21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN - If we could write the movie...

[melissawebster]

Hey everyone! So here's a standard outline for the story I'd write if I could write the script for the movie for 21st Century Breakdown. Since there's no pre-established storyline (sort of) with this album, I'm thinking we can be a lot more flexible in our interpretations of the music and the story we'd write if we could do the movie. I'd love to hear your ideas, even if it's just for a scene, character, plot, or whatever, and again, mine builds on the stories for Slappy Hours and American idiot that I'd do to complete a full trilogy. I imagine your interpretations and ideas are much different, which is why I thought this would be a fun debate. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

1. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - NIGHT

SUPER: "Inevitable Future"

BAT PIERCE, late 20s, lead singer of the pop-punk band DYEN RAGE, good-looking, cool, the voice of reason and sanity, sits on a stool on stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar. He playfully interacts with the audience who beg him to sing them a song.

NORA PIERCE, Bat's sister, and ADAM SWANSON, Nora's boyfriend and bartender at Slappy Hours, a gay bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, work behind the bar. DAVID SMITH, early 40s, drag queen, ex-husband to Gloria and father to Johnny, sits at the end of the bar with MADAME MONIQUE, mid-30s, owner of Slappy Hours and the best drag queen on the Street, and REMY BOUDREAUX, early 30s, dominated love slave masochist who hasn't yet met the woman who truly "gets" him.

INTERCUT Bat, the usual gang at Slappy Hours, and the audience joking around, singing "AMERICAN EULOGY"...

Sing us a song of the century

That's louder than bombs and eternity

The era of static and contraband

That's leading us into the promised land

Tell us a story that's by candlelight

Waging a war and losing the fight

They're playing the song of the century

Of panic and promise and prosperity

Tell me a story into that good night

Sing us a song for me...

2. EXT. THE FRENCH QUARTER - DAY

SUPER: "Present Day America"

Bat sings "MASS HYSTERIA" on stage with his band DYEN RAGE.

INTERCUT IMAGES...

SUPER: "Gloria" - standing at a podium at an anti-war rally in the parking lot of the SUPERDOME in New Orleans.

SUPER: "Christian" - the skinhead, turned racist, anti-government, white christian zealot militia man from SLAPPY HOURS standing in the crowd with guns on his hips

SUPER: "American Girl" - getting a DON'T TREAD ON ME sign at the rally among people in tri-corner hats with tea bags dangling off the corners.

... with Bat and the band playing on stage to thousands of fans in The French Quarter.

3. INT. UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE - NEW ORLEANS - DAY

SUPER: "One Month Ago"

JOHNNY SMITH, mid-twenties, shuffles through the line as IMAGES float through his mind of his teenage years in the Suburbs when the worst thing he had to worry about was his Dad being a drag queen. He sings "BEFORE THE LABOTOMY" with the other lost and broken in the room, and makes his way to the counselor's desk, who comments on him being a war veteran who's unemployable.

4. INT. THE UNDERGROUND - NIGHT

SAINT JIMMY, mid-twenties, bored and in need of amusement, sits in HELL and watches Johnny struggling for a life on an oversized SCREEN. Angry his friend struggles while the extremists and the powers that be fight over shit that doesn't even matter, he

sings "CHRISTIAN'S INFERNO" as IMAGES of the various people on the edge play on the screen.

After much thought and counsel with Ghandi, Buddha, Jesus, FDR, John Lennon and other liberals in Hell who make up THE UNDERGROUND, he decides on a plan to go aboveground to shake things up more so the extremists implode and America can get back to moderate and focus on what actually matters. Like a whisper in their ears that their cause is righteous, like a puppet-master using their fear and paranoia against them, he whispers in the ear of...

5. EXT. PRESS CONFERENCE - DAY

... The Chair of the Republican Party announces they will hold their convention at the Superdome in New Orleans in a cynical attempt to appear to give a shit about its recovery.

6. INT. DEMOCRATIC HEADQUARTERS - DAY

After watching the Republican press conference on TELEVISION the leaders of the Democratic Party jump into action to hold their own convention in New Orleans, in a cynical attempt to give a shit about being out-done by the conservatives.

7. EXT. MALL IN D.C. - DAY

GLORIA SMITH, early 40's, finishes a speech at an anti-war, anti-government, anti-pretty much everything the extremists think is wrong in this country event attended by all the usual players with a cause. CHRISTIAN MATTHEWS, the juvie skinhead from SLAPPY HOURS,

turned anti-government, religious militia zealot now in his mid-20s, leads the crowd in the song "VIVA LA GLORIA!"

8. EXT. SIDEWALK IN D.C. - DAY

Christian and Gloria walk through D.C. and talk about the political events happening in New Orleans and the protests planned in her hometown, and he invites her to join the cause because their goals are the same: to end the war and restore the country to what it was. Reluctant but intrigued, she hears him out and agrees to tour his compound in New Orleans and meet the others.

9. INT. COMPOUND IN THE SWAMPS IN THE BAYOU - DAY

Christian introduces Gloria around, explains their cause and her purpose in it.

In explaining their mission, Christian tells Gloria, "Sometimes it takes revolution to right the wrongs our government bestows upon us. Wars overseas killing our soldiers while our children at home starve. Americans unable to even get a job because they're going to a

bunch of foreigners who'll work for nothing. An un-American nigger socialist in the White House more concerned with advancing the interests of his people than he is with us real Americans, while he threatens to take away our very rights little by little. To take away our

guns, the only thing we have left to defend ourselves with. White Christian America is under seige and it's time to take back our country."

He sings, "KNOW YOUR ENEMY."

10. INT. PLACE OF BUSINESS - DAY

Humiliated, with no pride left at all, Johnny attempts to talk someone into hiring him for a shitty, low-paying job he's overqualified to do.

11. INT. HOUSE IN THE SWAMPS - DAY

*AN OBNOXIOUSLY FEMININE BEDROOM*

AMERICAN GIRL, *mid-forties*, sweet, quiet, naive, idealistic, ill-educated and uninformed and therefore easily-manipulated and vulnerable, sits at her make-up vanity and looks in the mirror as she gets ready. Books from the likes of the Bible, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, etc...

cover the table. Saint Jimmy walks around her room in the background, fondles the American flag hanging on her wall and sings "LAST OF THE AMERICAN GIRLS," the most dangerous extremist of them all.

12. EXT. SUBURBAN STREET IN METARIE, LOUISIANA - DAY

Johnny walks out of the place of business pocketing an employment application. The faded HELP WANTED sign hangs on one hinge in the window. He's immediately accosted by zealots with a cause holding signs and passing out leaflets. He sings the last few lines of "BEFORE THE LOBOTOMY" as he looks around overwhelmed and annoyed.

13. EXT. COMPOUND IN THE SWAMPS IN THE BAYOU - DAY

Christian invites Gloria to the Church service later that afternoon and she turns him down, goes home.

14. INT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

Excited volunteers rush around getting the place ready for the dual conventions taking place on opposite sides of the stadium.

15. INT. HOUSE IN THE SUBURBS - METARIE, LOUISIANA - DAY

Johnny sits on the couch flipping through channels on the television SCREEN, frustrated because it's just one FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN or MEDIA TALKING HEAD after another discussing the political events in New Orleans and other crap. Pissed, Johnny turns off the television, sings "STATIC AGE." just before Gloria gets home. She's revved up, excited about the events unfolding in New Orleans, tells him she's a key-note speaker at the protests. He talks to Gloria about the increase in activism and insanity, looks around incredulously at the evidence lying around of signs and leaflets of her own activism. He tells her he can't take it anymore and is going to see his Dad at Slappy Hours.

16. INT. AUTOMOBILE - DAY

Johnny drives in his car flipping through radio stations and getting nothing but news media and Christian talk radio again...

17. INT. CHURCH IN THE SWAMPS - DAY

... American Girl holds her Bible and watches Christian at the podium as he goes on and on about the revolution by force and their duty to God and country and the protests planned at the Superdome. An injured war veteran in military camo expresses dissent for Christian's cause, says violence isn't the answer. Christian and the congregation gang up on the soldier and they argue, sing "East Jesus Nowhere"

American Girl watches in fascination and fear, strengthens her resolve to God and country.

18. EXT. BUSES - DAY

Excited activists from various churches and organizations load up in buses and head to the Superdome.

19. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

Everyone converges on the Superdome and sets up shop in the parking lot, stake out their areas with tables, signs, buttons, t-shirts, etc...

20. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - NIGHT

Johnny, inebriated and pissed off, interrupts the drag show and makes a long-winded speech about how fucked up the world is, about how American idiots fucked him and this country up, just a rant of frustration until Bat, Remy and David get on stage to stop him. They

struggle a moment until Johnny pulls away and angrily sings "Modern World." Realizing Johnny's actually good, Bat gets his guitar and joins him.

21. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

SUPER: "Day One"

Gloria mingles with the people. There's a sense of camaraderie, excitement, good fellowship. Saint Jimmy walks through the crowd cynically enjoying the calm before the chaos.

American Girl gets a DON'T TREAD ON ME sign from one of the booths.

22. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - DAY

Johnny hangs out with David, Bat and Remy. Bat tries to talk Johnny into becoming a punk rock musician, tells him about his upcoming concert in a few days. They tease Johnny about his breakdown and Johnny tells them about his Mom being an activist even though he's back from the war and isn't even really hurt and how crazy the world has gotten. They sing "21 GUNS" as Bat shows him basic chords on the guitar.

23. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

SUPER: "Day Two"

Well, the goodwill was bound to erode. First skirmish occurs between the environmentalists and the Coalition for Responsible Oil Drilling. Stadium police are called in.

24. INT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

INTERCUT dual speeches by the Republican Party chair and the Democratic Party Chair as they mock muslims and the wars in the Middle East as the most dangerous terrorist threat to America. Their respective lemmings cheer them on as they sing "PEACEMAKER."

25. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

SUPER: "Day Three"

The pro-lifers throw mangled dolls at the pro-choicers, and all hell breaks loose. The pro-union groups jump on the preppy wimps in the pro-business league. The anti-immigration factions clash with minorities. And then there are Catholics fighting with Protestants fighting with Baptists. Riot police are called in while Christian and his brethren tap the guns on their hips and stand to the side watching the action.

26. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - NIGHT

Johnny sits in the empty bar after-hours and plays the guitar, clumsily manipulates the strings as he writes a song. Writing and singing "SEE THE LIGHT."

27. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - NIGHT

Gloria looks around at the mostly empty parking lot. Hesitation and disillusionment sets in. She finishes the song "SEE THE LIGHT."

28. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

Riot police stand in front of barriers between all the different factions as they scream over each other.

29. EXT. BUS AREA - DAY

Gloria walks up on Christian and other patriots tinkering under a church bus parked next to the building. She realizes it's rigged with explosives and confronts him about it just before she's to give her speech. He pulls her aside and tells her *it's just for show, that they aren't actually going to detonate it and they're just trying to get arrested to make a point about what they "could" do and get on the natiional news.* He cojoles her into doing her job, which is to rally the troops.

30. EXT. PODIUM IN THE PARKING LOT - DAY

Gloria reluctantly walks up to the make-shift stage to the podium, starts her speech, looks around, and instead sings "RESTLESS HEART SYNDROME" as she realizes they're all crazy and she wants out.

31. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - DAY

Johnny tells Bat, David and Remy that he'll perform at Bat's concert, if he still wants him.

32. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

Gloria walks away from the stage as everyone screams around her. Christian confronts her and Saint Jimmy is behind her. Christian tells her she's making a mistake leaving the cause. That they have to fight. To think of her son and his sacrifice. She tells him she is

thinking of her son and that's where she's going. To Bourbon Street, the promised land of non-believers, because she's finally seen the light of balance and moderation.

Christian retorts by telling her she'll only find a ruined life, a ruined America. Saint Jimmy encourages her to go.

Saint Jimmy and Christian sing "LITTLE GIRL" in a good angel/bad angel dichotomy.

33. EXT. PARKING LOT OF THE NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

Gloria pushes through the crowd who are screaming at her, at each other, fights break out again and a voiceover of Bat singing the last part of "AMERICAN EULOGY" plays.

Sing us a song of the century

It sings like American eulogy

The dawn of my love and conspiracy

Forgotten hope and the class of 13

Tell me a story into that good night

Sing us a song for me.

34. EXT. THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT

Johnny sits on a stool on-stage with an acoustic guitar and looks out at the thousands of fans, because everyone with any sense at all is at the Dyen Rage concert.

35. EXT. NEW ORLEANS SUPERDOME - DAY

American Girl loses it and Christian, angry and annoyed, tries to calm her down because she's trying to steal his glory and *he can't believe she's stupid enough to think they would really blow up the Superdome and everyone inside.* She tells him it's the only way to make people listen, and reveals a bomb strapped to her chest, sings "HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES."

36. EXT. THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT

Gloria walks towards Slappy Hours and the music at the Dyen Rage concert, sings "LAST NIGHT ON EARTH..."

37. EXT. THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT

Johnny sings on stage, just him and his guitar.

INTERCUT Johnny on stage and Gloria walking through The French Quarter singing "LAST NIGHT ON EARTH."

38. EXT. BOURBON STREET - NIGHT

A loud explosion followed by a second even louder explosion in the distance rocks the city of New Orleans and Gloria jumps, looks behind her in disbelief *at the fiery inferno in the distance.*

39. INT. SLAPPY HOURS - NIGHT

Gloria, freaked out and shaken, converses with Adam at the bar and tells him what just happened. Sirens blare in the distance and she sings "MURDER CITY." David and Madame Monique, Adam, Nora and Remy walk in and sing the song with her.

40. EXT. THE FRENCH QUARTER - NIGHT

Bat stands on-stage with Johnny and the rest of the band.

INTERCUT Bat and Johnny singing "21ST CENTURY BREAKDOWN" with the audience, which is made up of mostly teenagers and young adults, as IMAGES play of BOURBON STREET and THE FRENCH QUARTER, which retains the usual party of non-believers as

sirens and emergency vehicle lights flash all around the outskirts on their way to the SUPERDOME, which is now just a rubble of concrete.

Saint Jimmy stands BACKSTAGE with a wicked grin.

[pasalaska]

I haven't read the whole of the OP yet, but could I get you to think of a longer name for your thread - it's just we already have a few threads with the same name so it's better if this one could distinguish itself for search purposes

I'm also in two minds about moving this to the Words I Might Have Ate forum - we'll see if this generates discussion of the story from other people

[Micky]

We could also merge this thread with the American Idiot one?

Just a suggestion

[melissawebster]

Sorry! I didn't think of that. I'll re-name the thread, but it's intended to be interactive, so that's why I didn't put it on the Words I Might Have Ate thread. Let me know if you need that changed.

I have no idea how to put it on the American Idiot one as a different topic. How should I do it?

[Micky]

Sorry! I didn't think of that. I'll re-name the thread, but it's intended to be interactive, so that's why I didn't put it on the Words I Might Have Ate thread. Let me know if you need that changed.

I have no idea how to put it on the American Idiot one as a different topic. How should I do it?

Don't worry, a mod will do everything for you

[melissawebster]

Don't worry, a mod will do everything for you

Ha ha! Gotta love the mods.

[pasalaska]

Sorry! I didn't think of that. I'll re-name the thread, but it's intended to be interactive, so that's why I didn't put it on the Words I Might Have Ate thread. Let me know if you need that changed.

I have no idea how to put it on the American Idiot one as a different topic. How should I do it?

I don't see the point of merging it with the American Idiot story thread, just because they're two separate albums. There's no harm in putting the link for the AI thread in the OP though.

As for re-naming the thread, why not tie it in with the AI thread you already made and call it 21st Century Breakdown - If you could write... ?

edit: awesome, title's perfect.

[melissawebster]

Thanks! It is so funny you said that, because 21stCB resonated with me much more than AI did. So for me it's just the opposite. AI is my third favorite GD album. Though that doesn't mean much since I love all the albums.