Of course, action movies need slow scenes too. It would’ve been funny, and it wouldn’t have brought the movie’s pace to a standstill. Now if Claire and Phil’s argument had been incorporated into an action sequence, that would’ve worked. The problem is that their argument slows down the action and removes all sense of urgency and momentum near the end of the second act–which is the most crucial time to keep an audience engaged. The state of Phil and Claire’s marriage is an important part of the movie, equally as important as the action sequences and comic gags. The scene ends with them talking about what’s really bothering them–are they really husband and wife…or “excellent roommates” like their friends who are now getting a divorce? Claire reveals she fantasizes about spending time alone (while Phil fantasizes about sleeping with Cyndi Lauper). A bunch of marital issues come out of the closet. This comment is the catalyst for a 5-minute scene, which unfortunately felt like it was 20 minutes long. Phil complains that Claire doesn’t have that “sparkly sparkle” around him, her husband, that she had around her former real estate client, Holbrooke Grant (played by one shirtless Marky Mark). In the middle of a frantic search for the flash drive, Phil and Claire get into a marital argument while driving. Such a tight deadline is screenwriting gold because it infuses a script with urgency, a surefire way to keep an audience engaged.īut an excruciatingly slow scene can cause all that urgency to evaporate (taking audience interest with it). Phil and Claire had to solve the mystery of the flash drive within one night. Screenplay Writing Tip #2: Maintain the urgency You can’t be afraid to make your characters hurt this is especially true at the “all is lost moment” before the second act break. Then, in the climax, Claire and Phil have to repair their marriage before tackling the bad guys–together–a team made all the stronger for being wrenched apart. But I think the all is lost moment would have been better if Phil and Claire’s marriage seemed like it was in danger of falling apart. That very well could’ve been the entire point. Despite everything they had been through, there wasn’t a question of whether or not they would stay a married couple. I think the all is lost moment isn’t deep enough because I never felt that Phil and Claire’s relationship was in any danger. Sounds like this all is lost moment is pretty low. The all is lost moment in Date Night occurs after a slow-speed chase which results in a taxi cab and a very important flash drive landing at the bottom of the Hudson (uhm, it could be another body of water geography is not my strong suit).Īt this point, Claire and Phil seem the furthest away from their goal of getting the flash drive to crime lord, Miletto, which, in turn, will end their nightmarish date night and get them back to the safe suburban world they’re used to. I’ll use the “all is lost moment” as an example. Each of the essential plot points in those acts should be deep and vivid and memorable. But having perfectly structured three acts is not enough. This was no haphazard mash of comedy gags. Screenplay Writing Tip #1: Make your plot points specialĭate Night had a perfect structure, solidly hitting all the essential plot points. Let’s take a look and see what screenwriting tips you can learn from Date Night’s downfall: Date Night had the perfect combination of everything you’d want as a writer and producer of a movie.Īfter watching Date Night as a movie-goer, I watched it from a screenwriter’s perspective to try to figure out what was missing–it’s not just Steve Carell’s masculinity. Marky Mark Wahlberg had a great supporting role. The leads were Saturday Night Live legends Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The premise–a bored married couple is mistaken for a criminal duo while out on their date night–was high-concept. The fact is, Date Night should’ve been a huge blockbuster, easily surpassing $100 million in ticket sales. So why is it included in Scribe Meets World’s Box Office Blues series? Date Night made $98 million dollars at the US box office.
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