New Teen Comedy 'BFF' Lets the Geek Get the Girl
Filed under: Comedy, Romance, Deals, Scripts
Just one week ago, my Cinematical Seven list of crappy movie endings started with Pretty in Pink. While the geek, Duckie, was supposed to get the girl, Andie, pressure from Molly Ringwald and the film's producers resulted in Blane getting her. Now a week after my list and over two decades since Jon Cryer was left in the dust, things, they are a-changing. Rogue Pictures has purchased a romantic comedy spec from staff writers on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Greasey, called B. F. F. In case you're rusty with grade school lingo -- that totally, like, stands for Best Friends Forever.The spec deals with the lives of a nerdy guy and a popular girl during their four years of high school. After meeting as freshmen, they become friends, deal with four proms, one funeral and eventually fall in love. Ain't romance grand when it comes from dead bodies and lots of corsages? The husband and wife Creasey team say that the feature will be similar to John Hughes' comedies, dealing with the points of view of the boy and girl equally.
It's great that they're giving the geek the girl, but they're definitely aiming high -- the film isn't written yet, and they're already comparing it to long-loved classics. That's a risky step -- as soon as a film like this compares itself to beloved 80's flicks, they usually fall flat. Sometimes they deserve to, and sometimes, promises just make for unreasonable expectations that can rarely, if ever, be met. It's also a big claim for a team who hasn't had a romantic comedy, or any feature, released yet. However, we should be able to judge better sometime fairly soon (IMDb says next year, while Variety says this year), when their re-telling of Snow White, Amanda Bynes' Sydney White, gets released.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-18-2007 @ 6:08PM
Shelley said...
There have been plenty of films that let "the geek get the girl". Ever seen a Woody Allen movie? (Definitely not knocking Woody here. I love him.) What would be nice to see is a movie where the geeky girl gets the guy, without having to undergo an astonishing make over, so that said guy can finally notice her, but tell her that he loved her all along for who she is on the inside. *gag* Sure, you can find films like this, but very few of them are popular, mainstream films (which are the only films most young girls ever see). Teenage girls are the target audience for these movies. They are already told by magazines and television shows that they are supposed to be impossibly "hot", thin, and popular. Heaven forbid we show young girls that some men will appreciate them for being intelligent, witty, strong, unique individuals, even if they don't look like the latest "it" girl. It's bad enough that the studios feed these girls crap films that they shell out simply because they know they'll go. To reinforce the negative self-images of most of their audience is downright despicable. Argh...
Ok...
End Rant. :)
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4-18-2007 @ 6:43PM
mike said...
Chad (one of the writers) was also John August's assistant before being hired for Studio 60.
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4-18-2007 @ 6:55PM
bgdc said...
I prefer this setup:
Guy gets girl
Guy and girl are happy until something stupid happens.
Guy and girl break up.
Guy keeps calling girl to get back together.
Guy changes.
Guy keep trying.
Girl tells him to f-off and die - girl is too stubborn to believe he's different.
Guy moves on; girl moves on.
Rare in movies and people tend to dislike this even though it's far more realistic. The Break Up and Chasing Amy are the only two that pop to mind with this arc. The guy doesn't get the girl but the people end up happy anyway.
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4-21-2007 @ 2:30AM
Anonymette said...
Here's the problem.
You know the scene in Pretty In Pink when Andie and Duckie are studying and Duckie's acting like a total fool -- okay, more than he does in EVERY OTHER SCENE IN THE MOVIE -- and Andie goes to get them something to drink? Duckie flops down on Andie's bed and is all, "I love this woman. I should tell her. Why can't I tell her?"
First of all, Duckies always admire from afar. They basically lie to the love of their life, making the poor girl think that Duckie is indeed her bestest friend in the entire world. They act like assholes when there are other guys around. Guys who, by the way, act honestly and go, "Girl, I like you. Let's go out." Then, out of nowhere (according to the girl), a Duckie will spring it on her. Naturally, the girl's all, "Huh. Seriously? But we've been friends since we were, like, five. This is just weeeeeird." And then the Duckie has the nerve to get all up in her biscuit about how he's the only guy for her. Do you BLAME her for shunning this weirdo and going with Blane?
No. You do not.
Duckies are not warm, funny, misunderstood little creatures who just need a shove in the right direction. They're egocentric, manipulative, possessive cowards.
And therein lies the reason for why Duckies never get the girl.
As for this script, sounds like every other romantic comedy ever written. And trust me -- the studio got the wool pulled over their eyes on this one. They may have shelled out the money but come development hell, some creative exec is gonna be going, "Wow. If you don't tell people up front that this is a Duckie, it just looks like everything else." Think about it. Seriously. Look at romantic comedies and tell me that this is anything new or different.
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