“Don’t Eat Paper!”: Comedy in Therapy

Julius John Galacki, a playwright and screenwriter with a rich background in theater and film, shared insights into his latest comedy screenplay Don’t Eat Paper! during an interview with the Houston Comedy Film Festival. The film was nominated as a finalist for the Best Comedy Feature Screenplay Award at the Houston Comedy Film Festival. Below, Galacki answers questions about the origins of the story, the challenges of screenwriting, and what lies ahead for his career.

The Inspiration Behind Don’t Eat Paper! and Its Characters
The idea for Don’t Eat Paper! stems from Julius’s wife, a therapist who often deals with clients frequently rescheduling appointments. Inspired by the chaos of her work and the classic comedy What About Bob?, Julius’s imagination kicked into overdrive, envisioning a story where a neurotic client dies but continues expecting therapy sessions.

Although Julius’s wife maintains strict confidentiality, she provided insight into psychological concepts such as transference, which helped shape the characters. The main character, Joanie, draws some inspiration from both Julius and his wife, but ultimately, the story’s characters grew organically through Julius’s writing process and feedback from his writers’ group, Safehouse, where actors perform and critique new material.

Comparable Films for Don’t Eat Paper! and Market Fit
Julius sees Don’t Eat Paper! as a blend of What About Bob? and Just Like Heaven, with a touch of the quirky ensemble humor of Little Miss Sunshine. The screenplay also evokes the manic energy of classic farces like It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. From a business perspective, he envisions it as a potential release through Searchlight Pictures, due to its blend of farce, romance, and quirky ensemble comedy.

Julius’s Screenwriting Journey
Although Julius has been involved in screenwriting for 19 years, his primary background is in playwriting. With a BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MA from NYU’s Gallatin School, he later attended Yale School of Drama for playwriting, where he also took screenwriting classes. While his love for the stage remains, Julius divides his time equally between playwriting and screenwriting, focusing on the latter in his Los Angeles career.

Upcoming Projects and What’s Next
In addition to submitting Don’t Eat Paper! to screenplay competitions, Julius is working on a comic murder mystery set on the Jersey Shore. He hopes to direct one of his feature-length scripts in the near future and continues revising older screenplays while seeking representation and interest from producers.

How to Get in Touch with Julius
Those interested in Julius’s work can reach him via email at julius.galacki@gmail.com. Be sure to mention that you heard about him through the Houston Comedy Film Festival. For more information, visit his website www.juliusgalacki.com, or check out his film All Things Chicken at allthingschickenthemovie.com.

Social Media Presence
While Julius admits he isn’t very active on social media, his personal Facebook page is available at facebook.com/Yale.Playwright, and his Instagram handle is @julius.galacki.

Julius is a member of the Dramatists Guild but has yet to join the Writers Guild of America (WGA). He continues to pursue new opportunities and plans to direct a full-length feature film in the future.

From the Film Festival Circuit Founder, Mikal Fair: