Moms Night Out \u2013 Thoughts from the Screenwriter<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about the writer\u2019s voice lately. When agents or producers in Hollywood say they are looking for a writer with \u201ca voice,\u201d what are they asking for?<\/p>\n
What is a voice for, anyway? To enable you to speak, of course. Because you havesomething to say<\/i>.<\/p>\n
I think audiences are hungry for filmmakers who have something to say. I don\u2019t mean they want movies that bludgeon them with a big message, be it religious or political. Nobody wants to be bludgeoned by a movie, they want to be entertained. The problem is that the movie still has a voice \u2013 it still speaks something \u2013 whether it\u2019s intended to or not.<\/p>\n
But sometimes the only thing a film says is, \u201cLook at how I pushed the envelope,\u201d or \u201cLook at how many buildings we can demolish with visual effects\u201d or \u201cLook at how cool\/creepy\/sexy\/tough we are.\u201d Notice how all of those movies are essentially saying \u201cLook atME<\/em>.\u201d Those movies are about the filmmakers, not the audience.<\/p>\n When Kevin Downes and the Erwin Brothers acquiredMoms\u2019 Night Out<\/em><\/a>, they sat me down and told me about Mandi, Beth and Catherine \u2013 their wives. All three of their families had two preschool or younger children, they saw the joys and struggles, and they wanted to makeMoms\u2019 Night Out<\/em>to encourage them. These filmmaker dads had a very specific thing to say to a very specific audience.<\/p>\n When I first wrote the script, I was a stressed out mom of young children too, and I was looking around at my friends and thinking how hard we all work to appear that we\u2019ve got it all together. And we\u2019d all have less stress if we could throw off that burden. The story was for them because I loved them. I was saying, \u201cSolidarity, sister. None of us are perfect, but that\u2019s okay. We are in this together.\u201d<\/p>\n What Jon came in and added was a voice from his side of the story \u2013 the words he wanted his wife to know. \u201cActually, youare<\/i>perfect,just the way you are<\/em>, and we love you for everything you do.\u201d I think that love comes through in every moment of the movie.<\/p>\n So\u2014 if you are a writer, do you know whom your story is for? Do you love them? What do you want to them to know?<\/p>\n If you thoughtMoms\u2019 Night Out<\/em>was about bitter moms gone wild, or incompetent dads ruining everything, you\u2019ve got it all wrong. This movie is about love and encouragement, pure and simple. From our hearts to yours.<\/p>\n This piece was originally published on the Mom\u2019s Night Out<\/em> blog<\/a>. Used with permission by Mom\u2019s Night Out.<\/em><\/p>\n
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