# What are good movies with narrators? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603 "2010-02-19T07:13:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/41 "2010-02-19T17:22:03Z")
> [@StoutHearted](#): > > Also, I remember liking _The Sandlot_ as a kid, and that had a narrator in the nostalgic tone of _The Wonder Years_. Came in to mention this and _Radio Flyer_. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/42 "2010-02-19T17:32:45Z")
Seabiscuit A River Runs Through It The Year My Voice Broke ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/43 "2010-02-19T17:42:47Z")
Age of Innocence Among the films mentioned I particularly liked the narration in Kind Hearts and Coronets and Barry Lyndon. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/44 "2010-02-19T17:44:35Z")
“We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold.” - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/45 "2010-02-19T17:49:50Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > Great movie, but I don’t think there’s any narration. Unless you count the zither music. “I never knew the old Vienna…before the war.” There was opening narration, but it does not continue throughout the film. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/46 "2010-02-19T17:58:49Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > There was opening narration, but it does not continue throughout the film. Exactly, which is why I’d argue establishing narration (only at the beginning and/or end) is different from a true “narrator” who recurs regularly throughout the film. While _The Third Man, All About Eve, The Day of the Jackal, The War of the Worlds_ and _The Lord of the Rings_ may have some voiceover exposition at the beginning, they are not narrated films. Also, _Russian Ark_ isn’t narrated. It’s simply a long POV with the person talking off-camera amidst the events, not over them. ---
**Author:** ![drillrod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@drillrod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drillrod)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/47 "2010-02-19T18:02:07Z")
**Memento** depended pretty heavily on the narration. “Why am I chasing this guy? Wait, he’s chasing me!” \*\*Watchmen \*\*had bits of narration by Rorschach. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/48 "2010-02-19T18:08:24Z")
[_Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/) (2005) has pretty nifty narration: Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Harry Lockhart, is doing a real-time narration of the movie, explaining his motivations and decisions as they happen (mostly – he’s a little unreliable at times). The narration is one of the reasons, among many, that this is such a fun movie to watch. Downey Jr.'s (and Val Kilmer’s) acting + Shane Black’s writing and direction = pure entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/49 "2010-02-19T18:14:05Z")
Well, sticking to the IMDB’s top movies… \*\*\*Shawshank Redemption \*\*\*(narrated by Morgan"Red" Freeman) \*\*\*Goodfellas \*\*\*(narrated by Ray “Henry Hill” Liotta, for the most part, but by other characters in parts) _ **Forrest Gump** _ \*\*\*Sunset Boulevard \*\*\*(Narrated by William Holden, from beyond) _ **American Beauty** _ (narrated by Kevin Spacey, from beyond) \*\*\*A Clockwork Orange \*\*\*(narrated by Malcolm “Alex” McDowell) \*\*\*Life Is Beautiful \*\*\*(narrated by grown-up Josue) \*\*\*Amadeus \*\*\*(narrated by F. Murray “Salieri” Abraham) _ **Blade Runner** _ (narrated by Harrison “Deckard” Ford) _ **Stand By Me** _ (narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, the adult version of Gordie) _ **The Princess Bride** _ (narrated by Peter “Grandpa” Falk) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/50 "2010-02-19T18:15:37Z")
AlecGuinness’ character (Omar Sharif’s half-brother) is the narrator of \*\*\*Dr. Zhivago \*\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/51 "2010-02-19T18:33:06Z")
The Big Lebowski ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/52 "2010-02-19T18:44:21Z")
The Name of the Rose ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/53 "2010-02-19T23:04:45Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > [_Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/) (2005) has pretty nifty narration: Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Harry Lockhart, is doing a real-time narration of the movie, explaining his motivations and decisions as they happen (mostly – he’s a little unreliable at times). > > The narration is one of the reasons, among many, that this is such a fun movie to watch. Downey Jr.'s (and Val Kilmer’s) acting + Shane Black’s writing and direction = pure entertainment. This is the first movie with narration to pop into my mind. Excellent flick. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/54 "2010-02-19T23:15:32Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > [_Kiss Kiss Bang Bang_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373469/) (2005) has pretty nifty narration: Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Harry Lockhart, is doing a real-time narration of the movie, explaining his motivations and decisions as they happen (mostly – he’s a little unreliable at times). > > The narration is one of the reasons, among many, that this is such a fun movie to watch. Downey Jr.'s (and Val Kilmer’s) acting + Shane Black’s writing and direction = pure entertainment. \*“And you? How 'bout it, filmgoer? Have you solved the case of the - the dead people in L.A.? Times Square audiences, please don’t shout at the screen, and stop picking at that, it’ll just get worse.” \* Love this movie! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/55 "2010-02-19T23:24:35Z")
**A Christmas Story Amélie** ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/56 "2010-02-19T23:29:45Z")
Does _Stranger than Fiction_ count? Since the narration is a key plot point, I am not sure if it is true narration. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/57 "2010-02-19T23:31:12Z")
**Casino** , as noted, was narrated, and by at least two characters. Since narration is presumed to be spoken after the fact and in person, I thought Joe Pesci’s narration was a bit of a cheat. **The Rocky Horror Picture Show** had a narrator. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/58 "2010-02-19T23:39:49Z")
\*Dances With Wolves \*- the narration is Dunbar’s journal entries. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603/59 "2010-02-19T23:40:44Z")
It seems like you’re as likely as not to get narration in French movies. If that’s a valid observation, I’d be interested in learning why it’s so. I don’t like it when movies made from novels dispense with the narrator. **Lord Jim** is narrated, at least for the set-up, as is the entire novel by Joseph Conrad . If it’s permissible to ask a tangental question, are there any movies that follow the literary device of the _unreliable_ narrator? I know it’s understood that that “movies have to be stupider than books,” so would the audience have trouble with anything less obvious than **Rashomon**? I don’t think so. Example: **Forrest Gump**. A lot of Forrest’s narration is so transparently unreliable that it’s written for laughs. But still, everthing we see from his POV is the standard God’s-eye view we expect at the movies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-good-movies-with-narrators/529603.md?page=2)