The Hollars: Conversational Analysis

Catherine Jane P. Pace

This scene is taken from the 2016 Sony Pictures Classic Movie, The Hollars which was an entry in the Sundance Film Festival. The movie is
written by James C. Strouse and directed by John Krasinski who also played the role of John Hollar. It is about the family of Donald Hollar, his wife
Sally Hollar and their sons Ron Hollar and John Hollar. The movie revolves around the central conflict when Sally was diagnosed with brain tumor
and from there, the emotional conflicts of the and among the characters were slowly surfacing and eventually resolved. It is a comedy-drama that tells
the story of how one can find strength from his/her family.
I have chosen this particular scene because I believe it is one of the most crucial encounters in the movie where the writer along with the director
gives the viewers a glimpse into each of the four main characters’ conflicts.

Sequence 10: At the hospital room of Mrs. Sally Hollar. Ron is leaning by the window beside the chair where Don is sitting opposite Sally’s bed.
((John enters the room))
((Sally light up when she saw him.))
SALLY: O::H MY GODN-? IT’S JO::HN? (.) HOW DID YOU KNOW?=
((John points to his Dad who smiles.))
SALLY: =Do :::n. ((Chuckles))
((John hugs Don (his father) as Don gives a satisfied smile. John pats Ron at the shoulder both smiled.))
DON: >°It’s great to see you son. °<
SALLY: Come give mom a hug.
((John gives his mother a big hug.))
JOHN: >S’everything alright?< ((John looks at her wrist. It is all bandaged up.))
SALLY: doing great. doing great. ((pats John at the back while hugging))
JOHN What happened to your wrist?
SALLY: Brain tumor. (.) Have you been smoking?
((John looks at Don and then back to Sally))
((Don meets John’s eyes and keep it on him))
JOHN: (0.6) No? ((shakes head, avoids Sally and Don’s eyes))
SALLY: You smell like an ashtray. ((accusing))
JOHN: (0.5) >I don’t’ know what y-<
DON: JOHN. Don’t lie to your mother she almost died today.
JOHN: What? ((surprised, looks at Sally))
RON: She didn’t almost die.
DON: That’s not what the doctor said.
RON: That wasn’t a doctor. He was a nurse. (.) We haven’t seen a doctor yet. (.) °And you’re sca:ring mom°
SALLY: I’m not scared((to Ron)) I jus-(.)((to John)) just don’t want John dying of lung cancer.
JOHN: ((to his mother)) I only had one so-
SALLY: don’t have another one you’re going to be a father soon.
JOHN: °I kn ow?°
DON: That guy was a nurse?
RON: Yah?(.)He was in John’s class? in high schoo l.
JOHN: Who was?
SALLY: Ja:son.
JOHN: Jaso:n? (0.3) Jason Owens?
RON: He ma:rried Gwen.
JOHN: (0.6) WO: W? ((surprised))
SALLY: uhum ((Agrees))
RON: Just had a kid? ((all knowing))
JOHN: Really?(1.2) I can’t believe I didn’t know that. ((Smiles))

SALLY: ((Chuckles))
RON: ((shrugs shoulders)) You never called so-
DON: Who’s Gwen?
SALLY: Gwen. (0.3) GWEN? Johnny’s girlfriend in high scho ol. ((Surprised that don didn’t know))
RON: they were engaged for God’s sake ((annoyed))
DON: >°John had a girlfriend in high school? °<
SALLY: Don?
JOHN: It was complicated dad
RON: JESUS CHRIST, DA:D?((chuckles)) Where you been our whole lives anyway?
DON: Wor-(.) I’ve been working (.) To send you kids to college. That’s where I’ve been.
RON: °Ye:ah. >A lot of good that did<°
DON: Wh- What did you say?
RON: Nothing.
DON: NO? ((stands up from his chair)), tell me what you just say to me? ((walks toward Ron))
JOHN: ((to sally)) °How long has she been married?°
SALLY: About a year. ((to John))
RON: I didn’t say anything y- ((to Don))
DON: You better watch yourself ((points at Ron and put hands in his waist))
((Sally and John looks at Don and Ron))
RON: Oh? is that a threat?
DON: No. It’s a promise.
RON: ((Chuckles)) >doesn’t even make sense.<
DON: I’ll punch you in the face.
RON: Wha::t? ((while laughing))
DON: I swear to God, I will.
RON: Really?
DON: Yah.
RON: well, what’s stopping you? whats-((Don slaps Ron hard in the face))
RON: OW! ((surprised))
SALLY: DO:::N! You apologize to Ron right now.
RON: hhh hhh ((annoyed, looks at Don))
DON: ((faces Ron and squeezes his shoulder)) Alright Ronnie I’m sorry but you can’t b-((Ron slaps Don’s face))
RON: Yah. ((Ron gives a satisfied look while Don shrugs his shoulders while both are looking at Sally))
SALLY: OO::HH?
JOHN: Guys are you kidding me?
((Don and Ron get into a pretty serious slap fight. John and Sally try to break up the fight.))
JOHN: Guys?(.) Guys? (.) Gu::ys?(.) Guys? Stop?
SALLY: BO::YS?(.) Boys?
((Dr. Fong enters the room, clears his throat twice, Ron and Don stopfighting and face the doctor))
DR. FONG: ((looks around the room)) Ha:.(.) Sally Hollar?
SALLY: Yes. That’s me? ((scratches her head of embarrassment))
DR. FONG: I’m Doctor Fong. Sorry about the wait. (.) I was golfing.
SALLY: (1.0) No-No problem Doctor.
((Dr. Fong brings up a CAT scan image on a monitor on the wall.))
DR. FONG: So I ah (.) looked over (.) your CAT scans. You have a (.) pretty big brain tumor in the center of your frontal lobe.
DON: CHRIST? JESUS CHRIST? ((Don sits down on a chair))
JOHN: Wait. What does that mean (.) pretty big?
DR. FONG: It me:ans (0.6) .hhh big.
JOHN: W- what do we have to do?
DR. FONG: Well we have to remove it. Soon. I’ve scheduled a craniotomy for the end of next week.
JOHN: W:o:w?
DR. FONG: We could give your mom ste:roids to reduce the size of the tumor but the seizures will continue if nothing’s done.
RON: Steroids. (0.2) .hhh Excuse doctor what will the (.) steroids do to her muscles? (.) will it make her bulky?
DR. FONG: ((stares sternly at Ron))
JOHN: Ron? ((raises eyebrows, gives a questioning look at Ron))
DR. FONG: N:o::? ((to Ron, a little confused))
DON: Christ. >Christ Christ Christ< Christ >° Christ Christ Christ Christ Christ Christ °< ((Don starts to cry, while Sally shakes her head))
RON: Get a grip, Da:d?
JOHN: ((John turns to Dr Fong)) I don’t understand (.) h- ho:w’d something like this happen?
DR. FONG: Oh (.) It could be number of reasons. We really have no way of knowing right now. But I will say this (.).hh It is not a young tumor=
DON: OH ((cries))
DR. FONG: =I’d say it must have been growing inside Mrs. Hollar’s head for over ten (.) maybe fifteen years=
JOHN: W:HAT?
((Sally looks at Don, Don stops crying))
DR. FONG: =to be honest I’m surprised there haven’t been more symptoms.
((Don looks very nervous))
SALLY: ((to Dr. Fong)) Would loss of sight in one eye be a symptom?
DR. FONG: Possibly?
SALLY: Hmm. What about a:h (.) numbness in the (.) toes and fingers?
((Don starts to fidget))
DR. FONG: Pro:bably?
SALLY: A:nd (.) temporary paralysis?
DR. FONG: De:finitely.
(0.06) ((Sally raises both hands, shrugs shoulders))
DON: Sh:it?
SALLY: I to:ld? you.
JOHN: What are you talking about?
DON: (.) Well (0.4) hhh th- (.) there might have been some symptoms before today.
((Sally raises her hand, with open palm points at Don while looking at John))
JOHN: (0.3) Why wouldn’t you get those checked out?
SALLY: He sent me to Jenny Craig. ((laughs))
JOHN: oh my Go::d?
RON: wh- ((disbelief))
DON: I thought it was a weight thing. ((crying))
JOHN: Dad. Temporary paralysis?
DON: I didn’t kno:w? ((cries))
RON: JE:SUS CHRIST DA::D?
SALLY: but I lost six pounds the first week?
DR. FONG: okay? Ah (.) well it se:ems (.) like you guys have some stuff to work out? So? ((Dr. Fong quietly leaves the room))