOS
What did he say?
PHIL THE TILL
He's had some sort of breakdown.
UNCLE PANIKOS
Tragic.
SPIROS
James, music.
SPIROS nods towards JAMES who pushes a button on a his docked
MP3 player. Greek music - Oba, Oba Ta Bouzoukia by the Delphi
Brothers.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Thank you. I officially announce
the renovation of the Three
Brothers.
HARRY
You're supposed to do that after you
launch something.
SPIROS
To hell with convention.
SPIROS smashes the bottle on the floor and rallies the assembled
party who cheer 'bravo' and clap.
CUT TO:
36 INT/ EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS - MONTAGE. DAY 9. 36
Montage to the same music. MRS PARRINGTON picks up a tray
with teas and we follow her through the shop. She stops so
that people can take a mug and we see her continue her
journey - all the way through the shop to outside, where we
see HARRY sitting alone in the van. He's not part of the
activity. We see scrubbing, cleaning, fixing. Boards are
taken down. Inside we see people painting and the fish fryer
cleaned. We see product displays go up. We see SPIROS with
manic and crazy enthusiasm. JAMES and KATIE messing around.
Finally, we see FATHER JIMMY splashing holy water, saying a
prayer and making the sign of the cross over the fish frying
range while others stand and watch the ceremony with respect.
(CONTINUED)
39
36 CONTINUED: 36
He splashes water on those assembled. They wince as the holy
water hits them. The music fades.
CUT TO:
37 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. EVENING 9. 37
FAT LAKI is tasting strips of kebab meat. He is making notes as
he does so, marking for texture, flavour etc. Around him are
SPIROS, MRS PARRINGTON, JAMES, KATIE, THEO and HARRY.
SPIROS
Hade re Laki. Tell us.
FAT LAKI
Entaxi. Don't rush me. Its been a long
time since I had meat like this.
FAT LAKI takes another bite and looks upwards as he chews.
THEO
What's he doing?
MRS PARRINGTON
He's assessing the competition.
SPIROS
E belame mas (He's driving us
crazy).
FAT LAKI
There's a reason Hassan's still in
business. Texture, very good. Way
above average. Meat content. High.
Mechanically recovered cheap
rubbish? You wish. This is a
quality donner, nicely cooked with
all the right combination of herbs.
It's beautiful.
SPIROS
It doesn't mean we can't take them on.
FAT LAKI
No. I'm not saying we can't.
MEHMET walks into the shop and freezes.
HARRY
Yes?
MEHMET
Sorry. I... I...
HARRY
What do you want?
(CONTINUED)
40
37 CONTINUED: 37
MEHMET
That's a lot of Greeks.
Katie grabs her coat.
KATIE
What? We're going out.
MRS PARRINGTON
Not too late.
KATIE exits with MEHMET.
MRS PARRINGTON (CONT'D)
Well, she is 18.
HARRY
We'll make a better product at a
cheaper price with larger portions.
We'll lose money on the kebabs in the
short term, put Turks out of business
within a year, make our margins on the
fish and when the rest of this crummy
street has packed up we'll raise our
prices and cut our portion sizes.
SPIROS
The entrepreneur has spoken.
HARRY
Hey, it's temporary, but as long as
we're here we'll do some business.
CUT TO:
38 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. EVENING 9. 38
Establishing shot of the finished gleaming shop at night. We
hear the sound of a sizzling frying pan. We hear the crack of
an egg.
CUT TO:
39 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. EVENING 9. 39
An egg being broken over chips and fish scraps. SPIROS is
cooking. HARRY and JAMES are sitting at a table.
SPIROS
You know, when he was a little boy,
he'd come home from school and sit
there - just like that.
JAMES
Who was the third b.. brother?
(CONTINUED)
41
39 CONTINUED: 39
HARRY
Michael. He died in the fire. With our
parents, your grandparents, in Cyprus.
In the war between the Greeks and
Turks.
JAMES
How did you both escape?
HARRY
Spiros climbed down and Michael who
was... six?
SPIROS
Yeah.
HARRY
Dropped me down. I was just a baby.
SPIROS
I caught him. But Michael... He. I
told Mihalis to jump. But he... he ran
right back into the house. We'll never
know why. One night and everything
changes.
JAMES
He probably wanted to save his Mum and
Dad.
SPIROS
You know what? I never thought
about that. You could be right.
Yeah. You are a wise boy James.
Your soul is old. Tell me. This has
always been a big question for me.
For many years. Do you think... do
you think... I could've done
something else? For Michael?
JAMES
No. You were holding a baby.
SPIROS
Yeah.
JAMES
And how old were you?
SPIROS
I was nine.
JAMES
Well, you were only a boy. Like Theo.
HARRY has stopped eating. He looks troubled.
(CONTINUED)
42
39 CONTINUED: (2) 39
SPIROS
H? Hello? What's wrong with him?
Hey. Don't worry. It's temporary!
HARRY
Excuse me.
HARRY exits.
SPIROS
Did I say something wrong?
CUT TO:
40 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - LIVING ROOM. NIGHT 9. 40
HARRY is lying on top of his camp bed. JAMES knocks and
enters with a cup of tea.
HARRY
He was only nine. I never thought
about how young he was.
JAMES
I got you this. Tea.
HARRY
James. Come here. Sit down. I've let
you and your brother and your sister
down.
JAMES
Dad.
HARRY
I made a promise to your mother that
I'd take care of you.
JAMES
And you're doing that.
HARRY
This is humiliating for you.
JAMES
Dad, we'll get through this. Like... I
don't know. Like King Lear.
HARRY
I don't know the story.
JAMES
Well, King Lear loses everything.
Absolutely everything and he finds
himself in the middle of this storm
with nothing and all his kids h.. h..
hate him. They think he's a prick.
(CONTINUED)
43
40 CONTINUED: 40
HARRY
What happens to him?
JAMES
Well. He dies.
HARRY
Oh.
JAMES
But it has to end like that because
its a tragedy.
HARRY
I'm sorry about your plants.
JAMES
I can grow new ones.
HARRY
Why didn't you bring more with you?
JAMES
I didn't want to get in the way.
HARRY
You're such a sweet boy. You get that
from your mother. Your stammer is
getting better. You know what? I'm
going to go and get your plants. Now.
From the house.
JAMES
What? Right now?
HARRY
I'm going to get your plants. Like
King Lear. Yes?
JAMES
Er. Yeah. Sort of.
CUT TO:
41 EXT. PAPADOPOULOS MANSION. NIGHT 9. 41
HARRY is back at the old house. There is an 'Auction' sign at
the entrance. We see a skip. We see him peering in through a
window. He walks over to the skip and looks in. He climbs in.
Inside the skip among old cardboard boxes, a broken chair etc he
finds a selection of plants - some of them in pots. He picks one
up, the one with the distinctive Union Jack pot, and brushes the
leaves. We then see him walk off with a box of plants.
CUT TO:
44
42 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. NIGHT 9. 42
SPIROS, JAMES, KATIE and THEO are making batter. It is late.
They are all in their pyjamas. We see beer cans, a vodka
bottle and bags of flour. The radio plays Greek music. HARRY
enters carrying a cardboard box of plants.
THEO
Daddy!
HARRY
Hello. What's going on?
JAMES
We're making b.. batter.
SPIROS
Uncle Spiros' special mix.
HARRY
That's all I could find.
JAMES
Thank you.
HARRY
It's very late.
SPIROS
I said they could help.
KATIE
It is the holidays.
THEO gets upset.
THEO
Uncle Spiros said I could make beer
and vodka batter.
SPIROS
It doesn't sound very good.
HARRY
Hey. You can stay up. It's the
holidays. Tomorrow, we'll look through
the newspapers and pick out some
stocks. How does that grab you?
THEO
Natural resources is a good buy.
KATIE
Hey, wait. Show us your frying skills.
(CONTINUED)
45
42 CONTINUED: 42
SPIROS
I was telling them how you were born
with a timer in your head. How you
fried to perfection every time.
HARRY
Not tonight.
JAMES
Come on Dad, show us how to fillet a
fish.
KATIE
Go on Daddy.
SPIROS
Yes H. Come on. Show us. Show us. Show
us! Show us!
The children join in.
KATIE/ JAMES/ THEO
Show us! Show us!
HARRY
You should really be thinking about
bed, all of you. Good night.
SPIROS
Bed?
HARRY exits. SPIROS tastes his batter and is happy.
CUT TO:
43 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - LIVING ROOM. NIGHT 9. 43
HARRY stares at himself in the mirror. He can hear muffled
laughter from the rest of the family.
CUT TO:
44 INT. SPIROS' VAN. DAY 10. 44
HARRY is seated. He is fiddling with his suit and tie. He sees
JAMES pushing a wheelbarrow with plants, smoking what looks like
a joint. HARRY shakes his head. SPIROS gets in the van.
SPIROS
Alright, that's it. Where we going?
HARRY
City. Get a loan. Get the business
back, get the house back. Does this
suit look alright?
SPIROS
Yeah. It's a suit.
(CONTINUED)
46
44 CONTINUED: 44
HARRY
It doesn't. I don't know. It doesn't
fit.
As they are about to set off HARRY sees KATIE and MEHMET
kissing in the wing mirror.
HARRY CONT
I don't believe it. They're kissing.
SPIROS
Ah. Kids. Come on.
HARRY
In the street?
SPIROS
They're smoking. They're hanging out.
HARRY
Are they? Are they?
SPIROS
What?
HARRY
Are they screwing?
SPIROS
No. They're just kissing.
HARRY
I've got to get out of this place.
SPIROS
Come on. He's a sweet guy.
HARRY
Out! The family is in the gutter.
SPIROS
You're overreacting Harry.
HARRY
The thought of her pregnant. In a
kebab shop.
SPIROS
Harry. Don't worry about Katie. She
can look after herself.
Spiros starts the van. We see it pull away. Music.
CUT TO:
47
45 EXT. INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. DAY 10. 45
We now see the van driving through London before it pulls into
an industrial estate and come to a stop.
CUT TO:
46 INT. SPIROS' VAN. DAY 10. 46
SPIROS turns off the engine.
HARRY
What are you doing?
SPIROS
I've got something to say.
HARRY
About Katie? Is she pregnant?
SPIROS
No.
HARRY
Oh God. Have you've got cancer?
SPIROS
No.
SPIROS pulls out eight or nine A4 pages of hand written notes.
He takes out his reading glasses. Reading the piece of paper.
SPIROS (CONT'D)
Just bear with me. So. Here goes.
After years of abuse on my behalf and
unacceptable behavior, I reached a
moment of clarity - actually this was
two years ago. (Reading) I'd like to
apologise for the hurt I've caused.
HARRY
What now?
SPIROS
(Reading) There were aspects of my
behaviour which were unacceptable.
This includes, and is not limited to.
HARRY
Why now?
SPIROS
I've been carrying this. Well, if you
don't want to hear we can do it later.
HARRY
No. Now is fine. Now is good.
(CONTINUED)
48
46 CONTINUED: 46
SPIROS
Just. (Reading note paper and
turning over pages) Oxi. Oxi. Skip
that. (Beat) I have abused your
generosity.
HARRY
I agree with that statement.
SPIROS
When we were children and got to
London I looked after you. Got you
ready for school. Made you do your
homework. I taught you to cook, ride a
bike, speak Greek. Dance. (Beat) Why
don't you speak Greek re?
HARRY
You were reading your list.
SPIROS
I fought with Stephen Klein, when
he accused you of stealing his
orthopedic shoe. Remember that?
HARRY
Yeah.
SPIROS
Did you take it?
HARRY
No.
SPIROS
You can tell me now.
HARRY
I didn't steal the shoe. Are you
going to read all of that?
SPIROS
I don't have to.
HARRY
Why did it go wrong with us Spiro?
We may as well get to it. Why did
you turn against me after I left
the shop?
SPIROS
I never turned against you.
HARRY
That's what it felt like.
Spiros puts the notes down. He takes off his glasses.
(CONTINUED)
49
46 CONTINUED: (2) 46
SPIROS
I was jealous of you.
HARRY
You were my brother.
SPIROS
Brothers get jealous.
HARRY
You were more than a brother.
SPIROS
You were my life and then you left.
Gone.
HARRY
I set up the business. I wasn't
going to stay in the shop. You
could've come with me.
SPIROS
Harry, you were so fast. You were
like a plane, like a supersonic
jet.
HARRY
But I gave you everything you
wanted. Did I ever once turn you
down? In all the years after I left
the business. Did I? And after it
went bust? But it was never enough.
Every week something new. Writing a
cheque to... I don't know. You had
some weird friends. Who was that
bloke with the pin head? Kept
turning up at the house.
SPIROS
None of my friends anymore.
HARRY
And then drunk at Elizabeth's funeral?
And your big 'tell it as it is'
speech.
SPIROS
I heard about it.
HARRY
That was it for me. For us.
SPIROS
You were right to cut me off.
(CONTINUED)
50
46 CONTINUED: (3) 46
HARRY
She never had a bad word for you
Elizabeth. Always forgave you. And she
made me forgive you. Every time.
SPIROS
She did. I always had a way back
when she was with us. Elizabeth was
so good to me. She was our world.
She was our world.
Harry is chocked and is trying to hold it together.
HARRY
I'm sorry, I can't.
SPIROS
It's okay H.
HARRY
I've got to get to this meeting. It's
an important meeting.
SPIROS
It's okay to miss her.
HARRY
Oh man. (Silence) Just give me a
minute.
CUT TO:
47 EXT. INDUSTRIAL ESTATE. DAY 10. 47
We see Spiros' solitary van parked up in ghostly industrial
estate. The van eventually starts and pulls away.
CUT TO:
48 INT. MORTIMER, ROLF & JONES - BOARD ROOM. DAY 10. 48
SOPHIE, ROB, HARRY and LARS - a Scandinavian banker - are
sitting round the boardroom table.
ROB
With the help of Lars and the Norske
Velconan Bank, we aim to buy Pap and
Sons back from the receivers.
LARS
Also, I have to say Harry that I
believe there is an intuitive bond
between the Greek and the Nordic
peoples, yah? And so, maybe the very
first vikings were descended from
Ancient Greeks, somewhere in the deep
mists of time. And so it's so... so
Wagnerian, yah?
(CONTINUED)
51
48 CONTINUED: 48
SOPHIE
We should point out the new approach.
ROB
To buy Papadopoulos & Sons but divest
the food manufacturing side of the
business.
HARRY
Divest the food manufacturing? What
else is there?
ROB
Sell off the food but keep the
property.
LARS
Papadopoulos Plaza. It's going to be
worth a fortune.
HARRY
That's not what I had in mind.
SOPHIE
It's an asset breakup.
LARS
Tusk. Tusk, yah? Makes us sound like
barbarians.
ROB
With the new loan, you'd buy back your
old assets and then sell off the
brands in the Pap & Sons stable.
LARS
Yah. And you know how to squeeze the
value Harry.
SOPHIE
That's a break up.
HARRY
Please. I know what it is.
LARS
The pitta bread, the cakes get sold to
a bakery.
ROB
The halloumi and feta to a dairy
company.
LARS
I love your halloumi! Grilled. It's...
(Kisses air)
(CONTINUED)
52
48 CONTINUED: (2) 48
ROB
The sell off value of these brands
will exceed the new loan.
LARS
So my bank will get its money back
faster than you can say 'knife'.
HARRY
And what do you get?
ROB
Lars wants 50% of the Plaza
development. Which is what will remain
after the debts have been settled.
HARRY
So you get 50% of the development for
free.
LARS
Sure, yeah. But you get 50% of the
same development yah, also for
free.
SOPHIE
What do you want Harry?
HARRY
I want my food business back.
ROB
Guy, guys, guys. Reality check. Harry.
It's not going to happen. Okay? The
best you can hope for is to work with
Lars here and save something.
HARRY
I can't say no.
LARS
Okay. So. Yah. I need to take this to
the board. Take two, three months. But
pish, yah?
SOPHIE
It seems criminal to buy the business
back only to break it up.
As an aside to SOPHIE.
ROB
Can I just point out that you are
skating. Figuratively speaking. On
thin fucking ice.
HARRY
I'll do whatever the bank wants.
(CONTINUED)
53
48 CONTINUED: (3) 48
LARS
Okay! Harry, we are going to take this
to the hoop, yah? Three points! Yah?
Three points!
CUT TO:
49 INT. MORTIMER, RALF & JONES - CORRIDOR. DAY 10. 49
HARRY and SOPHIE are walking towards the lifts.
SOPHIE
Taking out a loan to pay off a loan?
So you can remortgage a property? It's
got nothing to do with business. It's
got nothing to do with making stuff.
HARRY
I get my life back.
SOPHIE
No. You get a loan for some land.
HARRY
My children get their lives back.
SOPHIE
I'm sorry. This isn't very
professional.
HARRY
Do you give all your clients a hard
time Sophie?
SOPHIE
No. Just the interesting ones.
HARRY
You got five minutes?
SOPHIE
Yeah. Of course.
HARRY
Just want to talk about the shop and
make sure my brother's got the right
plan before I go.
SOPHIE
Okay. Let's grab a coffee.
CUT TO:
50 EXT. SOUTH BANK. DAY 10. 50
SOPHIE and HARRY are strolling along London's South Bank.
(CONTINUED)
54
50 CONTINUED: 50
SOPHIE
So it's 30% on materials. The fish,
the potatoes, the packaging etc. Would
you include energy? Light, heat?
HARRY
Yeah. But not rent because we already
own the building.
SOPHIE
Okay. And 30% on labour?
HARRY
Yeah.
SOPHIE
So it's 30/30/30. Classic restaurant
model.
HARRY
That's right.
SOPHIE
What are your weaknesses?
HARRY
The price of fish can vary.
Dramatically.
SOPHIE
Can you vary the menu?
HARRY
You don't want to complicate it.
SOPHIE
It doesn't have to be complicated
Harry. (Beat) What are your fears?
HARRY
My fears? Oh. Just that it just won't
work out. That fish and chips has
maybe had its day.
SOPHIE
No. Hang on a second. (They stop)
Fish and chips is a British
classic. It's much more than just a
quick meaningless experience. It's
something to be savoured. Just
think of the soft, white, cod
flakes, gently falling away as your
fork pierces the hard, crunchy
shell of the golden batter. The
rich smells of a fryer's delight.
The tangy smack of salt and vinegar
on your lips. Hell yeah. I'd pay
for that.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
55
50 CONTINUED: (2) 50
SOPHIE (CONT'D)
(HARRY and SOPHIE exchange glances.
They hold a look) We should talk
about... We should talk about
accounting packages.
HARRY
Yes. We should
We see HARRY and SOPHIE walk down South Bank.
CUT TO:
51 EXT. LOCAL PARK. BRIDGE. DAY 10. 51
MEHMET and KATIE are kissing on a bridge. KATIE breaks away
and stares into the distance.
MEHMET
What?
KATIE
This time last year I was in
Malibu.
MEHMET
We'll go tonight.
KATIE
It's not a nightclub. It's America.
MEHMET
Oh. Look. The shop's where I'm from
but it's not where I'm going to end
up.
KATIE
My Dad must've said that to my Mum
once. Maybe even on this bridge.
MEHMET
See. Look where he ended up?
KATIE
So, what's your plan?
MEHMET
Property. Got an eye for it.
KATIE
I'll probably be a pop star one
day.
MEHMET
Cool.
KATIE
Yo, yo, yo! It's time to die... Yo,
yo, blue bottle fly...
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
56
51 CONTINUED: 51
KATIE (CONT'D)
You is fat... You is bloated... You
is fatally attracted... to my light
bulb.
MEHMET
That is well sick!
KATIE
Yeah. I wrote something for you
too. It's a poem. It's called,
'Sometimes I want for nothing
else'. Just you and me. In an ever
expanding Universe. Sharing a cup
of tea. Sometimes, I want for
nothing else.
MEHMET
Fuck. You're amazing.
MEHMET and KATIE start kissing again.
CUT TO:
52 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 11. 52
Food preparation montage. Music. Harry is filleting a fish.
Fish is being fried. Potatoes are being sliced and fried.
Pickled onions are being poured into the European
Entrepreneur vase. The shop is being cleaned and the kids
mess around. Fish and chips are being prepared.
CUT TO:
53 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 11. 53
Outside the shop, MRS PARRINGTON, wearing a 'Three Brothers
Reopens' tee shirt, is promoting the shop by handing out some
mini fish and chip samples to passers by.
MRS PARRINGTON
Lovely. Come and try. Fresh fish.
Lovely hot chips. Come and try.
Little boy. Battered inside.
Special chip for you? And one for
you. Fish and chips, come and try.
We batter our own fish.
She serves an elderly English couple. She then serves a Mum
holding hands with a child, with another child in a
pushchair. A gang of Asian school lads walk by. Across the
road, we see HASSAN leave his shop and cross the road towards
The Three Brothers. He is coming over to talk to HARRY. MRS
PARRINGTON offers him some fish and chips.
(CONTINUED)
57
53 CONTINUED: 53
MRS PARRINGTON(CONT'D)
Sir, have a chip. Have a fish. No.
None for you. Try, come and try.
CUT TO:
54 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - LIVING ROOM. DAY 11. 54
HARRY and HASSAN are sitting in the living room. SPIROS sits
between them. Almost like a referee. HASSAN drinks a cup of tea.
HASSAN
It's not just fish and chips.
SPIROS
There's room for all of us.
HARRY
What do you want Hassan?
HASSAN
Remember when we were children? When
we were friends. We weren't Greeks,
Turks. Respectfully, I would like you
to take your kebabs off the menu. This
is a fish and chip shop.
SPIROS
What do we get?
HASSAN
I won't do fish.
HARRY
You don't do fish Hassan.
HASSAN
You are going to put us on the street.
HARRY
It's business.
HASSAN
It's not about business. Perhaps you
would not be like this if we were
Greeks.
HARRY
I'll tell you what. We'll take kebabs
off the menu, if you ask your son to
stay away from my daughter.
HASSAN thinks about this. He sips his tea.
SPIROS
More tea?
(CONTINUED)
58
54 CONTINUED: 54
HASSAN
No. Thank you. This is very
difficult.
HARRY
Come on. It's easy.
HASSAN
My son is his own man.
HARRY
Right. There's no deal.
HASSAN
Is this because he's Turkish? Because
he's a Muslim?
HARRY
Oh no. I don't have a problem with
that.
SPIROS
Harry's not like that.
HASSAN
Because he works in a kebab shop? Is
that it?
SPIROS
Yeah. Harry's more like that.
HARRY
I would ask you - both of you - to
respect a man's aspiration for his
daughter.
HASSAN
I have similar aspirations for my son.
Spiro, perhaps you should remind your
brother where he is now. Tell him to
look around. Perhaps he still sees a
big mansion with gardens and servants.
Well, I don't. But more importantly,
neither does my son.
HARRY
This is only. We'll be gone in a
couple of months.
HASSAN
I hope so. It's going to be a very
long couple of months.
HARRY
For both of us.
(CONTINUED)
59
54 CONTINUED: (2) 54
HASSAN finishes his tea. There is an uncomfortable silence. At
this moment THEO comes in with a camera and takes a photo of the
three men sitting together.
THEO
Say cheese!
Flash. The scene of the three men is captured as a still
photograph. Music - 5000 Lies by George Zambetas.
CUT TO:
55 INT/EXT. PHOTO STILLS MONTAGE. DAY/NIGHT 12. 55
Music continues. We now see a series of photo stills, as you
would find in a family album or on a rotating screen saver. The
images cover over two months of activity at the shop and beyond.
Some of these shots are out of focus. Some are over exposed etc.
Some are badly framed. Sometimes the people in the shots are
aware of being photographed, sometimes not. They rotate once
every four or five seconds throughout the song. The images we
see are:
1. KATIE dangling two fish from her ears as if they are
earrings.
2. MRS PARRINGTON behind the counter of the fish bar having a
cup of tea.
3. HARRY in his fish and chip shop coat and hat looking
miserable behind the counter.
4. JAMES is sitting at one of the tables with half a dozen
plants. He is repotting.
5. KATIE and MEHMET outside the shop having a cigarette.
6. PHIL THE TILL juggling potatoes.
7. HARRY on the sofa fast asleep.
8. JIMMY THE PRIEST playing cards with FAT LAKI and PHIL THE
TILL. He is showing the photographer his three kings, while
the other players look on bemused.
9. HARRY with a tomato ketchup dispenser goofing around.
10. MRS PARRINGTON and JAMES present FAT LAKI with a birthday
cake.
11. HARRY and SOPHIE in the shop together having fun.
12. The three children, JAMES, KATIE and THEO pulling a see
no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil pose on a bench, outside
the shop.
13. MRS PARRINGTON being embraced by SPIROS outside his van.
(CONTINUED)
60
55 CONTINUED: 55
14. MRS PARRINGTON and THEO standing outside the shop
pointing at something in the sky.
15. KATIE and MEHMET flirting outside the shop.
15. SOPHIE is sitting at a table eating fish and chips with
THEO.
16. The entire family behind the counter posing for a shot,
as if for a local newspaper.
17. HARRY and SOPHIE sitting outside the shop, smiling.
18. SPIROS looking serious - staring out of the shop window.
Unaware.
19. A shot of HARRY and SPIROS outside the shop, looking at
at the camera. We are pulling out of the shot. SPIROS is
happy and smiling but HARRY is stern and serious. This photo
is held for longer. We pull out.
CUT TO:
56 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 13. 56
THEO looking at the same photo on his laptop. He closes the lid.
The family is sitting at a restaurant area table - SPIROS, MRS
PARRINGTON, HARRY, THEO, KATIE and JAMES. On it, there is a
mobile phone. They watch it in silence.
HARRY
So, here we are.
SPIROS
Here we are.
MRS PARRINGTON
I'm sure it will be good news.
HARRY
If it's good news Spiro, I want you to
have the shop. All of it.
THEO
Will we get to visit Uncle Spiros
again?
MRS PARRINGTON
Yes, of course we will.
SPIROS
Who's going to help me to run the
store? I'm going to need you little
man.
MRS PARRINGTON
I expect Uncle Spiros will always find
you a holiday job here.
(CONTINUED)
61
56 CONTINUED: 56
The mobile phone rings. HARRY answers.
HARRY
Hello. Lars. Yeah. I'm just...
HARRY steps away from the table and exits the restaurant area.
We watch the family. They do not talk. HARRY comes back.
MRS PARRINGTON
What is it?
THEO
Did you get the loan?
HARRY
Bad news I'm afraid.
KATIE
Really?
HARRY
Yeah. We're going home! We got it!
We're going home.
The family's response is muted.
SPIROS
Congratulations.
HARRY
What's wrong? We're leaving, we're out
of here. We got the loan. We should be
celebrating.
The family are still unmoved.
SPIROS
He's right. It's a good day. You, you
made it. You're a survivor. Sorry.
SPIROS shows some discomfort and starts to get up.
HARRY
What is it with you Spiro? Why can't
you be happy for me? Whenever I have
any kind success you always have to
stamp on it. (Spiros gets up) Where
are you going?
SPIROS
I am happy for you. I am.
HARRY
What is it? What's wrong?
Spiros staggers off.
(CONTINUED)
62
56 CONTINUED: (2) 56
SPIROS
There is this...
SPIROS collapses onto the floor.
CUT TO:
57 INT. HOSPITAL. DAY 13. 57
SPIROS is on an oxygen mask. HARRY, KATIE, JAMES, THEO and MRS
PARRINGTON are watching him.
THEO
He looks dead to me.
MRS PARRINGTON
No, he's not dead. He's sleeping. He's
still sleeping.
THEO
Like sleeping beauty?
MRS PARRINGTON
Yes. That's a good way of looking
at it.
SOPHIE enters. SOPHIE is carrying a cake.
SOPHIE
Sorry. I hope I'm not.
HARRY
No, no. Come in. (Indicating to
James to get a chair) James, James.
And take the erm... (Refering to
cake)
SOPHIE
Yeah, I heard the news and I really
wanted to bake something so I made
a Greek Easter cake. Don't ask.
HARRY
No. That's really... lovely. Thank
you very much. We'll, we'll have
some of that. He's in a mild coma
apparently and we have to talk to
him and play music and... James,
put the... turn the music on. (To
SPIROS) Hey, wake up. The
accountant's here. You've got to
wake up.
JAMES plays an Ipod in its dock. We hear the first bars of an
inappropriate song.
HARRY (CONT'D)
James!
(CONTINUED)
63
57 CONTINUED: 57
KATIE
Jesus Christ!
MRS PARRINGTON
Katie!
JAMES
Sorry. It won't turn off.
KATIE
You're such a spanner!
JAMES
Fuck off slag.
MRS PARRINGTON
Katie! James!
THEO
Let me do it!
HARRY
Wait! I can felt something. Katie. Get
the doctor.
KATIE
I don't want to ask.
JAMES
Oh for fuck's sake, I'll go shall I?
James exits and fetches a female doctor.
HARRY
Doctor. I felt something just now. A
gripping movement.
DOCTOR
Anything else?
HARRY
No, just a slight squeeze, is that
a sign?
DOCTOR
It could be a decorticate response.
It's difficult to tell.
HARRY
Right. How long's he going to be like
this?
DOCTOR
He's suffered a heart attack. It's
hard to predict. You should all take a
break. I'm sorry about him.
(CONTINUED)
64
57 CONTINUED: (2) 57
MRS PARRINGTON
Yeah. Okay. We'll leave you to it.
Come on. We'll just say goodbye to
Uncle Spiros.
The family depart. SOPHIE also goes to leave.
HARRY
Would you mind staying around?
SOPHIE
Of course.
CUT TO:
58 EXT. HOSPITAL. EVENING 13. 58
We see the exterior of St Thomas's Hospital in London, from
the other side of the Thames River.
CUT TO:
59 INT. HOSPITAL. EVENING 13. 59
HARRY and SOPHIE sit at SPIROS' side. It is late. HARRY is
gently singing Varka Sto Gialo (A Boat in the Harbour) to
SPIROS - a traditional Greek song. He is humming the parts he
cannot remember.
HARRY
So, he saved me twice. Once in the
fire, and once after the banks. I was
always embarrassed by him, you know.
By his thing that he does. You know,
his... 'thing'. But the thing that he
does. It's a good thing really. These
last few months. This year actually.
This whole year. God. What a year.
What a year. And yet. I've never felt
so alive. I've never felt so engaged.
Why is that? I mean why? I mean, I'm
frying chips.
SOPHIE shrugs with smile.
HARRY (CONT'D)
I love him. I've always loved him. And
I love my children. I love... I love
my life. I love it. Why is that? Why
do I love it now? What was wrong with
it before?
SOPHIE
It's okay. It's okay.
HARRY
It's a crazy, crazy, world. It's up,
it's down. You fight. You win.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
65
59 CONTINUED: 59
HARRY (CONT'D)
You lose. You become exhausted. And
then you leave. There's no logic.
There's no logic. It's insane. It's
insane. The whole thing.
SPIROS wakes. He rips out the respirator from his mouth.
HARRY (CONT'D)
No, no, no, no. Spiro.
SOPHIE
I'll get someone.
SOHPIE exits.
HARRY
Spiro mou. Spiro mou.
SPIROS
Ella bethi mou. Ella tho. You have
to let me go. It's good. Michael's
with us. Michael. O Mihalis. He was
always there. Always with us.
Always. Three brothers.
HARRY
When I was a little boy. You cooked
for me. Every time I came home.
They were good times Spiro.
Efharisto.
SPIROS
Itan Kali zoi. A good life. Now you
understand. Levendis mou.
SPIROS smiles. He closes his eyes and dies.
CUT TO:
60 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 14. 60
Fade from black. Music continues. Close up on HARRY who is
sitting by himself. He has just come from the funeral and
wears black. We see a hand on his shoulder. As the camera
tracks back we see it is KATIE's hand. She is also wearing
black. He touches it. He is starring into the distance. KATIE
sits next to him. JAMES and THEO appear, also in black, and
sit next to KATIE. They stare into the distance. The camera
continues to track back towards the entrance of the shop.
CUT TO:
61 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS - ROOF TERRACE. DAY 14. 61
JAMES and HARRY climb up the stairs to the roof terrace. HARRY
stops and stares in disbelief. We cut to HARRY's POV and see a
beautiful roof garden packed with plants and life.
(CONTINUED)
66
61 CONTINUED: 61
HARRY
Did you do this?
JAMES
It was for you. And Uncle Spiros. And
Mum.
HARRY
Thank you James.
JAMES points out the English Ivy in the Union Jack pot that
HARRY brought back from the old house.
JAMES
This is the Ivy you saved, that night.
HARRY
We meet again.
KATIE and THEO appear at the entrance to the roof terrace.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Did you know about this?
JAMES
They can all go back to the house if
you want. The plants. They're quite
easy to move. But they're also very
happy to grow here as well. If we
choose to stay.
HARRY looks towards KATIE and THEO.
KATIE
It's whatever you want to do Daddy.
We're all really proud of you.
The family embrace.
CUT TO:
62 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 15. 62
It is another working day at the Three Brothers. HARRY, FAT LAKI
and JAMES are behind the range frying and placing fried fish
into the display. There are lots of customers queuing up and the
restaurant is busy with customers at the tables. KATIE is taking
an order. THEO, in a school uniform, and MRS PARRINGTON walk
into the shop.
HARRY
Theo mou. Good day at school?
MRS PARRINGTON
Very good day. Impressed the teacher
with his ability to solve quadratic
equations.
(CONTINUED)
67
62 CONTINUED: 62
HARRY
That is fantastic.
THEO
Your friends are outside.
HARRY looks out of the shop window.
CUT TO:
63 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 15. 63
HARRY exits the shop and is confronted by ROB and SOPHIE.
ROB
As you won't come to me, I thought I'd
come to you.
HARRY
I'm not changing my mind Rob.
ROB
I just want to talk.
CUT TO:
64 EXT. LOCAL PARK. DAY 15. 64
HARRY, ROB and SOPHIE are in a park, sitting on a park bench.
ROB
Tell me this is a joke.
HARRY
I don't want to do the deal.
ROB
Harry, you have seriously lost the
plot on this one.
HARRY
It just doesn't feel right.
ROB
We worked hard on this.
SOPHIE
If he doesn't want to do the deal, he
doesn't want to do it.
ROB
Shut up.
HARRY
Hey. No need for that.
ROB
I don't understand.
(CONTINUED)
68
64 CONTINUED: 64
HARRY
I've got everything I want. And I've
got no debt. And that feels good. When
I lock up my shop at night, it feels
good. I've got no debts, no loans. I
own it 100 per cent.
ROB
Come on. A percentage of something
that could be worth millions. You'd
walk away from that? For a chip shop?
HARRY
Yeah. Right now? Yes. I would. And I'm
with my children. And that's. You
can't put a price on that Rob. And I'm
having fun. We're having fun. Come
back to the shop and let me cook you
something to eat. Go on. We're doing
great business. I'm actually thinking
of expanding.
ROB
That's... That's... That's good Harry.
That's, that's very good. I'm happy
for you. If this is success.
HARRY
What is success Rob? What is it?
We've both had it. What is it? Is
it the share price? Is it the
profit earnings ratio? Is it a
beautiful car.
ROB
You tell me Harry. You've had it
all.
HARRY
Yeah, I have. And I can tell you.
Success is... the joy you feel.
That's it. That's all it is.
Success is the joy you feel!
ROB
Come on. Lets go.
SOPHIE
I don't think so.
ROB
Okay. I'm sorry I shouted at you.
SOPHIE
I don't care about that. I just don't
want to work for you anymore.
Rob shakes his head and walks off.
(CONTINUED)
69
64 CONTINUED: (2) 64
ROB
Good luck people!
HARRY
Best fish and chips in London!
ROB
Call me when you want to go public!
SOPHIE
I just quit my job.
HARRY
Yep. I think you did.
SOPHIE
I'm just trying to work out what I'm
feeling
HARRY
And?
HARRY and SOPHIE kiss.
HARRY (CONT'D)
Bag of chips?
CUT TO:
65 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 15. 65
HARRY and SOPHIE walk into the shop. JAMES and FAT LAKI are
behind the counter. KATIE is taking orders. THEO is doing his
homework with MRS PARRINGTON.
HARRY
Ladies and gentlemen, meet our new
bookkeeper.
SOPHIE
Hello.
HARRY
You may have to take a few shifts
behind the counter.
SOPHIE
Well. Got to learn the business from
the inside.
HARRY
Get the girl a Three Brothers coat.
FAT LAKI
Yes boss.
(CONTINUED)
70
65 CONTINUED: 65
HARRY
We are going to build a great
business, from today.
SOPHIE
I'm so excited.
HARRY
Good times, eh?
SOPHIE
I think so.
HARRY
Katie. Tell Hassan to meet me outside.
Laki, bring that kebab.
CUT TO:
66 EXT. THE THREE BROTHERS. DAY 15. 66
HARRY, SOPHIE, JAMES, KATIE, MRS PARRINGTON and FAT LAKI meet
HASSAN, MEHMET and a couple of HASSAN's family in the street
outside the shop. FAT LAKI is carrying the kebab.
HARRY
Hassn. Thank you for coming. Laki?
FAT LAKI passes the kebab to HARRY. HARRY gives it to HASSAN,
who passes it to a family member.
HARRY CONT
Kebab's are off the menu.
HASSAN
You're a good man. Thank you.
We see KATIE and Mehmet hold hands.
HASSAN (CONT'D)
We must celebrate. The Greek way. Yes?
Come on.
HASSAN invites Harry to dance. JAMES hits his portable
stereo. We hear the opening bars of Siko Horepse Sirtaki.
HARRY
No.
HASSAN
Someone get some plates. Get
everyone.
HARRY
No, I can't. I actually can't. I...
I really don't know... I actually
don't know how.
(CONTINUED)
71
66 CONTINUED: 66
FAT LAKI
Hade re. Just make it up.
SOPHIE
Come on Harry. I want to learn to.
Teach us all how to dance.
HARRY, without thinking starts to dance. George Zambetas
'Siko Horepse' plays.
JAMES
Dad. What are you doing?
HARRY
I think I'm going to dance. And then
I'll teach you all.
KATIE
Go on Daddy!
HARRY
It's been such a long time since I
did this. Amazing how it all comes
back to you. Oh... This is!
HARRY starts to clap to the music. The others start to clap and
form a circle around him. Everyone enjoys the audacity of what
HARRY is doing as he starts to dance by himself. People passing
by stop to witness the spectacle. HARRY is in the middle,
dancing by himself. The camera pulls back as the party of people
clapping come together in a circular farandole which takes over
the street.
CUT TO:
67 INT. THE THREE BROTHERS - RESTAURANT AREA. DAY 15. 67
THEO is at one of the restaurant tables. He is trading on his
laptop. Mrs PARRINGTON comes into the shop.
MRS PARRINGTON
Quick. Theo. Come and see your father.
He's making the most delightful fool
of himself.
THEO jumps down and runs out. We pick up the screen of THEO's
computer. On it, we see a trading screen with THEO's name, a
'triple A' status trader logo, and a current account balance
of £22 million.
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END
72
| Papadopoulos & Sons
Writers : Marcus Markou
Genres : Comedy Drama
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