Inside the Brain of E.C. Henry

Magnets, Incomplete Maps, and Missing Puzzle Pieces

Well-p, here I am again.  Trying to birth a fresh, new, original, E.C. Henry masterpiece.  A feature length screenplay, me boy.  120 pages max.  How hard can that be?!   I've set my heart on a given map, and hope find my way to its treasure. 

The problem is that we're talking about creative writing.  Writing that doesn't exist in a finished form as of yet.  And the map's incomplete, Skippy!  Somewhere on those pages there needs to be some WORDS!  And those words need to be combined craftily into SENTENCES.  And those sentences need to convey and build towards some sense of MEANING.

It's a daunting task really.  But writing 1st drafts is where the real writers hangout.  Can't write a 1st draft on your own?  Then I don't think you can look yourself in the mirror and honestly call yourself a writer.  You're more of a suck-up.  Someone who feeds of someone esle's hard work.  Or as one fellow blogger in the blogoshere would say, a "gravy sucker."

Your 1st draft is always the your hardest to write draft.  Why?  Because you're going from NOTHING to something.   It's like you're Columbus going on a trek that's never done before. 

Going into a draft I like to have a lot of material to draw off.  But sometimes that can end up looking like this --

Scattered jigsaw pieces.  What a mess!

Index cards and an outline HELP sort the beats out, but still before any original, first draft is written some degree of lostness is to be expected.

Sometimes 1st draft writing feels like you're fighting an opposing magnet.  With one south pole being your seat cushion.  The other south pole being your butt! 

But if creating something from nothing can be compared to attempting to follow an incomplete treasure map, or sorting though jigsaw puzzle pieces and fighting an opposing magnet, how does one overcome such obstacles? 

Easy.

E.C. Henry's tips and mantras for getting through your 1st draft:

First, remain diligent.   Real writers finish what that set out to do.  To date I've never begun a script, then just quit on it.  I finish what I start.  And I take a lot of pride in that.  More pride then in getting accolades for what I've written.  Sure I've had lots of difficulties.  Stuff I didn't think I had in me to write.  BUT over time I overcame those problems.  I was able to see...   

That's the light at the end of the tunnel, in case you weren't sure.  When the going gets tough, don't give up.  Just admit you're going through a difficult stretch, but try to keep the hope that you'll be done some time in the future.  As the writer you're the captain of your ship, you're the one who determine the ultimate destination.  Don't let that ship be the Titanic! 

Keep hope alive.  You can do it.  Even if the task seems too hard for you at the moment, don't give up on your final destination, which is a story draft that you're proud of. 

Honesty break.  Times E.C. Henry thought he was "in over his head."  Writing "Revenge of the Fat Chicks": who am I to think I could write a story about the struggles and dreams of heavy-set girls in high school, when I'm not one of them.  "Hometown Professional Football": only played one season of JV football in 8th grade, and was so bad that the coach only let me in to play two plays, one of which resulted in like a 4o yard run by the opposing running back because I was totally overwhelmed by and didn't know what I was doing!  "Indians of the Ancient Plains": takes place in the Badlands, involves Native Americans.  Only drove through the Badlands ONCE, and that was on a vacation when I was like 9 years old!  "The Commune": involves being intimately aware with the inner working of a functioning U.S. army base, when I've never been in the military and was never into miliary guns and weaponry. 

Second, write yourself notes -- lot of 'em.  The biggest trick I've learned over the years to write creative stories is to inundate myself with ideas related to the story I'm working on.  I write character bios.  I write scene ideas.  I draw pictures.  Okay, so most of those pictures are crude, stick figure pictures -- stop judging already!  Still it's a start.  Something to work off.  Something to stimulate the mind and bring the action to life.  And EVERY story I writer has a boatload of notes to myself.  I'm talking folders packed with notes which span the time of months, and sometimes several years.

You see for me getting to the 1st draft stage is all about gettting material to put in that 1st draft.  TRUE, not all my notes and scene ideas make it into the draft.  BUT notes get the ball rolling, and a lot of times that leads to better scenes.  

Third, don't panic.  Try to realize that ALL finished writing makes it look easy.  But that's an illusion; ALL WRITING IS HARD!  Fuck, just last month I fininshed a story which at the onset I thought would only take 2 months to write, actually took like 8 months to complete -- a half year over my initial goal.   But cracking the story inside, "A Heart Built on the Sand," which was originally entitled, "The Day Laura Snapped," proved a bit more tricky than originally thought.  Seriously, going in I thought "A Heart Built on the Sand" was a slam-dunk: the easiest story I've set out to writer.  BUT then I got to writing... and the usually difficulties bit me in the butt: the story was hard then it looked at first blush.   

Give yourself a break and realize that you don't have to have it figured all out in one day.  Rome wasn't build in a day, neither will your story be.  Wanna be brilliant?  Every earnest, non-hack writer wants to be brilliant.  But brilliance is earned. 

I'm not a very smart person.  I had to work my ass off in high school to compete with people who naturally more intellectually gifted than I was -- especially in math.  But I made-up for a lot of my deficiencies by working hard.  I stayed after class and got one-on-one tutoring.  I learned what I needed to learn.  Sure, I had to take the long way arround the block, but I got there dagnabbit!  Thought I was going to swear?  Naw, now that I'm done writing on "A Heart Built on the Sand" I'm going to try to cut back on that.  I am a follower of Jesus Christ after all.  :)

Forth, humility: writing will always humble you.  Sure some naive people think it's like being god of your own world.  But just trying writing ONCE and you soon find out how hard it is to be God.  Glad I'm not the real God.  He's got a lot on His plate.  

Occasionally bounce ideas off other people.  I don't do this a lot.  Usually what you get from me in one of my stories is all E.C. Henry.  But sometimes I do bounce ideas off other people.  Why on the story I'm working on now, I had an idea last week that I told my mom -- and she loved it!  True, when I was writing, "A Heart Built on the Sand," almost everything I shared with my mom, she hated, BUT this is a diffeernet story I'm working on now.  Something MUCH, MUCH more upbeat.  Thank you Jesus for that. 

Sure, it took me a long time to get into the world of "A Heart Built on the Sand," maybe that's part of the problem I writing it in the first place, but now with that story behind me, and I can actually look back on it now and really enjoy the character work I did in it.  And my spec. script soundtrack for "A Heart Built on the Sand" totally ROCKS!  Really enjoy the music that helped shaped that story.  

Sorry if this post was little rambly.  But I had some things that I needed to get of my chest.  You see I'm facing the blank page again: a story that has yet to be written.  And I wanted to share with you that I'm not the kind of cock-sure writer, who will lie to you and say he has it all figured out.  Why?  Because when you're writing something that's never been written before, you don't have it all figured out; you're figuring it out as you go along.  And that's tough.  It is like looking at in incomplete map, sorting through jig saw pieces, and having a magnet on your butt! 

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

P.S. Just got my certificate in the mail for my last spec. script, "A Heart Built on the Sand," from the U.S. Copyright Office: PAu3-601-761.  Took just over a month to get.  Far cry from the 9 months it took to get the copyright certificate for my first spec. script, "Give It Up for Chimpy."  

P.S.S. Writing update.  My next spec. is going to be a teen comedy with a unique accent.  I hope to have it done late June to early July.  We'll see...  But currently that's the goal.

Keeping it Real: Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies Volume V

Are today's romantic comedies realistic to you? 

What is your knee-jerk reaction to the opening picture which I've placed at the beginning of this post?  Remember the movie?  Well-p, if not here's a refresher; it's Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) dancing in the park to the Hall & Oates song, "You Make My Dreams Come True" from "(500) Days of Summer: 2009, Marc Webb, which also stars Zooey Deschanel. 

Tom has a bird on his finger near the end of this dance number.  And why is he dancing in the park?  Dude's in love fool!  Wake-up and smell the breakfast!!  Or can you not relate because you've never felt that before.  Know what I'm talking about?  It's that moment where love has blossomed -- and you're feeling good about it.  So good in fact that your dancing in public.  Is that real to you?  Can you relate?

Truth be told I've only felt that joy once or twice in my entire life -- but I sure hope I can feel that again someday.  THAT'S the kind of emotion that a "good" romantic comedy can kindle in the viewer's heart and mind; touching base and feeling what it's like to be in love.  Is that real to you?  Can you relate? 

"You make me want to be a better man," Melvin Udall from "As Good as It Gets": 1997, Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, James L. Brooks"

Ah yes, good 'ol Melvin Udall.  Now there's a guy you can relate to, huh?  What?  No.  Hmm...  I'm going to TRY to bridge the gap. 

Though we may not understand someone like Jack Nicholson's Melvin Udall, have we not all met people in our lives with odd ticks and eccentricities?  Do such such people even DESERVE to find love?  And if so, how would that play out?

Well in "As Good as It Gets"for two hours you get to see how someone with so many relationship oriented stigmas can overcome them all, and get to experience personal growth and find love -- with a waitress no less!  Ever had a crush on a waitress before?  I know I have.  True, my situations NEVER played out like Melvin's, but I can relate on some level to him.  The unrelatable becomes more real.  Getting the point I'm trying to make yet, Spanky?

ALL movies have some level of contrivances that you have to buy into, or else you're to cynical and have a block to entertainment set before you. 

Real life often times SUCKS.  The movies are a place where people get to experience the happy endings that they're denied in real life.  THAT'S one of the crucial attractors of the rom-com genre; happiness can be found.  Romantic happiness can obtained.  If it happened for people like Tom in "(500) Days of Summer" and for Melvin Udall in "As Good as It Gets" MAYBE it can happen in a slightly different package for you and me.

I LOVE the ending of "(500) Days of Summer."  I LOVE how a broken-hearted boy can meet a girl, and get a fresh start.  And the fact that this girl's name is Autumn, when the girl who broke his heart was named Summer, is the icing on the cake.  Genius.  Love it.  One of the best ending of a romantic comedy I can ever remember watching.  And on many levels.  It.  Is.  REAL!!

Real life.  Barf.  Who what to see a mirrored picture of their life played out on the silver screen?  No one.  We go to the movies to see something beyond what we see everyday in real life.  More specifically, people who like romantic comedies go to the movies to see the guy get the girl.  They want a happy ending.  They don't want real life.  They want to escape the trivialities of "real life" and get to experience, at least on some level, what it's like to be in love.

Romantic comedies should mirror real life.  Barf.  If they did I know I for one wouldn't watch them.

A few guidelines all romantic comedies should follow:

1. The male and female leads should be good-looking people.   They should be slightly better looking than common folk.  They need to standout a bit.  Why?  Because...

"You make me want to become a better person."

Mel Udall said it.  And it's true.  When you have a sweetheart, you want to be a better person.  And what makes you want to be a better person?  Trying to woo someone that you're attracted too.  No one has a sweetheart who they consider as being butt-fuck ugly.  Your love interest has got to be desirable in your eyes.

2. The romantic comedy world needs to be relatable, but NOT a direct refection of real life. No one wants to see reality -- especially in a romantic comedy.  They want the fantasy of walking into a world where romance is possible.   The key is to be able to make the characters relatable.  Sure Melvin Udall starts out as a very unlikeable curmudgeon, BUT as the story goes on his humanity grows, and you can't help but finding yourself rooting for the guy. 

And as far as "(500) Days of Summer" goes.  I can't think of a more relatable setting: Tom meets Summer at work -- and falls in love.  Ever been attracted to someone on the job?  Hope so, it's only natural.  Ever fallen in love with someone, then have that person's flaws comeback and bite ya in the butt?  Love is blind.  But then when things go wrong, you agonize over it, and eventually come to a new revelation of who that person truly was.  Tom's revelation over who Summer Finn really is, takes him some time, but the audience gets the flaws before the protagonist does.  Can you relate to that?  Ever had your friends tell you what was wrong with the person you're romantically enfactuated with, but you took the long way around to see their point of view?  That's relatable.  That's real.  Those are the kinds of emotionst that are explored in "good" romantic comedies.  That agony of romantic love.

3. Happy endings are expected. People who love romantic comedies aren't looking for crazy plot twists, and an ending that disappoint.  Save that stuff for the thriller, horror, and sci-fi genres.  The audience that goes to see a romantic comedy wants to see the guy get the girl.  They want to see something actually work-out for someone for a change.

Do you know how rare it is to find someone that you're attracted to, and they're attracted to you to at the same fucking time?  Shit, it doesn't happen every day.  Most times in "real life" you like someone, they don't like you.  Someone you're not romantically interested in, they're interested in you.  Friction, dude, and it gets old.  Real.  Fucking.  Old.  THAT'S one of the crucial attractors of the romantic comedy genre has to offer; it can work out for this couple, sublinmally you buy in; it can work for you too.     

So tip your hat to ol' Melvin Udall and Tom from "(500) Days of Summer."  They rode the horse through all the twists and turn on the trail, and found love.  True, it wasn't always pretty, but we can relate to their stuggles at least on some level by what we experience in our own lives.  And if it worked out for them, maybe it can work out for you and me too.

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

 

Magic Point

Do you believe in magic?

I do.  More importantly I believe in the magic of cinema; its ability to transport its viewers into a place of enchantment.  And how is that done?  Is it all screenwriting?  I mean, dude (or dudette -- not to be rude to my female viewers) the author of this blog IS a screenwriter, so it only follows that he would have a natural bend to laud screenwriting side of the ledger, right?  No, that's not the case, Holmes.  Let's delve deeper...

What makes a movie, magic?  THAT deserves serious consideration.  The crux of this post is dedicated to something I call, magic point.  What is magic point?   Magic point is the part of the movie that makes it special, OR could have made that movie special had those involved with the film maximized a certain area of film.  Magic point is what gets performers and those contributing to film their Oscars.  Magic point is what is special about a given film, and it can take many different forms.

Acting magic point.  No film epitomizes this more than, Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 film, "There Will Be Blood".  Why watch, "There Will be Blood"?  How about Daniel Day-Lewis' MASTERFUL portray of Daniel Plainview.  Acting magic point on display.  For me he was totally mesmerizing in this movie.  Take him out of "There Will Be Blood" and what's your source of attraction that makes you want to see this film?  Exploring the mystery of the oil business at the the turn of the century.  Yah, kinda sorta.  Sorta interesting -- if you have a special take on it, but definately not mainstream concsiousness kind of stuff.  But but a Daniel Day-Lewis as the star in exploring the world of the oil business at the turn of the century and it totally different show.  Take his acting performance away, and you have no movie -- at least no movie worth watching for me.  The magic point of the movie "There Will Be Blood," ie. what it makes it work, and makes is memorable, IS Daniel Day Lewis' performance.  Period.  NOT the screenwriting.  NOT the cinematography.  NOT the costumes.  It's the power of the actor on proud display.  It is the marvel that is Daniel Day-Lewis.   Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Jonny Depp!

Can you tell I have a man-crush on the man?  Daniel Day-Lewis is SO GOOD it's almost not fair to the other actors out there.  Daniel Day Lewis is probably my favorite actor of all time.  I mean this dude just crushes it everytime he's in any kind of movie.  Can't wait to see him in Speilberg's "Lincoln" feature that's due to hit the theatres in December of 2012.  I'm not a wagering man per se, but I'll bet Daniel Day Lewis gets an Oscar nod for his portrayal of the iconic Abraham Lincoln.   And if I can ever get my own adaptation of "A King for God's People?" ever green-lit, ya know who I want playing Saul, Israel's first king don't you...  Hey, Speilberg, wanna work with Daniel Day-Lewis AGAIN!! 

Moving on...

Director's magic point.  This is where a director's decision of what to include, and how the scene's played out is what makes the movie shine.  First movie that comes to mind when I think director's magic point is Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country for Old Men" (2007).  These two MASTERS did two things VERY RIGHT in his deserving, lauded, Oscar winning film.

First off Joel and Ethan Coen DID NOT get in and out of scenes as quick as possible, as is a common mantra in the screenwriting community, something which is taught a very basic level.  Rather, they were savvy enough to take a moment to capture the beauty of the Texas desert.  And I wonder how many film-makers out there are savy enough to do that?  The trap being, this is an on-the-run, shoot 'em up film.  So isn't that what the whole film should revolve around?  Is Josh Brolin's character going to get away with the Mexican drug money or not?  That's the central question...  A less skilled film-maker might have done just that.  And if they had they would have missed shots like this:

 

THAT kind of savvy director is the kind of guy I wanna work with.  Joel and Ethan Coen are VERY SMART.  They're instincts are brilliant.  Just have the sensibility to include majestic shots of the landscape shows how smart and savvy these guy are.   I marveled over the beauty of the Texas desert.

And, o, buy the way, the Coen brothers are no idiots when it comes to delivering the goods either.  Remember the shoot-outs between Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and Lewyn Moss (Josh Brolin).  No.  Okay I'll remind you:

Okay, so Anton's aim is little off.  He's more accustomed to using pneumatic cattle bolts to make his point known.  But the point remains, sometimes a movie's magic point (yes, there's that compound word again!) can be directly attributed to the director's sensibilities in how he or she so chooses to put a film together; director's magic point. 

Okay, you knew sooner or later it had to come to this.  Does the writer deserve ANY credit when a film shines?  I have mixed feelings about this.  Because one could argue that IT'S ALL WRITER.  The writer is the one who got the ball rolling in the first place, right?  Hence ANYTHING that goes RIGHT in a movie means the writer did something right.  BUT if something goes wrong in a movie, that may or may not be the writer's fault; you can have perfectly good script ruined by other forces outside of the screenwriter's control.  BUT EVERYTHING that goes right in a movie should laud some praise on the writer/writers involved.  Why?  Because it the the story that it is bedrock from which everything else flows.  Thus, the writer deserves some amount of praise regardless of where the films ultimate magic point falls.  And the writers deserves absolutely none of the criticism when a film fails.  WHY?  Because the film had to be green-lit by someone other than the writer.  Hence, if the script was so bad to begin with it never should have been green-lit in the first place. 

A key point to remember when it comes to grading writers is that at some point the writer will invarriably lose his (or her) objectivity.  IF a writer has done their job they have poured so much of themselves into the script that they con no longer objectively discern its merits.  Sure writers have to be able to explain their story -- and they do, but when you work so hard at something you don't see things clearly for what they really are. 

Screenwriting magic point.  First film that comes to mind, Guillermo Del Torro's 2006 "Pan's Labyrith".  What a creative take.  A true marvel -- at least to me!  Combing history and gothic fantasy in the world of fascist Spain in the 1940s is very high concept.  And to able to pull it off, storywise is no small feat.  The crazy part of this movie is that nothing really stands out -- except the high concept execution.  No dialog stands out.  No creature affects stand out; in fact I thought the over-sized toad was especially bad.  No acting performance stands out.  Rather it's just the fact that this story managed to stay to together; a demonic faun visits a troubled girl at night, and gets her to do some creepy things, when all around her during the day her world is on the edge of collapse, as her mother has a troubled pregnancy and her benefactor is brutal general in the fascist army.

 And if their's one lesson to be learned from watching "Pan's Labyrith" it is this: if some creepy demon comes to you in the middle of the night with some offer that sounds to good to be true, it probably is, and it's best if you just call on the name of Jesus, rebuke the evil entity and soldier on.

Just sayin'.   Being strong in the Lord never hurts.

But isn't it odd that a movie's magic point -- if it falls on the screenwriting -- can completely independent of it's dialog.  Doesn't have to be.  I mean some movies like Diablo Cody's "Juno" shines BECAUSE of its fine dialog.   But then movies like Guillermo Del Torro's "Pan's Labyrinth" comes around, and it is so different -- yet good -- that it makes you re-evaluate how you grade-out a movie, and where it's magic point falls.

Anyway, I think I've laid my case out good enough for this time.  Magic point is what shines in a given movie.  Magic point is what is done right, or what should have been done right in a movie that would make it special and stand-out amongst its fellow movies in a given genre. 

Hope I've given you something to think about.  And just so you know, E.C. Henry DOES have a magic wand of his own.  Three of 'em in fact, at last count.   He's even been know to carry magic want on her personage on trips to Southern California, all for the outward purpose of showing that he is a man of magic.  A man who's got a real, functioning magic wand.  How do I know that I've got a real, functioning magic wand?  Well-p, for starters, Skippy, when I slide the switch up on my magic want the light star at its tip blinks.  And also in my scripts their is magic to be found; I write enchanting stories.  (Wink)  Guess you'll just have to be the judge of that...

 

Best Male Lead in a Romantic Comedy: Exploring Issues in Rom-com Movies Volume IV

Matthew McConahuey is the best, romantic comedy male lead  in the history of cinema.

There, I said it.  I'm sure I'll get some flack for it.  I mean the guy did star in "Surfer, Dude" (2008).   BUT he also did star in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (2003), which in my book covers all cinematic sins M-Mc-C will ever have in this lifetime.  As for the "M-Mc-C" acromic nic-name I just made up for Mr. McConahuey -- you can do that when you're a writer, AND if you're highly prone at misspelling his last name; true!  And besides, "M-Mc-C" kinda gives Matthew McConahuey a little McDonald-landish appeal, which MAYBE he could use someday should M-Mc-C ever decided to branch out and do commercials with Ronald McDonald.  

Question my choice as Matthew McConahuey as the best romantic lead in the history of cinema.  Okay, Jackass, the defense calls picture #2 the witness stand...   

Kinda looks like ol' E.C. Henry a la his "Sexy Writers" post in December of 2011. 

Yeah, I see you checkin' out the competition, M-Mc-C, but don't you worry that pretty, little blond head of yours, E.C. Henry is no actor -- he's a writer dammit! 

And by the way if you can't tell which one is Matthew McConahuey, and which one is E.C. Henry, yippee ki yay to me!  A victory.  I'm holding my own against one of the sexiest men ever to grace to surface of planet earth.  Yeah, like many women out there, I think M-Mc-C is pretty hot.

Sorry to hafta throw this minor bucket of cold water on the ladies out there, but I'm afraid M-Mc-C is married with children now.  See... 

Even when taking a picture with his FAMILY this guy can't even wear a shirt then.  This brings me to another key issue surrounding Matthew McConahuey.  There is only one right way to take this guy's picture -- and that's with his shirt off!  Take a picture with his shirt on, and you're doing it wrong. 

Matthew McConahuey's romantic sweetheart in real life is Camila Alves.  And their two children are: Levi (born in 2008) and Vida Alves (born in 2010).  I found that out by doing a Google search of "Matthew McConahuey's family".  So hey Levi and Vida, don't worry if you end up looking like mom, you're a hottie; if you end up looking like dad, you're a hottie.  Kinda in a can't lose gene pool there. 

Watch enough movies with Matthew McConahuey in them, and you tend to see the same on-screen persona on display, only with different trapping.  M-Mc-C's on-screen personais one that wants to be in some ego-driven competition with someone else, where he pits his scheming against someone else's.  The eye candy's always there, but Matthew want to be in a mind-game with an adversary.  That's his game.  Maybe I didn't describe it very well, but that's how I see it.

As far as me siting Matthew McConahuey as the greatest romantic comedy lead of all-time, that high praise is directly attributed to his MASTERFUL work in "How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days."  I'm not saying that based on his entire body of work that Matthew McConahuey deserves the title.  As M-Mc-C has been in such underwhelming rom-com hybrids such as "Fool's Gold" (2008), which stared his former sweetheart from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days": Kate Hudson; "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (2009) with Jennifer Garner. 

Just as a granted Jenna Elfman best romantic heroine of all time in the rom-com genre for her portral of Shari in "EDTV" (1999) see post "Building the Perfect Heroine in a Romantic Comdedy: Exploring Issues in Rom-Com Movies Voume II" so the best male lead in romantic comedy is based on a single, hit-it-out-of-the-park style performance.  And as such, Matthew McConahuey did just that in his performance of Benjamin Barry in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." 

The facial expressions delivered by Matthew McConahueywhen he's apologizing to Kate Hudson (Andi Anderson) after she acts like a "mental person" and single handly ruins his boy's night out, cards game, is priceless.  On one level he's apologizing, but in inner sub-text he wants to rip her head off.  Genius acting.  THAT'S the kind of thing that a screenwriter can hint at in a script, but it's up to the actor to pull it off, and maximize it's comedic potential.  And Matthew McConanuey maximized this scene's comedic potential.   It's all about setting this guy up as this smart, suave guy, then putting him in awkward situations where his metal is tested.   

And like I wrote about earlier in The Ego-Com (August 2011) some rom-com's center is driven by a couple with competing agendas -- and Matthew McConahuey's on-screen persona blends in perfectly with that. 

Now don't get me wrong.  There are A LOT of other actors out there who I feel are doing a great job.  LOVED Ryan Reynolds in "The Proposal" (2009), and Hugh Jackman ROCKS, though he regrettably hasn't done any romantic comedies other than "Kate & Leopold" (2001) --

"Yeah, and I was in that one, E.C."

Yes, you were, Ms. Ryan, yes you were.  BUT to date you've NEVER done a film with Matthew McConahuey, the toast of today's post.

"Don't you get snarky with me, pencil-boy.  I can see right through you.  Need I remind you that I made movies with TOM HANKS!  A guy you so casually dismissed in your assessment of the best romantic comedy leads of all-time." 

Whoa, Meg, what happened?  Just a minute ago you looked so happy.  Happy to back in my world again -- of which I'm truly grateful.

Huge fan of Tom Hanks.  He can do comedy, very well.  And his work in "Saving Private Ryan" was exemplary; loved it.  Dude has range.  But Matthew McConahuey is a special talent too.  Please realize that Tom Hanks and Matthew McConanhuey have vastly different appealing factors.  Tom Hanks comes across as more of your, regular, average-everyday Joe, than Matthew McConahuey.  Matthew McConahuey comes off as a suave, "I'm-smarter-than-you" type of guy. 

Like Tom Hanks -- you can't go wrong.  Like Matthew McConahuey -- you like the athletic, jock, blond types.  And Tom Hanks real-life wife, Rita Wilson is a total hottie.  I really like her.  LOVE her appeal in "Sleepless in Seattle" and in "Mixed Nuts" (1994).  In fact Rita Wilson looks a lot like a girl I had a secret, high school crush on back in the day...  Say 1984 - 1987...

"Yeah...  Well I got to make-out with Tom Hanks in not one but THREE of his movies!  Check it out, pencil boy: "Joe vs. the Volcano," "Sleepless in Seattle," and "You've Got Mail."

Hate to correct you, luv, but in "Sleepless in Seattle," all you got to do was HOLD HANDS with Tom Hanks.  Been a while since I've seen "Joe vs. the Volcano" so I'll take you at your word that you "made-out" with Tom Hanks in that one.  But your Annie Reed character DID NOT get to kiss Tom Hanks' Sam Baldwin character in "Sleepless in Seattle."

"Ya know, for a such a self-professed rom-com expert, you sure do know how to piss a girl off."

Sorry, Meg.  That wasn't my intention. 

Back on point.  All I was trying to do in this post was make a case for why I think Matthew McConahuey is the best romantic comedy lead of all time.

"Word.  Meg Ryan.  Word.  E.C. Henry says I'm the best.  Let's leave it at that."