# Are all movies named after a hit pop song terrible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941 "2007-08-09T01:08:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/1 "2007-08-09T01:08:44Z")
It seems like a hell of a lot of lame, formulaic comedies (usually romantic comedies) are named after hit songs. Any exceptions? ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/2 "2007-08-09T01:11:07Z")
_Stand by Me._ (Not a comedy, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/3 "2007-08-09T01:18:36Z")
Even if you think _Pretty Woman_ is terrible, it was certainly a **significant** movie… ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/4 "2007-08-09T01:20:05Z")
Whatever you think of My Own Private Idaho, it wasn’t a formulaic romantic comedy. At least, not to the average person 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kneepants_Erasmus_the_Humanist)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/5 "2007-08-09T01:22:50Z")
Was the song _Pretty in Pink_ written for the movie, or did it already exist? In any case I like both the song and movie. Have I said too much in admitting to the latter? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/6 "2007-08-09T01:28:03Z")
“Yellow Submarine” is generally considered a good movie, as is “A Hard Day’s Night.” Both films were innovative and influential. “Help!,” not so much. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/7 "2007-08-09T01:28:38Z")
_Sixteen Candles_. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/8 "2007-08-09T01:31:27Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Even if you think _Pretty Woman_ is terrible, it was certainly a **significant** movie… [/QUOTE] Bang on! It seems like they just slapped the name on the movie because it wasn’t really about much, or they couldn’t think of a palatable title. Hooker makes good? New York Prostitute? No, _Pretty Woman._ ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/9 "2007-08-09T01:38:19Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Even if you think _Pretty Woman_ is terrible, it was certainly a **significant** movie… [/QUOTE] Significant? Certainly significant? In what way? ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/10 "2007-08-09T01:47:03Z")
My corollary to this is that if the ads for the movie include a blurb for the soundtrack (“Buy the new hit single Tune Q by Artist X featuring Another Artist Z!!!”), the movie will suck more ass than a donkey vacuum. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/11 "2007-08-09T02:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=Kneepants Erasmus, the Humanist] Was the song _Pretty in Pink_ written for the movie, or did it already exist? In any case I like both the song and movie. Have I said too much in admitting to the latter? [/QUOTE] I’m pretty sure the song Pretty in Pink by the Psychedelic Furs already existed. They’re both quite good. Pretty in Pink is probably my favorite of those Molly Ringwald-John Hughes movies. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/12 "2007-08-09T02:09:48Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] Significant? Certainly significant? In what way? [/QUOTE] It introduced a new generation of hopeful young girls to the fairy-tale promise of a life in high-end prostitution? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/13 "2007-08-09T02:20:36Z")
“[I Wanna Hold Your Hand](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077714/)” is supposed to be pretty good. **Yankee Doodle Dandy** is a film classic. As is **Singin’ in the Rain**. **Blue Velvet** is pretty good, too. **Three Little Words** is a decent biography/comedy. And though I detest the film, a lot of people like **White Christmas**. Not to mention the TV special **Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer**. Personally, I liked **De-Lovely** (not quite the song title, but close enough). ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/14 "2007-08-09T03:11:51Z")
[Million Dollar Baby](http://www.lyricsdepot.com/bing-crosby/i-found-a-million-dollar-baby.html) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/15 "2007-08-09T03:57:15Z")
“Hit” pop song? Does **“Quadrophenia”** qualify? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/16 "2007-08-09T04:08:04Z")
Maybe Baby is named for a pop song. It’s a bit cheesy, but definitely not terrible. (Any English film with Rowan Atkinson in a bit part as a gynecologist and starring Hugh Laurie has got something going for it!) ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/17 "2007-08-09T13:30:04Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Even if you think _Pretty Woman_ is terrible, it was certainly a **significant** movie… [/QUOTE] I think Leaper is referring to the fact that it was the breakout movie for Julia Roberts. My own nomination for the thread is [Why Do Fools Fall in Love](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123324/) , which I enjoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/18 "2007-08-09T13:41:16Z")
_Peggy Sue Got Married_ is not a bad film. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/19 "2007-08-09T13:43:26Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] Significant? Certainly significant? In what way? [/QUOTE] It made Julia Roberts a star, revitalized Richard Gere’s career and it was a hugh f-ing hit. (it is called show\* business \* after all) I believe it was Touchstones’ biggest at the time and convinced Disney, the parent company to stay in the business of making movies for grownups. [QUOTE=I’m Ron Burgundy?] New York Prostitute? [/QUOTE] Actually Beverly Hills Prostitute. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941/20 "2007-08-09T13:44:55Z")
I remember liking “Can’t Buy Me Love”. Of course I was about 15 at the time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-movies-named-after-a-hit-pop-song-terrible/414941.md?page=2)