Deja Vu

Rating: 10/10 (10 July 2017)

Imagine it is 1987, and you are a budding teenage screenwriter/director. You wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea for a script about a young man with a Sony Walkman and hearing problem who can drive a car like Ryan O'Neal in The Driver. Your guy is younger and more innocent, and you picture Brad Pitt, who you have been watching on TV's Dallas, as your star.
Along side Brad, you see Jennifer Jason Leigh, after seeing her in The Hitcher and Sister, Sister. She is the young heroine, a waitress. For the sinister mastermind, you envision Gene Hackman. And for the heavy, ruthless hard-ass, you picture Samuel L. Jackson, fresh from Spenser: For Hire. Throw in Mel Gibson as another heavy and a cocky ingenue Marisa Tomei (from the World Turns) as his moll. Finally, you add a soundtrack with work from Paul Simon, James Brown, Dave Brubeck, The Commodores, Isaac Hayes, Barry White, Queen, The Beach Boys, Randy Newman, Quincy Jones, Ike and Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers Band, Aretha Franklin, Phil Collins, Kiss, and a whole bunch of newbies.
You call it "Baby Driver" and hitchhike to the studios in Hollywood, who are impressed by your juvenile spunk and love the idea but cannot see the casting. "Brad what?" "Gene is doing another Superman." "Samuel L. who?" "Marisa Tommy?!?!?" "You will never get Mel in a supporting role." "What is all that music 'mixing' about?" "Go home and grow up!" You are discouraged and set your script on your shelf. However, you never give up.
Thirty years later, you dust it off and get Ansel to do Brad's role and Lily to do Jennifer's. Instead of Gene, you get Kevin Spacey. For Mr. Jackson's role, you recruit Jamie Foxx. Finally, you pull in John Hamm and Elza Gonzalez to fit Mel Gibson and Marisa Tomei's roles.
You keep your soundtrack intact, including the newbies who are no longer new, and add newer newbies, too.
Done.