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A review by reickel
Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
5.0
After my first read, I'd asked the author to take a quarter-step back from the book's PG-family-comedy-theatrical-release focus, and what did he do?! Nothing, because I wrote my voice-in-the-void Goodreads review in 2018 and Blake Snyder had already passed away, in 2009.
But on a re-read the book is much better, particularly because I've read his two sequels now, and they do a very good job of expanding the scope. This book is part of a trilogy, with a direct sequel and a sequel of clarification and examples. It's best as part of that book system, but it is excellent on its own. If you want more/diverse examples, look to the additional material. But the juice of the approach is all here.
Great book I've gifted and/or recommended many times.
*****
Original review, 4 stars:
Save the Cat delivers on its premise pretty perfectly. Here is a guide to plotting and structuring spec screenplays. I understand that's what Snyder set out to do, and he did it! I just feel like if he'd taken a quarter-step back from the PG-family-comedy-theatrical-release focus, the book would be stronger. My favorite for-instances were when he applied his talking points to rich and complex examples like Pulp Fiction, in stark contrast to describing a rule, and explaining how he followed that rule in writing the movie Blank Check.
That quibble aside, Snyder doesn't seem to hold anything back, and hits some really good points on telling good stories. It's a very practical albeit intentionally-niche piece of a good story-writing kit.
But on a re-read the book is much better, particularly because I've read his two sequels now, and they do a very good job of expanding the scope. This book is part of a trilogy, with a direct sequel and a sequel of clarification and examples. It's best as part of that book system, but it is excellent on its own. If you want more/diverse examples, look to the additional material. But the juice of the approach is all here.
Great book I've gifted and/or recommended many times.
*****
Original review, 4 stars:
Save the Cat delivers on its premise pretty perfectly. Here is a guide to plotting and structuring spec screenplays. I understand that's what Snyder set out to do, and he did it! I just feel like if he'd taken a quarter-step back from the PG-family-comedy-theatrical-release focus, the book would be stronger. My favorite for-instances were when he applied his talking points to rich and complex examples like Pulp Fiction, in stark contrast to describing a rule, and explaining how he followed that rule in writing the movie Blank Check.
That quibble aside, Snyder doesn't seem to hold anything back, and hits some really good points on telling good stories. It's a very practical albeit intentionally-niche piece of a good story-writing kit.