11/6/2006 11:16 PM
posted awhile ago
Mother, Please Don't Show Them the Docudrama!
PammyK said this in another discussion thread:
"I would like to watch a documentary of my early childhood, footage of those seemingly insignificant events and choices that completely shaped who I am today..." She goes on by describing a montage of events throughout her chilhood.
I really like this concept. If we could tighten it a little, what event or series of events from your life would make a good docudrama, and who would you cast as yourself?
I think there could be a compelling docudrama if it converged some events that passed over a year's time. It would go like this:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Adam.
Adam auditions for a school play. Auditions are held communally, everyone watching one another's competition. Another guy auditioning for the role Adam wants is so good that Adam secretly slips out of the room. As he leaves in shame, this pretty, nice senior is walking in. Needless to say, she's intimidating. And she's the director's assistant, and she doesn't know Adam, but as I say, she's nice. She asks, "How did your audition go?" Adam mumbles, "I didn't do it." She's puzzled. Asks, "Does Ms. Pallerito know you're leaving?" Adam says "No, I'm sorry, if she asks please tell her that Adam freaked out." "Oh... kay," she says.
Adam becomes convinced he'll be the laughingstock of the actorly community the next day. And he's convinced it's the nail in coffin that will bury his chances with the girl he's crushing on. (This girl has been responding rather coolly to Adam, but he doesn't blame her, he freezes up when he tries to talk to her.) So Adam's absolutely TERRIFIED to run into the actor acquaintances he's met, all of whom are more popular than Adam is, and he's lamenting that his popular crush will probably get the story from one of them.
Turns out Adam had nothing to fear. Nobody cared, and not because they thought Adam wasn't worth talking about, but because they all understood that kind of fear.
Adam's friends help him to muster up the courage for auditioning during the next play season. He's given up that crush, she just doesn't seem to dig him. Adam feels decently about how he performs during the audition, but his friends try to convince him that he should be proud of simply not walking out.
Adam isn't on the callbacks list. He sinks, planning on not auditioning for school plays in the future. Again, this is unnecessary. He makes the cast, apparently convincing the director so much the first night that a second look is necessary.
Adam gets the part of Selsdon Mowbray in Noises Off. If you don't know the play, it's what I call the "Kramer" part, the eccentric kook who everyone applauds when simply appearing on stage.
Adam almost gives himself an ulcer before that first performance. A more experienced member of the cast pulls him aside, puts his arm around him, and says: "Adam, if I were to ask around school what people thought of you, they'd say, 'He's a nice guy, smart, cool though, just really quiet.' Here's your chance to show them the Adam that I know. You're going to blow them away." (Thank you for that speech Kevin--you may have no idea what that meant to me.)
It might just end with the praises Adam gets after opening night, or it might go a little further. Turns out that Adam's crush was at the performance, and the next day, as Adam is riding high on new-found celebrity, his crush begins to flirt with him. He is unprepared for this, and stumbles through some more embarrassing, universal situations...
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