MovieChat Forums > Falling Down (1993) Discussion > Homeless man asking for money

Homeless man asking for money

posted 17 years ago by New_York_Gal
100 replies | jump to latest

This was one of my absolute most favorite scenes in the movie. It was so funny how the homeless guy was making up stuff just to get Bill Foster to give him a handout and how Foster was asking him to show him his driver's license!

Has anything like this actually happened to any of you? If so, how did you handle it? Many years ago, I was approached by a homeless/semi-drunk guy on the street who told me how he and his 10 year old son just arrived from out of town and how he's trying to round up enough money for bus fare to get back home. I wasn't quite in the mood for any of his BS so I said to him, "May I see your driver's license?"

"Huh?"

"Your driver's license. You said you and your son are from Phildelphia, so let me see if you're telling me the truth. Your Philadelphia home address will be on your state driver's license. By the way, where's your son?"

" . . . well, uh . . . ummm . . . ."

"What? What? Where's your license? I'm still waiting to see it."

"Well, uh . . . ."

"You made that up. You don't have a son. You're not even from Philly. You just made up all this to get a free handout. A guy five blocks back just told me the same story as you did, almost word for word. Do you think I'm that stupid? Furthermore, what makes you think I have any money to give you? How do you know I even have any money on me? Why didn't you approach someone else? Just because I'm wearing some nice clothes means I have money to give to you? How do you know I didn't just kill some Upper East Side debutante and her rich socialite mother and tore their fancy Prada suits off their still-warm bodies, huh? How do you know I didn't just kill someone for her clothes, huh? SO LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"

He sure got the hell away from me quite fast.

And that was another urban reality tale from the mean streets of NYC (or however mean Fifth Avenue can get).

Men are like bank accounts. Without a lot of money, they don't generate much interest.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] SpaceMountainMike 9 years ago

As a side ♪ when the guy said, "I came down here from Santa Barbara...." I saw this movie in Santa Barbara and the audience cheered.

Awesome signature! It's honest! WHen women first meet a man the first question out of her mouth is "what do you do for a living?" (ie. "how much money do you make?")

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My iMDB profile http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4297325/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

[–] Draco1138 8 years ago

I was on a business trip once and stopped at the local KFC for some lunch.

A white man approached me asking if I could get him some money for something to eat. Normally I would have said no and gone about my business.

Then I noticed he had a Marine tattoo. Then I saw a triangle with two "A"s in it. I would later learn from him it is Alcoholics Anonymous.

The man said he was on his way to Burlington to speak with the VA. It suddenly dawned on me: he had money for the bus or food, but not both.

I told him I would buy him a meal, he quickly (and graciously) agreed while thanking me. We walked inside and he asked if he could get a meal, I smiled and said to get whatever he wanted. He got a meal. We spoke while we ate and he told me of his troubles with alcohol, his working with the VA for food and some help, and such.

When we were done I walked him to the bus stop (it was ten feet from the parking lot and my car was there). We spoke for about another ten minutes when the bus came (and he got on). I shook his hand, thanked him for his service, wished him well, and turned to head to my car. I swear I saw a tear, but it may have been from the sun.

Some say I was scammed, that it was all just a ploy.

If it was it was the best value for the cost of a KFC meal I'd ever seen.

[–] kellycallie (728) 6 years ago

Don't try this in real life. They'll sucker punch you. Bums as of 2018 are exclusively addicts (well let's be honest, most always were) and they will lose it on you.

[–] overseas7 (4236) 10 months ago

" I promise I will pay you back '.

[–] liscarkat (18373) 4 months ago

I was approached by a guy once who begged me to drive him to a house across town because his daughter was there and he needed to get her to the hospital. It was an emergency! I was young and naive, so I told him to get in, and followed his directions. After about ten minutes in the house, he came out alone and got back in the car. I said "where's your daughter?", and he told me she'd gone on to another house, and we had to get there so he could pick her up and get her to the hospital. The same thing happened again. By the third house, I realized I was chauffeuring this dude on his drug dealing rounds. While he was inside, I drove away. Damn, I was gullible in those days.