Have you ever heard someone compare something to a movie? As if whatever was happening was too good to be true? Well, that’s because the realityon screenis not always an accurate representation of real life.
Below you will also findBored Panda’sinterview with a professor of history at the University of Waterloo, expert in modern U.S. cultural and social history as well as the history of American popular culture, including film,Dr. Andrew Hunt, who was kind enough to share his insight on how reality is depicted in film.
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The houses and apartments shown do not represent the living conditions of most folks.
Aliens blowing up the white House. It happens all the time in movies, but rarely happens irl.
Discussing what determines the extent to which the movie represents reality correctly, Dr. Andrew Hunt noted that that’s a complicated issue. “There are films that claim to be ‘based on a true story,’ but do not represent real situations or history very effectively. Conversely, there are films that are entirely fictional that accurately reflect real historical events, such as John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath from 1940.“Films that convey verisimilitude effectively often do so because of the vision of the director and the screenwriter, who use their knowledge of events to recreate realities in compelling ways,” he toldBored Pandain a recent interview.
Discussing what determines the extent to which the movie represents reality correctly, Dr. Andrew Hunt noted that that’s a complicated issue. “There are films that claim to be ‘based on a true story,’ but do not represent real situations or history very effectively. Conversely, there are films that are entirely fictional that accurately reflect real historical events, such as John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath from 1940.
“Films that convey verisimilitude effectively often do so because of the vision of the director and the screenwriter, who use their knowledge of events to recreate realities in compelling ways,” he toldBored Pandain a recent interview.
Moms making huge breakfasts and no one eats.
We can’t traverses buildings through duct work. Just ain’t gonna happen.
Prof. Hunt suggested that different types of movies feature different levels to which reality isdepicted accurately. “Some movies, such as comic book superhero films, offer escapism to viewers who want to leave behind the realities of life when they enter a darkened movie theater.“Other films, such as the acclaimed American Fiction from 2023 or She Said from 2022, to name a couple examples, do an outstanding job of portraying contemporary American life,” he added.“Films with realistic depictions of life in the United States do not always fare as well at the box office as escapist blockbusters. Still, some very accurate historical dramas can attract big audiences. The commercial success of Oppenheimer in 2023 shows that a very intelligent film that closely follows actual historical events can do well among moviegoers, which is a reason to be hopeful. The continued success of documentaries on streaming platforms like Netflix is also incredibly encouraging.”
Prof. Hunt suggested that different types of movies feature different levels to which reality isdepicted accurately. “Some movies, such as comic book superhero films, offer escapism to viewers who want to leave behind the realities of life when they enter a darkened movie theater.
“Other films, such as the acclaimed American Fiction from 2023 or She Said from 2022, to name a couple examples, do an outstanding job of portraying contemporary American life,” he added.
“Films with realistic depictions of life in the United States do not always fare as well at the box office as escapist blockbusters. Still, some very accurate historical dramas can attract big audiences. The commercial success of Oppenheimer in 2023 shows that a very intelligent film that closely follows actual historical events can do well among moviegoers, which is a reason to be hopeful. The continued success of documentaries on streaming platforms like Netflix is also incredibly encouraging.”
Women having sex while wearing a bra the whole time. Thats the first or second thing I take off of her.
Empty parking spaces on city streets.
Nobody ever has to ask someone to repeat themselves in a movie.I probably say “what?” about 60 times a day.
Being able to talk and have a conversation in a loud bar with music playing.
Someone coming home with groceries that are in a brown paper bag with a loaf of French bread and a bouquet of flowers sticking out of the top of the bag.
“The director of the film, Shaka King, faced the daunting task of recreating the poor neighborhoods of Chicago from 1969, but he only had a $26 million budget to do so. That may sound like a lot of money, but it gets used up quickly on a variety of things, from the actors to the crew to the catering. So King had to utilize a lot of filmmaking tricks to present a depiction of Chicago from 1969 that seemed accurate to viewers. The movie, in my opinion, succeeded admirably in showing real life at that moment in history, despite its limited budget.”
The unexplained ability of characters being able to afford houses or apartment way out of their league.
People in a bar ordering a “beer”. In real life, the server would be likely exasperated and ask about brand/kind and quantity.
Shoes on the bed.
“Showing audiences real-life situations can educate the viewer, and deepen their empathy with other people who might be living dramatically different experiences than the moviegoer,” he added. “There is immense power in cinema.”
Presents where the box lid is wrapped separately from the rest of the box.
Every attic does not have a mannequin, giant mirror and old bird cage.
Leaving a bunch of beer bottles or shot glasses on the bar so we know that they’re drunk. In real life, the bartenders take away the emptys.
Inclusivity and diversity.Not every group of friends or employers are made up of the perfect mix of LGBT, male/female, mixed races. Most groups are very much made up of similar people.
This is kind of the opposite. In media set in the US people always seem to live in small towns, with town squares and historic homes, or big cities, with tall buildings and condos. The reality is that much of America is a copy-pasted suburb that has some chain restaurants, big box stores, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and 2-3 chain grocery stores. There’s some regional differences and likely a few local shops renting space in the same plaza as the chain stores.That’s not every city, but if you pick a US city at random, that’s most likely what you’ll see on Google maps.
Level of attractiveness is an obvious one.One thing I live about British television is that the actors look more like someone you might actually pass on the street.And do other countries have teens in media who are obviously adults? Like not even passing for actual teens.I recently watched that new Nightmare On Elm street from some years ago and there was this blond grown a*s woman who looked like she had a starter mortgage and car payments playing a teenager. Like why is this junior sale rep for a pharmaceutical company playing someone 16?
I know this is dated, but there’s no way Al Bundy could afford a big house in a nice Chicago suburb and support a wife and two kids just selling shoes at the mall, even at that time.
Classes last longer than for the teacher to say something pithy, ask someone a question, and then hear the bell ring.School busses don’t honk for your lollygagging a*s. If the bus stop is empty they keep driving.
No one keeps their car keys in the sun visor, yet in movies that’s the first place everyone looks.
When growing up our Norwegian exchange student asked us where our swimming pool was. Apparently he said everyone in America has one. I wish!
Cars exploding in a crash.
Mean rednecks.Don’t get me wrong, there are some, but if you watch a Hollywood movie you get the idea that traveling into a rural area is like entering a post apocalyptic wasteland where mutant cannibals are lurking to spring on you.I’ve lived in Appalachia for my entire life and nobody’s ever made me squeal like a pig or anything. Rural parts of the USA are actually really safe in terms of crime and that sort of thing. .
A breakfast spread covering a 14 seat dining table and someone in a rush runs down stairs, grabs and apple; kisses someone, then heads out of the door because they’re running late.
High schoolers living exciting edgy high drama adult lives.Very few 16 year olds are getting drunk and hooking up every weekend. That’s a freshman year of college thing.
In real life predominantly black neighborhoods don’t have hip hop music playing faintly in the background to let you know you’re in “the hood”.
See Also on Bored Panda
At schools, teachers give assignments like normal people and don’t shout it at the class as they’re departing after the bell rings.
Fruit stands that speeding cars crash in to.
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Two people find that they like eachother. Next shows them eating eachother’s face off while running into and slamming their bodies into the hotel corridor wall because OH BOY they are horny, and they have to kiss while they are removing their keys and their shoes and tie, because there is only one single way to film a sex scene and goddamnit they’re gonna stick to it.
I am not an American but if my missus makes me eggs , bacon and pancakes for breakfast i am not going to just take a piece of toast and run out of the door .. i am eating every scrap, have a coffee and damn the work if i am late.
Twenty something women living in a beautiful New York City apartment with a glamorous job as a magazine editor etcI mean it happens but it’s not as common as it is in every 2000s rom com.
The lifestyles are super exaggerated. The houses, cars, clothes, free time, etc are romanticized and idealized versions of reality that only truly exist in Hollywood, or perhaps the 1%. Most people have jobs, messy homes, car payments, and don’t dress to the nines every single day.
A waitress can afford a nice apartment but across the hall the guy with a PhD and working at a university needs a roommate to pay the bills.Groups of friends can drop everything and meet up whenever. In my world I can rarely plan anything short notice if I want five people to be there let alone more than that.
Most families I know do in fact have a big turkey on Thanksgiving. That said, what doesn’t happen is the mom getting up early everyday and making a huge breakfast spread for the family, only to have the dad late for work and the kids late for the bus only grabbing a piece of toast.
Food fights. Nobody does that in real life.
The idea that you could be like six months behind on rent before they threaten to evict you, or six months behind on the power bill before they cut off your electricity. Maybe it used to be like that, but it sure isn’t anymore.
Everyone has a bottle of booze in their desk drawer & they sit at their desk and drink. Even cops! People would just get fired for that kind of behavior at work. I have had occasion to go for a margarita at lunch time, very occasionally but rarely, because after one drink I’m like “Hell with work. I’m going home!”.
Being able to park right in front of the big building you’re headed to during business hours in a major US city. There usually isn’t parking there because most places zone those as passenger drop off areas.
The popular kids in high school being mean and evil. The popular kids in my high school were outgoing and polite. They did only really socialize with each other, but if you had one in a group project or gym class or something they were nice to you. That is why they were popular, because they were nice.
People are not that good looking or that well dressed or that fit.
Every woman seems to be constantly wearing high heels, wedges, stilettos, court shoes. Even teenagers on teen shows. I always wondered if was this normal in American society.
No, we do not have glasses of orange juice and stacks of pancakes left on the table as we head out for the day. We grab a snack bar or a piece of fruit and rush out the door.
The amount of lighting, props, fancy backgrounds, costumes and talented kids in the school plays😆.
Kids dressed up for school. Most teenagers today wear a baggy sweatshirt or a large T-shirt to school.
Wearing shoes inside. Some people do, but it is far from ubiquitous. Most people I know wear socks, slippers, or go barefoot indoors.
People just being home when somebody shows up. It could be an FBI agent and they happen to be home, oh and no prior phone call to say they’re coming, just out of the blue there they are.Men being clean shaven no matter the situation. Stuck in a jungle for two weeks, clean shaven. Panicking on a stricken ship, space station, oil rig, clean shaven.Women waking up with perfect hair, full make up and supposedly fresh breath.People having a steamy night of passion then just getting out of bed, dressing and heading to work or wherever.People getting an urgent call and saying they’ll be there in ten minutes. Could be the other side of a major City but they get there in ten minutes.
People leaving a front door wide open when entering a home. I see it on sitcoms all the time. Like AC/Heat or bugs don’t exist.Also, people using windows to sneak in and out of habitually.EDIT: I understand. I get it. A bunch of you snuck out windows. I was just responding with what’s not common in my personal world. Your telling me your tale doesn’t change that.
The populous populace is far less attractive and much fatter. And stupider. There are way more old people.
Back alleys in Manhattan. Afaik, there’s about half a dozen, but only one, Cortlandt Alley, ever appears in films.
That weird clique s**t that everyone is trapped in and group of like 3 popular people the school worships. Istg gen x script writers went through it and literally would not stop writing highschool shows like that. Now you can see it tapering down as the newer gen gets in the room and is able to give more references.
The foil swans for take-out leftovers. (It’s apparently a thing one SoCal chain did that spread around Hollywood, but isn’t done outside of there.)EDITED to add:I think a lot of the places elsewhere around the country started doing this after seeing it done as far back as the D**k Van Dyke show.
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Monika Pašukonytė
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Linas Simonaitis
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