TMS Archive: The Distinction Between Inspiration and Ripoff

(Warner Bros)

NOTE: This article was originally written for DGO Magazine in 2019

There is a fine line between taking influence from a previous source for your own original idea, and just plain ripping off another artist. A new comedy starring Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway, Chris Addison’s The Hustle (2019), is being described as a gender-swapped, modern version of Frank Oz’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)—which in itself is a remake of Stanley Shapiro’s Bedtime Story (1964). Three different interpretations of the same plot. Similar cases occurred with Leo McCarey’s Love Affair (1939), which was remade twice as An Affair to Remember (1957), directed by McCarey again, and Glenn Gordon Caron’s Love Affair (1994); plus Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle (1993) to a lesser extent. The most famous example of this is, of course, A Star is Born, made originally as George Cukor’s What Price Hollywood in 1932 and then four more times with the more recognizable title in 1937, 1954, 1976 and 2018. While all these remakes could easily fall under the Hollywood’s ‘running out of ideas’ banner, there’s something to be a little admired of the creators owning up to putting a new spin on an old story.

(Warner Bros)

But how far can influence go? The biggest movie of the year, the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame (2019) has viewers noticing not only similar themes to Richard Marquand’s Return of the Jedi (1983), but also the 2001 season seven finale of UPN’s Star Trek spin-off “Voyager” (also amusingly called ‘Endgame’). Yet even with the similarities pointed out, it hasn’t affected the success of the Avengers feature. Possibly because the modern Marvel franchise is so beloved and so many people have seen it, and some aren’t Star Trek fans. Sometimes, usually with flops, the original creator of the source used for inspiration will go through the effort to challenge the new interpreter legally. As was the instance when John Carpenter successfully sued Luc Besson for nicking the plot of Escape from New York (1981) for Lockout (2012).

Later to come this year, we have remakes/new adaptations of Aladdin, The Lion King, Witness for the Prosecution, Charlie’s Angels, Little Women; as well as Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart (2019) and Gene Stupnitsky’s Good Boys (2019), both of which look like they take a lot from Greg Mottola’s Superbad (2007) based on their trailers. Here’s hoping at least one of them brings something fresh to the same old story.

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