Four Chaotic ChristmasesSUMMARY + ABOUT “A couple struggles to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas.” – IMDB. The protagonists of Four Christmases are Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Jon Voight, Jon Favreau, and Mary Steenburgen. The movie’s script was written by Matt Allen and Caleb Wilson, and Seth Gordon directed the film. It first aired in 2008 and was written by . It won the BMI Music Award. REVIEW This is one of my favorite Christmas movies—not just because it’s funny, because it has meaning. It means that even if you have gone through something difficult with the person you love, you will always stay by his/her side and keep loving him/her. It’s just a wonderful movie. I’ve decided to analyze the script of Four Christmases, not just because it’s a good Christmas movie, but because I feel that the script needs to be analyzed, too. I’ve noticed that people don’t analyze movie scripts as much as I do, so that’s why I’m the one you can rely on! The two scenes I’ve chosen so you guys can read the written version (which is, accurately enough, transcripted by me) are enjoyable and really, really, amusing. The first one is called the Mary and Joseph scene, while the second one is The Pee Stick scene. But first, let’s start with our story! Kate and Brad are our usual couple. They love each other, and weirdly enough, like faking names. For example, they “role-play” their so-called first meeting. I was really confused at first. I mean, who wouldn’t?! But then we find out that they do that for fun… which is weird. Then, they call their parents and make excuses about WHY they cannot be in Christmas at their place… because it’s just too awkward. Why? Because their parents are divorced. Brad’s parents are divorced, and his mother is dating his old best friend (ew, I know). Kate’s parents are divorced, and her mother is dating the Church’s Pastor. It is a little weird for them. Scratch a little, it’s really weird for them to see their parents not being together anymore. I feel like even though they’re adults, they have an inner child inside. And their relatives are actually really, really, weird. Every year, they make excuses up, so they cannot make it to their family’s Christmas, and go to islands and stuff. For example, they have gone to Costa Rica and Hawaii, and on this occasion, they were going to Fiji. But a fog ruined it all. None of the airlines wanted to go to Fiji, because the fog was too thick—and unfortunately, the national news was there to record it. That meant that their parents and the rest of their families knew that they were going to be available to go to their Christmas. When I first saw the movie, I thought it would be a total chaos. Meeting four families (FOUR), spending time with them, and then going to meet the other one can be pretty exhausting… scratch the can be. It is exhausting, even though I will never ever do it. Just by judging their expressions, we can clearly see they’re pretty tired AND in a grouchy mood right now. Which, by the way, is me every time I finish a good book with an unsatisfactory ending. So, they first visit Brad’s dad, and disgustingly enough, his brothers are called Denver and Dallas. Much to my surprise, Brad’s actual name is Orlando. Why do him and his siblings carry such strange names? Well, they were named after the city in which they were conceived. Disgusting, I know. I find Brad’s family amusing. They just have different, whacky, personalities, so it’s just to funny for me! For example, Denver’s wife makes “salad”. And it isn’t salad, it has potatoes, mayonnaise, then more potatoes, mayonnaise, and lettuce and cheese. Quite healthy, don’t you agree? After more chaos with Brad’s family, they decide to drive to Kate’s mother’s house. They’re… super-duper religious. I mean, they even have the statue of the Virgin Mary outside the house! Oh wow. Since we now know that Brad’s real name is Orlando, the screenwriters have decided that we need to know a Kate secret. And we do… she was called Cootie Kate when she was a little girl and was… fat. So, now we know their embarrassing secrets that can potentially damage their relationship. Why? Because their estranged families caused it. After Kate’s two embarrassing secrets, she goes to the bathroom and tries a pregnancy test, since she was a few days late and was curious. Unfortunately, enough, her niece mistakes it for a marker, and grabs it, causing Kate to chase her around the house, and to face her childhood fear. She had to get on the jump-jump to find the pregnancy stick. At the end she did, just because she told her niece (named Kasi) that she peed on it. That is one of the scenes you, my readers, will get to see! It’s so funny I laugh every time I see it. After that, they go to the church, where Kate meets her mother’s newest boyfriend, Pastor Phil. And when he starts giving the mass, everyone claps and shouts like he’s a Rockstar about to do a concert. It was a very funny scene, indeed. Then, the Pastor asks for two volunteers, so they can be Mary and Joseph. Kate’s mom says that Kate and Brad can do it, and Kate reveals to Brad that she has stage fright. So, when it’s time for them to deliver their lines with Baby Jesus, Kate freaks out, and Brad takes over—making the scene undeniably funny. Kate was supposed to “swaddle” Baby Jesus, but Brad has the thing to actually swaddle the baby. At the end, we know he just wanted the spotlight because he grabs the swaddle and swaddles Baby Jesus himself. Talk about a macho man, don’t you agree? It was really embarrassing for her, so they leave almost immediately towards Brad’s mother’s house, in which it’s revealed that Brad’s old best friend is currently dating his mother. Talk about disgusting. Brad’s brother and his wife also come, and since they’re all there, Brad’s mom decides to play a game of who knows each other best. We find out Brad and Kate don’t know every single detail about each other. So, Kate is supposedly mad at Brad, and Brad at Kate, because he finds out that Kate wants to have kids. And he’s terrified of the idea, too. Kate decides to visit her dad, alone. This was one of the most heartwarming scenes is when Brad realizes that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Kate—so they start discussing what their kids will do, and etc. News flash, and it’s the next year. They have a baby girl, and as always, they didn’t even tell their families about it. Since they have the worst luck ever, their baby girl is the first baby of the New Year. So, a news reporter enters the delivery room and asks, “How does it feel to be the parents of the first baby of the New Year?” And the baby girl throws up. So, their families now know exactly everything that happened. Now, let’s go to the two scenes I chose! I think y’all will like them so much and laugh along with me! 😊 The first one, as I mentioned before, is one when Kate tells her niece that she peed on the “magic marker.” You can read it right here. And the second one, is when the play as Mary and Joseph. You can read it here. I hope y’all enjoyed this script review! And please watch the movie… it’s really funny! I give this script a 7/10. Not because it is a bad movie, but because it doesn’t have a firm sequencing—the scenes don’t flow in a… flowy manner. They aren’t pieced together in a way that causes the viewer to ask, “My, has the movie flown by?” No, it didn’t flow by. We feel it has been four hours since we got to the movie theater, instead of ninety minutes. The actors did transmit all of the emotions… but the script, when I read it, wasn’t exactly super-detailed on how they had to look and feel. I think that the cast had to improvise while acting, because I can clearly feel the sadness, the stress, the embarrassment while watching the movie, but while I read the script… I feel none. The script itself had potential, and most of the actors were Oscar winners or super-recognized. This movie was supposed to be great, but the script wasn’t written in a way that showed all of the potential it had. That is one of the reasons I don’t think this script deserves an 8/10. I also sometimes wonder… what if Kate’s mom was best friends with Brad’s dad? Or what if they dated? And what if Kate’s dad was dating Brad’s mom or they are close friends? All of them would be connected in some way. I feel that if there was only one, big, chaotic rendezvous, then the movie would’ve been better. Anyways, I think that this is a nice movie to prepare yourself for the holidays… and that means Halloween, Thanksgiving, and much more! Just remember that when watching this movie, you must know that you’ll be seated in there for a really long time. I hope y’all enjoyed this script review! And please watch the movie… it’s really funny! Here are the official trailer and some bloopers! Until next month, my readers! ©2018 Pink Smoothie! AUTHOR'S NOTE Any pictures/gifs do not belong to me, otherwise stated.
0 Comments
The Code RedSUMMARY + ABOUT “Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.” – IMDb. The protagonists of A Few Good Men are Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon. By just mentioning these actors, you can imagine what type of movie and acting you’re going to find, so don’t think that just because it’s “antique”, you’re going to see something terrible and unworthy for your eyes. The movie’s script was written by Aaron Sorkin and the film was directed by Rob Reiner. And MR. SORKIN is like a Demi-God in Screenwriting. Really. Just google him, and you’ll see! A Few Good Men was nominated for the Oscars and the Golden Globes, but sadly, it didn’t win either one of the awards shows. However, it was nominated for 30 awards, and that is a great accomplishment. - Academy Awards, Best Picture. - Academy Awards, Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Nicholson). - Academy Awards, Best Sound. - Academy Awards, Best Film Editing. - Golden Globes, Best Motion Picture—Drama. - Golden Globes, Best Director—Rob Reiner. - Golden Globes, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama (Tom Cruise). - Golden Globes, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Jack Nicholson). - Golden Globes, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture. REVIEW Wow. Wow. Wow—I’m still in shock from watching the movie and let me tell you all something: it’s so well-written and acted, it looked amazing. I cannot believe this movie has more than 25 years out in the wilderness (I mean, the world), and it still looks a day old. This movie starts when two marines are ordered to deliver a code red to another marine, one who isn’t good enough to be there. His name is William “Willy” Santiago—a lazy person who falls behind 5 mile runs and did everything wrong. Santiago had asked millions of persons for a transfer, but they didn’t, under any circumstances, comply to answer or looked at the letters he sent. One day, Santiago supposedly gets the news that he, will be transferred. I said “supposedly” because, he wasn’t going to be transferred off the base. He was supposedly so excited, he forgot to tell his parents. Not one friend. Not a single bag of clothes was packed. So, Dawson and Downey went to Willy Santiago’s room with a rag and tape. A few seconds later, Santiago saw them, and was immediately frightened. What happens next is absolutely terrible. Horrendous. Immensely tragic. Since Dawson and Downey were ordered to give the lazy marine a code red, they did so. They were ordered to bring a rag and tape with them, so they could keep Santiago in his place. When one of the two marines placed the rag on William’s mouth, it started bleeding a few seconds later. Dawson and Downey looked at each other in panic—and what happens next isn’t described or appears in the movie. What we know though, it’s that Santiago was dead, at approximately one or two of the morning. The movie then centers into a woman, called JoAnne Galloway. She’s going to a meeting to talk about the case—the case that Dawson and Downey are part of. According to the details, they murdered their fellow marine. What the court or the government didn’t know was that they did what they were told to do, and that if they disobeyed an order, it was bye-bye for them. JoAnne was a professional lawyer, so she expected to control the case; however, the board decided that a more unexperienced lawyer could manage the case. His name was Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, and he was the laziest officer to ever set foot on the marine. I mean, he just graduated from Harvard—and he’s playing baseball with other lazy officers? Geez. Anyways, another officer gets to the baseball court and tells him that the board wanted to see him. So, he goes to the building and gets told that he’s going to be working with Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway. I was normally watching the movie when then it hit me—JoAnne actually has a higher rank than Kaffee… then why did he get the case? And so, I paused the movie, and decided to reflect the thoughts by eating lunch. Then, I put it on again. I then thought, “Well, if he’s lazy the board probably wanted him to manage a case, so he could become more experienced and less lazy.” And then I found out that was it. They wanted Kaffee to have experience. To manage something that he actually couldn’t manage—to solve something extremely difficult. Then, Kaffee gets sent to JoAnne’s office with one of his pals (who, thank gosh, isn’t lazy), called Sam. Sam is married, has a daughter, is responsible, and is basically there to keep Kaffee on his place. Because Kaffee is irresponsible, and always tries to negotiate so his “clients” get home as soon as possible. But he doesn’t prove that they are innocent, and that is actually unacceptable if you are a Harvard graduate and your father was a famous lawyer that did fantastic things for the navy—erm, clients. So, when JoAnne meets him, she was like, “You’re the lawyer whom I’m meant to work with and prove our clients’ innocence?” And Kaffee literally just nodded. He, under any circumstances, has ever proven someone’s innocence in the history of being a lawyer or officer of the United States Navy. So, when JoAnne starts to work with him, he usually ignores her and does the things he wants to do. Like, watching baseball and playing with his other friends—the lazy officers. One day, they’re called to Cuba, to see Santiago’s room and talk with the main officers there, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson, and 2nd Lieutenant Jonathan Kendrick. When Kaffee introduces himself, Jessep asks him to call him “Nathan”, like they were old friends. That’s clearly a sign that Jessep wants to keep Kaffee on his good side. What he doesn’t know, however, is that Jessep just wants him to think he didn’t play any part of this. The movie then develops, and Kaffee with it, too. He becomes more centered to prove his client’s innocence, but before that he tried to negotiate like he always did. What he did, was that he asked his friend, called Captain Ross and asked him if his clients could be home in 6 months—Ross said yes, but they would have to stop being part of the Marine Corps. After that, JoAnne convinces him to take the case to the court—where Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Andrew Markinson shows up on his car and tells him that Jessep wasn’t planning on transferring Santiago off the base, and that there was a flight earlier on the day. Markinson also told him that the transfer order he signed was “fake”, and that he had done so five days after Santiago died. So, Kaffee decides to get him to a motel with security, and almost a few days later Markinson decides to kill himself. After that, Kaffee invites Jessep to come to the case’s final session. And when he does, he asks him silly questions—making Jessep really annoyed. At almost the end of the case, Kaffee orders Jessep to tell him the truth; if he ordered the code red. And at the end, it was Jessep. He ordered the bloody code red. The BLOODY CODE RED! Now, let’s talk about the two scenes I chose from this movie… The first one is when Kaffee forces Jessep to tell him the bloody truth (when Jessep shouts that he did order the code red and silence was heard throughout the whole courtroom). I chose this scene because I think Jack Nicholson’s acting was absolutely outstanding, and the whole “You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall thing” improvisation was perfect for it. Just—wow. You can read it using the link right here: a_few_good_men_-_jessep_tells_the_truth..pdf The second scene is when Jessep is arrested, and that’s a really funny scene and I consider it was one of the best-acted ones too. Just read it, and you’ll laugh out loud or pee your pants because the way Jessep talks, makes other people want to hide in a hole and never come back. You can read it right here: a_few_good_men_-_jessep_is_arrested.pdf Overall, I give this great script a 9/10. Why? The script itself is wonderful, yet it lacked description. I read it before I saw the movie, and I still notice many details the script didn’t have, while the movie did. I love this movie, and its script, because it shows that you need to be involved by truth’s side and win, if you do it honestly and with hard work. I think Tom Cruise acted well, but with a movie that Jack Nicholson stars in, it’s impossible to not be left in the dark. At the end, I found myself reflecting over why they chose Kaffee to manage the case. And then it hit me. They wanted to prove that his father was a better lawyer than him. And at the end, they were wrong. Have any of you ever watched a movie with such an intense script? I have, because this is my first time doing so haha. I hope you enjoy the script and this post, and don’t be shy to comment your thoughts about it! Here are the official trailer and a Rob Reiner interview! ©2018 Pink Smoothie! AUTHOR'S NOTE Any pictures/gifs do not belong to me, otherwise stated. Handle a Demented |
AuthorPink Smoothie is a young author with a great imagination. Through her works, she'll entertain her readers like a refreshing drink. It is very gratifying and exciting for Pink Smoothie to be a MindPlay young author. She feels very honored for helping improve reading skills. Be part of an unusual and unexpected journey through her posts! Archives
September 2018
Categories
All
|