In America Quotes

Johnny: Are you in love with her?

Mateo: No... I'm in love with you. And I'm in love with your beautiful woman. And I'm in love with your kids. And I'm even in love with your unborn child. I'm even in love with your anger! I'm in love with anything that lives!

Ariel: Cool!

Christy: Cool? Where'd you hear that?

Ariel: I don't know, I just heard it.

Christy: Ugh, you're already American, it's disgusting!

[first lines]

Christy: [voiceover] There's some things you should wish for and some things you shouldn't. That's what my little brother Frankie told me. He told me I only had three wishes, and I looked into his eyes, and I don't know why I believed him.

Immigration Officer #1: How many children do you have?

Johnny: Three.

Sarah: Two.

Johnny: Two.

Immigration Officer #1: Says three here.

Johnny: We lost one.

Immigration Officer #1: What's your name little girl?

Ariel: Ariel.

Immigration Officer #1: [to Christy] And who are you?

Sarah: She's Christy.

Immigration Officer #1: What age are you Christy?

Ariel: She's ten.

Immigration Officer #1: Welcome to America.

Ariel: What are transvestites?

Christy: A man who dresses up as a woman.

Ariel: For Halloween?

Christy: No, all the time. All the time.

Ariel: Why?

Christy: It's just what they do here, OK?

Christy, Ariel: Trick or treat!

Mateo: GO AWAY!

Ariel: What's your name?

Mateo: Mateo. What's yours?

Ariel: Ariel, hello.

Mateo: You the kids from upstairs?

Christy: Yeah.

Mateo: Is this Halloween?

Christy: Yeah.

Mateo: Hm. Where you from?

Christy: Ireland.

Mateo: You came all the way to America to trick or treat?

Mateo: You don't believe.

Johnny: In what? In God? I asked him a favor once. I asked him to take me instead of him. But he took both of us. And look what he put in my place.

Christy: What if I have it?

Johnny: Have what?

Christy: Mateo's disease.

Johnny: That's not possible, Christy?

Christy: How do you know that?

Johnny: God won't let that happen to you.

Christy: You don't believe in God.

Ariel: I'm scared.

Johnny: Don't be scared.

Ariel: Everyone's dying.

Johnny: Are you okay little girl?

Christy: Don't "little girl" me. I've been carrying this family on my back for over a year, ever since Frankie died. He was my brother too. It's not my fault that he's dead. It's not my fault that I'm still alive.

Johnny: Ah, Christy.

Christy: Mom was always crying because he was her son. But he was my brother too. I cried too... when no one was looking. I talked to him every night.

Ariel: She did, Dad.

Christy: I talked to him every night, until...

Johnny: ...until when?

Christy: Until I realized I was talking to myself.

Johnny: Why would youse wanna be the same as everybody else?

Ariel: 'Cause everybody else goes trick-or-treating.

Sarah: What's that?

Ariel: It's what they do here for Halloween.

Johnny: What do you mean? Like, help the Halloween party?

Christy: No. Not help the Halloween party. You don't ask for help in America. You demand it. Trick-or-treat- you don't ask, you threaten.

Sarah: You can't do that on our street.

Christy: Why not?

Sarah: Because you can't threaten drug addicts and transvestites, that's why.

[Christy and Ariel are in the shower cooling off]

Ariel: Daddy, can we stay in here all day?

Johnny: Sure.

Ariel: Dad, America's okay.

Johnny: Good.

Ariel: Dad?

Johnny: What?

Ariel: Nothing.

[laughter]

Mateo: I'm an alien, like E.T., from a different planet. My skin is too sensitive for this Earth. The air is too hard for me.

Ariel: Are you going home like E.T.?

Mateo: I suppose I'm going home.

[last lines]

Christy: [voiceover] It was as hard for Frankie to smile when the tumor was malignant as it was for my dad to cry after. But they both managed it. I'm going to switch this off now. It's not the way I want to see Frankie any more. Do you still have a picture of me in your head? Well, that's like the picture I want to have of Frankie. One that you can keep in your head forever. So when you go back to reality, I'll ask Frankie to please, please let me go.

Mateo: This house is haunted, but it's not scary. It's a magic house.

Ariel: Frankie believed in magic.

Mateo: Who's that?

Ariel: Frankie. Our brother. He died.

Christy: He fell down some stairs when he was two. We thought he was okay... but there was something in his brain. A brain tumor. It was malignant.

Ariel: [to Mateo] Are you crying? Are you?

Ariel: It's okay, he's in Heaven now.

Ariel: It's alright, Dad. Mam's breathing's okay.

Johnny: [trying to fix the air conditioner, it's a boiling summer day] Is it okay, Sarah?

Sarah: [smiles reassuringly at Johnny, fanning herself]

Ariel: It's the lemon drops; they're magic! You take one and you forget about your breathing.

Sarah: [opens her mouth to show the lemon drop, grinning]

[through her camcorder, we see Christy walk into Mateo's empty room - we see the view out the window, and then Christy turns to see Ariel sitting on the couch, grief in her eyes]

Ariel: [whispering sadly] He never said goodbye...

Christy: What?

Ariel: [shakily] He never said goodbye.

Christy: Are you awake, Ariel?

Ariel: Yeah. Are you, Christy?

Christy: Yeah.

Johnny: Do you want me to lie?

Sarah: You're the only actor in the world who can't lie, Johnny. Even for the sake of your kids.

Johnny: What does that mean?

Sarah: If you can't touch somebody you created, how can you create somebody that'll touch anybody?

Johnny: What are you going on about?

Sarah: Acting, Johnny. And bringing something to life, it's the same thing. That's why you can't get a job acting, Johnny, because you can't feel anything.

Johnny: This baby's not Frankie, Sarah.

Mateo: What was Frankie like?

Johnny: A warrior.

Mateo: Maselu masela.

Johnny: What does that mean?

Mateo: A warrior who is not afraid to go to the other side.

Johnny: The other side of what?

Christy: Bye Mateo! Look after Frankie!

Johnny: Bye Mateo! Look after F...

Christy: [Asks for third wish in her head then speaks] Say goodbye to Frankie dad.

Johnny: What?

Christy: Say goodbye to Frankie.

Johnny: [Whispers] Goodbye Frankie.

Christy: He can't hear you.

Christy, Johnny: [slightly louder] Goodbye Frankie.

Johnny: [Normal Volume] Goodbye Frankie.