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| Final Draft Synopsis |
The first feature from writing/directing team Oren Goldman and Yariv Ozdoba, Final Draft is an insider-comedy about a pair of guys who have been friends since childhood and now, as adults, dream of making it as Hollywood screenwriters. Marty was born in Israel and maintains a somewhat cynical view of the world. Harry, on the other hand, grew up in New York and is slightly more wide-eyed. To bide their time before hitting the big time, the two have resigned themselves to editing home videos of bar mitzvahs and weddings. In addition, Harry works nights teaching Jewish folk dancing classes. But everything takes a positive turn when the guys discover they have a drug dealer in common with a bigwig at Misney studios. When they suddenly find themselves with a meeting scheduled with an actual Hollywood executive and no script to pitch, Harry and Marty scramble to come up with the perfect idea. Also starring Emily Bergl and Laura Jordan as the guys' love interests, Final Draft was shot digitally and premiered at the 2003 Victoria Film Festival in Victoria, British Columbia.
Review from a movie-goer
This film's got heart, wit, and wicked one-liners. It's not easy to pull off a self-referential film about two struggling screenwriters these days, an idea that seems to proliferate in script agents' In boxes. But Oren Goldman and Yariv Ozdoba do the deed with panache. Maybe even "chutzpah."
In fact, Goldman and Ozdoba are a crack acting team, too. They play two friends and struggling scriptwriters, Harry and Marty, who are eager to break into Hollywood. The big time's still a ways off though, so in the meantime, they edit bar mitzvah and Jewish wedding videos, hoping for the occasional glimpse at a nipple.
Marty is an anti-social realist. Harry is a passionate idealist. Marty is a dyed-in-the-wool Jew who grew up in Israel. Harry is an American Jew from Brooklyn. Marty gets regular cheques in the mail from his parents. Harry has a job teaching Israeli folk dancing.
Marty's big thing is honesty at all costs. For this belief, he pays. Harry's big thing is the Holocaust and anti-semitism, which he believes to be at the root of many evils. Harry's not big on change. Which explains why he continues to delude himself that he can get back together with his ex-girlfriend, Rachel (AKA "the succubus"), even though every time he visits her some beefy schmuck seems to be hanging off her.
After successfully producing a K-Tel-style TV ad for a yarmulke called the "Keepa Keepa," the two come into a lucky break, thanks to a "Misney" Studios connection through their dope (and vitamin) dealer, Chad, who is a main supplier for the head honcho at Misney. (A cameo by Chad's dope buddy Josh is as accurate a take on stoner humour as you can get).
So they've got the big break, but no idea. A frenzy of scriptwriting ensues-mostly dreck-as well as a frenzy of new love. Harry scares himself by expressing interest in Helga, a German girl who signed up for his Israeli dance class. Marty is smitten by Alison, a fellow acting student who is smitten by Marty's unwavering honesty. Somehow, the pressure of the script gig and the new girlfriends drive the two friends apart. Harry castigates Marty for his willingness to compromise by writing fluffy scripts for Misney and "feeding the industry machine."
A year later, Harry admits he's just been making "very small movies" (read stinkers) that are "a little too dark." "Dark comedy?" asks Marty, sympathetically. "No, we didn't have enough money, so you couldn't see any of the actors." In the end, Harry wonders what's worse, feeding the "machine" or having no machine at all. One thing's for sure: feeding a friendship is worth the effort.
Final Draft is a wisecracking movie with a whiff of good old-fashioned Yiddish wisdom
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