An excerpt from my script review for Is This Thing On? which will be available 12/22/25:
1.) Marketability of the Idea
I forget exactly where I read it, but this is loosely based on the life of British comedian John Bishop.
Not really sure who that is, but as I was researching it turns out Will Arnett and John Bishop were chatting in Amsterdam…on a house boat…doing presumably what folks do in Amsterdam and on house boats there.
Needless to say Arnett was charmed by the story and chose to write a script with friend and co-writer Mark Chappell.
So what we got…
After his wife leaves him, this father of two discovers that he has a talent for stand-up comedy. Could this be his calling?
Notice anything funny about that logline? No…?
It’s actually the logline for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with the pronouns changed.
And that was kind of my issue with the script.
Now I’m no super fan of the Amazon series (having watched two thirds of the first season before the boss chose to stop waiting and skip ahead of me), but there the plot and setting seemed more original.
Most of the positive reviews for this film seem to be with Arnett and Laura Dern’s vulnerable chemistry onstage, and that’s all fine, but what we’re here to discuss is the marketability of this idea.
If you’re going to write a script, one of the first things out there is to brainstorm what your story is similar to, and more importantly, how successful that is.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is pretty funny and popular, so I wouldn’t actively spend a dwindling resource like time to try and compete with it by writing a spec.
(Although I’m not Bradley Cooper or Will Arnett, but chances are neither are you.)
It’d have to be a script with a very unique twist for me to undertake it.
And that’s what we need to realize as amateur writers…Hollywood wants “the same, only different” but what you need to read between the lines is the accent on the last part of that statement.
“The Same” refers to stories people are familiar or can identify with, for instance most of us older folks watching Stranger Things could probably guess certain plot points were going to happen because the Duffer brothers follow classic storytelling principles.
“Only different” should be how your script stands out. Take for instance the new Sam Raimi film Send Help, in it two coworkers are trapped on an island a la Castaway, but the female lead takes control over her injured male boss on the island in what can only come across as a Misery style situation.
That’s the same, only different in a nutshell.
And for the record, here’s the actual logline for Is This Thing On?
As their marriage unravels, Alex faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene. Meanwhile, his wife Tess confronts sacrifices made for their family, forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identities.
I’d argue the logline sounds different enough from Maisel, but when we get to the next section, I’ll make an argument against delivering on some of those points.
Is This Thing On? Box Office Stats
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