Creative Notes:
Revised dialogue -- primarily but not exclusively for dialogue track and test movie purposes. Each prior draft made New and Notable.
Fair Play
With the evidence of her guilt overwhelming and the law closing in, a woman desperately tries to prove she is not a murderer.
Synopsis:
THE PITCH: “A Hitchcockian tale of murder, betrayal, and passion.”
In Baja, California, Mexican police arrest BETH PHILLIPS on suspicion of committing murder. She is extradited to Santa Barbara to stand trial. The evidence against her is overwhelming. Remanded to jail, she reflects back on recent events...
Months earlier -- Beth and her husband RICK, both young and affluent, seem to have it all. They live in a beautiful home and spend their nights trying to become parents. Beth is an art teacher, Rick works in real estate. DANNY BAINES, Rick’s best friend growing up, arrives in Santa Barbara on his sailboat, Fair Play. Danny stays with Rick and Beth. Danny endears himself to her. Beth lets Rick sail with Danny to Catalina Island. It will be Rick’s last great adventure before he settles into fatherhood.
Rick and Danny set sail. Fair Play encounters rough seas and capsizes... only Danny is around when the Coast Guard show up. A search for Rick comes up empty. Danny returns to Santa Barbara and tells Beth the bad news. She lets Danny stay with her. The police and Coast Guard investigate the incident; both conclude Rick’s death was accidental. Beth and Danny grow close. An insurance investigator, CLARK SIMMONS, becomes suspicious of Danny... and Beth. Clark discovers that Beth and Rick were once separated, and soon after they reconciled, Rick’s life insurance policy increased from $250,000 to $4,000,000.
Clark believes Danny murdered Rick -- either on his own, or by following Beth’s orders. Danny takes a lie detector test... and passes. Clark has no choice but to award Beth the claim. Beth and Danny begin a relationship... shortly thereafter, Danny disappears with Beth’s money.
Beth now believes Danny murdered Rick. The police, however, consider the case closed. Beth looks through Rick’s old e-mails and thinks Danny may be in Baja. She tracks him down and when she confronts him, gun in hand, she discovers Rick is still alive. Chaos ensues, a shot rings out, Beth is knocked unconscious... when she awakes, she finds a gun in her hand and Danny’s dead body next to her. Beth is arrested, taking us back to the opening.
Beth is released on bail. Her lawyer, LINDA MARQUES, works out a deal with the DA and urges Beth to take it. Beth -- though insisting she is innocent -- is inclined to take the deal. Just before she does, she follows JUDY -- a bank employee who may have helped Danny -- and breaks into her apartment. Beth discovers a link between Judy and Rick; she finds a telephone number she tracks to the Yucatan. Clark -- who has not been able to put the case behind him -- travels with Beth to Mexico searching for Rick. US Marshals are on their trail. Beth finds Rick -- she and Clark confront him. Rick shoots Clark and assaults Beth. Beth manages to kill her husband -- the man with whom she once lived a seemingly perfect life.
In Baja, California, Mexican police arrest BETH PHILLIPS on suspicion of committing murder. She is extradited to Santa Barbara to stand trial. The evidence against her is overwhelming. Remanded to jail, she reflects back on recent events...
Months earlier -- Beth and her husband RICK, both young and affluent, seem to have it all. They live in a beautiful home and spend their nights trying to become parents. Beth is an art teacher, Rick works in real estate. DANNY BAINES, Rick’s best friend growing up, arrives in Santa Barbara on his sailboat, Fair Play. Danny stays with Rick and Beth. Danny endears himself to her. Beth lets Rick sail with Danny to Catalina Island. It will be Rick’s last great adventure before he settles into fatherhood.
Rick and Danny set sail. Fair Play encounters rough seas and capsizes... only Danny is around when the Coast Guard show up. A search for Rick comes up empty. Danny returns to Santa Barbara and tells Beth the bad news. She lets Danny stay with her. The police and Coast Guard investigate the incident; both conclude Rick’s death was accidental. Beth and Danny grow close. An insurance investigator, CLARK SIMMONS, becomes suspicious of Danny... and Beth. Clark discovers that Beth and Rick were once separated, and soon after they reconciled, Rick’s life insurance policy increased from $250,000 to $4,000,000.
Clark believes Danny murdered Rick -- either on his own, or by following Beth’s orders. Danny takes a lie detector test... and passes. Clark has no choice but to award Beth the claim. Beth and Danny begin a relationship... shortly thereafter, Danny disappears with Beth’s money.
Beth now believes Danny murdered Rick. The police, however, consider the case closed. Beth looks through Rick’s old e-mails and thinks Danny may be in Baja. She tracks him down and when she confronts him, gun in hand, she discovers Rick is still alive. Chaos ensues, a shot rings out, Beth is knocked unconscious... when she awakes, she finds a gun in her hand and Danny’s dead body next to her. Beth is arrested, taking us back to the opening.
Beth is released on bail. Her lawyer, LINDA MARQUES, works out a deal with the DA and urges Beth to take it. Beth -- though insisting she is innocent -- is inclined to take the deal. Just before she does, she follows JUDY -- a bank employee who may have helped Danny -- and breaks into her apartment. Beth discovers a link between Judy and Rick; she finds a telephone number she tracks to the Yucatan. Clark -- who has not been able to put the case behind him -- travels with Beth to Mexico searching for Rick. US Marshals are on their trail. Beth finds Rick -- she and Clark confront him. Rick shoots Clark and assaults Beth. Beth manages to kill her husband -- the man with whom she once lived a seemingly perfect life.
Latest Work
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Script 3 - Ryu's 3rd Draft09/30/11
All Work
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Script 2 - Ryu's 2nd Draft08/13/11
Creative Notes:I used the great feedback I got here and elsewhere and tightened things up. Made a structural change in Act 2. Made Beth's character arc clearer -- she journeys from the fantasy world of luxury lifestyle magazines to the cold and harsh real world; she acquires the skills necessary to survive in the latter world. Still think I could use a sexier title. -
Script 1 - Ryu's Original Draft04/30/11
Creative Notes:Working on a rewrite. Also trying to come up with a sexier title. Any suggestions would be welcome.