re: Storylines from great movies you’d take out

The inevitable love story in so many movies that have nothing to do with the plot, they just seem to be mandatory. Especially in the 80's.

Example- Top Gun

Someone mentioned Temple of Doom with this same scenario, but I think the dynamic of the two characters made it a better movie than if it was just Indy and Shortround.

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Braveheart: doesn't need the romance between Wallace and the princess.

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yeah that definitely seemed forced in there. that said, it was a pretty nice little frick you to Longshanks when she told him she was knocked up with a kid not of his line (implied that Longshanks knew it was also WW's) and he couldnt speak anymore to do anything about it.

but yeah, overall that was a weak subplot and it kind of weakened the "doing it for Murron" aspect too.

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the problem with Willie was that the actress was annoying and didnt fit the role that great. i dont have a problem with the storyline though.

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She was the prissy girly showbiz gal that was the only fish out of water in the whole story, and I think she played it great. Who did you want in the role, Katharine Hepburn?

Demi Moore in a few good men.

Character was terribly written and is not needed.

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She was needed as a backboard for Jessup's initial character reveal as a cold hearted a-hole piece of shite with the whole "have you ever had a blowjob from a superior officer?" scene.

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You also needed the criminal defense contrast. Cruise was a dealmaker known for quickly securing a good plea bargain in every case who was just serving his time in JAG until he moved onto Big Law. Moore was an idealist who believed in her clients and wanted them to have their day in court. They assigned the case to Cruise because they wanted it to quietly go away but she had to keep prying it open to have her Atticus Finch moment. Much like his character in the Firm, Cruise ends up learning something important about the law and himself - ie, character development. We have to see the process.

Speaking of Rob Reiner, I will add a subplot that actually did get cut. The original script for Good Will Hunting contained a subplot where the NSA didn't like Matt Damon's antics and rejections so they kept pressing him through more covert means and he responded accordingly and it resulted in the government trying to kill him and him having to use his wits, his gutter background friends and the new girl he just met to elude a bunch of secret agents and assassins. Basically the entire third act of the movie was an action thriller. At some point the script wound up in Rob Reiner's hands and he made them cut out all of the action/adventure stuff and focus on the psychiatrist and girlfriend as the inner source of conflict for the character. Obviously the right call. It's weird to think about Good Will Hunting morphing into Three Days of the Condor about half way through.

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However, the Julia Roberts impersonation scene is so bad. I have no idea what Soderbergh was doing there.

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100%. Do something like Bryce Dallas Howard pretending to be Jessica Chastain and that part of the movie is fine. Having Julia Roberts play a character who conveniently looks like Julia Roberts thus aiding the heist was terrible. It's so absurd and out of place that it almost feels like a bit that was originally cut from an Austin Powers movie.

Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. I’d like to know more about Cameron Diaz’s character and her back story.

The young Vito Corleone storyline and the present day Michael Corleone storyline in Godfather Part II should have been split into two separate movies instead of seesawing back and forth in one movie.

Rene Russo in Major League. Give me 30 more minutes of banter with the boys.

Not a movie, but the Tony/Dr. Melfi interactions became really tedious in about season 2.

I can see him meeting with her occasionally but David Chase beat that relationship to death.