Talia Balsam credited as playing...
Marta Karolyi
- Bela Karolyi: How could that happen to her?
- Marta Karolyi: She's totally dependent on you.
- Bela Karolyi: What do you mean?
- Marta Karolyi: Bela, you didn't teach her to control her appetite; you took away her food.
- Bela Karolyi: Nadia is not dependent on me. She is irritatingly independent. She always fought with me.
- Marta Karolyi: And you always won.
- Bela Karolyi: Marta, I can't be with her forever. What will she do then?
- Marta Karolyi: That's a very good question.
- Marta Karolyi: [watching Nadia train] Bela, Nadia gets so intensely involved when she performs that she forgets the audience. But she never thinks to smile.
- Bela Karolyi: Geza! Teach her to smile! What judge would like such a sourpuss?
- Bela Karolyi: Over here!
- [He runs and hurls himself into the jump pit. A few of the gymnasts follow. He starts throwing pieces of foam]
- Bela Karolyi: Come on in, the water's great!
- [Giggling, the rest of the girls run and jump in]
- Marta Karolyi: You're supposed to be one of the coaches, not one of the children.
- Bela Karolyi: They like it!
- Marta Karolyi: I didn't bring you here to be liked.
- Bela Karolyi: Sometimes people just can't help themselves.
- Older Nadia Comaneci: I understand now.
- Bela Karolyi: You do?
- Older Nadia Comaneci: I can do it on my own.
- [smiles]
- Older Nadia Comaneci: Thank you.
- [the announcer calls her name, and Nadia goes to compete on the balance beam - by her own choice - despite a severe wrist infection]
- Marta Karolyi: What did you do to her?
- Bela Karolyi: For the first time - nothing!
- Marta Karolyi: [notices Nadia looking unwell] You all right? Hmm?
- [Nadia squirms]
- Marta Karolyi: No, you're not all right. What did you eat last night?
- [Nadia looks away and keeps stretching]
- Marta Karolyi: You went out, didn't you? How could you? Today of all days!
- Older Nadia Comaneci: It won't matter.
- Bela Karolyi: [at dinner, discussing the upcoming Olympic Games in Montreal] If we don't go, I'll tell everyone why. Including the press.
- Mili Simonescu: That would *not* be wise.
- Bela Karolyi: A-ha! Tell me, where are all the wise coaches?
- Mili Simonescu: I don't know.
- Bela Karolyi: That's because you've never heard of them. Being wise is not what we do best.
- Marta Karolyi: [holds up the soup tureen lid to cover Bela's mouth] Would you like more, Mili?
- Mili Simonescu: Don't tempt me, Marta, thank you. Take care, Bela. Don't push too hard.
- Bela Karolyi: [puts his hand over Marta's and pushes the lid back onto the tureen] *That* is what we do best.
- [the eight-year-old Teodora has just performed an advanced floor exercise]
- Bela Karolyi: How can a little girl do that?
- Marta Karolyi: That's what comes from serious work.
- Marta Karolyi: I still think you're pushing too hard. It's not the Olympics, you know.
- Bela Karolyi: It will be. Canada, Marta, we're going to Canada.
- Marta Karolyi: Bela!
- [laughs incredulously]
- Marta Karolyi: Our girls are too young! They - they haven't even won a European event yet!
- Bela Karolyi: Yes. That's why we're going to Paris first.
- Marta Karolyi: [returns to the gym after taking a phone call] Bela?
- Bela Karolyi: Yes?
- Marta Karolyi: The girls... they're gone.
- Bela Karolyi: What?
- Marta Karolyi: The team, they've been moved to Bucharest.
- Bela Karolyi: That's impossible.
- Marta Karolyi: It's true, Bela.
- Bela Karolyi: But we're their coaches!
- Marta Karolyi: Not anymore.
- Bela Karolyi: Nadia too?
- Marta Karolyi: All of them.
- Bela Karolyi: Family. For nine years, Marta, we were family!