I am working on the next episode of Draft Zero: A Screenwriting Podcast with Stu Willis and we are looking into midpoints. While we have found a number of great examples in drama, scifi, horror and even action, we are struggling to think of points in comedies where the goal of the protagonist changes, the stakes are raised and everything becomes more urgent. Thoughts peeps?
Screenwriting : Can anyone think of comedies with clear midpoint reversals? by Chas Franko Fisher
Can anyone think of comedies with clear midpoint reversals?
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Just went to simplyscripts.com and picked the first at random: Tootsie. When Julie invites Michael over to run lines the goal changes from acting-related to romance-related and from that point on multiplying complications increase the difficulty Michael Dorsey has in keeping all his juggling balls in the air. I'd actually expect most comedies to have a clear midpoint... maybe subtler in terms of "urgency" than in, say, an action movie where the stakes are life/death as opposed to, say, "will the guy get the girl". Maybe you're applying the wrong criteria? I'll throw the question back at you: what's an example of a well-regarded, well-known comedy without a clear midpoint?
I was thinking more recent films. For example, Bridesmaids, Superbad and Knocked Up all have a clear change in sequence at the midpoint... but it does not seem to overly change the protagonist's goal - jsut escalates the obstacles. Does that make sense?
Contrast it to the midpoint in Alien where the whole film changes from scifi to horror and the goal changes from explore to survive.
The midpoint in Tootsie (which is very much a midpoint) is where Michael wants to quit and is told that he can't. Suddenly, his goal changes and the stakes have escalated.
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As long as we're correcting each other, the protagonists' initial goal in Alien isn't to explore, it's to make money. :)
I wasn't correcting you Kerry. But now I will ;) The Weyland Corporation was going to make money from the alien, not the characters. They were just following orders. :P
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I haven't seen Bridesmaids, and the other two I don't remember all that well. But in Knocked Up, isn't the midpoint around the time that Rogen's character decides to grow up? Or gets started on that path? Am I misremembering?
Oh, you're talking about the goal after they follow the distress signal. I meant from the beginning... they're miners or something, right? Whatever they're doing up there, I remember they all own a stake in it. They're there to make money. Anyway, they HAVE to follow orders if they want their share. They don't give a hoot about exploring, they're there for the paycheck. (This isn't splitting hairs. That mercenary aspect is very important because it continues to be the company's motivation even after Ripley's goal has changed to survival. Now she's not at odds with only the alien but also with her former co-protagonist, who's goals are no longer aligned with hers. That's a good lesson in layering conflict there.)
@Kerry: In ALIEN they are the space equivalent of truckers. They aren't miners at all. They are woken up to respond to a distress call and end up being ordered to bring samples back home. And the midpoint I am talking about is after the Alien bursts out of Kane's chest. Because then the goal becomes: catch the Alien. When it starts killing too many of them, it becomes survive. In ALIENS there is a mining colony... but they are all dead except for the little girl.
@Kerry: I reckon you're right about Knocked Up. That is a clear shift in goal for theRogen character. But it hardly is a reversal. Not much in terms of escalating stakes and urgency.
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Just to be clear: I don't think all films have a midpoint reversal nor are they necessary. I just want to find some good ones and look at what makes them good. Tootsie is a great example. Death at a Funeral is another where the death of the dwarf changes EVERYTHING for EVERYONE.
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I reckon the problem is that romantic comedies tend to be more driven by internal factors (you know, character decisions) rather than external factors (tornados and whatnot). You just need "plotty" comedies. If it's hard to think of recent examples, maybe it's because fewer of that type are made these days? I can think of lots from the eighties... Ghostbusters, Ruthless People... What are plotty comedies today? 21 Jump Street? Pineapple Express? I don't remember these movies well enough break down their structures...
Thanks for all the suggestions guys! Here is the end result: http://draft-zero.com/2014/dz-10/