# Movies that I must watch due to their titles becoming neologisms **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 12, 2014, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504 "2014-03-12T02:49:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elephant\_tactics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/65b543/32.png) [@Elephant\_tactics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elephant_tactics)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/21 "2014-03-12T15:26:30Z")
Sorry to be a smarty pants but devils advocate and Sophie’s choice are both real things Catholics use a devils advocate to argue against their serious decisions like beatification Sophie’s choice allegedly really happened Godfather is also something true from history, mafia dons were named godfather to people under their control, especially in the bandit days In my sad life ‘the force’ is probably the most referenced thing from a film ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/22 "2014-03-12T15:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Really Not All That Bright** : > > This doesn’t really fit the OP at all. Devil’s advocate (the phrase) long predated both films. Psst, **RNATB** , re-read **bibliophage** ’s quote. I’ll also add _Inception_, for anything with a microcosm of itself nested inside it (or preferably, multiple layers of same). ---
**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 12, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/23 "2014-03-12T17:42:16Z")
I think “Lolita” as a term for a certain type of girl was more popularized from the Kubrick movie than from the original Nabokov novel. In the book Lol was 12 while in the movie she was supposed to be at least 14 (Sue Lyons was 16). Which means the term has been extended to include young teens. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/24 "2014-03-12T17:54:13Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Psst, **RNATB** , re-read **bibliophage** ’s quote. I thought 1589 was a typo. Now I see it was a whoosh. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/25 "2014-03-12T17:59:51Z")
> [@Elephant\_tactics](#): > > Sorry to be a smarty pants but devils advocate and Sophie’s choice are both real things > > \ > > Sophie’s choice allegedly really happened > Godfather is also something true from history, mafia dons were named godfather to people under their control, especially in the bandit days _Sophie’s Choice_ is based on a novel of the same name, not a real-life story. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/26 "2014-03-12T18:22:37Z")
digression: “Sophie’s Choice” - The novel, beautiful and wonderfully written. has stood the test of time better than the film. But the OP should see the movie if only to understand why Meryl Streep is considered a great actress. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/27 "2014-03-12T18:42:24Z")
I hear “there’s a glitch in the Matrix” fairly often to describe random events, deja vu, and weird quirky things in general. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/28 "2014-03-12T19:17:34Z")
Just out of curiosity, how popular was the term “Psycho” before Hitchcock’s 1960 film? Anybody know? (I’m asking a real question here.) “Mommy Dearest” certainly ought to be on any list of film title neologisms. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/29 "2014-03-12T19:47:14Z")
> [@Elephant\_tactics](#): > > Catholics use a devils advocate to argue against their serious decisions like beatification > Sophie’s choice allegedly really happened > Godfather is also something true from history, mafia dons were named godfather to people under their control, especially in the bandit days Sophie’s Choice has been covered by others, but your other two are also wrong. The Catholic Church abolished the Devil’s Advocate decades ago and Godfather was adapted by the Mafia because they liked Puzo’s novel/the movie so much. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/30 "2014-03-12T20:02:35Z")
In Italian, the word for godfather is “compare.” In Sicily, it’s been bastardized into “cumpari.” Before Mario Puzo, “Cumpari” was a term that a Sicilian peasant would use for his pal. If you’ve heard a stereotypical movie or TV Italian refer to a buddy as “My goombah,” well, that’s a further bastardiztion of the word for godfather. No ordinary Sicilian would have addressed a feared crime boss with a term meant for a pal. Only Carlo Gambino’s closest cronies would have dared call him that. He’d have taken it as a sign of disrespect from anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/31 "2014-03-12T20:07:02Z")
We’ve been discussing our concerns with our daughter’s playmate in the terms, “She was all _Single White Female_ with that other girl.” ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/32 "2014-03-12T20:38:28Z")
Cruela De Vil pops up more than I would think. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/33 "2014-03-12T20:45:14Z")
“The Horse Whisperer” has given rise to at least a TV show called “The Dog Whisperer,” and I’ve heard of other terms where the animal’s name should be. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/34 "2014-03-12T21:08:19Z")
Two come to mind for me.\* Peyton Place\* and _Fail Safe_. Of course, both had very successful books predate the movie, but they could still qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/35 "2014-03-12T21:23:53Z")
[Pollyanna](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054195/) – an excessively or blindly optimistic person. (Random House Dictionary, via [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com)) ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/36 "2014-03-12T21:27:15Z")
“Stepford Wife” used to describe a certain type of woman. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/37 "2014-03-12T21:30:19Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > “Bambi” has become a synonym for over-romanticizing nature. And “Peter Pan” has actually become a psychological definition for a male who won’t commit or grow up. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/38 "2014-03-12T21:45:16Z")
Daydreamers are often compared to Walter Mitty. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/39 "2014-03-12T21:54:28Z")
Many great examples. Thanks folks. And yeah, even if a movie only popularized it, I think it still counts for what I’m looking for (kind of like the Bucket List thing I think). There are so many more of these than I realized! Rain Man is definitely one I hear a LOT in my life. Didn’t realize Sophie’s Choice was a book before it was a film but that doesn’t surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504/40 "2014-03-12T21:58:44Z")
I’ve heard _Deliverance_ used to describe certain…backwoods situations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-i-must-watch-due-to-their-titles-becoming-neologisms/683504.md?page=3)