How We Made a Billion Dollars at the Box Office and You Can

This is a great book, and it knocked Blake Snyder's Save the Cat right off my bookshelf. It's funnier than hell, and the tip about writing outlines instead of screenplays was alone worth the $0.05 I paid for my used the store copy. And no joke, with my next script, I did that and had a completed (brilliant) script like two months later. The only issue I have with it is that I am not a successful Hollywood screenwriter yet, and I thought the book would help me take care of that pretty quickly. I mean, it's sort of implied in the title, right?

Loved this book! Insightful and supportive. It's like a big brother that loves you and wants you to succeed, but gives you the 'tough love' about the business one needs to know. A must read for anyone that is wanting a screenwriting career and thinks they know everything. Billy Crystal...dick!!!! Lol!!!!

While this is written by two comedy writers/geniuses, I'm astounded by the amount of information they give you about breaking into the movie business. The level of detail is remarkable (who ever would have thought that movie studios issue different parking passes based on how they feel about your script??). And their honesty is also very refreshing.

While my focus right now is on TV, this book has become like a bible to me and my writing partner. And I'm only 3/4 done with it!!

Seriously helpful to understand how Hollywood screenwriting goes unless you are Quentin Tarantino brilliant... And although we may all think we are that brilliant... Some of us understand we are not and love to write anyway... Some of us also want to make a living off it, so this book is great for that.. They tell you too late in the book that if you're reading the book with your goal solely to win oscars... It's the wrong book for ya. Like others who have mentioned... I could have done without the mentions of the glories of seeing women naked ... But I've tried to take it with a grain of salt and know they are ultimately being humorous (I wouldn't call it a JOKE... A Humorous comment can be made about something entirely serious). But hollywoods not anything if not oversexed, so no surprised that these two thrived. Anyway.... Regardless of my distaste for that crap... It's a good read and I don't regret buying it.

You rarely get a true glimpse behind the curtain of the film industry, and this book really delivers. The same golden rules are repeated throughout the book, and dedicated script writers will find it invaluable.

Sits on my bookshelf next to "Born Standing Up" and "Bossypants", neither of which ever mention Helen Mirren topless.

You rarely get a true glimpse behind the curtain of the film industry, and this book really delivers. The same golden rules are repeated throughout the book, and dedicated script writers will find it invaluable.

Sits on my bookshelf next to "Born Standing Up" and "Bossypants", neither of which ever mention Helen Mirren topless.

Definitely the most useful and probably the second most entertaining book on screenwriting that I've ever read. Very highly recommended, especially if you want to be talked out of becoming a writer of screenplays.

I got several good pointers, like doing the outline, how to begin, who is whom. But this book did not answer the fundamental questions for the Novice: Now that I wrote my screenplay what do I do next? Whom do I contact? Where do I send it? What are the websites to submit it to? How do I find an Agent? Etc.
Very entertaining, but this is more for the advanced screen writer that needs to have the edge to be successful with hirs baby.
(hirs = his or hers)

If you are interested in screen writing, in making it in Hollywood, or just a fan of Reno 911 this is a great read. I learned more than I thought I would about screen writing and selling your script and I'm not even a writer, just a fan. Do yourself a favor and read this!

I enjoyed reading the book. The authors are accomplished screenwriters. I was hoping
to find more material that related to screenwriting techniques however it covers the
Hollywood system in an effective way.

This book is pretty sweet. I am not finished reading it yet but I give it two thumbs up. Junior and Dangle as I will always refer to them, wrote a great book and their attention to detail is amazing. They give a very comprehensive guide if you will, telling you exactly what to do and how to do it if you want to succeed in Hollywood as a screenplay writer. Great book!

This slapped together 'how to' guide from Lennon and Garant clearly exists to squeeze a few more bucks into their (not quite if they're writing this) bulging pockets.

Loaded with copious pics of a photoshoot they did for the book to fill out it's pages and lot's of pointless information about what you could theoretically do with truckloads of cash, as well as repeating the phrase 'truckloads of cash' over & over, they still manage to impart some relevant information on the realities of finding an agent & how to do meetings & take notes between all the self-mocking slapstick.

If you can pick up a copy for only a few bucks and have already read some more serious tomes on screenwriting then it's worth the read. It isn't going to get you any closer to 'breaking in' to the studio system as a screenwriter, but at least it appears relatively honest.

This book has several nuggets of very useful information for writers (again, for writers already writing. Don't look to this for any guidance on actually writing, and certainly not on writing anything of merit), but unfortunately these nuggets are buried within a lot of condescending sarcasm, some of it perhaps true, but none of it funny (yet, from comedy writers). Yes, these guys "made a billion" at the box office (well... actually their *movies* made that much. They never mention how much they, indeed, are worth. Ya know, as writers), but they are also happily creating hack work. If that's what you want to write - or better put, if that's the way you want to earn a living, then I pity you. I can't imagine writing something you don't believe in. But hey, these guys claim it's easy to make a lot of money putting energy into something you don't give a crap about! While that may occasionally be true, I would rather work as a garbage man - and by that I do mean someone who cleans up garbage, not one who creates it.

This book is full of straight-talk and very practical advice. HOWEVER, I nearly returned it because the very first chapter explains explicitly that you MUST LIVE IN L.A. to become a successful screenwriter. No bones about it: YOU MUST LIVE IN L.A. TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL SCREENWRITER. If that is not even a remote possibility for you, then they are suggesting that you have no recourse. Since I am bound to Massachusetts until my children go to college, due to child custody arrangements with my ex-spouse, the authors have stated clearly that there is no chance for me. They're probably right, but I'd much prefer to be given a couple of other options for what to do if location is an issue. Maybe that's asking the authors to tell me what I want to hear.

If you are able to live in L.A., I think that this book may actually hold the answers which you seek, despite the facetious title and cover.

This book taught me that most screenwriters are not screenwriters but glorified stenographers. If the goal of your writing career is to shoehorn the whims of overpaid normalcy-propagating man-children into every one of your stories, then this will help you accomplish becoming a highly paid slave.
Now I understand what it means to 'play ball' in hollywood, I also went there and saw it first hand for a few years. People are working on a poorly written project, everyone knows it despite bragging all the time that they are working with this or that star or producer and whoever criticizes the script is thrown under the bus. And then you get Gigli, or a superhero movie.
If you want to be an actual writer, throw this book out the window.

This book is full of practical, professional advice on how to swim with the sharks in the very weird world of Hollywood screenwriting. In many ways it's more about the business of writing and selling movies, than it is about how to write. But I've got lots of books on writing; this is the first one that's quite like this.

Not surprisingly, since Lennon and Garant are comedy guys, it's a very funny book. It's easy to read, in a self-mocking conversational tone, and it seems like they're telling real, often embarrassing stories that actually happened to them. There are details that I've never seen in other screenwriting books, like how to tell if you've "made it," based on your studio parking spot; how to take notes from executives and movie stars; what script arbitration is, and how to win at it; and how to get fired with a gracious smile, and then get hired again.

They're also obsessed with In n Out Burger, and dedicate many pages to printing its secret menu and all the locations in Los Angeles. At first I didn't get what that had to do with movies. But whatever. It's part of their guide to living in Los Angeles, so I guess it makes sense?

"Writing Movies..." is unapologetically NOT about "art" or anything at all high-minded, so if that's what you're looking for, the writers are happy to send you elsewhere. I believe they suggest "gazing longingly out the window at the moor." They also say that if you follow their system, you'll soon think of "Oscar Season" as "Ski Season," because the kind of movies they're talking about will never win any Academy Awards anyway. Probably not a book for Documentarians, or Art House types. But if you like your popcorn movies, and if you're looking for tons of practical advice for going into the business of making them, it seems like a genuinely great book.

Also, I can't wait to try to sell some the "free movie ideas" in the back of the book. Somebody's got to do it...

I am always up for a good book about screenwriting. Rare that you find one from actual successful screenwriter, so I was really looking forward to this.

What a disappointing mess.

First of all, since these guys write comedies, they took it upon themselves to fill the book with a very snarky attitude. Unfortunately, it comes across very condescending and arrogant. The tone is "We wrote some big movies and movies that flopped. So we've been there before. If you don't follow what we say, you're an idiot!"

Second, going along with this "holier-than-thou tone," it's like somebody let two monkeys loose with a typewriter. There lots of ALL CAPS SENTENCES, SO IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, YOU MUST BE THICK! Upper and lower case. Mixed fonts. It's like rambling stream of consciousness, and frankly, it's just not necessary at all. It's distracting and amateur-ish.

Third, the order of chapters is backwards. In the first half, the authors assume you've written your screenplay, so they explain about agents and managers, how you should expect to be fired, why you should move to LA or you're an idiot, etc. After all that's done, THEN they explain about how to write a commercial screenplay, structure, and actually a few valuable tips (such as how to write dialogue).

There are many more practical books on writing screenplays (notably "Save The Cat"). I'd go to those first in a heartbeat. There are maybe seven pages of useful information in this book if you're crafting scripts, and then, if your screenplay actually gets read, you can go back and wade through this silliness to glean some decent advice.

I should start by mentioning that I have no interest in writing a screenplay. I do however love The State, Viva Variety, and Reno 911!, so I was very familiar with the authors of this book. Naturally I was dying to read it. It was everything I expected and more. There was tons of humor mixed with some really useful information. My favorite section was probably the chapter on determining if you had made it in Hollywood by where the different studios sent you to park.

Through all the humor, you get a real sense of passion for writing. They don't just do this for money; they write because they feel compelled to. They go through their process of writing an outline, pitching to studios, and then writing the screenplay. There is also a lot of useful information about how the studio system works and what to expect from the entire movie making process. I also learned a lot about all the different writing and production credits and the arbitration system with the writing guild. It's all very complex and fascinating.

Clearly if you are interested in writing screenplays, there is a lot of useful information here. Even for us non-writers though, there is so much stuff to learn from this book. Naturally, it's all relayed with tons of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in movies. It is sure to entertain!

Galley provided by publisher for review.

The recurring theme in this book is about how compromise your dreams to conform to The (broken)Hollywood studio system,
cowtow to Directors, Agents, Managers and Studio Execs, agree, conform, rewrite and basically have no spine or
integrity in order to make the almighty dollar. If you are an artist or have original ideas this is quite likely not for
you. The only good advice they have is on how to deal with LA traffic and a few points on the WGA as well as local
restaurants or bars (information you can just find on your own in Los Angeles). I felt a bit embarassed
for them because literally every chapter is how to be a cog for the system.
I think we have enough of those... I expected more. General info on how the Wachowski brothers
broke into Hollywood may serve you better. If you have no creativity or integrity and will do anything
in Hollywood for $$$, this ones for you.

"The best thing about being a screenwriter, is being a screenwriter. The second best thing is the MONEY!" I couldn't agree more, and hope one day to express the same sentiment.

Disclaimer this book is NOT about HOW to write a screenplay. It doesn't go into story, or character development, or format, or dialogue. It reads like a big FU to all the screenwriter "gurus" with books like that out.
The closest thing this gets to instructional, are their examples of why it's good to outline your story in advance.

No, this is a fast, funny, very informative read about the inner fickle workings of the Hollywood studio system. This book is for those who finally get that FIRST step into the exclusive world of selling a script or getting an assignment to write one.

It did not take long for me to finish this -- though I didn't read the 3 seperate outline breakdowns from scripts that never got written that are included in the back of the book. (Reno 911 fans will LOVE this section.)

One day I hope I'm in a position to put all their practical advice of the Studio system to use -- and will gladly update this review if I ever do -- but for now I still find it to be a fascinating look at how screenwriter's make a living or potentially get screwed by the people their writing for.

John August (screenwriter) put a postive review on his own website about this book, so I have to assume everything they wrote is credible material, based on their own past 13 years of experience.

The book covers important stuff like Guild arbitration, taking notes from actors, being fired, and then rehired on the same project; the business of adapting, ways you can get paid, and ways you can get EVEN BIGGER pay within the Studio system, the culture of rewriting other people's work, and being rewritten yourself... And they cover the less serious topics, like the "secret codes" to get menu items not on the menu at In-n-Out locations, each studios best and worst parking locations (and what it means if you're directed to park there), all their free story ideas with the purchase of the book, how often Lindsay Lohan died (but not really), and how not to jinx your movie opening or sequel potential.

Some of the most interesting parts are how they go into great detail of their box office FAILURES! They also describe how all the ways a potentially amazing script can get turned into crap by time the movie comes out. (And then all the ways the Studio will try to fix a crappy movie, to no avail.

This is an indispensable book on the business of working in Hollywood for any new screenwriter.

This book makes me so happy. A delightful blend of anecdotes and experiences from two guys milking the Hollywood teats like pros. If you're looking for screenwriting advice for your art-house 'can't fit my movie into a genre' movie that's 90 minutes of a dog chewing a bone and audio of a woman crying off-screen, go ahead and skip this book. If you want stories about how these two guys ACTUALLY got movies written, sold, and made AND a hefty helping of how-to, then click that "Buy with One-Click" button on the right side of the screen.

Ever see those ads or infomercials in which a person claiming to be a millionaire wants to share the secret of success with you - if only you'll pay them a few dollars? That's the feeling I got from the cover of this funny, actually informative, book.

The authors actually are successful. And in between the lousy jokes, the ALL CAPS explosions, the snarky humor ("Even the poop clouds that bring s*** storms sometimes have a silver lining") and a generally frenetic writing style, there is what appears to be solid advice on how to try to become a successful writer of screen plays that actually get bought.

But it's really a book about the movie business. Everything from how to format your script to the authors' lunch with Jackie Chan.

This is actually more a mess between covers than a traditional book, but it is a fun and surprisingly informative read. I'm not planning on writing or selling any scripts, but this was still a fun read.

Jerry

This book is hilarious. It's always more fascinating to read a book by someone who has the experience (i.e. actually sold some screenplays that were produced). Beyond the laughs and jokes this is THE book on writing studio movies and that is an important dstinction: studio movies, not art movies and it's a point that the authors make. With a sledge hammer.

Where does this put a book like Story by Robert McKee? It's still a good book but unlike Mr. McKee, these guys aren't running workshops (not that there's anything wrong with that) They don't have the time to. They're too busy writing. Which brings up a good point and that is: stop going to workshops and start writing (read what Stephen King has to say about writing groups in "On Writing". Same thing applies.). Workshops are like film school. The people who go sometimes end up working for the guys that took their tuition money and made a movie.