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What Notable American Features Do NOT Use the Three Act Structure?

M

marktapiokines

Hi all -

I teach Screenwriting Fundamentals on Lynda.com. When my course launched, I read a comment somewhere from a well-meaning Italian who dismissed any course that would even mention the three act structure. (Obviously some people equate all 3 act movies with high-concept Hollywood junk.) I responded that many artistic and challenging films like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and THERE WILL BE BLOOD adhere closely to this structure.

So my question for you is... In the last 30 years or so... What noteworthy American features (studio or indie) are NOT 3-act films? This isn't a conversation about whether the structure is good or bad. This is purely a challenge to name films from the 1980s onward that didn't use it.

I'll start with PULP FICTION, MEMENTO, and - an odd choice, but it's true - John Carpenter's THEY LIVE. I can't honestly think of any others off the top of my head. Can you?

Mark Tapio Kines
http://www.cassavafilms.com
 
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In my opinion, Pulp Fiction is the best example of a successful American film that absolutely does not follow any three act arc. I think you could almost consider it to be an anthology. Each smaller story definitely follows the three act arc, but they don't connect to form any greater story.

I think Forrest Gump is debatable. Although the story is episodic, his character actually does undergo a lot of transformation by the end of the film. And if transformation doesn't epitomize the three act structure, I don't know what does.

I think a lot of "real life" stories suffer from not following the three act structure. Real life isn't written in three acts, after all. This year, I think two movies are particularly overrated. They both have a beginning and an ending, but not much of a middle; they both just kinda wander around. Captain Phillips and 12 Years a Slave both boast extraordinary performances from their cast, but they both offer a whole lot of no story.

And don't get me started on All is Lost.
 
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Cracker Funk said:
In my opinion, Pulp Fiction is the best example of a successful American film that absolutely does not follow any three act arc. I think you could almost consider it to be an anthology. Each smaller story definitely follows the three act arc, but they don't connect to form any greater story.

I think Forrest Gump is debatable. Although the story is episodic, his character actually does undergo a lot of transformation by the end of the film. And if transformation doesn't epitomize the three act structure, I don't know what does.

I think a lot of "real life" stories suffer from not following the three act structure. Real life isn't written in three acts, after all. This year, I think two movies are particularly overrated. They both have a beginning and an ending, but not much of a middle; they both just kinda wander around. Captain Phillips and 12 Years a Slave both boast extraordinary performances from their cast, but they both offer a whole lot of no story.

And don't get me started on All is Lost.
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Thanks for your insights. Yep, we're all in agreement that PULP FICTION is perhaps the best example of a major American film that throws the three act structure out the window.

Regarding your statement, "if transformation doesn't epitomize the three act structure, I don't know what does": actually I believe that transformation epitomizes ALL good storytelling, regardless of the structure. PULP FICTION certainly gives us lots of transformation, at least in the sense that several characters who are alive at the beginning of the picture are dead by the end of it!

I disagree with you on CAPTAIN PHILLIPS. Not only did I find it very exciting personally, I also found it to have a solid story - and a definite three act structure. (Spoilers to follow.) Act 1: Phillips gets on his ship and does his best to ward off the pirates. Act 2: The pirates board Phillips' ship. Halfway point: Phillips is taken hostage on the lifeboat. Act 3: The Navy arrives to resolve the situation. I didn't bring my stopwatch into the theater, but I'd bet that each of these beats happens more or less at 30 minute intervals, which is the standard rhythm for a three-act feature.
 
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