# Commonly(and frustratingly) misunderstood plot points(spoilers, I guess) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920 "2012-02-06T01:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/21 "2012-02-06T04:30:45Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The things at the end of A.I. were future robots, not aliens. I had an interview with Kathleen Kennedy where she discussed how blown away they were people didn’t get this. Her exact words were along the line of “It’s robots. We didn’t expect anyone to misunderstand this.” They should have made them look more like robots and less like aliens then. I thought they were alien robots from outer space that were doing archaeological work on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/22 "2012-02-06T04:31:56Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Dottie did not drop the ball on purpose (D&R) Yes, she did. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2012, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/23 "2012-02-06T04:34:25Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > You do realize the person you are quoting was the producer of the movie, right? > > You can believe whatever you’d like, it won’t make you any less wrong. So? Ridley Scott was the director of Blade Runner and he knows jackshit about what was really going on in that movie. > [@](#): > > Dottie did not drop the ball on purpose Duh! We actually did a thread about this one a few months ago and even with a video clip of the final scene (which shows Dottie’s hand hitting the dirt and the ball popping out), there are people who still fought it. People be stubborn. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/24 "2012-02-06T04:35:47Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > You do realize the person you are quoting was the producer of the movie, right? Which should tell you my opinion of the mess they made of that movie. A good idea gone horribly wrong. (And it had nothing to do with Asimov. Asimov didn’t invent robots. The originating story was by Brian Aldiss, not that it made much difference to what appeared on screen.) Blade Runner is perhaps worse. People can so easily argue whatever side of the question they want because the film had no idea of what pov it wanted to put forward. Misunderstanding is not really the issue. When the fabric of the story is botched then all interpretations become equally viable. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/25 "2012-02-06T05:00:45Z")
if people could believe that the two leads ended up together in _Big_, they could believe anything. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/26 "2012-02-06T05:05:03Z")
I have run into several people that did not understand the plot to Trading Places. “How did they sell the futures they didn’t own?” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/27 "2012-02-06T05:27:26Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > May I suggest any further contributions actually mention the film, in case we want to avoid spoilers, or just want to know what and who you’re talking about. Anyone want to explain who Dottie is and what film that is from? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/28 "2012-02-06T05:33:58Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Anyone want to explain who Dottie is and what film that is from? It’s from\*\* A League of Their Own\*\*. Dottie and her sister are players in a girl’s baseball league during WWII, with some friction between them. The sister is traded to a rival team, that just happens to be the opponents in the championship game. Dottie is the star player, but she has no plans to keep playing, she’s going home with her husband to do the family thing. The sister really has nothing going for her except baseball even though she’s really a mediocre player, and has always been in Dottie’s shadow. The scene in question is a play at the plate, with the sister attempting to score. Dottie is the catcher. There is a collision, Dottie drops the ball on purpose, allowing her sister to score and be the hero for once. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/29 "2012-02-06T05:34:26Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Anyone want to explain who Dottie is and what film that is from? I think it’s _A League of their Own_. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/30 "2012-02-06T05:55:05Z")
> [@grude](#): > > When I first saw the film I was not sure either way, it wasn’t just their appearance but the appearance of the earth as well. As far as we the audience can see everything is ruined and covered in ice, it looks very post apocalyptic and far future. > > The only hint of any activity is the archeological dig the “aliens” are engaged in, which you know might happen if aliens discovered a planet that once harbored intelligent life. In fact David would the most amazing discovery any archeologist could make, he is a machine witness with digital recordings on his hard drive of the very society they are studying! It didn’t even enter my mind that there was any possibility that they were not aliens until I read a thread on IMDB the day after I saw the movie and found people’s insistence they they were robots. I still can’t imagine what possessed them to have these “robots” look like aliens if they thought it would be so clear. I _still_ feel like they’re messing with viewers and didn’t actually decide what they were going for, like with **Knowing**. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/31 "2012-02-06T06:43:33Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > That’s why the line “From him we learn about humanity” is so HORRIFIC. > David knows only the worst aspects of humanity. Yeah… robots, aliens, whatever. What I don’t get is people who think the movie had a _happy ending_. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/32 "2012-02-06T07:05:39Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > I had no idea anybody interpreted them as aliens. It seemed so obvious they were other robots. Ive only read the really early Asimov robots novels but presumably this is all answered in the books. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > (And it had nothing to do with Asimov. Asimov didn’t invent robots. The originating story was by Brian Aldiss, not that it made much difference to what appeared on screen.) I was kinda wondering there. I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m a huge Asimov fan. If the movie _was_ based on Asimov, then the answer would clearly be “robots” because Asimov’s universe(s\*) did not contain aliens. \*He tied the “robot” and “Foundation” universes together in his later years. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/33 "2012-02-06T07:19:53Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I was kinda wondering there. I haven’t seen the movie, but I’m a huge Asimov fan. If the movie _was_ based on Asimov, then the answer would clearly be “robots” because Asimov’s universe(s\*) did not contain aliens. > > \*He tied the “robot” and “Foundation” universes together in his later years. Not the Foundation/Robot combined universe. However in that universe the Earth is radioactive, not under water. BTW, I thought they were aliens for a second, but when they set up a network to communicate it was clear they were robots - and the rest of the movie bore it out. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/34 "2012-02-06T07:33:54Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > In\* The Flight of the Phoenix\*, Heinrich Dorfmann was the hero, survival in harsh circumstances requires those involved accept cold reality. Frank Towns’ inspirational inflexibility risked everyones lives and pointed out the lack of conviction and sacrifice Americans are willing to undergo during severe hardship. Thank you! I was like _“Why did you just punch Ronald Fraser? Because he refused to recklessly tackle a dangerous situation head on and die alongside the other two? Screw you, James Stewart!”_ ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/35 "2012-02-06T08:34:00Z")
I will never understand how people can look at [this](http://www.thewoodmovie.com/images/cache/screen_image_343846.jpg) in a film called Artificial Intelligence that’s all about robots getting ever more advanced and not realise it’s a robot. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/36 "2012-02-06T08:36:21Z")
**Blair Witch Project**. They couldn’t find their way out of the woods because they were under a spell. Or that part of the forest was cursed. Or something supernatural. But not because they were stupid. I mean, they were, but not so stupid that they couldn’t follow a stream. They were cursed. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/37 "2012-02-06T08:41:54Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > **Blair Witch Project**. They couldn’t find their way out of the woods because they were under a spell. Or that part of the forest was cursed. Or something supernatural. But not because they were stupid. I mean, they were, but not so stupid that they couldn’t follow a stream. They were cursed. Another way to put this that might make more sense to some people is that their senses and minds were being manipulated supernaturally. The “witch” was altering their perceptions to keep them from leaving. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/38 "2012-02-06T08:47:10Z")
A Boy And His Dog - movie Is the boy insane?! I mean he is a teenage orphan for who knows how long, does he really have a talking dog? The only info we ever get to explain the dog’s psychic abilities is from the boy himself, seems very suspect. No one else ever interacts with this supposed telepathic dog that’s as smart as a bright human adult. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/39 "2012-02-06T08:59:00Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > They should have made them look more like robots and less like aliens then. I thought they were alien robots from outer space that were doing archaeological work on Earth. Indeed. It was a design and direction failure. I admit to first thinking they were aliens but accept I was wrong. Why did I think that? BECAUSE THEY LOOKED AND ACTED LIKE STANDARD SCI-FI ALIENS. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920/40 "2012-02-06T09:00:21Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Dottie did not drop the ball on purpose (D&R) Yeah, not everyone has the same references as you so it may be helpful if you manage to type the ten or so (presumably) extra characters so we all know what the hell you are on about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commonly-and-frustratingly-misunderstood-plot-points-spoilers-i-guess/611920.md?page=3)