# Cleverest Movie Titles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212 "2007-11-20T18:39:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/21 "2007-12-06T14:51:39Z")
Snakes on a Plane? ---
**Author:** ![Ro\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Ro\_Carter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ro_Carter)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/22 "2007-12-06T15:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] At the end of the movie Tom Hank’s character is about to be let into America when he suddenly gets extremely ill, paramedics are called, but too late he has died. We then find out he was trying to get into the country the whole time to get a life saving operation for himself. However he was never able to communicate this to anyone and time runs out. Thus “The Terminal” wasn’t refering to the airport but rather Tom Hank’s character. [/QUOTE] Wow, maybe I am misremembering, but that is not the way the movie ended. Hanks’ character never had a terminal illness, at least not show in the film. His purpose for coming to America was complete his late father’s jazz musician autograph collection. He ends up leaving the terminal to collect the final autograph, and then asks to go “home”. Matter of fact, after checking IMDb and a wikipedia plot synopsis, they both agree with me on how the movie ends. ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/23 "2007-12-06T15:18:23Z")
At the beginning of the movie, Ben Affleck is driving and he changes lanes, hits Samuel L Jackson’s car, setting off a chain of events that drives the rest of the movie. By the end, “Changing Lanes” refers to Ben Affleck’s shift in the direction of his life. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/24 "2007-12-06T15:37:28Z")
[QUOTE=Carnick] What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. [/QUOTE] That was the title of the _book_. Sister Act. The “sister” refers collectively to the white nuns and singularly to Whoopi in a totally different meaning. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/25 "2007-12-06T15:51:41Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] God. Damn. It. The one I come in to mention, and it’s not only in the OP, it’s _the first friggin’ example given_ in the OP?!?!? Okay, then, I submit _Gaslight_, one of the few movies to have actually added a new meaning to an existing word. [/QUOTE] That doesn’t actually make the title clever though, does it? It had no other intended meaning until people used the title to describe something that happens in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/26 "2007-12-06T15:55:36Z")
> [@](#): > > That doesn’t actually make the title clever though, does it? It had no other intended meaning until people used the title to describe something that happens in the movie. i’m not understanding you. The title has at least two meanings, both obviously intended by the filmmmakers, with one not at all immediately obvious. That 's clever, in my book. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/27 "2007-12-06T16:56:00Z")
[QUOTE=Ro Carter] Wow, maybe I am misremembering, but that is not the way the movie ended. Hanks’ character never had a terminal illness, at least not show in the film. His purpose for coming to America was complete his late father’s jazz musician autograph collection. He ends up leaving the terminal to collect the final autograph, and then asks to go “home”. Matter of fact, after checking IMDb and a wikipedia plot synopsis, they both agree with me on how the movie ends. [/QUOTE] No, you’re right, you just didn’t read all of the post. Particularly this sentence: > [@](#): > > \*\*The Terminal \*\* could have been the cleverest movie title ever _ **if they changed the ending to my ending** _. (emphasis added) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/28 "2007-12-06T17:13:55Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] i’m not understanding you. The title has at least two meanings, both obviously intended by the filmmmakers, with one not at all immediately obvious. That 's clever, in my book. [/QUOTE] According to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaslighting) the word “gaslight” meaning to make it look like someone is going crazy, came from the movie. When they made the movie, the word only referred to the gaslight used to light buildings. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/29 "2007-12-06T17:35:32Z")
“Adaptation.” was a pretty clever title, with at least three meanings: [ol] [li]The film (and Susan Orlean’s book upon which it was “based”) dealt with the adaptations of orchids to their environments;[/li][li]The film was about Charlie Kaufman’s own neurotic, agonizing process of adapting the novel into the movie (while we watch it); and[/li][li]The film was about Charlie’s adaptation of his original screenplay idea into something more commercially viable. [/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/30 "2007-12-06T18:44:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by CalMeacham > i’m not understanding you. The title has at least two meanings, both obviously intended by the filmmmakers, with one not at all immediately obvious. That 's clever, in my book. > > According to Wiki the word “gaslight” meaning to make it look like someone is going crazy, came from the movie. When they made the movie, the word only referred to the gaslight used to light buildings. ahh - , I misunderstood. I thought he was talking about **The Last of Sheila**. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/31 "2007-12-06T18:57:25Z")
Let’s not forget _Cast Away_. It wasn’t until after I saw the movie that I noticed it was two words, not one. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/32 "2007-12-06T22:50:31Z")
_The Family Stone_. It’s their surname, an actual rock, and a metaphorical rock. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/33 "2007-12-06T23:43:30Z")
**The Accused**. Great use of a gender-neutral article. They had a hell of a time translating it in Spanish, since using “El” or “La” greatly influences the meaning. Re: Porn, my favorite of all-time: **Spread Legged Freaks**. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/34 "2007-12-07T01:45:14Z")
The movie October Sky has a title that’s an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of the book on which the movie was based. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/35 "2007-12-07T02:13:34Z")
[QUOTE=jackelope] “Adaptation.” was a pretty clever title, with at least three meanings: [ol] [li]The film (and Susan Orlean’s book upon which it was “based”) dealt with the adaptations of orchids to their environments;[/li][li]The film was about Charlie Kaufman’s own neurotic, agonizing process of adapting the novel into the movie (while we watch it); and[/li][li]The film was about Charlie’s adaptation of his original screenplay idea into something more commercially viable. [/li][/ol] [/QUOTE] And also about the fictional Charlie Kaufman “adapting” his own life within the story, rather than clinging to his spartan, monkish existence and self-absorbed neuroses like an epiphyte, et cetera. _The Third Man_ has multiple meanings; it could refer to the mysterious “third man” that Martins is looking for, or Harry Lime (the literal ‘third man’ at the accident scene of Lime’s faked death), or Martins himself. Ditto for other Graham Greene titles like _The Quiet American_ or _The Comedians_, which take on a different meaning once the plot becomes clear. As a David Mamet fan (well, some of the time, anyway) I rather like _The Spanish Prisoner_, which refers to the confidence scam, but Campbell Scott’s character becomes a prisoner of the scam, which may itself be a scam within a scam. The meaning of the title _Spartan_ becomes clear with exposition near the end of the film, and gives the film a much deeper thematic context that being merely a mystery suspense actioneer. _Chinatown_ has almost nothing to do with the Los Angeles district in which the final scene occurs, and instead becomes a metaphor for fate and injustice. “Forget about it, Jake. It’s Chinatown,” stands as one of the most memorable closing lines ever. _Green For Danger_ is both catchy and deceptive. It’s also a nice ironic spin on the drawing room mystery genre. Stranger ---
**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:** [December 7, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/36 "2007-12-07T02:43:57Z")
**Brassed Off** means “angry,” and is also appropriate because it’s about a brass band. **City of Angels** is both literal, and also refers to Los Angeles, where it is set. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2007, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/37 "2007-12-07T04:08:23Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] That was the title of the _book_. [/QUOTE] And the movie. ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2007, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/38 "2007-12-08T13:57:32Z")
**Severance** is a play on “Deliverance”, both films being about a group of city people stalked by locals out in the wilderness. It also refers to the big shock moment. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/39 "2007-12-10T15:35:00Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Let’s not forget _Cast Away_. It wasn’t until after I saw the movie that I noticed it was two words, not one. [/QUOTE] Wow, I never noticed that. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212/40 "2007-12-10T17:07:05Z")
It’s not a movie title, but the discussion of Mitt Romney’s Mormon religion dragged this up again. Fawn Brodie wrote a biography of Prophet and Church Founder Joseph Smith. She entitled it **No Man Knows my History** , which is part of a Joseph Smith quotation. Fawn Brody, of course, was a woman. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleverest-movie-titles/427212.md?page=3)