Woody Allen Movie Treatment Letter
(Here is a letter to Academy Award winning director and film humorist Woody Allen.)
Woody Allen
140 West 57th Street
Suite 4-B
New York, NY 10019
Der mr Allen,
I’m sure you get several of these treatments from young writers looking to break into the business but I have an idea that I think you would love to direct*:
The story is about a middle aged man named John Shipman who is a book editor who is having a hard time with his wife, Samantha. Throughout the film he is visited by a series of ghosts. These ghosts are famous “Casanovas” from the past (such as Errol Flynn and Cyrano de Bergerac.) These experienced men give John advice on love and convince him to have an affair with a workmate named Grace: A younger very attractive woman. When Samantha finds out about the affair John confesses that the ghosts who had visited him were responsible. Naturally Samantha doesn’t believe John and she leaves him. John is again visited by the ghosts who assure him that Samantha leaving was for the best. John and Grace begin dating, but things don’t work out between them when Grace reveals herself to be too immature and flaky to be in a serious relationship. The ghosts returns to John (who is a hypochondriac and has checked himself into Bellevue for a series of tests) and admit that they may have acted hastily and perhaps in the end John belongs back with Samantha. (This is a particularly funny and awkward scene for the ghosts.) John immediately feels better and arranges to meet Samantha. Samantha agrees to meet but over coffee she reveals that she’s already in another serious relationship and has plans to marry John’s best friend. The film ends with John accepting his fate and realizing that following the heart (and the ghosts) might not always be the best plan.
This film called “New York Ghost Story” is set in New York’s Upper East Side (or it could also take place in Paris in which the title could easily be “Paris Ghost Story”) The film is filled with jokes and great, fast moving dialogue. I can see it playing well domestically and abroad. If you’d like to meet with my personally I’d be happy to fly myself to New York and meet with you. I can arrange for airfare and hotel accommodations through Expedia.com (unless you know of a better deal!) As New York is “your town” perhaps you can recommend a good place to eat? Would love to schedule this meeting before the holiday season as I’ve planned several trips regarding family.
Sincerely,
Tim Heidecker
Screenwriter
*I know you write a lot of the movies you direct, but what about “Antz” and
“Scenes From A Mall?” you didn’t write those did you? See?
