[theme song plays]
♪ Demons come from every side ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Out of the shadows of my life ♪
♪ In the darkness is the light ♪
♪ Surrender will win the fight ♪
♪ This girl's walked on fire and ice ♪
♪ But I come out ♪
♪ On the other side of paradise ♪
♪ Paradise ♪
[slow tempo music plays]
[Fi] Did you ever miss someone so badly that you can't think of anything else?
Sometimes you see their face everywhere, or their voice still haunts you.
Sometimes being in places you used to be together
can make it even harder.
There are people called "mediums" who say they can use these feelings
to help people contact the spirits of departed loved ones.
I don't know if it works, but I figure if you've lost someone close to you,
someone you love, or maybe someone you never got the chance to love,
isn't it worth a try?
I mean, how can it be wrong to hope?
[door opens, closes]
Excuse me, I'm looking for world famous rock star Molly Phillips?
Who may I say is calling?
Her faithful manager and loyal band
are here to pick up the music for her next big hit.
Where is everybody?
Where do you think? They're musicians.
-Kitchen. -Yeah, you're already out of ham.
Fi. Fi. Oh, my gosh, you will not believe the guy we hired to paint our garage.
He is not just cute. We're talking sculptural.
-Hey, Candy. -So, what are we doing tonight?
We could go catch a movie, we could go skating, hit the mall...
What do you think?
Actually, I, uh, wanted to go to this seance thing at the community college.
This amazing medium's going to be there, named Leopold Martin.
Oh, well, like I said, movie, mall, contact the spirit world... whatever.
No, really. I mean, he lectures all over the world.
He's been on TV.
I've always wanted to meet him, but we've never been in the same city.
Well, are you sure you don't want to go to the mall?
Because it's new... and it's haunted.
-You'd like it. -Really?
Yeah, and Bigfoot works at the food court.
Um, they sell little baby Loch Ness Monsters in the pet shop.
OK, OK, malls are good. I like the mall.
We'll go tomorrow, I promise.
Just... please do this with me tonight.
You're really stressing about your pop, huh?
Ever since we got home, I can't shake the feeling like he's here.
Maybe it's all the old stuff, his pictures...
Look, Fi, I know that you miss your dad, like, major.
I know that you loved him.
And maybe death isn't the end, I don't know,
but that doesn't mean you're gonna be able to reach him--
Candy! I am not giving up.
OK, OK. So, seance-wear, is it, like, formal, casual, or what?
-Casual is OK. -OK. Now, come on.
My ESP is telling me our house painter needs a couple of hot babes
to bring him lemonade.
♪ Well, goodbye ♪
♪ Goodbye ♪
Great tune, Molly.
I don't know. Irene says it has promise.
Irene says it's gonna blow everyone in LA away,
which means record deals,
which means more concerts at bigger venues.
Which means Irene and Ned will be able to afford two sons in college.
[all laughing]
Cassettes...
the sheet music... and some more ham.
[laughs] Thank you.
All right, do your homework, everybody.
The session starts tomorrow at 3:00, and, um... see you then.
-[man] Thanks. -Thanks.
I can't wait to see you back in our old studio.
You and Rick, you laid down some great tracks in that place.
-Hm. Yeah. -[door shuts]
I've been thinking about that.
Well, this one will be great, too,
as soon as Miss Picky stops asking me 40 times a day
-if it's good enough yet. -I'm not picky, I'm thorough.
Well, they ain't payin' to hear you talk, honey,
so you'd better sing.
-What did you just say? -What?
Um, nothing. Never mind.
What? What did I say?
"They ain't payin' to hear you talk, so you'd better sing."
Rick used to whisper that in my ear before every show.
Those exact words.
Oh, well... you probably told me once.
No. No, I never told anybody.
Then... it's good luck. Because I think Rick would love this song.
[thunder rumbles]
-Wow, there are a lot of people here. -Yeah.
I hope he can get to everybody.
You know, Fi, you've just got to go with the flow.
I mean, you don't know if this is gonna work or not, OK?
-You promise me? -Yeah.
-Whatever happens, happens. -OK.
-Pretty weird we're at a seance, huh? -Yeah, I guess.
I mean, I'm not usually very mystical or anything.
I don't know about you, but I lost a good friend.
Her name was Carol.
It was so sudden.
I guess I came here tonight because I hoped, you know...
-Uh, I'm Fiona... Fi. -Hi.
And this is Candy.
-Hi. -Hi.
Susan. Sorry to just blurt it all out like that.
-I don't know why-- -That's OK.
Yeah, that's why most of us are here, right?
You for your friend, me for my dad.
He... died when I was three.
Oh, I'm sorry. That's so young.
At least I had a chance to get to know my friend.
I know some things: his name was Rick, he played the guitar...
he loved my mom.
You know that man over there?
He lost his daughter.
Lots of us are missing someone.
Maybe... maybe tonight's worth it just to know we're not alone.
Welcome, everyone.
I am Leopold Martin. -[applause]
No applause, please.
This is not a show. What I do is real.
In fact, it is my sincere hope
that tonight will change your very definition of reality.
I can't guarantee that I will be able to help all of you tonight,
but I will help some of you, and all of you
will leave with a new understanding that we do go on.
Hear!
Hear us.
[gasps]
[inhales]
Susan.
Oh, miss you, Susan.
Carol?
Carol, it's me.
-Hear me, Susan. -I do.
I hear you.
Another of us must speak.
A father seeks a daughter.
[inhales]
Alone...
I am.
Rick.
Does... anyone hear my music?
Daddy?
Fiona? No.
Not your voice.
Yes, it's me!
I'm just older. It's still me.
Remember?
So many years.
Oh, I want to remember, Dad, but you've got to help me, please, Daddy.
Miss you.
Goodbye, Fiona.
No! Not yet!
Daddy. Tina.
Love Tina.
Tina?
Is that you?
-Miss you, Daddy. -[gasps]
It's incredible.
Sorry, Daddy.
-Are you mad at me? -I'm not mad at you.
I could never be mad at you,
mainly because I never had a daughter named Tina!
Who interrupts the circle?
Give it up, Martin.
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Patrick Raymond,
and I'm here to say you've all been victims of a fraud.
How... how dare you? I'm trying to help these people!
But I heard it. I heard my dad!
No. You heard a talented actor
repeating whatever you said to that woman right there.
-That's not true. -She works for him.
I've got pictures from a dozen seances to prove it.
He can't talk to your father
any more than he can talk to your dead hamster
or to my nonexistent daughter.
-He is a fake. -He's a liar.
I don't know this woman.
Really? Then you must know a lot of women who look just like her.
My friends, please.
Turn this way, Mr. Martin. I want the camera to get your best side
while you try to explain this.
-You are making a huge mistake! -You're right.
The news crew can get the whole thing on video.
Come on in, guys.
[door opens]
[people chattering]
[sighs]
Oh, Fi, I'm... I'm so sorry.
-[music playing] -[Molly vocalizing]
Hey, kid. Why aren't you sleeping?
Because someone isn't abiding by her own "no music after midnight" rule.
I'm sorry. I was trying to keep it down.
I'll let it go this time. [soft chuckle]
So, are you ready to record the song?
[chuckle]
-I don't think I'm going to. -Are you kidding?
It's a great tune. It rocks. Mom, you have to put it on the demo.
I don't know, Jack. It feels like something's missing.
What do you mean?
-Like, like... like another verse? -Maybe.
Mom, is everything OK?
I'm just doing a little rewriting.
Just part of the process.
Just go to bed, and, um... I'll try to keep it down.
-So this is it, huh? -Yeah.
All right, and you're sure you don't want me to go in with you?
No, it's OK.
Uh, Mr. Raymond?
Hi, I'm Fi Phillips. Uh, we met at the seance.
-Oh. Yeah, what do you want? -I looked you up on the web,
and it said you've written three books about all the debunking you've done.
Four. I didn't even bother to publish the last one.
Telling the truth is a lousy way to make a living.
The only reason I can afford to chase after these jerks
is this business gives me cheap airfare.
Actually, I think it's kind of cool that you expose all the frauds out there.
I mean, how else are we going to know when the real phenomena happen, right?
-OK, here it comes. -Here what comes?
You're here to tell me you're not like those other suckers out there.
You've actually seen angels. You know for sure UFOs are real.
Well, guess what? No, they aren't, no, you haven't,
and unless you're here to book a vacation, you won't get any help from me.
But you're an expert at this.
You can tell me which spiritualists are real!
Aren't you listening? None of them.
They're all fake, just like alien autopsies and psychic call-in shows
and guys who bend spoons with their minds, it's all garbage.
OK, Martin was a fake,
but there's got to be someone else out there--
Kid, I've been doing this for ten years.
There's nobody out there who can give you what you're looking for.
-You can't know that! -Don't tell me what I know!
If I'd seen the real thing, I'd know it!
-How? How could you know? -Because I am the real thing!
Please leave.
You're... you're a medium?
Look, this is stupid. It doesn't matter.
No. I mean, it does matter.
You say all mediums are liars and fakes, but you say you're the exception?
-Why should I believe you? -I don't care if you believe me.
I wasn't like Martin or the others. I didn't put on a show.
I didn't like being what I was!
Who in their right mind would want to be able to talk to the dead?
Wait. If you can really do that, then you could help me.
Listen to you.
One second, I'm a phony, the next second, you want my help.
Well, too bad. I can't do it anymore, so it doesn't matter.
-Why? What happened? -How should I know?
It worked for a while, then after my wife died, it stopped.
So I went to see others who said they could do what I did.
They were all fake, not one of them came up with Amanda's name.
Not one.
They were all lying, so I started exposing them,
and if I live long enough, I'll expose them all.
So don't waste your time.
Forget your father and get on with your life.
You know, you're so angry, you don't even see what it's done to you.
[sighs]
[piano playing]
Hold it, hold it, hold it. I want to go again.
-What? -It's not right.
Molly, what is up with you?
We have five takes that are perfectly OK.
"OK" is good enough for you?
Oh, so now you have a problem with me?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on, guys.
None of us wants one of those cliché
rock-band-on-the-verge- of-success breakups, huh?
I want it to be good.
I want it to be good, too, Molly. We're a team...
[Irene] Remember?
What's the problem?
-I don't know. -If you don't know, who does?
[Ned] Look, guys, let's just try it one more time.
[woman] You try.
I'm taking a break.
But after that, no more discussion. They ain't...
[Rick] ...payin' to hear you talk, honey,
so you better sing.
-This is not going to work. -What's the matter?
I can't do it. It's wrong.
There's too many voices.
Molly...
[knocking]
No thanks. We're not buying any.
-Please, Fi. Your brother said-- -My brother?
What does this have to do with him?
He came to see me.
Didn't you know?
No.
Oh.
He said...
Well, I won't repeat everything he said, it was rather colorful,
but the gist of it was... I owe you an apology.
-Jack did that? -Yes.
-So, I'm here to make amends. -How?
By helping you reach your father.
My wife, Amanda, she was so beautiful, so smart.
She was only 31 when...
I was so angry when she died. It was so unfair.
When my powers stopped, I blamed...
I don't know, the universe.
It was just one more thing, one more unfair thing,
one more thing to be angry about.
Until you ran out of my office
and your brother told me how much I'd hurt you,
I guess... I never thought about how far gone I was,
or that maybe my anger was why my powers stopped.
I miss her... every day.
-I'm sorry. -Yeah.
Well, you know what? I'm not angry today.
-Is this him? -Yeah.
I need an object. Something of his.
Uh... This was his.
It's been a long time, and it was never...
It didn't always work.
Play it.
I... I only know a few chords.
Just play whatever comes.
[strumming guitar]
I don't even know what that was.
[Patrick] That was "Hello."
[thunder rumbles]
[Molly] Jack?
Fi?
[guitar music playing]
-What are you doing? -Don't worry, I'll be careful with it.
No... no, I mean, what music are you playing?
I don't know, but I think it's something of dad's.
Where did you hear it?
Nowhere. It just kind of came to me.
I, um... I think from him.
Don't do this.
Mom, I met an amazing person today
who has an ability to communicate with spirits,
if that's what you call them.
Stop it. Please, Fiona, just let it go.
Mom, don't say "it."
He was my father, and I'm not letting him go.
What's wrong with everybody?
Why am I the only one in this house that cares he's gone?
You know that's not true.
-You don't know what it's like for me. -You're right, I don't.
Honey, I would give anything to help you and Jack,
but, Fi, I can't even fix myself.
I know, but, Mom--
No... Fiona, you don't know.
It's every day, it's everywhere, especially in this house.
I... I hate it, and that's terrible to hate the memories,
but, honey, they keep me stuck.
He... I can't move forward,
and I blame him because he won't leave me alone.
That's what you want?
[whimpers]
Honey, I can't have what I want.
He was my husband, my love, my best friend.
And my dad.
What do you want me to say?
Anything.
Give me that.
-Is that it? -Yeah.
OK.
I want you to curl your left hand around the neck a little bit more.
It's going to give you better contact with the strings.
-OK? -OK.
Yeah, that's it.
♪ I don't know about another world ♪
♪ What beyond this curtain lies ♪
♪ I know it's been night a long time ♪
♪ But one day the sun will rise ♪
♪ Yes, one day the sun will rise ♪