I believe in the trope that there are only seven original plots in the world. You know:
Lowly girl (e.g., ugly, poor, minority, etc.) meets popular boy (e.g., white and/or rich…well, mainly white and rich, but who’s counting?), attraction flourishes, their disparate pasts almost tear them apart due to some minor disagreement, and then love surges to conquer all!
Ugly duckling turns into a swan. Usually by removing glasses or getting a proper haircut. Or, I suppose, going to a swanky boutique and trying an outfit on that she probably can’t afford, but we don’t talk about that part. Swan then gets the boy. Who wasn’t really worth getting to begin with, but the plot wasn’t centered around the boy, and there wasn’t enough time in the movie to develop a proper character, so why bother as long as he is cute? Oh, and props to the Best Friend who Tried Really Hard to get a Best Supporting Actress nomination!
Protagonist (usually male, unless the prior year Oscars drama raged against a lack of female protagonists and Hollywood decided to prove the rage was incorrect) fights against the Institution (usually parents, school, priest, or a local coal company) to prove he/she has the superior moral compass. Or, at least, a superior science fair rocket. (Hey. No judgement – that movie was awesome. And a special thumbs up for the ‘montage of studying really hard and learning Calculus in two months’)
Boy meets girl. Love blossoms. Unexpected trauma tears them apart for…forever? But wait! Unrelated events years later force them to Meet Again, and despite all that has happened in the intervening years, they find their way back together for a happily ever after!
You get the point. I’m a movie buff.
Beyond the overarching theme, one of my personal movie favorites is the Stranger Advice. This, of course, is the scene on the bus or in the diner or library or taxi/Uber or hospital waiting room where the Stranger offers a piece of sage advice to our Protagonist, who takes that advice and changes the whole course of his/her life. I believe this is most commonly trotted out when the writer realizes he/she has painted our main character into a corner, can’t get out, and needs to keep the plot moving before the audience is lost forever.
In other words: There Is No Spoon, buddy.
Do you ever think about that theoretical character who passed on the sage advice? They probably forgot all about it before the scene was over, and went on with their lives, never realizing that the two minutes he/she was drinking that vending machine coffee altered the course of someone else’s life.
I’m here to tell you: I’M THE STRANGER!!
There are times when contractors call in with an issue (kid is sick, no transportation, they don't feel well, whatever), and they ask, "So what should I do?"
Uhhh…
Why are you asking me? I’m a recruiter. Not even for particularly well educated, high skill personnel, either. I’ve got no special skills beyond a unique ability to type three different emails at once while simultaneously interviewing someone applying for a hospital janitorial position. Oh, and I can juggle three identically shaped objects (it is WAY harder when things are different sizes or weights, by the way).
I mean…I get that you don’t call up your BOSS when you need to come up with a creative solution to the fact that your car broke down last Tuesday and you didn’t think about the fact that you needed to get to work on Monday night until it was Monday at 11am…but why the heck are you calling ME? Do you really think I’M going to be your best bet here? Hell, I wouldn’t call me for advice!
But, sure. If you trust that guy who just found out his wife died and is sitting in the hospital waiting room because he doesn’t want to go home. Or is a hooker who really likes late night French fries in a diner. Or that guy who is randomly sitting in a library for no particular reason, then sure. Give me a call. I’ll tell you what to do.
Comments