You've Got Mail - 01. NEW YORK BROWNSTONE

INT. KATHLEEN KELLY'S APARTMENT - DAY

KATHLEEN KELLY is asleep.

Kathleen, 30, is as pretty and fresh as a spring day. Her bedroom cozy, has a queen-sized bed and a desk with a computer on it. Bookshelves line every inch of wall space and overflow with books. Framed on the children's classic. Madeleine. 

As Kathleen wakes up, her boyfriend FRANK NAVASKY walks into the room.

He wears blue jeans and a workshirt. He's carrying the New York Times. 

KATHLEEN - Good morning. 

FRANK (as he reads) - Amazing. This is amazing...Listen to this -- the entire work force of the state of Virginia had to have solitaire removed from their computers -- 

Kathleen gets out of bed and goes to brush her teeth in the bathroom, and we stay with Frank.

FRANK (continuing) - because they hadn't done any work in six weeks. 

Kathleen comes out of the bathroom in her robe.

KATHLEEN - This is so sad.

FRANK (continuing) - You know what this is, you know what we're seeing here? We're seeing the end of Western civilization as we know it.

KATHLEEN - Hey, aren't you late?

She tosses him his jacket.

FRANK (points at her computer) - Technology. Name me one thing that we've gained from technology.

KATHLEEN - Electricity.

FRANK (points at her computer) - That's one. You think that machine is your friend, but it's not. (checks his watch) I'm out of here.

INT. LIVING ROOM - KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS 

As Frank walks to the apartment door. 

We see a charming room with a couch, fireplace, books, and a dining table with a typewriter with a cover on it. 

KATHLEEN (O.C.) - I'll see you tonight. 

FRANK - Sushi.

KATHLEEN (O.C.) - Sushi. Bye.

Frank goes out the door. It closes. Kathleen tiptoes into the hall and looks through the fish-eye peephole watching as he goes down the stairs, disappearing from sight.

She walks into: INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY 

And looks out the front window as Frank walks out onto the street and turns toward Broadway. He's gone. Good. She sits down at her computer. An expression of anticipation and guilty pleasure as she clicks the mouse. 

INT. COMPUTER SCREEN - DAY 

As we see the logo for America On Line come up and Kathleen's code name: Shopgirl. She logs on and the computer makes all its little modem noises as the computer dials the access number and connects and we hear the machine: 

COMPUTER - Welcome.

And we see Kathleen, listening for the words she's waiting to hear:

COMPUTER (cont'd) - You've got mail.

And Kathleen smiles as her mail page comes up: "NY 152 Brinkley". 

And the letter comes up: To: Shopgirl From: NY152 Re: Brinkley 

Kathleen starts to read the letter aloud: 

KATHLEEN - Brinkley is my dog. He loves the streets of New York as much as I do ...

And now we hear Kathleen's voice replaced by the voice of NY 152, a man named JOE FOX --

JOE (V.O.)-...although he likes to eat bits of pizza and bagel off the sidewalk, and I prefer to buy them. Brinkley is a great catcher and was offered a tryout on the Met's farm team...

INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - DAY 

A dog is sitting on a large green pillow on the floor. This is BRINKLEY. The pillow has "Brinkley" embroidered on it. Brinkley's master, JOE FOX, a great-looking guy, full of charm and irony, comes into the kitchen and pours himself some orange juice. He's half-dressed. 

JOE (cont'd)  - ...but he chose to stay with me so that he could spend 18 hours a day sleeping on a large green pillow the size of an inner tube. Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms. 

VOICE - Darling...

JOE - Oh..

Joe's girlfriend PATRICIA EDEN, in Armani head to toe, comes into the kitchen and turns on the $2000 espresso machine, which starts grinding beans. She's carrying the morning papers.

PATRICIA - I'm so late. (indicating the newspaper) Random House fired Dick Atkins. Good riddance. Murray Chilton died. Which makes one less person I'm not speaking to...

she drains a cup of espresso as a second starts to come out of the machine

PATRICIA - Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! ...Vince got a great review. He'll be insufferable...Tonight, PEN dinner...

JOE - Am I going?

PATRICIA - JOE FOX, You promised.

JOE - It's black-tie...Can't I just give them money instead? What's it this week? Free Albanian writers? I'm in favor of that.

Patricia drains another cup of espresso, looks at him.

JOE - All right, I'll go. You're late.

PATRICIA -  I know I know I know.

She tears out of the kitchen and the door slams behind her. Hold on Joe, listening as he hears the elevator door open and close on the landing outside. 

IT. JOE'S DEN - DAY
As he comes in and sits down at his laptop computer and logs on.



JOE - Who's a happy dog? Who's a happy dog?


JOE & THE COMPUTER (TOGETHER) - Welcome... You've got mail.



And as he starts to read his letter, we hear:


KATHLEEN (V.O.) -Dear friend...I like to start my notes to you as if we're already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we're the oldest and dearest friends... as opposed to what we actually are, people who don't know each other's names and met in a Chat Room where we both claimed we'd never been before.


INT. JOE'S ELEVATOR - DAY
As Joe, dressed for work, takes the elevator down with his elevator man CHARLIE. There's a certain amount of Good morning, etc., as the elevator goes down and the voice-overcontinues:



KATHLEEN (V.O., CONTINUES) - What will NY152 say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer, I wait impatiently as it connects.

EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE - DAY

As Joe comes out of his building. 




KATHLEEN(V.O., CONTINUES) - I go on line, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail.



And the camera now pans from 152 Riverside uptown to:

EXT. NEW YORK BROWNSTONE - MORNING



KATHLEEN (V.O., CONTINUES) - I hear nothing, not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail. From you.



EXT. BROADWAY - MORNING 

As Kathleen comes onto Broadway at the corner of 83rd Street and starts downtown. Through a long lens we can see Joe, walking into blocks behind her. As Kathleen and Joe make their way down Broadway we see the West Side of Manhattan in the morning. Mothers and fathers taking their kids to school, people on their way to work, dogs being walked. School buses picking up kids, bakery trucks dropping off brown bags of bread in the doorframes of unopened restaurants. Kathleen stops at a newsstand, says good morning to the newsstand dealer, and picks up a New York Times. Metal grates are pulled up to open flower shops, nail salons, the pharmacy, fish store, the Cuban Chinese Restaurant, Zabar's. Joe stops at the same newsstand. He buys all the papers -- the Times, Wall Street Journal, Post and Daily News. INT. STARBUCKS - DAY As Kathleen picks up her coffee, walks out. 



EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - DAY 

As Kathleen walks down Columbus, we see Joe a block behind her. She stops to buy flowers and Joe passes her, crosses to the Ease side of Columbus Avenue.



A building under construction, with plywood board covering the front and wrapping around the corner. Joe goes to a side entrance and enters.