TODAY'S NUGGET: The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) - One Key to Writing an Exaggerated Tone in a Tall Tale

[Quick Summary: After outlaw Roy Bean appoints himself judge and jury of Vinegaroon, TX, he encounters wild adventures and famous visitors.]

How do you get across the exaggeration of a tall tale?  One key is that repetition can help the tone.

For example, this is the introduction of Bad Bob in today's script:
- Roy Bean has appointed himself the judge of the county.
- Nick the Grub has left the dangerous life of being one of Bean's deputies and has become an onion farmer. 
- Bad Bob is an antagonist. He arrives at Nick's farm.
- Notice the number of actions that say "Bob is tough," piled on one after another. 
- Notice also how quickly the actions happen in such a short period of time.

EXT. PRAIRIE - FULL SHOT - RIDER

...Bob looked around and dismounted. Nick the Grub had just come out of his hut and was feeding his horse and watering onions. He had a pot of water boiling for coffee. Bob strode over to him, looked the horse up and down and SHOT it between the eyes. It made a hideous SOUND and settled into the dust. [Action 1: Bob shoots a horse without thought or remorse.]

BOB (continuing): Cook it for me. [Action 2: Bob orders Nick to cook a horse, which is a meat that most westerners will not eat.] 

Bob sat down and pulled out a huge onion from the ground. He dusted it off, then took a big bite out of it like it was an apple. He took another and washed them down with the scalding water. That's how mean he was.  [Action 3 & 4: Bob eats an eye watering onion raw, then drinks scalding water.]

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Exaggeration is helped in a tall tale by the repetition of the outrageous actions, in both number and speed of delivery.

Audiences unconsciously compare this to real life, and know that repetition of this sort does not really occur. 

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972) (10/18/71 final draft)
by John Milius  

TODAY'S NUGGET: Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1988) - One Trick When Topping a Gag With Another Gag

[Quick Summary: Lt. Frank Drebin comes out of retirement to go undercover to stop a terrorist bomber who is targeting the Academy Awards ceremony.]

Trying to top a gag with more gags is tricky.  

This script has a good example, and relies on exaggerating the next gag in line:
- Frank, Nordberg, and the Captain are hiding in plain sight.
- They are waiting for goons to appear.
- Three women are trying to drag four carriages up or down the stairs. The cops help them, reluctantly.
- The goons arrive. The cops let go of the carriages to fire at goons. 
- Then the writers mock this whole stair situation by the worst possible things into this tense moment, ex. politicians, etc.
- It's also quite funny to even mock the seriousness of this situation by distracting Frank and have him pick up a shiny object during the gun battle.

INT. TRAIN STATION - DAY

ANGLE - NORDBERG

starts FIRING, realizes he's let go of both his baby carriages. He runs out of FRAME chasing them. Right behind Nordberg, a runaway lawnmower careens through FRAME, followed by a Japanese GARDENER who throws up his hands and mouths the words, "My lawnmower!" [This parodies the "preciousness" of the carriages.]

ANGLE - FRANK

Guns blazing, diving, FIRES at the Goons.

ANGEL - GOONS

 One is hit, rolls down the stairs. The Other is hit -- he rolls up the stairs. [This gag tops the previous one because it's so random and we know people can't roll UP the stairs.]

ANGLE - FRANK

His eyes spot something on the ground. A surprised look crosses his face. Still FIRING, he bends down and picks the object up -- it's a bright, shiny quarter. What luck! Happily, Frank pockets the coin, his gun still blazing away. [Another nonsequitur that works because it's such a ridiculous tangent.]

ANGLE - ED

still struggling to free his gun from his sock. He sits down on the top stair, really goes at it. 

ANGLE - FRANK

FIRING away.

O.S. VOICE: Hey, look, it's the President!

ANOTHER ANGLE

It's BILL CLINTON coming down the stairs with his Secret Service entourage. [This tops the lawnmower as "things that shouldn't be in a shootout."]

RESUME - FRANK

surprised to see the President.

O.S. VOICE: And the Pope!

ANGLE - HIS HOLINESS

is also coming down the stairs with his Security People. [The Pope definitely tops the President as people who would never be here.]

ANGLE - HEZBOLLAH FANATIC

his body rigged with grenades and dynamite suddenly comes out of nowhere, rushes toward the President and the Pope.

FANATIC (screaming): Yee ah! [Fanatics are the absolute worst people to have in a shootout with babies, the President and the Pope.]

ANGLE - FRANK

can't believe this is happening. He whips his gun up, shoots the Hezbollah.

RESUME - HEZBOLLAH

Clothes-lined by Frank's bullet, drops like a rock.

RESUME - FRANK

O.S. VOICE: Oh my God! Look! It's disgruntled Postal Workers!

Frank turns to see 

ANGLE - TOP OF STAIRS

It's a human wave attack of Postal Workers, all in uniform, all with automatic weapons, some with mail sacks. They start spraying the place with AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE. [This made me laugh the hardest because we expect the writers to top the fanatics with someone more traditionally physically violent, and they went the emotional route to long-suffering government workers.] 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: When trying to top a gag, it's helpful to try unexpected, unusual ways to exaggerate the next gag in line (emotional, physical, psychological, etc.)

Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)(2nd draft, 8th revision, 8/13/93)
by Pat Proft 

TODAY'S NUGGET: Vatel, Master of Pleasure (2000) - An Example of How a Comeback Stinger Works (Dialogue Setup-Payoff)

[Quick Summary: A master steward must ensure a royal visit goes smoothly in order to gain his cash-strapped boss a commission from King Louis XIV.]

Q: I want to write a comeback stinger, so focus on the punch line, right?
A: It's important, but not the MOST important part.

Q: Huh?! What's more important than the punch line?
A: A punch line is the payoff. Without a proper set up, it languishes.

Q: Give me an example of a good set up.
A: Let's use today's script, which is a farce that exposes the excesses and debauchery of 1600s France. Everyone obsesses about status...except our protagonist Vatel.

In the scene below, the antagonist (de Lauzun) gets the final zinger, but note that it works because it was set up properly:
- Vatel is a steward who rose up the ranks by his own merit.
- The Marquis de Lauzun is the king's courtier, i.e., an intermediary.
- Vatel and the Marquis have the same level of authority, on opposite sides. 
- The Duchesse de Longueville is after a political promotion for her husband, and is not afraid to seduce the Marquis to get it. 
- The set up is about who can top the other in status:
--> First, de Lauzun tries to belittle Vatel. 
--> Then, Vatel uses his wits against de Lauzun. It's a draw.
--> Then, the Duchesse butts in and says she's the first to have de Lauzun's secret. It looks like she's on top. 
--> Finally, de Lauzun saying she's the last to know. He outsmarted her with the last word.

EXT. CASCADES. LATER. 

,,,Lazun notices Vatel and laughs.

LAUZUN (CONTINUED): I was just telling the Duchesse about your boyhood days in the brothels of the Ile Saint Louis.

VATEL (bows to the Duchesse): It's quite true. No one know more about the brothels of the Ils Saint Louis than the Marquis de Lauzun.

DUCHESSE (to Lauzun): I think he's just insulted you but it's hard to tell. That's a rare gift; if you punish him for it I'll tell everyone your favorite perversion.

LAUZUN (smiling to the Duchesse): But, Duchesse, you were the last to know. 

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: The cleverness of this stinger lies in its set up.  

Here, the Marquis de Lauzun fails to ridicule Vatel with his own shortcomings.  Frustrated, he uses the Duchesse's love of gossip against her with added spite.

Vatel, Master of Pleasure (2000)(1/19/99 revised)
by Jeanne Labrune
Translated and adapted by Tom Stoppard

TODAY'S NUGGET: A Man Who Loved Women (1983) - Blake Edwards Creates Romantic Push-Pull Externalized into Action

[Quick Summary: David, a womanizing sculptor, seeks help from his female psychiatrist about his obsession with women and inability to make decisions.]

THREE THOUGHTS:

1) STARS GALORE! This film, adapted and directed by Blake Edwards, had plenty of star power: Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, and Kim Bassinger. 

2) ADAPTATION ISSUES. I thought this was an admirable attempt at adapting a French film. But this might be one of the comedies that doesn't translate well.*

2) ROMANTIC COMMITMENT. Romantic farce** is about ridiculing how humans mess up the basics of love with their vices and follies. 

This script plays with the protagonist's (David) indecisiveness to commit. He's unwilling to sacrifice one for the other.  Maybe he just loves the chase too much?***

This scene below demonstrates David's internal push-pull emotions: 
- David has just met Young Woman at the store during Christmas shopping.  
- David helps carry her packages to her apartment, while walking and talking.
- David has just asked the Young Woman out to dinner, but sees Legs walk by and is distracted.
- Note how David's internal push-pull is externalized into action.  He's half listening.  He's with Young Woman but his attention is on Legs.

EXT. STREET - MOVING SHOT - NIGHT

...YOUNG WOMAN: I've been going steady with someone for nearly a year now...

They reach her car.

YOUNG WOMAN (continuing): ...but if I had to be honest, it's not working out.

She takes out her keys, unlocks the door, while David struggles with the choice of staying or pursuing the legs. 

YOUNG WOMAN: ...so the prospect of having dinner with you...

 DAVID (frantically): Look... (dumps the packages on the hood of the car) Don't move. Stay right here... (steps into the street) I'll be right back. (starts to cross the street) Please don't leave...

YOUNG WOMAN: But I can't...

He stops, looks after the legs, then at the Young Woman. He is frozen like an animal, caught in the car's headlights.

YOUNG WOMAN (continuing; screams): Look out!

ONCOMING CAR

As the terrified driver slams on the brakes.

DAVID

The split second before the impact.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I was impressed by how David's internal emotions we seen in actions.

I do admit, however, the overall script left me feeling unsatisfied, unresolved and shaggy (which could be the point?)  

The Man Who Loved Women (1983)(Oct., 1982 final draft)
by Blake Edwards & Geoffrey Edwards
Adapted from Francois Truffaut's L'homme qui aimait les femmes (1977)

*Critic Roger Ebert was not complimentary of this film:

"Here is a sad movie with a funny movie inside trying to get out...This movie is a remake, by the way, of a little-seen 1977 Francois Truffaut film. In the Truffaut, the man was seen as something of a victim, suffering from an incurable disease. The tip-off to the phoniness of the Reynolds version is that the movie seems to be recommending the disease."   

I think he's right that the problem might've been the change of focus, i.e., switching from "commitment is a virtue" to the polar opposite, "commitment-phobic is the virtue."

**As a refresher, farce relies on satire:

- Farce (n.) - a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot

- Satire (n.) -  a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn

***I really loved Roger Ebert's extremely astute observation of this character:

"He [David] thinks he loves them, but he's not a love, he's a collector....The problem with a man who loves all women is that he can love a woman."

TODAY'S NUGGET: The French Dispatch (2021) - Contrast of food (comfort) + Emergency (anxiety) = Funny

[Quick Summary: Anthology of 3 stories from the French outpost of a fictional magazine (artist in prison, student revolt, kidnapped son of police commissaire).]

In this film, Bill Murray plays the recently deceased editor-in-chief of The French Dispatch.  His writers have gathered to write his obituary. 

However, most of the film is about three write ups for the magazine. 

I particularly thought the kidnapping one was vastly creative, character driven, and pushed the heights of fun farce and ridiculousness.

Roebuck Wright is the food writer who is sent to interview a famous chef.  He oddly chooses Nescaffier, the Commissaire's chef, who is adept at food-on-the-run.

A crime syndicate kidnaps the Commissaire's son in exchange for an imprisoned accountant.  But hurrah! A hint and the Commissaire roars into action!

I really liked the split screen of the Commissaire eating while working on site.  The contrast of food (comfort) + emergency (anxiety) = funny.  

Here is a partial sample:

MONTAGE:

Split-screen: on the right, the Commissaire, seated at the workbench table in the locksmith shop, speaks excitedly to the Chou-fleur while eating continuously with his left hand only; on the left, a small, speckled, boiled egg split open to reveal layers of whipped yolk  mousse.

    ROEBUCK WRIGHT (V.O.)                        COMMISSAIRE
To start: deviled eggs of the                   Send a commando unit to secure
precinct, canary served in                      all access points to the south
shells of its own meringue.                    and west.

On the right, the Commissaire, seated at the workbench table in the locksmith shop, speaks excitedly to Maman while eating continuously with his left hand only; on the left: a saucer of gibiers and fruits des bois.

    ROEBUCK WRIGHT (V.O.)                        COMMISSAIRE
Next: kidneys poached with                  Send a guerrilla detachment to
plums from the mayor's rooftop           block all egress routes to the
arbor.                                                          east and north.

On the right, the Commissaire illustrates (using arrows and X's) his scheme/strategy on one of the building floor plan maps; on the left, small boulettes shaped and packaged like a bowl of candies.

     ROEBUCK WRIGHT (V.O.)                        COMMISSAIRE
Then: minced lamb bon-bons in         Drill tunnels (circumference:
pastry wrappers.                                     75 mm) through the partition
                                                                    walls of all three adjacent
                                                                    buildings.

On the right, teenage boys and girls in shooting costumes perch among high chimney tops; on the left. another thermos.

     ROEBUCK WRIGHT (V.O.)                        COMMISSAIRE
Blase oyster soup.                                 On the rooftops: amateur
                                                                  snipers from the local hunting
                                                                  club.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Don't be afraid to go split screen and show contrast for an existential laugh. 

ex. Roebuck Wright is reporting on the food in rapturous detail (extravagant lifestyle channel) while the Commissaire plots a rescue (true crime channel).

The French Dispatch (2021)
by Wes Anderson
Story by West Anderson & Roman Coppola & Hugo Guinness & Jason Schwartzman

TODAY'S NUGGET: Brazil (1985) - When You Need Funny, Imaginative, Inventive Inspiration

[Quick Summary:  Sam, a lowly employee, disrupts the intrusive, bureaucratic Ministry of Information Retrieval, as he pursues a woman he had dreams of.]

Sometimes you just need examples of how far you could push being funny, imaginative, inventive.

If so, read this script. Here are three (I underlined my favorite parts):

FUNNY: 

CUT to group of tables with diners. At one of them sits a wealthy-looking OLDER WOMAN with a rather plain-looking DAUGHTER in her 20s. The OLDER WOMAN is easily distinguished from the other clientele by a large bandage that covers a goodish part of her head. The two of them (the MOTHER and DAUGHTER, not the MOTHER and bandage) are perusing the menus.

IMAGINATIVE:

Before he can really take in where he is the phone rings. He staggers over to it.

SAM: Hello...hello...

PHONE VOICE: Hello. Mr. Lowry?

SAM: Who's that? 

A sound at the kitchen door turns SAM'S head - and ours - just in time to half see a quick blurred movement, but then a rap voice in his ear-piece brings his head back.

PHONE VOICE: Put the phone down and your hands up.

SAM (into the phone): What? Who is this?

SAM realizes that the voice is also in the room behind him. He turns round and sees TUTTLE. TUTTLE is middle-aged, a short tough figure dressed in dark clothes suggesting a cross between a cat burglar and  a night-raid commando. In one hand he holds a gun pointed at SAM. The other hand is holding a telephone receiver which TUTTLE is in the act of placing in the large capacious bag at his feet. SAM puts down his phone, and his hands up.

INVENTIVE: 

From SAM'S POV, a piece of broken mirror lying on the floor reflects the hole in the ceiling...with JILL's head and shoulders framed in the hole. The moment is unreal for SAM in his dazed condition. The vision seems unreal too. JILL is staring at SAM out of the piece of mirror and she's very much the GIRL from his dream now.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Despite the heaviness of topic (bureaucracy), it was easy to follow because of 1) the simple thorough line (guy pursuing girl); 2) humor.

Brazil (1985)(1983 draft)
by Terry Gilliam

TODAY'S NUGGET: 9 to 5 (1980) - Farce is a Skillfully Exploited Situation

[Quick Summary: Three very different female co-workers bond over some wild, crazy adventures outwitting their sexist, lying, egotistical boss.]

Two lessons from this script:

1) How a Script Can Hinge on the Right Casting. Even with a good script, Dolly Parton added that "extra" vibrancy.  So if you can get Dolly Parton, get Dolly Parton.

2) Why Do We Laugh at Farce?  Let's start with the definition: 

Farce (n.) = A light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character. (my emphasis)

This is a new idea to me that farce is more about the situation than the character.

This script had several great examples, including the scene below.

Prior to this scece, Violet has accidentally put rat poison in the boss' coffee.
--> The boss hit his head, became unconscious, and spilt the coffee.
--> He is rushed to the E.R., woke up, and walked out.
--> Meanwhile, another unconscious man is wheeled in.
--> The police are waiting to hear about man #2.

Watch how we laugh the misunderstanding in the situation:

ex.  "INT. EMERGENCY WARD - NIGHT

...A Medic that brought in the man on the gurney exits the emergency room. The Detective stops him for a moment.

DETECTIVE: The guy they just brought in on the gurney; how is he?
MEDIC #1: Not so good.
DETECTIVE: When can I speak to the Doctor?
MEDIC #1: He knows you're here. [This line signals to Violet that "everyone knows what she did."  The reality is that no one does yet.]

The Medic walks on down the hall.

VIOLET: Oh, my God. They found out about it already.
JUDY: Don't panic. Don't panic.

The Doctor comes out and the Detective speaks to him.

DETECTIVE: How is he, Doc?
DOCTOR: He's dead.

Violet receives the news with a shock. Doralee and Judy are equally horrified.

VIOLET: Oh, my God. [She thinks the boss is dead, but ironically he's not.]
DETECTIVE: Can you tell what caused it?
DOCTOR: Not without an autopsy, but I'm fairly certain it was some kind of poison.
VIOLET: Ohhh... [She thinks she's to blame, but she's not.]

Violet feels suddenly faint and Judy and Doralee rush to help her. The Doctor leads the Detective and the Policeman into his office down the hall while Judy and Doralee help a distraught Violet to a seat in the waiting room."

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Farce is about the situation more than the character development.

9 to 5 (1980)(final draft, 12/12/79)
by Colin Higgins
Story by Patricia Resnick

TODAY'S NUGGET: Burn After Reading (2008) - Fierce, Exaggerated Pursuit = Farce

[Quick Summary: After a fired CIA man's draft manuscript goes missing, several idiots scramble around, trying to capitalize on it.]

My two cents on this script:  Just go with it.

It's not the finest, or the smartest, or the most clever.

However, there is a clarity of writing in this script that I admire.

Here, each character has got immense, single-minded drive, i.e., they pursue a clearly defined goal without hesitation from beginning to end.

These characters are so fierce, so exaggerated in their pursuit that it becomes farce. 

In the scene below, Osbourne (CIA man) has just been fired, yet his wife only cares about cheeses.  As you'll see, this is about not hearing what is being said.

ex. "KATIE: You're home.

Osbourne continues making himself a drink.

OSBOURNE: Hang on to your hat, honey. I have some news. I -

KATIE: Did you pick up the cheeses?

OSBOURNE: Huh?

KATIE: Were they ready? I didn't know you were coming home this early.

OSBOURNE (blank): The cheeses.

Katie rolls her eyes.

KATIE: I left a message for you to stop at Todaro's. The Magruders and the Pfarrers are coming over.

OSBOURNE: The Pfarrers? Ugh. I --what did Kathleen say?

KATIE: What?

OSBOURNE: When you left the message?

KATIE: She said. She would give you. The message.

OSBOURNE: Well she, I don't know, I guess we had bigger news today. My day didn't revolve arou-

KATIE: SO you didn't get the cheeses.

OSBOURNE: Well, since I didn't get the message, no, I didn't get the cheeses. But hang on to your hat, I -

KATIE: Oh for fuck's sake, Ozzie, you mean I have to go out again? All right, well, you better get dressed.

OSBOURNE: Honey, we have to talk.

KATIE: Not right now. They'll be here in, what, less than an hour."

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: The single minded, exaggerated pursuits of goals (farce) makes the point of missed communication far better than a drama would have.

Burn After Reading (2008)
by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

TODAY'S NUGGT: Catch-22 (1970) - Blurring Reality & a Dream State

[Quick Summary: While wounded airman tries to get out of flying again, he falls in and out of memories.]

No disrespect to anyone, but this story didn't appeal to me.

It all seemed pointless.

(Perhaps that was the point, since the script ridicules war (satire), and mocks black marketing (farce).) 

I did like how this script excels in blurring reality and dream state:

ex. "Tappman opens the book, then closes it again and looks up. His eye focus on something in the distance. He blinks.

SHOT - TAPPMAN'S POV

In the distance, sitting high up on the branch of a tree, watching the ceremony, is Yossarian, naked.

SHOT - TAPPMAN

He shakes his head.

MAJOR MAJOR: Is there something wrong?

TAPPMAN: I - no - I thought I saw something.

MAJOR MAJOR: A naked man in a tree?

TAPPMAN: Yes, That's it.

DANBY (Looking down, slightly embarrassed): That's just Yossarian.

TAPPMAN: Oh. Well - in that case -

Tappman opens the book and begins reading the thirteenth Psalm."

Is this reality? A dream? I couldn't tell.

However, it works here because the story didn't rely on one or the other.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Most stories want the audience to distinguish between reality and dream state.  This one deliberately wants them blurred.

Catch-22 (1970)(second draft)
by Buck Henry
Adapted from the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

TODAY'S NUGGET: Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) - Anti-Hero in a Farce

[Quick Summary: A discharged marine gets a rousing, but undeserved, homecoming.]

Some call this Sturges' finest work, and I agree.

The script is remarkable because it fools you at first.

On a first read, I thought that Woodrow should not be the protagonist:
- Woodrow is very, very, very reluctant to go home. (He's an anti-hero.)
- But he's dragged home by marine buddies.  (Does he have a goal?)
- He gets an undeserved hero's welcome. (Things happen to him.)

But I was wrong.

Why?

This script has an unusual and complex combination of an ANTI-HERO in a FARCE:

1 - As an anti-hero, Woodrow is very, very, very reluctant to take pro-active action.  He seems to react rather than act.

ex.  Woodrow befriends marines at a bar, far from home.
He wants to go home but can't. [Reluctance]
The marines learn he pretended to mom that he's still enlisted.
The marines insist he go home and accompany him. [Reacts]

2 -  But look closely -- He does take steps toward a goal (telling mom).

However, he is swimming against a tsunami of farce.

Farce requires extreme exaggeration.  

In other words, our attention is on the ridiculous town folk with agendas (antagonists) rather than Woodrow:

ex. Woodrow tries to bolt from the train. The marines shove him into uniform and medals.

ex. Woodrow's mother wants him to wear his (borrowed) uniform to church. He balks and wears a suit.

ex. Political hacks put Woodrow up for mayor. He tries to decline. They call him modest. 

Note that all the action is ALWAYS around Woodrow, whether or not he is on screen (which is why he IS the protagonist.)

What great craftmanship!

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Farce can emphasize the protagonist's journey (even an anti-hero).

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
by Preston Sturges

TODAY'S NUGGET: #52 WGA Script of All Time - Lady Eve (1941)

[Quick Summary: After a con woman and a rich, gullible ophiologist (a snake scientist) fall in love and split up, she disguises herself as English aristocracy to dupe him once more.]

Farce is a tough genre.  It's just too easy to go too far with the satirical comedy or improbable plots.

So why does it work here? 

According to Roger Ebert, this story avoids the mistake of many films and gives a "baseline of sanity to measure the characters against....Henry Fonda is the rock."

Fonda is the gullible (but not stupid) snake scientist.  He doesn't want to use Barbara Stanwyck for his career.  He's sincere and earnest as he pursues her. He's puzzled by the "coincidences" but chalks it up to feeling more alive just by being with her.  He's truly, madly, crazy in love.

So when he doesn't realize Barbara's dad is blatantly hustling him at cards, we believe him.

When he "happens" to get a photo showing Barbara is a con, we're crushed along with him.

When Barbara creates an English persona and Fonda does not recognize her AT ALL, it all makes sense.

We believe in Fonda, even if everything else is truly preposterous.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: Farce can be way, way over the top - but only if there's at least one person who makes it feel real.

Lady Eve (1941)
by Preston Sturges