'Ugly Americans' Raise $3 Million

[Thursday, June 27th, 2002]
DreamWorks-based Montecito Pictures has acquired "The Ugly Americans" from the comedy team of Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer in an astonishing deal worth more than $3 million -- one of the richest in history, reports Variety.

The trio relationship goes back more than a decade, when they worked together as writers on "Seinfeld."

Story concerns two American high school pals on the verge of graduation. One is passing German courtesy of his German pen pal, who translates his homework. But when the German expresses feelings for the teen and suggests a meeting, the student rebuffs the mysterious writer, thinking it's the act of a sexual predator. He soon discovers the pen pal is actually a fetching fraulein, and the pair sets off on a trans-European road trip.

Deal is unique in that it calls for all three scribes to co-helm the pic.

Pollock said, "They chose to do it with us because Ivan has a strong history with first-time directors, including Todd Phillips ("Road Trip"), Betty Thomas ("The Brady Bunch Movie") and Brian Levant ("Problem Child 2")."

Pollock said, "On the one level, it's a teen movie, but one that takes a fresh look at the genre, a really smart and different look at it."

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