Week 40: Standing Tall


Type of Writing: 
Movie pitch for a screenplay about Kit overcoming the odds to stand supported by the sofa.

 


Title:

Standing Tall

Author Name:

Ryan Theivamanoharan (Screenplay)

Logline:

A little boy has big dreams of standing tall. His gross motor skills thwart him at every turn. Stop him from standing tall.

With persistence and dedication, the protagonist achieves his goal: he stands tall.

The film is called Standing Tall.

Summary:

Kit James Raj Theivamanoharan is eight months old. He can roll over, crawl on his belly and handle a spoon like a heroin addict. What he can’t do is stand tall. The sofa is his Everest. He looks at it every day, sighs, shakes his head; the mountain is impassable, impossible. Every attempt to stand on his own two feet causes him to land on his two damn butt cheeks.

Other than his gross motor skills, his thumb is his undoing. Kit is at war with his own body. Like a meth head, what he loves is killing him. Each time he gets close to standing, his thumb addiction gets in the way. To achieve his dream, he must overcome dependency and reach the top.

As in all underdog movies (see Eddie The Eagle, Cool Runnings and The Mighty Ducks) help comes in the form of a washed-up teacher. A balding man with eczema: eczema that’s been exacerbated by lockdown living. This man, Kit’s father, takes the boy under his wing, offering him encouragement and life lessons along the way.

A month later and Kit is standing – supported by the sofa, yes – but standing. Despite this high-altitude achievement, he remains a hero we can all relate to. Kit may have stopped sucking his thumb when climbing, but he still does it on lower ground. In essence, he remains flawed, even if he isn’t floored. (Don’t excuse the pun – it’s a great pun.)

Standing Tall has the potential to be the inspirational movie of the year. I look forward to receiving your investment.


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