A look inside Hollywood and the movies. : ‘Hello, Police? I Think My Subconscious Is Being Tapped’

The set-up: A young couple whose relationship is on shaky ground arrives in Las Vegas. A rich, middle-aged man is attracted to the young woman and offers a huge sum of money if she will spend time with him, alone. Lured by the money, the young couple agrees. The rich man flies the woman out of Vegas and they spend a romantic interlude at a private hideaway. The young man becomes a jealous wreck . . . and so on.

This is the basic plot of “Honeymoon in Vegas,” the just-opened comedy that stars James Caan, Nicolas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.

But it’s also the basic plot of “Indecent Proposal,” the now-filming drama starring Robert Redford, Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson.

The stories are not exactly the same. There is a big difference in tone between the two--one is an oddball, slapstick farce. The other a dark, psychological drama. But the question arises: How is it that two movies made within a year of each other could be that much alike?

There is no clear-cut answer. The facts suggest that the plot similarities are nothing more than a fluke. But what a fluke, even in an industry in which the borrowing, rewriting and outright stealing of ideas is considered fairly commonplace.

“Honeymoon in Vegas” was actually conceived after “Indecent Proposal,” which was based on a book by the same name written by Jack Engelhard, published in early 1988 and optioned for screen development in May of 1989 by producers Tom Schulman and Alex Gartner. After some 18 months of false starts, in October, 1990, the pair hired Amy Holden Jones to write a screenplay loosely based on the novel. (“It was the basic concept that we were attracted to,” said Schulman.) Jones turned in her initial draft in January, 1991; the project was bought soon afterward by Paramount Pictures.

“Indecent Proposal” became a “go” when director Adrian Lyne and producer Sherry Lansing, who last collaborated on “Fatal Attraction,” got on board in summer, 1991. After months of rewrites and other pre-production concerns, filming began last June. “Indecent Proposal” is expected to be released in April or May.

“Honeymoon in Vegas,” according to writer-director Andrew Bergman’s agent, Bob Bookman of Creative Artists Agency, was simply an original screenplay of Bergman’s, written on spec, and submitted to Bookman in January, 1991. It was bought by Castle Rock Entertainment in March and rushed into pre-production. “Honeymoon” began shooting in August, 1991, while “Indecent Proposal” was still being rewritten. Ever since it opened on Aug. 28, it’s been No. 1 at the box office, grossing about $20 million.

When they learned of each other’s existence, the “Indecent” and “Honeymoon” camps reacted indifferently, say sources. “Someone brought up ‘Honeymoon’ at a meeting last fall, pointing out the similar plots, “ recalls “Indecent Proposal” scriptwriter Jones. “But nobody thought it was important, since it was a comedy and such a different kind of film.”

To many in the industry, it isn’t surprising that plots as similar as those belonging to “Honeymoon in Vegas” and “Indecent Proposal” came along at the same time. According to various writers, agents and producers, the subconscious sharing of the same idea is routine. In the final analysis, nobody seems to know who thought up anything first. “It’s like trying to find the headwaters of the Nile,” remarks a Castle Rock insider.

Some claim that the industry openly encourages similar ideas. “This kind of thing happens a lot,” says William Morris story editor Peter Patrizzi. “If a writer is going to succeed with a script, he or she is continually told, ‘Write something familiar but with a fresh twist.’ There really is a collective unconscious out there. It’s one big daisy chain.”

Bookman blames the syndrome of shared ideas on development executives. “They all know each other and they get together all the time, sharing all the secrets, the gossip,” he remarks. “They’re the termites of the film industry--chewing on all the new plots, gnawing away at the foundations.”