It’s amazing how if you focus on seeing the positive, that’s exactly what you discover. One of my goals with this site is to find and present real life, regular folks who are all about making dreams (theirs or others) come true despite the odds. Now I see these people – action-oriented dreamers – everywhere.
I think it’s safe to say we are ALL dreamers, people who fantasize about what life could be if only… (you fill in the blank). However, action-oriented dreamers, a much smaller percentage of folks, leave me speechless, inspired and a wee bit jealous. They make the seemingly impossible so very possible – and I’m not just talking about the ultimate outcome, but the very path to get to that outcome. As any dreamer knows, turning your passion into reality is nothing like a light-hearted stroll for ice cream, but more like an Olympic-level swim meet with sharks thrown in.
I don’t believe that 28 year-old screenwriter Will Fetters has ever swum with sharks, but he definitely has been the recent victim of a feeding frenzy. Will just had the very first film he ever wrote, Remember Me, cast and produced with top notch Hollywood talent. And it only took five years, which in non-Hollywood time probably equates to a college freshman landing a Senior VP position a month out of school. Mind boggling, right? Well, don’t get too jealous before you read what happened next. This glowing beacon of accomplishment in Will’s life was recently ripped so badly by critics that the script (mixed with pieces of his soul no less) is little more than confetti. Remember Me was accused by critics of being an unmemorable, overly dramatized film with a manipulative ending that scored a paltry 28% reviewer rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Yup, that’s right. Nothing is sacred. Not even our dreams. But that’s not the point I’m making. Did you read the first part of the above paragraph? This guy got his first screenplay produced in Hollywood in no time flat. Yes, having Robert Pattison, star of the Twilight series (who I think might just be a good friend of Will’s) and the star of this ill received movie, on board was, of course, a huge reason Remember Me got made and got spotlight. But even with that ace, this film wasn’t guaranteed. This guy still had to sit down for however long it took to write his script, revise and rewrite it any number of times, and sell it as a profitable story to executives. How many people you know never made it past writing the script?
This guy took his chance and ran with it all the way to score that game changing goal (a reference in honor of the World Cup 2010!). And even though I can only imagine how heartrending it must be to have your script torn to bits in public, I don’t think he’s throwing a pity party with all that confetti. Instead he’s doing what action-oriented dreamers do. Keeping it moving. Will Fetters is working on the films A Star is Born and The Lucky One as I write this blog post.
All the best, Will.
makelovetruth.
Remember Me is now available on DVD. For a cheap treat, check it out at Redbox or Net Flicks.
My favorite quote from the movie:
“Our fingerprints don’t fade from the lives we touch.”
My suggestions:
- Don’t be deterred by the slow start. After warming up, Remember Me offers a multi-faceted and poignant portrayal of the effect of human loss on those left living.
- Don’t read anything else about this movie before you watch it. Absolutely wait until after. The full authentic experience is lost otherwise.
Movie Spoiler:
I tend to be a mushy romantic…. Hey, didn’t I tell you to stop reading!!
