Tales from the Script

A very large collection of behind the scenes tidbits that leaves you wanting equally more and less.

I'm generally a sucker for this kind of industry-insider type of documentary, but this kinda fell flat. It's really just a series of anecdotes. Some were great, others were completely uninteresting. Without a through line or any bigger picture to the whole thing, it just felt like less than the sum of its parts.

Fails a bit in how it splits focus. I'd have either liked to have seen a few of the screenwriters and learn about them as people, or just hear 90 minutes of gossip. But I really don't give a shit about the guy who wrote Akeelah and the Bee, and having him and Robert Towne in the same movie feel almost... self-congratulatory? Worth a watch, but wasted potential, unfortunately.

I didn't expect to care so little about what these writers had to say, and to have seen so few of their movies. So much middlebrow crap from the 90s. Really not movies I'm interested in. William Goldman, Frank Darabont, and Shane Black held my attention, but everybody else gets a big ol' thumbs down.

Bare-bones presentation, but a lot of good advice and insight.

A little dry, but informative.

Decent industry film that does a good job portraying things from the writers point of view. It's good that most are well adjusted and self aware to recognize their strange profession and the stories of their fragile egos are pretty entertaining.

Solid documentary all around, but it'll ruin your night.

Fantastic insightful interviews. The subjects don't hold back either - the underdogs of the film business get a chance to vent.

This is a must-see for anyone that's ever even thought about writing a screenplay or entering this insane, hyper-competitive industry. I know writing teachers that include this in their curriculum, and for good reason. Aspiring scribes, take notes.

"A flimsy opportunity to rubberneck at the misfortune of a profession where the summit of aspiration is "getting lied to by a higher caliber of person."" - Bill Weber

I could listen to William Goldman tell stories all day.