We all know that being a screenwriter is a lonely, thankless job. There have been myriad narrative movies that tell us so (The Player, Sunset Boulevard, Barton Fink, etc).
It's a rarity when we get the straight poop right from the writers' mouths but Peter Hanson and Paul Robert Herman's Tales from the Script provides a soap box for dozens of writers to share their war stories. Some folks, like William Goldman, take to the task with relish, unloading with both barrels and sparing no one from his wrath. Meanwhile, less-established writers shy away from dishing too much dirt, their next paycheck depending on still "playing the game" in Hollywood. Between the two extremes, subdivided by level of jadedness, there's a central theme to the entire talking-head documentary--writers aren't appreciated. This isn't news to just about anyone but perhaps this film will be viewed and taken to heart by young scribes with stars in their eyes.
If you get off on hearing the dirt about someone's profession (as I do) then Tales from the Script will bring a smile to your face. I highly recommend checking out this DVD, especially the extra "The Gospel According to Bill", a solid twelve minutes of golden curmudgeon William Goldman.
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