10 Famous Movie Scripts You Have to Read as a Screenwriter
Every great film starts with a great script. This is a universal truth of the movie industry. While an inexperienced director can ruin an excellent screenplay, even the most revered auteur can't turn a bad script into a good movie. This is great news for screenwriters who care deeply about their craft — and terrible news for the robot behind ChatGPT.
If you're in the former group, you've come to the right place. One way aspiring screenwriters can improve their craft is to consume screenplays that got it right. That's why we've compiled a list of the best screenplays to read if you're looking to become a better screenwriter.
Why You Should Be Reading Scripts as a Screenwriter
All the screenwriting guides in the world can't compete with the benefits of reading stellar movie scripts. Exposing yourself to the work of great screenwriters is the best way to master vital script elements like narrative structure, character development, dialogue, and pacing. Most importantly, reading scripts will help you to find your own unique voice as a screenwriter.
The best way to find this voice is to consume scripts from a variety of genres. Even if you identify exclusively as a horror buff or sci-fi nerd, reading scripts from across genres will only sharpen your craft and open your creative mind. And don't stop at genre diversity — seek out scripts from writers of all backgrounds, as well.
How to Read a Script
Becoming a better screenwriter isn't just about reading great scripts. It's about reading great scripts actively. Turn your brain all the way on and dive in with a purpose. Pay close attention to elements like scene transitions, storytelling techniques, and structure. Read the script more than once. Like great movies, great screenplays will reveal something new with every read. Focus on plot the first time around, dialogue the second, and structure the third. Above all, take notes — you'll appreciate having them when you're in the depths of writing your own great screenplay.
10 of the Greatest Screenplays Ever Written
To kickstart your masterclass, we've selected 10 of the greatest screenplays ever written. While art may be subjective, the following screenplays are widely acknowledged in the industry as some of the best scripts to come out of Hollywood. From Thelma and Louise to American Beauty to Get Out, our list is composed of screenplays that have more than earned their place in the American cinematic canon. They span genres and eras but all have one important thing in common — they've got a lot to teach aspiring screenwriters. So start reading.
01. "Die Hard" by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza
Year of release: 1988
Screenwriter: Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza
Director: John Tiernan
As a summer blockbuster, Die Hard has it all — explosions, freebase jumping off skyscrapers, and a young Bruce Willis fighting off dozens of terrorists to save his beautiful wife. As a screenplay, Die Hard has an impeccable three act structure. Screenwriters Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza perfectly set up the story of John McLane, a New York City detective tasked with saving a building full of Los Angeles executives from a Christmas Eve terrorist attack. The inciting incident, act breaks, and midpoint are easily identifiable and each heightening beat occurs just about exactly where three act structure charts say it should. Three act structure is the most frequently used screenplay structure and it's vital that screenwriters understand how to write their own scripts using it. If you're looking for a masterclass in how to effectively plot out your script using three act structure, it doesn't get better than Die Hard.
02. "The Silence of the Lambs" by Ted Tally
Year of release: 1991
Screenwriter: Ted Tally
Director: Jonathan Demme
To say that Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs was America's first elevated horror movie would perhaps be an overstatement — but there's no denying the film's cultural impact on Hollywood's horror landscape. The movie follows FBI agent Clarice Starling (an inimitable Jodie Foster) as she enlists the help of notorious cannibal, Hannibal Lecter (an equally inimitable Anthony Hopkins), to find a serial killer of young girls. What sets the movie apart from the horror and detective thrillers that came before it is screenwriter Ted Tally's subversion of the usual tropes. In Tally's script, Starling has an inner life far more complex than the typical onscreen female detective of the early 90s and Lecter is depicted as a soft-spoken, emotionally intelligent intellectual, forever changing cinematic ideals about what kind of person a killer can be. If your characters are feeling flat and stereotypical, give Tally's exquisite character building a chance.
03. "Thelma and Louise" by Callie Khouri
Year of release: 1991
Screenwriter: Callie Khouri
Director: Ridley Scott
As far as road trip movies go, there are few more memorable than Ridley Scott's Thelma and Louise. One of the first female buddy comedies, Thelma and Louise is the story of two best friends who make a run for Mexico after shooting an attempted rapist dead. These days, it seems like every production company has a feminist revenge film to their name but screenwriter Callie Khouri brought Thelma and Louise to life back when female rage wasn't cool. And we're lucky she did, considering Khouri's talent for writing characters strong enough to drive this road film all the way to its bittersweet ending. It's Thelma's character arc, in particular, that screenwriters should study closely. Khouri writes Thelma an emotional arc so realistic, so well-paced, and so nuanced that it seems inevitable this anxious housewife should end up a fearless criminal. If you're looking for a guide on how to write a character-driven plot, Thelma and Louise is a great place to start.
04. "Scream" by Kevin Williamson
Year of release: 1996
Screenwriter: Kevin Williamson
Director: Wes Craven
While the original Scream might be considered lowbrow next to most of the movies on this list, aspiring screenwriters can learn a lot from Kevin Williamson's script. Scream tells the story of high school student Sydney Prescott and her friends as they become the targets of a crazed serial killer terrorizing their small town. By testing the limits of how absurd a slasher can be, Williamson and director Wes Craven expanded the genre while building a franchise worth millions — and it all started with one of the most memorable cold opens in film history. Who can forget Drew Barrymore as the first victim to be punished for her lack of film trivia knowledge? Williamson's cold open is nothing short of perfect. It sets up the tone, introduces us to the decade’s best antagonist, and gets us hooked before Neve Campbell even graces the screen. Don't make the same mistake Drew did — read Scream to both brush up on your horror film trivia and learn what makes a cold open work.
05. "American Beauty" by Alan Ball
Year of release: 1999
Screenwriter: Alan Ball
Director: Sam Mendes
Alan Ball and Sam Mendes took America's middle-class repression to task with their tale of depressed suburban dad Lester Burnham and his obsession with his teenage daughter's best friend. For most people, American Beauty is inextricable from its most iconic image — that of a plastic bag floating aimlessly in the wind. It's Ball's use of visual metaphor that earned him the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2000. Ball expertly used images to underscore theme, most notably roses and rose petals, which appear in nearly every scene. It's easy to forget when staring at a page full of words that film is a visual medium. Let American Beauty remind you.
06. "Lost in Translation" by Sofia Coppolla
Year of release: 2003
Screenwriter: Sofia Coppola
Director: Sofia Coppola
In a world where nepotism babies are getting side-eye from all sides, Sofia Coppola earned her namesake at a young age with Lost in Translation. The film documents the relationship forged between a disenchanted American movie star and a recent college graduate as they navigate culture shock and alienation in Tokyo, Japan. Coppola was inspired to write the screenplay after her own visit to Japan and the result is an ironclad education in how to turn place into character. Both (human) characters, John and Charlotte, arrive in Tokyo disconnected from their relationships, their purpose, and life itself. Their initial experience of Tokyo is one of culture shock and isolation, reflecting their internal state. It's not until they meet and venture past the sterile, hermetic shell of the city that they find connection — with each other and with Tokyo itself. Coppola's Lost in Translation is a masterclass for those who want to turn up the dial on their screenplay's setting.
07. "Little Children" by Todd Field and Tom Perotta
Year of release: 2006
Screenwriters: Todd Field, Tom Perrotta
Director: Todd Field
Todd Field built his directing career on the humanization of unsavory characters and Little Children is no exception. Based on a novel penned by Tom Perrotta, Little Children is the story of an affair between two unhappy suburban parents, set against the backdrop of a quiet neighborhood whose peace has been ruptured by the arrival of a convicted pedophile. Perrotta is first and foremost a novelist, which could be why this screenplay reads at times like a novel. Together, Field and Perrotta managed to adapt Perrotta's book into a screenplay without losing the most important elements, like Perrotta's penchant for visual description. The script also functions as a study on how to pull off narration, a challenge screenwriters have struggled with for generations. In Little Children, the narrator supports the story without resorting to distraction or cheap exposition. Whether you're a novelist looking to try your hand at screenwriting or you'd like to adapt a book of your own, Little Children has a lot to teach you.
08. "Juno" by Diablo Cody
Year of release: 2007
Screenwriter: Diablo Cody
Director: Jason Reitman
Diablo Cody's screenwriting debut cemented her place as one of the most sought after screenwriters of the early aughts. Juno is the heartwarming-with-a-bite story of a pregnant teenage girl on a search for family — both for herself and the baby she's carrying. With the help of a stellar performance by a young Elliott Page, Cody manages to pull off a realistic, relatable depiction of what it feels like to be an angsty teenager at the beginning of the new millennium. What makes this script really pop, though, is its exceptional dialogue. Like teenagers the world over, Cody's characters have a language all their own. The dialogue is bitingly funny, highly specific, and never expositional. If you're trying to crack your own teen comedy, give Juno a read.
09. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
Year of release: 2014
Screenwriter: Gillian Flynn
Director: David Fincher
Originally a novel, Gone Girl's twist caused such a cultural sensation that it derailed a 2015 kidnapping investigation when the lead detective accused the victim of “gone girling” herself. The accusation turned out to be false — and the kidnapper was eventually convicted — but that the victim was accused at all speaks to the impact screenwriter Gillian Flynn's midpoint twist had on our national psyche. The adapted screenplay tells the story of Nick Dunne, a writing teacher accused of disappearing his wife in order to carry on an extramarital affair. The plot seems straightforward – unhappy husband, put-upon wife, sexy graduate student — until it takes a hard left midway through. Turns out the missing wife is actually a runaway wife who set her husband up to punish him for his infidelity. Midpoints are hard. So are plot twists. Get better at both by giving Gone Girl a read.
10. “Get Out” by Jordan Peele
Year of release: 2017
Screenwriter: Jordan Peele
Director: Jordan Peele
It's practically written into law that one must always include Jordan Peele's debut on best screenplay lists — and for good reason. Released during a significant period of American political upheaval, Get Out tells the story of Chris Washington, a young black man who travels to the suburbs to meet his white girlfriend's family and finds that they belong to a cult that invades and inhabits the minds and bodies of black people. It's said that Peele wrote over 200 drafts of Get Out, including one that ends with Chris going to jail. That level of commitment and care is readily apparent throughout the script, which reads less like a debut than the work of a seasoned screenwriter. There's no shortage of takeaways from Peele's screenplay but his use of symbolism is particularly deft. In one of the most iconic scenes, Chris is hypnotized by his girlfriend's mother, who sends him to "the sunken place" — a symbol of the marginalization of black people. Later, Chris picks cotton out of the chair he's tied to and stuffs it into his ears so as to block out the hypnotic trigger, subverting the oppressive trope of an enslaved person picking cotton. I could go on — or you can simply pick up a copy of Get Out and read it for yourself.
Help Turn a Great Screenplay into a Great Movie!
From mastering three act structure to crafting three-dimensional characters, learning to write a great screenplay is a process. The good news is you don't have to drop six figures on a film degree to get started — most of the above scripts can be downloaded for free on the Internet! Reading the best screenplays across genres and eras should be a regular part of any aspiring filmmaker’s routine.
Once you're finished reading these recommendations, hop on over to Kinolime to participate as a reader in their inaugural screenwriting competition. Kinolime hosts the first screenwriting competition to invite their film-loving community to read and vote for their favorite submission. No need to apply or pay to play! Simply log in, start reading, and help turn a great screenplay into a great movie.
