The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: The Goodbye Girl

written by Neil Simon


The Goodbye Girl is crafted by a master, Neil Simon, so it comes as no surprise that its structure is solid. This romantic comedy about a woman who has bad luck with actor-boyfriends is filled with great characters and nice twists - and, of course, a happy ending.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (3 min.)
    • Paula has been dumped by her actor boyfriend, who instead of taking a TV movie role in California (and taking her and her daughter) is leaving alone for a better role.
  2. Complication (8 min.)
    • He sublet the flat before left, and Paula is expected to vacate.
  3. Call to Action (19 min.)
    • The actor Eliott arrives to take over the apartment, but Paula won't let him in. They finally reach an agreement to share it - "I accept," says Paula.
  4. Act One Plot Point (37-9 min.)
    • Paula over-reacts when Eliott brings an actress home - she doth protest too much. Lucy, the daughter, already likes Eliott. Paula's guard is up more than ever.
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (54-9 min.)
    • Eliott puts Paula in her place and Paula softens enough to apologize. She has opened the door to a relationship a crack. But they won't kiss til three-quarters through act two (82 min.), followed by a romantic evening on the ceiling that is the clincher (85 min.).
  6. Act Two Plot Point (101-6 min.)
    • Eliott gets a film job that means moving to Seattle. Paula expects that she is being dumped again.
  7. Climax and Resolution (108-9 min.)
    • Eliott comes back to take Paula with him but she declines - she only needed to be asked. She'll wait for him, spending his money to redecorate the apartment.

    Notes

    The Goodbye Girl is tightly structured, Paula's arc well-developed and clear. This story stays right on target, right in focus, the whole trip, and the only scenes devoid of Paula are those developing necessary characterization and plot lines relating to Eliott, which in turn inform the central arc of Paula's journey to learn to trust and love one final time.


    MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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