It's Not PMS, It's You
Submision Type
book
Logline
After the worst day ever (a near-death experience and public wedgie, for starters), corporate powerhouse Ruth “Ruthless” Harper decides she doesn’t want to die alone. She concocts a business plan to find the perfect man, diving head first into the murky online dating pool. If only it were that easy.
Genre
Comedy,Romance,Funny
Short Summary
Ruth “Ruthless” Harper is on the verge of becoming managing partner at her all-male consulting firm. After a near-death experience, she realizes she doesn’t want to live and die alone. She puts together a business plan to find the perfect man and dives head first into the murky online dating pool.
Setting
Del Mar, California, a beachside village.
Based on a True Story
No
Plot - Premise
Quest,Internal Journey/Rebirth
Plot - Other Elements
Happy Ending,Meaningful Message
Mature Audience Themes
Information not completed
Main Character Details
Name: Ruth
Age: 45
Gender: Female
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Confident,Decisive,Unapologetic,Outspoken,Badass,Educated,Blunt,Skillful
Additional Character Details
Name: Nick
Age: 45
Gender: Male
Role: Protagonist
Key Traits: Charming,Empathetic,Engaging,Sexy,Selfless,Skillful,Funny,Romantic
Additional Character Details
Name: Dee
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Role: emotional
Key Traits: Aspiring,Empathetic,Engaging,Faithful,Funny
Additional Character Details
Name: Brandon
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Role: sidekick
Key Traits: Adventurous,Aspiring,Empathetic,Sarcastic
Genre
ROMANCE, COMEDY
Brief
Ruth is a powerhouse lawyer whose focus had left her successful at everything but relationships. A near death experience in an almost plane crash changes Ruth's priorities to finding love. She attempts online dating until she realizes what she was looking for was in her own backyard all along. Nick, her landscape designer, turns out to be Ruth's equal and they find happiness in each other.
Overall Rating
GOOD
Narrative Elements
Authors Writing Style: GOOD
Characterization: GOOD
Commerciality: EXCELLENT
Franchise Potential: FAIR
Pace: FAIR
Premise: EXCELLENT
Structure: GOOD
Theme: GOOD
Accuracy of Book Profile
Yes, the pitch and the summary match the story quite well. The title about PMS, however, doesn't seem to relate as much, as there is no conflict regarding menstrual cycles or thematic humor related to such. Having the title relate more to the plot or themes would be helpful in selling the romance.
Draw of Story
What is enticing about the story is that this is one character's first chapter at love and another character's second chapter at love, but they are a match in age.
Possible Drawbacks
Ruth and Dee together seem very superficial and materialistic when deciding on a suitable partner for Ruth. By having them more respectful and well-rounded like the men, they will come off as more likable and less like greedy gold diggers.
Use of Special Effects
THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS
Primary Hook of Story
Ruth is a middle aged workaholic looking for love for the first time when she realizes she sacrificed all relationships for success. The hook is that her perfect match is her gardener and he refuses to date another workaholic.
Fanbase Potential
This could have a large romantic comedy audience especially because it matches the demographic that has shifted along with the genre in age.
Awards Potential
This is unlikely to have awards potential as it is a romantic comedy and because the cast is an older cast, awards shows such as Teen Choice and MTV are unlikely to include the film in their popular romantic comedy type categories. This could be commercially successful and fine with critics, but the simplicity in emotion and layers would not create awards buzz.
Envisioned Budget
LOW BUDGET
Similar Films/TV Series
ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, THE OTHER WOMAN, DEVIL WEARS PRADA, ENOUGH SAID, UP IN THE AIR, THE PROPOSAL
What’s New About the Story
What is original about the story is the main character is a woman who focused on her career and is looking for love in her early 40s for the first time. To make it more original is that she could focus on just better work-life balance reconnecting with her parents, making new friends and finding love rather than just deciding finding love would complete her.
Lead Characters
What is unique about the main character is that she is looking for love for the first time when she is in her mid-forties and remains confident and not insecure throughout her search. Her problems revolve around finding the right person for her rather than changing herself to find the right person, which is refreshing.
Uniqueness of Story
The female perception of men and the well-roundedness of the character could be improved. Ruth seems very materialistic in her search for love in that she only truly falls for Nick when she thinks he's her equal after finding out he is secretly rich. It would be one thing for Ruth to want someone who is ambitious, but only seriously considering their relationship after she finds out about the wealth devalues her motives. It would be better for her to commit to Nick beyond casual dating before she finds out about his wealth to show better integrity. Nick should be her equal regardless of wealth.
Possible Formats
Film - Indie, Film - Streaming, Film - Studio
Analyst Recommendation
WORK IN PROGRESS
Justification
While the story has many positive points, it has room for improvement (see possible paths below). If you can't change the story at this point, my suggestion is using your notes as a guide to highlight the best aspects of it when taking the next steps, either putting a pitch page together, a treatment, or a presentation.
Tips for Improvement
Making Ruth more well-rounded in her goals for making time with friends and her family rather than just dating would help her self-actualization feel more authentic. For example, Dee is her best friend and assistant, but Ruth never does anything to help her friend or spend time with her outside of talking about herself or dating. Changing Ruth's motivations to be more about balance and less about love would modernize her and make her more unique. To keep her integrity within the relationship with Nick, having her find out at a later different point in their relationship would help.