Coverage: Hobson's Choice
By Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
That is not to say that the action is any less interesting. Reading this script is all at once recipe book detailed and Food Network interesting. There were times when I found myself jumping onto Wikipedia to lookup some fanciful ingredient mentioned or salivating at the descriptions of meals. Anybody who is even slightly interested in the world of gourmet food and restaurants will be interested in this.
The character’s relationships are very well defined and believable. Maggie and her father’s exchanges are something to behold; underlining both their shared contempt for and undeniable influence on each other. At the same time, Will Mossop’s dim-witted, yet charming interactions with Maggie left me reeling with laughter.
Maggie’s character is quite the dichotomy. She presents, believably, two sides of the same coin. In her job she is smart, unflappable, and dominant – traits that have been learned through years of hard work, proving herself by sheer force of will, under an overbearing, egotistical father’s reign. In her personal life however, she is completely vulnerable. Having to take over the maternal role in the family at a young age Maggie was never given a chance to act her age. At the same time, her father’s distaste for her has rubbed off completely within the family unit. She’s at the complete bottom of the totem pole and although she does everything for her father and two sisters, she receives no respect for it. This has turned her into a veritable shrew – yet one who is completely self aware. Until she decides to stick up for her own dignity, Maggie is a woman who has completely given up on herself as anything but a restaurant manager.
This is why Maggie’s success is so fulfilling. The central conflict in the script is well defined and also, well handled by the writers. This doesn’t mean that the script is without its faults:
I think that perhaps the biggest fault of the screenplay is Henry’s hatred of his daughter. We’re never given a reason as to why he hates Maggie so much. Perhaps he projects his anger over the loss of his wife onto the person who took over her maternal responsibilities. Perhaps he feels that abusing Maggie and cutting her down keeps her under his influence. I don’t know why… and while it does make his abuse that much more monstrous, it also makes it more cartoonish and unbelievable. Even a small rationalization would be enough… I just find it hard to believe that anybody becomes a Grinch from a vacuum… especially when everyone else’s character traits are given realistic sources.
Will Mossop is such a funny character in the beginning. He’s a dolt with a heart of gold and an incredible gift. This makes for a really interesting contrast when Maggie finds herself attracted to him, despite his mental shortcomings. Something happens to Will though halfway through the story. He starts to get smarter. Sure, some of his dimwittedness remains, but he’s quicker and less prone to stupid, absentminded remarks, which led to such funny exchanges early on.
The whole green card issue at the end of the script feels very forced. I understand why it is there, but it feels like the issue could be dealt with in a more tactful manner. Mostly I just didn’t believe the whole “it’s too late for me” argument. I don’t know… it could be handled better I feel.
Overall thought there really isn’t a lot to fix. The script would make a great movie and is fun to read. In fact, I can’t wait to read it again.
Chef
Log Line:
After managing the day-to-day business of her insufferably cruel, celebrity chef father’s restaurant for years without any personal satisfaction, Maggie Hobson decides to quit and start her own, rival, restaurant.Comments:
First off, this is an incredibly entertaining script. The characters are extremely well drawn with believable motivations and incredibly individual voices. Perhaps the greatest strength of this script is the dialogue, which literally jumps off the page and demands attention from the readers. So much of this script is about how people treat and speak to each other it’s great that dialogue is given such precedence.That is not to say that the action is any less interesting. Reading this script is all at once recipe book detailed and Food Network interesting. There were times when I found myself jumping onto Wikipedia to lookup some fanciful ingredient mentioned or salivating at the descriptions of meals. Anybody who is even slightly interested in the world of gourmet food and restaurants will be interested in this.
The character’s relationships are very well defined and believable. Maggie and her father’s exchanges are something to behold; underlining both their shared contempt for and undeniable influence on each other. At the same time, Will Mossop’s dim-witted, yet charming interactions with Maggie left me reeling with laughter.
Maggie’s character is quite the dichotomy. She presents, believably, two sides of the same coin. In her job she is smart, unflappable, and dominant – traits that have been learned through years of hard work, proving herself by sheer force of will, under an overbearing, egotistical father’s reign. In her personal life however, she is completely vulnerable. Having to take over the maternal role in the family at a young age Maggie was never given a chance to act her age. At the same time, her father’s distaste for her has rubbed off completely within the family unit. She’s at the complete bottom of the totem pole and although she does everything for her father and two sisters, she receives no respect for it. This has turned her into a veritable shrew – yet one who is completely self aware. Until she decides to stick up for her own dignity, Maggie is a woman who has completely given up on herself as anything but a restaurant manager.
This is why Maggie’s success is so fulfilling. The central conflict in the script is well defined and also, well handled by the writers. This doesn’t mean that the script is without its faults:
I think that perhaps the biggest fault of the screenplay is Henry’s hatred of his daughter. We’re never given a reason as to why he hates Maggie so much. Perhaps he projects his anger over the loss of his wife onto the person who took over her maternal responsibilities. Perhaps he feels that abusing Maggie and cutting her down keeps her under his influence. I don’t know why… and while it does make his abuse that much more monstrous, it also makes it more cartoonish and unbelievable. Even a small rationalization would be enough… I just find it hard to believe that anybody becomes a Grinch from a vacuum… especially when everyone else’s character traits are given realistic sources.
Will Mossop is such a funny character in the beginning. He’s a dolt with a heart of gold and an incredible gift. This makes for a really interesting contrast when Maggie finds herself attracted to him, despite his mental shortcomings. Something happens to Will though halfway through the story. He starts to get smarter. Sure, some of his dimwittedness remains, but he’s quicker and less prone to stupid, absentminded remarks, which led to such funny exchanges early on.
The whole green card issue at the end of the script feels very forced. I understand why it is there, but it feels like the issue could be dealt with in a more tactful manner. Mostly I just didn’t believe the whole “it’s too late for me” argument. I don’t know… it could be handled better I feel.
Overall thought there really isn’t a lot to fix. The script would make a great movie and is fun to read. In fact, I can’t wait to read it again.
Recommend
Labels: comedy, coverage, screenwriting
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