A BIG FAT GREEK MONEY-MAKER

The movers and shakers in Hollywood have clearly lost their nerve.

Just about the only way to get a project greenlit in Tinsletown these days is to make sure it's a remake, sequel or the film version of a popular written work. Original story ideas are like soybean burgers -- they sound good in theory, but nobody will risk ordering one.

As a result, we have “Men in Black II” (sequel), “Spiderman” (popular written work) and the latest Harry Potter episode (sequel and popular written work).

That's why I love the little independent smash-hit, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The film is well on it’s way to earning $150 million at the domestic box office, splashing egg on the faces of all of the MBAs running the Hollywood studios.

Why is it doing so well? I have a couple theories.

Number one, the film is unlike anything else being produced right now in mainstream Hollywood. It’s an ethnic story involving a real woman (not some plastic, air-brushed idea of a woman) with realistic, albeit hilarious, family issues.

Number two, the “word of mouth” factor. People love to discover little film treasures and pass them on to friends and family. In this case, “Greek Wedding” received very little publicity, so moviegoers who enjoyed the film relished the opportunity to turn others onto it.

“Margaret, I saw the best little movie last night.”

“Really, Fay. What was it?”

“A Big Fat Greek Girl’s Wedding.”

“You saw it at some Greek girl’s wedding?”

“No, Fay. That’s the name of the movie.”

“What’s the name of the movie?”

“A Fat Girl’s Big Greek Wedding.”

“Oh…So, does she lose the weight, or what?”

Now, maybe I’m being a little too vindictive when it comes to the Hollywood Powers-That-Be. See, I’ve written a handful of movie scripts myself, even had a couple of them optioned by hard-working, independent producers. In each case, the producer looked outside the studio system for the financing necessary to make the film. That is how a script becomes an independent movie.

Unfortunately, they had about as much luck raising the financing as a dot-com employee does of keeping his job.

Moving on to Plan B, each producer tried to set the script up at one of the Hollywood studios. This entails convincing a wet-behind-the-ears development executive to convince his boss to convince his boss to convince his boss to purchase the script.

Well, my little scripts clawed and scratched their way through numerous levels of studio hierarchy before they were ultimately branded as not being "high concept” enough to risk studio money on.

For you laymen out there, “high concept” generally means the story is a sequel, remake or is based upon a popular written work. Or, in some cases, it means a bankable star has taken the project under his or her wings in order for said star to show the world just how serious an actor he or she is.

Eventually, each one of my options lapsed, meaning that I can now peddle the scripts to other producers in hopes of finding one with enough interest and backing to see the script produced. Thus, I am back to square one.

In the meantime, I will console myself with success stories like “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” And bide my time until the release of the inevitable sequel, “My Big Fat Greek Honeymoon.”

(c) Marc L. Prey 2002
All rights reserved.