The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: The Wedding Singer

written by Tim Herlihy


The Wedding Singer is a light, cute romantic comedy with good moments and bad.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (4 min.)
    • The best man at a wedding makes a total fool of himself, upsetting the guests. The wedding singer comes to the rescue.
  2. Complication (6-10 min.)
    • A series of complications with consequences: the wedding singer himself is getting married in a week; he meets a waitress who also is engaged (for two years and eager to marry); the waitress will be working at the wedding singer's own wedding.
  3. Call to Action (26 min.)
    • But the bride-to-be jilts the wedding singer (17 min.). He goes into a fit of depression, finally coming out of it to sing "Love Stinks!" at a wedding and making a fool of himself. He is embracing a cynical attitude toward love.
  4. Act One Plot Point (29-30 min.)
    • The wedding singer decides to shift his career: he won't entertain at any more weddings.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (54, 71 min.)
    • The wedding singer helps the waitress prepare for her own wedding, getting to know her. When they do a harmless kiss (54 min.), it's magical. Finally the wedding singer admits that he is in love with her (71 min.)
  6. Act Two Plot Point (80 min.)
    • The waitress comes to the wedding singer's home to confess her own attraction but the ex-financee answers the door and the waitress gets the wrong idea. She decides to marry immediately in Las Vegas.
  7. Climax and Resolution (82-92 min.)
    • The wedding singer learns of this and takes a flight to Vegas, which ends up being the same one the waitress is on. He sings her a love song, they kiss and end up getting married.

Notes

The Wedding Singer suffers from uneven pacing and moments that drag, which are suggested by the time-gaps in the story structure. There are moments of amateur writing (unnecessary expository dialogue, such as "You're going to blow them away at your fiftieth wedding anniversary," dialogue that is unnatural and unrealistically informational). Most of the problems are in the second act, and the story really doesn't kick into high gear until the end when a "ticking clock" is introduced. All in all, a light, cute movie with its moments, but nothing more.


MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

[BACK TO TEXT]
4/99