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I received news from Matt Allen and Caleb Wilson, the writers of Four Christmases, that their trailer was available online. And though we can’t tell everything from a trailer, this one made me laugh out loud three times in three minutes. Here it is:
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809961243/video/9706332
Four Christmases you may recall is a script I cite in Save the Cat! At that time, 2003, while writing Cat! I went through the recent spec script sales and picked a few that “made me jealous” — always a good sign! It’s a clever hook, good title, a mental image that “blooms” in my imagination, and since we are all looking for Christmas perennials, I noted that if I were an executive I would be interested in seeing that screenplay. I also noted, never having read the script, that the story would be “about” a young couple who in the course of their busy day visiting all four of their divorced parents would question their own marriage, and that the film would be served by multiple-aged casting that had found success in movies like Meet The Parents.
And lo!
The film stars Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn, features Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek, and will be released Thanksgiving and play through the holidays.
Congrats to the writers of this high-concept winner (the final credits are Screenplay by Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson and Jon Lucas & Scott Moore, and Story by Matt Allen & Caleb Wilson). A valuable lesson for all of us trying to craft a story that satisfies. While “based on” the real life experience of one of the writers, it was only the “springboard” for the demands of a well-executed screenplay.
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September 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 am
I laughed out loud like 5 times! Great stuff. I love the bit about how the sons are all named after the cities they were conceived in, and the former best friend of the Vince character is now married to Vince’s mother. (Ew.)
When they were filming the movie here in SF, there were constant Reese and Vince sightings all over town. Reese was often spotted in restaurants making out with Jake G. and while Vince was hanging out in bars and nightclubs.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Wow, that’s a great news! Although some time passed since I red STC! for the last time, I immediately recalled this story. And now we can see the movie… That’s just amazing. My congratulations to the writers and thanks to Blake for keeping us updated and demonstrating that things indeed get real sometimes.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
I out laughed both of you put together! That was hilarious … I guess you can tell that I love high-concept family comedies … Great to see that you called it right Blake, and that my ideas aren’t too far from these.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:30 pm
What a great trailer and concept! Who doesn’t love Reese and Vince? I remember discussions about “Four Christmases” in the Beat workshops. Tons of fun to see it coming together! Blake, you knew it would be a success.
And I have to say I’ve been in the dumps about the summer months being over and that 2008 is flying by so quickly and I don’t find enough time to write. But now after seeing this trailer, I’m inspired by the writers and getting very excited about all the upcoming holidays, activities, and especially this movie!!! Now I plan to sit by a fire and write, write, write! Thanks, Blake.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:07 am
Hi Pat, I know what you mean. For what it’s worth, I find that attending screenwriting events and groups paradoxically gives me more time to write because I’m more pumped-up and motivated to write more in any spare moments in the week.
November 17th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
It’s been over a year since I last read STC, but as soon as I heard this movie title, I thought, “Isn’t that the movie from STC?”
And sure enough! It is!
You were definitely right about the title and concept sticking in our minds…