Contour At The Movies

Overall Impression – A lighthearted, goofy (and I’ll admit, fun) comedy about debt relief – Hollywood style.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Rebecca Bloomwood.

What’s she trying to accomplish? – Professional: pay off her credit card debt. Personal: overcome her shopping addiction. Private: find the things in life that have real value.

Who’s trying to stop her? – Rebecca is her own greatest enemy, but there are plenty of lesser antagonists along the way.

What happens if she fails? – Rebecca will lose her best friend, the man of her dreams, the perfect job, her home… in other words, everything that really matters.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Throughout Rebecca’s childhood, her mom refused to shell out for designer clothes, making her the odd one out amongst her friends.

Wanderer – When Rebecca realizes her crazy spending has landed her in debt, she’s forced to admit that she’s a shopaholic. Rebecca attempts to put her vice to practical use by going for a dream job at a fashion magazine, but gets sidetracked by the perfect green scarf and misses her interview. Realizing her only option is to wing a job at a finance magazine (owned by the same company) and work her way up, Rebecca interviews with soon-to-be love interest Luke Brandon. To her joy/dismay, he gives her a shot – to write an article about staying out of debt! Rebecca knows zip about finance, but makes a daunting topic accessible to herself (and millions of new readers) by writing in shop-talk.

Warrior – Enjoying overnight success and her first decent paycheck, Rebecca gets more involved with the magazine, and with Luke. But complications are aplenty. Not only must she keep up her façade as a ‘money-smart guru’, but she has to avoid the evil debt collector, control her urges to spend and compete with a model for Luke’s affections. Rebecca joins a “shopaholics anonymous” group, but it’s all in vain as, inevitably, everything blows up in her face: Rebecca loses her love interest, her best friend, and is revealed as a fraud on national television.

Martyr – A solution presents itself when the head of the fashion magazine offers Rebecca her dream job, wanting her to manipulate her devoted readers into buying designer products. Rebecca sticks to her morals and refuses, deciding to remove her debt by selling all of her clothes, including her coveted green scarf. After this display of character, Rebecca wins back Luke, her friend, and finally pays off her debt.

AND, IN THE END…

While I enjoyed the movie (this being written by someone whose eyes glaze over on the topic of fashion) there were elements that niggled me.

The ORPHAN section felt weak, and failed to get me rooting for Rebecca. She never suffered any undeserved misfortune… not really.  It’s more like she was jealous of spoiled kids’ undeserved fortune. I’ve been in the same position as kid-Rebecca (replace Prada bags with SNES games), and it didn’t feel big enough a story point to warrant support for an adult who seemed no wiser than when she was 6.  All I could think was “get over it.”

There’s some talk going on about whether CONFESSIONS came out at a bad time, given the current economic crisis.  Since Rebecca’s problem is wasting money on luxury products,  I’m sure this amplified my lack of sympathy, but I suspect I would’ve felt the same way even if we were in more prosperous times.

That being said, it didn’t matter in the end –  Isla Fisher was too likable! Throw in John Goodman, Joan Cusack and plenty of physical comedy, and the movie is bound to please some people even if it was released at an unfortunate time.

— Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression – Fun, but it felt like something was missing.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? – Carl Allen.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – Professional: become a ‘Yes Man’.  Personal: win over Allison.  Private: not spend his life alone.

Who’s trying to stop him? – Minor obstacles along the way… mostly his own cynical self, but there’s no real antagonist. 

What happens if he fails? – He remains alone.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – After being spurned by his wife, Carl lives alone, brushes off his friends and takes no joy in life.  He’s the ultimate cynic, saying “no” to every opportunity that comes his way.

Wanderer – When Carl attends a ‘Yes Man’ seminar, he’s convinced to change his life around by saying “YES!” to every opportunity.  Carl’s skepticism is well founded.  Every time he says “yes”, something bad happens, but when he decides he’s done with the program, a dog nearly mauls him, so Carl now believes in the ‘covenant’: that bad things happen to those who say “no”!  So, he continues saying “yes” and remains a skeptic… until he meets Allison.

Warrior – Encouraged, Carl starts saying “yes” to every opportunity – and it works!  He gets promoted, he and Allison begin dating… until Allison learns about the ‘Yes Man’ program and thinks Carl only agreed to their whirlwind romance because he felt he had to, not because he wanted to.

Martyr – Carl risks everything to win Allison back, going so far as to cause a car crash to get Terrance Stamp to remove the ‘covenant’ – even though there isn’t one.

AND, IN THE END…

This was a fun movie, but the something that I felt was missing lies in the concept.

YES MAN follows the ultimate cynic who starts saying “yes” to every opportunity that comes his way.  The obvious comedic potential lies in saying “yes” to weird opportunities (which he does), and then we have Jim Carrey, who acts funny wherever he is (which he does). 

Many people likened YES MAN to LIAR LIAR, and found the latter to be superior.  I agree, because the concept for LIAR LIAR elevated everything comedically, instead of merely facilitating it.  Carrey plays a lawyer who doesn’t want to tell the truth, but has to, and there’s absolutely nothing he can do about it.  Fletcher has to deal with his worst nightmare (and ours): telling the truth all the time.

In YES MAN, Carl throws himself into a bunch of outlandish situations.  Why?  Because he has to say “yes”.  Why must he say “yes?”  Because of that covenant thing… which doesn’t really exist.  Then why’s he really doing it?  Maybe it’s because he wants to change.  Would LIAR LIAR be funny if Fletcher wanted to tell the truth?    

In my mind, this kind of comedy has to have a hero who absolutely doesn’t want to change, but doesn’t have a choice.  That’s the “something”.  LIAR LIAR had it.  I’m not sure YES MAN did.

                                                                                                                                                                                                – Dan Pilditch

Overall Impression — Oh.  My.  Lord.  The biggest cajones in the comedy world belong to Ben Stiller.  This movie goes places wise men fear to tread…and comes out the other side in one, amazing piece.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? — Tugg Speedman.

What’s he trying to accomplish? — Professional: Rebuild his career by appearing in an epic war movie.  Personal: be a leader to his troupe of actors.  Private: Learn how to REALLY care about something other than himself.

Who’s trying to stop him? — Drug lords.

What happens if he fails? — He dies.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan — Tugg is  in over his head starring in an out of control war movie, then he and his fellow actors are dropped in the jungle and lose total contact with the outside world.

Wanderer — Tugg and his troupe continue trying to “act” in the movie they think is still going on, until it slowly becomes obvious to everyone but Tugg that this is real.    Tugg eventually parts company with the others and fights to survive in the jungle on his own.

Warrior — Tugg gets taken prisoner by a gang of drug runners, and eventually realizes that this isn’t a movie.  His fellow actors realize that Tugg’s in trouble and have to come up with a plan to rescue him.  

Martyr — Everyone is willing to risk everything for Tugg, Tugg’s willing to risk everything for his “son”, Tugg’s agent is willing to risk…no, I can’t give it away.  Basically, it’s an over-the-top Martyr Fest!

AND, IN THE END…

The purpose of this blog is not to review movies, but to examine if they work and then hold up their relative success or failure against the principles in TotallyWrite and Contour.

TROPIC THUNDER works like gangbusters structurally, a fact which can easily get lost because you’re either laughing out loud so often or your jaw has dropped against your chest in wonderment that they actually “went there.”

I’ve often heard not to make movies that are too “inside.”   It has something to do with people not really being too interested in peering behind the curtain into the entertainment they’re enjoying.  But TROPIC THUNDER is both inside and outside.  It makes fun of everything including celebrity adoptions, celebrity children’s books, agents, producers, directors, product placement, Oscar worthy roles about the mentally challenged; it’s both a satire about how actors feel about themselves and how we feel about them.

Overall Impression — At first I was embarrassed at how much I liked this movie, and then I realized that I had nothing to be ashamed about!

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s your main character? — Maxwell Smart.

What’s he trying to accomplish? — Prove that he’s a capable field agent, impress Agent 99, and save the city of Los Angeles.

Who’s trying to stop him? — Siegfried of KAOS.

What happens if he fails? — The city of Los Angeles will be destroyed by a bomb

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan — Max is a highly regarded analyst but has failed the field agent test a number of times.  When he finally passes the test he still isn’t promoted because he’s too valuable at the office.  People think he’s a joke, he lives alone, and gets no respect from most of the other agents.

Wanderer — Max gets his big break, is partnered with Agent 99, and starts to pursue leads — all the while trying to figure out how to get 99 to open up to him and like him.

Warrior — In a brilliant switch over from wanderer to warrior, Max takes the “fight” to 99 and during a battle for supremacy on a ballroom dance floor.  She begins to respect him and they start bonding while getting closer to KAOS.

Martyr — Max is willing to sacrifice himself and his career (he’s been branded a double agent) in order to save the city.

AND, IN THE END…

I think the thing I like most about this movie was that the filmmakers didn’t take the easy (i.e. stoopid) way out.  It would have been too simple to make Max a total fool.  Instead, he’s a perceptive agent with great instincts (really heroic qualities) but lousy luck!  This makes him a perfect comic leading man.  We’re able to laugh with Max and sometimes at him, but without ever feeling guilty or cruel.

Philosopher Henri Bergson famously said that comedy requires “a momentary anesthesia of the heart”, which is true to an extent in GET SMART.  It’s easy to feel superior to a comic, inept character and it requires us to park our humanity for a short while to enjoy watching the pie hit the face.  Thanks to some deft character work all around, the anesthesia required to watch Max is more of a mild sedative.

 Overall Impression — A confused movie that delivers more sizzle than steak.

 THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s the main character? — Giselle.

What’s she trying to accomplish? —  Sort of return to Andalusia (her fairy tale realm) but she doesn’t actively try to do that much after a few first efforts.  Her main drive is to wait for her prince to save her.  This is the first problem the film encounters,  though it’s glossed over with plenty of goofy charm.  Her final drive is to find her “true love’s kiss.”

Who’s trying to stop her? – Another problem or two; the evil queen/wicked stepmother (the prince’s not hers) wants to stop him from marrying Giselle, hence the toss down the well. After Giselle gets to New York, she falls in love with a New Yorker named Robert, which the evil queen sees through various liquids (don’t ask.) Seeing that Giselle is losing interest in her stepson, you would think that this would be enough for the queen, but NOOOOOOOO! She decides that Giselle needs to be killed as well. The bulk of the queen’s opposition to Giselle’s plan, such as it is, is to send an evil henchman after Giselle to poison her.

What happens if she fails? – Well, the drive to either get back to Andalusia or wait for the Prince to come (or even fall in love with Robert) gets usurped by the attempts on Giselle’s life. Only, Giselle doesn’t know she’s a target. So the audience knows that she might die, however she doesn’t, so as she’s not trying to do anything active, she’s got nothing to fail at while simultaneously being in mortal peril.  

Now, one could flip all of this around and make Robert the main character I suppose.   He’s trying to figure out what to do with Giselle, then he starts falling in love with her, and if he fails she ends up with the insufferably self-absorbed prince.  Or dead, only Robert doesn’t know that Giselle is being targeted either.    And seeing as the final battle is Giselle versus the Queen over Robert (Good Guy vs Bad Guy over Stakes) we’re back to Giselle being the main character.  

I told you it was a confused movie.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Giselle is literally an orphan, who gets thrown down a well and pops out in New York where she knows nothing and no one.

Wanderer – Giselle tries to figure out where she is and what’s happened to her. She eventually ends up being taken in by Robert and his daughter. Now he tries to figure out who she is and what’s happened to her. Eventually he believes that she’s a real fairy tale princess (I think, but maybe I imagined this moment). 

Warrior – Next problem; Giselle doesn’t really fight to achieve a goal. There are people fighting on her behalf, but not our main character.

Martyr – Giselle gives up her prince in favor of Robert, and then is willing to fight the evil queen (who’s come to New York to poison Giselle personally) in order to save Robert. 

 AND, IN THE END…

This is a movie which is so innocuous that beating up on its structural indiscretions is like kicking a puppy. The fact that the story is a mess hasn’t stopped it from being #1 at the box office two weeks running as of the time of this writing. It does enough things right that one is almost able to forgive it for all the things it does wrong. Almost. But success is the best revenge, and ENCHANTED is thumbing its nose at good storytelling all the way to the bank.

I think the high concept of the movie is the real hero here, so let this be a lesson for all of us. A good concept is worth its weight in glass slippers. 

Overall Impression — Crass, rude, and I loved it.

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s the main character? — Seth Rogen’s slacker-stoner, Ben.

What’s he trying to accomplish? —  Ben’s trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend and potential father.

Who’s trying to stop him? —  To an extent, his slacker buddies as well as the girl he…uh…knocked up, Alison (Katherine Heigl) as well as her sister and brother-in-law.

What happens if he fails? —  He loses the one girl he’s ever met who could possibly love him.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan – Ben is a happy, broke, stoned slacker who is forced to leave his “community” when he sleeps up and gets Alison pregnant.

Wanderer — Ben tries to figure out how not to be so rude and objectionable, how to fit in with Alison’s family (particularly her sister) and how to be a good match for Alison whom  he love and who is beginning to love him.  The problem is that he’s not really committed to doing the right thing, but to making it look like he’s doing the right thing.

Warrior —  After Alison rejects a marriage proposal, Ben starts fighting harder to be the right person for her.  Unfortunately this only involves trying to fit her into his slacker life.  He also starts getting more antagonist as his efforts fail. 

Martyr – Finally, Ben realizes that real changes have to be made.  He moves out of the apartment he shares with his friends, gives up the empty dream of launching his snarky website, gets a job, and by doing so, finally becomes the person Alison and their baby needs.

AND, IN THE END… 

Such a great, simple story.  Of course, what puts this over the top is the outrageous humour which, while crude in many places, is so grounded in reality and uniquely funny that it’s hard not to be impressed. 

I’m often telling writers that they have to “bring something to the party.”  What I mean is that if they write a scene that ANYONE could have written, then who needs them?  There are so many moments in KNOCKED UP where Judd Apatow and/or his crazy-talented cast bring something to the party that I can’t help but smile with admiration while also marveling at the minds that came up with the word “smish-smortion.”

Overall Impression — A sweet movie with a great cast.  

THE FOUR QUESTIONS

Who’s the main character? – Steve Carell’s Dan Burns.

What’s he trying to accomplish? – He’s trying find love…and unfortunately for him the object of  his affection is his brother’s new girlfriend (Juliette Binoche).

Who’s trying to stop him? – Everyone!  The family thinks she’s great, his brother’s a jerk, she’s clearly getting interested in him…but stealing your brother’s girlfriend is wrong, Wrong, WRONG!

What happens if he fails? – The girl of his dreams will leave forever, or worse, marry his brother which will mean a lifetime of torture for Dan.

THE FOUR ARCHETYPES

Orphan –  Dan’s a widower, who has all but given up on finding a woman as wonderful as his dead wife.

Wanderer –Dan travels to a family reunion where he cute-meets a great girl, only to discover that she’s his brother’s new girlfriend.   He tries avoiding her, avoiding his feelings, but eventually realizes that he can’t, so he goes…

Warrior – …negative on her!  He tells her that whenever he thinks about her, he’s going to think about her flaws.  He even goes out on a date with a wildly inappropriate local girl to make Marie think he’s not interested in her (which just serves to make her more interested in him!)

Martyr – A little weak, here.  As I recall, Dan only gives up his reluctance to tell Marie how he feels.  This leads to a fight with his brother, Marie leaving, and ultimately…getting back together again.  More pointedly, he does give up on not allowing his daughter to drive (he lost his license and now needs her to drive him to the city to find Marie) but this is thin.

AND IN THE END…

Dying is easy…comedy is hard.  And romantic comedy is hardest of all. DAN IN REAL LIFE does a great job but falls a little short in the “martyr” beats.  Not a lot short, only a little.  Still, a nice story, well acted and well told.