taawx
Against my previous experiences with direct-to-video movies I made the mistake of renting this one all because the cast and the plot seemed promising. This is really the first movie that I felt like making a comment about before I even finished watching it. Trust me and save yourselves. Although the plot somewhat seems original enough, the scripting is very poor, it is full of very predictable dialogs. I can even complete the sentences word by word as the actors speak them. I actually felt sorry for the cast, they must have needed the money bad which seems to be paid by Coca Cola, since their variety of products and their brand logo can be seen everywhere all the time. What a waste of my time.
S M
Maybe I'm the exception, but having dealt with every one of these personality types in writer groups, I found this movie to be hilarious and therapeutic. This movie is exactly why I don't tell my friends what I write. "If she can do it, I can do it." Then put in the work and prove it, jackass. I have watched this movie twice already, on Netflix, and I will be buying a copy to watch on days when I need to be reminded to ignore the professional jealousy of those around me. Trust me, it's just not worth telling people what you write. Pen names are the way to go. These are the characters, as I saw them, and as I know them to be in person: 1. One woman is a dim-witted, spoiled narcissist who barely makes time to write, yet she tells everyone she's a "writer." She looks at pictures of herself while she does yoga, to get inspired.2. Her husband, who doesn't actually write, but keeps a tape recorder handy so he can record his "brilliant" ideas, which are usually just character names that he finds clever, or half-baked plots. In other words, he's not a writer. The "idea" doesn't write the story, and is absolutely worthless unless you're fleshing it out in the book, and he is not. 3. A sweet guy who loves classic literature, like The Great Gatsby, and takes his own writing very seriously. He submits manuscripts to publishers and agents, and keeps all of his rejection letters on his wall. He admits at the beginning of the movie that he hasn't written in two weeks.4. A narcissistic war veteran who idolizes Tom Clancy and thinks his manuscript is good enough to become a movie. Also, he holds a self-published book signing at a hardware store. (I know someone who threw her own self-published book signing at an IHOP.)5. A guy who's in love with being a writer. It gives him an identity. But he's only written three pages of what he calls a manuscript, and instead of writing the rest of that book, he just revises those three pages again. 6. The girl who makes writing a priority, but hasn't read any of the classics, and hasn't gone to college. But she's the one who lands an agent, a book deal, and a movie deal. I've seen the movie twice and I'm fairly certain that she's the only character who doesn't trash anyone else's writing. I understand why people who haven't belonged to a writers' group may find the movie boring, but it was the only piece of fiction I've ever seen that captured the delusional narcissism of a writers' group. As soon as one person in the group gets successful, the claws come out. "She doesn't deserve it." "It's because she looks good in a miniskirt." ""I'm the better writer, it's not fair." She also put in work, and put her writing first. It doesn't matter who you've read or what you've studied. If you don't finish your manuscript, you will not be successful. I hate to say that writers are this unlikable in person, but we are. I revised my review to say this -- I am both traditionally published, AND self-published. I read other reviews that thought the movie took digs at self-publishing, but I didn't see it that way. There ARE people just like John K. Butzin, who don't know how self-publishing really works, and get scammed as a result. His goal isn't to make a living with his book, but to see it on the big screen someday, and to "get published." His character was the funniest and most realistic, to me. Although, on some level, it's incredibly sad, because guys like him actually exist. I watched this movie with a writer friend and Dennis Farina said many things that made us look at each other and mention names of people we knew. Again, it's actually sad, but it felt so good to laugh. Ten bright, glowing stars from me.
judysalamacha
Author's Anonymous introduces you to a group of writers searching for that agent or publisher. I liked this film. The film is fun with quirky characters, a great ensemble cast, fast-paced scenes, and what most I think I liked most about it...it had what most comedies comedies lack today, a life lesson. I think it is one of these films you enjoy the first time through for the quirkiness the of characters.Then you watch again for the layers of personality that emerge in each character. They are funny, but not silly. There is idiotic behavior that is common human behavior....OK,stretched to the max in most cases. You probably know people like this and they probably aren't all writers. They don't have to be. People interacting with each other have their likes and dislikes and act this way. And writers, there are rules in critique groups. You just might learn what to do...or not to do. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen in my life, but it will be one I'll watch again...and again.
swiftc
I haven't laughed out loud at a movie for a long time. The comedic exaggeration of the characters was delightful and brought back vivid memories of my former southern California writers group – a highly diverse, multi-talented group that, as in this film, included published, unpublished and self-published aspiring writers, all with their own eccentricities and quirky personalities that sometimes clashed and sometimes led to indiscretions.I enjoyed the witty dialogue and the engaging performances from this ensemble cast – especially the talented Dennis Farina. I found the film funny and thought provoking. It stayed with me long after I left the theater. Sometimes caricature is the best way to reveal truth.Now I'm going to track down my old writer friends and recommend this movie!
