# What movies or books do you take the "wrong" thing away from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402 "2010-09-11T14:01:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/41 "2010-09-12T04:31:30Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > **Stepford Wives:** Men prefer their wives to be soulless, compliant automatons who do housework all day than real people with ambition or personalities. I believe this, also, was the actual point of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/42 "2010-09-12T04:37:54Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > From various iterations of “Batman”: if my life ever gets so messed up that I’m gunning down two innocent people in some alley, I should also shoot the _ **third** _ person – and _ **doubly** _ so if that lone eyewitness is their son, who can now be reasonably expected to swear vengeance and prepare himself for some kind of relentless war. > > No, seriously. And you never know who’s going to go psycho and start dressing up like a giant rodent. That’s why I leave no child behind – might as well pop the whiny little snot. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/43 "2010-09-12T07:19:03Z")
Spoilers ahead. Sorry, but I really have to set the stage for my reaction. In the movie _Crazyheart_, Jeff Bridges’s character is a drunk country singer trying to make a comeback when he meets beautiful reporter Maggie Gyllenhall. They begin an affair, during which Jeff bonds with Maggie’s beautiful little boy. One day, while at an aquarium with Maggie and the boy, Jeff decides to give Maggie a break and take the boy with him. Being a drunk, Jeff takes the boy into a bar, and the boy runs off. A few hours of frantic searching later, the boy is found, and Maggie is understandably furious. This incident causes Jeff to turn his world around. He enters rehab, stops smoking, and hopes to become the man she deserves. He comes to her house, shows her he is a changed man, and… **the bitch turns him down. She can’t accept he’s a changed man, and basically shuts the door in his face.** A few months later, she meets up with Jeff again. His career is on the rise again, and she wants to interview him for an article. He looks down and sees a beautiful engagement ring on her finger. She seems happy, and he’s happy for her. Credits. Director’s intended message: Jeff got his life back on track, and his relationship with Maggie had to go away because that was the “old him.” He’s a new man now. My message: Maggie threw away a man who treated her well and loved her son because she couldn’t forgive his letting the boy run away. Jesus, I ran away from my parents frequently. I probably scared them to death. But whichever parent was watching me was never in fear of being disowned by the other because of it. What a bitch that Maggie Gyllenhall character is. Wow. This turned out far too long. That movie _still_ angers me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/44 "2010-09-12T07:53:14Z")
I’ve mentioned this one before and gotten a lot of arguments over this. _Clerks II_: I don’t think it was meant to be a happy ending. Kevin Smith has said that he puts a lot of his own life into his movies. And he did the opposite of what Dante did - Smith left New Jersey, became a huge success, and married Jennifer Schwalbach. Which was the opportunity that Dante had but gave up on. He was comfortable and all that but still he settled for what he had instead of reaching for something more and at the end of the movie it was clear he was going to spend the rest of his life working in a convenience store. ---
**Author:** ![Manwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Manwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manwich)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/45 "2010-09-12T08:17:00Z")
From talking to friends it seems I was only one who thought that the main characters in _Lost in Translation_ were not meant to be sympathetic. I thought it was a painful movie to watch but it did a good job of showing how annoying jaded rich people can’t be happy with what they have and enjoy life. Message: Rich, famous people are either superficial and stupid or can’t enjoy what they have because they are emotionally retarded. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/46 "2010-09-12T08:24:19Z")
_Shallow Hal_. The idea was that his shallowness was undermined by seeing the fat ugly girl for “who she really is”. Except to illustrate this, the filmmakers chose to show the fat ugly girl as a slim and attractive Gwyneth Paltrow. Which completely undermines the point by making the audience complicit in the body fascism. The message I took away is: someone’s inner self is much better if they’re a hottie not a fattie. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/47 "2010-09-12T08:44:56Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > From various iterations of “Batman”: if my life ever gets so messed up that I’m gunning down two innocent people in some alley, I should also shoot the _ **third** _ person – and _ **doubly** _ so if that lone eyewitness is their son, who can now be reasonably expected to swear vengeance and prepare himself for some kind of relentless war. > > No, seriously. Similarly, if you’re a six-fingered man and hire someone to make a special sword for you… ---
**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:** [September 12, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/48 "2010-09-12T12:27:19Z")
**The Book of Genesis** : It’s okay to cheat your brother out of his inheritance if God likes you better. **Pulp Fiction** : Violence looks really, really cool. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/49 "2010-09-12T13:04:49Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > **Dead Man Walking** - capital punishment is a good thing, even for the condemned. Without the knowledge of certain, imminent death they would never repent their sins and ask God for forgiveness. (I’m an atheist, BTW.) I absolutely adore this. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/50 "2010-09-12T13:50:08Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > _Shallow Hal_. The idea was that his shallowness was undermined by seeing the fat ugly girl for “who she really is”. Except to illustrate this, the filmmakers chose to show the fat ugly girl as a slim and attractive Gwyneth Paltrow. Which completely undermines the point by making the audience complicit in the body fascism. The message I took away is: someone’s inner self is much better if they’re a hottie not a fattie. That reminds me… **The Invention of Lying** : Ricky Gervais is enamored by Jennifer Garner, but she wants to bone Rob Lowe, because Gervais is short and fat, and Rob Lowe is Rob Lowe. Eventually, Gervais wins her over with his kindness and charm, and I think we were supposed to take away some True Beauty Comes From Within message, but I took away that being shallow is okay if you’re a short, fat dude, but if you’re an attractive, willowy woman, you’re supposed to like people who what’s inside. Why did Gervais keep pursuing her when she admitted to him she didn’t like him because he wasn’t physically attractive? He should have been done with the shallow bitch, but he liked her anyway because she was pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/51 "2010-09-12T14:07:57Z")
**The Little Mermaid** - If you want to catch a man, shut the f^\*$ up and just be pretty. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2010, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/52 "2010-09-12T14:32:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve mentioned this one before and gotten a lot of arguments over this. > > _Clerks II_: I don’t think it was meant to be a happy ending. Kevin Smith has said that he puts a lot of his own life into his movies. And he did the opposite of what Dante did - Smith left New Jersey, became a huge success, and married Jennifer Schwalbach. Which was the opportunity that Dante had but gave up on. He was comfortable and all that but still he settled for what he had instead of reaching for something more and at the end of the movie it was clear he was going to spend the rest of his life working in a convenience store. Prepare for one more argument. Yes, Smith left New Jersey and became a big-time movie director. But first he became a big-time movie director while living in New Jersey. Second, for all his love of moviemaking, he loves his wife and daughter ten times more. That’s how he knows that he’s a geek done good. That’s what Dante gets at the end of Clerks II. He gets the (better) girl and has a kid on the way. He’s happy. Just like Smith is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/53 "2010-09-12T14:41:04Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > **The Little Mermaid** - If you want to catch a man, shut the f^\*$ up and just be pretty. He’ll be interested in you for maybe two or three whole days! At which point a talkative girl with something to say will catch him! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/54 "2010-09-12T15:49:15Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Prepare for one more argument. > > Yes, Smith left New Jersey and became a big-time movie director. But first he became a big-time movie director while living in New Jersey. Second, for all his love of moviemaking, he loves his wife and daughter ten times more. That’s how he knows that he’s a geek done good. That’s what Dante gets at the end of Clerks II. He gets the (better) girl and has a kid on the way. He’s happy. Just like Smith is. I’m not going to derail a thread by having this argument again. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/55 "2010-09-12T16:10:10Z")
I’m not too sure if this _wasn’t_ the intended message, but **Grease** ended with Sandy deciding to dress up as a vapid slut in order to get her man. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/56 "2010-09-12T16:58:07Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > From various iterations of “Batman”: if my life ever gets so messed up that I’m gunning down two innocent people in some alley, I should also shoot the _ **third** _ person – and _ **doubly** _ so if that lone eyewitness is their son, who can now be reasonably expected to swear vengeance and prepare himself for some kind of relentless war. But then you get sent to Bruges, and really, who wants to end up in that hell hole? > [@JohnT](#): > > I’m not too sure if this _wasn’t_ the intended message, but **Grease** ended with Sandy deciding to dress up as a vapid slut in order to get her man. To be fair, her man also dressed nerdy to get with her. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/57 "2010-09-12T17:37:31Z")
Quoth **Kobal2** , in regards _The Dark Knight_: > [@](#): > > But to me, what the whole event really says is : “honest”, law-abiding citizen are abject cowards to a man ; whereas criminals, outlaws and vigilantes are the only ones who have the moral fiber and the balls to go against the grain and do the right, self-sacrificing thing by themselves, out of their individual will rather than just blathering about it and hoping someone else does it for them. That’s close to what I took from it, only I saw it as less absolute. More like, there’s petty, selfish evil in all of us, even good upstanding citizens, and there’s also good, strong moral fiber to be found anywhere, even among hardened criminals. The convicts might not have actually been _better_ than the “good folks”, but there really isn’t all that much difference between them, either. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/58 "2010-09-12T18:08:05Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > Upton Sinclair’s _The Jungle_. I know it’s supposed to be an exposé of the American meat industry at the turn of the century, the public outrage at the time was so great that it led to the passing of the Pure Food and Drug act and the establishment of the FDA. But that’s not what I get from the book, at least not primarily. I see it more as a condemnation of laissez-faire capitalism, and the promotion of socialism and labour unions as a solution. Aaaah! The sarcasm! It burns! Ze goggles do nothing! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/59 "2010-09-12T18:39:23Z")
Speaking of the Dark Knight ferry scene…weren’t there kids on that civilian boat? Who I’m pretty sure didn’t get a vote in what happened to them? I’m guessing “it’s okay to sacrifice the lives of complete innocents for the sake of your own moral purity” wasn’t what they were trying to put across. Though it seems eerily appropriate for the story. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402/60 "2010-09-12T19:13:24Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’m not too sure if this _wasn’t_ the intended message, but **Grease** ended with Sandy deciding to dress up as a vapid slut in order to get her man. If I recall, Danny (I think that was his name) did change for Sandy too, (having a sweater tied around his neck) but quickly went back to his old self once Sandy became slutified. I’m more than a little horrified that I remember this since I haven’t seen it since it played in the theater. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-movies-or-books-do-you-take-the-wrong-thing-away-from/553402.md?page=4)