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Poster for Tales from the Script

Tales from the Script

Hollywood screenwriters finally get the last word.

2009 · 1h 45m · NOT RATED Documentary
Directed by Peter Hanson

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Overview

Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon"), John Carpenter ("Halloween"), Frank Darabont ("The Shawshank Redemption"), William Goldman ("The Princess Bride"), Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver"), and dozens of other Hollywood screenwriters share hilarious anecdotes and penetrating insights in "Tales from the Script," the most comprehensive documentary ever made about screenwriting. By analyzing their triumphs and recalling their failures, the participants explain how successful writers develop the skills necessary for toughing out careers in one of the world's most competitive industries. They also reveal the untold stories behind some of the greatest screenplays ever written, describing their adventures with luminaries including Harrison Ford, Stanley Kubrick, Joel Silver, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg. The film was produced in tandem with the upcoming HarperCollins book of the same name.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
75%
Tomatometer
Fresh

One suspects that writers in Tales from the Script might have more to say about the art and the joy of creating, but Hanson seems less interested in their craft, spending much of the film allowing the writers to vent about the industry.

Ian Buckwalter, NPR
Fresh

Manages to be fun and informative without tipping too far into the dark side; it favors war stories over horror stories.

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
Fresh

Amusingly blunt.

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Fresh

In Peter Hanson's dishy documentary Tales From the Script, 46 screenwriters gab agreeably about the tribulations of their profession.

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Rotten

Bulletin from Hollywood: Screenwriters are anxious and whiny.

Kyle Smith, New York Post

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