Tales From the Script (2009)

Critic Reviews

• Ian Buckwalter, NPR

  One suspects that writers in Tales from the Script might have more to say about the art and the joy of creating, but Hanson seems less interested in their craft, spending much of the film allowing the writers to vent about the industry.

• Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

  Manages to be fun and informative without tipping too far into the dark side; it favors war stories over horror stories.

• Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

  Amusingly blunt.

• Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

  In Peter Hanson's dishy documentary Tales From the Script, 46 screenwriters gab agreeably about the tribulations of their profession.

• Kyle Smith, New York Post

  Bulletin from Hollywood: Screenwriters are anxious and whiny.

• Ernest Hardy, Village Voice

  One of Tales' strongest points is made accidentally: Its huge cast of interviewees consists of one Asian speaker, one Latino, three African-Americans, and five women - one of whom pulls double-duty as a woman of color.

• Jeffrey Chen, ReelTalk Movie Reviews

  Serves more as practical discouragement, working off the idea that would-be writers are mostly deluded and starry-eyed, and what this movie can do is hammer in the reality.

• Brent Simon, Shared Darkness

  A cultured curio that offers up an unblinking look at the delicate balancing act between art and commerce that is screenwriting, and moviemaking in general.

• Jules Brenner, Filmcritic.com

  an inside perspective of what the big talents on the pedestal of major filmmaking success talk (and bitch) about.

• Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

  [It] isn't shocking or surprising, but often amusing, honest and filled with interesting kernels of confessions from a wide range of lively screenwriters.

• Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine

  Tales from the Script, which is an awful title that no decent screenwriter would ever choose, is a documentary that features nearly 50 of the film industry's most notable screenwriters talking about their craft and the business it serves.

• Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

  Essential viewing for any would-be or struggling screenwriters--all screenwriters struggle--Peter Hanson's uninvitingly titled documentary is a pretty straightforward affair. That's not a bad thing.

• Kam Williams, Sly Fox

  No wonder they call screenwriters egomaniacs with low-self esteem.

• Christopher Campbell, Cinematical

  I implore any prospective or fledgling screenwriters out there to see the new documentary Tales from the Script.

• Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net

  If you have any interest whatsoever in writing a screenplay or trying to get a gig writing in Hollywood, this is a must-see film and a great companion to the book.

• Ethan Alter, NYC Film Critic

  This behind-the-scenes look at the art and commerce of Hollywood screenwriting is filled with memorable yarns.

• Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York

  Tales is all medium-shot chatter clumped together under cutesy chapter heads and scored to chirpily repetitive Muzak.

• Bill Weber, Slant Magazine

  A flimsy opportunity to rubberneck at the misfortune of a profession where the summit of aspiration is "getting lied to by a higher caliber of person."

• Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International

  Interesting if not profound doc that wrangles many of the usual suspects who have played the Hollywood screenwriting game and often triumphed. Breezy fun for film buffs and aspiring writers eyeing that studio brass ring.

• Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card

  A must see for anyone with a script or an intention to write one. It's also likely inspiring, in a tough love sort of way, for anyone with any kind of ambition. I enjoyed it.

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