# Ever watch a fictional film that you thought was utterly realistic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 12, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415 "2007-10-12T01:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/1 "2007-10-12T01:24:05Z")
Well did you? what was it called? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/2 "2007-10-12T01:31:33Z")
The most utterly convincingly realistic fictional portrayal I’ve ever seen is a TV show, **The Wire** on HBO. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/3 "2007-10-12T01:35:39Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] The most utterly convincingly realistic fictional portrayal I’ve ever seen is a TV show, **The Wire** on HBO. [/QUOTE] Word, dog. I think the 1st season in particular seemed particularly convincing, though of course I have no actual experience in the things they portray. Or do I? 5-0, 5-0!! 🆒 :o ---
**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:** [October 12, 2007, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/4 "2007-10-12T01:36:38Z")
I thought Welcome to the Dollhouse felt _too_ real. Same with the first ten minutes of Kids. (Not saying that people act like that, but the real feeling, the vibe that the people aren’t acting, but are just being themselves.) It’s creepy. I don’t go to the movies for that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/5 "2007-10-12T01:57:08Z")
_Special Bulletin_ felt about as real as “fiction” can. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/6 "2007-10-12T03:05:52Z")
[QUOTE=Windwalker] Word, dog. I think the 1st season in particular seemed particularly convincing, though of course I have no actual experience in the things they portray. [/QUOTE] A friend of mine worked for Baltimore Public Defender last summer; his girlfriend teaches in an “underserved neighborhood” through Teach for America. According to them it’s practically a documentary. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/7 "2007-10-12T03:07:40Z")
You’d swear that the 2002 film [Bloody Sunday](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280491/) was a documentary ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/8 "2007-10-12T04:59:05Z")
[Lilja 4-ever](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300140/) is the version of Nights of Cabiria that takes place in the realistic slums of Russia, and without the Hollywood ending. **Show Me Love** , another Lukas Moodysson film, also ranks high on the realism scale. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/9 "2007-10-12T05:01:10Z")
Battle of Algiers (or battle for algiers) ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/10 "2007-10-12T05:46:53Z")
With emphasis on the word “thought:” I am tempted to say “Unforgiven,” something I consider a masterpiece by Client Eastwood. However, there are some things in the movie that make me just go a little bit :dubious: So, the only one that I can honestly think of at this moment, was “Le Mans.” I hear that if not for some rules or other, or just because it had to stop so often to change film, the freakin’ \*\*camera car \*\* (another Porsche, but not, I think, a 917) would have placed high in the actual race! ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/11 "2007-10-12T14:56:49Z")
I like horror films that look like well-done home movies- they are much more unnerving- the original Night of the Living Dead, Henry- Portrait of a Serial Killer, The Blair Witch Project. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/12 "2007-10-12T15:06:46Z")
[Idiocracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) What happens when you take the creator of ‘Beavis and Butthead’ and ‘Office Space’, and have him comment on the average level of intelligence, and where that trend will leave America in 500 years? A Comedy that sadly, probably shouldn’t be that funny. And Those who have seen it, wonder why it wasn’t in more theatres. (It’s called a woosh factor, my dear.) Edit: I’m Also going to add 1976’s “Network”. I saw it last year, and 30 years later, it still fits in, perfectly. Watch Network, and you will never think about News and Daily show / Colbert the same way again. ---
**Author:** ![teemingONE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@teemingONE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teemingONE)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/13 "2007-10-12T16:01:12Z")
[QUOTE=Meeko] [Idiocracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) And Those who have seen it, wonder why it wasn’t in more theatres. (It’s called a woosh factor, my dear.) [/QUOTE] That and because it wasn’t really all that funny. Pretty funny. But not on the level of Office Space, which I think was what a lot of people wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/14 "2007-10-12T16:50:58Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] The most utterly convincingly realistic fictional portrayal I’ve ever seen is a TV show, **The Wire** on HBO. [/QUOTE] I haven’t seen The Wire, but it appears to be a sort of sequel to Homicide. Homicide definitely seemed very realistic. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/15 "2007-10-12T17:14:11Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] I haven’t seen The Wire, but it appears to be a sort of sequel to Homicide. Homicide definitely seemed very realistic. [/QUOTE] I haven’t seen Homicide, but I’ve heard comparisons. The general consensus seems to be that Homicide starts toward realism, but is still shackled to 1-hour-network-TV conventions, ie, a case must be introduced and resolved each episode, etc. I can not recommend **The Wire** highly enough. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/16 "2007-10-12T18:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Meeko] I’m Also going to add 1976’s “Network”. I saw it last year, and 30 years later, it still fits in, perfectly. Watch Network, and you will never think about News and Daily show / Colbert the same way again. [/QUOTE] And to think that when **Network** came out, many critics found some of the story elements (e.g., the pseudo-populist news programs and the proto-reality shows depicted) too outrageous to take seriously. Looking at it now, many of **Network’s** predictions now seem downright restrained. Although we have yet to see the media powers-that-be arrange to have someone assassinated live on-the-air [**NDP** dons tin-foil cap](at least to the best our knowledge).[**NDP** takes off tin-foil cap] ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/17 "2007-10-12T18:36:30Z")
[QUOTE=scotandrsn] You’d swear that the 2002 film [Bloody Sunday](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280491/) was a documentary [/QUOTE] I think mockumentaries should be excluded. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/18 "2007-10-12T18:41:50Z")
[QUOTE=Meeko] [Idiocracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/) [/QUOTE] Okay, maybe we’d better start by agreeing on what we mean by “realistic”. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/19 "2007-10-12T19:18:25Z")
I’ll suggest Mr. Roberts. It is fiction, but it all felt plausible to me. Especially the idea of the completely clueless Reservist Captain who suddenly has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams after years in the Reserves, without promotion - and goes completely over the deep end when he gets a little praise. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415/20 "2007-10-12T20:20:29Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] I think mockumentaries should be excluded. [/QUOTE] 😕 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-watch-a-fictional-film-that-you-thought-was-utterly-realistic/422415.md?page=2)