Scott Alexander (born June 16, 1963) and Larry Karaszewski (; born November 20, 1961) are an American

screenwriting Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession. Screenwriters are responsible for researching the story, de ...

team. They are best known for writing postmodern

biopics A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

with larger-than-life characters. They coined the term "anti-biopic" to describe the genre they invented: Movies about people who don't deserve one. They are uninterested in the traditional "great man" story, focusing instead on obscure strivers in American pop culture. They met at the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

where they were freshman roommates; they graduated from the

School of Cinematic Arts The University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) houses seven academic divisions: Film & Television Production; Cinema & Media Studies; John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts; John Wells Division of Writing for Sc ...

in 1985.

Biography

Their first success was the popular but critically derided comedy '' Problem Child'' (1990). Alexander and Karaszewski claim that their original screenplay was a sophisticated

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

, but that the studio replaced them and watered it down into an unrecognizable state. With the studio in a hurry to make a sequel, they returned to write ''

Problem Child 2 ''Problem Child 2'' is a 1991 American black comedy film, and a sequel to the 1990 film '' Problem Child''; a continuation of the exploits of Junior ( Michael Oliver), an adopted orphan boy who deliberately wreaks comedic havoc everywhere he goes ...

''. In 1992, dissatisfied with their career, they decided to write a biopic about Edward D. Wood, Jr. Rather than mocking him, they identified with the obscure filmmaker and his struggles.

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), '' Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), '' The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993 ...

loved their script ''

Ed Wood Edward Davis Wood Jr. (October 10, 1924 – December 10, 1978) was an American filmmaker, actor, and pulp novel author. In the 1950s, Wood directed several low-budget science fiction, crime and horror films that later became cult cla ...

'' and agreed to direct it. They had written the screenplay in six weeks. ''

''’s acclaim led to a succession of offbeat biopics. They wrote ''

The People vs. Larry Flynt ''The People vs. Larry Flynt'' is a 1996 American Biographical film, biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman, chronicling the rise of pornographer Larry Flynt and his subsequent clash with religious institutions and the law. It stars Wo ...

'' and '' Man on the Moon'' (about the short life of comedian

Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...

), both films directed by

Milos Forman Milos or Melos (; el, label=Modern Greek, Μήλος, Mílos, ; grc, Μῆλος, Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group. The ''Venus d ...

. They produced ''

Auto Focus ''Auto Focus'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Paul Schrader and starring Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe. The screenplay by Michael Gerbosi is based on Robert Graysmith's book ''The Murder of Bob Crane'' (1993). ''Auto Focus ...

'', chronicling the downfall and subsequent murder of Hogan's Heroes star

Bob Crane Robert Edward Crane (July 13, 1928 – June 29, 1978) was an American actor, drummer, radio personality, and disc jockey known for starring in the CBS situation comedy '' Hogan's Heroes''. Crane was a drummer from age 11, and he began his en ...

. A script they penned about the life of

Robert Ripley LeRoy Robert Ripley (February 22, 1890 – May 27, 1949) was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and amateur anthropologist, who is known for creating the ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' newspaper panel series, television show, and radio show, ...

of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' was at one time attached to Jim Carrey, but like their script about

The Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act that was successful in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. Five of the Marx Brothers' thirteen feature films were selected by the American Film Institute (AFI) ...

, it has yet to be produced. They also adapted Stephen King's short story ''

1408 Year 1408 ( MCDVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * February 19 – Battle of Bramham Moor: A royalist army defeats the last remnants o ...

'', did uncredited rewrites on ''

Mars Attacks! ''Mars Attacks!'' is a 1996 American science fiction comedy film directed by Tim Burton, who also co-produced it with Larry J. Franco. The screenplay by Jonathan Gems was based on the Topps trading card series of the same name. The film featu ...

'', and worked on a number of family films, such as ''

Agent Cody Banks ''Agent Cody Banks'' is a 2003 American spy action comedy film directed by Harald Zwart. The film follows the adventures of the 15-year-old title character, played by Frankie Muniz, who has to finish his chores, avoid getting grounded, and sa ...

'', a remake of ''

That Darn Cat ''That Darn Cat!'' is a 1965 American thriller comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones in a story about bank robbers, a kidnapping and a mischievous cat; produced by Walt Disney Productions. The fil ...

'', and ''

Goosebumps ''Goosebumps'' is a series of children's horror fiction novels by American author R. L. Stine, published by Scholastic Publishing. The protagonists in these stories are tweens or young teens who find themselves in scary circumstances usually ...

''. In 2000, they made their directorial debut with '' Screwed''. In 2007, they both appeared in the documentary '' Dreams on Spec'', a film looking at the Hollywood creative process from the perspective of the writer. The duo wrote Tim Burton's 2014 film ''

Big Eyes ''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It is about the relationship between American artist Margaret Keane ...

'', a biopic about painter

Margaret Keane Margaret D. H. Keane (born Peggy Doris Hawkins, September 15, 1927 – June 26, 2022) was an American artist known for her paintings of subjects with big eyes. She mainly painted women, children, or animals in oil or mixed media. The work achi ...

. They were slated to direct but vacated later. The film took them eleven years to get made. In 2016, the team created their first television series, ''

American Crime Story ''American Crime Story'' is an American anthology true crime television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are also executive producers, alongside Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. The ser ...

'', which is a true crime anthology drama.

The first season ''The First Season'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1989. The film stars Kate Trotter as Alex Cauldwell, a woman in British Columbia who, following the death of her fisherman husband Frank (Dwight Koss), tries to support herself and her dau ...

is based on the O. J. Simpson trial. The show won nine

Primetime Emmys The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

after it aired on FX in 2016, with Alexander and Karaszewski nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special. They won the Emmy, Golden Globe,

Writers Guild Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility T ...

, and

Producers Guild Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...

for this miniseries. In 2019, they wrote the biopic ''

Dolemite Is My Name ''Dolemite Is My Name'' is a 2019 American biographical comedy film directed by Craig Brewer and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. The film stars Eddie Murphy as filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore, who is best known for having portrayed t ...

'', Eddie Murphy’s return to the big screen, which has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Karaszewski and Alexander have been inducted into the Final Draft (software) Screenwriter Hall of Fame. Other inductees include Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne and Paul Schrader. They have also both served as advisors to the Sundance Screenwriting Labs. Karaszewski is currently a Governor for the Writers Branch of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

. He is also Vice President of History and Preservation for the Academy. Karaszewski co-chaired the Oscar’s International Executive Committee from 2018-2020. He was instrumental in changing the name of the category from Best Foreign Language Film to Best International Feature. Alexander has served four terms on the Board of Directors for the

Writers Guild of America West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 mem ...

. The duo are active cineastes in Los Angeles hosting screenings of classic films for the

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, nonprofit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. The Cinematheque was created in 1981 as ...

. Karaszewski’s numerous film commentaries can be found on the website

Trailers from Hell ''Trailers from Hell'' (branded as ''Trailers from Hell!'') is a web series in which filmmakers discuss and promote individual movies through commenting on their trailers. While the series emphasizes horror, science fiction, fantasy, cult, and expl ...

. Karaszewski also currently serves on the board of directors of the National Film Preservation Foundationbr>
Both Karaszewski and Alexander were teenage filmmakers. Alexander’s Super 8 work was featured in a traveling theatrical release spotlighting young directors that also included J.J. Abrams. Karaszewski spent his youth as actor/writer/director on the award winning student television program

Beyond Our Control ''Beyond Our Control'' was an American youth-produced television series that aired on local NBC affiliate WNDU-TV in South Bend, Indiana for 19 seasons from 1967 to 1986. Usually televised from late-January to mid-May of each year, the program w ...

. They are frequent guests on film related podcasts. Among the shows they have appeared on are Maltin on Movies, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, The Movies That Made Me, The Pure Cinema Podcast, The Dana Gould Hour, The Marx Brothers Council Podcast, The Big Picture, The Treatment, The Film Scene with Ileana Douglas, The Adam Corolla Show, Post Mortem with Mick Garris, The Cannon with Amy Nicholson and The Empire Film Podcast.

Filmography

Film writers Producers * ''

'' (2002) Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Scott, And Larry Karaszewski 1961 births 1963 births American film directors American male screenwriters Primetime Emmy Award winners Golden Globe Award-winning producers Best Screenplay Golden Globe winners Living people Screenwriting duos Screenwriters from California USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Writers Guild of America Award winners American people of Polish descent