So do you REALLY want to be a screenwriter?

"Tales From the Script" a new documentary by Peter Hanson gathers over two dozen screenwriters to explore the honored and abused craft.  A frank discussion of the ups and downs of the trade, the flick is a fascinating watch as it peers into the minds of the working screenwriter. You could take countless "How To Get Your Screenplay Sold" classes and never get the full picture of what a career looks like. Save your $300 on the seminar and see this flick first .

The writers range from William Goldman (arguably the greatest living screenwriter)  to Ari Rubin, a second generation writer who, despite his father's success, has yet to sell a script (take that nepotism!).  Goldman is the patriarch of the doc and has the best view of the craft, he coined the phrase "Nobody knows nothin'." This is the message of the movie.  Goldman continues "If we knew what we were doing, every movie would be wonderful. If actors knew what they were doing, every performance would be swell. It's a crapshoot. It just is. " All of the writers involved have had good years and bad years and no logic can determine how their year is going to go.

The full spectrum of scribes is what makes the movie feel whole. Shane Black, the late 80's wunderkind, has never matched his fresh out of film school success. Michael January has carved himself out a niche in the Straight-To-DVD market.  They all have horror stories about the raping of their scripts, dozens of scripts rejections and a low percentage of produced yet sold scripts. All of them have been fired numerous times.  Regardless,  the witnesses  keep a genuine love of their job. The writers (being writers) don't really focus on the good times but you know they must exist.

While the talking heads do get a little repetitious and even dull, you can't help but wait for the next story.  You give the movie a break when you realize these are not folks whose charm comes out on camera. This medium is not the best for writers. Fortunately, there is a book as well, that I am looking forward to reading.

Overall, definitely worth checking out.

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