Well, here we are. Another blog, another idea, another perspective. I think for this go around, I’m going to keep it simple. God knows how many people will actually read this thing, and if they do they’d probably skip past the bullshit so why even include it?

I’m sitting here, trying to think of my thoughts on the book I just finished listening to, Save the Cat, and god damn does it make me laugh.

One of the things that really kept me from participating in discussions on film and television in the past decade or so is that it seems almost everybody has some incredibly polarizing opinion on something. Nothing is ever fair, or just okay, it has to be the biggest pile of shit you’ve been forced to sit through or your favorite film of the last 30 years.

Blake Snyder does NOT disappoint in this area. At fucking all.

A Master of the Dumb Arts

Yeah, I’m not happy with the title of this section either. I really couldn’t think of one more appropriate though, and if you’re one of the 3 people to ever read this send me an angry letter with some better replacements. Please. The one I had here originally probably would have bit me in the ass.

So this guy writes a book that ends up being one of the most prolific books about screenwriting there is. Maybe it’s because the concepts are simple, or that they are explained with such absolute authority that it seems like this guy is giving away the winning lottery numbers, you just have to pay attention.

Speaking of winning lottery numbers, this guy‘s father is a fucking Emmy winning producer and has made connections simply through growing up in his household. Yep, that’s who I want to go to for advice, the guy who fell into this shit and still only came up with dog shit concepts. Don’t believe me? Take a look.

Tough to Remember

The book itself is decently structured enough, and if you’re not careful you can listen to his advice like gospel. With terribly pathetic takes like “hit all 4 quadrants” and a recipe for mediocrity, you too can learn from the best of the best in the PG Comedy realm.

Speaking of tough to remember, one of the highlights of the book is his consistent referencing of Christopher Nolan’s Memento - I think it’s mentioned 7 separate times and every time it is ragged on even weirder than the previous. He makes a point of even smarmily asking the reader how much money Memento made. Did he truly understand and appreciate the movie for what it was, but have as very visceral reaction to it and find it off-putting? Maybe, but I’d bet the farm that he never truly understood the movie in the first place. He definitely understood that the financial success of a film depends on whether it is dumbed down enough for audiences. Did he also understand that sometimes the audience doesn’t need to gobble down the latest bland drivel?

To be fair, he makes a point of challenging his would be critics at every turn and even includes some cutesy ”don’t even try me” comments that truly truly excel in the condescending tone the audiobook’s narrator gets down perfectly. It really does not lay any decent case for the tone or approach of the book, which honestly just makes it that much more enjoyable. ”Hate listening” to an audiobook isn’t really a thing I am aware of but oh boy did this one scratch that itch.

Final Thoughts

Well, I’m a sucker enough to check out the other items in the series, including Strikes Back, Writes for TV, and others. I’m very much looking forward to a similar type of book and can‘t wait to hear the next big thought from Mr. Snyder’s very lengthy career in writing spec scripts.