Rating: 
Summary: Done Deal's Review
Review: "Rather than learn how to write the 'perfect' screenplay (as if there is such a thing), Flinn preaches how not to write the one that will make the agents, producers, and readers laugh at you.""Flinn gives a no-nonsense, brutally honest look at what makes a screenplay terrible, and how to avoid the fate most screenplays - reaching the reject pile. For the sake of your screenplay and the paper wasted on poorly written screenplays, buy this book, analyze this book, and learn from this book." -Excerpts from Jason Antebi's review at Done Deal (Scriptsales.com)
Rating:
Summary: Best Book I've Ever Read on Screenwriting...
Review: ... and I've read almost all of them. Flinn starts his book with the admission that he has never written any great movies... and then states blatently that he didn't write this book because he can write screenplays, but rather because he has had to read a ton of them. Well thank god he did, because he distills horribly written screenplays into crystal clear examples of why they are poorly written. This information is wonderful, and I found myself delighting in his revealing why I too am unsatisfied with the screenplays I have written. The book is broken into two primary sections with a third "final thought section." The first is devoted to form, and he cuts to the chase providing examples of "good writing" and, even more importantly, examples of "bad writing". He examples are very accessible, and will illustrate to any writer, producer, or director why it is that they want to cut their wrists when reading some screenplays, and can't put others down. The second half of the book is devoted to content. This is not as strong as the first half, but is certainly on par or slightly better than most books on how to write your story. He even quotes from all of the guru's of screenwriting, and shows that they are all ultimately trying to say the same thing. I am absolutely serious when I say it is the best book on screenwriting I have ever read. I think it should be manditory reading for anyone that ever thinks of giving their screenplay to another individual to read. Happy writing!!!
Rating:
Summary: SMART, INSIGHTFUL AND PAINFULLY FUNNY
Review: Anyone who reads screenplays for a living knows that ninety-nine out of every 100 are absolutely horrible. And not just because the stories are weak, the characters are bland and the dialogue is inane. No, most scripts are painful to read because they're painful to read. Description is confusing, overwritten, or just plain obtuse. UPPERCASE words POP up OFTEN enough to cause MOTION SICKNESS, or the script is rydled with mispellings and grammaticle errs. Author, screenwriter and story analyst Denny Martin Flinn has written a masterful, must-read book for anyone hoping to get a spec screenplay past production company readers and into the Hollywood pipeline. Since no one can teach talent or originality, he instead tells readers the traps to avoid when assembling their cinematic opuses, ranging from formatting eroors to descriptive gaffs to thematic omissions. Illustrating his points with both horrid and well-written screen passages--all genuine-- Flinn has created a book that is smart, insightful and often painfully funny. Allen B. Ury, Fade In Magazine
Rating:
Summary: CONCISE, FUNNY AND VERY HELPFUL
Review: As an optioned screenwriter, I've written several screenplays and read a ton of books on the subject. Most of the well-known publications offer a helpful tip or two, but this book is loaded with them. I think it is especially helpful for those writers who are familiar with the screenplay format but may still have questions. And if you don't know the format, read some Hollywood screenplays, THEN read this book. Definitely a must read for those of you looking to break in.
Rating:
Summary: More than just for screen writers
Review: As Hemingway is good for non fiction, so this work is good for novel writing. More than you might expect, from the title. if you are going to write, you need to read this work, it will make your scenes rich and your plot tight.
Rating: 
Summary: Read this AFTER you've written your screenplay
Review: Compared to other screenwriting books I have read, this is decent, but falls short in two important respects. First, the cynical attitude is no doubt honestly acquired, but the book makes for a very bad read for someone who is still struggling with their screenplay. The best how-to books both explain and inspire, this does not. Second, the liberal use of actual (or slightly altered) bad screenplays (sometimes multiple pages of unbroken screenplay examples) make for (often) difficult (if not confusing) reading of the (sometimes) useful prose. The book feels like 1/3 advice, 2/3 filler. Some of the examples are needed to display the problem being discussed, most are either a trivia contest (how quickly can you spot which movie the example is from?) or dreck which adds nothing to the explanation given. I recommend that you read the book, or something like it, before you send your screenplay out into the world. There is good advice here for rewriting, format and polishing. However, I recommend that you read THIS book only after you've written your screenplay, unless you're looking for an excuse to quit.
Rating:
Summary: What they said
Review: Don't want to reiterate all the positive things said already just want to back them up because I bought this book based on the comments posted here and I'm glad I did. This one of the best books I've read on screenwriting. It's to the point and tells you what you need to know. Though it is more helpful if you have already finished a screenplay.
Rating:
Summary: This book should be in every aspiring screenwriters library!
Review: Every aspiring screenwriter needs to at least read this book because it wasn't just an easy read, it was also helpful. If you've ever written something and sent it to an agent only to have that agent send it back because it wasn't up to standards, this book can help you figure out what some of those standards are. I've learned so many thing that I would have never thought to do when presenting a script (that's why I've rated it five stars). I like to read books where in the end I can take away something that will help me grow in years to come. HOW NOT TO WRITE A SECREENPLAY has done just that.
Rating: 
Summary: FUNNY, FAST READ
Review: EXTREMELY HELPFUL, A LOT OF USEFUL INFORMATION. THE AUTHOR KEEPS YOU LAUGHING WHILE STAYING ON TASK. RECOMMEND.
Rating:
Summary: More readable than usable
Review: First, this book is great fun to read because of the real life examples of, you guessed it, how NOT to write a screenplay. And, in between laughing at the stupid mistakes of others, you certainly become aware of the times where you've done the same thing. Granted, Flinn explicitly says he is not out to tell you how to write, but to how to make it presentable to the reader. However, some of the advice is basic. I thought the coverage of the process of how a screenplay is greenlighted to be the most useful part. The examples of how to write action descriptions were also very useful.
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