Bottled with Love (2019 TV Movie)

Bethany Joy Lenz: Abbey Lawrence

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Quotes 

• Abbey Lawrence : [Abbey writes a letter to the universe like her aunt told her to]  Dear love, somewhere out there... Do you ever feel unknown? Like everyone has already labelled you and filed you away as complete without giving you the chance to learn and grow? I have a big heart. I feel so much, but I've never known how to show it. I'm loyal and trustworthy. I have a deep conscience. I stole a pack of gum once in the second grade and I couldn't sleep for a week. I'm a good listener, I'm great at my job, and I love pancakes. Pancakes will make me happy any time. But mostly, I want something real. I have the depth to walk through real life struggle and come out the other side, and I'm looking for someone like that, too. Flawed, but open. Impossible to label and file away. I think we all deserve that, don't we? I'm willing to take the risk. Come find me.

• Aunt Frances : Have you ever looked in the mirror and said, 'Hey Abby, you're great'?

  Abbey Lawrence : No.

  Aunt Frances : Well, you should. In fact, I think you should do what your father always did when he was feeling discouraged.

  Abbey Lawrence : What?

  Aunt Frances : When he and I were kids, he got into the habit of writing himself pep talk letters.

  Abbey Lawrence : My dad?

  Aunt Frances : Yeah. Pep talk letters. Letters listing all the things that he liked about himself. Things that he knew the right person would appreciate about him when he fell in love.

  Abbey Lawrence : My dad did this?

  Aunt Frances : Yep. You seem surprised.

  Abbey Lawrence : I am. He doesn't seem like the romantic type.

• Abbey Lawrence : [reading an email]  Dear ML Beantown, I'm writing to tell you that I found your message in a bottle. You put your heart into this letter and I wanted you to know that both the letter and the sentiments inside are safe with me. If you're interested in exchanging a bottle for the far more conventional method of an online chat, I'm here and intrigued. Reeltraveler175

  Aunt Frances : Oh, this is exciting! What are you waiting for? Write him back. Write him back. Yes.

  Abbey Lawrence : I'm not gonna write... that could be any... .no, I'm not going to write anything. That could be anybody.

  Aunt Frances : Yes, it could, but it also could be a somebody.

• Elaine : What do you mean, you didn't write him back?

  Abbey Lawrence : It's a very personal question.

  Elaine : The man already knows your most personal thoughts because you put them into a bottle and threw them into the sea.

  Abbey Lawrence : I know, I know. But, you know, statistically, this is a person who found a bottle, so it's probably just like a 90-year-old ex-convict from Poughkeepsie.

  Elaine : Forget statistics. Something just happened to you. Somebody found your message and contacted you. Please don't shut it down. Just, just play it out.

  Abbey Lawrence : Okay, alright, I will write him back.

  Elaine : You just made some 90-year-old ex-convict in Poughkeepsie very happy. I love this side of you.

• Nick Everson : [he writes in an online chat]  Why don't you tell me more about yourself. I just want to hear more about you.

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  Me, too. You first.

  Nick Everson : [he writes]  I don't know where to start. I guess you could say I'm someone who hasn't quite figured out where home is yet.

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  Home is Boston. My parents had me when they were older, though, and now they're retired and living on the other side of the country, which I hate. It makes me feel really lonely sometimes. But I'm lucky. I have an aunt here in town and I absolutely cherish her. I have always wondered what it would be like to have a sister. I know I would have loved it.

  Nick Everson : [he writes]  I got lucky. I have one, and she's a gem.

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  What's been your favorite trip?

  Nick Everson : [he writes]  Fly fishing in Patagonia. You?

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  The aunt I told you about, she took me to Paris for a week after I graduated from high school. I'll never forget it.

  Nick Everson : [he writes]  I can knit. My mom taught me. I'm crazy about dogs. It kills me not to have one. But it doesn't make sense for me to have one right now.

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  I get it. I can't wait to have one. And I want it to be an older dog. When I see those faces at a shelter, the ones with the sprays of white on their muzzles, they're so beautiful. I just know they have a story to tell, and you can see how much they would love to be loved again. I can't believe it's Sunday night already. Talking to you has made the weekend fly right by.

• Aunt Frances : It's his loss.

  Abbey Lawrence : Yeah, that's what everybody says, but I'm the common denominator in all of these break-ups. I'm the one that's too cold and too closed off and too judgemental.

  Aunt Frances : Or too critical of herself.

  Abbey Lawrence : Yes, thank you. You can add that to the list.

• Elaine : So, how'd it go introducing Scott to your Aunt Frances?

  Abbey Lawrence : Uh, it didn't. He broke up with me instead.

  Elaine : What?

  Abbey Lawrence : Yeah, I was a mess for the whole wedding. And, uh, somehow my Aunt Frances convinced me to... write a letter... to love.

  Elaine : Oh!

  Abbey Lawrence : And then, uh, put it

  [she pretends to roll up a piece of paper] 

  Abbey Lawrence : into a bottle

  [she pretends to put the rolled up paper into a bottle] 

  Abbey Lawrence : . I threw it out to sea

  [she pretends to throw the bottle and then puts the palm of her hand to her forehead] 

  Abbey Lawrence : .

  Elaine : I'm sorry, just give me a minute to wrap my head around that.

  Abbey Lawrence : I blame the whole thing on Aunt Frances. And champagne. But, I have to say, you know me, I mean, I don't like, open up a lot.

  Elaine : Ever. I mean, a lot. Right, yeah.

  Abbey Lawrence : It did feel really good to be that open.

  Elaine : Sounds like you had a few things bottled up there.

  Abbey Lawrence : Oh, geez. Well, it's all out there now.

  Elaine : In the bottom of Boston Harbor.

  Abbey Lawrence : Where it shall remain.

• Aunt Frances : I want you to write a letter. Open up your heart, just be vulnerable. Don't be nervous about it, it's just you and a piece of paper. Just don't think about it.

  Abbey Lawrence : I don't...

  [shaking her head] 

  Abbey Lawrence : no.

  Aunt Frances : Just don't think about it, just write to the universe, or to your love, who is out there somewhere. Just write about your passions. Your dreams. Who you are. Who you want. Just let it all pour out. And then I want you to take that letter and I want you to put it in this bottle and then I want you to throw that bottle out int the water. I want you to throw your whole heart out into the world. Oh, I mean it's symbolic, but it'll be very, very good for you. Very good.

• Abbey Lawrence : [writing in an online chat]  Dear Reeltraveler, thank you for letting me know that my letter is safe. I'm a bit embarrassed. I have to tell you the letter was written after a weak moment at a wedding.

  Nick Everson : [writing back in an online chat]  Nothing to be embarrassed about. I've had one or two of those myself. Wait, I'm a guy. I'm supposed to be tough. Was I supposed to admit that?

  Abbey Lawrence : [talking to herself]  Oh, okay, you're a guy. Noted.

  Nick Everson : [he writes]  I found your openness refreshing.

  Abbey Lawrence : [she writes]  Oh, that's nice of you to say. It would have been easy to be judgmental or critical. There's a lot of people out there like that.

  Nick Everson : [talking to himself]  You can say that again.

  [he writes] 

  Nick Everson : ML Beantown, can I go ahead and ask, have you found someone yet?

  [Abbey closes her laptop and doesn't answer] 

• Abbey Lawrence : Let's start over. We really don't know anything about each other except I can see you have some tension with your father.

  Nick Everson : Yeah, he wants me to follow in his footsteps. It's great for Soph, she loves it.

  Abbey Lawrence : But it's not you.

  Nick Everson : The Everson Valley Farms I fell in love with, it wasn't a corporation. It was my grandfather's farm, you know? A place I'd spend my summers working outside with my hands. I just... I don't speak his language like you and Soph.

  Abbey Lawrence : I wish... I wish I had what you have. You can just walk into a room and be spontaneous. You're so open. I don't like to be spontaneous. I don't know how.

  Nick Everson : I never would have guessed that.

  Abbey Lawrence : Yeah, yeah. I'm working on it.

• Abbey Lawrence : This whole time he has been here in Boston.

  Aunt Frances : That's good.

  Abbey Lawrence : I guess. I mean, it's kinda weird. I've been imagining this guy I've been getting to know who's great and he lives in Maine. It's so much easier to open up to somebody who's far away. It's, it's like...

  Aunt Frances : ...it's safe. Bit of a fantasy. Trust me, sweetheart. This is better. This is exciting. This is real.

  Abbey Lawrence : Real is what I want.

• Abbey Lawrence : Well, you keep surprising me. You know, the other night, um... when I was upset, I had a date and this guy that I thought I had a great connection with just really let me down. And then you, somebody who I didn't really trust, are coming through all of a sudden.

• Abbey Lawrence : [she begins to read a letter from a bottle]  Dear Mary Abigail Lawrence,

  Nick Everson : [Abbey hears Nick's voice reading the letter]  I can't apologize enough. You see, the more I've thought about it, the more I realized just how vulnerable you were. The whole time you were the one with your heart open, exposed in a letter. You were the one left standing, waiting. And throughout everything my heart was always safe. So now, it's my turn to make myself vulnerable. To put my heart out into the world. I love the Abbey who shines at her job and expects the same from everyone else. Who's never late. I love the Abbey who takes such good care of her aunt, and the fact that pancakes can make you so happy. I even love that you are terrible at making pottery. I think you're beautiful inside and out. I hate that I couldn't see right away that you and ML Beantown could be the same person, and I can't begin to tell you how much I miss that person.

  Nick Everson : [he stands behind Abbey and begins to speak]  All I can do is stand here and tell you how much I love you and ask that you forgive me and hopefully that you love me as well. I've never been inspired to strive for something more or be willing to learn and grow. I don't want to run anymore. I want something real. And I even, I adopted a dog.

  Abbey Lawrence : [he shows her a photo on his phone]  Archie, you got Archie. I can't, I can't believe it.

  Nick Everson : Hey. You opened your heart when you sent that message in a bottle. And now you've opened mine, too.

  [they embrace and kiss then laugh as the wedding party cheers for them]