Does page count matter? No...pacing does.

Have you seen The Social Network?  I did.  I also read the script.  If you aren't aware of it, the script was 162 pages.  That's right.  The script they shot.  Not the first draft.  The shooting script.  If you've been to the film, you know it wasn't a 2 hour and 42 minute film.

Now, if you're writing a spec I don't recommend turning in a 162 page script, because you know it's going right to a reader like me and that count is not going to make me happy to see off the bat.  But there's value here for all writers to think about...

What Sorkin's script speaks to is writing a script that fits what you are trying to do.  The Social Network is a dialogue heavy talk-fest, very much what Sorkin is known for.  The script is about people who talk fast, if you run in social circles with highly motivated entrepreneurs then you know what I'm talking about.  These guys are super smart and they don't waste their breath.

The same can hold true for a dialogue-lean action driven script.  Don't overwrite the action because you want it to be a 2 hour movie and so you think you need a 120 page script.  If you can write it well in 90 pages, a good Director will know the finished film would be closer to 2 hours and schedule for that.  There's a good chance that 30 pages of filler your story didn't need will ruin the read and lessen the chance of it getting into that good Director's hands.

I highly recommend in the outline process knowing the time each scene will take.  This means knowing your pacing.  Because your pacing can make or break your script.