# Are there books/movies/shows you will not read/watch because of their titles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995 "2010-08-11T23:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/41 "2010-08-13T15:13:36Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > I didn’t watch _The Hudsucker Proxy_ for years because of the stupid enigmatic title. Good movie, though. I felt the same way about _The Shawshank Redemption_. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/42 "2010-08-13T17:52:36Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Man, you must hate **The Big Bang Theory** , since the show and every episode in it are titled in that fashion. Actually, I’m a sucker for theories. > [@PoorYorick](#): > > I didn’t watch _The Hudsucker Proxy_ for years because of the stupid enigmatic title. Good movie, though. [QUOTE=KneadToKnow] I felt the same way about The Shawshank Redemption. [/QUOTE] My point was that in the 70s there were some good movies/books that used that title formula, and since then it has been aped in a knee-jerk fashion, in the hope that something enigmatic will automatically infuse importance into the story. I usually ignore those titles–for better or worse–because they’re just so transparent. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/43 "2010-08-13T18:54:45Z")
I avoid books because of their titles all the time! Recently I read I Am Not a Serial Killer, and enjoyed it, but I didn’t pick it up right away because the title made me roll my eyes. Another recent one, which I have _not_ read: Eat Pray Love. Why don’t publishers just get a big rubber stamp that says “Chick Book”? (In this case, I also have issues with Pray). ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/44 "2010-08-13T19:12:10Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I keep seeing good reviews for _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society_, but the title is unbearably cutesy so I haven’t picked it up. Ah, yes, all those ladies’ club titles. _The Florabama Ladies’ Auxiliary and Sewing Circle. The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club. The Persian Pickle Club. The Friday Night Knitting Club._ Even \*The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. \* They could be literary masterpieces and I’d never think to read them because I can’t stand this trend. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/45 "2010-08-14T05:22:11Z")
“Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/46 "2010-08-14T07:14:03Z")
The TV show The Mentalist just makes me think of Alan Partridge, which makes it absolutely impossible to take the premise of the show seriously. Maybe if there were loads of people recommending the show I’d give it a go, but all I know of it is from the trailers, which I don’t really see the content of because I’m giggling so much. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/47 "2010-08-14T09:42:11Z")
I was reading through this thread thinking “How silly to dismiss something based on title alone” but then (before seeing the mention of it a few posts above this one) I remembered _Eat, Pray, Love_, which just sounds like the absolute worst movie OF ALL TIME with that title. Then I saw the poster: oh my god. It looks stupid as fuck. I don’t even dislike Julia Roberts but that awful poster makes me want to never watch one of her movies again. I can’t even explain it. HATE. I now know what the film is about and it doesn’t sound quite as bad as the title would suggest, but I’m still not going to see it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/48 "2010-08-14T11:52:46Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Another recent one, which I have _not_ read: Eat Pray Love. Why don’t publishers just get a big rubber stamp that says “Chick Book”? (In this case, I also have issues with Pray). +1000 ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/49 "2010-08-14T12:04:36Z")
I’m surprised I’m the first one to mention “Fight Club”. I just assumed it was a stupid action movie about a bunch of guys beating the crap out of each other. A good friend of mine told me “No, you _really_ need to see this movie!” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/50 "2010-08-14T12:23:14Z")
> [@Flip\_Pancake](#): > > “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” I forget who said it, but there was an interesting take on this (moronic) title: Because the movie became so popular, the paperback book was re-titled (from simply ‘Push’) to "Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, based on the film “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”. No lie. Regarding ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’, there was a joke told at the Oscars that year that that is how Arnold Schwarzenegger asked out Maria Shriver on their first date. mmm ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/51 "2010-08-15T02:06:02Z")
Sexy Beast Snatch ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/52 "2010-08-15T11:18:03Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > [@Flip\_Pancake](#): > > > > “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” > > I forget who said it, but there was an interesting take on this (moronic) title: > > Because the movie became so popular, the paperback book was re-titled (from simply ‘Push’) to "Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, based on the film “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”. > > No lie. Except that it is. Well, you’re mistaken anyway. The novel was rereleased as **Precious** with a very prominent subtitle/title note: “Based on the Novel Push.” This is actually pretty common when a book is retitled for the movie release. It only seems doubly ridiculous here because the movie was released as **Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire**. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/53 "2010-08-15T18:00:16Z")
> [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > > [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > > > I keep seeing good reviews for _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society_, but the title is unbearably cutesy so I haven’t picked it up. > > Ah, yes, all those ladies’ club titles. _The Florabama Ladies’ Auxiliary and Sewing Circle. The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club. The Persian Pickle Club. The Friday Night Knitting Club._ Even \*The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. \* > > They could be literary masterpieces and I’d never think to read them because I can’t stand this trend. _The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency_ isn’t a club. It’s a nice lady who has a private detective agency. They’re actually pretty good, and a rather original concept. (In America, that is. For all I know all Botswanan detective mysteries are like that). ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/54 "2010-08-16T00:37:30Z")
Cougar Town also puts me off. I never watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy because I don’t like to use the word queer that way. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/55 "2010-08-16T02:48:28Z")
I had the same reaction as \*\*Shoeless \*\*to _Fight Club_. I thought it was the dumbest title ever for a book/movie. Then I listened to it on an audiobook (because at the time I was commuting a lot and getting anything that sounded even remotely good from the library to listen to) and man, was I wrong. Love the book, love the movie. And yeah, “Precious”, etc. is just stupid. I can’t get past that title even if it’s supposed to be a good book. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995/56 "2010-08-16T03:03:27Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Because the movie became so popular, the paperback book was re-titled (from simply ‘Push’) to "Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, based on the film “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”. It would really make me very happy if (IIRC, which of course I won’t) Prince, formerly that symbol, formerly the artist, formerly the artist formerly known as Prince, formerly Prince, had at some point commented on that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-books-movies-shows-you-will-not-read-watch-because-of-their-titles/549995.md?page=2)