Last of Kin by Mike Makowsky - Short, Drama - Seventeen year-old Neil struggles to eulogize his arguably irredeemable mother. 15 pages - pdf, format

Mike,
Excellent work.  I really felt the emotional notes you put into it.  David and Neil are definitely afflicted characters.  I liked how David's straight talk with Neil in the bathroom tell his sister's story, though it might able to be condensed a titch.

I also didn't feel like Chuck's character was developed enough to warrant the presence he has.  Misha is a nice touch to add the father role to David's character, though the cut to the wife in the closet feels out of place as an ironic sidebar to an otherwise very somber piece.

Your character descriptions are beautiful but seem a bit much for a screenplay.  Maybe pull back a bit there.  But then again, they really help establish the family setting.  I don't know...

Overall, excellent work.  I really enjoyed reading it.  With a little revision, this script could easily go from excellent to exceptional.

I agree with the wife in the closet bit.  Seems unnecessary.  

The Wheel of Fortune story and the reason for the twitching are both really clever.  This is a pretty depressing piece that ends on an unusual note.  But I kind of like that about it.  All in all, this is pretty good.  Even though there's no real twist or reveal, it feels like there's enough meat here to warrant this story being told.  Good work!

The only other crit i have is that the Uncle's outburst in the bathroom doesn't seem quite motivated enough.  The conversation with the old friend outside that reminds him how she was always on drugs is a good start, but it ought to escalate more, maybe even almost turning into a scene in front of everyone before he pulls Neil into the bathroom and explodes.