A Story of Stolen Ideas

Back in the summer of 2006, when I was approaching the end of my first year, I sat in the bedroom of a guy called Ben. We had tea in our hands and jokes on our lips.

We were plotting a comedy film because we had time to kill and the inclination to make people laugh. We sat for a whole afternoon and evening, and by three the next morning we had written down the whole film.

It was about two friends, losers, whose lives became more and more like the films they watched. It had running jokes about going to the pub, one character who kept getting shot, and a brilliant finale in which the two characters face off against the villains in a barn. Except they don't really; a third group shows up, so the main characters just try and survive whilst the two parties kill each other.

We're proud of it.

Fast-forward to the spring of 2007 and the release of Hot Fuzz. We both saw it separately, since Ben had moved away from Leeds, and both came away with the same reaction: They stole our film!

They stole our pub running gag, the quaint English village setting, amongst several other things.

I'm bright enough to know that they didn't really steal anything from us. We aren't even on Edgar Wright's radar. But the fact that they managed to play the jokes first means that we'll be accused of plagiarism if and when our film gets made.

But you know what? Life sucks and you move on. So we did. We rewrote some jokes, and tried to step away from where Hot Fuzz walked.

Again, fast-forward, this time until you reach today: the end of summer 2008. I've just been to see Pineapple Express and you know what I saw? Our finale!

You have the two main characters in a barn, trying to desperately not die whilst two warring sides kill each other. The barn even looked like the one in my head. They even had a character who kept getting shot. That was our running joke!

Yes, our finale is slightly different, and yes, I can make it work, but the similarities are annoying. The last thing I want is to be accused of stealing, especially from two film-makers I adore and want to be one day.

Guess it's back to the outline for more changes.

:(

http://klaq.deviantart.com/art/Thief-52790911

Pineapple Express

What’s It About?
A stoner witnesses a corrupt cop and a drug lord shoot a guy. The corrupt cop and the drug lord witness him fleeing the scene.

The stoner, with his drug-dealer friend, try really hard not to get killed or get arrested, and instead get high.

My Thoughts Going In…
Knocked Up fights in my head for best film of 2007, so another film starring Seth Rogan has a lot to live up too.

Looks Like…
Oh come on! As if anyone is watching this film for cinematic beauty. Sharing a philosophy with Kevin Smith films, Pineapple Express pushes the comedy into the spotlight and hope nobody is looking closely at the visuals.

When it is need, things work. Wounds look suitably realistic and explosions go bang with explosive style. Just don't be expecting Oscars.

Sounds Like…
The film is laced with old cult songs, playing on car radios or in apartments. They're fun tunes, and add a nice atmosphere to the film. And when the heroic music kicks in at the end, it is epic!

Feels Like…
Seth Rogan is funny. This is fact. Put him in a room and let him riff, you get gold, my friend. Gold! James Franco is also funny, which comes as a surprise to those who know him as angsty Harry Osbourne. Put the two guys together in a room, you get something better than gold. Diamonds maybe?

When these two are allowed to riff, we get the funniest scenes. They bounce off one another with ease; setting up jokes and batting them for six (or 'out of the park' if you're American). They are the core of the film, and the reason you'll keep watching.

This is good because, I'll be honest, the film isn't that good. Subplots aren't wrapped up or properly delved into, and the main plot soon falls into an excuse to just push the characters from one comedy situation to the next. It doesn't flow, but stumbles like the drugged-up protagonists.

You won't realise though. I certainly didn't until I truly looked at it. You're laughing too much to care. Like the visuals, the plot is pushed to the back of the stage, to give the comedy room to tap-dance away.

And what a dance it is. When it is slapstick, the falls and punches hit the mark nearly every time. The dialogue slips jokes in that won't be caught until a second, third, or tenth viewing. The film isn't even trying; comedy comes naturally.

The film won't be remembered as the best film of the year, or even the best comedy, but it is hugely enjoyable. You'll laugh. You'll cry with laughter. You just might not think. It isn't that type of film.

Verdict…
Knocked Up's little stoner brother. Bit more simple, likely to fall over a lot, but still cut from the same cloth and worthy of your time.