Careful What You Wish For (1 page in pdf format) by Tim Westland
Magic genies and bottles. Such things never end well. Or DO they?
We all know someone who rubs us the wrong way. A friend of a friend. A relative. Or, in some tragic cases… one’s own spouse. Things can get real ugly when two people don’t see eye to eye – especially when divorce looms on the horizon. When that’s the case – it’s no holds barred. War of the Roses. One up-manship – at any cost.
Fortunately, Karma has a way of exacting sweet revenge on those who test its limits. The only trouble with karma is; you never know when it’ll rear its head. But it does – it’s magical.
Which is the case with Tim Westland’s one-pager “Wish.” The script starts with brothers Steve and Bill walking the surf on a sunny Southern California beach. Normally – a pretty enjoyable experience, except for Bill’s sad state of affairs. As they walk, he tells his sibling of his woes: Bill’s wife is divorcing him for half of everything. Plus alimony. And she’s been cheating on him from day one. If ever there was a need to “insert karma here,” this here’s the perfect time.
Bill stubs his toe on something and yelps. What’s this? Bad fortune? Reverse karma?! Nope, it’s the tip of a lamp jutting from the sand. And Bill quickly discovers why it’s been placed in his path.
“I am yours to command,” intones a Genie after Bill gives the lamp a vigorous rub. “You have but one wish, and whatever you receive, your wife will receive twice over.”
Brother Steve advises caution. “Careful, these Genies are a tricky lot.”
Bill doesn’t hesitate. He knows exactly what to wish for. Riches? Perfect health? Unbelievable happiness? But if he gets those – his soon-to-be ex gets double.
So he takes a breath and wishes for… Well, read the script and find out!
Short and sweet, Careful What You Wish For is a great take on an old classic. Perfect for an indie director with imagination – and a humoristic one-two punch!
Budget: Pretty reasonable. A small amount of FX and costumes required.
About the Writer: Tim Westland is an award winning writer whose many scripts have consistently place in the Semi/Quarter finals in Page, Bluecat, and Screencraft. His screenplay, OBeast, co-authored with frequent writing partner Rod Thompson, finished in the Top 10 of ScreenCraft’s 2017 Horror contest. OBeast is also a 2017 iHorror.com finalist. Tim is also the co-author of the acclaimed horror comic/graphic novel (and screenplay), Chasing the Dead, published by IDW.
About the Reviewer: An LA based writer, Zach Zupke can be contacted via email at zzupke “AT” yahoo
Read Careful What You Wish For (1 page in pdf format)
Find more scripts available for production
This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
5 Comments so far
1.
LC
July 9th, 2015 at 7:49 am
Really funny end to this. I was thinking, okay where can this go after all that and in one page, and voilà, you pulled it off. Well done. 🙂
2.
KP Mackie
July 10th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Pretty funny.
Easy to film, inexpensive, and you get to spend the day at the beach… 🙂
3.
Tim Westland
July 12th, 2015 at 12:55 am
Thanks LC and KP!
It’s an old joke, but a good joke. Glad you liked it.
Tim
4.
Aria C.
July 13th, 2015 at 12:50 pm
I love the script, it is very facetious and has a nice twist that is kind of unexpected. If you are ever to go through with the play or show, please I would love to be informed or even play the Genie’s part. Boffo!
5.
Vinni
July 25th, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Did I miss something? Isn’t this just a joke? I’m not being fecitious, I’m new to all of this, this doesn’t seem like a short film at all, unless it’s not suppose to be.