Handle With Care

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Synopsis

Well. I must say...wow. Handle With Care is a very strong script.

The script is a pleasure to read, fast, funny, a good story. Tatiana is absolutely adorable -- vulnerable without being helpless, and Nick is sympathetic without being wimpy. It seems you've managed to combine the best elements of non-Hollywood cinema (fascinating, complex, and engaging characters) with what classic Hollywood used to do best: an entertaining plot.

- CDM

The structure and pacing were excellent. Fast and smooth. It never dragged for me, and the denouement in the courtroom was wonderful, poignant stuff. I haven't read a Q script in a while and this was a very pleasant reminder of what a gifted storyteller you are.

- JB

Sam, this was a pleasure to read and loads of fun. Great work, great story, thanks for an enjoyable night, and good luck!

- JA

Hey, Sam! Sorry it took me so long to do this. I read the script several days ago, and it's so solid that it has taken me a lot of time to come up with any constructive criticism. Really love your story, your characters, your structure, your TALENT. Thank you so much for letting me read your script. Wonderful work.

- TW

All in all, a nice job. Funny script, nice twist on a romantic comedy. Well developed characters, especially Nick. Both leads are highly castable, again, especially Nick. Tatiana's role is a great opportunity for a European actress.

- BM

Well, what a nice story, Sam. This is the first one I've read of yours that I recall. I expected it to be fast action, but truthfully I might not have expected it to be a heartwarming story. Why? Because you're one of the guys. So sue me! LOL I'm impressed. I liked it. It's one of the few here that I found to be both funny and cinematic, and engaging. Besides all the other good things having to do with writing good screenplays, this was a good read.

- PC

Overall, I'd say the script is very solid and it demonstrates strong story-telling abilities. You display an understanding of the story and characters without any blatant gaps in logic. The plot is well-conceived and executed giving us likeable characters, nice touches of humor, and multiple levels of conflict to keep things interesting.

- DM

Wonderful tale. Enjoyed reading your sp. A fast read and a page-turner.

- SL

[Handle With Care] seems like the kind of fun, romantic adventure that crops up consistently in theatres every couple of years (or more often) and so is likely to never be far out of demand.

- MS

Story, Structure & Pacing

The script is a pleasure to read, fast, funny, a good story. It seems you've managed to combine the best elements of non-Hollywood cinema (fascinating, complex, and engaging characters) with what classic Hollywood used to do best: an entertaining plot.

As you know, this is a very solid script with a very solid structure. All of your subplots intertwine with the spine of the story, each playing a role in the culmination of the plot. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I haven't read another script here that is so tight.

The structure and pacing were excellent. Fast and smooth. It never dragged for me, and the denouement in the courtroom was wonderful, poignant stuff.

I like many of the scenes a lot and you cut them just at the right moment. You have good timing.

The structure is rock solid, both overall and within individual scenes. You interweave Tatiana's and Nick's plotlines with a good sense of balance.

I've never read anyone as adept at getting into scenes late and exiting early -- you're like a poet.

You do a good job of bringing the bad guys in frequently, always closer and closer to nabbing Tatiana, raising the stakes.

The structure was excellent, and the pace moved quickly. You definitely have a knack for the foreign intrigue.

First, I'd like to comment on a few aspects of your writing which struck a chord with me: Your format and structure came across as delightfully lean, conveying all the info this reader required to track the story.

I don't see how someone could read your stuff and NOT comment on the pace -- you write scripts so lean, they're almost anorexic.

Your style combined with your great pacing made the script easy and fast to read.

The story is original and moves well. The pacing is good and the plot unfolds well. The opening scene on page 1 is a strong start and the rest of the story sustains this. The subtleties of the plot are well-timed.

Characters

Well developed characters, especially Nick. Both leads are highly castable, again, especially Nick. Tatiana'a role is a great opportunity for a European actress.

I like Tatiana's quick mind and comebacks. She has a lot of personality.

Tatiana is absolutely adorable -- vulnerable without being helpless, and Nick is sympathetic without being wimpy.

You've created a wonderful character in Tatiana. I suspect she's either based on a real person or is an amalgamation of people you have known -- she's that genuine on the page.

In Tatiana, you've created a terrifically likeable protaganist -- charming without being sticky sweet, resourceful, spunky and tough.

It was a nice surprise that Tatiana paid for her own purchases. It built character and gave Nick a new view of women. A small gesture can mean a lot.

I like Nick and Emma and feisty Tatiana. A lot.

And the way Tatiana picks up English, albeit skewed, from daytime TV is hysterical and endears her to us.

Loved Tatiana. Spunky, street-smart, resourceful. A survivor with a soft heart. Great character.

I liked Tatiana very much. She's bright, but she's street-wise, too. It's a good concept -- a little gal who's faster both mentally and physically than the tough guys.

Tatiana was a tremendous character. Nick's motivations are well written. Nick was cool. And a strong lead character.

Tatiana is adorable!

Real, multi-dimensional. You do very well with character development, which is rare with new writers.

Tatiana is loveable and damn near perfect as is.

The Serbian characters are very good for setting the comedic tone. I'm not sure why, but their accent and quick tempers and witticisms fit together nicely and you've done a very good job of putting them together.

Speaking of bad guys, wonderful job with Terry. I loathed her from her first scene.

I especially liked the cops, Dragan and Danko. for the humour they brought to the story. In fact, all the characters and situations were very witty and light.

The characterization is good. Tatiana is colorful yet believable. Her quirks - microwaving her underwear, her spunkiness - are natural for her and not forced. Nick is credible. His introduction with Emma is well done - introduces the character and quite a lot of the back story and still being believable.

Dialogue

You have a great sense of humor and there are lots of great lines in this script by a variety of characters.

You're a dialogue master with a variety of characters. Your exchange about the mailbag purse is great as is the line, "I wish my daughter were more like her." Really funny.

Nice touch - "I see pictures of ugly people." You really have a great touch with the dialogue especially all the scenes with Danko and Dragan. As I said, you've got great timing.

"Life is a game of millimeters." Ain't it the truth? A great quotable line.

Dialogue: Excellent. You really nailed Tatiana's dialogue.

"I see pictures of ugly people." Great line. Very funny.

"Life is a game of millimeters." Another great line. This one shows character.

"No, You?" Nice line. But it also shows the common ground of two women trying to survive. Another good line: "What did you steal, a petrochemical plant?"

"Half the people in this city don't speak English." LOL!

"You walk into a store, you say, I'd like a loaf of bread, some milk, and a gun." LOL!

"I see pictures of ugly people." LOL!

"Everyone thinks I'm a native." LOL!

Ha! Great line. "It's not against the law to have a gun in America. You walk into a store, you say, I'd like a loaf of bread, some milk, and a gun."

Another very funny line: "He got it off the Internet. If I ask him he'll probably give me the CIA frequencies, too."

"I'd like a loaf of bread, some milk, and a gun." Very true, and very funny…

I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious banter between the Serbs.

"I just thought you'd sleep better if you knew the department is making this a priority." Now there's a fine example of ironic subtext!

Your sense of dialogue was especially appealing. Nice flow - good timing.

DIALOG: Excellent throughout. No question about it.

Memorable Moments

I love the gas stealing bit. Very good. Stealing the laptop is the inciting incident. A good-old fashioned, Hitchcock style one.

I really like the lake scene, and the use of paprika.

A COUPLE OF ESPECIALLY NICE TOUCHES: The opening siphoning gas scene. Clever. Especially café POV. The O.S. revisit to the microwave. Beautiful! There are a number of other memorable bits but these should give you some idea as to what worked for me. The paprika thing is GREAT! VERY original.

Tatiana's escape across the lake is not only cool, it also shows us how creative she is. Good character development.

SCENES: Very visual, overall. Great mix of indoor-outdoor settings. Cinematographers will drool over Tatiana's escape scene across the lake.

Ooh, I like the details of her escape. I like her resourcefulness.

Nice intro of Nick to Tatiana!

Cute scene in the Office when Macey introduces Nick to the "problem". Great set-up to get Nick and Tatiana together.

Love the bra in the microwave bit. Also, the scene where the upper-class women at the fundraiser make much over Tatiana's mailbag is funny.

I loved the shoe store scene.

"I need to buy shoes" and the reply is a nice ending to that scene and it's a nice scene and I like the segue from Nick at the shoe store to the secret police shoe bit and the Apatinski Light quip is fun.

You build the tension between Denis and the SS guys beautifully.

You really tug at the heart lines with Nick and Emma's relationship and you put the whole thing in perspective: the court situation, the visitation rights, the depressing reality for Dads who love their kids but for sound reasons can no longer live with their kids' mothers. Great job on that part of the story. It's not too much or too little. It's just right.

I like the parallel letters (one in Casablanca; one, Emma's to Nick) being smudged by tears.

Tatiana is a hero in the way she's on her way to freedom (the bus stop via Nick's Lexus) when she sets aside her own interest and turns back to take Nick to the hospital to see Emma.

"I care too much". A watershed remark from Tatiana. But the real power of this stems from the fact that Tatiana KNEW she was being followed and KNEW her decision to turn around and help Nick would probably lead to her capture.

And great scene for audience satisfaction when, in the hospital, Tatiana pulls asshole Derek behind the curtain and slugs him.

When Derek says, "If Emma had any sense" I came outta my chair. I virtually punched him and then kicked the shit out of him. I was so happy when you had Tatiana whack him. I could've kissed her myself.

Tatiana's escorting the ex-wife's boyfriend out of the hospital room to knock his lights out had me laughing out loud. Unexpected, but within character and strong and satisfying payoff for this reader. Little touches like that reveal craftsmanship and a general regard for the reader, i.e., a willingness to create something that folks will enjoy reading or watching on screen.

The denouement in the courtroom was wonderful, poignant stuff.

Your courtroom scene is pretty cool...you have some immigration law issues down well. And I like Tatiana's line, "I came back."

Love the court scene at the end where Tatiana's deportation is at stake. It's both touching and funny.

Story has a good dramatic feel to it with many touching moments.