From KCRW in Santa Monica, this is The Treatment.

Welcome to The Treatment. I'm Elvis Mitchell. How do you follow up a documentary that's been so influential, there's even been a Broadway play that's been squeezed out of it?

Well, if you're the director of Spellbound, you make your first fiction film as a director, which also deals with teenagers in competition.

That film, of course, is Rocket Science.

This director, Jeffrey Blitz, is sitting across me.

First of all, welcome back to the show.

Thanks so much for having me. First of all, welcome back to the show. Thanks so much for having me. I've got to ask you before we talk about rocket science, how does it feel after the

successive spellbunds, see so many things spun out of it? It's great, actually, I have to say.

You know, the bee I felt from the start was really sort of, was really rich ground there.

So I'm glad that people have been able to mine it for stuff.

I think we can all collectively stop now.

They broadcast the final rounds in prime time now on ABC.

And I think now that it's reached this point,

everyone else can stop trying to call attention to it.

Well, let's call some attention to rocket science.

Now, if you will, tell me a little bit about the germination of that idea for you

and what the movie's about a little bit.

Yeah, sure.

The film is about a stuttering boy who falls for the girl who is sort of the motormouth hot shot of her public speaking team.

So he joins the team in an effort to win her over and to sort of challenge himself as well.

Talk to me a little bit about what's like to actually get a chance to shape the characters in the situation and have a freer hand than it isn't working in a documentary?

Well, I tell you, like, it's a funny thing because I think when people imagine how a documentary

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