JUST MARRIED was inspired by screenwriter Sam Harper’s chaotic experiences on his own honeymoon in Italy, fifteen years ago. "My wife and I started fighting on the first night on our honeymoon," laughs Harper. "We had a month in Italy with all these great places to stay and see, but we were at each other throats the entire time. By the end of the honeymoon, she was staring at me with a look of buyer’s remorse.
"Thankfully," Harper adds, "my wife and I are still happily married. But everyone I have spoken to on the subject has had at least one day, or at least a couple hours on their honeymoon where they were looking at the person across the bed and thinking to themselves, ‘What did I do?’"
Years later, Harper envisioned a story that would explore the universal and often hilarious struggles of a young married couple. "It took over a decade for me to process that moment in my life and turn it into a screenplay," says the screenwriter.
Harper’s script found its way to producer Robert Simonds – who happened to be returning from his own Italian honeymoon. "Sam had just finished writing a different project for me, and his JUST MARRIED screenplay happened to be in my pack of scripts to read on the long flight back from Italy," recalls Simonds. "I got about twenty-five pages into the script when I called Sam from the plane and told him I would buy it. I thought his screenplay was funny and authentic, with Sam’s insight into marriage being spot-on. His story is emotionally disorienting in the same way being in an intense relationship can be disorienting."
Shortly after returning from his honeymoon, Simonds found a home for JUST MARRIED at Twentieth Century Fox, and Simonds and Harper’s early vision for the film began to crystallize. "Our goal with JUST MARRIED is to tell a story with emotional depth and mix it with a lot of comedy," says the producer. "Many people I know have had less-than-perfect honeymoon experiences, or have had a romantic vacation with a significant other that was just a complete mess. We thought it would be interesting to take characters that were told they were too young to get married and immediately put them through a vacation that goes awry and makes them doubt their heart and decision."
With their concept in place and Harper fine tuning the script, the filmmakers began discussing actors to play Tom Leezak. Tom’s testosterone-fueled world is turned upside down when his errant football pass knocks over a comely young woman, Sarah, who is walking her dog on the beach. It’s love at first sight for Tom and Sarah, who move in together and decide to get married against the better advice of their family and friends.
The filmmakers’ search to find Tom Leezak began and ended with Ashton Kutcher. "Ashton has developed an increasing loyal following of fans from ‘That ‘70s Show’ and ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’" Simonds points out. "Lucky for us, he was looking for a project that showcased his range as well as comedic talents."
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