# Movie Marathon (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 10, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550 "2026-02-10T16:50:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/101 "2026-02-20T15:57:52Z")
**Movies that were actually better than the book** 1. _Contact_ (1997) 2. _Moneyball_ (2011) 3. _Mary Poppins_ (1964) 4. _Patriot Games_ (1992) 5. _The Hunt For Red October_ (1990) 6. _Limitless_ (2011) The book, _The Dark Fields_ by Alan Glynn, is pretty good, but I think the movie’s even better. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/102 "2026-02-20T18:47:00Z")
**Movies that were actually better than the book** 1. _Contact_ (1997) 2. _Moneyball_ (2011) 3. _Mary Poppins_ (1964) 4. _Patriot Games_ (1992) 5. _The Hunt For Red October_ (1990) 6. _Limitless_ (2011) 7. _Forrest Gump_ (1994) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/103 "2026-02-20T19:00:28Z")
> [@](#): > > **Movies that were actually better than the book** 1. _Contact_ (1997) 2. _Moneyball_ (2011) 3. _Mary Poppins_ (1964) 4. _Patriot Games_ (1992) 5. _The Hunt For Red October_ (1990) 6. _Limitless_ (2011) 7. _Forrest Gump_ (1994) 8. _The Birth of a Nation_ (1914) It was based on one monumentally bad book, that is to say. It is so bad, I can honestly say I have read fanfic by 12-yr-olds that was better. _Birth of a Nation_ was racist as hell, but technically, a good film. The _The Clansman_ was even printed on cheap paper. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/104 "2026-02-20T19:11:06Z")
**Movies that were actually better than the book** 1. _Contact_ (1997) 2. _Moneyball_ (2011) 3. _Mary Poppins_ (1964) 4. _Patriot Games_ (1992) 5. _The Hunt For Red October_ (1990) 6. _Limitless_ (2011) 7. _Forrest Gump_ (1994) 8. _The Birth of a Nation_ (1914) 9. _Headhunters_ (2011) A crazy-good Norwegian crime thriller. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/105 "2026-02-22T01:32:52Z")
[quote=“Elendil\_s\_Heir, post:104, topic:1027550”] **Movies that were actually better than the book** 1. _Contact_ (1997) 2. _Moneyball_ (2011) 3. _Mary Poppins_ (1964) 4. _Patriot Games_ (1992) 5. _The Hunt For Red October_ (1990) 6. _Limitless_ (2011) 7. _Forrest Gump_ (1994) 8. _The Birth of a Nation_ (1914) 9. _Headhunters_ (2011) 10. _Lord of the Rings the Two Towers_ (2002) (Please don’t kill me) **Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/106 "2026-02-22T01:48:11Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/107 "2026-02-22T01:49:05Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/108 "2026-02-22T03:34:20Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) [He’s that guy… from that party. The one who can sing… he’s Jimmy’s brother!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9rDlTPM0I) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/109 "2026-02-22T05:09:55Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/110 "2026-02-22T09:25:14Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) 6. The Prince and the Pauper (1915, 1937, 1962) ---
**Author:** ![Bicycle\_Bill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bicycle_bill/32/6208_2.png) [@Bicycle\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bicycle_Bill)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/111 "2026-02-22T13:41:13Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) 6. The Prince and the Pauper (1915, 1937, 1962) 7. The Inspector General (1949) _ **-“BB”-** _ ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/112 "2026-02-22T14:15:31Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) 6. The Prince and the Pauper (1915, 1937, 1962) 7. The Inspector General (1949) 8. American Dreamer (1984) ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/113 "2026-02-22T17:20:42Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) 6. The Prince and the Pauper (1915, 1937, 1962) 7. The Inspector General (1949) 8. American Dreamer (1984) 9. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Max is mistaken by the children for the pilot of their plane ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/114 "2026-02-22T19:30:05Z")
**Movies involving mistaken identity** 1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. Date Night (2010) 3. The Big Lebowski (1998) 4. Superbad (2007) 5. Gladiator (2000) 6. The Prince and the Pauper (1915, 1937, 1962) 7. The Inspector General (1949) 8. American Dreamer (1984) 9. Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985) 10. The Whole Town’s Talking (1935) A mild-mannered office worker (Edward G. Robinson) is mistaken for an escaped convict. Next: **Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) A Polish actor (Jack Benny) impersonates a German officer. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/115 "2026-02-22T20:54:25Z")
> [@](#): > > **Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) Can’t say what the impersonation was-- it’s a spoiler. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/116 "2026-02-22T22:07:24Z")
**Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Tootsie (1982) ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/117 "2026-02-22T22:17:19Z")
**Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Tootsie (1982) 4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) ---
**Author:** ![Bicycle\_Bill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bicycle_bill/32/6208_2.png) [@Bicycle\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bicycle_Bill)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/118 "2026-02-22T23:19:46Z")
**Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Tootsie (1982) 4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 5. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) _ **-“BB”-** _ ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/119 "2026-02-23T02:32:45Z")
**Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Tootsie (1982) 4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 5. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) 6. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) At least two, involving Elvis and JFK ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550/120 "2026-02-23T04:01:44Z")
**Movies Involving Deliberate Impersonation** 1. To Be or Not To Be (1942) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Tootsie (1982) 4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) 5. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) 6. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) 7. Dave (1993) My all-time favorite political comedy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-4/1027550.md?page=7)