Uploaded February 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
If you love Nancy Meyers movies, then this video takes a deep dive into revealing insights that I gained from reading four of her screenplays for a month.
For the past month, I've been on a mission to unlock the secrets of great screenwriting by diving into the work of one of the most successful and beloved writers in Hollywood, Nancy Myers. Over the course of four weeks, I read four of Maya's most iconic screenplays, taking note of everything from dialogue to structure to character development.
And today I'm excited to share with you the top insights that I gained from this deep dive into Myer's work. So whether you are a seasoned screenwriter or just starting out, stick around to discover how you too can elevate your writing game and craft stories that captivate a. . I started this challenge by reading one of my all-time favorite screenplays.
What I use in my video:
Best Music for YouTubers: bit.ly/3rA67MI (get 2 extra months)
Best Stock Footage for YouTubers using Artgrid: bit.ly/33dc8ox
The four films that I profile are: Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, It's Complicated and The Intern.
I started reading one of my all time favorite screenplays: Somethings Gotta Give.
I hadn’t even worked my way down the first page before I started making loads of notes. However, the one that I chose to jot down was that specificity with character descriptions can flip a switch in my mind, in a way that the characters move from being words on a page to people I may not know fully, but somehow connect with almost instantaneously. Whether it’s empathy, humor or intrigue- there’s something to her character descriptions that gets me excited about the character.
Here are the chapters for all of the insights that I gained:
00:00 Intro
00:11 The Nancy Meyers Challenge
00:39 Character Descriptions
01:11 Music over black
02:06 House Description
02:47 Introducing a close relationship
03:15 Subtle Midpoint
03:38 Charming Antagonist
04:30 Emotional Peak
04:50 Element of Surprise
05:38 Sophisticated Women
06:04 Show Emotion
06:53 Break from the A story
07:18 Julian Comeback
07:42 Character as the audience
08:18 Contrasting Experiences
08:48 Fish out of water
09:42 Complex feelings and Desires
10:51 Universal Themes
11:18 Situational Humour
11:42 Emotionally Resonant Ending
12:13 Twist at the end
14:05 Closure
14:50 That's what love looks like
15:23 Big Conversation
15:53 Croissant moment
16:39 Full circle moment
17:21 Visual Transformation
18:33 Robust Characters
19:12 Broad learning
Something Nancy does brilliantly is guide the reader, and the audience through her film. My brain never felt like it had to do too much work, because the movies lead with heart. Each of these films made me feel something, but not only that, I felt like I went on a mini holiday from life which makes these movies the ones that I rewatch time and time again when I feel like I need a break.
I couldn’t find the screenplays for Nancy’s other films and the content homes in my country doesn’t show her older movies, so as much as I would have loved to cover all her work, I’m sure I will get the joy to do so at another point in time.
This journey of studying Nancy’s screenplays has been rewarding. It’s inspired my own work and I hope that what I’ve reflected on has been of value to you as well. If it has, give me a thumbs up.
This is what I got from her screenplays, I could be reading into certain points and some of my takeaways may not be what Nancy intended when she went about her writing so don’t take everything I said as gospel.
So there you have it, my top insights from a month-long journey through Nancy Meyers' screenplays. I hope you found these takeaways helpful and inspiring, and that you can use them to improve your own writing. Remember, great writing takes time, effort, and dedication, but by studying the work of successful writers like Nancy Meyers, you can learn valuable lessons that will help you take your writing to the next level. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more tips, tricks, and insights on the art of storytelling. Happy writing!
DISCLAIMER - If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel :)
If you love Nancy Meyers movies, then this video takes a deep dive into revealing insights that I gained from reading four of her screenplays for a month.
For the past month, I've been on a mission to unlock the secrets of great screenwriting by diving into the work of one of the most successful and beloved writers in Hollywood, Nancy Myers. Over the course of four weeks, I read four of Maya's most iconic screenplays, taking note of everything from dialogue to structure to character development.
And today I'm excited to share with you the top insights that I gained from this deep dive into Myer's work. So whether you are a seasoned screenwriter or just starting out, stick around to discover how you too can elevate your writing game and craft stories that captivate a. . I started this challenge by reading one of my all-time favorite screenplays.
What I use in my video:
Best Music for YouTubers: bit.ly/3rA67MI (get 2 extra months)
Best Stock Footage for YouTubers using Artgrid: bit.ly/33dc8ox
The four films that I profile are: Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, It's Complicated and The Intern.
I started reading one of my all time favorite screenplays: Somethings Gotta Give.
I hadn’t even worked my way down the first page before I started making loads of notes. However, the one that I chose to jot down was that specificity with character descriptions can flip a switch in my mind, in a way that the characters move from being words on a page to people I may not know fully, but somehow connect with almost instantaneously. Whether it’s empathy, humor or intrigue- there’s something to her character descriptions that gets me excited about the character.
Here are the chapters for all of the insights that I gained:
00:00 Intro
00:11 The Nancy Meyers Challenge
00:39 Character Descriptions
01:11 Music over black
02:06 House Description
02:47 Introducing a close relationship
03:15 Subtle Midpoint
03:38 Charming Antagonist
04:30 Emotional Peak
04:50 Element of Surprise
05:38 Sophisticated Women
06:04 Show Emotion
06:53 Break from the A story
07:18 Julian Comeback
07:42 Character as the audience
08:18 Contrasting Experiences
08:48 Fish out of water
09:42 Complex feelings and Desires
10:51 Universal Themes
11:18 Situational Humour
11:42 Emotionally Resonant Ending
12:13 Twist at the end
14:05 Closure
14:50 That's what love looks like
15:23 Big Conversation
15:53 Croissant moment
16:39 Full circle moment
17:21 Visual Transformation
18:33 Robust Characters
19:12 Broad learning
Something Nancy does brilliantly is guide the reader, and the audience through her film. My brain never felt like it had to do too much work, because the movies lead with heart. Each of these films made me feel something, but not only that, I felt like I went on a mini holiday from life which makes these movies the ones that I rewatch time and time again when I feel like I need a break.
I couldn’t find the screenplays for Nancy’s other films and the content homes in my country doesn’t show her older movies, so as much as I would have loved to cover all her work, I’m sure I will get the joy to do so at another point in time.
This journey of studying Nancy’s screenplays has been rewarding. It’s inspired my own work and I hope that what I’ve reflected on has been of value to you as well. If it has, give me a thumbs up.
This is what I got from her screenplays, I could be reading into certain points and some of my takeaways may not be what Nancy intended when she went about her writing so don’t take everything I said as gospel.
So there you have it, my top insights from a month-long journey through Nancy Meyers' screenplays. I hope you found these takeaways helpful and inspiring, and that you can use them to improve your own writing. Remember, great writing takes time, effort, and dedication, but by studying the work of successful writers like Nancy Meyers, you can learn valuable lessons that will help you take your writing to the next level. Thanks for watching, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more tips, tricks, and insights on the art of storytelling. Happy writing!
DISCLAIMER - If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting my channel :)
