[Quick Summary: Con-man producer Max Bialystock convinces timid accountant Leo Bloom to put on a sure-fire flop on Broadway and thus profit from the loss.]
What I love about this script is how the audience literally sees Leo Bloom bloom.
(You think his last name is accidental? Think again.)
Leo is a nervous, fearful, blanket-carrying accountant. But because bold Max pushes him, Leo learns to face his fears.
The brilliance of the script is that we SEE the small changes in Leo, i.e., we SEE his character arc.
Here's a good example of one of these small changes:
ex. Max persuades Leo to ditch work & have lunch at Coney Island. Leo hasn't been there since he was a kid.
Leo is loosening up. He chooses a daring pistachio as his fourth ice cream cone.
MAX: Well, Leo, are you having a good time?
LEO: I don't know. I think so. I feel very strange.
MAX: Maybe you're happy.
LEO: Yes. That's it. Happy. Well, whatta ya think of that. Happy.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Change happens in increments, not leaps.
So your character needs to SHOW change in increments, not leaps.
The Producers (1968)
by Mel Brooks
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