Logline:
Seventeen years after losing the Miss Duluth crown the first runner up returns home to shake off her second place status and watch her best friend, who has reigned all this time, finally step down.
Finalist - Top Ten Roadmap Writers Top Tier Competition 2021 Winner - Golden Script Competition 2020 Semi Finalist - Filmmatic Comedy Screenplay Awards 2020 Quarterfinalist - Atlanta Film Festival 2021 Quarterfinalist - Genre Screenplay Competition 2020 Quarterfinalist -Big Break Competition 2020 Quarterfinalist -TSL Free Screenplay Contest 2020 Second Round - Launch Pad Feature Competition 2020
First Runner Up – The Pitch
“First Runner Up” – The Golden Script Feedback
Concept: Excellent
The story of Audrey finding her identity as she returns to the small town where she grew up, in the hopes that she can redeem what she views as the biggest failure of her life. It’s an engaging and simply grasped concept that makes for a captivating movie.
Storyline: Excellent
Audrey and Maxine are best friends, but Audrey – despite her impressive success as a fashion designer – still harbors some resentment towards Maxine, the winner of a beauty pageant they were both involved in as high school students. In an attempt to repair her injured pride, she returns to her small town as a young adult in order to get rid of the “First Runner Up” moniker and defeat Maxine at her own game. The plot reveals itself naturally, keeping up a great sense of momentum that carries the audience into the story.
Characters: Very Good
The characters are realistic, and some stand out more than others. Audrey, Peter, Maxine, and Jane are the characters that are the most memorable. It would have been nice to see more personality in the cast of characters.
Dialogue: Very Good
The dialogue is natural and clever, though the character voices are not as distinctly different as they could be. Peter and Jane are exceptions, as their voices are particularly strong; the audience can recognize them based on what they say and how they say it.
Commerciality: Very Good
If made into a film, this would be a hit for sure. There’s no doubt that it would be successful. However, it does not quite reach the mark of critically acclaimed films such as The Godfather or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Despite this, it’s sure to be one of the top movies of the year and create some buzz upon its release.
Originality: Very Good
The premise itself is fairly unique, though the themes involved are somewhat common. Some tropes that make appearances in this script make it predictable at some points (like the reveal that Zach’s new girlfriend is actually Maxine, for example).
Complexity: Excellent
This story is all about the chip on your shoulder – the upside and downside. The upside is that it serves as motivation, seen through Audrey becoming a successful fashion designer. The downside is that it traps Audrey in the past, unable to let it go.
There’s also a theme of identity, as Audrey struggles with defining her self-worth based on what other people say about her and not based on her own impressive achievements.
Production Value: Excellent
It is said that a good script glows in the dark. This one is a beacon. A producer would be foolish to pass this one by.
Miss Christmas City
Finalist - Coverfly Pitch Week 2022 Top 50 - Launch Pad Feature 2021
We wrote First Runner Up as, sort of, an ode to Duluth, MN in the summertime – Dan’s hometown gets short shrift due to it’s winters without anyone considering the summers… but I digress. Someone asked if we could turn it into a Christmas movie which was a pretty good idea considering Duluth’s aforementioned winters. So we did exactly that and it turned out exceptionally well (if we do say so ourselves).
It can be considered that Miss Christmas City has all of the accolades of First Runner Up because, well… they’re the same story just told at different times of the year. So, if you Read First Runner Up and thought, “Dang, I wish this amazing story was set around Christmas”, you’re welcome.