# Are there only 7 movie ideas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939 "2001-09-26T17:01:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/1 "2001-09-26T17:01:26Z")
I read somewhere that there are only 7 basic movie themes. And all the rest are variations of those. Does anyone know what they are? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/2 "2001-09-26T17:03:53Z")
Nope. Only one. It’s called the [monomyth.](http://voyager.dvc.edu/~bmckinney/deedfoot.html) ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/3 "2001-09-26T17:44:45Z")
[Cecil.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/001124.html) ---
**Author:** ![23skidoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f04885/32.png) [@23skidoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/23skidoo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/4 "2001-09-26T18:27:00Z")
The Way-Too-Different Partners The Rag-Tag Bunch Of Misfits Prove Everyone Wrong The Unconventional Hero Teaches Folks a Thing or Two The Road Trip Where Everyone Is Changed The Unrequited Love Story The Monsters Are Coming! ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/5 "2001-09-26T19:18:00Z")
Someone (make it George Bernard Shaw or Winston Churchill, since they seem to be awarded all apocryphal quotes) once said that there are only two plots: 1) someone takes a trip, 2) a stranger comes to town. Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/6 "2001-09-26T22:10:29Z")
There’s also Vladimir Propp’s seven spheres of action (a google search on this should yield a few decent sites). I’d like to think that this translates to 7 “archetypal” stories, but from what I’ve turned up, it’s “the” seven stock character types (hero, villain, mentor, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Smilin\_Joe\_Fission](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Smilin\_Joe\_Fission](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smilin_Joe_Fission)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/7 "2001-09-27T00:33:27Z")
I tend to subscribe to what they tought us in English class in High School: man vs. nature man vs. man man vs. society man vs. himself man vs. god/religion man vs. technology/progress (i suppose this could fall into the “society” category) good vs. evil/law vs. chaos they are reversible, of course, but you can pretty much boil everything down to those seven. doesn’t really account for different genres, you know, comedy, satire, drama, tragedy, etc. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/8 "2001-09-27T00:53:43Z")
Some thoughts on the subject. [http://www.imdb.com/Indie/Ask/20000922.html](http://www.imdb.com/Indie/Ask/20000922.html) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-only-7-movie-ideas/83939/9 "2001-09-27T01:04:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smilin’ Joe Fission \* > \*\*I tend to subscribe to what they tought us in English class in High School: > > man vs. nature > man vs. man > man vs. society > man vs. himself > man vs. god/religion > man vs. technology/progress (i suppose this could fall into the “society” category) > good vs. evil/law vs. chaos > > they are reversible, of course, but you can pretty much boil everything down to those seven. > doesn’t really account for different genres, you know, comedy, satire, drama, tragedy, etc. \*\* \ Argghh!!! \