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The life of the playwright in "Something's Gotta Give"

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The life of the playwright in "Something's Gotta Give"

Without going into the flaws/merits of this film (aside from Keaton, who is glorious, in my opinion) ... did anyone else find the whole view of the theater and playwriting totally bogus? The play she is writing seems like warmed over "Forty Carats," a boulevarde comedy that would've been lame in 1965. She suddenly "gets it," after she has her brush with Jack, and then in record time grinds out the final script. All because earlier, Keaton is visited by her director husband, who is "waiting for pages..." Pages are awaited in the world of Hollywood, not B'way. It's as if a b'way play had been optioned without being written. Sorry, that's the rule for screenplays after pitches; never plays.

I think the recent experiences Neil Simon had at MTC remind us that even legendary commercial writers finish their scripts, then have them read. Then produced. It gets more ludicrous in this film when we see them conducting auditions for major roles on the b'way stage, where the full set has been finished! Complete with falling snow. And this straight play with no music seems to have a chorus line of men with naked bums. I dunno, the whole thing made the movie that much more arch to me, and I couldn't for a minute believe that Keaton's character behaved like a real writer. Including showing her just-finished script to the monosyllabic hunk doctor played by Keanu (who earlier told her he'd seen and adored all her work. That suggested, maybe, Wendy Wassterstein; not a sitcom-on-the-stage farceur.)

When people write about b'way, they should know more about it.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling

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