Screenwriting : Pretty Woman original script by Rui Gomes

I think I'd rather gouge my eyeballs out with a rusty teaspoon.

Interesting article. A good lesson in what can happen to a story once Hollywood gets a hold of it. Sorry for my visceral reaction, but few things fill me with as much disgust as that movie.

A similar thing happened with GOOD WILL HUNTING which was originally a big action script about a janitor who could break codes, so the CIA sent hit squads and helicopters after him... they were hunting Will. That was the script that Warner Bros loved and bought. But when WB shelved it and Kevin Smith took it to Miramax... it became a drama! You can never judge a screenplay by its movie... scripts go through a huge meat grinder before they hit the screen.

I don't agree with the two of you. What movies could be made from these two initial stories ? - One more "depressing, horrible, terrible story about two horrible people" as J.F. Lawton said himself, - And one more Jason Bourne something... = Just two common movies for basic cavemen, among hundreds (maybe the reason why WB shelved Good Will Hunting). These are these changes that made these two stories original and compelling, and the final drafts are well written, with well designed characters, plots, arcs... Two great movies. >> "You can never judge a screenplay by its movie... scripts go through a huge meat grinder before they hit the screen." I agree with this.

WB shelved GOOD WILL HUNTING due to MERCURY RISING having a very similar story. When you write your dark art house drama and they turn it into a fun romcom, you may think differently.

Sorry William, I don't know what the initial version of "Good Will Hunting" could have been but it seems like nobody was having something very similar to the final one. Were you involved in any manner in its writing?

I read $3000. I don't like the first half. I think it could have been material for a good dark psychological love story... with a lot of work on the plot and the characters. IMHO it needed less work to turn it into a great romcom. Compare with Basic Instinct (1992). Do you remember of "Internal Affairs"? A good thriller with Richard Gere (Rotten Tomatoes 88% fresh, BO $28MM) released a few months before Pretty Woman (Rotten Tomatoes 64% fresh, BO $463MM)

Does anyone actually have a link to "3000". I'd love to read it and see how it compares with the shooting script.

Here it is: http://screenplayexplorer.com/wp-content/scripts/Pretty-Woman.pdf

Excellent. Thanks so much.

Amazing how much description is in there.

It seems about average, though the first page is mostly action (description). Average script is about half dialogue and half action.

Aside from the first page, I was talking about the level of description rather than the amount of action. Lots of detail that I wouldn't include, especially regarding the hotel and the room. Also lots of telling it rather than showing it. Certainly though, who am I to critique somebody's sold screenplay.

Hello James, Don't worry: 1. IMHO, this was just a first draft and Lawton himself knew there were lot of rewrite to do. I think he wrote the romcom version and was fired near the end of the writing process. 2. It was easier then to sell a script. 3. lot of readers who never wrote one are ready to critique yours for some $. ;-)

Happy New Year!