Movies that are not about what you thought they were about

Just like architecture, writing, sculpting, and drawing, making movies is an art form. And an artist rarely pulls a doodle out of his pocket that just happens to capture everyone’s attention. Rarely. In most instances the creator has something within the work that speaks to him/her. Sometimes it’s hidden, sometimes it’s not. Either way, out of these 10 movies you are likely to find at least one that turns out to be about something different than you had thought:  

10. The Social Network(2010) – Ask anyone about this movie and they will likely respond, “It’s about how Facebook got started.” Though that is the base that the movie builds itself on, it’s not what it’s really about. A lot of people, including Zuckerberg, say that the movie is filled with inaccuracies. I’m sure it is, but that’s not why the script was written. If you rewatch it (or watch for the first time), you can see how it focuses on the ethics of privacy and power. In fact, a rewatch in 2022 would be kind of chilling when you consider where social media–especially Facebook–has gone since 2010.

9. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) – This one is easy to spot. I know if I was telling people about this movie, I would say it’s about the cartoon world and real life world coexisting. In actuality, the movie has a strong and bold statement to make about racism and segregation. Another movie that shares a similar message (it adds class warfare) is 2009’s

District 9.

8. X-Men(2000)

5. The Star Wars prequels(1999-2005)The Social Network

4. Groundhog Day(1993) – One might catch that this movie explores what purgatory might be like, but Harold Ramis claimed that his script was more about Buddhism than anything else. He was raised Jewish, “felt” more like a Buddhist as an adult, but didn’t ascribe to any religion.

3. The Day the Earth Stood Still

(1951) – Aliens come to earth and all hell breaks loose. Sounds like a typical alien invasion movie, and definitely an understandable way to describe this one. But it was released in the early 50’s: the first atomic bombs had been dropped. McCarthyism threatened individuals who dared even sympathize with socialism. Communism was synonymous with pure evil. In light of it all, this movie was created as a parable about the Cold War. It even has a character who mirrors Albert Einstein, someone who was labeled a radical for his involvement with peace and social justice groups.

2.Alien – Yes, it’s an alien movie, but according to the majority of movie scholars it is an allegory for rape.

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – There was definitely attention given to mental health facilities in the 1970’s and 80’s because of this film, which is great. However, the movie has little to say (accurately anyway) about mental illness, and for good reason: it’s not the point of the movie. Aside from its achievement in being a finely made movie (one of few that won the “big 5” awards at the Oscars), it is the excellently told story with beautiful symbolism about free spirit vs conformism that really made the movie a favourite amongst movie goers and movie critics alike. It’s a subject we all can identify with.

Congratulations One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This is your week.

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Actress:

Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched in OFOTCN

Best Actor: Marlon Brando as Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now

Best Quote: “That rug really tied the room together, did it not?” – John Goodman as Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowski

In reading about the above movies I found out that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a pro-vegetarian film. According to the director Tobe Hooper, the message has to do with the “killing of sentient beings.”

On another note, I need to give a retraction regarding last week’s post. In it I identified Harry Styles as a potential “triple threat” to watch out for. My daughter, a huge HS fan, corrected me and stated emphatically that Styles is not a gifted dancer. She said that he is adorable when he does does dance, but it’s nothing to put him in a triple threat category.