Day 4 Assignments

[Jonathan Meltzer]

<div>Jonathan Meltzer’s 10 Most Interesting Things</div>

A. My story is a Self vs. Self. The protagonist and the antagonist are the same person, as is probably the case with most Alcoholics.

B. My opening scene takes place at a Bar on a busy Thursday night. The guys are celebrating Larry’s 39th Birthday and are drinking. Bobby has 4 drinks and at the urging of his friend, Kevin, orders an Uber to take him home. He goes outside so he won’t miss his Uber and overhears two neighbors arguing over some “asshole” whose car is blocking their driveway. Bobby laughs at first but as he overhears the man’s call to have it tow’d discovers the car belongs to him. Already drunk Bobby argues for the man to “just pull it in” as he is “only” blocking his driveway by a foot. This situation ends with Bobby driving home to avoid having his car impounded and leads to him smashing into the back of a Police Car.

C. This leads into turning point #1 with Bobby being court ordered to attend AA meetings for one year and turning point #2 where he meets Kim, the pretty redhead he falls for.

D. Bobby’s emotional dilemma is whether to admit he is an Alcoholic or not. He is an Alcoholic and needs help but the main reason he admits this at first is because Kim believes he is one, he is just in “denial” like so many others, and admitting this allows him to stay in AA and get a chance to date her.

E. My major twist is at the end of Act 2 where Kim falls off the wagon and has sex with the Bartender at the bar she drinks at.

F. My biggest reversal is Bobby deciding to stay sober as his friends tell him not to blow his one month of sobriety over some girl.

G. Kim betrays Bobby because she drinks again and has sex with the bartender. it is not an ultimate betrayal as they manage to remain friends. They both still like each other and are in the same AA group.

H. Big Surprises: Bobby admitting he is an Alcoholic at the end of Act 1, Kim and Bobby getting together in the middle of Act 2, Kim cheating on Bobby at the end of Act 2 and at the climax, after Bobby suspects her of cheating he refuses to drink at the game and decides to stay sober.

2. I feel like that list should definitely get the interest of a Producer.

3. The main interesting thing is we get to see two people in AA, one for the first time, the other 3 years sober, decide to date when AA tells its member NOT to do so UNTIL you have ONE year of sobriety. We get to see this relationship play out and then fizzle after Kim sleeps with Tony. We also get to see Bobby, our hero, do the best thing, not just admit he is an Alcoholic but as his relationship with Kim is breaking down, he decides to stay sober and refuses to drink, much to his friends delight.

4. What I learned doing this assignment is how much I am discovering about my screenplay as I do these assignments. Selling it is just as much a process as writing it is.