After studios announced they had sent a “best and final offer” to the Writers Guild, the phrase was instantly dissected and mocked by the sharp-penned writers of Hollywood on X, where they’ve held nothing back since the strike began.
It’s worth noting that “best and final offer” is standard legalese – but that didn’t stop the fun. Horror filmmaker Mike Flanagan offered up a list of potential titles that included the studio’s phrasing, including “2 Best 2 Final,” “Final 6: A New Bestginning,” and more.
Writer George Samir Nader kept the trend going and contributed additional titles like “B&F: The Winter Solidarity,” “B&F: Infinity Walkout,” and “B&F: In the Multiverse of Studio Propaganda” among others.
Director and screenwriter Corey Deshon took a swipe at HBO when he tweeted, “It’s a ‘best and final offer’ from the people who brought you HBO Max I mean HBO Go I mean HBO Now I mean Max I mean.”
Screenwriter Megan Rees took a seasonal approach to the phrase and inquired, “Does anyone know if they have Halloween candy yet at Best & Final?”
Writer Shawn Wines quipped, “Did I miss anything? I was putting our best and final child to bed.”
Mo Ryan also saw a lot of parental energy in the phrasing and wrote, “It’s such patently ridiculous “wait til your father gets home!!” energy. Thousands of guild members have gone through hell to be spoken to like recalcitrant children? Sigh. Continue stepping on rakes, AMPTP, it is truly your thing.”
And then, of course, you have your wet blankets.
“I think best and final just means their lawyers reviewed their agreed terms as they understand them and passed them to WGA lawyers for review,” Brenden Gallagher tweeted. “Not worth remarking on IMO. Sorry to not be spicy.”
