50 Coolest Movie Writers

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Meet the on-screen literati

P. L. Travers - Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

"Respontible is not a word... UN make it up".

The Writer - The Ghost (2010)

The Movie Writer: Ewan McGregor plays the unnamed British chap recruited to complete the memoirs of a former Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan) after his predecessor popped his clogs in mysterious fashion.

Coolest Moment: Raising a glass to Lang's wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) after uncovering her very, very dirty secret.

That's how to gloat. Shame the aftermath isn't quite as smooth...

Christy Brown - My Left Foot (1989)

The Movie Writer: Daniel Day-Lewis puts in yet another Oscar-winning turn as Christy Brown, a man with cerebral palsy who learns to paint and write using only his left foot.

Coolest Moment: His father learns to accept him after ten-year-old Christy writes the word 'mother' on his floor in chalk. Powerful stuff.

Harvey Pekar - American Splendor (2003)

The Movie Writer: Creator of the beloved American Splendor comics, Pekar (Paul Giamatti) gets a cinematic makeover in this movie portraying both his life and his brilliant work.

Coolest Moment: On turning himself into a comic:

"No phony bullshit. The real thing, y'know? Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff."

Charlie and Donald Kaufman - Adaptation (2002)

The Movie Writers: Twin brothers Charlie and Donald fall into a screenwriting rivalry that starts out with bickering and ends up being a whole lot more complex. We're talking murder.

Coolest Moment: It has to be the very un-cool sound of Charlie's neurotic voiceover as he tries desperately to write his script:

"To begin... To begin... How to start? I'm hungry. I should get coffee. Coffee would help me think. Maybe I should write something first, then reward myself with coffee."

Truman Capote - Capote (2005)

The Movie Writer: Notorious writer Truman Capote is given the Philip Seymour Hoffman treatment in this award-winning movie, showing us the creation of his non-fiction work In Cold Blood.

Coolest Moment: Charming housewife Marie (Amy Ryan) with his glittering tales of celebrities, parties and film sets.

Barton Fink - Barton Fink (1991)

The Movie Writer: Trapped in the almost deserted Hotel Earle while he completes his first movie script, Fink (John Turturro) gets lost in a trippy tale of writer's block, celebrity and decapitated heads.

The movie is crammed full of self-referential material, as the Coen brothers mirrored their own creative difficulties with Fink's.

Coolest Moment: Fink's speech about his duty as a writer:

"The life of the mind ... exploring it can be painful. The kind of pain most people don't know anything about."

Oscar Wilde - Wilde (1997)

The Movie Writer: Who doesn't love the quick-witted and painfully funny work of Oscar Wilde?

Britain's much-loved dandy was portrayed beautifully by Stephen Fry in director Brian Gilbert's moving biography.

Coolest Moment: Coming out on the stand in order to protect himself and the man he loved.

Melvin Udall - As Good As It Gets (1997)

The Movie Writer: Obsessive-compulsive, misanthropic and difficult chap Melvin (Jack Nicholson) ends up on an oddball roadtrip in James L. Brooks' compelling rom-com.

Coolest Moment: His entire journey from grouchy recluse to something altogether nicer is pretty darn cool, but we love the moment he tells waitress Carol (Helen Hunt) that she makes him want to take his OCD pills and get better.

Karen Eiffel - Stranger Than Fiction (2007)

The Movie Writer: Bonafide literary kook Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) takes the term omnipresent narrator to a whole new level as her booming voice appears one day to dull taxman (and protagonist of her new novel) Harold Crick (Will Ferrel).

Coolest Moment: The first time we meet Karen she's standing on the roof of a high-rise building, preparing to jump. Turns out it's all in her head, but it's a pretty memorable first impression.