# I saw \_\_\_\_\_ but thought I was going to see \_\_\_\_\_ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 15, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127 "2007-06-15T15:16:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/1 "2007-06-15T15:16:11Z")
**OpalCat** started a thread called [Does “Dancer in the Dark” get better?](http://208.100.26.199/sdmb/showthread.php?t=424969) and I was tempted to be a smartass and say “What did you expect? _Singin’ in the Rain_?” but decided the idea might be fun enough for a separate thread where one movie’s title is close enough to another’s that watching one and expecting the other could be a traumatic experience or at least one where you’d want to bail out pretty quickly. As a for instance, suppose you saw the marquee read _Deep Throat_ and you went ahead and paid for a ticket expecting to see a movie based on Jack Handey’s _Deep Thoughts_. Just how would you relate to that obvious error? What are some other titles that might be confused for something totally at the other end of your expectations spectrum? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/2 "2007-06-15T15:32:00Z")
My neighbor had \*\*Stranger than Fiction \*\* out for rent and I said, Wow, a classic! I was thinking **Stranger than Paradise**. :smack: But I guess they’re each quirky in their own way. **28 Days** and **28 Days Later**. One is about shrieking beings crashing around in the woods and the other is **28 Days Later**. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/3 "2007-06-15T15:43:08Z")
I suppose that some younger person who had heard all the great things about _Shane_ being a pacesetter classic Western might have been at least a tad disappointed to pay full price for _Shine_. Maybe not. There have been a few occasions as I’m browsing Netflix offerings when I’ve had the urge to see if _American Pie_ is a faithful representation of Don McLean’s song. And I have been tempted to see if _The Other Side of Midnight_ might be an upbeat variation on _Midnight Cowboy_. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/4 "2007-06-15T15:55:24Z")
A variant on the OP: Due to miscommunication and incorrect theater signs, I once wandered into a theater and was treated to the first couple of minutes of _The Green Mile_ instead of _Galaxy Quest_, which I was supposed to be watching with one of my sisters and her kids. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/5 "2007-06-15T16:01:08Z")
Or **Shine** vs. **The Shining**. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/6 "2007-06-15T17:00:30Z")
Kinda related - but I remember when the film “Porky’s” came out and many parents took their kids to it expecting some connection to Porky Pig. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/7 "2007-06-15T17:08:58Z")
“Band of Brothers” vs. “Boys in the Band”? How about [“Carrie”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074285/) vs. [“Carrie”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044486/) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/8 "2007-06-15T17:11:58Z")
How many of us can remember our initial reaction to the announcement that HBO was going to have an in-house production of a series called _The Sopranos_? It took the second season or at least some word-of-mouth before I realized it wasn’t some silly opera show or a Broadway musical concept! ---
**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:** [June 15, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/9 "2007-06-15T17:26:29Z")
I knew someone who went to see **Looking for Mr. Goodbar** , thinking that she was going to see **The Goobye Girl** THAT was a severe disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![NailBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NailBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NailBunny)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/10 "2007-06-15T18:08:47Z")
Way back when, I kept getting the movies _American Beauty_ and _American Pie_ confused. I couldn’t understand why everyone was rolling their eyes at me and slowly backing away when I would go on about how I couldn’t wait to see _American Pie_! ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/11 "2007-06-15T18:42:10Z")
Some parents taking their kids to see The Aristocrats might be upset by the lack of talking cartoon cats. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/12 "2007-06-15T18:44:18Z")
[QUOTE=Baine] Some parents taking their kids to see The Aristocrats might be upset by the lack of talking cartoon cats. [/QUOTE] If my vote counts, this one wins the thread! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/13 "2007-06-15T18:50:09Z")
[QUOTE=Baine] Some parents taking their kids to see The Aristocrats might be upset by the lack of talking cartoon cats. [/QUOTE] There have been reports to the effect that this really happened. ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/14 "2007-06-15T18:52:48Z")
Several times in the last few weeks I’ve noticed that [A Shot In The Dark](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323965/) was playing on HBO. Every time I have to remind myself that Peter Sellers is not involved in finding Adrian Grenier’s father. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/15 "2007-06-15T18:54:24Z")
When I was nine, my grandmother, poor soul, took my brother and me to see Hitchcock’s _The Birds_, thinking it was a documentary. I had nightmares for weeks (but loved the movie). ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/16 "2007-06-15T18:55:36Z")
Someone who thought “The Devil **in** Miss Jones” was “The Devil **and** Miss Jones” might be in for a shock. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/17 "2007-06-15T19:11:05Z")
**Trainspotting** and **Transporter**. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/18 "2007-06-15T21:11:21Z")
My ex-girlfriend’s mother went to see _Leaving Las Vegas_ expecting to see Nicholas Cage in a delightful romantic comedy sequel to her favorite movie, _Honeymoon in Vegas_. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/19 "2007-06-15T21:59:07Z")
[QUOTE=pravnik] My ex-girlfriend’s mother went to see _Leaving Las Vegas_ expecting to see Nicholas Cage in a delightful romantic comedy sequel to her favorite movie, _Honeymoon in Vegas_. [/QUOTE] Was the mother named Gena, by any chance? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2007, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127/20 "2007-06-15T22:01:53Z")
I saw: _Snakes on a Plane_ I thought I was going to see: _Something good._ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-_____-but-thought-i-was-going-to-see-_____/408127.md?page=2)