# Movies you refuse to see because of its stupid title **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819 "2013-02-19T18:17:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/21 "2013-02-19T21:40:27Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And once you see the movie, you’d realize the title was perfect, and is one of the great titles in film. _The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain_ is just such a movie. _Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever_ fits the bill. Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/22 "2013-02-19T21:41:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The Shawshank Redemption is one of the stupidest movie titles ever for one of the best movies ever. Would you feel better about the original title(_Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption_)? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/23 "2013-02-19T21:44:01Z")
> [@Blaster\_Master](#): > > This isn’t an absolute rule, since there are two obvious exceptions, but films where the title is just the name of the main character. One exception is If it’s a historical person, it’s telling me something about it by saying it’s about J Edgar Hoover or Lincoln or whoever. I still think they should put a bit of effort into it, and either give it a subtitle or give it another title and make “The so-and-so story” the subtitle. _Nixon: The Man Who was Trusted by Young People_ ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/24 "2013-02-19T21:44:13Z")
My current aversion is to _Travels with my Aunt_, which has been sitting on my DVR for nearly a year waiting for me to give a damn. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > And once you see the movie, you’d realize the title was perfect, and is one of the great titles in film. Concur, _hard._ ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/25 "2013-02-19T21:57:13Z")
“Zero Dark Thirty” annoyed me because not once during the movie did they explain what the frickin title meant. Maybe it is a common military term but being a life long civilian I don’t care about common military terms. The damn military confuses even a simple thing like telling what time it is, for pete’s sake. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/26 "2013-02-19T22:00:38Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > _Silver Linings Playbook_ - one of the dumbest titles I’ve seen in a while. > > _Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole_ - um, no. > > _They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?_ - they sure do. > > _Fun with Dick and Jane_ - I doubt it. > > _eXistenZ_ - seriously? I’ve retitled these movies so you can enjoy them. \*\*\*Hawt Jennifer Lawrence A Movie to Sleep through While Your Kids Learn Bullshit About Believing in Themselves Dance Marathon: First Blood Jim Carrey Gets Fired Tron Meets The Matrix and Shit\*\*\* You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/27 "2013-02-19T22:07:38Z")
_A Good Day To Die Hard_ is a stupid title, and as the reviews are crap that compounds my initial plans of not bothering. I also thought _Quantum of Solace_ is a stupid title, but I saw the movie anyway. Can’t recall if they justified the title in any way, though. But that’s James Bond for you, having some of the worst titles ever. _Gangster Squad_ sounds like something a 9 year old would make up. _Rise of the Guardians_. I am getting bored with titles with “Rise” in them, actually. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/28 "2013-02-19T22:08:27Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > “Zero Dark Thirty” annoyed me because not once during the movie did they explain what the frickin title meant. Maybe it is a common military term but being a life long civilian I don’t care about common military terms. The damn military confuses even a simple thing like telling what time it is, for pete’s sake. 😉 Its slang for “Too fucking early in the morning, can’t they wait till the sun comes up for Christ’s sake?” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/29 "2013-02-19T22:08:35Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Hawt Jennifer Lawrence Concur, _hard_. 😉 Damn, she was jiggly in that movie. ---
**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:** [February 19, 2013, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/30 "2013-02-19T22:18:37Z")
Hmm - just realized I never saw Jerry Maguire partly because of the lame title. and that was before I came to despise Tom Cruise’ ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/31 "2013-02-19T22:19:23Z")
Being John Malkovich ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/32 "2013-02-19T22:26:33Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I also thought _Quantum of Solace_ is a stupid title, but I saw the movie anyway. Can’t recall if they justified the title in any way, though. But that’s James Bond for you, having some of the worst titles ever. That one’s a title from an actual Ian Fleming Bond story, and one of the few Fleming titles that hadn’t been used yet. Though the film didn’t exactly have a lot in common with the original short story. 😃 I believe the rationale for the film title is Bond achieving a certain amount (a quantum) of solace for the death of Vesper in _Casino Royale_. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/33 "2013-02-19T22:27:04Z")
> [@bup](#): > > _ **Tron Meets The Matrix and Shit** _ Alternate title _Hawt Jennifer Jason Leigh_, although it’s Cronenberg so you do have to watch her cuddling with an electric kidney and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/34 "2013-02-19T22:27:10Z")
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire I have no idea whether “Sapphire” insisted on that title, but that’s how it looks, and it looks really bad. Edit: oh, also that Traveling Pants of the Ya Ya Sisterhood. Jeez. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/35 "2013-02-19T22:29:00Z")
Threat Level Midnight ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/36 "2013-02-19T22:32:50Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire > > I have no idea whether “Sapphire” insisted on that title, but that’s how it looks, and it looks really bad. And it sounded even worse being said over and over again that night at the Oscars. Also: [previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=550489) ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/37 "2013-02-19T23:19:29Z")
It was years before I finally saw \*Fight Club \*because I hated the title so much. My loss, though–I loved both movie and book when I finally got around to them, and Chuck Palahniuk became one of my favorite authors. I concur about \*Precious, Etc. \* No, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/38 "2013-02-19T23:26:28Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I have to ask – would you seriously refuse to see a film that was nominated for nine Academy Awards just because you don’t like the title? I would seriously refuse to see a film that was nominated for nine Academy Awards because I tend to hate that sort of “oscar-bait” type of crap. If it had a silly name too? Oh yeah, avoid it double forever. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/39 "2013-02-20T00:07:10Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Yours? None. People refuse to see movies because of their titles? How bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819/40 "2013-02-20T00:15:07Z")
well he’s back: > [@](#): > > Hmm - just realized I never saw Jerry Maguire partly because of the lame title. and that was before I came to despise Tom Cruise’ I don’t get it. How is the name of a person (likely a character, even more likely the main character of the movie) a stupid title? my contribution: To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-refuse-to-see-because-of-its-stupid-title/650819.md?page=3)