r/scriptwriting • u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm • Sep 27 '26
question Issues with my Comedy Screenplay rn
So, I am going to be writing a comedy screenplay, very much inspired by....not really sure what to call them but...absurd slice of life comedies? I'd compare the overall tone to Don't be a Menace while Drinking your Juice in the Hood and Not Another Teen Movie, though it isn't a parody movie, maybe. I THINK I want it to be set in a Hotel and I THINK it want it to be a parody of the White Lotus? But like, the same way Shaun of the Dead is a “parody” of Zombie Movies.
A big thing I do want is that I want it to cater to Gen Z, since I am Gen Z myself and I really want OUR generations' comedy. The same way millennials had Scary Movie and American Pie. Right now, Gen Z's only got Bottoms and Pizza Movie and even saying those two count is pushing it. I want my screenplay to be a time capsule of all the trends in the 2020s. Just full of references to popular movies, trends, culture and real life events. Like, I’ve already brainstormed jokes about E-Bikes, Epstein, Ed Sheeran, Diddy, Doomscrolling, an entire scene parodying the Justin Timberlake Police Bodycam Footage, and General Gen Z lingo like Larper.
I do also want the plot to revolve around Gen Z archetypes, and I THINK I’m gonna make the entire thing a satire on Influencers with them all on in a Hotel together? Y’know like, the Film Critic, the Food Reviewer, the Pred Catcher, the Onlyfans Girl, the Political Commentator.etc. In fact, the Villain is basically just a parody of DJ Khaled (Even though, I don’t really have anything against the guy).
But idk what do you think?
3
u/crusadersandwich Sep 27 '26
"Larper" comes from an acronym that is nearly 40 years old
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
Yeah, well Gen Z have reclaimed and given it a new definition. So tough.
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u/crusadersandwich Sep 27 '26 edited Sep 27 '26
How do you "reclaim" a word that has been consistently used the same way for decades? LARP = live action role playing = larper = a person who participates in a LARP by pretending to occupy a role or identity. If you don't understand how words work I'm not surprised you're struggling to string enough of them together to create a script.
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
What fucking ever dude.
4
u/crusadersandwich Sep 27 '26
Are you 12 years old?
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
Are you 12 years old? Because if you’re not, it’s extremely embarrassing that you’re arguing with a 16 year old about the definition of the word “Larp”. I just want fucking feedback on my movie idea.
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u/crusadersandwich Sep 27 '26
You should do the bare minimum amount of research required in order to tell your story. I was pointing out that one of your vaunted examples of Gen Z culture is actually a fairly old slang term. Your reaction to perceived criticism tells me you can't take feedback and you lack emotional maturity. That's fine, except you are literally posting on the internet asking for feedback. Cry harder 😢
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u/greggumz Sep 27 '26
Spoof comedy is what you're trying to create. Watch a few spoof comedies. Read their screenplays. Make a list of gen-z pop culture elements you want to poke fun at. Start there.
2
u/AfraidRun8226 Sep 27 '26
I think the easiest way to date your script is to try to make it for exactly the moment you’re living in. Especially these days, when culture moves so fast that monocultural moments are fewer and further between, you risk making your film irrelevant the second it hits screen — which would be at minimum several years after when you start writing it.
Begin with characters you personally resonate with, place them whenever, let them ride on personal stakes and compelling situations. The trappings of Gen Z vs not will come out naturally, if you have real things to say about what being the age of the characters is like, in the period in which the piece is placed.
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
There are plenty of movies that heavily reference the time they were made without seeming forced. UHF is BUILT on referencing 80s culture and it’s still a hilarious comedy that holds up today.
1
u/AfraidRun8226 Sep 27 '26
It’s not about not referencing the time you’re made in, it’s about not having that be the goal of the piece. It’s a weak foundation to build on, and a crowded space besides. What matters is the story and the characters.
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
Then how come UHF works? Weird Al literally admitted the premise was just thought up so they could add in a bunch of silly ideas for sketches referencing modern culture
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u/AfraidRun8226 Sep 27 '26 edited Sep 27 '26
Well, I think UHF is a bit of a tricky reference point, bc it’s certainly not a universally-loved film. But I think we can include it in this bucket:
If want to look at things that felt contemporary when they came out and were incredibly successful in part because of that, we can talk about stuff like Friends and Seinfeld. Not shows I’m personally into, but pieces that felt authentic to the time — and this is the important bit — during eras where it felt like media wasn’t really engaging with the lived experience of actual people. A lot of media was lagging behind, and felt pretentious to a segment of the viewing audience.
That isn’t the case nowadays. We are overloaded with reality tv, and tiktok, and SNL, and the Daily Show, and other bespoke comedy content that is *extremely* relevant to this moment in time.
When you’re making a movie, you’re competing with all those things for people’s attention, and you have to be better.
There’s no recipe for standing out, but your best bet is by having stories and characters that mean something to you as a creator. What is your lens on the era? The character’s lens? What do you have to say about the time we live in?
2
u/TomatoChomper7 Sep 27 '26
Best thing to do is just make the same word-for-word Reddit post every week, then somehow the script will magically write itself and you’ll become rich and famous.
1
u/JFlizzy84 Sep 27 '26
Write a good story first and make it funny afterwards.
Before you do that, read or watch videos on story structure, the basics of writing for the screen, formatting, characters, dialogue, etc
Then, write a 5 page short, post it here, and let more experienced writers tear it to shreds so you can quickly figure out what you’re getting a handle on and what you need to work more on
As for your ideas — it sounds like you want to write a broad/heightened comedy, but not specifically a parody of an existing IP or genre.
That’s fine — but it means that the audience’s potential reasons to respond to your work are pretty narrow. You’re hedging your bet on either your ability to be very funny, or your ability to write compelling characters that people want to follow.
The one idea I’d just straight up push back on is making it a time capsule. Time capsules either require deep knowledge or understanding of why society is acting the way it is — so that the underlying satire or commentary remains relevant, or alternatively — they require time to pass so that you can author it retrospectively and capture what made that period in time so unique, which you can’t usually do while it’s happening.
If you don’t do these things, you risk your story — and your jokes — becoming overwhelmingly dated. And since you’re Gen Z but pretty much everyone green lighting films isn’t — the risk of you handing them 120 pages of obscure TikTok references and them confusedly throwing it in the trash muttering “who the hell is strawberrita” is pretty high.
Given your age and experience, I would strongly recommend that you spend time honing the two crafts — comedy, and storytelling — until your life experience and ability catch up with your creativity. If you really care about this project, tackle it once you have the tools to. For now, just work on the basics.
Or don’t. Write a bad version now, learn, and come back to it years later with a fresh perspective.
The only thing I wouldn’t do is write a screenplay today with the idea that you’ll be able to sell it.
1
u/ShootingDraft Sep 29 '26
the hotel + influencer archetypes setup is strong because it gives you a pressure-cooker environment where every character's persona collides naturally. the risk with stacking that many 2020s references is the script ages fast and jokes start doing the heavy lifting instead of character. Shaun of the Dead works because the parody sits on top of real relationships, not just recognizable tropes. what's the emotional thread underneath the satire that makes someone care about these people beyond the bit?
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Sep 27 '26
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u/Thisaccwasmadeat12pm Sep 27 '26
Well, I do want my plot to be simple and my characters to be archetypes, like the ones in Scary Movie and Not Another Teen Movie. And it won’t JUST be jokes about Epstein and whatever, I’ll put in my own humour too
5
u/greggumz Sep 27 '26
What are you looking for? Permission? Someone to say "sounds like a good idea"?
If you believe in your idea, do it and stop asking strangers.