Genre
Romantic Comedy
Written By
Kristen Buckley, Brian Regan, Burr Steers
Logline
Advertising agent Ben Barry has made a bet that he can get any woman to fall in love with him in ten days. Magazine writer Andie Anderson is writing an article about how to get a man to dump her in ten days. When the two meet at a local bar, the tables are set for one hell of a rocky relationship.
Why break it down?
A guy once told me to look at my screenplay like an Oreo cookie. If the crunchy parts on the outside are Acts 1 and 3, he said, then Act 2 is arguably the most important, because it makes up the bulk of the cookie experience and therefore has to be the sweetest part. Once I got over his on-the-nose approach to analogy making (it's like a cookie? Really?), I realized that it's actually not a bad comparison. Writing a screenplay is tough, especially when it comes to the dreaded
SECOND ACT; Most people know how they want their story to begin and end, but find themselves dead in the water when it comes to filling up that space in between. And no matter how good Acts 1 and 3 are, if the middle section ain't sweet, your cookie's no good. So what kind of scripts can we study to get a grasp of Act 2? Enter the romantic comedy.
'HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS' IS AN EXAMPLE OF A RIGIDLY-STRUCTURED SECOND ACT, which can help us understand the basic plot points and directional shifts that typically show up in three-act stories. And as an added bonus,
IT CAN ALSO TEACH US ABOUT WRITING FOR (GASP!) TWO PROTAGONISTS AT ONCE.
So read up, keep an eye out for the beats, and we'll look at the film's structure after the jump. (Click the
[+] button for a summary of each scene.)
ACT I
00:00 - 01:30 (1.50 pages) [+]MONTAGE
Montage over title sequence. ANDIE (Kate Hudson) uses her real-life experiences to write articles for a publication called Composure Magazine. Essentially, we're given a series of images (magazine covers, Andie's articles, etc.) that establish what she does for a living. Credits over cute music.
01:30 - 03:15 (1.75 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Andie at work. She shows her "important political article" to her best friend JEANNIE (Annie Parisse). Andie complains that working for this magazine, she doesn't get to do anything important; all she does is write a column called "
How To…With Andie."
Andie asks Jeannie to come with her to the game tomorrow. Another woman from the office walks in:
Andie and Jeannie realize their other best friend, MICHELLE (Kathryn Hahn), isn't at work. She's probably off crying, they say.
Andie runs off to get Michelle.
03:15 - 04:45 (1.50 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY
People go about their day in New York City. SPEARS (Michael Michele) (Ben's professional rival) reads a magazine on the sidewalk. BEN (Matthew McConaughey) is introduced, weaving through traffic on his motorcycle, disobeying the rules. Spears meets up with him, and tells him to read Composure Magazine for some sort of client research. They split off and go their separate ways.
⇡⇣ OPENING EXPOSITION
04:45 - 05:45 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. MICHELLE'S APARTMENT - DAY
Andie shows up at Michelle (crying friend)'s apartment. As expected, Michelle's crying about an ex-boyfriend, and it's funny. Andie consoles her.
05:45 - 07:15 (1.50 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY - DAY
Ben shows up and says hello to everyone at the advertising agency. He goes to his office, where his two buddies, TONY (Adam Goldberg) and THAYER (Thomas Lennon), come in to talk.
The Buddies tell him the Diamond Company is looking for a new advertising agent. Ben explains why the Diamond Company account is extremely important for him while taking his shirt off.
07:15 - 09:00 (1.75 pages) [+]EXT. / INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Andie and Michelle get out of their cab. Jeannie joins up with them. Michelle is still crying and wondering what went wrong as they all walk into the building.
Together, they walk into their meeting.
09:00 - 12:15 (3.25 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
LANA (the boss at
Composure Magazine) starts the meeting. Women start raising their hands, each pitching their own idea for an article. It's funny because the ideas suck.
Andie pitches a political piece (because she wants to write something that
matters!) and Lana shoots her down.
Lana asks Michelle (the crying friend) what she has to pitch. Michelle reveals she got dumped. Lana tells Andie to write a story about Michelle's break-up. On the spot, Andie comes up with an idea: '
How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days.' She will date a guy, and then get him to break up with her in ten days.
INCITING INCIDENT #1 - ANDIE
12:15 - 13:15 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. SPEARS' OFFICE - DAY
Spears shows up for a meeting with Lana. Lana tells Spears about the 'How To Lose a Guy In Ten Days' article. They all go their separate ways.
13:15 - 13:45 (0.50 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK STREET - NIGHT
THE GIRLS (Andie, Michelle, and Jeannie) walk around the city in their sexy dresses. Andie talks about the plan:
13:45 - 21:00 (7.25 pages) [+]INT. BAR - NIGHT
The Diamond Company (05:45 - 07:15) is having a big, fancy party. Ben shows up and begs his boss to give him the account. SPEARS (professional rival) is there, and The Girls arrive shortly after.
At the party, Ben and Spears battle for the boss's devotion.
Meanwhile, The Girls scope out potential guys for Andie.
Back at the pissing contest between Ben and Spears:
Ben accepts the deal, and the boss agrees. If Ben can get Andie to fall in love with him by the time ten days are up, he gets to pitch his ideas to the Diamond Company.
Ben spots Andy across the room. He turns to the group:
He approaches Andie. They talk, and it's smooooooooooooth. They both have an agenda. Ben invites her to leave with him and get some food.
INCITING INCIDENT #2 - BEN
21:00 - 21:45 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK STREET - NIGHT
Andie hops on the back of Ben's motorcycle. She's obviously scared to do it, but she needs to hook him in. They ride off.
21:45 - 23:45 (2.00 pages) [+]INT. FANCY RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Ben and Andie talk over dinner. They flirt and laugh and talk, and it's cute.
At the end of their conversation, Andie asks one last question:
And with that, Andie knows she's found her target.
PLOT POINT #1
23:45 - 28:15 (4.50 pages) [+]INT. / EXT. BEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben has brought Andie home. Andie goes to the bathroom, and talks to Jeannie (office friend) on the phone.
Meanwhile, Ben sets up candles and music in the living room. Andie comes out, and they almost have sex...but they each of them pretend they want to be "respected" by the other, so Ben cools his jets and Andie leaves.
But wait! Before the scene ends, we realize that Andie left her purse in Ben's apartment...
ACT II
28:15 - 31:30 (3.25 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY / INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Ben talks with his buddies (Tony and Thayer) about this "new girl" he has on the ropes.
Ben shows them Andie's purse, and they rummage through it. They find the Knicks tickets for tonight's game. (01:30 - 3:15). Ben calls Andie and brings up the Knicks game.
They agree to meet up at the stadium that night for a first date.
31:30 - 35:15 (3.75 pages) [+]INT. KNICKS GAME - NIGHT
Ben and Andie are at the Knicks game, screaming at the players. During a dead ball, that "Kiss me" thing comes on the big screen, where members of the crowd have to kiss each other while the whole stadium watches. They're reluctant, but they do it. The date is actually really fun.
Then, with one minute left in the game (it's a close one), Andie turns on the crazy…
Ben can't believe it…it's such a close game! But he has to make her fall in love, so he runs to get it for her.
Ben sprints back to his seat, and Andie does it again.
Ben runs back out to the concession stand JUST as the Knicks hit a game-winning shot. All the fans storm out, cheering for the amazing play they just saw. Ben seethes.
35:15 - 36:15 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. KNICKS GAME - NIGHT
Ben and Andie walk out of the stadium. She's thrilled about the game…him, not so much. She hails a cab, and they share a cute romantic moment. Andie drives off, and Ben walks away, somehow actually sort of attracted to her.
36:15 - 37:15 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY - DAY
Ben and his co-workers are in a meeting when Andie calls the office. Ben's boss tells him to take the call, even though it's interrupting things. Ben picks up.
37:15 - 39:45 (2.50 pages) [+]INT. / EXT. MOVIE THEATER - NIGHT
It's a "Chick Flick Marathon" at the theater. Ben and Andie watch Sleepless in Seattle. Which would be fine…if Andie would stop talking. She's really loud, and the Huge Guy behind them gets mad. Things escalate quick, and Huge Guy ends up challenging Ben to a fight.
In the lobby, Ben tries to reason with him, but just gets punched in the face. When Andie suggests they go to the hospital, Ben pulls this little move:
They both laugh. It's cute.
39:45 - 40:30 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY
Ben and Thayer (one of his buddies) talk about what happened at the movie theater.
Thayer asks about the Knicks game tonight, but Ben can't watch it with him.
40:30 - 41:15 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Andie eats a burger from a fast food joint.
She talks with Jeannie (the work friend) and Michelle (the crying friend) about getting Ben punched in the face at the movie theater.
41:15 - 44:30 (3.25 pages) [+]INT. BEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben cooks for Andie. But when she arrives, she has a box full of shit with her - stuffed animals, new bedsheets, toilet seat covers, etc - and starts putting it everywhere. She changes his CDs, and gives him a fern to take care of.
Obviously, she's ruining the mood. Ben tries to give her some lamb (he cooked it), and she starts crying.
44:30 - 46:30 (2.00 pages) [+]INT. VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Ben and Andie eat tofu and rice. Andie starts crying…
She embarrasses the shit out of Ben, who just sits there confused. She runs to the bathroom, but actually sneaks to the kitchen, eating a burrito and watching the Knicks game with the dishwashers. The Knicks lose.
Ben waits for her at their table, pissed, pouring tons of salt all over his food.
⇡⇣ FUN AND GAMES
46:30 - 49:00 (2.50 pages) [+]INT. BEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben and Andie walk inside. Ben turns on the TV to see what happened with the game. Andie reveals that she saw it.
Then suddenly, Andie goes crazy. Starts trying to rip off Ben's clothes, and gives a pet name to his penis. Ben, flustered, kindly refuses the sex.
She blows him a kiss and leaves.
49:00 - 49:30 (0.50 pages) [+]INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Andie is in the elevator. The elevator door is about to close, when Ben suddenly stops it. He asks:
She says absolutely yes. The elevator door closes, and she immediately reveals her confusion.
49:30 - 53:00 (3.50 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY - DAY
Ben and his buddies talk about how crazy Andie is. He explains that she's acting like an insane person.
Suddenly, Andie shows up. With a dog. That's right, she bought herself and Ben a dog. And it's fucking ugly. Also, she bought him a shirt…that matches the sweater on the dog. The dog pees all over Ben's pool table. His buddies are in shock.
Referring to the dog's diamond necklace, Andie calls it "frosting." Suddenly, Ben gets an idea...
53:00 - 54:00 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY - DAY
Ben bursts into his Boss's office with an idea: "Frost yourself." It could be the new slogan for the Diamond Company. His boss loves the idea. Spears looks pissed.
54:00 - 59:45 (5.75 pages) [+]INT. BEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben walks in and checks his messages. He has seventeen. All from Andie. And suddenly, she shows up at his house, wanting to show him the new photo album she made. At work earlier, she composited her face together with Ben's to show him what their kids will look like. When he acts strange about it, she starts crying, and he back tracks.
The photo album is the creepiest thing ever. The phone rings; it's Ben's mom. And she's calling to talk to Andie; turns out, they're really tight with each other. The dog pees on Ben's poker table.
Ben splashes water on his face in the bathroom. Then, he realizes…that all…of Andie's…stuff…is in…his medicine cabinet…NO!!!!! (It's like a scene from a horror movie.)
59:45 - 60:00 (0.25 pages) [+]EXT. STADIUM - NIGHT
Andie and Ben walk out of the Celine Dion concert. Andie is raving about it. Ben is pissed.
60:00 - 60:45 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. APARTMENT ROOFTOP - DAY
Andie talks to her Girls about how Ben won't break up with her. They give her suggestions about how to be a needy, clingy bitch. They ask what Ben's doing tonight:
60:45 - 68:45 (8.00 pages) [+]INT. BEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben and the guys are playing poker and smoking cigars. Andie shows up unexpected. Talks to him like he's a baby. Embarrasses him. Puts the dog on the poker table. Gives everybody cucumber sandwiches. Makes Ben blow his nose in front of everybody.
And then, she sees the fern.
She acts like a crazy psycho bitch. Storms out of the apartment. Ben runs after her, and finally breaks it off.
But when he goes back to his Buddies, they convince him to keep it going.
Ben runs down the stairs and catches Andie, begging her to take him back. He suggests couple's therapy. She agrees, secretly shocked that he's not giving up.
68:45 - 72:30 (3.75 pages) [+]INT. COUPLES' THERAPY - DAY
Andie and Ben walk into the therapist's office. The therapist is actually Michelle (Andie's crying friend), and she totally takes Andie's side on everything. She tells Ben he's gay. She touches his hand, and Andie starts accusing Ben of cheating on her.
Michelle (crying friend / the therapist) suggests they go to Staten Island to meet Ben's family. Ben is appalled, and so is Andie…even though she pretends to be thrilled.
MIDPOINT REVERSAL
Midpoint
72:30 - 73:45 (1.25 pages) [+]EXT. / INT. BEN'S FAMILY'S HOME - DAY
Ben and Andie arrive at Ben's family's house. Andie meets his mom in person; she's sweet. A group of kids run through the house; Andie actually thinks it's cute.
73:45 - 78:30 (4.75 pages) [+]EXT. BACK PORCH - DAY
Andie goes outside to find the whole family playing the card game 'Bullshit.' She meets Ben's dad. Everyone is extremely sweet. Dad teaches her how to play Bullshit. Ben joins in, and Andie actually has a great deal of fun. It's adorable to her, watching Ben interact with his family.
They continue playing, and Andie is beating Ben pretty badly at Bullshit. But then, Ben realizes his family has been feeding Andie answers to the game. It's funny. Mom reveals that Andie is the first girl Ben has ever brought home.
78:30 - 79:30 (1.00 pages) [+]EXT. BOARDWALK - DAY
Ben and Andie are on his motorcycle. He gets off and lets Andie drive. She is clearly very charmed by him; this is a small scene with a great deal of romantic chemistry. (As evidenced by the country song playing in the background.)
⇡⇣ ROLL DOWNHILL
79:30 - 80:00 (0.50 pages) [+]EXT. BOARDWALK - LATER
Ben brings Andie an ice cream cone, talking about how much "chicks dig" his motorcycle. Suddenly, they get sprayed with water by a passing car. They laugh. Romantic chemistry.
(Country song still playing in the background.)
80:00 - 83:00 (3.00 pages) [+]EXT / INT. BEN'S FAMILY'S HOME - DAY
Ben and Andie arrive back at the house.
Ben gets a shower ready for Andie, and she's obviously very attracted to him. Which makes her very conflicted, because she's supposed to be making him hate her. He mistakes this for something being wrong and asks if she's okay. But she explains:
She almost starts to cry, but this time for real. Ben leans in and they kiss. But this time, they're ACTUALLY kissing. Love is in the air. They undress each other, totally giddy, and have sex for the first time.
83:00 - 83:45 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. FERRY ON THE WATER
Ben and Andie on a ferry, laughing and holding each other while cheesy pop music continues to play.
83:45 - 85:30 (1.75 pages) [+]EXT. ANDIE'S APARTMENT - DAY
Ben drops Andie back off at home. They're clearly smitten with each other.
He also invites her to the Knicks game in a couple of days (which would be Day
Thirteen of their little fling.) She is thrilled, and goes inside. He watches her off, obviously conflicted.
PLOT POINT #2
ACT III
85:30 - 86:30 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Andie arrives at Lana's office.
86:30 - 87:15 (0.75 pages) [+]EXT. ANDIE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Ben, all dressed up, arrives to pick up Andie for the party. She looks beautiful. They walk to the car, totally in love.
87:15 - 100:45 (13.5 pages) [+]INT. / EXT. DIAMOND COMPANY PARTY - NIGHT
Fancy clothes, good-looking people, everyone drinking champagne; it's one hell of a party.
All the secondary characters (except for Andie's friends) are there: Ben's boss, Lana, Ben's Buddies, Spears. Everyone mingles.
Ben's boss approaches Andie and asks if she's in love with Ben. She tries to deny it, but he can tell she's totally head over heels for him.
Convinced Ben pulled it off, the boss goes up to Ben:
Spears tells Ben's Buddies that Andie knew about the bet all along. The Buddies approach Andie, thinking she knows about the bet, and ask her to continue playing along. So now, she
does know about he bet, and thinks Ben was playing her all along…
Ben and Lana also talk. She doesn't even know that Ben and Andie know each other, so she tells him about the '
How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days' article. So now, Ben knows about the article, and thinks Andie was playing him all along…
The band starts playing, while Ben and Andie argue over the microphones. It's extremely embarrassing for everyone. Andie runs out of the party.
Ben follows her outside. They start yelling at each other while everyone at the party watches. And the thing is…they're both right. It's emotional and sad. They part ways, completely hating each other.
CLIMAX
100:45 - 101:45 (1.00 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Lana reads the final draft of Andie's article. She loves it. She grants Andie total freedom to write whatever she wants…as long as it involves fashion. Pissed, Andie quits her job at the magazine.
101:45 - 102:30 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. ADVERTISING AGENCY - DAY
Ben talks to the dog (the one Andie bought him, who peed on everything) about how he wishes he had done some things differently.
102:30 - 104:45 (2.25 pages) [+]INT. MICHELLE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Michelle and Andie watch the Knicks game. Andie is obviously sad. Michelle tries to cheer her up. The doorbell rings. It's the Chinese food. But when Michelle gets the door…it's not the Chinese food. It's Michelle's ex-boyfriend (the one from 4:45 - 5:45, that she was crying about). We expect him to be an asshole, but he's actually really nice, and kind of dorky. He professes his love for her, and she kisses the shit out of him. They love each other. Andie watches, sad.
104:45 - 106:00 (1.25 pages) [+]INT. SOUNDSTAGE - DAY
Ben is on the set of the Diamond Company commercial. Tony (his buddy) reads Andie's article to him…and it's not what we expect. It's about how she fell completely in love, and then lost the guy because of her article.
⇡⇣ RESOLUTION
106:00 - 106:45 (0.75 pages) [+]INT. COMPOSURE MAGAZINE - DAY
Ben runs into the magazine office, looking for Andie. He asks her Girls where Andie is, and they tell her she's going to Washington for a job interview…RIGHT NOW.
106:45 - 110:45 (4.00 pages) [+]EXT. NEW YORK STREETS / INT. TAXI CAB - DAY
Ben sees Andie's taxi leaving for the airport. He runs a red light, chases the cab on his motorcycle. He dodges through traffic. Tries to find her.
He rides up next to the cab, and the cab pulls over on the Brooklyn Bridge. Andie gets out.
Then…romantic moment…and they kiss. Sweeping music. Crane shot. All is well. Helicopter shot up to the New York Skyline.
Analysis
So as I mentioned before, one of the interesting things about '
How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days' is that we're given two main characters to follow. Because of this, take note that the inciting incident will show up twice - first for Andie, then for Ben. Let's take a look at where the important plot points in the film show up, and briefly talk about why they are where they are:
Opening Exposition [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 00:00 - 09:00
The first nine minutes of the movie have one job to do…introduce us to all the characters. Here's the information we get:
- Andie is introduced (job/boss, two friends, she's good with men, she likes basketball).
- Ben is introduced (job/boss, two friends, he's a bad boy, he likes basketball).
Inciting Incident #1 - Andie [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 09:00 - 12:15
The inciting incident happens when Andie is assigned to write the article, 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days.' She now has a goal, which puts her on the path toward meeting Ben and jump-starting Act 2.
Inciting Incident #2 - Ben [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 13:45 - 21:00
The interesting thing about Ben's inciting incident is that it happens during the scene that forms the basis for Plot Point #1. It's the same as Andie's: Ben is given the assignment to make a woman fall in love with him in ten days, which gives him his new goal and brings him to meet Andie.
Plot Point #1 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 21:45 - 23:45
Plot Point #1 actually begins in the previous scene, right when (you guessed it) Andie and Ben first meet. But it's not until they choose each other for their respective "projects" that Act 1 can officially end. Andie asks Ben if he believes all is fair in love and war, and he says "yes." With this, she knows she's found her target (as does he) and we can officially move on to Act 2 (where the two main characters will date and get to know each other).
Fun and Games [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 28:15 - 72:30
This section is longer in 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days' than it usually is in other scripts, but it's actually pretty much the same thing. Basically, the Fun and Games in this script is made up of five "dates" between Andie and Ben:
1. The Knicks game
2. The movie theater
3. The dinner at Ben's apartment / The vegan restaurant
4. Andie's "photo album" / The Celine Dion concert
5. Andie comes over during Ben's poker night with the boys
Okay, so two things to observe about these "dates." First, they're funny because of our characters' conflicting goals; Andie acts like a crazy bitch (because she needs him to leave her), and Ben accepts everything she does (because he needs her to stay with him).
Second, there's a pattern in the scenes that repeats itself throughout. We're given a date between Andie and Ben, where funny stuff happens. Then, Andie goes back home to talk about the date with her friends, and so does Ben. It's wash/rinse/repeat; The two go on a date, Andie talks to her friends, Ben talks to his friends. It continues just like this until the Midpoint, where a plot reversal happens and shakes things up.
Midpoint Reversal [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 68:45 - 72:30
The plot reversal comes during Ben and Andie's therapy, when the "therapist" (really just Andie's friend Michelle) suggests they go to Staten Island and meet Ben's family. Now, there won't be any more "dating," because the rest of Act 2 will focus on Andie and Ben falling in love.
Roll Downhill [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 72:30 - 85:30
Now usually, the Roll Downhill is where the bad guys close in and the characters find themselves in trouble. But in 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days,' it works a bit differently; Andie and Ben hang out with Ben's family, and somehow manage to fall in love with each other. This may seem like a good thing, but it's actually bad for them, because their goal was to not fall in love. Now, they're in serious trouble.
Plot Point #2 [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 83:45 - 85:30
The shift into Act 3 is one of the most clear plot points in the script: Ben asks Andie to be his girlfriend - like, his real girlfriend - meaning the scene is officially set for the shit to hit the fan. From here forward, we'll make our way toward the climax, which will be where they'll somehow be forced to hate each other.
Climax [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 87:15 - 100:45
Okay, here it is. The climax in 'How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days' happens when Ben and Andy each find out about what the other person has been doing. And since they now love each other, they're pissed at being betrayed, which means they have a gigantic fight and part ways for good (don't worry, they'll make up in ten pages).
Resolution [+]WHERE IT HAPPENS: 100:45 - 110:45
Andie turns in her article. Ben reads it. He realizes she did love him all along, goes to get her back, and they get back together. Easy as cake.
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