# Over hyped books/media that should've never been? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936 "2026-04-01T17:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hajis\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajis_kitchen/32/20986_2.png) [@Hajis\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hajis_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/1 "2026-04-01T17:34:48Z")
Toooo many times books or characters have been blown into the limelight because of a quote or how cool a paragraph or scene is, what’s yalls best takes on this in media? honestly even though i have no mouth and i must scream is a great read, i think that people confuse the “Am” story as a whole book, while the other story’s aren’t even mentioned. but it might not be a good example to bring. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/2 "2026-04-01T18:25:58Z")
> [@Hajis\_Kitchen](#): > > honestly even though i have no mouth and i must scream is a great read, i think that people confuse the “Am” story as a whole book, while the other story’s aren’t even mentioned. but it might not be a good example to bring. I’m confused… “I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream” is a short story, and AM is the antagonist in it. Anyway… back to your original question. I’ve always felt like “big reveal” movies like “The Sixth Sense” or “The Usual Suspects” are kind of overblown; once you know the big reveal, the movies lose something in my opinion. I mean, I loved _The Usual Suspects_, but I haven’t had any urge whatsoever to revisit it since seeing it in the theater back 31 years ago. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/3 "2026-04-01T18:41:58Z")
Isn’t “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” the Dilbert story? ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/4 "2026-04-01T19:08:39Z")
I have often wondered if “Field of Dreams” and “Forrest Gump” only _seemed_ like Good, nice, profound movies that, in reality, actually say little of anything. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/5 "2026-04-01T19:31:44Z")
What do you want them (or something like them) to say? They were both fun, entertaining movies. I described _Field of Dreams_ to a friend as “like a good episode of the old _Twilight Zones_, one of the upbeat ones.” Which I still think is pretty accurate. I’ve since read W.P. Kinsella’s _Shoeless Joe_, which it was based on and realize that there were changes made, mostly taking out some melancholy, but it’s still pretty close (Harlan Ellison praised Shoeless Joe, by the way). _Forrest Gump_ changed the story significantly, but Zemeckis wanted to make a “Tour of the Boomer Experience”, and in that think he succeeded. When I think of things that I would prefer never to have been, it’s usually heavily biased stuff by extremists or bigots. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/6 "2026-04-01T19:42:32Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > I have often wondered if … “Forrest Gump” only _seemed_ like Good, nice, profound movies that, in reality, …is making fun of its audience. That he real meaning of Gump is that being stupid and doing what is expected gives success, and being a free spirit, questioning the status quo, and exploring our existence only brings failure, pain and death. Sort of the ultimate conservative screed, or the perfect Christian rulebook.\* But as to the OP, the biggest examples I can think of are The Secret and the The Celestine Prophesy. How these two woo books corrupted otherwise thinking people into believing them still boggles my mind. \*I love the film. I just worry that it is making fun of me for taking the bait and thinking it is a heartwarming film, not a right wing screed. And that’s without my “other” interpretation, in which nothing we see is real, it is just Gump’s “Flowers for Algernon” interpretation of his life. He never meets presidents, never goes to China, never gets rich. It would be a very sad story. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/7 "2026-04-01T19:42:39Z")
Two examples are Sucker Punch and Bridge to Terabithia, which were overhyped and the hype portrayed entirely different films than actually were. The book- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep was okay, but once it was kinda/sorta made into Bladerunner it became overhyped. Fahrenheit 451 really isnt very good, but it is almost required reading in High School. Several Woody Allen films just arent good, but the fact that he made them made them famous. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/8 "2026-04-01T21:27:31Z")
There are so many overhyped record albums that should never have been made, I wouldn’t even know where to start. Maybe with “Tommy.” ---
**Author:** ![Hajis\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajis_kitchen/32/20986_2.png) [@Hajis\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hajis_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/9 "2026-04-01T22:38:19Z")
Nah, been a couple years since i read it but i think its a collective of storys, one of them being the “Am” one with the super computer ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/10 "2026-04-02T01:38:54Z")
Overhyped movies based on record albums are even worse. Think not only of _Tommy_ but also _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band._ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/11 "2026-04-02T01:48:59Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Think not only of _Tommy_ but also _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band._ I disliked Tommy (record and film) but enjoyed _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_ in both versions. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/12 "2026-04-02T02:38:10Z")
Is this just another variation of “Popular stuff I don’t like?” ---
**Author:** ![Hajis\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajis_kitchen/32/20986_2.png) [@Hajis\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hajis_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/13 "2026-04-02T02:47:37Z")
Ehh… kinda, but i was just thinking of stuff thats good but for sure overhyped by people, like i did enjoy the i have no mouth and i must scream book, but i think that fully reading it people probably wouldnt hype it up as much ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/14 "2026-04-02T04:33:17Z")
So, can I bring up Dave Matthews then? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/15 "2026-04-02T13:07:46Z")
Apparently it’s both. [I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream) ---
**Author:** ![Hajis\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajis_kitchen/32/20986_2.png) [@Hajis\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hajis_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/16 "2026-04-02T13:50:55Z")
wait fr? i picked the book up off amazon after watching the game they made on it, that new to me yo thanks ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/17 "2026-04-02T15:46:36Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > …is making fun of its audience. That he real meaning of Gump is that being stupid and doing what is expected gives success, and being a free spirit, questioning the status quo, and exploring our existence only brings failure, pain and death. Sort of the ultimate conservative screed, or the perfect Christian rulebook.\* I think _Forrest Gump_ kinda works as a tragedy; a tale of someone who lived an extraordinary life and got to experience so many special historic moments, and was unable to appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/18 "2026-04-02T16:10:59Z")
I’ll nominate the recent movies and TV shows that are only loosely based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings, created solely because those who hold the movie/TV rights are trying desperately to figure out how to wring even more money from it. _The Rings of Power_, and the upcoming Peter Jackson/Stephen Colbert collaboration which is said to be based on a small sliver of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ which was largely skipped over in the 2001 adaptation, come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/19 "2026-04-03T17:30:32Z")
I thought _Oppenheimer_ was way too overhyped. Decent movie but not a summer blockbuster demanding to be seen in IMAX 70mm. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936/20 "2026-04-03T17:47:21Z")
I remember reading Entertainment Weekly and they said that Twilight, which only had the one book at the time, was looking to be the next “massive YA series, like Harry Potter”. I went and picked it up. I teach English at the middle school level. My jaw dropped. It was _terrible_. I’m not one to go against the grain, but it was horrendous. That hype made it into a big franchise, but none of that hype was deserved. I did not read books 2-4. I saw the films, which were some of the worst of the years they were released. What a bizarre moment in pop-culture. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/over-hyped-books-media-that-shouldve-never-been/1028936.md?page=2)