Screenwriting : Saturday Night Fever Burn by Jean M. Knowlton

Guess this should probably go under loglines. I'm always better at coming up with ideas than with finishing. I am working on another project and decided to put this out there, maybe something to do in the future.

What is the point this story is trying to make? It seems unclear to me what you’re trying to express.

Saturday Night Fever had a lot of issues with the male level of consciousness and the way Annette was sort of shrugged off by Tony as part of his dysfunctional past, when he, himself, was actually a major element contributing to that dysfunction. I think exploring and healing the harm that came from that would make an interesting film. I see Annette as someone who was possibly his friend from childhood, not just a girl with a crush, who he found disturbing because she expressed an interest in marriage, but someone who actually knew him well and who he also knew. For him to have just sat there in the front seat while she was saying no in the back seat, doing nothing to stop his buddy from harming her, was a deep betrayal. That trauma seemed to have been eclipsed by Bobby's senseless death, but it should not have been ignored. I would like to see a Tony who has actually grown up, matured somewhat, become very successful, yet who still has issues. He is seeing himself as a victim when a woman accuses him of sexual harassment. Seeing Annette again and being confronted with how he saw women back then and the harm it caused could possibly cause a true epiphany, instead of the escape to a better life by leaving the old one behind which was how the first and second films ended. I think it could help spur a cultural healing as well.

Feels like expurgation, and that’s not really a story.

It's a story about the development of character rather than escape from what is perceived as the problem. Its' a hopeful progression of the characters and ties up some of the unattended story lines from the past two, well, really from the first since the second didn't really add much. It was just an attempt to profit from the popularity of the first so it could probably be ignored for all intents and purposes for the type of story I'm talking about here. It helps to have lived longer and experienced how people change, some for the better, and some become even more disappointing. It is a story about the progression of consciousness and growth of sensitive, caring people. From my point of view, anyway, those are some of the most interesting stories.

As a HUGE fan of both John Travolta and Saturday Night Fever and someone who's met and knows Karen Lynn Gorney (Stephanie Mangano) and has met and has mutual friends with John, I have to say, you're obviously NOT a fan of the original source material and I think - respectfully - you are reading into things that aren't there. There was a sequel, by the way, Staying Alive, in which the character DID grow more. Became more of a gentleman. You need to know those things exist if you're going to write a sequel (even without the rights to the character, though I would NOT discourage you from doing that). My point is you are trying to take things and make them falsely fit a narrative. And, I know that movie BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS - it's in My Top 10 ... It's a COMING OF AGE STORY. Tony DOES attempt - unsuccessfully to stop his "buddies." Annette - WILLINGLY - gets in the back seat after Tony is THROWN INTO THE CAR by his "buddies." She does this to hurt him. She seems to agree to consensual sex before thinking the better of it. I agree that she NEVER agrees to let Double J jump in the backseat and have sex with her. Tony is sitting in the front of the car, between two people. HOW is he going to STOP this, especially after she wants to do it - at first - just to hurt him. Go back and watch that scene again. Moreover, after Bobby's death, that CHANGE DOES OCCUR. He goes to Stephanie's house in NYC and apologizes. It ends on their hug. He asks if he can be her friend. Honestly, and again, Respectfully, Have you seen the movie? John was Nominated for Best Actor at the 1978 Academy Awards. It's already a complete story. The HUGEST PART OF THE MOVIE is that Tony DOES CHANGE AT THE END. He says, "I'm not going back there. They're a-holes back there." You're acting as if he never realized that. Also, he was a dancer and becomes a professional dancer in Staying Alive. He's not a director. I know this character and both those movies. I'm sorry, but you are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with this one to fit a false narrative. The whole point of the movie is that HE DOES CHANGE. We don't need to see him change 45 years later. And, it's also not in line with the character. There is a wonderful scene between he and his mother, where he apologizes for his "attitude," in Staying Alive - which I get is not as good a movie as Saturday Night Fever - and she tells him it was that "attitude" that got him out of Brooklyn and made him a professional. Again, coming from someone who knows both movies - WELL - this is absolutely a false narrative.

Sam, keep comments directed at the question, not the questioner. I don’t think it would make a bad story, but presented the way it was the narrative would feel forced. Tony would need to choose himself to seek redemption rather than another character informing him of his need and Tony capitulating. It’s a matter of the protagonist driving the story rather than taking a passive role.

I appreciate your point of view, here. Obviously I am a fan of the movie, the first more so than the second. I just see spots in it a little differently than you do, apparently.

It's true Annette originally was trying to make him jealous, but she was also asserting herself as a free single woman in the 70s. Thus the response she made to him when he told her there were two kinds of women, and she told him maybe she was a little of both. She seemed to have greater insight there, but she clearly lacked experience. What she did was a bit immature, on the one hand, trying to make him jealous, but she was trying to be sophisticated and to gain some experience. It doesn't mean she deserved for that to happen to her, though. And then, as the victim, she's both ignored and blamed.

She clearly did say no, and Tony absolutely could have and should have said something and done something. Those guys listened to him, they looked up to him. He was certainly harsh in his judgment of women, as I mentioned earlier, saying there are only two kinds, and he was needlessly verbally abusive of her. I think Annette was from his same neighborhood, and it's likely they went to the same school, so they knew each other much better than he knew Stephanie, so maybe he felt he had a right to call her a terrible name and to do nothing, blaming her for being there in the first place. Stephanie was a woman with a plan, who knew things could be better on the other side of the bridge if you are the kind of person willing to strive for it, but I didn't think she really had much depth. She was fun, and she knew what she wanted, though. We see Stephanie also appears to him to sell herself out, having lived with someone who was more successful than her and accepted his help, keeping his apartment when he leaves. So it doesn't mean that when they crossed that bridge, they weren't still taking a little bit of Brooklyn along with them. That was another flaw, I felt in the first movie, that he seemed to think the others were flawed and all he had to do was leave them, cross that bridge, when there was a part of him just as flawed that he was bringing along with him.

While he apologized to Stephanie, he never did make things right with Annette. He called her a cunt and left it at that. So this is a double standard, obviously, where men are free to experiment and play around and women fall into the category of cunt if they assert their right to do the same. I see this as some real unfinished business and you may want to ask the women in your life what they think about that scene as well. It could be a gender difference of perception here, but Annette was not treated fairly, and I believe there was more to her than what Tony was able to see in that point in his development.If confronted by Annette in the future, who hopefully has also found happiness and success of her own, possibly as an author, therapist, talk show hostess or some profession where she finds her voice, that he would own up to it and try to do right by her as well as by any other women he has wronged along the way. It is likely that this double standard would be deeply enmeshed, and as a director it may be possible he went through a period of disconnection, perhaps drank a bit too much, and used his position to unfairly pressure an actress to spend the night with him. It could have happened in the culture that existed at that time, with the character that he had at that time, that he would feel entitled to do it, as a perk of being a director. While he was working to be better, he was still a product of his upbringing and of the times.

I saw his natural progression from the second movie to the third as going from dancing on Broadway to directing, because physically a person is likely not to stick to that level of dancing as they age, and I believe he would have enjoyed directing, because he was an artist, and he may have enjoyed the creative control and power he would have in directing shows. And I don't think it would be beyond him to abuse that power, even if it was just one isolated occasion during a bad period in his life. But I do see him as redeemable, which is the whole point of this third movie. There is that horrible wrong seemingly ignored or made to seem unimportant in the aftermath of Bobby's death, but this would be a good time for that to be healed and for Danny to achieve that higher level of insight and growth.

Stephen, I in no way got personal with the questioner, so with all due respect don't tell me how to respond. I take offense to that. You don't think it would make a bad story, that's your opinion, but I know that movie - and the source material - better than any of you. Tony MAKES THE CHANGE. It's a COMING OF AGE STORY, so he has to, you know, COME OF AGE. As for your opinion, I couldn't disagree more. And, I have mutual friends with the director John Badham. I have a mutual friend with Nik Cohn, who wrote the article the movie was based on, Tribal Rights of the New Saturday Night and know a lot of the particulars. So, no, I won't yield here. It's not a personal statement, nor is it abusive in any way, to say the poster is trying to fit a narrative that isn't there. Tony is wedged between two people in the front seat of a moving car. HOW ON EARTH can he stop what's going on in the back seat? He literally got into a fight with his buddies attempting to stop it before they got into the car and got SLAMMED into the hood of said car by two of them. Annette laughs and giggles and agrees to do what she's gonna do - mostly to hurt Tony and get some revenge. And, yes, I get it that he is NOT nice to her throughout the movie - THAT Is part of his COMING OF AGE. So, no, despite the fact that you like the idea, I respectfully don't. And, more importantly, fans of that character would NOT like it. And, there are many, I assure you. I know that movie, that source material and the neighborhoods of where they shot it in Brooklyn very well. So, no, I won't keep my opinions to myself. And, it's not personal to say this is a false narrative, especially when Tony made said change by the end of the movie and continued the change in a positive direction in the sequel Staying Alive, which the poster has just written off. I in no way was disrespectful or abusive to the poster. I was passionately - and accurately - discussing a movie that is in My Top Ten. I was defending a movie and character that I love and would hate to see ruined. That's like me saying I want to write a sequel to Casablanca where Bogy's character, Rick, hunts down Ilsa to tell her Love Trumps Hate and to leave Laszlo because he TRULY loves her. THIS defeats the whole purpose of the original, which was that Rick made the ultimate sacrifice: "I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that." It's all said right there. JUST AS WITH Saturday Night Fever - He COMES OF AGE ... HE GETS IT. His friends were racist, sexist jerks, who rigged the contest for him to win. He tries to help Annette and even comforts her on the bridge. He rides the subway all night and decides to make that change. He goes to see Stephanie the next day in an apologetic manner. Tells her he's not going back. His friends are jerks. It's all right there ...

I don't think Tony was entirely self-driven. He was looking toward Stephanie to lead him to his next step. I think he could be led to greater growth by realizing what he may have hidden from himself and forgotten. I doubt Annette has forgotten and it would be a real possibility that she would want to confront him. It's true I am taking some creative license with the story by expanding what was shown of the Annette character. But he was a well-meaning guy at heart, so you had to love him. In the dance competition where he gave the check to the other couple because he saw they had been victims of racism in being denied the win, it showed he had some insight and some heart. I just think he had that blind spot that I would like to see brought to light.

No doubt there could be more in it. But in the most brief form.

1. He has a low opinion of woman.

2. No does nothing to stop a rape.

3. He is accused of doing something that doesn’t seem out of character.

4. Rape victim tells him he is a jerk (very condensed)

5. He changes and makes good for something he didn’t do.

People tend to change for three reasons.

* Pain/Suffering (there current state is causing them to suffer)

* Dissatisfied (they don’t like what they have, they want a change)

* Jealousy (they want what others have)

This could be a car, money or social status.

Life after SNF is a great idea. I am not sure there is enough meat on the current bones as they sit. I think you will run out of story to write.

Jean, as a passionate fan of Saturday Night Fever - and John Travolta (and ironically it's not my favorite Travolta film, that would be Get Shorty - my favorite film of All-Time) - you have to understand I know that film well. So, I respect your opinion and passion, as well, but in this case, I truly think you are trying to get it to fit the "Me, Too" narrative and quite frankly it doesn't. He CHANGES by the end of the film. You reference that those guys respected him. Well, as racist, sexist, misogynists all their respect for Tony went right out the door the moment he called them out for the rigged contest. And, two of them - Joey and Double J, the ones who essentially rape Annette - SLAMMED HIM INTO the hood of the car when he attempts to stop them. She giggles. He's then, wedged in the front seat of a moving vehicle while the events in the backseat play out. AND< she is laughing at first, before starting to cry. He DOES comfort her on the bridge and walks her back to the car. He tries to save Bobby. He WALKS AWAY FROM HIS FRIENDS at the car - while Annette goes with them, I might add, being hugged by Joey - and rides the subway all night. He goes apologetically to Stephanie's house and it ends on their hug. It's all right there. And, while you don't love Staying Alive - he does continue that change. I love the lunch scene with his mother. On a personal note, I grew up in Staten Island with a view from the Verrazano from my house. I wanted to be John Travolta. I lost my mom and that scene where he has another slice of pie that she made special gets me every time. Making a Me Too type of movie is fine, but forcing characters to fit that is not. The whole point of Saturday Night Fever is that Tony DOES MAKE THAT CHANGE at the end.

Craig, as a PASSIONATE FAN of Saturday Night Fever and John Travolta, I respectfully have to ask you two things: 1. Have you seen Saturday Night Fever? 2. Have you seen Staying Alive? You wrote a formulaic response to what it could be. Meanwhile, you wrote incorrect things about the character that I detailed out above. He does try to stop the rape. He does MAKE THE CHANGE by the end of the movie. That's, in fact, the whole point of the movie. It's a Coming of Age story, where he, Comes of Age. But, you are giving a formulaic response to what her sequel could be. Also, when you deal with a sequel - if you get the rights to do it - you have to take into account the fans of that character, because THEY are your target audience. And, again, the whole moot point of this discussion is that both the OP and your formula revolve around a false narrative. Please show me in the films where I am wrong. I documented it well above in the two previous responses.

I don't think he comforted Annette over what happened to her, that was about Bobby. Shortly before he tried to rescue Bobby, he called her a cunt. I do not think that movie was complete where Annette was concerned. It lets Tony skate away and dump all the brokenness as a projection on his friends. He was a part of that group, he was influenced by the same things that shaped them. He chose a new direction, but he never did address what happened to Annette and his silence while it happened. To me that is the crack in him that could open up eventually to let in the light, when he stops running from who he is and what he has done or not done. The change he made was to run away, not to stand and face the dysfunction and his part in it. That is why a third movie would offer an opportunity for him to deepen that change that will complete him and his story, as well as Annette, the forgotten woman, and her story. I think true fans would welcome another movie, if it's done better than the second one was, anyway. I'd love to see it, and I'm sure I'm not alone. I wonder if there are any women out there who would like to comment on this.

Again, Jean, I think you should re-watch the movie. He does call Annette that terrible word, however, immediately after, he chases after her on the bridge and hugs her and comforts her, walking her back to the car. You just gloss right over that. And, I disagree with your assessment of him running away and not facing it. He walks away from them and comes to that realization. ANNETTE, meanwhile lets Joey hug her and stays with them and gets back in the dead guy's car. She doesn't report the rape to the police WHO ARE RIGHT THERE. SHE is the one running away, NOT Tony. I am firm on that. However, if you felt Annette needed her story continued, I would not argue that. HOWEVER, she is the one who NEEDS to make a change, NOT Tony.

I don't see that scene in the same light as you do. He may have hugged her, comforting her over Bobby, but then HE WALKED AWAY AND LEFT HER WITH THEM. Plus, while you claim he tried to stop the rape, he never did. It didn't happen until after he was in the car. He was never thrown into the car. They threw him on the car saying he didn't care about Annette. When Double J got out of the front seat, he could have come after him right then and pushed him back into the front seat and gotten into the back seat with Annette. He just sat there. He said not one word, he made not one move to stop it. We don't know if she ever reported it. Often victims are in a daze, plus their friend, Bobby just died, so she may not have wanted to go that route at that moment.She may have hugged Joey, but he wasn't the one who raped her. He did allow it to happen, though, but she seemed to like him well enough to have accepted his defense of her, telling Tony that he didn't care about her. Given all the victim blaming that was prevalent then, even more so than now, I could understand why she may have chosen not to press charges, It would be putting herself on trial, and likely they would walk. But the betrayal to her in all this was bigger coming from Tony, because she really cared about him. Trying to make him jealous was immature, but she wouldn't have tried to do that if she didn't care for him. It was manipulative, but the penalty for that should not have been rape. I still think you are hero-worshiping a character who has not yet earned hero-ship. He was in the process of change, but there was still a lot of work to do. He basically scapegoated all of his problems onto his friends and walked away. The third movie could complete the change in him that was begun years before. He was still young, likely made more mistakes, but I believe by the time he hits his 60s, he would become more conscious and have more insight into who he is and what shaped him.

You are totally creating a false narrative to fit your narrative. I'm sorry. She LET THE RAPIST HUG HER and she went back in the dead guy - Bobby - 's car with him. In your narrative, she doesn't have to take any responsibility for her own actions. He saw what was coming and tried to stop it. GOT SLAMMED INTO THE CAR for his efforts! She giggled. Please. And, at first, she is laughing when they first start to have sex. Please. According to you, she has a free pass to do whatever she wants. Caring about Tony doesn't give her the right to do illegal pills and drugs, drink like a fish and cause a fight between him and those dangerous thug friends, simply because she wants to make him jealous. SHE DOES THOSE THINGS. He TRIES TO HELP HER and SHE LAUGHED. But, you will just see it your way, in order to fit a VERY FALSE NARRATIVE. He COMES OF AGE - THAT IS THE POINT OF THE WHOLE MOVIE. Everyone in Hollywood basically sees it that way, but not you. 'Tony scapegoated his friends.' THEY WERE BRINGING HIM DOWN. I think you are tinting the movie with Jean-colored glasses. Annette needs to take responsibility for her own actions. Tony is not her father, nor keeper.

And there we have it, ultimate victim blaming. He did nothing to stop the rape, you say he even saw coming. How would he know another guy would try to take over from the first, who she wanted to be with? You blame her because she was partying and took some drugs. That is what is called victim blaming. She is now fully responsible for whatever happens because taking a drug means she is now officially fair game and the word no is null and void. She isn't to blame for what happened. She expected to just be with the one guy she wanted to be with. When the rape began, Tony just sat there doing nothing. So enough of your mansplaining to me. I saw the movie. I saw who he was in that moment, and he never did make up for it. That is what is needed to complete the character's redemption.

Hi, Jean. It’s an interesting idea. As an audience member, the rape was appalling and disturbing. The victim blaming, her insecurities, her just wanting to fit in and go out with Tony, and the continuing lack of understanding of the psychological damage is quite disturbing too. Tony chasing her on the bridge, comforting her and walking her back to the car made my skin crawl—sorry, but that does not absolve him of anything. A female perspective/POV or take on Annette would offer new insights, new dimension. But, realistically, the concept of another film would be a tough sell—it’s an owned property, there’s the idolized Tony, it being a cult classic, etc.

I never victim blamed and if you try to spin this, or accuse me of that, I will take appropriate measures. Bottom Line, she has to take responsibility for her own actions. Tony didn't force pills down her throat. Actually, even Joey, says, "You've had enough." And, after watching Tony get SLAMMED INTO A CAR, she giggles and gets in the back seat! HOW BETH is that Tony's fault? Tony does NOT rape her. Tony TRIED to stop it. Tony is wedged in between two people in the front seat of a moving car. HOW could he have stopped it? I am NOT a sexist nor am I saying rape is okay. It made MY SKIN CRAWL that she hugged the rapist and got back in the car with him. THAT was disturbing. Yet, it's Tony's fault, right Beth? She hugs Joey and gets back in the car with him as Tony walks away? She doesn't report the rape, but again, on Tony, right? You simply agreeing because you're a female is not a relevant argument. SHE gets back in Bobby's car with the rapist - Joey - hugging her. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This isn't even a rational conversation. So much so, I actually want to reach out to Donna Pescow, who I've had some interaction with, and get her opinion on this, but even that, likely won't satisfy you. (She played Annette, BTW.)

Ah... huh? I was talking about the movie.

And sharing my relevant opinion with Jean. She asked for a woman to comment.

No need to yell in all caps, Sam. Calm down.

Thanks for your insight, Beth. True it is an owned property, but I think a lot of women experienced it the way we did. But as a film, it felt incomplete to me because of that major unresolved issue, and I could see John Travolta wanting to deepen it, because those shallow, narrow points of view are part of what his character in that film needed to broaden. If it was done well, it could be a really juicy part for him, and I think the women of America would be happy to see that issue healed. It would need to be extremely well-put together in every way, and I think the fans would come to see it as the ultimate completion of this character and story.

And Sam, after Bobby's death, everyone was in shock, so normal, logical behavior is not expected. But Tony was her friend. He should have at least made sure she got home safely instead of just walking away. And yes, he could have done something to stop it. What he did before it happened is not trying to stop it, because it hadn't happened. All that was happening then was basically partying and all in fun. It did not become rape until her attacker attacked. And he wasn't "wedged," he could have gotten back there if he needed to, to stop it. He could have said something at the very least. Yeah, that's on him. She said no. She did something. She said no. Being overpowered was not her fault and everybody else in the car, including Tony, doing nothing about it was not her fault. Her choice was taken from her. Regardless of whether or not she made some bad choices, she did not choose that.

You’re welcome, Jean. Yeah... that scene ruined the movie for me. I saw some censored/edited version when I was a kid and then saw the film in its entirety much later and was appalled. Shocked even. I agree, it felt unresolved. I sat there thinking, what the hell? Some of it made no sense and people today seem to gloss over the rape. Dunno? But, honestly, for me, I would not like to see another film. Sorry, I am not a fan like you and others. Plus no one can assume what John Travolta would think or feel. This film seems a lifetime ago, does it not? The filmmakers made their decisions, it’s their work. It certainly has inspired you. I wish you the best. ;)

So reach out to Donna Pescow, I'd love to hear her insights.

I just think Travolta might enjoy playing Tony again, only more older, wiser, struggling to come to realizations and make things right, as long as it was a really good script that addresses what did leave so many women feeling sickened. It would also be a great role for Donna Pescow, because her character deserves to be better understood. I think she may have been reading some of the feminist literature of the period, Kate Millet, Germaine Greer, Susan Brownmiller, Friedan, Steinem, etc. But of course, it is their property, I just think it could use that last bit of closure. If that's presumptuous, then I'm going to have to just resign myself to being presumptuous.

I saw it when I was a kid. I was more a Slade fan than a BeeGee person (I’ll have to hand in my Aussie status for that one).

My comments, especially around human motivation is based in the Intelligence work I have done in the past. It is a good starting point when thinking about people and the emotions their actions are based in.

Jean, I think you are defending your story well. I would encourage you to pursue it and to follow the adage that a writer should never force an ending. Get the ball rolling and see where your characters take it. Sometimes the best lessons come from characters who never learn. And welcome to Stage32.

Thank you. This is my first post here, and it was certainly an interesting experience. Although I guess I should have expected that the idea could be very controversial.

What's the endgame here? No legitimate contest/fellowship program will accept your screenplay. I guess it's possible to write a 'fan fiction" screenplay to impress Agents & Producers to hire you to write something else in the "Metoo" genre.

Welcome, Jean. We’re happy to have you!

Dan M beat me to it, but this could be a great writing sample. Perhaps it could mold into or inspire something original?

I was just sharing an idea that occurred to me after I watched both the original and the sequel, and observed the various me, too issues cropping up. I don't have the experience to actually do an adaptation as anything other than a writing exercise at this point. So great idea, that's what I'll do. Thank you.

I have only written one screenplay that I entered into the Nicholl, and I realized after taking an online class that I had made every possible mistake in that script. It was about the life of Lotta Crabtree, a child entertainer during the gold rush, who ended up being America's most highly-paid actress. I did a lot of research, but the vision I had in my head and the words on the page were not a match. Mostly I worked as a court reporter and transcriber, plus I participate in TNR for neighborhood cats and have become invested in caring for these sweet little angels. Not a lot of time for this craft, but I keep learning and growing with it. I relied upon Wells Root's books as well as Syd Field's.

A few more ideas occurred to me about this after this discussion. One was that Annette had been his dancing partner, so his shoving her aside to dance with Stephanie may have caused part of her change from what Tony perceived as the good girl who wants to be a "married sister." She couldn't win either way with him, it seems. Another was Stephanie's reaction to his giving the prize to the couple who actually out-danced them was, "We were good, too." That also makes me think she was not particularly deep, although that could be seen as good self-esteem. I think she was willing to overlook the racism in that win, though. I know the Tony character would likely not do anything like Weinstein. I see him as more beloved with women stepping up to defend him, but possibly he made a mistake one time with one woman where she would have that perception. That part is a little sensitive so respecting those who do love Tony, I would not want to write it as him doing anything completely unforgivable, and would even have Annette forgiving him in the end. I don't see it as re-writing an iconic film like Casablanca, though. I see it more as a completion of the original with a way to heal some of the heartache that scene caused for almost any sensitive person in first movie. I see it as filling in more character that could be perceived to some extent in the first movie. Also, unlike Casablanca, there has already been one sequel so another one would not be an altercation, just a progression of the original story.

Having seen it again, I saw Tony was not shoved into the car. He was shoved onto the hood of the car and told he didn't care about Annette, but he got into the car voluntarily. There was a moment when Double J gets out of the front seat, before Joey got in, where he could have stopped it from the get go, by getting out behind him, shoving him back into the front seat and getting into the back seat himself. He just sat there. With Joey it was consensual, but he knew it wasn't with Double J. If he thought she was willing to be with Double J, maybe that would excuse him doing nothing then. She said no as soon as Double J got into the back seat, before the car was moving. He should have stopped it right then and there. All he had to do even then after Joey had gotten into the front seat, was open the passenger side door, or tell Bobby to get out of the driver's side and gotten out that door. He could have gotten out of the car because it wasn't moving and neither of the two guys he was in between was bigger than him. There was no excuse like discussed above, where he couldn't have stopped it because he was wedged in the middle.

Welcome Jean!

Thanks, Tasha. Dan, the post started as my latest idea for a screenplay, which was a sequel to Saturday Night Live that would provide some healing for the rape incident that occurred. It was in no way re-writing the original, just responding to what was pretty appalling to most women who saw it. The characters, I would want to believe, grew and changed over the years, and the third film in the series would simply provide a healing for the wound created by the first film, which was a rape that was minimized and basically dismissed. It would not be something, as an amateur, I would likely want to be responsible for writing the final script. I could write it as a writing exercise at this point, since I have very little experience in the genre. I could provide ideas, but professionals in charge of the original material would be the ones to do it, obviously. It probably would only work with the two original cast members involved and overseen by the original screenwriting team, augmented by some women to broaden the viewpoint. Seeing the controversy it raised in this thread, it appears it would create a buzz, great built-in publicity for a film.

I am still working on writing the scene between Tony and Annette where they hash things out. I'm taking a dialogue seminar, which should help some. Plus I decided the first way I took it where she is saying she doesn't believe the woman making the Me, Too accusation was just wrong. It should be believed, and it should turn out to be true. It just shouldn't be something unforgivable like Weinstein's behavior, more of a temporary lapse of judgment during a difficult time in his life. It will be in the fairly distant past so his realization comes slowly of the truth in the charge, as he is being confronted by Annette, which jogs his memory. He will be seen as a hero in the end for courageously admitting his mistake and making amends in a time when many men are engaging in denial and cover-ups. Reminiscent of the scene where he hands the check to the Hispanic couple at the dance competition because he knows they actually won were it not for a racist choice.

I've rewritten the one scene, but realized now I really do want to write the whole thing because more ideas keep pouring in as to how to approach it. The scene I wrote explains the crux of it, between Annette and Tony, but I think the conflict may need to be teased out over several scenes with some storming out and more upset. Maybe he will sue her not to publish her book because even though she doesn't mention names, everyone will know it's him sitting in the car doing nothing while she was raped. I thought maybe after they start to reconcile a bit over it, there could be a scene where Tony saves someone's life by doing CPR, having someone help him by having the song Staying Alive playing, because as many of us know now, it's the perfect rhythm for CPR. That would be a good heroic scene for Tony, tying in the first movie and also educating those who don't know about that fun fact. Maybe it could be he saves Annette's husband. So I'm going to go back to the story board and work on this for a few weeks and will let anyone who is interested read it when it's in first draft for any suggestions, helpful hints, etc. I did take a screenwriting college class a long time ago in San Francisco when I lived there, and since then I have always kept taking online classes and so I like to keep learning and growing. It's just a fun way to express the many ideas that come percolating through many of us who have super active minds.

Now into the pandemic, I went into such a fog so far, starting to lift, but wasn't able to do much except write things that I hated later. Anyway, today I came up with an idea for this where instead of Annette confronting Tony and him being accused of harassment, his wife could be an actress who stands up to a well-known director and ends up getting him convicted in court. As a result of what Tony goes through with her courageous story and action, he remembers Annette and he is the one who approaches her. I think her character could have grown in the same ways as in the previous version and she hosts a talk radio show. He reaches her through that and then they have a conversation about what happened and make things right between them. That would protect Tony's hero image, yet go back and heal the harm.