Una Great Movie (2022) Movie Script

1
I wouldn't be caught
dead in this ugly hat.
One day, you will only
remember me by this hat.
You will put it on
and never take it off again.
By the time you read this letter,
I will already be back in Mexico.
I'll be home imagining your laughter,
your friendship and your lips.
And you'll be in our same
spot, but without me.
No one in the world will
ever compare to you.
Susan, come be with me in Mexico.
Let me share my life with you like
you shared your with me
and we'll grow all
together with lots of kids
and, please, come find me.
But if you wait too long,
things could change.
My humble village with no
ferries, no tourists could change
and this broken heart could be mended
by someone else, so please,
don't wait too long.
Come find me.
So how did you hear about the island?
I'm visiting someone who lives here.
I hope he still lives here.
Sounds like love.
Not really.
I saw you in the sunlight
You were wearing blue
I'm so in love
In love with you
Your eyes shine like the moonlight
Your lips are fully red
I'm so in love
In love with you
You speak English?
Yes.
She said you should
never marry anyone local.
It's the worst you can do.
Look at that, that's how
you gonna get, you see.
Unless you like that.
What are you doing over here?
I'm looking for a friend.
What's his name?
- Luis.
- Luis what?
Javier Avila Gonzales.
Luis Avila Gonzales.
Look, you know what?
You need to sit down
and I'll tell you the story of Luis.
Sit, have a seat.
Have a seat and perhaps have some tequila
or a beer or something.
He has
a very, very jealous wife.
So I don't know why
you're looking for him,
but be careful what you do, okay?
I should be going, gracias, thank you.
No, no, no, no, did
I say something wrong?
Have some ceviche, it's wonderful.
Try it, try it.
There you go, you like that.
I'm losing interest. Who is she?
In order for someone to
take your script seriously,
it has to be great.
This is not a great movie.
You only read up to page five.
The first five pages
make or break a script.
You don't even have basic
three-act structure.
Here's a great book.
"Nothing But a Structure."
Show us who she is.
We need to be able to relate to her.
Give her a job.
It doesn't matter what job she has.
She could be a coffee maker, a barista.
Then make her a barista.
I'm a barista.
It's my job.
Okay.
An occupation is a vehicle
to reveal more about her.
Helps us to relate to her.
Give her a couple of lines mentioning
where she studied and
what her specialty is.
I studied in Italy.
I can design the form of a latte
to look identical to a face.
She's a barista.
I gave Susan a job so
she'd be more likable.
Oh, but Susan doesn't need a job, right?
I mean, that was your point
that she's a blank canvas
to reflect your audience.
I also caved this week.
I did it again.
I mailed a script off to a contest.
Oh, no, not a contest.
You only fail when you stop trying.
I got the feedback this morning.
There's no solid concept.
Characters are under developed.
Bullshit.
Now we are artists, aren't we?
Be an artist.
Do not sell out.
It is only in the future
that one can write history.
What does that mean?
That means that many
geniuses aren't recognized
until they're dead.
Oh like that Harry Potter lady.
She's still alive.
I can't wait until I die.
Well, why not?
I have no money, no house, no family.
All I had is an idea
that my stories will somehow get made.
The goal is not to live forever,
it's to create something that will.
Emotional glasses.
Tours, -
Gracias.
Emotional glasses.
Tours, , emotional glasses.
Tours, tours, for sale, tours, tours.
This is special, special
glasses for your dreams.
It's free, take it.
What do you see, what do
you watch in your glasses?
Your dreams.
It's for you.
I give you.
Because you are, you are your emotions.
I love the emotional glasses
that let you see your dreams.
And you know the guy who sells them,
he's like a vendor philosopher.
For sure, they should hook up.
It's not a hook-up movie.
It's about a woman who's in search
of intimacy in a world that's distant.
Look, why is her world distant?
Because your world is distant.
Trust me.
Let's get you a hook-up tonight
and then tomorrow
morning write your script
and everything's gonna be fixed,
it's gonna be perfect, no more changes.
I promise you.
Sorry, is this, um, is this seat taken?
What seat?
I guess it's taken.
I'll be right over here if you need me.
I got cashews and a candle.
This is, you're good guys.
He's got cashews and a candle.
You should hook-up with him.
No.
I have a hook-up for you, Jimmy.
I heard he got a divorce.
Maybe you should call him.
Why?
Because he's the only
man you've ever loved
and because you need intimacy.
I haven't spoken to Jimmy in 10 years.
Look, go to his house.
Knock on his door.
Remember me?
I saw you in the moonlight
You were wearing blue
Susan Dorothy Cayden Wilson.
Luis Javier Avila
Gonzales Gonzales Gonzales.
I brought something that you gave to me.
Three girls and a boy.
What about you, any kids?
No kids.
Husband?
No.
Papi.
I should go.
How long are you planning to stay?
I don't know.
You're wearing the hat.
Why is she so
upset that he's married?
Didn't she expect that?
Well, it's not just his marriage.
It's her life.
Her coffee shop failed
and she has no family, no friends.
And we know this how?
It's revealed in layers.
You need a big actor.
Bryan Alonsio just came off
of Attackinator 8.
He's hot right now.
I mean, he was just named sexiest human
on the planet by "Hottie" magazine.
It's a black woman in Mexico.
There's no part for a white man.
You're creative, create a part.
We won't consider it without a star.
Could I have a spot of tea, please.
Curtis.
Susan.
And what is it you do, Susan?
I was a barista.
Was?
Until I lost my shop leaving me
with nothing but nothing.
Well, perhaps you'll meet
an impossibly sexy British banker
who will change your life.
Sounds like the perfect
Hollywood love story.
Hey, Jack, what's smokin'?
Me, dude.
So how was the surf?
Ah, tranquilo, man, tranquilo.
The ocean is my god and
the waves are my religion.
Believe in' the waves
Love the waves
TV waves, sound waves
Catch a wave
Ride the waves
Can't get to the phone,
leave me a message.
Jimmy.
I didn't know if this was your number,
but it is definitely your voice.
I was just thinking it
would be really cool
to call and hear what you've been up to,
but you're probably
married with kids and all.
Anyway, I think of you often
and I was just wondering
if you think of me ever.
Okay, bye.
You know, I thought about you for years.
I still do.
What was the thing you wanted to give me?
Nothing.
You haven't changed.
I have changed.
I don't think so.
Revisiting a
past love is played out.
The problem is your premise.
The problem is my premise?
The premise is great,
but there's too much exposition.
You have to show us more.
Show you more?
Show us less and more plot twists.
Plot twists.
Too many plot twists.
Make is simpler.
If she's so depressed,
we need someone happy, like a best friend.
But she's lonely and has no friends.
Give her a friend.
A friend?
- Friend?
- Friend.
She needs a friend.
Friend.
I'm so glad you you brought me here,
like I really didn't think
you were gonna even ask me at first
'cause I thought it was something
you kind of wanted to do on your own,
but what I'm gonna do is cheer you up
and I'm gonna add excitement.
You're gonna see.
Thank you.
Salud.
Estamos in Mexico.
You know the only bad thing
about this I would say
is just how fast the time goes.
I don't even know when we got here,
but it feels like we just got here today.
Hola.
Hola Senorita.
Come estas?
Muy bien, Senorita.
Soy, Jenny.
Jenny, mucho gusto, Christian.
Hola.
Muchas gracias.
Okay, senorita, tequila?
You really gotta get
over this tragic love story.
I don't have a tragic love story.
It's over, it's done.
Maybe you'll meet somebody else, look.
- No thanks.
- No.
No, gracias.
What was that?
I'm gonna see what this is.
You're gonna see what it is?
I'm gonna go.
Souvenirs, souvenirs.
That's some beautiful shit.
I bought a jar of shit.
You did.
I did.
Life is shit.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The friend needs a purpose,
that's what the analyst said.
I added a friend like everyone said
and now she needs a purpose.
Now I've got to create a story
so that the audience can be interested.
She's not even part
of the movie you wanted to write.
Don't add her.
Take her out.
Mom, I have to.
I have to change it or no one will buy it.
I need to sell something.
Okay, but
give her purpose meaning,
something we all want to root for.
Her purpose
was to have no purpose.
I have no purpose.
I came with you for moral support,
but now you're just depressed
and I'm just hanging around.
A life without conflicts
is a life not being lived.
I want more.
It's driving me crazy.
Well, there you have it.
There I have it?
Not having a conflict is
a huge conflict for you.
I'm gonna wander.
Enjoy your depression.
Are you done wandering?
Find what you're looking for?
It's you I was looking
for and I found you.
I felt I would never see you again.
Really?
Actually, no.
I always knew I would see you again.
That's why I waited so
long to get married.
How long did you wait?
What?
- A long time.
- A long time?
Yeah.
Take you to some nice place in the island,
but my wife is kind of jealous.
Does she know you used to be mine?
Did you mention that?
You look beautiful.
Are you happy?
How is your love life?
How's work?
How is the coffee business?
How's your family?
How's your family, hmm?
They good?
Have you noticed there's a lot of men
in your script?
Everyone Jenny meets is a man.
Not being able to relate to women
is a sure sign of not having had
a great male role model in your childhood.
And the infidelity, clearly there's a lot
of dysfunction in your script.
And what is this infatuation with
a country full of Mexicans?
If you're going to fix
your inability to meet men,
you have to fix Jenny's
inability to meet women.
Why?
Just have her meet a woman.
Try it.
Just as an exercise.
You know it's interesting
that at this point in the script,
that the tone changes to a documentary all
of a sudden.
Is that bad?
Well, you can't mix genres like that.
Life is a mix of genres.
Why can't I reflect that in my movie?
Life is not a mix of
genres, your dysfunction is.
And all the
storylines, who do we root for?
I don't know.
I just wanna tell the story of Susan,
but then Jenny came along
and now we have to care about her.
Could be a sign of pre-schizophrenia.
Look, there are just some
lines a film cannot cross.
Says who?
Says the rules of the art.
True art should have no rules.
I'm sorry, I don't speak Spanish.
Want a drink?
No, this is my last drink.
Only one, please.
Okay.
Perfect.
All righty, here's a drink for you.
Only one.
No.
Only one.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Definitely need to take out
the scene at the bar with
all the drunk Mexicans.
Yeah?
Yeah, it's creepy.
Maybe you could throw
in some kids or animals.
Kids and animals?
Your audience needs to
feel comfort, not nightmares.
It's like a den of "Narcos."
I worry I'm gonna be murdered
in my sleep or something.
You're making your audience uncomfortable.
And you wanna feel comfortable?
Hey, there you are.
Luis.
Luis.
Luis.
Luis.
No, please, don't let me stop you.
You're mad?
You're mad?
You have a wife.
You're right, I have a wife
and I'm going home to her.
No, it's okay, you have a good time.
Luis.
Or princesses
Or fancy dresses
Or boys I wanna shoot
'cause we're close
You okay?
No.
Do you wanna go back to my hotel room?
No.
I don't.
Look, look, we're both adults, okay.
I don't know what that was all about
with the guy on the motorcycle,
but if I see you tomorrow,
I'll just pretend like
I don't even know you.
Your loss.
We shuffle out of the canal
Cut across the fields
and take the train tracks
When the cold blue
light shines against
Our burning sky
Is it day or night
And if it's our time, what are we
What are you doing?
I'm researching methods
of garbage removal and waste management.
Why?
It's tourism.
It is destroying this island.
And, what, you're gonna save them?
I'm not gonna save them,
but I'm gonna help them.
Look, I know you wanna have a problem,
but this is not it. Okay?
It's kind of self-centered
to be so focused
on having something to
struggle about all the time.
- Self-centered?
- Yeah, it is.
I'm self-centered?
Yeah, you need to hear that.
You are, it's very self-centered.
Until I became inspired,
this entire trip has revolved
around you and your problems.
You were looking for Luis.
You can't find Luis.
Luis has a family.
You lost your coffee shop.
You know what, it's getting old.
No, you're getting old.
I didn't even ask you to come here
in the first place.
How about that?
What are you talking about?
What are YOU talking about?
I wanted to be alone.
I came because you needed a friend,
I came as your friend.
Yeah, but I didn't ask you to.
Oh, so then why did you invite me.
I didn't.
So I invited myself?
Apparently, yes.
I'm sorry.
I came because I thought
you needed a friend,
but if you don't want me along
then I will leave happily, happily.
But just remember,
when your same old
single-minded story gets old,
just remember that you
never wanted me along.
Jenny, I'm sorry.
Look, don't do this, don't do this.
I am sorry.
Jenny, stop.
Come on.
Jenny, stop, I am sorry, okay.
I am a terrible, horrible drunk, okay.
Last night I had a nightmare.
I was a painter in
front of a blank canvas.
Hold on, canvasses are expensive.
Investors wanna be sure.
What will we see, how will we feel?
I will first paint a blue line.
It should be a circle.
I will cover it in green and red.
Blue and orange.
Using circular brush strokes.
People want squares, not circles.
This can't be real.
What is real?
Is the world in which you live in real?
A world where you relinquish all control
to people you don't even know.
A reality revolving around
a single non-tangible word.
A word created by a humanity
that cannot define it's own existence.
Come on, Zoe, you know the word.
You hate the word, yet
your entire reality hinges
on this word.
Money?
Bingo.
And why do you think that is real?
Because it's what I know.
And now that you know,
it is up to you to define the rules
of your own reality.
That's a beautiful dream Zoe.
What does it mean?
If you don't create your reality,
your reality will create you.
Yes, the fear of not being... bad,
fear of being bad is... not exceptional.
I think it means
that you need to write your story,
but you know like your story.
But don't let the suits
be in charge of your fate.
Be a real artist.
But what if everyone's
right and it's not good?
Bad art is the road to greatness.
You have
made some nice changes.
I still don't like
that documentary part.
I like making the drunk guy American.
It's more comfortable.
The part still won't
attract Bryan Alonsio.
It's definitely not big enough.
But all the men are Mexican.
Then have him play a Mexican.
He will definitely be interested
in the acting challenge.
That is an excellent idea.
Does he even speak Spanish?
If he has an accent,
it's understood he's speaking Spanish.
Brilliant.
I'm gonna take you to the place
in the jungle where I was born.
A very small fishing village.
That's where I was born. I grew up there.
Were there snakes and spiders.
Of course, why you think I'm so hard?
You see all these beaches here?
You know Choke?
The beverage company?
Yes.
They bought everything you see here.
All of the beaches. Todas las playas.
Is your friend gonna be okay?
Hey, Susan, hey, are you okay?
Here, here, you, you'll
feel better in 20 minutes.
You drink this.
He's says you'll feel better
in 20 minutes, drink this.
It's an old family recipe.
It's been in my family for generations.
It's an old family recipe.
It's been in his family for generations.
My grandmother believed
that she could live forever
and you know what?
She's still alive.
It's weird, I can
understand what he was saying.
He has this weird accent
that's very easy to understand for sure.
I no speak English.
He doesn't speak English.
Welcome to my island.
Yes, it's muy bonito. No?
Muy bonito!
There's cocos everywhere.
Come..
Now I am going to take you
to see La llorona.
Now, La llorona, is very special.
He says, he's says he's taking us
to see La llorona who's very special.
Yes, yes, she can read your mind.
Watch out, the net, step, yes, yes.
Okay.
And now La llorona.
We call her La llorona.
Porque she feels others' pain.
She says you're
suffering for a boyfriend.
What is she saying, what is she saying?
She says there's something
that you have to do.
You know you have to do it, so do it.
If La llorona say you do it, you do it.
Do you know what she's talking about?
Yeah.
Yeah?
I do.
Do it, you know
what she's talking about.
All of this is just gonna
stay really clear, I swear.
The people here are nice people.
They don't realize that humans suck.
Money comes into it and they
sell their land, their things.
And suddenly everybody cares.
You know what I mean?
Luis.
Come on, what are you doing?
He's with his family, let's go.
Let's like think about what we can do
to help what we saw today.
I think I should do it now.
I'll catch up with you.
All right.
Okay.
Take care of yourself.
I'll be okay.
So that's your wife?
I chose family.
You chose work.
Can we talk later?
Can you find me?
Tonight? I don't think so.
Just for like five minutes.
By your house on the
corner, I'll meet you there
at midnight, please?
Tomorrow.
Yeah? Midnight.
I saw you in the moonlight
You were wearing blue
Habla Ingles?
Oh, yes, I speak English.
I would love to have a cappuccino.
A cappuccino, yes.
Thank you.
It's a beautiful scene,
but it doesn't propel the story forward.
It's the calm before the storm,
before she meets Luis at midnight.
What about a metaphor?
All good scripts have a metaphor?
Like what?
The woman at the cafe.
Maybe she senses Susan's pain
and while it seems that Susan is sad
about her failing coffee business.
I was a barista once.
But then I lost everything
and I haven't made a coffee since,
not even an instant.
It's really a metaphor for Luis.
You know what? Come
with me, come with me.
Come in.
This is for you and you're going
to make your own beautiful cappuccino.
You know if you really love something,
if something really touches you deeply,
you should never let go of it.
Don't run away from it.
What if you can't have it anymore,
then you kind of have to let it go?
Even if you don't have
your own coffee shop,
you can still make your
coffee once in a while
and enjoy it.
The metaphor is a contrived,
played out convention
that has no place in any good movie.
I paid $250 for someone to tell me
that they hate my movie.
And you care about what
this stranger thinks why?
Come on, let's eat lunch.
What did you bring me?
Always healthy stuff, girl,
always healthy stuff.
All right, so they're
gonna meet tonight.
They're gonna have their reunion.
And then what happens?
Do they hook up?
I think they should.
No.
She wants intimacy.
Intimacy.
And that's not sex?
No, no, she's not looking
to break up a marriage,
she's not after sex.
She's just looking for a closeness
with someone who could genuinely care.
That's holding and talking.
Oh, there's Alex B. White.
Yeah, our firm is doing PR for him.
Really?
You know, "Man, Woman,
Love," his new movie.
That movie is terrible.
Yeah, it's the highest grossing movie
in the year.
Hi, Jennifer, right?
Yes.
Hello, sorry do you need something?
Who's your friend?
- This is Zoe.
- Hi.
Hi, Zoe.
Congratulations on
your "Man, Woman, Love."
- Oh, thank you so much.
- It's doing great, yeah.
But you know Hollywood,
it's all about what's next.
What is next?
You know my stuff.
I'm a sucker for
romance, but with twist.
Zoe has exactly that script.
You do?
I do?
She does and you should read it.
I should read it?
You should read it.
I'd love to read it.
Seriously?
Seriously, I look forward to reading it.
Here's my card.
Email me the script,
then we'll talk about it, okay.
Enjoy your lunch.
Nice meeting you.
It's a great script,
you're gonna love it.
You know, he is just a really good guy.
Like salt of the earth good guy.
Hollywood needs more of those guys.
My script is not what he wants.
Of course your script is what he wants.
And now that you've added
that Jenny character
and she's learned all that stuff
about the island and the conflicts,
you have all this potential
to add something really great.
Like Erin Brockovitch. She investigates
to find a solution,
but what she finds, she doesn't wanna hear
Hola.
Hola, look at you.
So you ready to go to the beach?
How can I go to the beach
now that I know the truth?
Okay, bye.
Have fun.
Hola, chica.
Hola.
You're fighting a good fight?
Oh, no, not me, my friend, Jenny.
She's very passionate about the island.
Well, we see more of those every year.
So you've lived here for a while?
17 years.
You would not believe
how incredibly peaceful
and beautiful it was then.
There were no hotels.
Well, there were no turistas.
The world's caught a virus.
It's a nasty one and it's spreading.
Gotta love those viruses.
Take care.
You know, I could've
moved here 10 years ago.
Well, I'm sure you
have a really nice life.
Not really.
She's looking for something
to make her happy during
a time when she's not happy.
Alex B. White is gonna read your script.
Aren't you excited?
No.
Look, it doesn't
matter if it's a rom-com,
it doesn't matter if it's what he wants,
it's a great movie.
Don't get down on yourself.
But I changed my mind about Jenny.
She's a sidekick.
She should be fun and light.
Have her out exploring the island
with its music.
Have her always at a party, dancing
and Alex B. White is into romance,
so give him double the romance.
Susan desperately seeks
intimacy with Luis,
while Jenny experiences
love in many forms.
Hey.
Hola.
Hola.
This is the vendor
philosopher that sold me shit.
Well, today's selling love.
Sex.
No.
He says it not sex,
it's love and passion.
So not sex?
No.
Tell me about this guy.
Eve.
Hello, Jenny, if you buy my love,
I will hear you, I will
hear what you want.
I will hear what you are
saying and you will be heard.
Because to feel in love is
to feel like someone is listening.
I like this.
If you could sell love, I'd buy it.
But you can, look, Nacho.
He's a musician.
So basically I'm just gonna feel like
a princess for a day.
Look, Susan, this is exactly
what you need, El Mudo.
- El Mudo.
- El Mudo.
This guy is universal language.
He's got a point.
He says if you choose to feel the love,
then you're gonna feel love
and it will be love.
Jenny, please tell me
you didn't fall for that.
I don't know.
The thought of buying
love is kind of exciting.
I wanna redeem my coupon.
Yes, I came all the way out here
to redeem my coupon
because my life is a mess
and it doesn't make any sense
and every time I try to make sense of it,
all I can think about is a time
when I met a prince
and I was his princess and life was good.
I can't be away for three days.
It has to be three days.
One is like it never happened.
Two is a tease.
Three is a parenthesis.
I remember.
I came all the way out here just because
of that little piece of paper
that I've kept all this time.
But I never cheated on Dora.
And I never would.
Not even with you.
I'm not asking you to leave your wife
or your kids or family.
I know you're happy with them.
It's not about the sex at all.
We don't have a future, I know,
but we do have a past.
I'm gonna wait for you.
I'm gonna wait for you at that spot
on the beach every day
until I leave on Tuesday.
I'm gonna be there and I hope you'll come.
Please, come, I'll be there.
At night time before it starts
When the lights come on too early
We shuffle out of the canal
Cut across the fields
And take the train tracks
And when the cold blue light shines
Against our burning sky
Is it day or night
And if it's our time what are we
When the streetlights
come on, streetlights
To tear us both away
To keep us from what
matters in each other
Streetlights can never light the dark
Around our hearts
To show us which way home is.
Hey.
How are you doing?
Would you like to come
over here and have a beer?
This is my friend, Banana
and I'm Guero.
So come on over.
Hi, Banana.
So what are you
doing out here all by yourself?
Just, I've been waiting
for someone, a friend.
Yeah?
Just waiting.
Yep.
I know, she doesn't have a Corona.
You want a Sol?
Banana, let's take off.
Let's go down the beach some more.
Take care.
I have a sandwich.
You have a sandwich?
What have you got?
She has a sandwich.
Hey, you wanna eat something.
So Susan waits for Luis,
but what happened to Jenny?
I don't know,
she's not even supposed
to be in this movie.
No, keep her in the movie.
Give her like a hot Latin
guy, we're in Mexico.
Like a weekend of love.
Love, not sex?
Love.
Like the kind of love
that you remember on your deathbed,
like you and Jimmy.
What, so women can have
unrealistic expectations?
And the men will have warped perceptions
of who they think they should be.
Just do it for me.
Do it for those of us
who need a new fantasy
because Bryan Alonsio is getting old.
So how about a really hot Latin guy
with his shirt always unbuttoned
and always like a little bit shiny
and like those perfect abs
and we see some six-packs
and we got that rock hard body,
but just enough, like not too much,
but you know that Latin type
that's kind of like in the middle.
You are too much.
And you know what?
She can buy it from the vendor.
Buy the love.
So there'll be a page in the book
where they're looking at the book
and it's like love,
the guy with the biggest
heart on the island.
A shark, are you serious?
It's action.
They're all
telling me I need action.
No, this is ridiculous.
Go back to your story without the shark.
What happens?
Okay, so Susan waits
for Luis every morning
at the deserted hotel.
Right, but Luis doesn't come.
So she meets these friendly locals
who invite her to a party.
We are inviting you
to a party in Yalahou
you wanna come?
I can't, I'm waiting for someone.
Who are you waiting for?
Nobody, nobody.
Okay.
I did it again.
I knew better and I did it again.
I sent it out for people to read
and, of course, nobody understands.
There's no such thing as
failure, just feedback.
Alex B. White wants to read my script.
Oh, no, don't do it.
It's just, it's so good
and he won't get it
and it's gonna crush you.
It's all right to serve people dinner,
but don't put your balls on the plate.
I told him it was a romantic comedy.
You hate romantic comedies,
how could you write one?
It's "Nothing But a Structure."
Gunther Lopez Graham?
Oh, I love this book.
Love this book.
Zoe, I got it.
Yes.
The movie opens with Susan's
best friend inviting her
to his wedding in Mexico,
only she loves him.
Good typical character arc.
So, she arrives in Mexico to attend
the wedding of the man
of her dreams, but then.
Wait.
She gets an idea.
Would you be my date for the wedding?
Me no speak English.
So she invites the sexy bellhop
to be her fake wedding date.
And it turns out that the best man had sex
with the wife when they were in college.
So while Susan is in
love with the groom,
the best man is in love with the bride.
You know, Gunther Lopez Graham is doing
a seminar on his book.
He guarantees you leave
with a first draft.
- Really?
- Yes.
- This is raping my soul.
- Oh, please.
Armando, that's a bit much.
What does that mean?
Before driving a car,
you must first know
where you're going or you run out of gas.
That's why I created the 14-story points
of successful screen plays.
The greatest script in the world is
"Nothing But a Structure."
The first thing the audience must know
is your protagonist's profession.
Somebody give me a job.
A barista.
Good.
How about a place?
Coffee shop.
Brilliant.
Story point number two,
bombardment of conflicts.
By page 10, there should
be three conflicts.
Can I get a conflict?
She's lonely, single and men suck.
Good.
More.
Her best friend's getting married
and he's the love of her life.
Bravo, more.
And Bryan Alonsio can play the lead.
Incredible, tell me more.
Story point number four, living a lie.
By 25 pages in, she is
living a full on lie.
This is my boyfriend, Ricky.
Confusion sets in
and the audience begins to get nervous.
No speak English.
Oh, cool.
Ricky, I'm so happy
that Susan met a man.
Story point number 6, a fly on wall.
A fly on a wall.
At the 30 minute mark,
you must literally put,
Literally! A fly on a wall.
This is the forbidden moment
where the audience feels
like they're voyeurs.
I'm bored.
My script doesn't inspire me.
Your script is great.
You're not bored?
No, no, but I do have one suggestion.
You should make her a
little bit more accessible.
Accessible?
An A-list actress would make
your movie into a blockbuster,
so get an A-list actress.
If we black people don't make films
with black people, then who will?
That's why we have to look to each other
to help each other, to lift each other,
to support each other,
to employ each other.
That's how black films get made.
Zoe.
How's the script?
I turned Susan white so it'll sell.
I would like to hang out with you
some time after the group.
What do you say, can I take you out?
So there is an event in WeHo,
would you like to come?
I don't know, but I have
some photos of my own.
You wanna see?
You've been following Ricky?
I never did like jalapenos.
Me no speaking English.
I love you.
I know.
I love you.
I know.
Susan has become engaged.
We would like to invite you
to have a double wedding.
Things I should have
done or should have said
or could have done or would have done.
If we women don't represent ourselves
in a respectful manner,
then we will continue to be portrayed
as these hyper sexualized
unrealistically beautiful
objects of desire.
We as women filmmakers will
stand for that no more.
I can't do it.
I'm writing a script full
of beautiful, flawless women,
who makes us normal women hate ourselves.
Sell your commercial script.
And use that money to make a change
in your next project.
And the only Mexican
left doesn't speak English
and wears a sombrero.
Dang!
Is that Ricky? That's so weird.
Oh, honey, what are you doing here?
I play with the band.
You hire me during the day.
At night I am free.
Ricky and I have a surprise
for the lovely bride and her groom.
If we vegetarians don't
honor our fellow animals
and start writing parts for people
who don't eat meat,
the world will continue
to look at animals not
as precious living spiritual beings,
but as tasty morsels.
The one thing I did stay true to is
no one eats meat in this film.
Oh, Zoe, your script's gonna sell
and it's gonna be the
highest grossing movie
of the century.
What did you do to deserve me?
Speak now or forever hold your peace.
I do.
Great, well written.
Structure's super solid,
rich characters, captivating story.
I can see Bryan Alonsio in the lead
with Amy Ann Smith.
It's great.
It's just not for me.
What?
I changed everything for you.
Don't change, diversity is in right now.
I mean, you're a black woman writer
and not one of your characters is black.
Diversity doesn't mean
that all your characters have to be black.
It means diverse points
of view telling universal narratives.
Well, don't shy away
from black characters.
Urban movies are doing great.
Can I give you another script to read?
It's about a woman in Mexico.
Does it have black characters?
Yes, the lead woman is black
and the rest are Mexicans.
I can't do Mexicans right now.
Blacks, yes. Mexicans?
Mm-mm.
I had a dream that one day my black ink
and my white paper would make
beautifully colored movies
that all people could enjoy.
I had a dream that a
beautiful black woman
at a bar would take this white man home
and make a beautifully colored baby.
I had a dream.
Tell me your dream.
I'm telling you.
No. Tell me your movie.
It doesn't matter.
It's not gonna get made.
Tell me anyway. I'll
make it up in my mind.
Did you ever, you ever
want somebody so bad
but couldn't because of timing
and it tormented your soul?
But the fact that the love existed at all
made you thankful?
Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Hey, hello, Jimmy.
Hey, call me back.
I might not be in Los Angeles much longer.
Turns out this writing
thing just didn't pan out.
Can I see you?
I don't know.
I was just thinking maybe, you know,
maybe we could get together
and you could hold me like you used to
and I could, um.
Oops, drunk.
So, just call me back
and I'll be waiting.
Every morning by the deserted hotel,
I'll be waiting.
I'm gonna live to be 110,
They tell me they'll extract my DNA.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
A modern day "Waiting for Godot."
Yeah, I love the
visuals. It's beautiful.
If it's good, then why am I a secretary?
Nothing worth having comes easy.
The right person just
hasn't read it yet.
Who's the right person, you? You?
Apparently the right people
only exist in this room.
Isn't insanity doing the
same thing over and over
and expecting a different result?
But we are writers, we're real writers.
We are more writers than any
staffed union workers bowing
to the studios.
But we have no audience.
True art, Zoe, has no audience.
So you'd all be happy
if your scripts never got made?
Yes.
I never thought I'd get one made.
You're the only ones
who I let read mine.
But you sit here and complain.
If we didn't complain,
there wouldn't be tragedy.
We need the tragedy.
Don't ruin a good today thinking
about a bad tomorrow.
Mm.
That's right, Bill,
that's absolutely right.
Buck up, princess.
Always look on the bright side of life.
What accent are you doing?
Yeah, that was British. Are you Turkish?
Guys, art, art is my accent.
What does that even mean?
Where are you actually from?
I'm from Bangor, Maine, all right?
Oh, you're American,
that's so disappointing.
You are crazy, you're crazy.
I'm crazy.
This all is crazy.
So, same time next week?
And so that rich kid who
spent his summers interning
at his famous uncle's
talent agency finally became
the Bryan Alonsio.
Yes, I know.
To anybody who wants to be me, just do it.
It's not hard.
Borrow money from your rich grandparents.
Call up your old Harvard roomie
and have him introduce
him to his famous cousin.
Oh, I never thought of that.
Anyone can do anything.
I did.
I know, I know.
There you go.
Take that, do great things.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Take care now.
Claude, why don't you go ahead.
Are you okay?
Anybody can do anything?
Yeah, totally.
I can't. And you should stop saying that
because you don't know what it's like
to waste your life on
something that never happens.
All I ever wanted was to tell my stories
and have someone say it's a great movie,
let's make it.
Don't give up, it can still happen.
No, no more dreams.
You know, the thing about dreams is
when you fail, it's not
just your dreams that fail,
it's your life.
I know.
Um, I know.
It's a heartless industry.
You don't know.
You're a success.
Bryan Alonsio is a success.
Jake W. Olsen is not.
Who's Jake W. Olsen?
Um, I am.
I was.
Back when I thought I could succeed
by being a good actor.
I was rejected, too.
- Hmm.
- A lot.
Until I hired a publicist
and started selling
Bryan Alonsio, the brand.
But your book is a bestseller.
Yeah, but I didn't write that book.
I haven't even read it.
It's gross, right?
Look, anything I wanna
be in is gonna get made.
So, tell me about your movie,
is there a part for me?
No, no there's no parts for you.
You could be an extra.
An extra.
Nobody ever offers me parts as an extra.
Hey, it's a first.
I think I'd be really good at it.
Look, what are you doing right now?
I wanna hear about your movie.
Wanna go have a drink?
Seriously?
It's on me.
- Okay.
- Yeah?
Sure.
All right.
You really wanna hear about my script.
Yeah.
- Okay, let's do it.
- Let's go.
You gotta read this book, though.
I'm kidding.
Susan realizes that after
three days of waiting,
Luis is not gonna come.
So she goes to the party with the locals.
What are you doing here?
I'm on a date.
I paid for love.
I paid.
I figured big guy, big love.
Hola.
Gracias, mi amor.
Oh, hey.
I'm glad you're happy.
I'm very happy, look.
You look happy.
So you paid for him?
Yeah, I did.
It was amazing, don't make
fun of me, I loved it.
Because I created something
and I decided to believe in it
and that's when I realized
if you create something...
everything is how we see it anyway, right?
But, seriously, it
doesn't matter about Luis.
You can pay for love, too.
Really, it was amazing.
I'll really think about that.
I'm gonna think about that.
There's somebody here for you.
You ready?
Vamos.
Let's go.
Does your uncle still live on that farm?
Yep, there's a road there now.
So you don't have
to go on that tiny plane?
Nope, you can drive in and out now.
I think I'll never forget
that last weekend we spend there.
I was sad because I left
and you didn't come with me.
You made me leave alone.
I'll never forget your
face looking out the window.
That plane.
What are you doing?
I'm going to get some dinner.
All right, I'll be waiting.
I'll be right here.
Okay, bye.
For a moment, Susan is happy.
For this moment, she is living
the life that she could have had
if she had gone back with him to Mexico.
If she had followed her
heart instead of her head.
If she would have just
gotten on that plane.
- Come with me.
- What are you doing?
Come with me.
I don't have any clothes.
I'll buy your clothes, come on.
- No, I can't.
- Come on.
The life they would have shared,
the family they would have had.
Listen to your father.
Thank you, Mom.
You didn't fight for me.
What are you talking about?
Why didn't you fight for me?
Why didn't you fight for us?
I begged you to come with me.
No, no, you didn't.
You didn't even try.
I did try.
No, you didn't.
I couldn't stay in your
lovely welcoming country
without my student visa.
You could have tried harder.
I pictured you every
day coming to surprise me.
I woke up every morning
with a broken heart.
I saw you in the moonlight
You were wearing blue
I'm so in love
In love with you
You want a massage?
I can give you a massage.
Proper full massage.
With a happy ending?
I could be convinced.
Is that a goose?
I don't know.
Yeah.
Do you want to?
Yeah.
So.
Should we move to the bed?
Big bed.
Oh.
I can't do this.
Do what?
You're married, remember?
But I love you.
What's going on?
What's in your mind?
I'm HIV positive.
Now you know.
Come.
This is big.
Why wouldn't she reveal that earlier?
She had no reason to until now.
Does he leave his wife?
Does he get AIDS?
HIV, not AIDS.
You can have sex without catching it.
Do they stay together? The kids?
So how does it end?
I don't know.
It doesn't even matter.
It's not gonna get made.
Bryan, hey, what's up.
Sammy, I found my next movie.
Call everyone in tomorrow.
Let's get this thing green lit.
Okay, will do.
Tomorrow at noon.
They're all coming in to hear your pitch.
I'm gonna be on set,
but I'm pretty sure
that you can handle this
on your own.
I have pitched that movie
to everyone who has ears.
They won't buy it.
At this level, it's
not about a great movie.
It's about Bryan Alonsio's next project.
It can be a jar of shit
and they would buy it.
Now let's write that part for me.
That part for you?
You said I could be an extra, right?
Well, it's the ladies' last night out.
Jenny.
Jenny
Jenny.
Are you okay?
- Yeah, I'm good.
- You are?
I'm really good.
Look, I'm really not the one
to give any advice on relationships,
but if you love this guy,
you should give it a shot.
You love him?
Yeah, I do.
Give it a chance, see what happens.
Don't be a fool.
I'm not a fool.
Look, the tragic ending was
like part of the package.
What?
I paid for the tragic ending.
So this wasn't real?
No, it was real, it was super real.
Like everything is real.
Like life is real, like life is not real.
We had this really great time
and like he showed me amazing things
and we talked about a lot
and in the end I was
like if I'm gonna do it,
I might as well do it-
- It doesn't make sense to me.
Who knows?
I don't know what's gonna happen.
Maybe he'll visit me,
but for now it is what it is.
Just like you and Luis, right?
How was that?
To life.
Salud.
To doing what we need to do
to survive this life.
To life. To experiences.
To survival.
Here, here.
To money.
When we met, I knew that
you had something special.
Thank you.
I know the perfect director for this.
He will wanna do his own rewrite.
Mm.
Collin Thompson Mitchell.
Exactly! And he doesn't
allow writers on set,
but your movie's in great hands.
To a great movie.
To doing what you need
to do to survive this life.
Survival.
Zoe, this is so exciting.
I can't believe you
haven't seen a cut yet.
What kind of director
doesn't involve the writer?
Believe. Achieve. Succeed.
Zoe, look, there's your name.
I love you.
I know.
I love you.
I know.
I love you.
I know.
Ricky, he's just wants to marry you
for your papers.
Ricky, you just wanna
marry me for my papers.
You just want to marry me
to make your best friend jealous.
Actually, I don't
wanna marry you at all.
You will marry me
and we'll give all the guests
these lovely party favors
to take them back to the states.
Whoo, oops.
Is that cocaine?
Indeed.
If the drugs do not arrive
or you and I do not get
married, I will kill you
and your family.
I'm gonna go through my savings
and put money on credit cards
and I'm just taking this risk
because now or never right?
So anything you can give
to help an artist achieve her dream
in an industry that really
is not conducive to art.
This is Delio.
I have just asked him if he would play
my love interest, my lover.
You were wearing blue
So I'm here with Alvaro
and he's agreed to be
the taxista in my film.
I've known Alvaro for 17 years.
Keep going.
You know what?
I feel like we need to shoot here.
I mean, I feel like we need
to have Jenny talking here.
Okay.
So who can she be talking to?
Can we just deal with that.
We'll have to justify my clothes,
like I change clothes
before every interview.
Bullshit.
We are artists.
Be an artist, do not sell out.
So I came to Aidan one morning
and I said, "Today, you and
I and my stuffed animals
are gonna act out the
entire LA unshot version
of the movie."
And Aidan just looked
at me and said, "Okay."
Many geniuses weren't even acknowledged
until after they were dead.
Like that Harry Potter lady.
Zoe has a script just like that.
You do?
I do.
She does, it's like Erin Brockovitch.
Anybody can do anything. I did.
We have a team of writers
that we bring on to fix up scripts.
Beside, I already know the
perfect director for him.
Collin Thompson Mitchell.
To a great movie.
To doing what you need
to do to survive this life.
To survival.