Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Dave and Stanley Scene: Bach vs. Chopin

Here's one of my favorite scenes from a movie script I wrote 11 years ago when I was a freshman in college. The characters Dave and Stanley are at their college's gym. These two best friends seemed to always have very funny arguments.

INT. GYM- DAY

Dave is doing the bench press and Stanley is spotting him.

STANLEY
Come on big guy, one more.

Dave is visibly struggling.

STANLEY (CONT'D)
Come on, you are as weak as the Baroque period of classical music.

This makes Dave have a boost of strength. He finishes the set and sits up.

DAVE
I don’t know why you bring up this up every time we come to the gym.

STANLEY
Because you won’t admit I’m right. The Romantic period is far superior.

DAVE
Just get on the bench, Bucko.

Stanley gets on the bench.

DAVE (CONT’D)
How can you completely disregard Bach?

Stanley does 8 reps.

STANLEY
I find his music to be very straight forward and lacking emotion.

DAVE
How can you say that? Bach’s music has never moved you? Fugue in C minor?

STANLEY
Fugue in C minor is one of the most mechanical pieces of trite I’ve ever heard.

DAVE
Toccata?

STANLEY
Crap.

DAVE
Fugue in D minor?

STANLEY
Boring.

Greg comes over. He is a muscular looking jock.

GREG
You still arguing about Bach and Chopin? I don’t know how the two of you can completely ignore Mozart and Beethoven.

DAVE
One discussion at a time.

GREG
But how can you ignore them?

STANLEY
Greg, we like our argument.

DAVE
Yeah, buzz off.

Greg goes back to working out elsewhere. Dave and Stanley prepare the weights to use the leg press.

STANLEY
So the other day I was listening to Chopin’s Nocturne in B. I was fascinated by the complexity. All of those trills were so complicated. From a musician’s point of view, I was completely in awe that someone could write something so rich with variety.

Dave starts the exercise.

DAVE
I find that piece to be overly busy. All that complexity is distracting.

STANLEY
How can you say that? I suppose you think Chopin should have just left some of the instruments out of his orchestral pieces so that they could be more simplified as well?

Dave finishes his set.

DAVE
Actually, I do.

STANLEY
You’re infuriating.

Dave points to the leg press.

DAVE
(condescendingly)
Your turn my friend.

Enraged, Stanley barrels into the exercise.

2 comments:

  1. Heh, heh. I like it, John! Who are you going to cast for it? Any ideas?

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  2. I don't know, I never really thought about it because when I wrote it the idea was that my friend and I would play ourselves. I kind of channeled Woody Allen a little for Dave so maybe John Cusack or Kenneth Branagh could play him. LOL. For Stanley, I'd want an Asian actor so maybe John Cho.

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