It's been a hobby of mine to collect studio notes from executives and/or their reading services. These are an inspired amalgam pulled from the 20 or so scripts Steve Rudnick and I have sold.
P.33 Needs more of a punch in the opening dream sequence. Give us something never before seen; maybe pull something out of the opening of "Indiana Jones."
P.8 Character of Maxine is too stereotypical. Make her more of an Anna Nicole Smith type.
P.22 We love the scene where Dave finds out about his father's past affairs? One of the funniest scenes in the script. It's still too long though. Explore the possibility of shortening it or cutting it all together.
P. 50 Tom's wedding. Tom's anxiety and fear alone isn't big enough for the comedy to play out. Needs more urgency. Perhaps a giant meteor is about to hit the earth or we're on the brink of nuclear war. Whatever you decide, it should be background stuff; it shouldn't overwhelm the scene.
P. 55 Can we get more comedy mileage in changing it from a Catholic service to a Jewish one? Maybe it's a New Age ceremony where we can pull the funny out of all religions, still keeping it respectful.
P. 80 Jack's speech should be funnier but keep it real. This is his opportunity to expose his father for the fake that he is. This should be an honest moment. Perhaps he does it in a PowerPoint demonstration, a video journal, perhaps he hires actors to play out his father's past.
P. 22 The confrontation between the characters seems uninspired. Watch "Four Weddings and a Funeral" for new ideas.
P. 101 This is still our favorite scene and the bread and butter of our movie. Everything has been leading up to this moment and it still doesn't disappoint. Once you incorporate the new First Act and new plot points and new characters, we're sure it will make this scene stronger.
Leo Benvenuti 1/12/09
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