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https://twitter.com/BuckLePard/status/1291113329776189440
What a fantastic compilation. How many times have movies used a clip of Jay Leno making jokes about the sad situation the hero is currently in? Dozens. Just a total pantsing of Hollywood’s tendency to repeat itself.
#ScreenwritingTip Establish your protagonist is at a low point by having Jay Leno make fun of him or her
— Buck LePard (@BuckLePard) August 5, 2020
Want to emphasize that your main character is at their (ready for this word?) NADIR? Why, show them watching Leno’s monologue full of jokes at their expense. I didn’t count, but it sure seemed like all these scenes ended with the act of turning off the TV. And to the characters’ credit, a lot of these jokes were turrrrrrrible.
I’ve always wondered about this though: does Jay Leno get paid to do these? Does he slip these fake movie jokes in during a pre-tape segment in front of a live audience? Does someone come out and explain to the studio audience, “Hey guys, Jay has to do a joke for a movie. Just pretend the current president is named President Whitmore”? Talk about fake laughter. Those fools haven’t even seen the damn movie yet. Just laughing when they’re told to laugh like a bunch of chimps.
Leno, man. I was a Letterman guy myself, but I guess if you wanted to make the point that your movie character was making news for all the wrong reasons, you called Leno.