593 - The Ref with Richard LaGravenese

Writer and director Richard LaGravenese joins Craig for an in-depth analysis of his 1994 comedy classic screenplay, THE REF. Together, Craig and Richard dig into the rules of farce, making hyper-verbal characters work, and the difference between a main character and a protagonist. We also discuss how to write compelling monologues, engineering a character’s catharsis, and why coffee really is better with cake. In our bonus segment for premium members, Craig and Richard discuss why it’s often so hard for men to make – and keep – close friends. Links: The Ref on YouTube, Amazon and IMDb Richard LaGravenese on IMDb The Ransom of Red Chief by O. Henry The Ref’s Opening Scene Puzzled Pint’s Code Sheet Levain Bakery Get a Scriptnotes T-shirt! Check out the Inneresting Newsletter Gift a Scriptnotes Subscription or treat yourself to a premium subscription! Craig Mazin on Instagram John August on Twitter John on Instagram John on Mastodon Outro by Matt Davis (send us yours!) Scriptnotes is produced by Drew Marquardt and edited by Matthew Chilelli. Email us at [email protected] You can download the episode here.