Writing is inherently uncinematic, which is a fancy way of saying it’s hard to make it look interesting. This is the opposite problem with war. That’s why there’s the old adage, “Every war film is pro-war, because war is inherently interesting.” True, a few of these movies are about trying to write (looking in your direction, Adaptation), but they still fall squarely in the world of cinema about literature. So here, in no order (except the first two), are my five favorite movies about writing:
1. Wonder Boys
I’ve mentioned this movie before several times on this blog, so here’s one more. It deserves it. Before Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey, Jr. suited up as Spider-Man and Iron Man, respectively, they starred with Michael Douglas in what is my favorite movie about writing—or at least trying to write. Douglas plays Grady Tripp, a semi-washed up novelist turned college creative writing professor who was once celebrated for writing the influential book, Arsonist’s Daughter, but as he bemoans at the beginning of the movie, “That was 7 long years ago.” (I would’ve made it at least 9 years ago; 7 doesn’t seem that long.) In other words, he’s a former wonder boy. (Get it?) In walks his prized student, James, played by Maguire, who is the new wonder boy. (And you better get used to Douglas saying the name “James”; he literally says it like every other line when he’s talking to Magure. I once played a drinking game by taking a swig every time Douglas said “James,” and let’s just say I didn’t remember how the movie ended, despite watching it over 20 times before.)
Downey, Grady’s New York City editor, plays the third wonder boy. He’s ostensibly visiting Douglas’ Pittsburgh home to attend the college’s WordFest literary festival that weekend but is really there to check on Douglas’ long since unfinished, over 2,500-paged novel. What follows is one of the most chaotic, hilarious, and often poignant weekends ever put to film, involving a stolen car, a dead dog, a transvestite, a failed marriage, and an affair. I don’t want to divulge too much of the story, so I’ll just say that when Grady commands James to take a bow at the end of the movie in front of hundreds of his peers, it’s well earned. And it moves me every time.
2. The End of the Tour
This is another movie I’ve mentioned multiple times before on this blog, and it deserves another inclusion here. It’s still one of my favorite “new movies,” which, in my narrow definition, means movies that came out within the past 15 years. (Hey, considering I’m an ‘80s nerd who routinely watches movies from 40+ years ago, I count that as new.)
The film is based on the nonfiction narrative Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky, where Lipsky, a Rolling Stone journalist at the time, interviews and follows the brilliant, late Gen-X author David Foster Wallace at the (you guessed it) end of his book tour for his massive (and massively influential), 1,000-paged novel Infinite Jest. Jesse Eisenberg plays Lipsky (in a rare occurrence where the star playing a real person is actually less attractive than the actual person), and Jason Segel plays Wallace. After sizing each other up, the duo first dukes it out intellectually in a kind of one-upmanship of who can say the most clever quip, catch the other one off guard, and basically just impress the other one the most. But slowly, over the course of the tour (and movie), the mental joust gives way to a mutual understanding and, even, admiration. And while Wallace clearly wasn’t as affected as Lipsky was from their meeting, Lipsky leaves the tour a changed man—and, dare I say, a better one.
What is it about this movie that fascinates me? Why do I keep returning to it? I watch it at least once or twice a year. I guess it’s because it covers a topic most movies don’t (hence its inclusion on this list and one of the reasons why I wrote this blog in the first place). Most people don’t know what it’s like to write a book and simultaneously feel that sense of pride but also jealousy of the other authors who’ve accomplished way more than you. I basically feel this strange, toxic brew of emotions everyday. It ain’t fun! But watching this movie helps. It’s a tonic on my nerves, so every once in a while, I need to go visit the doctor again. It’s a must watch.
3. Blue Moon
Coming out only last year, this is the most recent movie on this list, and if you’ve seen it, first of all, good for you! But secondly, you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute; this movie is about a songwriter.” Well, songwriting is still writing. Also, I’d argue it’s about the craft itself—the highs and the lows. (Okay, mostly lows.) It’s also about jealousy from artist to artist, something I’ve been struggling with for what seems like forever these days—at least since Danger Peak was first published. Star Ethan Hawke plays against type as the diminutive, lonely raconteur Lorenz Hart, half of the famed Rodgers and Hart songwriting duo, who was responsible for such classic hits as “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” and the title tune. (Richard Rodgers wrote the music, Hart the lyrics.) Rodgers left their partnership to join what would eventually be a more lucrative collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein. As the movie begins, their debut musical Oklahoma! Has just premiered on Broadway, and everyone knows it’s going to be a massive hit—especially Hart, much to his chagrin. (And if you’ve paid any attention to musical theater in the past 50 years, you’re also painfully familiar with this musical from countless amateur high-school productions.)
Disgusted by the sappy lyrics and dopey jokes, Hart slinks away from his box seat and retreats to his comfort space: burying himself at the bottom of a bottle at the famed theater district restaurant Sardi’s. [For the uncultured like me, it’s where Kermit the Frog was kicked out in The Muppets Take Manhattan. Side note: I visited the place years ago, and his cartoon portrait is still on the wall! (on the second floor)] The rest of the movie takes place in that single location in real time—a specialty for director Richard Linklater, one of my absolute favorites (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life, The Before Trilogy, etc.). We come to find that Hart is not only jealous of his former writing partner, he’s hopelessly in love with a young art student named Elizabeth—so young, she’s half his age.
For nearly the entire movie, you get to witness one of the country’s greatest writers doing what he does best—telling story after story to anyone who will listen: the bartender, his would-be love interest, even E. B. White (yes, Charlotte’s Web’s E. B. White). It may not be 100% historically accurate, but it’s no less fascinating, and it’s quickly moving up my list of the best movies of the past 15 years.
4. Misery
This is my second favorite movie adapted from a Stephen King novel, after Stand By Me, and if you know how much I cherish that film, that’s really saying something. Also helmed by director Rob Reiner, the movie perfectly casts Kathy Bates in her well-deserved Oscar-winning role. James Caan plays romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who’s ready to move on to something meatier and more personally satisfying. But not Bates’ Annie Wilkes, his self-described “number-one fan,” who forces him to rewrite his last novel about her favorite character Misery after she makes him burn the original, unpublished one. And when she feels he’s not holding up his end of the bargain… Well, we’ve either all seen this movie and know what happens or at the very least saw the trailer and can guess. This movie will give anyone nightmares, but particularly writers. Stephen King is my favorite novelist, and Misery is my favorite of his novels (maybe because it’s about a writer), so a lot could’ve gone wrong with filming the adaptation. (It’s also one of King’s favorites, so he was very hesitant to give away the film rights.) But leave it to the late (say it with me now), great Reiner to shepherd this literary masterpiece into a cinematic one.
5. Adaptation
After warping our minds with 1999’s Being John Malkovich, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman was at it again a few years later with Adaptation, where he inserted himself into his own picture—sort of. The always manic, always welcome Nicholas Cage plays Kaufman and his fictional twin brother Donald. Similar to Wonder Boys, here is another movie about trying to write. Kaufman is hired to adapt Susan Orlean’s book The Orchid Thief to the big screen and hits a massive roadblock. He can’t make flowers cinematically interesting, kind of like making writing interesting on film. But while Kaufman fails on his former goal, he succeeds in the latter. Meanwhile, his brother Donald’s fledgling screenwriting career picks up when he starts shopping his movie idea around Hollywood. True to his character, it’s a dopey action picture with a cliched twist: the main character suffers from multiple personality syndrome. (Get it?)
There’s a lot of competition, but my favorite character from the film is John Laroche, the gap-toothed, hard-talking titular orchid thief, played by Chris Cooper. I immediately fell in love with him, and you will, too (as does Orlean, played by none other than Meryl Streep). I think my favorite line of his is, “Done with fish!” That’s something I can relate to on probably an unhealthy level. (You’ll understand when you see the scene.) When I first saw this movie in theaters, I loved everything except the ending; I thought it was a copout because Kaufman couldn’t find any other way to end it. But now I realize, that’s the point. After all, he’s the genius, not me.
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In other MTP news: Attending my first awards ceremony last weekend for the NYC Big Book Awards was quite a trip! (in more ways than one) Okay, so I only had to drive to Jersey, but at least I didn’t have to fly to Vegas, which is the reason why I skipped out of the PenCraft Awards this year. The ceremony itself was bigger than I thought it’d be. It was like a mini wedding, and people came from Canada, England, Sweden, Australia, and even China! And here I was hemming and hawing about not going when I’m only a 2-hour drive away (with traffic). I want to thank the NYC Big Book Awards again for having such impeccable taste! (I kid.) Here are a few pics:
My next signing is this Saturday, May 2 at the East Islip Spring Craft Fair (1 Craig B. Gariepy Avenue in Islip Terrace, NY) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The rain date is the next day. Come swing by for crafts, books, and wishing me a happy early birthday. (It’s Star Wars Day.)
MTP
P.S.: Next blog: Taking a break
P.P.S.: The Danger Peak audiobook is now available!
P.P.P.S.: The new edition of The Electric God and Other Shorts is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
Michael Thomas Perone 