Dennis Cass Wants You To Be More Awesome

Monday’s breakdown of WHEN IN ROME was such a success I’m doing another one.

Today’s synopsis—for a film called THE MERRY GENTLEMEN—presents more of a challenge for reasons that (I hope) you’ll see:

Two lost souls, played by Kelly Macdonald and Michael Keaton, warily become friends during a bleak Midwestern winter in a drama that marks Mr. Keaton’s first feature as a director.

Unlike WHEN IN ROME, we have no exotic locale, no magic fountain, and no plucky heroine in need of a change. More importantly, we’re missing the transformative (and story-moving) power of romantic love.

Instead, we have individual components that taken on their own are flat and vague. What exactly is a lost soul? How does one “warily” become friends? And why not put a state (Michigan? Minnesota?) to that generic Midwestern winter?

Put all these elements together, however, and they start to sing. The story this synopsis suggests is more driven by mood and tone than plot, but I still feel like we can make some safe bets:

1. Everything happens on a human scale

The story takes place at kitchen tables and on bar stools. If there’s a scene at the hospital, it happens in the waiting room. Time unfolds naturally (no montages here). Politics, social status, etc. are muted. (If one of the supporting characters is the mayor, then he’s someone’s hunting buddy.) People may talk about extraterrestrials, but the aliens they do not land.

2. Winter is a character

At the very least, there are scene breaks that feature still shots of fence posts poking out of snowbanks. At the very most, the ice, cold and snow frustrate our protagonists’ basic needs and desires. (For some reason I’m seeing icy roads that force them to improvise a place to stay for the night.)

3. Said souls are lost for small-scale reasons

Neither of these guys is a neurosurgeon on the retreat because he botched an operation on the President. Instead they are divorced, or have estranged children, or they drink. Furthermore, said drinking is not epic, rock star drinking (otherwise the story would be set someplace like L.A.). Life has slipped away because of small traumas and neglected obligations.

4. Their fragile friendship will be tested

Stories like these trade in simple heartbreak. I’m picturing a Sudden Unforeseen Event in the third act. Perhaps there’s a car accident, or someone almost chokes to death in a diner. Our lost souls, who seem to have been progressing, are faced with a simple but intense challenge, and fail to rise to the occasion. Cue strings.

5. The ending will lack resolution

No way these guys end up moving to Florida and starting a successful real estate business. If both of them survive this story (there’s a strong possibility one will not) then the ending suggests more of the same. The final shot is extra wintry.

You might think from this rundown that I’m making fun of THE MERRY GENTLEMEN, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with anything I’ve described. Movies like YOU CAN COUNT ON ME have worked similar territory to great success.

The big question in my mind is what this story is going to say about friendship. We’d need another line or two to tease that out. Given what we think we know so far, anyone care to take a guess?

The Greek city of Rhodes is getting it’s Colossus back and I couldn’t be happier. Sadly, it won’t be a giant dude standing bestride the entrance to the port, but the piece will be big and visible, and its intent (gaudy symbol of peace) will hearken back to the original.

What does this mean to you? Glad you asked:

1. Scale

I’ve been meaning to talk more about scale on these pages, and this story provides a good reason to start. As yesterday’s post on blogs-to-book showed, an incremental approach to your art can bring rewards. But there is a lot to be said for the big, grandiose, attention-getting project. The film triology. The opera cycle. The definitive volume. (Ideally, you’re working both ends of the spectrum.)

2. The Universal

It’s easy to trick yourself into thinking that New Times makes us New People, but the Universal is alive and well. This weekend Twilight will open and you will read articles about how the supernatural has gone completely mainstream. But underneath all the vampires is a story about young love. And it doesn’t get more ancient than that. The weirder things get, the more relevant the basic human experience becomes.

Finally, a thought experiment:

If you had the time and the talent to make something ginormous, what would it be? And what aspect of the its ginormosity would connect to the Universal?