[Poem] These things are good: ice cream and cake, a ride on a Harley, seeing monkeys on a tree, the rain on my tongue, and the sun shining on my face. These things are a drag: dust on my hair, holes in my shoes, no money in my pocket, and the sun shining on my face.

Rocky Dennis: What's his problem, mom?
Rusty Dennis: Nothing. He just another asshole. You let that negative dreck in and it'll put you away. You can be a chicken shit and die or be a mensch and keep makin' yourself well.

You know, for 12 years, I've been listening to you guys bullshit. First you told me that he was gonna be retarded, then you told me that he was gonna be blind and deaf. If I dug his grave every time one of you geniuses told me he was gonna die, I'd be eating fuckin' chop suey by now! Anything else?

[to a student staring at her son's face] What's the matter, never seen anyone from the planet Vulcan before?

Don't worry, Mr. Simms. I look weird, but otherwise I'm real normal. Everything will be cool. Thanks a lot. See you next week.

Gar: Rocky, you mom sometimes does the wrong things, but for the right reasons.
Rocky Dennis: You always stick up to her, Gar, and then she pisses you off, and you split. Then you come back.

[after Rocky gave an impressive speech on how the Trojan War started]
Eric: That wasn't bad, Dennis. How about you tutor me?
Rocky Dennis: Tutor you?
Eric: Yeah, Cooley almost failed me last year.
Rocky Dennis: OK, but it will cost you three bucks an hour.
Eric: [surprised] Three bucks?
[The classroom falls silent and looks back at the two because of the sudden outburst]
Rocky Dennis: Hey, I don't work for free.
Eric: [kinda tense] It's a deal.

[repeated line] Make myself well.

Gar: [realizing Rusty is having a nervous breakdown on the phone] What? Rusty? Ah, shit! [hangs up the phone and leaves the auto garage] It's Rusty.

[her final line, after finding out that Rocky has passed away in his sleep] Now you can go anywhere you want, baby.

Rocky Dennis: [smashing some plates] I hate you going out every night and coming home wasted all the time!
Rusty Dennis: It's none of your goddamn business!
Rocky Dennis: You're my mother!
Rusty Dennis: Well, you're not my warden!

[after an unpleasant visit from her parents, Rusty is about to take a lot of drugs]
Gar: [gets a beer from the fridge] If you get wasted off this crap, I'm not gonna sit here and babysit.
Rusty Dennis: [scoffles] You must be confusing me with someone who gives a shit.
Gar: Must be.
Rusty Dennis: [looks at the drugs in her hand and sighs sadly] You know, this just isn't going to work. You're telling me to do things and I'm just gonna end up hating you.
Gar: Oh, come on, baby. You and your old man have been going throught this shit forever. Got to you again, didn't he? Got you ready for another one of those 2-hour screamers. Gets you to the place where I'm gonna through the goddamn wall
Rusty Dennis: [snaps back] Well, go ahead. Then put me through the goddamn wall. Why should you be different than any other guy I've ever been with.
[Gar clonks the beer bottle down on the table and leaves her]

Evelyn: [repeated line] Florence.

Actor Role Cher Rusty Dennis Sam Elliott Gar Eric Stoltz Rocky Dennis Estelle Getty Evelyn Dennis Richard Dysart Abe Dennis Laura Dern Diana Adams Micole Mercurio Babe Harry Carey, Jr. Red Dennis Burkley Dozer Lawrence Monoson Ben Andrew Robinson Dr. Vinton