There’s a good joke to be found in a time travel movie that’s got a very familiar plot. Universal has picked up a pitch for a movie that sounds like Peggy Sue Got Married Meets Back to the Future, titled How Soon Is Now? (aka, the most sadly overabused and overcovered Smiths song. And my favorite)
The basic premise is this – a guy goes back in time to 1985, when he was in high school, to fix the three worst days of his life. 85, of course, is the year Back to the Future came out, so there is sure to be some self-mocking comedy bit featuring the film, but that doesn’t excuse How Soon Is Now?’s derivative nature.
The only thing that can excuse that is a good script. In this case the script is being written by Jason Major and Patrick T. Gorman, the guys behind the popular Off Broadway show The Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes, which I have heard is pretty good, but I am so fucking sick of Star Wars I would probably not enjoy the show. Of course basing their breakthrough show on Star Wars isn’t exactly winning these dudes any originality points.