The Informant - Was it Just me?

Have you seen The Informant?

Was it just me, or was there something a little "off" with that movie? Both my husband and I left the theater feeling less than enthusiastic about the flick and wondering why.

Gotta find the answer

Not knowing what's wrong with a movie is like having a itch I can't scratch. There's no relief until I can figure out what the problem is. I get panicky, thinking, "What if I can't pinpoint it? I'll make the same mistake myself!"

Luckily, I have a husband who puts up with my obsessive nature. Over lunch at The Kettle (home of the biggest and best breakfasts ever) we hash it out.

The issue with the Informant we decided was that we never really got into the character. We never knew his true motivations and why he's doing what he was doing. Was he (a) greedy, (b) screwed up or (c) both?

Not knowing "why" the guy acted how he did, I'm left wondering, "What's the point of the movie? I should have waited for Netflix. Dang, and I spent a mint for that popcorn with extra butter."

The fix

Chris and I decided it would have been better if it had been more Catch Me If You Can, where we understood the young guy's motivations were based in something good and we rooted for him even though he was doing some pretty illegal stuff.

Or more like Fargo, where the Bill Macy character is doing illegal stuff and although we're not rooting for him, we completely understand his motivations and are riveted as we watch the story unfold.

Lesson Learned

I feel much better having my answer. From this point forward I must craft my stories so that the audience can relate to my character(s) motivations. If not, the audience will leave unsatisfied.

They will also probably want me to refund them for the popcorn.

Bad Movies Can Improve Your Writing Skills

I saw Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and left disgusted with the lazy writing.  

I liked the first one. The light comedy had a few holes here and there, but I felt for the Ben Stiller and Rob Williams characters, the plot and subplot (albeit simple) held together and it was a creative take on the the fantasy -- what it all the museum characters could come to life? 

Making Lemonade from Lemons

The sequel was retched. But just because it's horrible doesn't mean it has to be a complete waste. You can still use it to hone your storytelling skills. Figure out how you would have fixed this mess? (By the way, the answer "Throwing it away" is a cheat.)

Here are couple things I came up with:

• Where are the characters were care about?  In the first one, Ben Stiller was trying to be respected by his son, keep a job, and get the attention of a certain woman. In this movie he's incredibly rich, but doesn't know why he's not really happy. That's hard for a audience (or me anyway) to relate too. 

The lesson I took away: Find issues for him that the audience can relate to, like it girlfriend (from movie #1) that broke up with him because he not the same guy. He doesn't know why people (like his son) are relating to him differently. Everything should be going fine because he has money. 

• Create a believable world. In the first movie there were a few holes -- like why no one in NY noticed a mastodon walking down the street, and how everything the characters broke during the night was repaired by morning.  In the second movie, those holes seem like minor blemishes.

For example, aren't there any no people in D.C. awake after dark, who might notice a 100' Lincoln statue walking around and TALKING? Or aren't there any alarms or security camera at the Smithsonian? Can anyone break through the window of the  aerospace museum, steal planes, etc. Why do many of the characters sound like teenagers, using terms like "bla, bla, bla"? 

The lesson I took away: Your fantasy world must have well-defined rules and a believable setting. Maybe if the story had been was kept in the basement (where I'm sure they have cameras and alarms, but a least I could buy they could be disconnected. And there also wouldn't be other guards, or witnesses, etc. etc.) 

OK, I could go on all day. But at least I don't feel like my ticket was completely wasted. There is some value to a horrible move.

di