Best Before

Heather Grace Stewart

Book Cover

GENRE

COMEDY ROMANCE DRAMA

    Core Theme

    ACCEPTANCE. CONFIDENCE. CHOOSING JOY.

    TIME PERIOD

    Contemporary

    COMPARABLE TITLES

    THE WEDDING SINGER. THE WEDDING PLANNER.

    CHARACTER LIST

    CHARLENE (CHARLIE) JAMES: 39. LEAD. KIND. OPTIMISTIC, ROMANTIC, AMBITIOUS, WARM.

    DAYTON HILL: 40. CHARLIE'S FORMER LOVER THAT SHE GREW UP WITH.
    HE'S A FAMOUS MUSICIAN NOW, BUT HIS FEELINGS FOR CHARLIE HAVEN'T CHANGED. CHARMING, HEROIC, SEXY, LOVING.

    SHARON: 39. ONE OF CHARLIE'S BEST FRIENDS. A BRIT WHO VALUES HER FRIENDSHIPS DEARLY AND HAS TWO GROWN CHILDREN. FUNNY, CLUMSY, OUTSPOKEN, LOYAL.

    JUSTINE: 39. ANOTHER OF CHARLIE’S CLOSE FRIENDS. THOUGH HER MARRIAGE IS FALLING APART, SHE REMAINS CONFIDENT. BLUNT, DECISIVE, LOYAL.

    HARMONY: CHARLIE’S ODDBALL ROOMMATE WHO IS INTO VOODOO AND WITCHCRAFT. SHE’S ZANY AND UNPREDICTABLE.

    MITCH: CHARLIE’S KIND, HELPFUL BOSS WHO BECOMES SMITTEN WITH SHARON.

    Logline

    When thousands of Americans receive texts six months after they were sent, three women's love lives fall apart in heartbreaking and hilarious ways before they can help each other find their way again.

    Genre

    Comedy,Romance,Drama

    Target Audiences

    Age: 35-54,18-34

    Target Gender: Female Leaning

    Setting

    Rhode Island and New York, NY.

    Based on a True Story

    No

    Starting Description

    Charlie (Charlene) James and rocker Dayton Hill fell in love in her 19th summer but were torn apart by his fame. 20 years later, she's about to get married to the wrong guy. When she and her friends receive strange Valentine's text messages she's reunited with Dayton for an unforgettable weekend.

    Ending Description

    Charlie's girlfriends find better love relationships and she and Dayton improve their careers and move in together. Charlie has learned that second chances exist and that despite society’s ageist messages, life really can begin at 40.

    Pitch Adaptation

    No one's falling asleep during this fast-paced mix of romantic comedy and adventure-drama inspired by a true event - when 170,000 texts were sent to American's cell phones six months late. When wedding event planner Charlie and her friends Justine and Sharon get text messages on Valentine's day sent six months earlier, their love lives take huge nose dives, and they turn to each other for moral support and to celebrate Justine's 40th. But it's not any ordinary 40th birthday party. Charlie's surprise text is from her first love, famed rocker Dayton Hill, and it incites Charlie to cancel her engagement and meet him again. He comes to Charlie's rescue when the wedding singer cancels at the fancy hotel wedding she's planned. Throw Charlie's hilarious, eccentric Wiccan roommate - who also got a confusing text and is out for revenge - into the mix as a wedding crasher, and nothing's about to happen as Charlie planned it. And Charlie is used to doing things a certain way. But Charlie soon learns that old habits can be changed, even shaken up a little for the better, and love that's meant for you always returns.

    WGA Number

    2117704

    Mature Audience Themes

    Language/Profanity,Nudity

    Plot - Other Elements

    Meaningful Message,Happy Ending,Twist

    Plot - Premise

    Internal Journey/Rebirth

    Main Character Details

    Name: Charlene (Charlie) James

    Age: 39

    Gender: Female

    Role: Protagonist

    Key Traits: Adventurous,Charming,Sexy,Outspoken,Selfless,Funny,Romantic,Strong Moral Code,Empathetic

    Additional Character Details

    Name: Dayton Hill

    Age: 40

    Gender: Male

    Role: Protagonist

    Key Traits: Adventurous,Badass,Charming,Confident,Heroic,Leader,Seductive,Romantic,Funny,Blunt,Masculine

    Additional Character Details

    Name: Sharon

    Age: 39

    Gender: Female

    Role: sidekick

    Key Traits: Clumsy,Charming,Outspoken,Funny,Badass,Adventurous,Sarcastic,Seductive

    Additional Character Details

    Name: Justine

    Age: 39

    Gender: Female

    Role: sidekick

    Key Traits: Confident,Decisive,Sexy,Badass,Aggressive,Leader,Funny,Blunt

    Supplemental Materials

    Genre

    COMEDY, ROMANCE, DRAMA

    Brief

    Three female friends are unlucky in love for different reasons. When a technological glitch causes thousands of text messages to be delivered six months after they were sent, the messages shake up the women's lives. One reconnects with an old flame and one discovers that her husband has been cheating. The women bond through their experiences and each find their own happy endings with different men.

    Overall Rating

    GOOD

    Point of View

    SCRIPT

    Narrative Elements

    Authors Writing Style: GOOD

    Characterization: FAIR

    Commerciality: EXCELLENT

    Franchise Potential: FAIR

    Pace: GOOD

    Premise: EXCELLENT

    Structure: FAIR

    Theme: EXCELLENT

    Accuracy of Book Profile

    The Script Profile does accurately reflect this script, though because Harmony plays an important role in the plot and is such an interesting character, it could be beneficial to include her character details as well.

    Draw of Story

    Though the premise isn't immediately revealed in this script, clear and visual settings did draw me into this story immediately. The action lines describing the fairgrounds are vivid, colorful, and easy to envision on screen.

    Possible Drawbacks

    There’s some clunky, overly expositional dialogue in this script. The way that Charlie reveals what happened to her late husband on page 17, for example, feels like it’s more for the audience than it is for Sterling. After all, Sterling would already know about Richard’s cause of death. There are other instances like this one in the script, such as Sharon’s comment about her “two grown daughters” on page 22, where the dialogue conveys more information than feels natural given the conversation at hand. Sharon wouldn’t need to specify to her friends that her daughters are grown; they would already know. It’s worth reading the dialogue out loud in order to determine what sounds natural and what doesn’t. Readers are also smart enough to put the pieces together. It’s not always necessary to convey the facts so explicitly. Certain characters also don’t get as much development in this script. Justine, for instance, feels underutilized. It’s surprising and underwhelming that her decision to divorce Jerry isn’t explored in more detail. At the very least, it would be nice to see Jerry and Justine talk in person about their choice to get a divorce.

    Use of Special Effects

    THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

    Primary Hook of Story

    It could be a good idea to make the hook more clear from the start. Adding text onscreen, for example, could specify the glitch that's to come and the fact that it's based on actual events.

    Fanbase Potential

    Absolutely. This film feels, in many ways, like a classic rom-com. There is definitely a large audience for a romantic, light-hearted, feel-good movie such as this one.

    Awards Potential

    Because this film would probably be released as a fun, summer film with a focus on the whimsy of the premise, it probably wouldn't have Awards potential.

    Envisioned Budget

    LOW BUDGET

    Similar Films/TV Series

    THE WEDDING PLANNER, THE WEDDING SINGER.

    What’s New About the Story

    The premise is definitely original, as are the themes regarding aging and feeling confident no matter where you are in life. The fact that all three women end up with men (in some cases, with men they randomly meet at the wedding) feels a bit unoriginal. In a film with so many themes of acceptance and self love, it could be refreshing and original to see one of the women end up alone, but happy.

    Lead Characters

    Charlie is a lovable character from the start. She's kind and empathetic, but strong and honest about her emotions. She has a lot of natural confidence, even if she sometimes needs some help tapping into it. It's also nice to see her warm relationship with Josh early in the film. It establishes what a caring and unpretentious person she is.

    Uniqueness of Story

    For fans of the rom-com genre, this film has a ton of potential. The premise is absolutely a rare gem, but further revisions to the dialogue and some of the less developed characters would make it easier to call the project as a whole a rare gem. Regardless, it is a project to watch, as it has positive prospects.

    Possible Formats

    Film, Script

    Analyst Recommendation

    CONSIDER

    Justification

    Though the dialogue and characterization keeps this project from being a full 'recommend,' the confident writing style, original premise, and heartwarming themes make up for a lot of the other issues. It is a strong project that deserves to be considered.

    Brief

    When thousands of people receive text messages six months after they were originally sent, three women’s romantic lives are thrown into turmoil. Rekindled love, an impending divorce, and a gambling problem are just a few of the problems that arise when people receive texts that they aren't supposed to.

    What We Liked

    With a fast paced plot, a stellar premise, and likable characters, this is the kind of project that would appeal to just about anyone. The premise, which is based on true events, is immediately eye catching. What would happen if thousands of people received text messages six months after they were supposed to? This script dives into that question and explores it in funny, romantic, and surprising ways. Each woman deals with a different, yet totally believable issue. Strong themes of confidence in aging, acceptance, and self love also make this project an easy sell. It's refreshing and inspiring to watch older women find love and joy in their lives. Like Charlie says, there is no 'Best Before' date on a person, and happiness and love can be found at any time.

    This film script is well formatted and written in a professional manner. There are no noticeable typos or major formatting errors. It could be beneficial to make the hook more clear from the start using onscreen text to specify that this film is based on an actual event, but overall, further revisions are only needed for the dialogue and some of the characterization. Making the dialogue sound more realistic and less heavy on exposition would make the conversations read more naturally. Developing supporting characters such as Sharon and Justine in even more detail would likely make those roles more appealing to talented actors.

    Key points:
    1. Great hook and premise.
    2. Electric love story between Charlie and Dayton.
    3. Confident writing style.
    4. Wonderful and clearly conveyed themes.
    5. Strong themes of female friendship.

    Synopsis

    Charlie, Justine, and Sharon are all nearing 40 years old, and their relationships aren’t particularly strong. When a technological glitch causes thousands of Americans to receive text messages from six months ago, the women get messages that threaten their already shaky foundations. Sharon’s boyfriend has gambled himself into so much debt that he’s trying to sell her house out from under her. Charlie has reservations about her wedding and feels she may still love an old flame named Dayton, who sent her a heartfelt text. And Justine’s husband wanted an open marriage six months ago, believed she agreed, and has been accidentally cheating on her since then.

    After some thought, Charlie calls off her wedding, Justine and her husband decide to get a divorce, and Sharon breaks things off with her gambling boyfriend in an attempt to stop enabling him. Charlie throws herself into her work as a wedding planner. She invites Sharon and Justine to the hotel where she works. After the wedding, they plan to celebrate Justine’s birthday and get their minds off their troubles. There’s a problem though: the wedding singer is sick and the bridezilla is furious. Charlie calls on Dayton, who’s a famous musician now, to help. He agrees and comes to play the wedding. All is well until Charlie’s unhinged roommate tries to crash the wedding and break up the event, thinking that the groom wants to be with her after getting a six-month-old text from him. The venue ends up in flames and Dayton saves Charlie’s life.

    Charlie and Dayton almost get their happily ever after, but Charlie becomes enraged when she learns that Dayton has a girlfriend. Dayton swears that the relationship isn’t real and it’s just a bit of publicity to help his career. After talking with Sharon and Justine, Charlie realizes she was too harsh on Dayton. She takes him back and one month later, the two are happily living together. Sharon gets with Charlie’s kind and handsome boss, and Justine finds happiness with a younger man she met at the hotel. All is well and the women feel love and joy in their lives.

    About The Author

    Heather Grace Stewart writes funny romances to warm the heart. She is a journalist and a poet who has written 18 published works. Her articles and poems have appeared in international publications, anthologies, and textbooks. In her free time, Stewart spends time with her family, practices yoga, bakes bread, and dances like nobody’s watching.