Save the Cat rankings

Arsenic and Old Lace script analysis

Arsenic and Old Lace script - Save the Cat beat sheet analysis

Arsenic and Old Lace follows Mortimer Brewster as he navigates the deadly secrets of his kindly aunts while planning his own marriage. What begins as a light romantic comedy spirals into farcical chaos when Mortimer uncovers a series of murders, his homicidal brother Jonathan, and his commitment-obsessed neighbour Teddy. The story tracks his struggle to protect Elaine and restore order to his family home.

70 Save the Cat fit score 78% analysis confidence / 32 parsed scenes

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1

Opening Image

Scene 1 / Page 1 / 1% target

75%

Mortimer’s embarrassment at obtaining a marriage license establishes his bachelor persona and the film’s comic tone.

2

Theme Stated

Scene 2 / Page 1 / 5% target

80%

Mortimer’s line about being the ‘symbol of bachelorhood’ hints at the theme of commitment versus freedom.

Don't you understand ? How can I marry you ? Me, the symbol of bachelorhood.
3

Set-Up

Scene 3 / Pages 1-3 / 10% target

72%

We meet Abby, Martha and Teddy, and learn of Mortimer’s comfortable domestic life before the first major twist.

4

Catalyst

Scene 4 / Pages 3-4 / 12% target

78%

Mortimer’s announcement that he’s secretly married shocks his aunts and triggers the disruption of his ordered world.

Hold on to your bustles. We're married. Elaine and I are married.
5

Debate

Scenes 5-7 / Pages 4-7 / 20% target

76%

Mortimer wrestles with awkward wedding plans and then discovers a corpse in the window-seat, questioning his sanity and his aunts’ motives.

But there's a body in the window-seat !
6

Break into Two

Scenes 7-8 / Pages 7-8 / 25% target

74%

Confronted with undeniable evidence of murder, Mortimer decides to delve deeper into his aunts’ crimes rather than flee.

7

B Story

Scene 9 / Page 8 / 30% target

70%

Mortimer’s attempts to calm Elaine and arrange Teddy’s commitment subplot bring in his romantic storyline.

Get out of here ! Do you want to be poisoned, do you want to be murdered, do...
8

Fun and Games

Scenes 10-12 / Pages 8-12 / 40% target

75%

A series of comic mishaps: hiding bodies, fleeing in cabs, and a brother’s dramatic arrival keep the tone darkly humorous.

9

Midpoint

Scene 12 / Page 12 / 50% target

80%

Jonathan’s unexpected arrival raises the stakes; Mortimer’s world turns from eccentric to genuinely dangerous.

Aunt Abby. Aunt Martha. It's Jonathan.
10

Bad Guys Close In

Scenes 17-18 / Pages 17-18 / 65% target

77%

Jonathan’s threats and the police scrutiny tighten the noose around Mortimer’s efforts to cover up the murders.

I'll take care of you, Mortimer, in just a little while.
11

All Is Lost

Scene 27 / Page 27 / 75% target

79%

O’Hara reveals Jonathan as an escaped lunatic, marking a low point where all seems hopeless.

Certainly, he's wanted somewhere. In Indiana ! He escaped from the prison for criminally insane. He's a lifer.
12

Dark Night of the Soul

Scenes 28-29 / Pages 28-29 / 80% target

72%

Witherspoon’s arrival underscores Mortimer’s isolation as he wrestles with how to save his aunts, himself and Elaine.

13

Break into Three

Scene 30 / Page 30 / 85% target

75%

Mortimer secures the commitment papers, synthesizing all he’s learned into a plan to end the chaos.

Why-why... why not ? Why not, indeed ?
14

Finale

Scene 31 / Page 31 / 95% target

78%

The aunts go to Happy Dale and Mortimer learns his true parentage, resolving both murder plot and identity arc.

I'm not really a Brewster ! I'm the son of a sea cook !
15

Final Image

Scene 32 / Page 32 / 99% target

70%

Mortimer departs happily with Elaine, bookending the story with domestic harmony restored.