Screenplays can be a weird entity. Though they are integral to a movie, some people can find it hard to understand just how important a screenplay is. Think of it like this: without the script, you’d have no story, no plot twists, no inciting incidents, no character development, and no climax. The screenplay is literally what story the movie is telling you.
So, which movie in 2011 did the Flixist crew think was the most deserving of the coveted Golden Pterodactyl? Check out below to find out!
Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is a screenplay about a screenplay writer (of course?) named Gil who tries his hand at writing literature and doesn’t find instant success. His relationship with his fiancée Inez is strained when the couple travel to Paris with her wealthy parents and some of Inez’s friends tag along. Gil eventually goes on a walk by himself at night and ends up getting in a car with several men who are dressed in 1920s clothing and he realizes that he has been transported in time to Paris in the 1920s. His midnight forays into Paris’ past prove trying for his relationship with Inez, but in the process Gil figures out what he really wants to do with his life.
The sort of magical realism that Allen employs in Midnight in Paris is similar to the sort of magical realism that Studio Ghibli creates that we’ve been talking about all week. That sort of membrane space between the fantastical and stark realism is such an amusing and permeable place to be in a story, and this movie captures it beautifully.
A few of the runner ups came pretty close to stealing the prize from Woody Allen, 50/50 and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tied for second place just a vote away. Got any other stories from 2011 that you particularly loved? Tell us about them!
VOTES BREAKDOWN
Midnight in Paris – 3
50/50 – 2
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo– 2
Kill List – 1
Shame – 1
The Descendants – 1
The Artist – 1
Drive – 1
Attack the Block – 1
