Elephant Man 2 (Sequels #3 of 5)

Genre: Drama/Feliniesque almost because of its use of the elephant

Premise: A slow, sweet piece about an unlikely man who acquires a pet elephant when his father dies and takes the elephant on a journey to find a home.

Writer: Roy Blount (Larger Than Life and The Pie Song in Michael)

About: No clue about this one. But I'd imagine if David Lynch was involved at all, it'd be pretty hard to coerce him into a sequel. I mean this is the man who turned down Return of the Jedi based on the simple merits that the film was goofy.

Wow. Just wow. This is one of the best scripts I've ever read. After completing it, I felt very compelled to hunt down every Roy Blount novel and read it. A lot like Paul Simon's "Crazy Love 2", this script doesn't appear to be a sequel in so much as a script with the same name that has a two added onto it. (I read once Simon called his song Crazy Love 2 in acknowledgement of Van Morrison's original Crazy Love). The film isn't even about any carnival oddities like the original David Lynch. rather, the script feels like a much more innocent take on friendship and bonding. It's about a big, dumb elephant and its caretakers. And about the woman who loves the man who owns the elephant. Of course, the elephant is a very loveable beast rather than a fearsome creature capable of going on rampages. I have no idea how this type of a story could be executed in real life.

The best part is the film's civility. It isn't meek and harmless. It isn't an action film. It has warmth, and ultimately by making the journey one that comes across with mixed results the script feels as if the ending was well won. The film could have chosen to further develop the romantic element between the protagonist and his love interest. It could have dealt with the protagonist's inability to deal with the real world. Rather, the script just makes bonding with an elephant appear elegant and powerful. I'm not sure what this says about the human condition besides man can bond with animals and it's sad the elephant dies in the end. So ultimately, if this film is to be attacked on anything it's that the piece seems to be missing a central core. But, I found the tone and pace so delightful I was definitely willing to overlook this. A sequel, or just a cleverly disguised script with a similar title, Elephant Man 2 is definitely an example of some masterful screenwriting.

Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
[X] Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)

Isla Roles: There aren't any big female roles here.

Tip: This film does that old switch around where the character technically doesn't get what they most want but grows as a person. That's always a good turn for a drama.