The Writer's Life, on film Why are writers in the movies such insufferable twits?

I saw two DVDs this weekend with writers as the protagonists, Sideways and Swimming Pool. In both movies, the writers were these thin-skinned, angst-ridden creatures.



Miles (played by Paul Giamatti) in Sideways at least had an excuse. He was a literary writer and we know what tender souls those saps are. He and the other characters talked about what a life-changing event getting published would be. Get real unless there's an advance of a bizillion dollars. Like many fledging writers, Miles totes his manuscript with him. When love-interest Maya asks to read his story, Miles whips it out. All 700+ pages! No wonder he couldn't sell the damn thing. (That said, I did like the movie a lot. Plus Miles likes to drink, a great foundation for any writing career.)



However Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling) in Swimming Pool was beyond intolerable with her snooty, precious ways. And she's supposed to be a mystery writer? Every genre hack I've met has a skin like leather and eager to party and drink, er, I meant socialize. Then again I've never had my editor offer her French villa for me to overcome writer's block as Morton's editor did for her. Maybe when I'm rolling in the dough, I'll be transported to this alternate universe where we writers are treated as special people (and I don't mean the little, short bus kind). Didn't help that the end of this movie made no sense which outweighed the shots of topless women.

What's your favorite movie or novel about writers? (nekkid or otherwise)  ¶ posted by Mario Acevedo @ 8:12 PM