An insightful dive into the world of one of the least appreciated forms of literature, this documentary counts some of Hollywood’s biggest and smallest screenwriting names amongst its interviewees, boasting talents the likes of William Goldman, John Carpenter, Paul Schrader, and Frank Darabont. Structured around several key topics such as relationships with directors and stars, it’s a film bustling with humourous anecdotes and horror stories in equal measure, shedding light on the highs and lows of the movie writing business. Each of its distinct chapters begins with a clip from a film about screenwriting (such as Adaptation and In a Lonely Place), giving an interesting fictional representation of these same issues discussed at length. It may not exactly be an eye-opening experience that probes deeply into the fabric of Hollywood moviemaking, but it does makes for an enjoyable time in the company of some truly talented and entertaining writers.

I found this very interesting. If hearing screenwriters talk about screenwriting appeals to you, you'll dig this documentary.

A never-ending series of one-liners & depressing anecdotes. Not the intimate conversations I was hoping for.

It is broad, but insightful in its way of saying, "They're all different, but what what they want is one thing. A good script." How "good" a screenplay is might vary, but "writing" is a collective, individual endeavor.

I actually stopped less than halfway through when I realized I had already seen the whole thing before, just in little segments during my screenwriting class.
As interesting as it is to listen to these screenwriters talk (and funny), it is a little depressing. Most of their stories are about how hard and ruthless the industry can be. But, I imagine there is much to be learned from this.

Watched at Home on Netflix Instant.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The talking head documentary can be a successful form. It requires a little more editorial control over which talking points are given time in a film than is expressed here. There's genuine advice, here, sure, and it's quite pragmatic, but there's not much of a narrative to be had. Watching it felt like scrolling through a coffee table book of inspirational quotes.

Well this film has a lot of great screenwriters interviewed in it, it's completely uncohesive. It is simply a assortment of loosely grouped tales of script writers woes. In many cases it is poorly shot, with poor audio, and corny music.

Considering the subject matter is a group of story professionals all discussing the art of storytelling, this documentary has a surprising lack of any through
line or structure.

Kontentan: Det är synd om manusförfattarna i Hollywood. Buhu! (Filmens behållning: att få se Shane Black, Carpenter, Darabont, Josh Friedman mfl dra underhållande anekdoter.)

If you like movies, you're very likely to enjoy this documentary, featuring a wide array of screenwriters from the very popular to the little known, all talking about the business of Hollywood from their perspective. This is not the flashiest documentary and the filmmakers find a formula and stick to it: segments about various portions of the professional lives of screenwriters, with a short movie clip to introduce each. It's mostly talking heads in front of a camera, but it certainly kept my interest.