"Labor of Love" is written by M. Night Shyamalan. It was sold in 2001, but has yet to be made into a movie. It can be found on SimplyScripts.

The script is about a man named Maurice Parker, a shy, 40 year old bookstore owner. His wife's name is Ellen. Early on, we learn of Ellen's feelings of how she longs for the romance that is found in 20 year old's relationships. She wishes sometimes that Maurice would do things for her, not for any special occasion, but just because he loves her (ex. she wants him to send her flowers once in a while, not for a holiday or anniversary, but because he loves her). She basically says that she isn't sure that he loves her because he never shows it.

At the end of the first act, Maurice finds out that Ellen has been killed in a car accident (typical M. Night trademark). He feels terrible because he never proved to her that he loves her. So, he decides to do something to show how much he loves her. He plans to walk across the U.S.A. He lives in Philly. He's going to walk from there to a town in California (it's later explained why he chose that town). The town has a beach, so his journey is over when he reaches the Pacific Ocean.

I must say that I liked the script a lot. It's not really in the same fashion as M. Night's other stories. It's really inspiring.

The dialogue is good. The plot is also good. There's a subplot with a local reporter doing a story on him, and then it turns into a national headline! By the end, everyone is cheering on Maurice. That is, except for his niece Adelle. She's afraid he might not survive the walk and wants it stopped immediately. This is involved in one of the only flaws I found in the script. In the 3rd act, the cops seem a little too villianous when they want to stop Maurice. His health is really bad at the end, but is anything really going to help now? I say just let him finish it. Not a big flaw, just a little something I noticed. Also, the ending is a little abrupt. I would have taken the flashback that happens about 5 minutes before the end, and put that at the end. It would have made a better ending.

The characters are well-written. They always stay in character and develop quite well.

It was quite an enjoyable read. I reccomend to anyone, that if there's a rainy day and your bored, to check out this script. I would love to see it as a movie. I wish I could direct it. It's such a respectable script. I don't even really know much about directing, but I could easily picture every scene in my head without trouble. It's a very easy story to envision.

On the overall, I'd give it a 9.4/10. I applaud M. Night.

it is a very very good story that i hope will get made one day.

this really shows how diverse M. Night is.  most think that all her can make are thriller type movies with some kind of twist at the end.  but this is so much different.

this is a love story and there is no twist.  but there is a very bitter sweet ending that reminds me a lot of The Notebook.

a solid 9/10

I was simply touched. A loss for words when i read it. A powerful story and i felt every bit of it. This movie must be made and not by som shitty Uwe Toilet Boll director. A good one.

i honestly thing M. Night should direct it himself.  he has a way of making movies full of emotion.  he is the only one who could do it justice.

thats funny that you guys all enjoyed this as i am a huge M. Night fan and I just couldn't get into it. And it's not that I expect 'thrillers' out of him as Wide Awake, his first feature length film was amazing and that's about a young boy searching for god. I actually think though that I was put off of the script after reading a review on it that brought my attention to many flaws in it. I think if I'd have read it first I wouldn't have noticed them as that's the same with all M Night movies. I don't notice the plot holes that many people bring out and for all of his movies so far I just don't care as they don't change my opinion of the film and I can normally fill them in with my own explanations. However for this one, what the reviewer pointed out stood out for me the whole time reading.

http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&file=print&pid=236

there's the review if anyone is interested. I'm not saying it completely changed my opinion of the script but I think it did influence me as he brings up some valid points that I was thinking about as I read

When I read this script I went into it with no knowledge of it.  I didn't know it had been sold, didn't know if it was really made, I didn't even read a log line to see what the script was about.  I just knew that it was M. Night so I took a gander at it.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn't notice any glarring plot holes or mistakes.  Maybe I'll read the review to see what I might have missed.

Quoted from sfpunk thats funny that you guys all enjoyed this as i am a huge M. Night fan and I just couldn't get into it. And it's not that I expect 'thrillers' out of him as Wide Awake, his first feature length film was amazing and that's about a young boy searching for god. I actually think though that I was put off of the script after reading a review on it that brought my attention to many flaws in it. I think if I'd have read it first I wouldn't have noticed them as that's the same with all M Night movies. I don't notice the plot holes that many people bring out and for all of his movies so far I just don't care as they don't change my opinion of the film and I can normally fill them in with my own explanations. However for this one, what the reviewer pointed out stood out for me the whole time reading. http://www.screenwritersutopia.com/modules.php?name=Content&file=print&pid=236 there's the review if anyone is interested. I'm not saying it completely changed my opinion of the script but I think it did influence me as he brings up some valid points that I was thinking about as I read

Meh, I don't agree with that reviewer. I thought the script was excellent.

Not too often do you get to read a rejected original script written by a very good screenwriter nowadays, but I was able to take a peek M. Night Shyamalan "failure" titled "Labor of Love".

Now I am a huge M. Night Shyamalan fan.  I look up to him in every way possible and practice at my own writing to emulate even a small portion of his great ability.  A lot of people really believe that The Sixth Sense was Shyamalan's first screenplay but it actuality it was his third.  He wrote two screenplays before this one that did terrible in the box office, but were very personal movies for him.  This script, "Labor of Love", was actually the first script Shyamalan was going to sell to make his big leap into Hollywood.  The script was bought for close to $750,000, but was shelved after Shyamalan wanted to direct and the studio didn't want him to.  That was 10 years ago, and "Labor of Love" still sits on a shelf somewhere in a Hollywood production company's back room.  After this, Shyamalan decided to write two script called "The Sixth Sense" and "Stuart Little" and the rest is history.

Moving along, this script has been panned by many script reviewers I have read on the internet.  Most say it lacks a stable plot and seems to just drag on and on with no interesting twists or plotlines.  Maybe I read the wrong script, but this is classic M. Night.  Shyamalan's scripts usually all have the same theme.  And that theme is the loss of a loved one and how the protagonist deals with their new found situation.  "Labor of Love" does just that.  In this script, a mid-forties entrepeneurs and married couple, Maurice and Ellen, are having problems with their relationship.  Ellen feels that Maurice is just "going through the motions" and isn't really showing her that he loves her.  Maurice throws out a few things for Ellen to respond to as to how he would prove his love for her and things from "swimming across the ocean" to "walking across the country" are brought up.  Later that night, Ellen is killed by a drunk teenager driving while intoxicated in his uncle's car.  The news crushes Maurice and causes him to fall into a deep depression.  One day, Maurice decides to go to a doctor for a check up, which goes very well.  He asks his doctor "how far can a man walk at my age?"  The doctor has no idea what he is talking about and advises him to get some more rest.  Complete with maps and Bengay, Maurice sets out on his quest to Pacifica, California by way of Philadelphia, PA.

Along the way, Maurice is jumped by a convicted fellon, resucues a Nebraska mother and daughter from a nasty car crash, breaks his ribs, punctures his lung, and suffers from a mild stroke on his trek to California.  His psychologist niece (who reminds me of Shymalan's wife in her descriptions) will stop at nothing to stop her uncle because she feels he is "clinically depressed" and "not mentally fit"  Maurice manages to dodge her all the way until the border of California where he is seriously injured in the Nevada deserts.  He is brought to a hospital where he is forbidden to walk anymore, but Maurice the clever one, manages to escape by way of a nurse who has lost her father and knows what one must do when they want to show their love for a lost one.

On his final walk to the Pacific Ocean, Maurice is cheered on literally by the state of California and the world watching on television as he reaches the sand, one step close to death.  He finally reaches the water and dies as soon as he steps foot into it.

Now this script was amazing.  I would love to see this film on the big screen.  There is no magical twist or red herrings present in this story, but it is a truly emotional piece of writing.  This script answers that quesiton of "what would you do for your loved one?"  and Maurice shows that in this story.  He literaly kills himself for his dead wife and it is truly a touching script.

I really hope that Shyamalan gets around to producing this because I think this will be his finest film yet.