The Critic

Comedy/Romantic Comedy/Fantasy Comedy
Blacklist Evaluation = 7
School of Rock meets The Nutty Professor with edge because it’s rock camp!

To request script, email dave@davebarish.com or go to Coverfly.com

Logline: When a 50-year-old desk jockey goes to rock star camp to finally live out his teen fantasy, he must first overcome his greatest opponent – his own inner critic that’s come to life to crush his dreams.

“The Critic has a great premise it has a lot of fun with. The execution is funny and the characters are likable. With the right music, this could really be an enjoyable film.Blacklist Evaluation (7)

Synopsis: Fifty-year-old Dan Greene leads a dull, risk-averse, introverted life. He’s got a boring desk job, always swipes left, and is into easy listening music and baking cakes. He’s not aware that his inner critic has been keeping him super-safe and burying his teenage rock star fantasy all these years.

After he watches a promo video for Rock Star Academy Camp, his inner critical voice is triggered and grows super loud. Now, Dan can hear him for the first time, repeatedly telling him he can’t go to rock camp and driving him crazy.

He seeks the help of a therapist, Susan, who later becomes his romantic interest. She’s into crystals and on the night of a full moon, the therapy session is infused with mystical mayhem. Afterward, the voice is magically gone from his head and Dan enthusiastically signs up for rock camp.

But Dan soon finds out the voice isn’t gone, it’s come to life in human form as Connor, a big, strong, charming dude hell-bent on crushing his rock star dreams.

Dan is subjected to physical and mental sabotage at the hands of Connor at rock camp and is ready to quit. But he stumbles on a campfire where Jon Bon Jovi is meditating with fellow rock stars. After finding out that Jon is Dan’s rock idol, he agrees to help Dan tame his inner critic.

Connor sabotages the final camp performance and Dan’s budding romance. In a repeat of Dan’s high school talent show, he runs off the stage without performing. Down and out and to avoid Connor, Dan returns to his childhood home and reconciles with his mother. To his surprise, she saved his guitar from high school, which inspires him to finish a high school rock love song.

When Dan learns about a post-camp rock show that Connor is headlining, he crashes the party to play his song and finally live out his fantasy. But Connor shoves him off stage, into a sea of legs, and smashes his guitar. Connor then proposes to Susan who he has stolen from Dan.

Dan is able to defeat his inner critic by accepting that Connor is a part of him that was there to help. Under Connor’s threat of physical violence, Dan plays his song. And the full moon rewards him, shining through Dan’s moonstone crystal necklaces, onto his guitar, and creating a powerful energy source that shoots out at Connor, slowly shrinking him. An explosion occurs. Dan appears to be dead but rises to massive cheers from the audience. Dan gives his white moonstone, the stone of love, to Susan and asks for a second first date.