Richard Miller is the screenwriter of Ocean City, which is like a time capsule of the summer of 1966 in NJ. We follow a group of young college guys that get a summer job bar-tending at Bay-shores. We ...Show More
Richard Miller is the screenwriter of Ocean City, which is like a time capsule of the summer of 1966 in NJ. We follow a group of young college guys that get a summer job bar-tending at Bay-shores. We get to know these fellas as they drink, bar-tend, get in brawls, chase after girls and listen to some bands rocking in the background (the proposed soundtrack is excellent) it's almost like "American graffiti" showing us the time period in a nostalgic manner. It's fun, and it feels real, like someone's memories of the time. Among the guys we meet are Richard, Brian, Super, Bobby, Damian and many more. It's as if someone told us the wild stories of their summer job way back when. The descriptions of cars, music, parties are all vivid. They truly transport us to this era, and the thing about it is that things haven't changed that much, it's relevant. Sure, the music was better back then, but the script perfectly captures the spirit of summer.Now, not everything is parties and sunshine, there's some darkness lurking within the pages of the script, particularly in the form of Ray Bass. The guys hang out with this fella without knowing that he is in fact a monster. A murderous pedophile to be precise. This is probably the aspect of the script that anchors things into a more raw and realistic world. Life is full of twists and turns and this development happens to be quite shocking. The scene where Ray reveals his true nature is quite harsh and takes the script into a completely different direction. It's something lurking around the pages, with a Detective following the trail of Ray, right up to the scene in which the guys finally catch up to him, right after his latest victim turns out to be the daughter of a close friend. The scene on the bridge is a stand out of tension.Ultimately, Ocean City is a fun read (right up until the most shocking parts) it's got a dynamic narrative, it moves at a breakneck pace and keeps marching up. The dialogue is brisk, fast and feels spoken rather than written. This is to say that people actually do sound like this when talking among each other. The music proposed (and we say proposed because until the rights are secured it's all up in the air) is an excellent selection that helps the immersive experience of the script. Even for those who have never experimented the time period nor the place, it's easy to relate to that particular period. It's almost hard to believe that this script would be considered a "period piece" for it is so fresh and still relevant to the experiences of many at that age. This down to earth quality is Ocean City's greatest strength. Hide
