On the eve of his gay uncle?s anniversary dinner, Marcus must again struggle with alcohol and the impact it continues to have on the family.

Hey DaddyBear,

I like the premise of of this story; especially since alcoholism affects the families (as per AA Big Book & RA Multilith Big Book).

I would like to know something more about the uncles that gives me a sense of their personalities, persona, or position in the family as a couple. Or perhaps we don't know that they are a gay couple until later in the story (A REVEAL!).

Maybe they don't socialize with the family much, however decide to bite the bullet and do so for their 50th Anniversary (I was working on a previous version of the logline that included 50th Anniversary and their names, and for some weird reason the page refreshed on me, and I can't find it!).

Also would suggest doing the same for either the family and/or the nephew to give us some sense of his issue, or what he's up to AND against in this life.

For example: "On the eve of his RECLUSIVE Uncles' anniversary dinner,??a NEUROTIC Marcus, continues to alienate family members as he spirals deeper into his alcoholism by manipulating and attacking each one.

What can I say? I grew up watching many engrossing, psychological, dark, Ingmar Bergman films.

Of course you know the story, so add what's representative of the characters and starting points for the arcs.

I haven't read any of the other replies so I hope I'm not being redundant. Just signed up here and jumped in right away!

Valerie Michele

Keep going with this. Everyone you meet would have a different take on this story. I would like to think the only people that didn't give up on him was his Gay Uncles. They know what being judged is all about. This is the loyalty that triggers his decision. His sobriety is the gift he wants to give them.

Like I said, I don't know your story. But it would be a fun world to play in as a writer.

I think CraigDGriffiths has a good approach. I think your concept has an interesting collection of dramatic ideas, but I would like to suggest two other constellations of those ideas for your consideration:

1] The nephew's family writes him off, wants nothing to do with him because he has fallen off the wagon so many times, caused so much trouble (broken marriage, repeated DUI arrests, car accidents, lost his job). Only the gay uncle, the family outcast because of his sexual orientation, takes pity on him, bails him out of his latest DUI arrest, takes him in helps him recover. [A modern day playing out of the parable of the Good Samaritan.]

2] The gay uncle is the alcoholic. He's been written off by the family because he has fallen off the wagon so many times, caused so much trouble. And his gay orientation so offends the traditional values of his kin. So he's an outcast. Everybody has given up on him, consigned him to jail (he's just been arrested again for DUI) and hell, want nothing to do with him.

Except one (uber-straight) nephew. For whom the gay uncle has always been his favorite relative. Who over the strenuous objections of everyone else in the family (including his wife) and in spite of his own traditional values, bails his uncle out, takes him in, helps him recover.

Either way, the uncle's gay orientation becomes central to the story. (Which would pique my interest as a script reader or producer more than a story where the uncle's sexual orientation seems somewhat incidental to the main conflict.)

fwiw