Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber on why they adapted “The Spectacular Now”

This just went live in the LA Times today, a first-person essay by screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber ((500) Days of Summer) about their involvement with the movie The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt:

We wrote “(500) Days of Summer” because we loved the romantic comedy — and feared for its survival. What used to be “The Graduate” and “Annie Hall” and “When Harry Met Sally” had become the home of the unrealistic, the unrelatable and the insincere. The genre was in free-fall, and “500” was our attempt to breathe a little life back in.

When looking for a follow-up, we turned our attention to the other genre we loved and missed: the teen movie. The ’80s of our youth were chock-full of smart, sensitive, sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, always identifiable films about young people. They didn’t preach, they didn’t judge, they didn’t talk down to their audience. What happened to those, we wondered?

Enter Tim Tharp’s “The Spectacular Now.” Tim’s novel had been nominated for the National Book Award but was flying pretty far under the radar when we first laid eyes on it. Immediately we knew it was perfect. Two reasons: One, it was a beautifully written, take-no-prisoners account of being a teenager. And two, there was a whole buncha drinking in it — which meant an automatic R. (Kids can maim each other, stab each other, kill each other — but anyone sips a beer and it’s deplorable. Don’t ask.)

— -

Initially, one of the most appealing aspects of “Spectacular Now” to us was how different it would be from “(500) Days.” But the truth is, there’s a lot more connective tissue there than meets the eye. “500” is a coming-of-age movie masquerading as a love story. And “Spectacular Now” is a love story masquerading as a coming-of-age movie. Both films are about a time in your life when, for better or maybe for worse, someone else has the power to change who you are. The central question is whether you let them.

I’ve seen The Spectacular Now twice now including a special rooftop screenwriting at the Black List Screenwriters Lab in Las Vegas with a follow-up Q&A with Ponsoldt. It’s a wonderful movie, something John Hughes would probably be doing were he alive today. And my God, do we need more movies like this!

For the rest of the LAT essay, go here.

For my March 2013 interview with Scott and Michael, go here.

Here is the trailer for the movie:

Be sure to check out The Spectacular Now when it hits VOD.

Comment Archive