Great Stories

Greatness. How do we define such an ambiguous term? Oxford defines it as the quality of being great, distinguished, or eminent. Webster defines it as exceptionally high quality. Dictionary.com defines it as the quality of being unusual or considerable in degree, power, or intensity. In terms of screenplays and literature, I define it as having the ability to evoke emotions, to arouse passion--to move people.

I think about movies the same way I might think of the difference between a good book and a great book. After all, movies and books carry the same content: a story. Oftentimes, movies are inspired by the stories within books. Some examples include: The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Twilight, The Hunger Games, and sappy love stories by Nicholas Sparks.

The difference between a good story and a great one is simple: good implies entertaining and/or favorable, but great implies all of good and a little more. Great story lines aren't necessarily original; rather, they merely stimulate strong emotions within their audience. For instance, many of my favorite movies are comedies (including Bridesmaids, Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Hangover, Ted, and 21 Jump Street) and romantic comedies (She's the Man, Friends With Benefits, 50 First Dates, The Proposal, just to name a few). Yes, I would watch them again and again, however, that doesn't automatically mean I consider them "great" movies. The one movie genre I typically find great stories in are dramas (i.e. The Help, Slumdog Millionaire, and A Beautiful Mind). They contain some realistic situation, entailing the joys and the struggles strung along on the adversity inside.

As recited by Duke Orsino in "She's the Man," William Shakespeare once said, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."