I'm okay. I'm all right.
Babe, let me get back to you.
I think our firstborn done broke his neck.
Look dad, I'm good, all right.
I'm too smooth to be embarrassed.
What are you looking at that's got you so focused?
I'm looking at plans for Jazzy and I when she comes home.
I'm gonna try this new bar downtown tonight.
-It's a good one. -A bar?
Yeah, it's a daiquiri bar.
Man, what happened to ice cream shops and the aquarium?
I mean, those are great places.
Yeah, for children.
We are in our twenties.
We're not babies anymore, Dad.
Look, man, I don't either one of y'all drinking and driving.
Look, Dad, I'm not stupid, okay,
even though Uncle Curtis likes to imply that.
-[C.J.] No, he doesn't. -Yes, he does.
Uncle Curtis said I was so stupid
that I'd sell the car for gas money.
That's funny. Yeah, I gotta remember that one.
It's really not that funny, Dad.
No, okay, all right. I'm done, I'm done.
But in all seriousness,
I know you want to spend time with you sister,
but make sure you check your plans with her.
What? I know Jazzy, all right.
She will clear her whole schedule
just to spend time with me.
[laughing]
Girl, please, you'd get an A too
if you would stop watching Housewives marathons in class.
You know NeNe ain't got nothing to do with anthropology.
You stupid. Listen, I just got home.
I'll hit you later.
Girlfriend, can I get a hug, a greeting, something?
I'm sorry, Dad. What's up?
-How you doing? -Hey, baby.
What's up, Malik?
All right, look, I got a whole day planned out.
We can go see that new Kevin Hart movie.
-Then we... -I actually saw that
last night with some friends.
It's funny too. You and Dad should go.
-Oh. -Yeah, that would be nice.
Yeah, we ain't done nothing in a while.
Yeah, that's for a reason.
How about we go
down to the new daiquiri spot tonight?
Ooh, that sounds fun,
but I actually have McKinley's birthday party tonight.
She only turns 22 once, you know.
How important of a milestone it is to turn 22, huh?
We can go tomorrow though. I'm pretty open.
Well, unless I go to
that High Museum with some classmates.
Wait. Wait a minute. A museum?
On a Saturday with the people
you're supposed to be on break from? What...
Our new professor is taking us to his friend's art gala.
Y'all know he's a photographer for International Geographic.
That's not that impressive.
I mean, anybody could be a photographer
with a smartphone.
It's just a couple clicks.
Why you hating, bro?
Because he misses you.
Yeah, like a dog misses fleas.
-I miss you too, Brodie. -Yeah.
See, Professor Louis says
we need to be open and honest in our communication.
-Mm-hmm. Yeah. -Never assume, you know.
Professor Louis got a lot to say, I hear.
Listen, we'll hang out tomorrow night, okay?
Let's go go-kart racing.
-The loser buys dinner. -Bet.
Which means you gon' buy dinner.
No, that's gonna be you.
That's... All right, I'm about to buy the tickets right now.
All right.
I know you a broke college student and all
so I got you, sis.
And the warrior is beating Harley.
This match could be over soon.
What's this? We have a change of events.
Harley's climbing the ropes and he's gonna jump.
Boom! The crowd goes wild!
-Hey, Miranda. -Hey.
-Hi, Mom. -Hi, baby.
It's so good to see you.
You having fun?
Well, I mean, it sounded
like a whole wrestling match in here,
so I figured I'd join in the fun.
You know Christian. He's playing with his toys.
You know how they are at this age.
Oh, I guess Christian was calling the matches too then?
Who won, huh? Was it Harley? Was it Warrior?
Okay, see, you don't have to buy a ticket
to figure out the answer to that.
-[Miranda] Mm-hmm. -But, wait,
I wasn't expecting you for another two hours.
I know, okay.
Hey, baby, listen.
I need to talk to Daddy for a second, okay?
Can you go in the room and put your things together?
-Okay. -Okay, go ahead.
-So what's up? -Okay, Calvin,
I just got some life-changing news.
Oh, let me guess.
You realized all the pain and suffering
you put me through,
and now you would like to pay me alimony?
Hell no.
Would you even take alimony from you ex-wife.
Hell yeah.
Green is a gender-neutral color
and this is a generation of equality,
but, anyway...
-So what's the good news? -Okay.
Drum roll, please.
I am being considered
to be the next vice president of marketing
for the Allen Commercial Real Estate Group.
-Me. -Oh, my God.
Miranda, that's great. Congratulations.
But you know what? You deserve it.
Can I just say thank you for always supporting me.
You know, this has been a dream of mine for so long
and it's so close to being a reality.
Hey, it will be a reality.
So, anyway, where in Atlanta is this?
Uh, Buckhead, Cumberland?
Little further.
-Marietta, Kennesaw? -Further.
Damn, they got you in the outskirts.
That's gonna be a lot of gas money and I'm not...
Near Houston.
Houston's? Oh, man, that ain't far.
That's right there on Peachtree. I love that restaurant.
No. This job, this promotion,
would require me to move to Houston, Texas.
I'm ready, Mom. Bye, Dad.
Hey.
I know.
He's probably the best professor I've had so far.
He treats us like adults
and challenges us on so many levels.
Jazzy, grab you a plate.
I cooked some eggs, and some corn-beef hash,
and some bacon, some toast.
-[Jazmine] Uh-huh. -Get you some nourishment.
Okay, I'ma call you back later.
All right.
Dad, I don't eat swine. It's unclean meat.
"Swine"?
When did you stop eating pork?
Jazzy, you know you love bacon.
-Are you feeling all right? -I'm fine.
It's just Professor Louis said
our bodies weren't designed to be eating unclean animals
such as pigs, and I tend to agree with him.
I mean, it's so high in sodium, it's probably one of the reasons
why African-Americans have high blood pressure.
We gotta start breaking these generational curses.
-You do have a point there. -Look at you,
sitting there, smacking on that bacon.
You have no idea what it's doing to your body.
Destroying you from the inside out.
It's okay. Just ignorant.
I'm ignorant?
Just a little bit.
Ignorance is greasy sometimes.
Anyway, he teaches anthropology, Dad,
he's so intelligent, and he cares about the students.
He's pretty wise.
I love you guys.
Uh, love, love you too.
-Malik. How is Jazmine? -Uh-huh.
I haven't seen her since she's been home.
Yeah, I live with her and I still don't even see her.
She's always just hanging out with her friends.
I mean, she might as well just go back to college.
Look, Jazmine is grown-up now.
She got better things to do
than waste her time sitting around the house with y'all.
Ella, especially you, at your age.
At my age?
You are not a spring chicken yourself.
No, give or take a couple years
and carry the one.
Carry the one?
Simple math, baby. Simple math.
Yes, Curtis.
-Ella. -Yes, Curtis.
Baby, come on now. You didn't toast my bread.
Snap, snap. Do this.
-Okay. All right. -Can you toast mine too?
-I sure can. -Thank you.
'Cause I'm the king.
Hey, y'all seen Jazzy? I'm checking up on her.
Would you leave that girl alone?
What wrong with y'all?
Leave her alone. She don't need you checking up on her.
She'll call you if she needs you.
Good Lord.
Aunty,
can I get a sandwich too, but can you toast my bread?
Pah, pah, pah. I sure can.
I sure can toast your bread.
That bread better not come toasted.
-I sure can toast it... -I hope that bread...
Next time.
Toasted yours like she toasted ours.
You know what? Jazzy's probably with that professor.
What professor?
Some young, cool professor
she's just going on and on about.
Got Dad all jealous and stuff.
I am not jealous.
I'm just trying to see who this professor is
that has all this influence over my daughter.
You know, she don't eat bacon no more.
-The shame. -You know, Uncle Curtis,
when did you become so understanding?
Back in the day, you would've had my back.
Yeah, I've been praying about that thing.
Curtis, when is the last time you prayed?
I prayed this morning, Ella.
I prayed and asked the Good Lord
for the winning Lottery ticket numbers,
and he gave them to me.
Which reminds me, you gotta play to win.
So I'll be back.
-Scooch, scooch, scooch. -C.J.
Why don't you just invite him to dinner?
I can cook
and what way, you can get a chance to meet him.
That's a good idea.
I'll talk to Jazmine
so if we can see if we can invite him over tomorrow night.
-[knocking on door] -Come in.
-Hey. -Hey.
Calvin, I know, last time I was here,
I dropped a bombshell on you.
And I'm sorry for that.
But I'm not sorry for considering this position.
Why can't you support me?
Miranda, I do support you. I do.
But what I don't support is you taking Christian
800 miles from me.
Calvin.
If we were still married, things would be different,
but we're not.
You have Laura and your whole life is here.
Calvin, can't you see that I need a new beginning?
We're gonna have to work together on this.
We have to
because I'm doing what's best for my career and our son.
What's best for our son is him being near his father.
Calvin.
I hear you.
I promise you, I do.
And, and, and trust me.
I am not doing this to hurt you.
I promise.
But you have to understand
that people co-parent from a distance all the time.
It's not abnormal.
He's seven.
I'm not trying to raise him through the phone.
Miranda, I'm begging you.
Don't take my son from me.
-Okay. -Too much fat.
Too much sodium.
Mm, too greasy.
Jazmine.
Baby, wouldn't you rather go do
whatever it is that people your age do?
Go make one of them tic-tac videos, baby.
Aunty, we just gotta be more cognizant
of what we're putting in our bodies.
-Okay? -Yes, ma'am.
[Ella] We will be more cognizant
of what we put in our bodies.
No, Aunty.
-Are those ribs? -Yes, they are ribs.
-Okay. -This cut is...
You can put those right on back.
We don't eat pork. We don't do that.
Do you have salmon?
-Uh, yes. -Okay.
-Close that back. -All righty then.
So are there any other dietary restrictions
I should know about?
Well, since you asked,
please don't make
any of that diabolical diabetic tea you always make.
Okay, we will be drinking alkaline water tonight.
This teacher must be something special.
-No, don't do that, Aunty.
-Uh-huh, uh-huh. -It's not a big deal, okay?
He's just open-minded. That's it.
And I didn't realize how close-minded I was.
He's a renaissance man.
Well, Curtis is a renaissance man.
Well, he was a renaissance man,
but now he's just Curtis.
Speaking of Uncle Curtis,
please tell him not to crack jokes tonight.
You know he likes couth, Aunty,
and I do not want to be embarrassed.
Well, Jazmine, now you know your uncle.
He has a mind and a mouth of his own.
He does not have a filter.
That's true.
Why don't you take him that rack of ribs
and tell him to stay at home?
You know what, Jazmine? It is okay to change.
It is. It's okay.
You in your twenties.
And your twenties are all about
discovering who you are,
your likes and your dislikes.
But, baby, just make sure
that your choices are based on you
and not somebody else's influence on you.
Mm-hmm?
Professor Louis told me the same thing.
-Jazmine. -[chuckling]
-I hear you, Aunty. -[chuckling]
I hope you do.
[doorbell ringing]
Daddy, Daddy, I got it. It's all good, I got it.
I got it.
-Jazmine. Hey. Good evening. -What's good, Louis?
You must be Professor Louis.
Thanks for coming.
Nice to meet you, sir. I'm C.J., Jazmine's father.
Thank you so much for the invitation.
And, please, just call me Louis.
Oh, "Louis"? I thought that was your last name.
I prefer my students call me by my first name.
Well, that's kind of personal. I mean...
-Daddy. Daddy, Daddy. -When I was at school...
You know, you had respect for the teachers.
Come on now. Leave him alone. It's all good.
This is my Uncle Curtis.
What's up?
-Give me your jacket. -Okay.
Thank you so much, Uncle Curtis.
-Anything sharp in your pockets? -Uncle Curtis.
What you doing? Uncle Curtis. Uncle Curtis, stop!
What?
Ain't nobody know this man.
Okay, I trust and verify.
I watch 36 Hours .
He good, C.J.
We good. Okay, everybody, let's eat.
You must be the professor.
Jazmine speaks so highly of you.
I'm Mrs. Ella.
And you are too young to be a professor.
Yes, nice to meet you. I'm 32.
And you are far more beautiful than Jazmine had described.
-"Far more"? -And this food, mm, smells good.
-Come on, come on. -Yeah, my baby can throw down.
She fixed me one meal and I never left.
Come on, come on, everyone, sit down, have a seat.
Got you on this side of Jazmine.
Baby, you know where you... C.J., you okay?
-Mm, yes. Yes, ma'am. -C.J.
You okay?
-Hey. This is my brother, Malik. -Hey, Malik.
Boy, where's your manners. You see we have guests.
Hello, guest.
-You are such a disease. -I know.
Okay, right, and you have salmon.
-Thank you, Aunty. -That's great, that's great.
And, baby, here, you have a rack of ribs.
-Thank you, baby. -You're welcome.
Okay, all right, now, let's see.
-This is this and this is this. -Looks good.
So how long you been teaching?
For about five years now.
Okay, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but, yes, I do.
Can we please say grace so I can eat,
'cause my blood sugar is low, Ella?
-You so simple. You so simple. -It's low, Ella!
All right, please, everyone, bow your heads
for grace.
I want to take a hiatus from college.
What?
Go ahead, Aunty.
-You wanna do what? -[Jazmine] Dad,
I really want to travel the world
and figure out what I wanna do.
Jazmine, you are not dropping out.
You gonna finish what you started
and this feeling will pass.
Professor, you gonna have to excuse my daughter.
-She's tripping. -Oh, no, no, it's okay.
I actually agree with Jazmine.
Wait, you agree?
You are supposed to be encouraging her
to stay the course.
Malik, can you toss me a roll, please?
Look, I encourage my students to follow their intuition.
Life is about self-discovery.
If she feels she needs to step away
and find out what she really wants,
I support it.
College isn't a guaranteed success.
As her father, I'm telling her that college is necessary.
And I don't appreciate her professor
encouraging her to drop out.
Look, success is relative, okay?
Jazmine is one of my brightest students.
And I encourage all of my students
to be well-rounded thinkers.
Right, I just don't see the point
of wasting time and money
when I haven't even figured out
what I want to do with my life yet, you know?
I thought you wanted to be a psychologist.
Well, I do love helping people with their problems,
especially when it comes to mental health,
but I also love photography, Dad.
-It brings me joy. -Listen,
I respect it.
You're young.
I wanted to be a district attorney,
give young people a second chance,
but there was so much red tape
that I decided that it was more beneficial to educate them.
My career path has changed multiple times.
Well, I don't appreciate you
encouraging her to drop out of school.
Dad, this was my idea.
This is what I want, okay? Give me some credit.
You know I can think for myself.
[Louis] Look, I speak my truth,
But I will never push my beliefs off on my students.
I'm here to challenge their thinking
and help them to discover themselves.
Look, not everyone thinks the same,
and life is about evolving.
Jazzy, I want to apologize for how I was acting towards you.
I should've just communicated better.
I actually support your choice.
"But he knew that all the gold in the world
would never be enough.
[Calvin] Only love
can make the sun shine across the forest
and break the evil curse.
The end."
Man, you always fall asleep before I finish.
-Hey. -Hey.
I decided not to take the job in Houston.
Miranda, I can't let you turn down your dream.
-I'm willing to... -Listen,
Christian, he's my dream.
And I was able to negotiate a promotion
at the midtown office,
but, oof, it's definitely not that VP money, child.
Wait, what made you change your mind?
Look, I would've supported you
even if I didn't want you to move.
I know.
And that's what changed my mind..
Christian, our son,
deserves to be near his amazing father.
I mean, the truth is there are so many men out there
who don't acknowledge their kid, let alone make time for them.
Christian's blessed to have you.
And he's blessed to have you too.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Look at our big boy.
[music]