A while back, I published a post titled “The Seven Basic Plots (and how I got there with the incidental aid of Rob Lowe).”
Rob Lowe was the host of a Netflix documentary, Attack of the Hollywood Clichés! He mentioned that there were only seven basic plots in an offhand way, which led me to search for the book The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, by late English journalist Christopher Booker. The seven basic plots are interesting, and still applicable if you prefer seven plots to ten.
Blake Snyder, the late screenwriter, author and teacher, published Save the Cat!: the last book on screenwriting you’ll ever need in 2005, a year after Booker published his book about plots. I’m not implying that either man was in any way influenced by the other, but there is some overlap in ideas. If these ideas are archetypal, that’s to be expected.
While there is plenty of interesting stuff in Snyder’s book for any aspiring writer, but especially screenwriters, it was his list and explanation of the ten movie types (not plots) that first caught my attention. Before you write any story, you must first realize the type you’re wanting to tell. In that previous post, I had announced at the end that a story I was working on at the time had an Overcoming the Monster plot. Let’s see which Snyder category I think it falls under.
Before we get into any of that, I should first answer two questions you haven’t asked me in person.
Why am I writing about movies and screenwriting? The entire reason this series seems to exist is to talk about fiction writing. While it is tempting to reduce this entire project to the writing of novels and short stories, I’m interested in storytelling of all types. In fact, I consume more stories in the form of movies and television shows than I do from published longform fiction these days. Some of you may also do the same. If I were hearing stories from a traveling minstrel or village elder, I’d probably be more interested in that. The mechanics of plotting remain pretty much the same. It’s only the method of delivery that changes.
Second question: since Snyder listed only ten movie types, why didn’t you just list these in one of your 10-Lists?
I’ll admit that this did occur to me. In fact, it’s almost as if Snyder teed it up for a listicle of some sort, so why not one of mine? You can consider this a crossover, if you’d like. I’ll probably post it under both the writing and 10-List categories. I’ve done this before, so don’t be shocked at my impertinence.
What follows are the ten movie types, according to the late Mr. Snyder, along with brief explanations and examples, all of which can be found in Save the Cat!. It is important to note that each of these movie “types” could be found in many genres. You’ll notice that the “Monster in the House” category includes examples from horror, science fiction, adventure and thriller movies.
By the way, there is a book available out there titled Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: the last book on novel writing you’ll ever need, written by Jessica Brody, not Blake Snyder who was deceased by then. I may read it someday but I’m not in any hurry. Advice written for one medium is fairly easy to translate to another.
Monster in the House
These categories are pretty straightforward but are easier to understand if I lead with examples.
Examples: Jaws, Alien, The Exorcist, Jurassic Park, Nightmare on Elm Street, Fatal Attraction.
You get it. Confined space. Some sort of “monster.” Doesn’t have to be supernatural, alien or futuristic. In Fatal Attraction the monster was Glenn Close with a bad Toni home perm.
Golden Fleece
Examples: The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Ocean’s Eleven.
The words “Golden Fleece” should make you think about the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Most “quest” stories would naturally fall into this category, but so do most “road,” “mission,” and “heist” movies. The usual theme for these types of stories involves the protagonist learning something new about themselves during the story.
Out of the Bottle
Examples: Liar Liar, The Mask, Bruce Almighty, Groundhog Day, Field of Dreams, Big.
“Out of the Bottle” probably makes you think about summoning a genie from a bottle. As you can see from the movie examples, this could be a wish-fulfillment tale (such as Big or Mister Deeds) or a comeuppance tale, which is more of a curse than a wish (such as Groundhog Day or Liar, Liar).
Dude with a Problem
Examples: Die Hard, Titanic, Schindler’s List, The Terminator.
And yes, the “dude” can be female. Put your hands down, class. This category is best exemplified by the phrase “an ordinary person finds themselves in extraordinary circumstances.” As you can tell by the examples listed above, Snyder’s movie categories aren’t limited by genre.
Rites of Passage
Examples: 10, Ordinary People, 28 Days, Days of Wine and Roses.
These stories are typically full of pain and torment, but the source is usually life itself instead of an antagonist you can confront, fight and kill. Mid-life crises, grief over the loss of a loved one, or addiction are frequent fliers here.
Buddy Love
Examples: 48 Hours, Thelma & Louise, Wayne’s World, Lethal Weapon, Rain Man, Dumb & Dumber.
You know this category, which is perennially popular. Snyder insists that good buddy movies are love stories in disguise, and that love stories are generally buddy movies where one of the buddies is of the opposite sex. Of course, that’s mostly outmoded information since queerlove is no longer a taboo subject.
Whydunit
Examples: Citizen Kane, Chinatown, JFK, Mystic River, All the President’s Men.
This category is not about the “who” but the “why.” It’s not about the hero of the story changing. It’s more about the audience learning things about themselves that they didn’t think about before watching the movie.
The Fool Triumphant
Examples: Forrest Gump, The Jerk, Amadeus, Waterboy, Dodgeball.
Another popular story type. The “fool” doesn’t have to be a true idiot (although it happens), but they are an underdog pitted against a bigger, better funded, and typically “establishment” bad guy. I listed Waterboy as an example, but, honestly, most of Adam Sandler’s movies fit in this category.
Institutionalized
Examples: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, M*A*S*H, The Godfather, 9 to 5, Animal House.
This is a difficult category for me to get my head around. Snyder says that movies in the “Institutionalized” category tell stories about groups, institutions, and “families” (both real and found). They tend to be about the dangers of losing your identity to an institution (mental hospital, army hospital, Mafia family, corporate America, or college) and generally includes one character who is either a newcomer to the institution or is attempting to expose the group goal as a fraud.
I questioned the inclusion of Animal House in this category at first. It seems to be a prime example of “The Fool Triumphant,” with the “fool” being the entire Delta fraternity. I think an argument could still be made for this, but when it’s lumped in with the other examples, I can see how it fits in this category as well. I believe Scent of a Woman and possibly Dead Poets Society are examples of this category as well.
Superhero
Examples: Batman, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Frankenstein.
In this age of the MCU, you might think this category is all about comic book superheroes. There are movies of this type that do star costumed heroes, such as Batman, X-Men and Spider-Man, but this category isn’t limited to movies of this type. Snyder defines the “Superhero” category as the exact opposite of the “Dude with a Problem” category. “Superhero” stories are about extraordinary people in an ordinary world. Frankenstein and Dracula are not “Monster in the House” tales, even though many zombie and vampire movies are. The trick in this category is to make a super being more relatable, sympathetic and human. The Bruce Willis movie Unbreakable is another great example, I believe. A superhero movie without costumed superheroes.
Blake Snyder and Save the Cat! have their critics. Most of the criticisms I’ve read have been written by people who reject rigid structure and arbitrary “rules of writing.”
I understand this viewpoint because, in many real fundamental ways, I share it. But I also believe you can embrace ideas and structure without your work becoming a paint-by-numbers affair. Even Snyder writes that the viewing public and movie studios are always looking for “the same . . . but different.” To achieve this goal, you first have to understand what is meant by “the same.”
As for me, after examining the categories, my story—the one I decided was an “Overcoming the Monster” plot after reading about Booker’s seven basic plots—seems like it fits better in the “Out of the Bottle” category, as an example of the dark side of wish fulfillment. The theme I keep coming back to is the trite adage “If things seem too good to be true, they probably are.”
I’ve been at a standstill on my story for a while now. This may be the creative push I need to write the damned thing.
I’m leaving you with a free 10-List. The following list are movies that didn’t get a shout-out in Snyder’s book, plus the categories I believe they belong in.
Enjoy. And, as always, comments are welcome.
The Departed (2006) — Institutionalized
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) — Out of the Bottle
John Wick (2014) — Golden Fleece
Bourne Identity (2002) — Dude with a Problem
Office Space (1999) — Institutionalized
Apollo 13 (1995) — Dude with a Problem
American Pie (1999) — Golden Fleece
Stand By Me (1986) — Golden Fleece (I was going with “Rites of Passage” but at heart it is a quest story)
Elf (2003) — The Fool Triumphant
It’s a Wonderful Life (1947) — Out of the Bottle
firewatersite 
His categories are very interesting, and I do think those who greenlight film, tv, and book projects often seem to seek out the “same”…but “different.” I think your offerings of those films not covered by him line up nicely based on his criteria.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A fascinating list, arguable though it may be. I’ve seen two of the categories, Dude with a Problem and Superhero, identified as the underlying premise or set-up for almost all stories, to wit: An Ordinary Person in an Extraordinary Situation and An Extraordicnary Person in an Ordinary Situation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would like to think The Big Lebowski is a “Dude With A Problem” movie, for obvious reasons, but I suppose it’s more of a “Golden Fleece” movie. But still. Dude.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Dude with a Problem” is a tempting category for Lebowski, for sure. I would even accept the interpretation that Dude is an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances, although he is definitely on a quest to get reimbursed for his rug. It really tied the room together, you know.
There seems to be considerable overlap in most of the categories. BIG, for example, is definitely an “Out of the Bottle” story, but parts of it feel like “Buddy Love” to me as well. I’m thinking the parts with Elizabeth Perkins.
LikeLiked by 1 person