Gortimer, narrating: I've lived my whole life on Normal Street.
There's a lake at one end
and a forest of shady trees at the other.
But what lies in between
is anything but normal.
Everyone likes to be number 1.
It's only natural.
Ranger's number 1 at a lot of things:
chess, throwing ninja stars,
making the perfect blueberry pie.
But what happens when someone else is number 1?
Waffles. Whose birthday?
Nobody's. Just making sure
your dad gets off to a good start today.
Looks like somebody tried to hide my lucky tie.
Not very lucky for me is you found it.
I'm not taking any chances today.
I didn't know you had a lucky tie.
Your dad's up for a promotion.
That's why he's been working like crazy
and ignoring his family.
A promotion? Awesome.
Is there a private jet involved?
Can I be co-pilot?
Don't jinx it.
Here. Eat up.
[sigh] Okay.
I don't think I can keep anything down.
Don't be nervous, Dad.
The Bowens always come out on top.
Tell that to Rob Pressman.
Who's Rob Pressman?
Nobody. He doesn't matter.
No matter how many times I think I've got a lock,
Rob Pressman always comes out on top.
Nicer office, better parking spot,
- longer vacations-- - Honey, stop.
You don't need to compare yourself
to anyone, okay? We love you,
and you deserve this promotion.
Yeah. You got this, Dad.
Yeah.
So what's the promotion?
He, uh...
uh...
you know, he, uh...
Mom, what does he do?
Oh, he's a payroll manager
for a software company
that makes payroll software.
He'll be moving up to department manager
with any luck.
And that's where Ranger's famous
double chocolate Good Luck Cake comes in.
Why don't we just leave the cake here and sneak out?
Dad will never know how it got here.
It'll be a... a random act of cake.
Rob Pressman.
Oh. This is sweet.
Ha. I'll bet that cake takes the sting
out of coming in second, huh?
[chuckle] I'm just kidding. We're all winners.
Hey, Rob, I'm with my family here, so--
Woman: Rob, come cut the cake!
No problem. I got a cake, too.
Triple chocolate.
[chuckle] It's no big deal.
Triple chocolate?
Overwhelms the taste buds.
Amateur move.
Ed, uh,
where did you say you were
with the pension contribution report?
This is the first I'm hearing about it.
End of the day? Thanks.
See you tonight, honey.
- Love you, Dad. - Love you, too.
What's that?
Oh, nothing.
Just some doodling I did when I was around your age.
Can I see it?
"Ed-Cade."
Is this for real? Was there a prototype?
Did you do any test marketing?
That was years ago.
I'm not that guy anymore.
Ah, come here.
I present to you the Ed-stonishing, Ed-mazing Ed-Cade.
It has to rewind.
W-What's an Ed-Cade again?
[video stops rewinding]
The Ed-Cade.
-Compare! - [cheering]
No. This isn't it.
What is this?
Wait. Is-- Is that your dad?
Yeah. It is.
Mel: He looks so...
Cool.
Hey, come on. They're going to sing "Happy Birthday."
Not yet. I almost got the high score.
You got all the high scores.
Almost. Almost.
Yes!
- ♪♪ - Ha ha!
Wow. He's totally dominating.
Ed! Ed! Ed! Ed!
Ed. Over there. Yeah.
Thirsty, Eddie?
Get out of my face, Rob!
[video game bleeping down]
Oops. Sorry, Eddie.
Your own fault, really.
Ranger: That's Rob Pressman.
He's my dad's nemesis.
I just realized we've never actually been in here.
Yeah.
We always get delivery.
Yeah.
[ribbit ribbit]
Did the dining room just croak?
Never a good sign.
Don't drop it.
[ribbit ribbit]
Laser Frog? The game from my dad's video.
It's been going all these years.
Look. The high scorers.
Gortimer: ROB. You don't think that's--
- Who else? - I remember that night.
Are you Mr. Zip?
Demos Zippopoulos.
And that--
[ribbit ribbit]
That was a night for the ages.
Ed Bowen was on top.
It was his 17th birthday,
and the whole school was celebrating.
We had just installed a new game: Laser Frog.
Ed was unstoppable.
Everyone cheered and chanted his name--
all but one: Ed's rival Rob.
As soon as Ed spent his last quarter,
Rob stepped up.
He was like a man possessed.
Rob had one quarter, and he made it count.
He topped Ed's score
and kept going and going and going.
I think he wanted to make sure
his high score stuck for a long time.
Something changed in Ed that night.
Everything that used to go his way
started to go Rob's.
It's funny how a little thing like that
can get into your head and dominate your life...
forever.
- So... - [ribbit ribbit]
whoever has the highest score wins at the game and at life?
Doubtful. Your dad psyched himself out.
It happens to the best of us.
But this is where all of his problems started--
with this machine, with that high score.
Anecdotes do not equal evidence.
But...
theories can be tested.
I don't think that's a good idea.
[ribbit ribbit]
It's just a game.
- [electronic sputtering] - [sigh]
♪♪
Who's going to best me?
I'm not touching that thing.
It's cursed the Bowens for a generation.
Thank you.
♪♪
I don't feel any different.
Neither do I. See, Ranger?
Hey, your pizza's ready.
- I knew it. - What?
Your pizza has more pepperoni pieces than Mel's.
[scoff] Yeah. Two more. Random chance.
That's not random.
Watch. Switch.
This proves nothing.
Let's just unplug the machine
and-- and clear the scores.
- [zap] - Ow!
It bit me.
If I could have unplugged it,
I would have gotten rid of that machine years ago.
What about the circuit breaker?
[ribbit ribbit]
We're going to be ruled by Laser Frog
for the rest of our lives.
How many games is it going to take to convince you, Mel?
Gortimer can't win all the time.
16, 17, and that's Treasure Chest for the win.
What's that, eight different games in a row?
Nine, but you're only gaining a slight edge in each game.
Given enough time and repetition,
I should be able to overcome it--
if not by strategy, then by sheer dumb luck.
Admit it, Mel. The Laser Frog has us under his--
paw? Or whatever frogs have.
They're actually just called hands.
Well, I'm ready for my next win.
What's next?
War.
Uhh.
Why did I even agree to this?
Because Rob Pressman is your boss now,
so it's time to get with the program.
The program. Right. What's the program?
You're going to play nice?
Honey, this is your chance to figure out
how you can actually work with this guy.
You're right. I know. You're right.
[doorbell rings]
Ranger, could you get that?
This is such a bad idea.
Heh. And then Eddie asks what the tax liability was.
You remember that.
- Yeah. - Ha ha ho!
[sigh]
I have not had a home-cooked meal
in quite some time.
Makes me wonder what I missed.
Ah, I guess I just don't have time for a family.
You know--
when your dreams are coming true,
it is a real rocket ride.
But you know, you have got--
mm-- nothing to be ashamed of here.
We're all on our own path.
Am I right?
Pass the garlic bread.
Mm.
Randy.
Ranger.
Ranger. Really?
Ranger--
Eddie ever tell you about the time
that I annihilated his high score
in Laser Frog?
His name's Ed, not Eddie.
And my dad is the Laser Frog champion.
Uh--
Uh, not the last time I checked the scoreboard.
My dad could beat you any day.
We challenge you to a rematch.
- We do? - We do?
We do.
[laughing]
[gag]
It is on, Bowens.
I will see myself out.
Ranger, what are you thinking?
He's my boss.
Ever since he beat you at that game,
he's been acting like he's better than you,
and you're believing it.
But not anymore.
The Bowens are going to even the score.
This is a nightmare.
First thing tomorrow, I'll apologize.
You will do no such thing.
Destroy Rob Pressman.
But I haven't played Laser Frog for years.
There's no way I can beat him.
Don't worry, Dad. I have a plan.
If you want to set the new high score,
you can't think like a player.
You have to think like Laser Frog.
I look ridiculous.
Be the frog, Dad. Own it.
Let's go.
[video game sounds]
Ranger: Stretch. Stretch. Stretch.
Stretch.
Now, come on, Dad. You got this.
Just a few more, okay? Here we go.
Why am I not surprised?
That's 147 different games in a row.
You're unstoppable.
We've been at this for two days.
We've only stopped to eat and sleep.
Maybe not for you,
but I'm having a great time.
You know, there's something
about not feeling the pressure to win.
It's really freeing. I can just enjoy the game.
It's meaningless.
Only if you make every game about winning, Gortimer.
[grunt]
[hands fluttering]
Dad?
♪♪
Oh. Hey. Look who it is.
Come to shake off some rust, Eddie?
Ah. Go ahead. I'm all done here.
Even racked up a new high score.
- Come on. Be my guest. - [ribbit ribbit]
This one doesn't count.
Uh, no. We're just here for the pizza, Rob.
We're saving ourselves for Game Day.
Suit yourself.
How are those quarterly projections coming?
Uh, mm.
I'm going to need them first thing tomorrow morning.
I'd hate to see you fall even further behind.
He's just trying to psyche you out, Dad.
Don't fall for it.
Right. We're Team Bowen.
We got this.
[ribbit ribbit]
How long have you been up?
It's Game Day. I need you rested.
[sigh] I've got this stuff piling up.
I've already missed a deadline.
It won't take long to beat Rob.
Hey, after the rematch,
maybe we could team up on the Ed-Cade.
I'm sorry, Ranger,
but I've got to be a grownup about this.
I can't afford to get sucked back
into this competition thing, video games.
I don't know what I was thinking.
We have to call off the rematch.
You're not going to go? You're not even going to try?
What if I lose to him again?
Things are bad enough as it is.
What are you talking about? You can't just give up.
Sometimes you just got to cut your losses, buddy.
Life doesn't always turn out the way you expect it.
[sigh]
Where's your dad?
He was supposed to start playing ten minutes ago.
He's not coming.
So, Bowen.
Where's your pop?
All of a sudden,
he had a lot of stuff to do for his job.
So do we just want to say that I won this thing,
or do you actually want me
to spend the 25 cents and prove it?
You're getting beat by a Bowen today one way or another.
Hey. I thought you were going to be at Mr. Zip's.
Ah, what's the point? It's just a game.
What's really going on?
Nothing. I just got all this work to do.
And I don't think I can bear the thought
of being humiliated in front of Ranger.
You know,
the only way you can be sure of letting Ranger down
is if you don't play at all.
I think you should probably get out there
and finish what you started.
Ranger's counting on you.
- Oh! Uhh! Look at that. - ♪♪
Ahh. Number 3 spot,
right ahead of Ed Bowen.
Ah. Looks like the only person that ever beat me--
- was me. - [ribbit ribbit]
Ranger, you don't have to do this.
Yeah, it's not even that much fun if you win.
You want to be like that guy?
Someone has to defend the family honor.
You know what?
[laughing] This is going too far.
I don't have the heart
to tarnish yet another generation
of your family's bloodline.
Ha! Please,
just step aside before it's too late.
He's right, son.
Step aside. This one's mine.
[ribbit ribbit]
- [explosion] - Ohh!
He's doing it. Only 4,000 more points to go.
Go, Mr. Bowen, go.
Come on, Dad. If you win,
you can finally have the life you've always wanted.
What?
You know, what you said before.
Things don't always turn out the way you expected.
This is your chance to have the life you've always wanted.
[gunfire]
[bleeping down]
- [onlookers murmuring] - Dad. No. Wait.
Ranger, it's okay.
It's going to be okay. Son, let go.
Let go.
♪♪
Rob: Forfeit.
My high score stands.
I'm still number 1!
Dad, why? You could have won.
I already have the life I've always wanted.
I have you and Mom.
And if that's second place, then I wouldn't want first.
Hey, Eddie.
I mean...Ed.
Well played.
Nah. Probably would have lost anyway.
Not what I meant.
I guess Rob and Mr. Bowen's new scores
knocked us both off the leader board.
So everything's back to normal?
Very normal.
There are just as many ways to win a game
as there are games to play.
You can get the most points,
be first across a finish line...
capture a king.
Whatever game you play,
just be sure the reward you go after
is the one you really want. tyle="italic"> the reward you go after