Pay As You Go
Tagline: Love in the time of tax
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Stephen Fry
Synopsis: Stephen Fry is the British Prime Minister who has to find a way to introduce an unpopular new Family Tax. He hires Scarlett as a PR advisor and she has to liaise with Hugh (the Prime Minister’s chief aid). They disagree on her methods but finally they fall in love and somehow set an example with their romance that helps people accept the new tax with good graces.
Rejected Taglines: “Only two things are certain in life - True Love and Taxes.”
Climactic Scene. -The setting is British parliament. Stephen Fry is riding on a wave of popularity as he goes to bring in this new tax (which ordinarily would be difficult/unpopular to pass). He starts off by addressing parliament and no doubt there is witty banter between himself and the Opposition party. Richard E. Grant plays the leader of the Opposition because he is really good at sneering and being scathingly witty.
Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson are sitting apart from each but both watching. They have broken up in the previous scene over the differences and this tax thing. Hugh Jackman has re-written this speech which he gave to the PM just before this scene with some ‘last minute’ changes.
The speech is a not-very-well disguised analogy for the relationship between the protagonists which gets a standing ovation from the Members and an embrace and such from the protagonists. This is so well written that apparently this scheme (which puts in jeopardy a billion-pound tax) can bring true love and taxes at the same time. I imagine it is heavy on schmaltz and thin on facts.
Executive Producer Notes: At the end Richard E. Grant is either forced (grudgingly) to applaud along with everyone else or is instead the subject of some unlikely physical pratfall (being run out of court by the official carriage of shame or some such). Both of these would be great but test audience were split down the middle.