Screenwriting : Rom Com Contest Now Closed - Who Submitted? by David Abrookin

I submitted a young adult romcom called CROSSBREED that's a modern midwestern take on ROMEO AND JULIET, with a bit of a JUNO-esque twist. The script features a diverse cast, a neurodivergent protagonist, and a realistic portrayal of the modern dairy farming world that I grew up in (which I've never seen on screen!). I've had lots of strong feedback on this script and concept from others in the industry, so I'm excited to see where it goes!

What Makes Love Last? is the title of my entry. It's a classic fish-out-water story with a female lead that has something to say about modern media and our patriarchal culture; it's not your run-of-the-mill rom com.

Oooh! I can't wait to hear all about the submissions!

My entry is LOVE, IN REPRISE.

After being publicly cheated on, a celebrity violinist at the top of her career returns to her hometown in hopes of laying low. When upcoming development plans threaten to demolish the town’s local theater, she sets out to save the historical landmark, despite her manager’s disapproval and the paparazzi on her tail. But can she convince her former collaborator the property is worth renovating without falling for him? Again?

This is the first script I sent to Stage 32's script services, and I was So Happy with the feedback. The comments from the reader were so detailed and helped me get a game plan to dive back in and make the story even stronger. If you hear Lindsey Stirling is interested in playing the lead in a movie, send her my way. ;)

Good Luck to everyone who entered!

My entry, "Stand Tall!", is what you might get if you re-imagined "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman" as a love story, but took out the "attack" and scaled down the lovable leading lady to a mere 16-foot-1 1/8. (Colossal Colleen Cossitt still has more than 10 feet on her love interest, scientist Keswick Fletcher.) It has a retro-feminist tone evoking the 1960s though it takes place in modern-day Las Vegas, is plenty of fun and has vivid, multi-faceted characters. Here, romantic comedy reaches new heights... literally!.

Netflix’s ”Holidate” meets Netflix’s “Single All The Way” in my entry, “Can I Keep You?”; a “holiday for every day” romantic comedy that takes the phrase “new year, new me” and blends it with Cupid’s arrows.

On NYE 2022, the Feliz and Skye families encourage straight painter Mateo “Teo” Feliz and Xzander “Zan” Skye to make resolutions about their unfortunate love lives; playboy Mateo to seriously date and relationship obsessed Xzander to date for fun. During a chance meeting at an art gallery, the pair strike up a partnership, deciding to give each other “dating lessons” so they can fulfill their resolutions but come to realize the answers to their problems may be closer than they think.

I wrote the character of Zan with Keiynan Lonsdale in mind (a queer actor who I think can be the next big LGBTQ rom-com leading man) and Angel Bismark Curiel for Teo, his stunning performance in "Pose" as "Papi" immediately making me feel he could carry this type of role.

I've always been in love with "love" since I was a teenager and as I've gotten older, I realized it was due to the fact I've never actually experienced true love and when I did, it was with men who couldn't love fully because of the barriers within themselves. In this day and age, sexual confusion or fear of embracing our attractions due to labels hold so many people back from getting our possible happily ever after, so I hope "Can I Keep You?" can maybe change people's perceptions and inspire them to pursue their happily ever after in whatever human packaging it comes in.

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS ONLY A RESOLUTION AWAY."

Congrats to all those who entered. Best of Luck!

In THE CHANGING STATION, two transgender people magically switch bodies after performing an act of kindness together, each ending up in a body they had only been able to fantasize about previously. It seems like a solution to all their problems, but then reality sets in. The new man has an angry, pregnant wife. The new woman isn't prepared to handle the darker side of being beautiful and she's still in love with her wife. And, of course, they share a secret that no one would ever believe.

My feature. LOVE HAS NO GEOGRAPHY (formerly, The Perfect Match) is an older casino attorney's journey, after a failed marriage, to find love again. He enters the bizarre online dating world, and after several dating mishaps, finally meets a sweet woman (from California) and begins a bi-coastal quest from Philly to Newport Beach, and after two heartbreaks, tries to be a better man, and resolve age, religious and other differences. He learns that you can't run away when love gets tough.

What a splendid premise!

My rom-com "Stand Tall!" has a large-scale chess-related scene. Leading lady Colleen Cossitt, a Las Vegas casino waitress who's been accidentally enlarged to 16-foot-1 1/8 and is thus effectively imprisoned in a laboratory (a converted trucking warehouse with plenty of headroom!) while scientist Keswick Fletcher and his aide Belinda Austin unsuccessfully try to restore her to 5-foot-4 3/8, spends time playing chess on a triple-scale board with her adoring 10-year-old nephew Ivan Black, who loves that Aunt Colleen is now "fee-fi-fo-fum" sized.

Looking forward to seeing the results!

My screenplay “Win A Date With Rachel Ciemone” was written with Beyoncé Knowles in mind for lead-role.

When a small town guy wins a date with the world-famous pop star Rachel Ciemone, he finds himself plunged into a world of glamour and celebrity that he’s totally unprepared for as he begins falling in love with the sensational diva.

My unconventional romcom WORKAHOLIC ROMANCE highlights ambitious working men and women and how it's difficult for them to navigate a relationship. Seared by traumatic emotional childhood abuse by their parents, my two protagonists are hopeless workaholics because an unrelenting work ethic is the only commodity that gives them self-worth. But they’re hardly dour as both have an engaging sense of humor that gives their relationship a whimsical and engaging flow. Their constant battle of wits harmonizes them through their evolution and shows their unique perspectives on life, love and therapy.

I can’t wait to see what our judges think of the scripts. Thanks for all your hard work on this David!

Thanks, Amanda, and thank you to everyone who has shared so far! Some really outstanding projects, and I'm really looking forward to hearing from our judges once they dive in to read!

I sent in 'The Scenic Route'. It's a fish out of water, rich boy poor girl Rom Com set in the English countryside.

My very English Christmas 'reverse rom com' is called 25 Things About You That I Love. Set within a community putting on a Christmas pantomime the warring lovers are cast in the lead roles of the most romantic story ever told. Will their sparring wreck the production? Tear the community apart? Or will there be a happy ever after? Logline: "Some day my prince will leave."

Love this community! Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Which Way from Here is a romantic dramedy following Alice, a divorced mother, who becomes lost in a familiar yet unfamiliar world. Facing financial insecurity and moments of madness, the magical and ordinary collide when Alice meets a Navy vet secretly battling PTSD. But to discover true love, both must journey through the looking glass before it’s too late.

My romcom script DAZZLED is about a young woman music publicist who falls hard for a bad boy rock singer while a sweet, corny guy she mistakes for a beach bum tries to win her heart. One girl. Two guys. There’s summer fun on the beach plus music from the lead singer’s band. This is a great opportunity for someone to write a few pop songs for the story.

My Rom Com Power Couple's Longline is "A Power Couple struggle to maintain a healthy relationship as their careers in Hollywood North continue to elevate to the next level at different times". First romantic comedy set behind the scenes/camera for once!

What an eclectic range of ideas!

I submitted my romcom, OPERATION MOM. Fingers crossed! It's about a South Asian teenager who conspires to get her annoying and obsessive single mother off her back by setting her up on a date, but only to find love herself.

What great ideas ladies!! Sounds like some fabulous universals for your audiences to dig into and learn from, and fun characters to empathize and fall in love with. I'm excited for each of you. Yeah! ❤️