We all know rewriting and polishing are the most critical parts of the screenwriting process. They turn good movies into great movies.
Great movies carry you away from your day to day grind. They envelop you in a warm blanket of storytelling and make you feel so completely absorbed in the story that it pains you to remember a time when you didn't have that comfort. Movies like that come across once in a generation. And the one that sticks out most to me is Back to the Future.
I recently saw a 35mm re-release of the film, and for two hours I was a resident of Hill Valley in two different timelines. During the movie, I never questioned what was put forward in the screenplay. I always bought into every concept in the film. Even the plot twists felt natural.
But after doing some research online, I noticed one insanely popular comedian didn't feel the same way I did...
I'm talking about Spider-pig himself, John Mulaney (download the Into The Spider-Verse screenplay).
In his recent Netflix special, The Comeback Kid, Mulaney spent seven minutes talking about watching Back to the Future, and all the plot questions he had now as an adult.
John wondered about Doc and Marty's friendship, and why no one thought it was weird that this kid and a disgraced nuclear physicist were best buddies.
While this is a hilarious observation, I think it ultimately speaks to how great the story by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis was, and how much people fell in love with the characters. There's no good way to avoid plot holes. There's always going to be some troll or exec who's asking annoying questions. When you're writing, you want to close every loophole, but sometimes the story is so good that you don't need to take a break just to explain things. If your plot has momentum, just let the movie play out.
Hopefully, your incredible writing will make your work part of the cultural lexicon. And your generation's most popular comedian will immortalize it during their set.
For now, if you are interested in writing your great screenplay join our Free Screenwriting Seminar!
Love Back to the Future and disagree with Mulaney?
Put it in the comments!
Source: Ferris Wheelhouse
