Movies: Suspension of Disbelief

[Trekkie]

Besides the mess-ups, what are some things that are actually written into the plot that are weird compared to normal life? One that I ALWAYS notice are the expensive shoes - sure, a government employee on her feet all day is going to wear Louboutins.

The one I always notice are the apartments/houses. HOW does Katherine Heigl's character in '27 Dresses' own such a great apartment in Big City, USA when she is a personal assistant?! I don't know the real estate market over there that well but I am under the impression that all those gorgeous Brownstones are expensive...

Ooooooooooh, I am SO with you on the real estate - every single show or movie set in NYC is guilty of this. Carrie's walk-in closet in NY? Yeah, in RL, that's spelled "s-e-c-o-n-d-b-e-d-r-o-o-m." Don't even get me started on the apartments in "Friends." "How I met your Mother" tries ... but, seriously, they should mostly look like Lily's "living alone" pad, not like Barney's place.

What gets me in the translation issue. I realize Hollywood is assuming only a small percentage of the audience understands, say, Russian, but ... in Vin Diesel's "Triple X," there's a scene in which two Russian bad-guys are subtitled saying "Let's go drink some American vodka!"

I will pause for your suspension of disbelief, as even non-Russians know how likely that is.

What they're actually saying is some choice Russian profanity that would not have gotten past the FCC in English.

And they all do it! If it's a recognizable American actor, odds are good, they're probably inadvertantly doing something obscene or at least obscenely (seriously, Wesley Snipes trying to speak Russian at the end of "Blade?" ... painful). But if it's a no-name Russian actor? Yeah, it doesn't bear any relation to the subtitles you see on the screen, and more often than not it involves either female dogs or somebody doing something to somebody's mother.

Given my fairly target-specific nature of my knowledge of Spanish, I'm pretty sure it's not just Russian, at that. I can take the profanity, but it's completely destroyed my faith in subtitles.

Oooooh yes!

Not that I speak Russian but I often see this with the languages I do speak. Very annoying.

But even more annoying is when actors can't be bothered to learn accents.

Leonardo di Caprio in Blood Diamond sounded like no Southern African I've ever heard, yet everyone praised him for his accent! Every time he opened his mouth I wanted to throw popcorn at the screen.

If anyone wants to know what a South African really sounds like, call Brian Gavin. Unlike Charlize Theron, he sounds authentic.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Oh yeah, I have a hard time with this. Yesterday, DH and I finally saw "Fast Five" and the whole time, I kept whispering to DH that the things going on were SO unrealistic, lol. Most thrillers/action flicks are like this for me, but they're still fun.

Like the fact that when the cars fell out of the train, the suspension/frame would have been DESTROYED.

Exactly. How about driving through the city streets with the vault attached to their cars, and it taking out huge buildings? Enjoyable movie though, and you can't beat Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and the Rock!

Very much drool-worthy

Another thing that bugs me, though I understand the reasoning, is when a character has a baby and it is CLEARLY not a newborn. Sometimes they are obviously like 3 months old. Sheesh, at least ATTEMPT it.

 

[choro72]

Someone explain this for me. Heroes jump/pushed off an airplane. They either struggle with the parachute or fights the bad guy midair for the parachute. Somehow they manage to take the parachute and deploy it 0.5 seconds before they go WHAM! And hit the ground. And the only injuries they suffer is a messy hair and a ripped shirt for visual eye candy.
I've never done sky-diving, but am I incorrect in assuming that a successful deployment of parachute a mere second before impact will still end you up as a blob of bloody goo?

Edited to add more impression

 

[elrohwen]

Another thing that bugs me, though I understand the reasoning, is when a character has a baby and it is CLEARLY not a newborn. Sometimes they are obviously like 3 months old. Sheesh, at least ATTEMPT it.

Yes! The "newborns" are like 25lbs. I can see why a parent wouldn't let a tiny baby be in a movie, but they should seriously work on picking kids who don't look like they should be eating solid foods.

 

[elrohwen]

Someone explain this for me. Heroes jump/pushed off an airplane. They either struggle with the parachute or fights the bad guy midair for the parachute. Somehow they manage to take the parachute and deploy it 0.5 seconds before they go WHAM! And hit the ground. And the only injuries they suffer is a messy hair and a ripped shirt for visual eye candy.
I've never done sky-diving, but am I incorrect in assuming that a successful deployment of parachute a mere second before impact will still end you up as a blob of bloody goo?

Edited to add more impression

Mythbusters did this exact thing! And no, it doesn't work. Haha. The time from plane to ground in free fall is so fast that you wouldn't have a chance to fight a bad guy without going splat.

 

[JewelFreak]

Soaps: when the babies magically become teenagers.

Ahaha! YES. Also ditto about the "newborns." I always feel sorry for the poor mothers who are supposed to have delivered these huge bundles.

But even more annoying is when actors can't be bothered to learn accents.
Leonardo di Caprio in Blood Diamond sounded like no Southern African I've ever heard, yet everyone praised him for his accent!

Same with Meryl Streep. Her accents are awful, do not sound at all real, but all you read is praise for her skill! I wonder if the critics ever heard a Polish accent or a Danish one.

Locations are hilarious when you know the area. In a James Bond movie, villain is chasing James through Regent's Park in London. He hotfoots it out a gate, turns a corner...and voila...there's the Ritz! (It's really miles away.)

 

[elrohwen]

Inspector Gadget was filmed in Pittsburgh and they digitally painted a lot of the bridges bright purple. I think the city should do it for real! Haha

 

[packrat]

I'm just a complete sucker. There's been a couple times I've asked JD about gun things..like, isn't he shooting a revolver and needs to reload after so many shots? Why is he still shooting? Or if it's something to do w/Iowa (well, that's been few and far between-who the heck wants to do anything w/Iowa?) and they'll have the corn be 8 feet tall and it's beginning of May and real farmers have only just actually planted crops at that time. Matawan Creek NJ in 1916 was the basis for Jaws, however it was a Bull shark not a Great White..movies/tv shows always show footage of GW's, I supposed b/c they're scarier, but still, that irks me a bit. Otherwise, I don't care. I may roll my eyes and "yeah right" at the plots and predictability but..it's supposed to be fun so I just enjoy it. I'll watch any movie about sharks and it drives JD nuts-Trapper and I watched Mega Shark V Giant Octopus 3 times the other day-talk about suspension of disbelief!

I love horror and sci fi so..my disbelief is suspended somewhere up in the stratosphere at all times. Need to pull out the zombie movies again..

 

[GingerP]

This thread makes me laugh.

I can't remember the name, but there was a recent movie starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp that I saw as the in-flight movie on a plane. Angelina Jolie's character gets a letter, reads it, tears it in half (or so), and burns it to cinders. Some cop grabs the remaining ashes and somehow scans the remnants into a computer. By the miracle of movie magic they move and manipulate the pieces together to recover the sentences and content in full. Really?

Soaps: I only watch(ed) one consistently in my lifetime, but they all seem to be rich and CEOs or something...but when do they go to work? Also, many of the characters commit murder, embezzle, and perpetrate many other heinous crimes, but not only do they barely do any time/are exonerated b/c they saved a puppy from getting run over, but they also freely roam around in their mansions and such (even though all the cops and politicians are their arch nemeses).

Detective series: I'm amazed often (but am a guilty watcher of SVU), but the video enhancement kills me. They can get a security camera recording of a criminal from 50 yards away, facing backwards, in a blizzard, but zoom in and press a button and voila! Instant close-up image of the bad guy.

Accents: Troy--that movie was horrible. Each character had a different accent, even if the characters are siblings/family. Huh?

 

[Selkie]

Definitely accents. Boston accents in movies and TV just kill me. Even Ben Affleck can't seem to get it right, and he grew up there!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

-When a couple is in bed the guy is always shirtless and the sheet hits him about waist high, and the girl always has hers up over her chest. I don't know why, but it just looks so odd to me.

-In Hitch I felt like half the things Will Smith said were so girls could put up the quote on facebook. Every phrase was just wrapped up perfectly in a little bow.

-One time on Desperate Housewives they had a tornado episode. The whole street prepared for the tornado like you would a hurricane-- complete with a little kid selling water bottles and everyone packing up hours in advance. You have about 5 minutes at MOST to really prepare for a tornado.

-Everyone always has perfect change and they never have to wait for a credit card receipt.

I notice stuff like this all of the time and it drives FI nuts.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

However, to ogle Alex O'Loughlin every week, I'll swallow anything they want!

Agreed

Ditto! Why do you think I watch the show?

 

[zoebartlett]

I haven't read all responses but I hate it when actors are on the phone and then just "hang up"

"Hi I just wanted to see how you are doing."
"I'm great, but can I call you back?"
"Sure!"
*click*

Uh......

I hate this too and I point it out to my husband all the time. He feels the need to remind me that the actors aren't REALLY talking. Still, it's rude not to say goodbye, even if you're just pretending.

 

[iugurl]

I get so annoyed by certain things in movies/television. My DH gets annoyed because I talk about it a lot

1. Open front doors. I see on various shows and movies that the characters unlock the front door, walk inside, but never close the door! It is so weird. Especially in places where they talk about the extreme weather or if they are in a New York apartment or something! It drives me crazy.

2. Apartment sizes. I know this has already been mentioned, but come on! It is crazy to see people have huge NY apts. when they have regular jobs. (Sidenote @ Circe, I think Barney has a really nice, big apartment on purpose. I think they are trying to show his wealth. It is possible to have a decent sized apartment if you have a lot of $. He is able to spend money on everything, 5k suits included, so I think he is just supposed to have a very large income.)

3. How do two people have a normal or loud-whispered conversation 2 feet away from everyone else, but somehow no one else hears them!?

 

[jewelerman]

I LIKE THIS THREAD! One thing that has always bothered me is that there is no jewelry continuity in films! one minute the star is wearing an expensive piece of jewelry in a scene and then seconds later its gone and reappears a few minutes later!Or, like the real estate comments earlier,A character who is supposed to be poor or working class like a detective is wearing a wristwatch or jewelry that is thousands of dollars.When i was little i always wondered why women went to bed and woke up with make up on and perfect hair when my mom took hers off at night, or why after a chase seen or fight seen the actor still looks perfect with no hair out of place.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I meant to hang up the phone today without saying goodbye, but how do you hang up on your mother?? I couldn't do it! I will have to try wait for a friend to call.

 

[JewelFreak]

why after a chase seen or fight seen the actor still looks perfect with no hair out of place.

(Scene?) This always cracks me up. Some guy runs up 3 flights, across a roof, jumps off & does a back flip onto a fire escape, climbs down 2 stories & lands in an alley. Then trots away perfectly clean, smoothing his hair.

Also, nobody ever has to go to the john. They're stuck somewhere fighting bad guys or hiding from someone for hours, sometimes days, and I always wonder where the loo is.

 

[jewelerman]

So how did i go from spelling it scene in the first part of my post to seen in the second part?Thanks Jewel freak for catching that.

 

[jewelerman]

I would also like to know how the actors can go days at sea,lost in the woods or homeless and still look clean shaven...I have stubble 1/2 way through the day after shaving!

 

[iugurl]

why after a chase seen or fight seen the actor still looks perfect with no hair out of place.

(Scene?) This always cracks me up. Some guy runs up 3 flights, across a roof, jumps off & does a back flip onto a fire escape, climbs down 2 stories & lands in an alley. Then trots away perfectly clean, smoothing his hair.

Also, nobody ever has to go to the john. They're stuck somewhere fighting bad guys or hiding from someone for hours, sometimes days, and I always wonder where the loo is.

Haha! I totally wonder that on a lot of shows. Especially 24! This guy runs around for 24 hours STRAIGHT without going #1 OR #2 haha or eating anything.

 

[packrat]

I remember watching Van Helsing and Kate Beckinsale was kicking and flipping and doing all kinds of moves and every time she stopped she looked like she'd just stepped out of the salon, and wasn't breathing hard or anything. Now were that me, I'd be bent over hands on knees, gasping for air, red faced and sweating, hair sticking out all over from my ponytail. My glasses would've flown off. That's something I get a kick out of.

 

[Guilty Pleasure]

I remember watching Van Helsing and Kate Beckinsale was kicking and flipping and doing all kinds of moves and every time she stopped she looked like she'd just stepped out of the salon, and wasn't breathing hard or anything. Now were that me, I'd be bent over hands on knees, gasping for air, red faced and sweating, hair sticking out all over from my ponytail. My glasses would've flown off. That's something I get a kick out of.

At least this one can be explained by the fact that she's a vampire; maybe it takes minimal effort for her since she's supernatural.

 

[wannaBMrsH]

I haven't read all responses but I hate it when actors are on the phone and then just "hang up"

"Hi I just wanted to see how you are doing."
"I'm great, but can I call you back?"
"Sure!"
*click*

Uh......

This! DH screams, "Bye!" at the TV everytime this happens!

...also, I am aggravated by shimmery vampires...I already suspend my disbelief to allow vampires,werewolves and shapeshifters...now you want me to believe that vampires can walk around during the day and they just...SHIMMER!?!? Pu-leez...