Can’t speak for us all, but I require that my reasons are always three millihelens pretty, or better.
I watched a whole bunch of chick flicks a few weekends ago (involuntarily; I lost a bet) and if you asked me about their plots now I’d probably come up with a perverse crossover almost, but not quite entirely unlike the originals. They are all the same damned thing. I think their main attraction is that same pleasant forgettability of their plots.
Awhile back there was a movie critic spot on NPR (Bob Garfield, maybe.) He was catching up on a handful of hit movies he hadn’t seen yet. There were three that seemed, at first, to be very different. (Pirates of the Caribbean, some cop movie, and some futuristic sci-fi thing.) As he saw them, he realized that they all were about “He’s a take-charge guy, who doesn’t play by the rules, and he’s in trouble with his captain.”
Ever since then, my wife and I have often laughed to find other shows (and a few political stories) that fit that same “He’s a take-charge guy, who doesn’t play by the rules, and he’s in trouble with his captain” mold.
Road Trip has the same exact plot as Overnight Delivery. Guy trying to get across country before a package reaches his girlfriend, only to realize they aren’t in love anymore anyway:
Breckin Meyer=Paul Rudd (the guy)
Rachel Blanchard=Christine Taylor (old girlfriend)
Amy Smart=Reese Witherspoon (new girlfriend)
Girl meets guy
Guy is already in a committed relationship to a woman who isn’t quite right for him
Girl creates strain on the relationship with wacky hijinks
Guy almost gets married to old girlfriend
Girl confronts guy with feelings at last, most innappropriate minute
Guy realizes he is in love with the new girl and they live happily ever after
or
What being a psycho bitch looks like from the girls perspective.
You forgot:
Girl falls in love with rich man
Thinks he’s too good for her as she is
Pretends to be something she isn’t
Gets caught at it
He loves her anyway because she’s hot
The Three Amigos
A Bug’s Life
Galaxy Quest
A troupe of bumbling performers are mistaken for the real deal by a society under siege by evil marauders, and are recruited to save the day: initially, they misunderstand the nature of their contract, until a preliminary skirmish establishes that they are in a real conflict. Soul searching and threats of resignation ensue, until they finally come together as a team to concoct a cunning plan based on their performance expertise, and the villains, who have previously dismissed the troupe as buffoons, are soundly routed. Valuable life lessons are learnt.
Never thought of it that way before. But, you’re right!!
…did you just use a Cartman pick up line on him?
The plot of Three Amigos is very similar to the plot of Seven Samurai, except that in the latter the men hired to defend the town are actually competent warriors.
:dubious: Well, there are a few other differences, such as Odysseus (a) not being an idiot and (b) generally having havoc wreaked upon him rather than wreaking it on others (except for Polyphemus, who wreaked first). I suppose that you might consider that he was being “pursued” by Poseiden, but Poseiden was doing so because he knew exactly who Odysseus was.
And Seven Samurai begat The Magnificent Seven, which begat Battle Beyond The Stars {which also starred Robert Vaughn}. While we’re talking Kurosawa and Westerns, Yojimbo begat A Fistful Of Dollars, which begat Last Man Standing.
The Pickwick Papers has a plot? (I’m seriously asking – I couldn’t force myself past the first one-fourth of the book; but what I read did not inspire hope it might get better, or develop a plot of any kind.)
An Officer And A Gentleman spawned an entire genre of movies. As the lesser of two evils, a smart arsed ne’er-do-well embarks on a challenge in order to avoid an immediate inconvenience, with the intention of shirking this responsibility too. As his ordeal tries him physically and mentally, he confronts the demons which make him a smart-mouthed slacker, and finally faces a gruelling ordeal in which he triumphs. Demons are conquered. Valuable life lessons are learnt. He gets the girl.
This plot template has influenced everything from Police Academy to Ghostbusters to Good Will Hunting, as well as every Adam Sandler movie ever made.