Would you go see this?

JulieJames · Jun 23, 2009

I had an Idea to make this a non-fiction novel, but I just don't see myself writing about myself like that. So I was thinking, why not turn it into a comedy (with a little bit of romance) that's based on a true story?? I know hollywood eats that based on a true story stuff up!

So anywho, it's basically this chick that used to be in good shape but through a nasty breakup fell in love with food, very homer simpson-ish (think Mmmmmmm Donuts!) well she still has all these friends that are weight lifters and she's just gotten fatter. When one of her male friends confides in her about a nasty breakup, he suddenly becomes the man of her dreams. He's also concerned about her letting herself go and it prompts her to get her butt back in shape, then the story follows all of her ups and downs more the physical ones than the emotional ones because well emotional ones just aren't funny, I mean maybe 1 or 2 might be funny, but I couldn't see making the whole story about her emotional drama.

So what do you think?? Would you go see it?

DavidZahir · Jun 23, 2009

Honestly? Probably not, unless the story were told with great wit and humor.

TheUnknownAuthor · Jun 23, 2009

My wife would go see it if Sandra Bullock was in it.......or Robert Pattinson

DevelopmentExec · Jun 23, 2009

JulieJames said:
the story follows all of her ups and downs more the physical ones than the emotional ones because well emotional ones just aren't funny, I mean maybe 1 or 2 might be funny, but I couldn't see making the whole story about her emotional drama.

So what do you think?? Would you go see it?

I think you need to find away to make the emotional and internal conflicts funny or else you don't have a story. Physical humor is not enough to make a comedy fly. Comedies require all the elements of drama, PLUS humor - and not just jokes, but a comedic tone and POV, characterizations, actions and reactions. It's a combo of what you explore and how you explore it that makes a comedy a comedy.

Your character still needs a goal, a need and an obstacle. You still need an inciting incident, escalating conflict climax and denoument. You still need a theme at the heart of your story.

Do I think a comedic story can be created out of your set-up? absolutely. But whether or not you can create a comic story out of your idea remains to be seen.

Cyia · Jun 23, 2009

People tend to think comedy is easy - it's not. The surest way to kill a comedy is to try and be funny on purpose.

Watch a bunch of comedies with the tone you're going for and pay attention to the timing in them, not just the punchlines.

JulieJames · Jun 23, 2009

Cyia said:
People tend to think comedy is easy - it's not. The surest way to kill a comedy is to try and be funny on purpose.

Watch a bunch of comedies with the tone you're going for and pay attention to the timing in them, not just the punchlines.

awesome advice, I wouldn't be trying to be funny. My friends and I are just really funny most of the time, so I was thinking to just put that in there and see what comes out. I guess I just need to write it and see how it comes out. I agree that comedy is a lot harder than most people realize. I guess we'll see what happens!

8thSamurai · Jun 23, 2009

I read novels, not watch them.

And have no idea what a 'non-fiction novel' is.

scriptwriter74 · Jun 24, 2009

i wouldn't

i don't see anything original here

Celia Cyanide · Jun 24, 2009

8thSamurai said:
I read novels, not watch them.

And have no idea what a 'non-fiction novel' is.

I've only heard that description applied to In Cold Blood.

Cyia · Jun 24, 2009

8thSamurai said:
I read novels, not watch them.

And have no idea what a 'non-fiction novel' is.

Narrative non-fiction. Someone whose real story reads like a novel.

AdamH · Jun 24, 2009

8thSamurai said:
I read novels, not watch them.

And have no idea what a 'non-fiction novel' is.

Think: The Hot Zone by Richard Preson.

Completely bone chilling true story about the Ebola Virus running rampant in the US but written with a thriller novel flair.

To answer Julie's post:

If you're going to do a Rom-Com, you need to find the humour in everything. Emotions are funny that way. It has to go beyond the one dimension of physical comedy to be considered funny. It's cute and silly having a clutzy character that trips over stuff (Sandra Bullock) but gets old really quick. Also if there's no timing, there's no humour no matter how funny the punchline is.

I haven't seen The Proposal...but the timing between Sandra and Ryan Reynolds is great on the previews. Watch some movies, read some scripts that are along the lines to how you'd like to write this.

But...if you can nail the timing, it might be worthwhile to see.

JulieJames · Jun 25, 2009

AdamH said:
If you're going to do a Rom-Com, you need to find the humour in everything. Emotions are funny that way. It has to go beyond the one dimension of physical comedy to be considered funny. It's cute and silly having a clutzy character that trips over stuff (Sandra Bullock) but gets old really quick. Also if there's no timing, there's no humour no matter how funny the punchline is.

I haven't seen The Proposal...but the timing between Sandra and Ryan Reynolds is great on the previews. Watch some movies, read some scripts that are along the lines to how you'd like to write this.

But...if you can nail the timing, it might be worthwhile to see.

I was actually thinking along the lines of the breakup or knocked up. So now it's time to do some homework and find the timing. Thanks for the great advice!

luke_mushu_2010 · Jun 25, 2009

It sounds pretty original to me. I'm sure a lot of women would like to see it, but it's not really my type of movie.

Team 2012 · Jun 25, 2009

luke_mushu_2010 said:
I'm sure a lot of women would like to see it,

You must have missed this part.

I couldn't see making the whole story about her emotional drama.

WMcQuaig · Jun 25, 2009

To answer your question, no I wouldn't see it. That's not to say it's a bad idea though. As for originality, I'm seeing a female version of "Run Fatboy Run". On the one hand, it could be original in the sense that it is about the lengths women will go too, etc. etc. On the other hand, it's basically "Run Fatgirl Run".

I think it would be funny to see if she tries to lose weight for this guy but just can't give up a good jelly donut. But that's me. Best of luck.

zeprosnepsid · Jun 26, 2009

JulieJames said:
He's also concerned about her letting herself go and it prompts her to get her butt back in shape,

That kind of borders on insulting on a couple levels. She's not lovable if she's fat? It takes a man to get her to get in shape? You may alienate a lot of your audience right from the concept.

She should decide to get in shape for the 'right' reasons. And ideally, he should love her when she's overweight. Maybe she falls for him and gets in shape for him but then finds out he liked her all the time. Or he helps her get in shape just to spend more time with her, not because he cares what she looks like.

But making it about 'thinness' is really un-p.c.

Fokker Aeroplanbau · Jun 26, 2009

This reminds of "Run Fatboy, Run!" That was a funny movie, great wit and I enjoyed the plot. This, like all 'Real Life but Hollywood' movies (a self-inflicted genre) needs to have some great supporting actors, some great writing but most of all: a woman we can identify with. No real hotties, just someone cute and pleasant; if it's someone like... Angelina or Megan Fox I wouldn't go see it just because it wouldn't seem possible.

I think you'll get some criticism from the 'cultural elite' but don't sweat it, a good movie will be a good movie if it's a good movie; not if someone's worried about the morals Hollywood portrays. Wow, I can hardly put Hollywood and morals in the same sentence with a straight face. Hahaha.'

JulieJames · Jun 26, 2009

zeprosnepsid said:
That kind of borders on insulting on a couple levels. She's not lovable if she's fat? It takes a man to get her to get in shape? You may alienate a lot of your audience right from the concept.

She should decide to get in shape for the 'right' reasons. And ideally, he should love her when she's overweight. Maybe she falls for him and gets in shape for him but then finds out he liked her all the time. Or he helps her get in shape just to spend more time with her, not because he cares what she looks like.

But making it about 'thinness' is really un-p.c.

well... I'm the fat chick and when I step out of the situation I find it quite hillarious, especially all the s*^t I've been going through so far...

zeprosnepsid · Jun 26, 2009

A woman trying to lose weight and facing all kinds of crazy obstacles is potentially quite hilarious. A woman trying to lose weight to gain the 'love' of a man is pathetic.

ricetalks · Jun 27, 2009

I'm not likely to see this type of movie, but I don't have a strict bible of what I will and won't see. Anything well done will attract me. I think there is a big audience for this type of film. I think the idea holds promise.

Writing comedy is hard. I think for this type of story to work you have to have a very good sense of the absurd. Of the ironic. And you have to write it with a certain amount of love and warmth in your heart if it is not going to come out too black. If your not laughing while you writing it, it's a bad sign. If you're writing it thinking, "This will be funny. Yeah, this is funny" you're in trouble.

Remember whenever you are writing any story, be it truth or fiction, you are always participating in the artificial structure of telling a story, more so than ever in a film script. So whether or not it is a true story, whether you draw your material from your real life, you imagination or the newspaper, you must still hammer those incidents and events into the artificial structure of a 120 page screenplay. So it really doesn't make any difference to the actual writing of it, whether or not it is true.

In a way you are always writing fiction. I think the idea has merit. Knock the idea out and see what you get.

JulieJames · Jun 27, 2009

Rice- thanks for the advice and support. I've already started trying to hammer out a ROUGH outline, and I think i have like 30 (?) comedys along similar lines lined up in my netflix que so I plan on watching them all at least 2x each and taking note on everything and especially timing!

ricetalks · Jun 27, 2009

Take a look at it all. But remember, at the end of the day you have to write something original. Something only you can write. So take a look at whatever for the possibilities, the "how someone else might have approached and handled the material", but in the end, accept that you have to tell your story in the way that only you can.

Get a feel for what you want to tell and how you might want to tell it, but when the rubber hits the road, don't put to much stock in anything you saw. Forget it all and write what only you can write.

I might not want to pay $13.00 to se it, but I'm willing to bet my wife would.

Pilote · Jun 28, 2009

I usually avoid those types of movies, they sound too much like paint by numbers for me but I can see that it might be appealing to people who enjoy movies like The Proposal.

zeprosnepsid · Jun 30, 2009

The Proposal subverts gender expectations by putting the woman in the man's role. I doubt people who enjoy that would like to see a woman lose weight to please a man.

I really think you should focus on the group of women and go girl power.

But I'll let this go now, my opinion is well known. I just couldn't let that comment on The Proposal go unanswered. I've been researching the preferences of female audiences for 2 years now for a project, so I just have strong opinions on the subject.

Grandmaster · Jul 5, 2009

I keep seeing anywho posted all around the internet. Doesn't anyone know that it's NOT a word?

On topic: I'm a dude so I'd really not be interested, but maybe if it was funny you'd get a few women drag their men along.
I hate it when they do that.

Would you go see this?

JulieJames

boldly going nowhere...

DavidZahir

Malkavian Primogen

TheUnknownAuthor

DevelopmentExec

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

JulieJames

boldly going nowhere...

8thSamurai

scriptwriter74

Sirius

Celia Cyanide

Joker Groupie

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

AdamH

Pumped Up Kicks

JulieJames

boldly going nowhere...

luke_mushu_2010

Team 2012

WMcQuaig

insert something original or whitty

zeprosnepsid

Fokker Aeroplanbau

JulieJames

boldly going nowhere...

zeprosnepsid

ricetalks

JulieJames

boldly going nowhere...

ricetalks

Pilote

zeprosnepsid

Grandmaster