# ID this movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686 "2020-03-17T22:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/1 "2020-03-17T22:38:48Z")
I think it was a rom com, sci fi fusion. Guys invent an AI or chat bot. Wanna test it Turing style by seeing if it can a woman would fall in love with it. The bot and the woman chat for a while and she is somewhat interested. But they conclude it’ll go no further unless the two of them meet. So they fashion a pair of glasses so one of the dudes can go on a date. The glasses, wired up to the bot, will tell him what to say. I presume hilarity ensues. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/2 "2020-03-18T14:03:46Z")
Doing some keyword searching here and there consistently turns up [Electric Dreams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Dreams_(film)) from 1984. But … the plot is noticeably different from yours. Following “more like” and “plot keyword” links on IMDb didn’t turn up anything else. The Wikipedia [list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_artificial_intelligence_films) on AI films doesn’t show anything else that might match. I think I know the movie and have a picture in my mind of the main guy, but nada. One problem is someone named their AI project “Cyrano” which turns up too much in searching. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/3 "2020-03-18T17:21:05Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Doing some keyword searching here and there consistently turns up [Electric Dreams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Dreams_(film)) from 1984. But … the plot is noticeably different from yours. The movie poster looks familar, but I think you’re right - that’s not it. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/4 "2020-03-18T18:45:49Z")
_Her (2013)_ has scene very similar to this, but not quite the same. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/5 "2020-03-19T02:33:28Z")
[Uncanny](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321502/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) (2015) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/6 "2020-03-19T05:44:44Z")
_Sleepless in Silicon_ ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/7 "2020-03-19T09:26:21Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Doing some keyword searching here and there consistently turns up [Electric Dreams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Dreams_(film)) from 1984. But … the plot is noticeably different from yours. That’s the one that popped into my mind. The immediate connection I had was with the star Lenny Von Dohlen. Although I clearly saw him and thought of the movie I would have never come up with his name or the name of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/8 "2020-03-19T11:07:03Z")
Electric Dreams is one of my favorite movies, I can confirm that is definitely not it. The plot is different. It’s about a guy whose computer accidentally becomes self aware and it forms a love triangle with his neighbor/girlfriend. It’s a sweet, clever movie with a great soundtrack. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/9 "2020-03-19T11:11:21Z")
_Cyrano de Bergerac_ Cyrano is the computer. The dude with the glasses is Christian. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/10 "2020-03-19T13:09:45Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > _Cyrano de Bergerac_ Cyrano is the computer. The dude with the glasses is Christian. Is this a real film? Can’t find anything like it under that name at IMDb. BTW: We just re-watched _Roxanne_ last Saturday. I love a “smart” Steve Martin movie. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/11 "2020-03-21T03:07:34Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Is this a real film? Can’t find anything like it under that name at IMDb. No, Cyrano de Bergerac is a classic play, which includes a scene similar to the one in the OP, where a poet advises a friend on words to say to impress the friend’s girlfriend. It has been much imitated and parodied. There isn’t a sci-fi film called Cyrano de Bergerac, but there have been a few with the reference. Paul is just commenting on the origin of the scene. [TV tropes link - playing Cyrano](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayingCyrano) I haven’t seen it, but I’m going to suggest the following: \*In Short Circuit 2, Number 5 the sentient robot, who has scanned through a library’s worth of novels, suggests being The Cyrano for his nerdy scientist friend Ben. During Ben’s date with Sandy, Number 5 hacks into an electronic billboard’s system and flashes the lines Ben is supposed to say to her. The hacking goes wrong, resulting in Ben reading out nonsense (including some vulgar insults in Spanish - which unfortunately Sandy understands), but he turns a potentially embarrassing situation around by admitting the ruse to Sandy, who thinks it’s sweet that he would go to such effort for her. \* ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/12 "2020-03-23T03:50:43Z")
> [@](#): > > In Short Circuit 2, Number 5 the sentient robot… Maybe I’m severely misremembering this scene. I’m pretty sure, though, the chatbot had no body (which Johnny 5 does), that the woman was in a relationship/friendship with the chatbot itself before the need for the glasses ruse. Dang - will this itch ever be scratched 🙂 ? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/13 "2020-03-23T07:43:44Z")
> [@Nature\_s\_Call](#): > > Dang - will this itch ever be scratched 🙂 ? Are you sure it’s not Uncanny? I didn’t google search terms, I saw the movie a couple years ago and recognized your description of it in the OP immediately. The IMDb page for it linked above includes a trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/14 "2020-03-24T12:04:30Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Are you sure it’s not Uncanny? I definitely want to check this out, but that’s not it. The chatbot has no body. The chatbot and the woman communicated at first only online. She didn’t know it was a chatbot. When she insisted on meeting in person, this put the inventor in a tizzy - leading to the glasses feeding lines to one of the conspirators. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/15 "2020-03-24T12:26:46Z")
I just realized that wasn’t clear in the OP: the woman had no idea she’s talking to an AI. She believes she is chatting with a human. The inventor and buddy are watching that developing relationship as the test - to see if she will not only fail to detect it’s a robot she’s interacting with but that she would actually fall in love without ever finding out. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/16 "2020-03-24T12:35:25Z")
Well… [spoiler]Yes, that’s exactly what happens in that movie. Only at the very end is it revealed that the person she and we thought was the inventor was the AI and the person she and we thought was the AI was the inventor. And she had fallen in love with the AI before she found out.[/spoiler] I’m still like 99% sure that’s the movie you’re describing but if none of the actors in the trailer look familiar then it can’t be that. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/17 "2020-03-24T15:59:05Z")
Go to YouTube, where you can find many pieces of the movie _Uncanny_. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/18 "2020-03-25T09:46:40Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I’m still like 99% sure that’s the movie you’re describing but if none of the actors in the trailer look familiar then it can’t be that. The more I learn about this movie the more I want to see it. My memory is foggy, for sure, but I do not remember having seen this. The AI in Uncanny is definitely has a body. It appears the woman in Uncanny indeed was fooled, true, but at least was aware there _was_ an AI and that she was in on the test/assessment. The woman in my movie had no idea there was an AI nor that there was an assessment underway. Having only chatted online via text (AOL? ICQ? maybe over the phone via text-to-speech?) She had no idea there was an AI, nor an inventor. She thought only that she met an interesting potentially romantic person online. They make a date to go to a restaurant. The inventor can’t send a robot - there is nothing with a body that exists. So he sends his buddy. But they want the AI to carry the conversation. So the buddy wears glasses with a HUD (or was it an ear piece?) that lets him know what the AI would have said in response to her conversation - so he can say it on AI’s behalf. Sort of Cyrano style (thanks for that **Paul in Qatar** ). Maybe it was an episode of a TV show like Outer Limits or its ilk. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/19 "2020-03-25T12:10:34Z")
> [@Nature\_s\_Call](#): > > The more I learn about this movie the more I want to see it. It’s actually not bad. Extremely low budget and a very independent feel, but good enough that when it ended I was happy I’d spent the 90 minutes or whatever watching it. It’s funny how memory works. After reading the OP I thought I remembered that they did indeed use eye-glasses to communicate Cyrano-style on a date with the reporter, but after sleeping on it a couple times I’m starting to think that little detail was planted into my memory inception-style just by reading the OP. Anyway, hope you do eventually figure out what it was you saw. If you do, even if it takes years, come back and bump this thread to let us know what it was. EDIT: One of my favorite bit of Uncanny was how cripplingly socially awkward the inventor was. Not a stretch for a genius inventor, of course, but also it’s great cover to fool you into thinking he’s the AI instead of a Mark Zuckerberg type. Meanwhile, the AI was quiet and a little off, but again, great cover since we think he’s the Zuckerberg type and we expect people that intelligent to be a little socially off. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie/849686/20 "2020-03-25T15:48:55Z")
Nature’s Call, as I said above, if you want to see _Uncanny_, go to YouTube and search for it, since you can see parts of it there.