
Given the fare that makes it into theaters these days, it's hard to imagine any film or TV idea too dumb to see the light of day. Turns out, you just weren't trying hard enough. Radar asked a number of leading producers, agents, and writers to share the worst pitches they've ever had to endure.
Wheels
The Pitch: Jerry Maguire in a wheelchair.
The Premise: "A hotshot sports agent parks in a handicapped spot and gets sentenced by a judge to spend a month in a wheelchair," recalls a creative exec at a major production house. "Which is fine, until he falls for a woman with a real disability, but doesn't explain that he isn't actually handicapped. How's that for a third-act complication, motherfucker?!"
Suggested Tagline: You had me at paraplegic.
Homeless Friends
The Pitch: Like Friends, except everyone's homeless.
The Premise: "The cast was supposed to be young and good-looking; they just happened to live on the streets," recalls a prominent TV agent. "The conceit was that everyone would hang out in Central Park instead of Central Perk. The guy really thought we could sell it to NBC."
Suggested Cast: Michael Pitt (Chandler), Courtney Love (Rachel), Gary Busey (Joey), Pete Doherty (Ross), Natasha Lyonne (Phoebe), Mary-Kate Olsen (Monica).
Rock Op
The Pitch: Empire Records meets Rendition.
The Premise: "A DJ who specializes in playing 'torture' music to extract information from detainees. A major producer took my partner and me out to China Grill to discuss his idea," says a screenwriter. "He said he had Jim Carrey on board for the title role. He described the first scene of the movie as, 'Jim Carrey hops into a limo after getting a page in the middle of a show he's performing. Cut to him walking, slow motion, into a dark room, where a tense interrogation of a drug dealer is taking place. He proceeds to break out two black bags that contain ... turntables.' That was the last we heard."
Suggested Tagline: Rockin' for the free world.
Spayed in Manhattan
The Pitch: Sex and the City meets Trading Places meets Homeward Bound meets The Emperor's New Groove.
The Premise: "An heiress party girl trades places with her dog in a freak accident and is forced to make it on the streets of Manhattan," says an agent at CAA. "If she doesn't change back before she gets spayed, she has to stay a dog forever."
Suggested Tagline: You'll howl, beg, and roll over as the summer's biggest little comedy warms its way into your heart.
Suggested Cast: Haylie Duff (the party girl), Nicollette Sheridan and Kevin Kline (the parents), Morgan Freeman (the dogcatcher with a heart of gold).
McBeggar
The Pitch: I Am Sam meets The Goonies.
The Premise: "A ragtag band of physically and mentally challenged vigilantes tries to take down McBeggar, an evil capitalist who has enslaved a group of handicapped folks to work in a panhandling scheme," recalls a development exec. "Presumably, their handicaps made them more likely to solicit donations. That's as far as I got."
Suggested Cast: Robin Williams, Tim Allen, Artie Lange, and Steve Buscemi (the vigilantes); Alan Cumming (the evil capitalist).
Sneakers
The Pitch: The Wizard of Oz meets Seabiscuit.
The Premise: "A down-on-his-luck racehorse is worried he may be off to the glue factory because he just can't seem to win the big one," remembers a development exec at an animation studio. "Until one day he stumbles upon a pair of magic tennis shoes to run in."
Suggested Tagline: The neighs have it!
Posted by: keith81 on November 19, 2007 3:39 AM
Looks to me that Wheels was produced in a slightly different way. Last year a movie came out in Germany featuring one of the most famous German actors at the moment, Til Schweiger. It's called Wo ist Fred? (Where is Fred!?). Take a look at the plot summary from the IMDb:
"In order to catch a basketball from the favorite team of his girlfriend's spoiled son, Fred (Schweiger) poses as a numb, wheelchair-bound fan. But when he catches the ball, he also catches the attention of young, attractive filmmaker Denise (Lara), who wants to feature an invalid fan in an image film for the team. Fred has to keep playing his role, while real invalid and really furious fan Ronny (Herbst) might call his bluff at any moment. Worse, still, love sets in..."
Posted by: TArsch on November 19, 2007 9:25 AM
Is "Rock Op" supposed to be a serious drama? Because, really, the
premise could be a good comedy -- a satire about the deejay scene and
interrogation/torture techniques. The article says it was pitched with
Jim Carrey in mind (though he has done serious-minded movies).
Posted by: thewriteguy on November 19, 2007 5:50 PM
I could actually see "Rock Op" being kind of funny with the right director and Jim Carey circa Ace Ventura.
Posted by: twitter on November 23, 2007 12:49 PM
For "Rock Op" I keep picturing Justin Theroux's evil DJ character from Zoolander.
Posted by: brechtgirl on December 10, 2007 1:21 PM
The submission form seems to be broken and I haven't gotten a response to my letter to the webmaster from last thursday, so I'm going to submit my pitch here. Think I've got a snowball's chance?
Pitch:
Billy Madison meets An Indecent Proposal
Premise:
When their assisted living center faces bankruptcy, it's up to a nubile group of Down Syndrome patients to raise money fast. They have no inhibitions, and with the help of some local businessmen who have no scruples, anything is possible!
Tagline:
Down Syndrome girls don't know that it's wrong!
Cast:
Michelle Trachtenberg - Downer #1
Evan Rachel Wood - Downer #2
Amanda Bynes - Downer #3
Kristen Bell - Downer #4
William H Macy - Owner of a shady mens club / nude car wash who's happy to help them out.
David Spade - Runs an escort service for socially challenged men
Norm MacDonald - Clueless director of the clinic, who doesn't know where the "donations" are coming from!
Posted by: georgem on December 17, 2007 6:19 PM
"...return here on January 24."
January 24th of what year?
Posted by: MrNotSoPatient on February 4, 2008 10:59 PM
That horse movie pitch... I remember receiving a letter from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences stating that my crime script didn't make it to the quarter finals of the prestigious Nicholl competition. I went to the website to view the titles of scripts that had made it, and I see this title:
"Horseshoe: The Horse That Wore Tennis Shoes!"