Lesson 6

[Jane Alcala]

Comparing Lead Characters to Concept, Theme, and Each Other’s Traits:

Concept: A sex-worker turned comedian must save her failing stand-up career by manipulating her arch enemy–a skittish probation officer–to face-off against her in a TV roast battle.

Dara Phan, protagonist:

Motivation: to become rich and famous as a stand-up comedian

Against antagonist Pat McCarthy’s trait: Pat is callous toward people because she feels like she’s never fit in, and people don’t like her. Pat initially has no intention of helping Dara with her stand-up career.

Dara and Pat both need evidence that they truly care about each other as individuals–and accept each other’s quirks–before either of them is truly willing to help the other one out.

Pat starts to pick up hints that Dara can really care for her and accept her, which is why she starts to care about Dara. Dara–having felt like Pat betrayed her when she most needed her–is more resistant to forgiving Pat and moving on.

Pat is resistant to helping Dara with her career by being in the TV roast battle until Dara and her friends show Pat what it’s like to be welcomed into their comedy posse. For the first time ever, Pat feels like she belongs. Dara’s career break depends on Pat agreeing to be in the Roast Battle.

(plan to complete this later)

Comparing Lead Characters to Theme:

Theme of film: Can enemies help each other move forward with their lives?

–Dara resents Pat for messing up what she believes to be her one and only big break in comedy

–Pat resents Dara for holding Pat responsible for this when Dara was also at fault

–Pat is stuck in her life: she’s been suspended from her job based on a mistake she made in being too obsessive over caring for animals. She’s also depressed, isolated and has no friends.

–When Dara is offered a comedy break to appear on TV for a roast battle–as long as she gets Pat to be her battle partner–Dara’s ambition gets the better of her and she becomes determined to engage Pat to do it.

–In training Pat for the roast battle, Pat finally sees what she’s been missing in not caring about or being involved with people. She finds herself genuinely wanting to help people, including Dara.

–Pat is also in need of a career change and, through her conflict and eventual friendship with Dara, finds a career that is a better fit for her.

–Dara is finally able to admit that she has shortcomings that contribute to her problems in life.

–Roast battling is about telling people painful truths about themselves. When Pat and Dara are in the roast battle, they finally get to telling each other truths the other isn’t willing to face.

(assignment to be continued)