Sam (Austin Peck) is extremely excited about the new screenplay he has just written. He hasn’t had a success since his short-lived TV series. He has been tucked away in his apartment writing for years, and finally has something about which he is excited.
Sam Asks His Best Friend for Comments on His Screenplay
During one of their usual coffee chats, Sam presents his best friend David (Bryce Johnson) with his completed first draft and asks him to read it. David is a magazine editor and has a different background in writing so he emphasizes to his buddy that his perception of a screenplay might be skewed because he is not used to reading them. That’s OK with Sam. He just wants his best friend’s opinion about the screenplay.
Unfortunately, the adage “be careful what you wish for” ends up biting Sam on his butt.
David’s Quandary about How to Tell Sam His True Feelings
David asks a friend what he should do about talking to Sam. David thinks Sam’s story is crap. As he describes it, which is really a funny scene, David’s friend cannot believe all the twists and turns involved in the characters. Sam’s main character is a woman who morphs into other beings. And there is a mute and another colorful character. Beside the characters, David has no clue what the story is about.
His friend gives him a choice. He can be honest with Sam. He can lie and tell Sam what he wants to hear. Or he can dance around his feelings by giving some suggestions.
When Sam finally asks David his opinion, things between the two best friends start to unravel.
Sam confides to his wife that David wasn’t overjoyed by his screenplay. His wife then brings up their marriage and how she sometimes resents the fact that she supports him while he is writing. And he has not sold anything since his TV show, which was years ago.
Facing Criticism and Friendship
This one screenplay leads all the characters to take a closer look at themselves. Sam hires a script advisor who leads him through a very strange and at times comical exercise to figure out who he is and what he wants out of his writing.
David confides in his therapist that he thought Sam’s screenplay was junk and that he is writing one that is much better. But his therapist poses the question “Why does someone write a screenplay?” Do they do it for praise? Do they do it so people think they are successful? Do they do it for narcissism? What makes someone write a screenplay? And why does everyone in Los Angeles have a screenplay that they are trying to sell?
David and Sam are close friends who run into a little bump in their friendship. Sam learns he has a hard time with criticism, and David learns that Sam has a deeper layer to him.
This is an odd story. It’s definitely one that is considered an art-film. It’s not main stream. The thought behind the story is deep. Writers will appreciate the story, as many of them have been in one of these situations at one time or another.
The Blue Tooth Virgin – the name of Sam’s controversial screenplay – is rated R for language and brief drug use. It runs 80 minutes.
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