Ordinary People (1980)

Judd Hirsch: Dr. Tyrone Berger

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Quotes 

• Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Buck! Bucky, I didn't mean it! Bucky, I didn't mean it! Bucky!

  Dr. Berger : [answering as Buck]  I know that. It wasn't your fault.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : But it was! You said get the sail down, but I couldn't! I couldn't! It jammed! And then the halyard, the halyard jammed. And I couldn't because the goddamned halyard jammed! Then you're sittin' here screwing around until it's too late to do anything! And I'm supposed to take care of it! I'm supposed to take care of it!

  Dr. Berger : [as Buck]  And that wasn't fair, was it?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : No! And then you say, "Hang on! Hang on!" And then you let go! Why'd you let go?

  Dr. Berger : [as Buck]  Because I got tired.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Yeah? Well, screw you, you jerk!

  [drops to the floor and breaks down sobbing] 

  Dr. Berger : It hurts to be mad at him, doesn't it?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Yeah. He just wasn't careful, he just wasn't careful. He didn't see how a bad thing might happen.

  Dr. Berger : Bad things happen, even when people are careful.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : We screwed around out there, we shouldn't have. We should've come in when it started to look bad.

  Dr. Berger : Okay. So you made a mistake.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Why did he let go? Why?

  Dr. Berger : Maybe you were stronger. Did it ever occur to you that you might have been stronger?

• Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Why do things have to happen to people? It isn't fair.

  Dr. Berger : You're right. It isn't fair.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : You just do one wrong thing, and...

  Dr. Berger : Mmm-hmm. And what was the one wrong thing you did?

  [Conrad flashes back to the accident] 

  Dr. Berger : You know. You know.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [hesitates]  I hung on. I stayed with the boat.

  Dr. Berger : Exactly. Now, you can live with that, can't you?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [in tears]  I'm so scared! I'm scared.

  Dr. Berger : Feelings are scary. And sometimes they're painful. And if you can't feel pain, then you're not gonna feel anything else, either. You know what I'm saying?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : I think so.

  Dr. Berger : You're here, and you're alive. And don't tell me you don't feel that.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : It doesn't feel good.

  Dr. Berger : It is good. Believe me.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : How do you know?

  Dr. Berger : Because I'm your friend.

• Conrad "Con" Jarrett : When I let myself feel, all I feel is lousy.

  Dr. Berger : Oh well excuse me, I never promised you a rose garden.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Oh fuck you Berger.

  Dr. Berger : What?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : FUCK YOU!

  Dr. Berger : Hey, that's it!

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Geez! You're really weird huh, what do you feel huh? Do you jerk off, or jack off, or whatever you call it?

  Dr. Berger : What do you think?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : What do I think? I think you're married to a fat lady and you go home and you fuck the living daylights out of her!

  Dr. Berger : Sounds good to me.

• Dr. Berger : A little advice about feelings kiddo; don't expect it always to tickle.

• Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [about Karen's suicide]  I feel bad about this! I feel really, really bad about this! Just let me feel bad about this!

  Dr. Berger : Okay. I feel bad about it, too.

• Dr. Berger : So what are you thinking now?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : That I jack off a lot.

  Dr. Berger : So what else is new? Does it help?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : For a minute.

• Dr. Berger : So everything was fine until you had the fight with your mother. Then everything was lousy.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Yeah, but I don't blame her. I mean, she's got... she's got her reasons. It's impossible after all the shit I've pulled.

  Dr. Berger : What shit have you pulled?

  [Conrad doesn't answer] 

  Dr. Berger : Hey, remember, I'm talking proportion here. Now, what shit?

  [Conrad stays quiet] 

  Dr. Berger : Come on, you must be able to come up with at least one example. And don't give me, "I tried to kill myself." That's old turkey. What have you done lately?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [scoffs]  "Lately"? Hey, come on, if you... listen, I'm never gonna be forgiven for that. Never. You know, you... you can't get it out, you know, all the blood in her towels and her... her rug. Everything had to be pitched. Even the tile in the... in the bathroom had to be regrouted. Christ, she fired the goddamn maid because she couldn't dust the living room right. If you think I'm gonna forgive... that she's gonna forgive me...

  [trails off, looks at Dr. Berger] 

  Dr. Berger : What?

  [Conrad slowly stands up and walks to the window] 

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : I think I just figured something out.

  Dr. Berger : What?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Who it is who can't forgive who.

• Dr. Berger : So you felt great. You brought home a Christmas tree and everything was hunky dory. Okay?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : You're the doctor.

  Dr. Berger : Listen, don't take refuge in one-liners like "you're the doctor". Okay? Because that pisses me off.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Okay.

• Dr. Berger : Maybe you were stronger. Did it ever occur to you that you might have been stronger?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [realizes the implications of what Dr. Berger just said to him] 

  Dr. Berger : How long are you going to punish yourself? When are you going to quit?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Oh God, I'd like to quit...

• Conrad "Con" Jarrett : [on realizing his anger at Beth]  So what do I do now?

  Dr. Berger : Recognize her limitations.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : You mean like she can't love me?

  Dr. Berger : Oh, kiddo, no. Like she can't love you enough. Like don't blame her for not loving you more than she's able.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : Yeah, but she loves my father. I know she loved my brother. It's me.

  Dr. Berger : [rolls his eyes]  Huh. Now we're back to the "rotten kid" routine. She can't love you because you're unlovable. Where does that leave your dad? How come he loves you? You're a rotten kid, doesn't he know that?

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : That's different. He feels responsible. Besides, he loves everybody.

  Dr. Berger : Oh, I get it. The guy's got no taste. He loves you, but he's wrong. Look... maybe she just can't express it the way you'd like her to. Maybe she's just afraid to show you what she feels.

  Conrad "Con" Jarrett : What do you mean?

  Dr. Berger : I mean, there's someone besides your mother you gotta forgive.