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Dueling Works / Film - Drama

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  • Initiators / Followers
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Description
    • Implementation: Implementation

  • The Man Who Laughs (1928) / Laugh Clown Laugh (1928)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1928 silent films about tormented clowns and the beautiful young orphan girls they love.
    • Implementation: Of the two, The Man Who Laughs was a more experimental surreal film. There was also a 1924 precursor called He Who Gets Slapped.

  • Hell's Angels (1930) / The Dawn Patrol (1930)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two 1930 movies about British pilots with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I that have to go on dangerous combat flights against the Germans
    • Implementation: Hell's Angels producer Howard Hughes sued for plagiarism when he heard about The Dawn Patrol; the suit was dismissed. Hell's Angels itself is thought to be a response to Wings (1927).

  • Gentleman's Agreement / Crossfire
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1947 Best Picture Oscar nominees about antisemitism.
    • Implementation: Crossfire is a Film Noir take on the subject, while Gentleman's Agreement is a melodrama.

  • Lizzie (1957) / The Three Faces of Eve (1957)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1957 films about a woman suffering from disassociaive identity disorder, released in April and September respectively. The former is based on the novel The Bird's Nest by Shirley Jackson, and the latter on the non-fiction book of the same name by psychiatrists Corbett H. Thigpen and Hervey M. Cleckley.
    • Implementation: Nunally Johnson immediately bought up the film rights to Eve in response to the The Bird's Nest's 1954 success.

  • The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) / Oscar Wilde (1960)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two biopics of Oscar Wilde, each released in 1960 during the same week. Both focus on Wilde's relationship with Alfred, Lord Douglas and the related criminal trials.
    • Implementation: Both movies feature formidable casts: Trials stars Peter Finch as Wilde and John Fraser as Douglas, along with James Mason, Nigel Patrick and Yvonne Mitchell. Oscar Wilde features Robert Morley as Wilde, costarring John Neville, Ralph Richardson and Dennis Price. However, Trials had a much larger budget, filmed in color and received broader distribution.

  • Harlow (1965) / Harlow (1965)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Sensationalized biopics of 1930s sex symbol Jean Harlow, both released a month apart in 1965. One version was mostly fictional, portraying her as a troubled girl a la Marilyn Monroe.
    • Implementation: The first version was a big-budget Hollywood film starring 1950s star Caroll Baker as Jean and Angela Lansbury as her mother. The other was a very independent production (shot on videotape) starring Carol Lynley as Harlow and was supposed to feature Judy Garland as Mama (she was replaced by Ginger Rogers). The Hollywood version was rushed into production in order to compete with the video version.

  • A Doll's House (1973, Patrick Garland) / A Doll's House (1973, Joseph Losey)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two film versions of Henrik Ibsen's classic play appeared almost simultaneously; however, Garland's received a theatrical release while Losey's was relegated to television.
    • Implementation: Garland's film starred Claire Bloom as Nora, having previously portrayed the role on Broadway, along with Anthony Hopkins as Torvald, Ralph Richardson as Dr. Rank, Denholm Elliot as Krogstad, Anna Massey as Kristine. Losey's movie featured Jane Fonda as Nora, David Warner as Torvald, Trevor Howard as Rank, Edward Fox as Krogstad and Delphine Seyrig as Kristine.

  • Black Sunday (1977) / Two-Minute Warning (1976)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two films about a terrorist plot at a football game, released in April 1977 and November 1976 respectively.
    • Implementation: Black Sunday is about a sinister blimp pilot, while Two-Minute Warning is about a sniper.

  • Benji The Hunted (1987) / Full Metal Jacket (1987)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two dramas from June 1987 and a chapter in the Warner Bros. vs Disney rivalry. Benji was done by Disney and featured the titular dog getting lost in the wilderness and "adopting" orphaned cougar cubs. Full Metal Jacket is a Stanley Kubrick classic about Vietnam War soldiers; the first half of the movie follows one given the code name of "Joker" through the grueling boot camp under gunnery sergeant Hartman (who was played by a real retired drill sergeant, R. Lee Ermey; this character provides the Page Quote and Trope Codifier for Drill Sergeant Nasty), and the second half puts him in Vietnam, at which point the war element of the film comes into play.
    • Implementation: This duel is thanks to an infamous spat on Disney-distributed Siskel & Ebert between Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert; Siskel had given his approval to FMJ while Ebert gave it a Thumb's Down with a 2.5 star rating, while praising Benji with his highest rating after Siskel panned the film. This prompted Siskel to lay into Ebert, a moment that got a Shout-Out on The Critic. Also, Disney is somewhat tied to FMJ as well as BTH; the name "Mickey Mouse" is mentioned at the end of both of FMJ's major settings, plus Mickey and Minnie figurines are part of a background set in the film's second half and the film's soldiers sing "The Mickey Mouse Club March" to close the film.

  • Rain Man (1988) / Dominick and Eugene (1988)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Films released in the same year about two brothers, one of them with a mental/neural disorder.
    • Implementation: Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man suffers from autism, while in the latter, Tom Hulce (Mozart in Amadeus) played Nicky, a man who is mentally challenged due to severe beatings from his abusive father (the brother in this one is Ray Liotta).


  • Quigley Down Under (1990) / Dances with Wolves (1990)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A 1990 Western (well...at least kind of) drama about an American who bonds with the indigenous local population of a land, in the Australian Outback and Western Frontier of the United States respectively, whilst on an assignment and comes to side with them.
    • Implementation:

  • Lambada (U.S.) (1990) / The Forbidden Dance (1990) / Lambada (Brazil) (1990)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Three drama films all released the same year centered on the same Brazilian dance craze that few people even knew about.
    • Implementation: The American Lambada film was created by Cannon Films, while The Forbidden Dance (promoted as The Forbidden Dance is Lambada!) was created by former Cannon Films co-owner Menahem Golan, who had recently departed the company. A third Brazilian film called Lambada was also released the same year but did not have an American release.


  • The Amy Fisher Story (1993) / Casualties of Love: The "Long Island Lolita" Story, Amy Fisher: My Story (1993)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Made for TV films that dramatized the Amy Fisher affair (unsurprisingly, Platypus Comix noted that the story was a perfect storm of love and violence).
    • Implementation: All three major networks had produced an Amy Fisher film, and they all premiered within the same week. Going even further, the ABC and CBS films (The Amy Fisher Story and Casualties of Love) aired against each other.

  • Outbreak (1995) / Crisis In The Hot Zone (1995)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two films intended for release in 1995 concerning an outbreak of a deadly virus on American soil.
    • Implementation: Crisis in the Hot Zone was based on fact, while Outbreak was fiction. This gave Outbreak the edge in generating drama, but Crisis In The Hot Zone had the edge on realism. Hot Zone was initially the higher-profile project, and was to star the then-red hot Jodie Foster along with Robert Redford, and be directed by Ridley Scott. Clashing egos eventually led to the film's collapse.

  • Showgirls (1995) / Striptease (1996) & Barb Wire (1996)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1995/96 female star vehicles marketed entirely around the appeal of seeing then-sex-symbols show some skin. All three received multiple Razzie Award nominations, including Worst Picture wins for BOTH Showgirls and Striptease. Barb Wire got a Worst Picture nomination too, only losing because Striptease came out the same year.
    • Implementation: Striptease stars Demi Moore, Showgirls stars Elizabeth Berkley, and Barb Wire stars Pamela Anderson. The first two were seen as direct competition in that they were marketed as semi-respectable dramas, and were often compared by critics. Barb Wire had no such pretensions, being presented as a theatrical soft-core porno, and was treated as such by critics. Showgirls is additionally notable for being the most widely released NC-17 film in history.

  • Emma (1996) / Emma (1996)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Prestige adaptations of Jane Austen's last completed novel starring rising stars supported by the best the British repertory had to offer.
    • Implementation: The McGrath/Paltrow/Northam adaptation was a theatrical release from primarily American creators (the director, studio, and eponymous lead). The Davies/Beckinsale/Strong production was a telefilm from Britain's ITV, springboarding off the success of Davies and producer Sue Birtwistle's previous Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Both films were preceded a year earlier by Clueless, which was a modern-day retelling of Emma.

  • Prefontaine (1997) / Without Limits (1998)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Late '90s biographical films about track-and-field star Steve Prefontaine.
    • Implementation: Billy Crudup's depiction of the title character in Without Limits is generally better regarded, as is the directing and production; Prefontaine stands mostly on the basis of greater historical accuracy and a standout performance by R. Lee Ermey.

  • Stag (1997) / Very Bad Things (1998)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A bachelor party gets out of hand, resulting in the death of a prostitute. The revelers devolve into infighting as some of them push the group into covering up the crime.
    • Implementation: Stag was a TV movie that takes place in one location and plays the scenario as a straight thriller. Very Bad Things is a Hollywood theatrical film that plays it for black comedy. The makers of Very Bad Things actually became aware of Stag mid-production and made changes to be less similar to the earlier film.


  • Knockout / Girlfight
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2000 boxing dramas with troubled Latina protagonists. Girlfight technically debuted first, premiering at Sundance about two weeks before Knockout was released, but it didn't open nationwide until months later.
    • Implementation: Girlfight is more of a character piece and concerns amateur boxing, while Knockout is a little more genre-oriented and deals with pro boxing. Interestingly, the films also have a costal rivalry going on: Knockout is set in Los Angeles while Girlfight takes place in New York.

  • Secondhand Lions (2003) / Big Fish (2003)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2003 films centering around the tall tales of old men about their adventures from their youth that are put into question. By the end of it, a major character who is skeptical of their stories comes to get a deeper understanding and respect for them.
    • Implementation:

  • The Forgotten (2004) / Flightplan (2005)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2004/5 thrillers about a mother whose child/children vanish without a trace, with everyone around her insisting that the child never existed.
    • Implementation: Flightplan is set entirely on board a plane and about the immediate search for a missing child, while The Forgotten is about the search for evidence of a child the mother believes dead. Of course, just seeing these two movies mentioned together means you can probably guess what the big twist of The Forgotten is.

  • Flightplan (2005) / Red Eye (2005)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2005 thrillers about a woman facing danger in an airliner.
    • Implementation: As noted above, Flightplan relies on the suspense of if the missing child existed, while Red Eye has a straighter plot about a woman dealing with a Psycho for Hire. Red Eye switches back and forth between the plane and land, Flightplan doesn't leave the plane. Both have a climax once the plane lands.

  • Finding Neverland (2004) / Neverwas (2005)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2004/5 films about children's books and the "reality" that inspired them.
    • Implementation: Finding Neverland was about the real-life book of Peter Pan while Neverwas was about the eponymous fictional title. Also, Finding Neverland establishes the source of the story straight off, while Neverwas explores it via a seemingly outside character.

  • Million Dollar Baby (2004) / Cinderella Man (2005)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two emotional and evocative stories involving boxing, released several months apart. Both movies feature underdog stories of fighters trying to succeed where others would have them fail, each with the support of an engaging mentor. One ends happy, while the other one? Not so much. (The Fighter came out in 2010, a bit late to make weight, but it coulda' been a contender).
    • Implementation: This is a rare case of two excellent movies that happened to be released in the same year, instead of a studio quickly greenlighting a cheap imitation of the first. Both were directed by powerhouse directors (Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard), both with stellar casts and critical acclaim. Poor promotion and a summer release date doomed Cinderella Man at the box-office, while Million Dollar Baby was released during a more opportune time of the year, and was far more successful. Million Dollar Baby took home the Oscar, while Cinderella Man was mostly forgotten by the time the next year's nominations came around.


  • The Illusionist (2006) / The Prestige (2006)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Period movies centering on magicians who seem to perform the impossible, both having their wide release in fall 2006.
    • Implementation: The Prestige is a twisty thriller, while The Illusionist is a love story with a softer fairy-tale feel.

  • The Killing of John Lennon (2006) / Chapter 27 (2007)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Independent films depicting Mark David Chapman's life before he killed John Lennon in 1980.
    • Implementation: Killing is British and begins three months before the murder; 27 is American and takes place over only three days.


  • No Country for Old Men (2007) / There Will Be Blood (2007)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Auteur films about the dark heart of a highly memorable Villain Protagonist isolated from humanity as he slowly eliminates his enemies in what looks like the desert of West Texas (where both movies were filmed).
    • Implementation: "Hint": One is about a middle-aged sociopath, one is about a serial murderer. Both films were released by the same companies—Miramax Films and Paramount Vantage.


  • Rendition (2007) / Lions for Lambs (2007)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Prestige films critical of (real and perceived) US foreign policy under George W. Bush, starring Meryl Streep.
    • Implementation: Rendition was about extrajudicial kidnappings of civilians; Lions was about the real military intervention in Afghanistan and fears of expanding into Iran.

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) / The Time Traveler's Wife (2009) (2009)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Fantasy/romance adapted from a written source in which an otherwise perfect couple is tested by the man's "chronological disorder".
    • Implementation: Button is based on a short story where a man "merely" ages backwards while Wife's protagonist bounces around time in a Trauma Conga Line. Interestingly, both films were produced by Brad Pitt, who also starred in Button.

  • Middle Men (2009) / The Social Network (2010)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Origin stories about the start of Internet revolutions by rather ordinary men, and the hazards of falling out with one's partners after making a great deal of money.
    • Implementation: Middle Men is about the development of online porn, while The Social Network is "the Facebook movie."

  • Crazy Heart (2009) / Country Strong (2010)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Troubled country singers (played by Oscar winners who do their own singing) make comebacks while trying to navigate potential new loves and Younger and Hipper rivals.
    • Implementation: While Crazy Heart's male protagonist is long past his prime, Country Strong's female protagonist is still wildly popular. Also, in a roundabout way, in Country Strong Paltrow's character falls for a character played by the same actor who portrayed Bridges' character's son in TRON: Legacy.

  • Buried (2010) / 127 Hours (2010)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Suspenseful films about a man trapped in a very tight place for a very long time.
    • Implementation: In a funny coincidence, both star actors who also play green comic book characters (Green Lantern (2011) and Green Goblin, respectively). Buried, about a man who's trapped in a coffin and buried somewhere in Iraq with only a dying cellphone for communication, is fictional, while Hours is based on a Real Life hiker who cut off his own arm to free himself after it was pinned by a boulder.

  • 127 Hours (2010) / Soul Surfer (2011)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Dramatic films about Real Life athletes who lose a limb.
    • Implementation: Hours, from Danny Boyle, focuses on Aron Ralston, a hiker who is forced to cut off his own arm to save himself after five days of having his arm trapped by a boulder. Surfer, from Sean McNamara (the director of Bratz), focuses on Bethany Hamilton, an evangelical Christian surfer who loses an arm from a shark attack. The main difference between these two films is their intended audience: while Hours aims for a secular/mainstream audience, Surfer is intended for the Christian market.

  • War of the Buttons (2011) / The New War Of The Buttons (2011)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Rival French productions in 2011 based on the exact same source material (the work had just gone into the public domain). However, the "new" one is set during World War II, and its rival during the War of Algeria, so they deal with differing issues (the original novel was set in the peaceful "Belle Epoque").
    • Implementation: War Of The Buttons was pitched first and has largely unknown actors in the cast. The New War Of The Buttons was pitched five months later and has a few name actors (such as Guillaume Canet and Laetitia Casta) in its cast. Both films ended up opening a week apart.



  • Soul Surfer (2011) / Dolphin Tale (2011)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Aquatic-themed inspirational movies about limb-loss that also happen to center around a competition in which the underdog must compete.
    • Implementation: Soul Surfer has the girl lose her arm while Dolphin Tale has the dolphin lose her tail.

  • Dolphin Tale (2011) / Big Miracle (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Movies about groups of people saving aquatic creatures.
    • Implementation: Big Miracle is about a gray whale while Dolphin Tale is centered around...well, a dolphin.

  • Argo (2012) / Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Films based on true, top-secret, ridiculous-sounding events that took place in the Middle East.
    • Implementation: Argo is about a rescue in The '70s while Zero is about an assassination in The New '10s (spoiler alert: they succeed).

  • The Girl (2012 HBO TV movie) / Hitchcock (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Docudramas about Alfred Hitchcock and the making of The Birds and Psycho, respectively.
    • Implementation: The Girl came out first, albeit on HBO rather than in theatres, and stars Toby Jones and Sienna Miller in a story about Hitchcock's obsession with Tippi Hedren while on the set of The Birds; Hitchcock stars Anthony Hopkins and is about the relationship between Hitch and his wife, played out over the production of Psycho. Hitchcock was supposed to be shown in 2013 but was moved up to qualify for the Oscars.

  • Flight (2012) / Sully (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: An airline pilot's unorthodox decision saves many lives but puts him under investigation.
    • Implementation: Flight is fictional, Sully is based on a true story. Both star Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks, respectively.



  • Mandela Long Walk To Freedom (2013) / Cesar Chavez (2014)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two films released within a few months of each other, between the end of 2013 and the beginning of 2014, that center around a famous civil rights activist that fought for the rights of his people.
    • Implementation:


  • Leviathan (2014) / The Fool (2014)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Social dramas set in a provincial Russian town, released within mounths from each other in 2014. Both are Shaggy Dog Stories with heavy political undertones.
    • Implementation:



  • Black Mass (2015) / Spotlight (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2015 drama films about particularly dark recent moments in Boston's history.
    • Implementation: The former is about gangster James "Whitey" Bulger. The latter is about newspaper reporters uncovering the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal.

  • Spotlight (2015) / Truth (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2015 drama films featuring intrepid journalists investigating a major scandal. The two movies were released less than a week apart in the United States.
    • Implementation: Spotlight focused on the Boston Globe investigating cover-ups of abuse in the Catholic Church, whereas Truth focused on CBS News investigating George W. Bush's National Guard service during the 2004 presidential election.

  • Creed (2015) / Southpaw (2015), Hands of Stone (2016), Bleed For This (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Boxing movies focusing on the drama and psychological aspects of the ring, released in 2015/16.
    • Implementation: Creed and Southpaw are fictional accounts, Creed being the latest installment of the Rocky series. The other two are biopics of the lives of Roberto Duran and Vinny Pazienza, respectively.

  • Miles Ahead (2015) / Born To Be Blue (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Biographical dramas about jazz musicians released at film festivals in 2015 and then to wide audiences in 2016.
    • Implementation: Miles Ahead is about Miles Davis, while the protagonist of Born to Be Blue is Chet Baker. Miles Ahead jumps around in time, while Born to Be Blue focuses on one year in Baker's life.

  • All the Way (2016) / LBJ (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Biopics of Lyndon Johnson, focusing on his efforts to pass the Civil Rights Act
    • Implementation: All the Way is an HBO film based on the Tony-winning play by Robert Shenkkan about Johnson's first year in office, with Bryan Cranston reprising his performance in the lead role. The focus is on Johnson's actions taken to pass the Civil Rights Act and his run for the 1964 election. LBJ was a theatrical release directed by Rob Reiner from a Black List-listed screenplay by Joey Hearthstone about Johnson's years as Vice President, leading up to JFK's assassination, with Woody Harrelson in the lead. It ends with Johnson's "Let Us Continue" speech, after which Congress accepts him as JFK's also spiritual successor.

  • Madoff (2016) / The Wizard of Lies (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2016 made-for-TV movies about Bernie Madoff and the $60 billion Ponzi scheme he ran on Wall Street.
    • Implementation: Madoff will be aired on ABC and is directed by Raymond De Felitta with Richard Dreyfuss, Blythe Danner, Charles Grodin, Peter Scolari, and Lewis Black in the cast. The Wizard of Lies will be aired on HBO, was directed by Barry Levinson, and stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfieffer, Lily Rabe, Hank Azaria, and Alessandro Nivola.

  • The Sea of Trees (2016) / The Forest (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Westerners journey to a real-life forest in Japan that's a popular spot for suicides.
    • Implementation: Sea of Trees is a drama about two men who want to commit suicide; The Forest is a "regular" horror movie about a woman searching for her sister.

  • Marguerite (2016) / Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two period dramas set for release in English-speaking countries in 2016, based on the history of terrible singer Florence Foster Jenkins.
    • Implementation: One is a French film loosely inspired by her story, while the other is a direct biopic from Britain starring Meryl Streep.

  • Southside With You (2016) / Barry (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Indie biopics focusing on the early years of Barack Obama.
    • Implementation: Southside With You is a romance depicting Obama's first date with his future wife Michelle, Barry is a portrait of his time as a college student in New York City.

  • Una (2016) / Elle (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: In 2016 woman tracks down the man who sexually assaulted her, twisting the usual dynamic of "innocent" victim and "evil" perpetrator (as per The Los Angeles Times, who noted the two films' similarities in an article about Una).
    • Implementation: Una is based on the play Blackbird (2005). Has nothing to do with *Uma* and Elle.

  • Loving (2016) / A United Kingdom (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: True stories of Maligned Mixed Marriages that altered the course of history.
    • Implementation: Loving is about a white man in love with a black woman in rural America who go to court to get their union legalized; United is about an African (future Botswanan to be precise) prince in love with a white British woman who go into exile.




  • A Star is Born (2018) / Vox Lux (2018)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Award-season musical dramas about troubled performers struggling to remain afloat in the music industry. Both films feature lead actresses Playing Against Type, and both are heavily influenced by Lady Gaga.
    • Implementation: Vox Lux is an original story starring Natalie Portman as a flamboyant pop diva based on Lady Gaga, while A Star is Born, the third remake of the 1937 film, stars Gaga herself as a more folksy pop singer. A Star is Born features songs composed and performed by the likes of stars Gaga and Bradley Cooper (among others), while the latter's soundtrack is entirely composed by Sia and performed by Portman.

  • Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) / Rocketman (2019)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Biopics about two of the greatest (queer) British rock stars (Freddie Mercury & Elton John) portrayed by two rising young actors (Rami Malek & Taron Egerton).
    • Implementation: Bohemian Rhapsody is more of a by-the-book biopic, while Rocketman takes liberties with John's history and contains surrealist elements. Additionally, Malek lip-syncs the songs of Queen in the former, while Egerton is actually singing in the latter. They also share a director, Dexter Fletcher note  and a common character in John Reid, portrayed by Aidan Gillen & Richard Madden, respectively.

  • Widows (2018) / The Kitchen (2019)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Both are films about a group of women who take over for their criminal husbands in their absence.
    • Implementation: Widows is based on the 1983 ITV series, while The Kitchen is based on the Vertigo comic.

  • A Dog's Way Home (2019) / A Dog's Journey (2019) & The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Dog movies in which the animals cannot talk, but the audience is able to hear their thoughts. Way Home and Journey are based on books by the same writer, W. Bruce Cameron, each promoting their connection to the prior Cameron-based film A Dog's Purpose. Meanwhile, The Art of Racing in the Rain is based on a book by Garth Stein (which was actually written before A Dog's Purpose).
    • Implementation: Journey is a direct sequel to Dog's Purpose and, like that film, was co-produced and distributed by Universal and Amblin Entertainment. Dog's Way Home is based on a separate Cameron novel and was distributed by Sony. The Art of Racing in the Rain was produced by Fox and was released by Disney.

  • A Vigilante (2019) / Promising Young Woman (2020)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A woman takes it upon herself to punish abusers after suffering a traumatic abuse incident, ultimately leading to a confrontation with her original abuser.
    • Implementation: A Vigilante, starring Olivia Wilde, is centered on domestic violence, while Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan, is focused on rape and sexual assault. Both films premiered at festivals prior to their theatrical debuts (SXSW 2018 for Vigilante, Sundance 2020 for Woman).

  • Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) / Unpregnant (2020) & Plan B (2021)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A teenager learns she's pregnant and unable to receive an abortion in her home state without parental permission, subsequently embarking on a trip out of state to get one, with a close friend at her side. Both films are directed by women and (co-)written by said directors. Plan B features a slightly different premise, in that the teens are refused emergency contraceptive drugs, rather than abortion, and forced to travel to a distant Planned Parenthood to obtain them.
    • Implementation: Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which is an original script, was a (brief) theatrical release from Focus Features, while Unpregnant, based on a novel (whose authors co-wrote the film's script), is a streaming original from HBO Max. Plan B is a Hulu original. While Never Rarely is a serious straight-laced drama, Unpregnant and Plan B are buddy road dramedies. In addition, while Unpregnant has a reasonably well-known cast, most of the Never Rarely cast are acting newcomers or unknowns. Plan B also has a relatively unknown cast.

  • The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) / Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Young radical leftist activists (played by much older actors) in late 1960s Chicago are targeted by the U.S. government; Illinois Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton features as a supporting character, and his murder by police and the impact it has on other activists are important to the plot.
    • Implementation: Trial is a courtroom drama focused on (mainly white) protestors of the 1968 Democratic Convention; Black Panther Bobby Seale is also put on trial and has Fred Hampton as a counsel and supporter. Judas features an FBI informant infiltrating the Panthers and befriending and betraying Hampton. Hampton in Trial is a minor character whose death emphasizes the different stakes for Seale and the other activists; Hampton in Judas is arguably a co-lead and his murder the emotional climax of the film. Both films' releases were impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Trial was produced by Paramount but picked up by Netflix, while Judas had a limited theatrical run and distribution on HBO Max five months later.

  • The Prom (2020) / Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two musical adaptations focusing on challenges with LGBTQ youth who are going to prom.
    • Implementation: The Prom is a Netflix original film (though it was released in some theaters), while Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will have a wide release in theaters.

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