Mob mentality

Competition Scripts
22

Thanks very much for reading, Paul. It’s interesting - in “A Bronx Tale” the actor who played younger Calogero was 9 and Lillo Brancato (older Calogero) was 17, so at 13 Nate is directly in the middle. Perhaps Nate can be portrayed by someone slightly older but who can pass for 13, which could fit thematcially considering the character is an “old soul.”?

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23

Thanks very much for reading! I’m going to consider some tweaks to that part of the script…

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24

Thanks very much for reading - I am now here…

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25

Just so you know…I’m definitely not saying it won’t work. I’m just saying I personally had a tough time keeping a steady visual in my head as I was reading it. If I were producing, I’d want to know if that was my issue, or if the idea itself was a problem. I’d want to see a few of the more serious moments…like when he’s got a gun in his hand, seriously thinking about shooting someone. Because, this is a funny script. And if those moments don’t play well, the whole thing falls apart. If they work…well, you’ve got yourself something.

Good job, btw. You wrote a funny script that’s got everyone talking. That’s a win.

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26

Welcome @el8990, thanks for taking the time.

Couple of questions for you; what initially inspired you to write this screenplay? Who would be your dream director?

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27

Completely understand what you’re saying. I have a few potential tweaks in mind that pertain to this.

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28

Good morning. Thanks for entering Mob its a lot of fun. Question about the garbage truck, is this supposed to be another hyper fixation that the kid had before the mob stuff or is there some kind of crossover between mafia and garbage for laundering or something? what made you include it?

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29

Thanks very much for reading…on one level, as you mentioned, I was playing on the trope of the mafia controlling the waste management industry. And connected to this, Nate’s fixation with the garbage industry is a source of conflict between Nate and his higher learning/academic credential obsessed parents. But on another level - in doing research on reincarnation I had read that “odors” can sometimes trigger glimpes of past life memories, which it was doing for Nate even though he didn’t realize it as such until later.

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30

Thanks for the questions, Meara.

  1. It was a combination of factors, but in doing some reading on reincarnation I read (something to the effect of) souls sometimes return with opposite qualities of their previous life due to karma, etc. And I was intrigued by the notion of a powerful/ruthless/rich/famous/iconic mob boss returning as a scrawny/nobody/suburban kid.
  2. Mike Judge, among others.
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31

Oh wow I had no idea about the mafia and waste management. I understand odors triggering memory though, I’ve experienced that!

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32

Thanks for your answers. Mike Judge is a very interesting choice, I’d mostly know him as an animation guy. You see this as live action rather than animation though I take it?

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33

Yes, live action is the preference (though I do think animation could be an option) but I love Mike Judge’s live action tone from Silicon Valley, Office Space, Idiocracy, etc.

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34

Yeah, would he really need to be buddies with a cop and wear a wire just to prove his parents don’t really like books that much?

I’d rather see him embracing his Jewish culture too but in a way that feels like he’s trying to work it in to who he is. Like, a v.o. to the effect of “I’m trying to give this Judaism stuff a real chance.” While he is looking close up at a dreidel and when the camera pulls back, we see he is actually using it for gambling with a crowd of kids. We see him switch it out for a “rigged” one, and he wins a ton of money. He looks into the camera and shrugs, says “Baby steps, capiche?”

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35

I like that. Might have to take that…

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36

the Jewish angle is interesting but I think him making peace with the cop is fun. the story is packed with unrealistic stuff because it’s crazy and entertaining. works for me.

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37

If it works for you, its all yours! You can put my name on the “Thanks to” part of the credits :-)

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38

Loved the script! Curious who dream casting would be for all the leading parts…

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39

Thanks Kole!
In no particular order:
Mr. Siegel - Eugene Levy/Steve Zahn (per Meara)/Will Ferrell.
Mrs. Siegel - Kaitlin Olson
Edina - Wanda Sykes/Maya Rudolph/Oprah Winfrey
Pudge - Julian Dennison (was brought up in another thread I like him here)
Nate - Thomas Barbusca
Tori - a Sarah Hyland from Modern Family type

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40

@el8990 just saw Mob Mentality made the top three. Congratulations!

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41

Thanks very much!

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