You can play up the laughs, or you could go serious and make it a little creepy.
What’s the audience you want to hit? Go drama and it would be a very different demo you’d reach, go comedy and you get a broader demo.
Take a look at True Romance, it balanced both fairly well.
Your father’s script premise has a lot of promise, actually. I could really envision this film having some hilarious moments. I agree with Den, I would play it straight. In my opinion the best comedies blur the line with dramas (Maybe Fargo is in fact a dramedy, but I’ve always found it much more comedic). If you play it serious it will lend the screenplay many more elements, ultimately elevating it I think.
watch Aurthur Penn’s Mickey One before u film, something to consider
I would really want it to be comedic but definitely a black comedy, for sure.
The dream would be Coen Brothers doing this.
I would see it as a comedy played straight
the type of zany over the top comedy is usually pretty lame.
Hazel: For a sense of the possible tone the film might take, I’d recommend watching KING OF COMEDY. That’s the film that came to mind immediately when I read the synopsis.
MICKEY ONE may be absurdist but it’s hardly a comedy.
Are you asking because you hope to actually revise the script or produce the movie? If so, I’d suggest registering the existing script with the Writers Guild or the Copyright Office for legal reasons.
Can’t really determine whether the script is a “success” or not by merely reading a synopsis. It may work, it may not, depends on how it’s written. As the OP says, it’s like Raising Arizona meets King of Comedy so already we’re working with two derivatives … is this a good or bad thing?
And the WGA registration is just $20 now-
http://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/
Can I direct this? The best way to do this movie would be in the same vain as a Scorsese comedy like mentioned. The comedy in films like After Hours and King of Comedy are kind of subtle, but still pack in some gut busters. A combination of Scorsese and Woody Allen-esque comedy would definitely be the way to handle this script.
Did anything ever happen with this script? The premise is pretty amazing.
Dennis Brian
I would shoot it in a serious manner, not over the top at all.
You would also need a charming lead to make use forget the character is a jerk