Summer Movies--#12

We’ve hit the 21^st century as we continue to look at summer films. Remember, the goal is to begin to understand this genre so that as you work on writing your own summer film, you know the landscape.

And as we hit the beginning of the century, the baby boomers are all turning 50… so a few films with that summery theme are coming out that are targeted for them. And in 2003, the film that comes to mind is Something’s Gotta Give by Nancy Meyers.

Nancy Meyers is known for writing films for adults, not teens. Her other work includes The Holiday [2006] and It’s Complicated [2009]. And her films make big bucks—in the hundreds of millions. So there is certainly an audience who wants fun, light comedies geared to their age group.

Take a look at the trailer for Something’s Gotta Give: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX3s1ySAemI

It’s a beautifully put together trailer—from the music to the scenes chosen, it makes you want to see the film. Well, perhaps if you’re in the demographic for the film… the 40s and up maybe?

I think it’s important to remember that movies need to be written for every demographic. Sure, the films that are mostly made are driven by the demographic of 14-22 year-old males [still—sad, but true]. But there are filmmakers, producers, writers and directors who actually WANT to tell stories for adults, and if you’re one of those types, take a look at Nancy Myers’ work and study it.

Something’s Gotta Give actually explores the ageism of our time—an older man dating a younger woman and feeling fine about it, while an older woman feels funny about dating a younger man. Double standard, right? But it feels like the movie tells the reality of the dichotomy.

When you look around at the movies you like—if you’re in the 40s and up group—and the movies your friends like, ask yourself what it is that those movies have in common. And if you’re in your 30s or under, look at your parents’ lives, your aunts’ lives, and think about the kind of stories you could tell with them as your main characters.

Something’s Gotta Give takes us to a beautiful part of California, and you see the beach, beautiful homes—it’s like a summer vacation to places you wish you could go. And it even has scenes in Paris, so it's a real feast for the eyes.

And that’s what summer movies do well—the good ones, anyway—they let us escape to places we might only have dreamed about. And the characters who get to go there are [at least age-wise] just like us.

So fantasize… and see if that can help you come up with a killer idea for the over 40s!

Copyright © Diane Lake

20Sep20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com