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Sometimes, the messages of movies seem pretty straightforward, but there are quite a few out there that aren't so easy to understand, and have been misinterpreted by many a moviegoer over the years.
Today, I am going to look at some films that clearly had something to say, but wasn't understood by everyone who saw it. And, yes, sometimes the people who misunderstand can be big fans of these movies. They just don't get it...
Note: Most of the time, misunderstanding the purpose of a movie isn't too big of a deal, obviously. I'll be the first to admit there are more important things to worry about. However, there is occasionally a movie that the misunderstanding of its content has lead to dire consequences! I can think of at least two such movies, and I have saved them for last here!
And...here...we...go!
The Great Gatsby
What's Misunderstood: The excess isn't meant to be an endorsement!
As you probably already know, The Great Gatsby started as the masterpiece novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story is mostly told through the eyes of young Nick Carraway, who eventually becomes so disgusted with the lifestyles lived by everyone around him, he leaves the neighborhood. Unfortunately, much of his thoughts and feelings can't quite be communicated as clearly on film. So, a lot of people see this story (and, yes, a lot of them have read the book, so they should know better!), and think that they should go throw a Gatsby party and party like him. What they are missing is that the movie ends with tragedy for everyone involved, which means the story is condemning the lifestyle and not glorifying it! Seriously, did any of you pay attention in high school? Cause I'm pretty sure every high school in the world analyzed the crap out of this story, so there is really no excuse!
Wall Street
What's Misunderstood: Greed, for lack of a better term, is NOT good!
I admit I thought, as a lot of people probably did, that Gordon Gekko was the main character in this movie before I saw it. What a lot of people probably know from this movie is Gekko's now famous speech in the movie where he says "Greed, for lack of a better word, its good!" Well, that's what the movie said, so that must be what we're supposed to take away, right? Wrong! Turns out Gekko started out as the knowledgeable broker who took a young Charlie Sheen's character under his wing, but then quickly became his worst enemy as he tries to crush Sheen's father's company. Gekko is the VILLAIN of the movie, people! And while we're talking about evil stockbrokers....
The Wolf of Wall Street
What's Misunderstood: Belfort, Donnie, and the rest are not heroes!
You would actually be forgiven for misunderstanding this one. In fact, the movie seems to want you to. Like Goodfellas before it, this Martin Scorsese directed film seems to be glorifying the lifestyle of people who are fundamentally bad guys. And I will admit, it is often fun to see the crazy characters in this movie doing all their crazy stuff. But at the end, the movie throws a curve ball when the main character, Jordan Belfort, gets nabbed by the FBI for his crimes, has a drug relapse, beats his wife, almost severely injures their young daughter, and ultimately loses his business, family, and fortune. We're never quite sure whether he learned his lesson, but we did see some hints that he was wanting to go straight before all the trouble started. Star Leonardo DiCaprio has said the movie was intended as a cautionary tale, and the real Jordan Belfort stated explicitly in his book, which inspired the movie, that he hoped his story would discourage people from thinking his life was glorious. So, I guess I'll agree with them...they probably know more than I do...
Inception
What's Misunderstood: The. Top. Does. Not. Matter!
One of the most debated film endings of all time, just when we think we're all done going in and out of dreams, Cobb spins that top that we don't know whether it fell over or not, leaving us to wonder whether he's made it back to the real world or not. But, as director Christopher Nolan will attest, the question is unimportant anyway. Cobb's goal in the movie was to find his children, and he achieved it. The rest is immaterial.
(500) Days of Summer
What's Misunderstood: Tom is a moron!
Most people who saw this movie thought that Summer was the worst kind of person for how she stringed Tom along and never committed. To a certain extent, it's true. But a lot of people forget that Tom was warned time and again in the movie that she was trouble, but he refused to listen. He had a very unrealistic view of love, which Summer failed to live up to, and that's his own fault! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played the part, would back me up on this too! He says that he can't understand why people keep looking at Tom as some kind of heartthrob. He rightly sees his role as an idiot who was taught a valuable lesson. Tom's line when he finally quits the sappy greeting card company he works for could very well sum up Joseph Gordon-Levitt's views on this movie as whole: "There's enough bullsh*t in the world without my help!"
The Graduate
What's Misunderstood: a) The MILF experience was a bad thing and b) neither Ben nor Elaine had a clue what they were doing!
Ben's affair with Mrs. Robinson was not meant to be glorified, and we aren't supposed to think of him as a hero for it. Ben explicitly states late in the movie that he has done nothing in his life that he's proud of, which leads us to believe that the affair was his attempt to fill some kind of a hole. Also, a lot of people misunderstand the ending where he and Elaine escape to mean they will now live happily ever after. However, as soon as they sit down and Sounds of Silence starts playing for the third time in the movie, we see reality start to set in as they realize that they rushed into this decision too quickly, and they don't know what they're going to do now!
Citizen Kane
What's Misunderstood: Does the twist make all that much of a difference?
Considered by many as the greatest film of all time, and with good reason. It was probably the most innovative of its time, bringing in many techniques we now take for granted in movies, such as telling the story through flashbacks. It also seems to be the original "twist movie." By now, even if you haven't seen the movie, I'm sure we all know the twist by now: Rosebud is the sled! Some people saw that scene and thought it was really stupid that that's how it turned out. Others, myself included, saw it and thought, "Oh, it's saying that he wishes he could go back to the simpler times when that sled was all he had!" Whatever your interpretation of that scene, does it really matter how powerful or trivial it is? Don't get me wrong, I think that the inclusion of that final reveal was a genius move that revealed more about Kane's character. However, in considering the meaning of this, we miss the earlier statement made about what Rosebud could mean: No single word could possibly sum up a man's life. Of course, the meaning actually revealed quite a lot about Charles Foster Kane, but the point still stands that a person as complex as he was could never be summed up in one peace of information.
2001: A Space Odyssey
What's Misunderstood: The movie isn't meant to be viewed like a regular movie!
I get it. Really, I do. Most people nowadays just don't have the attention span necessary for this movie. A lot of people say that the movie is just too long, boring, and only serves to confuse you. What people don't get is that that's the entire point of this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece! Whenever somebody asks me whether or not they should see this movie, I tell them not to watch it like a regular movie, and to think of it as moving art instead, much like Walt Disney's Fantasia (which I also love!). The ending is meant to make you decide for yourself how you want to interpret it, and the story was meant to take a backseat to the visuals! It's what makes this film a true work of art!
Donnie Darko
What's Misunderstood: The weirdness is what makes it worth it!
First of all, let me apologize for neglecting to mention Donnie for my favorite main characters! Lots of people don't want to bother with this trippy movie, which they say is just too weird and confusing for them. But that's kinda the idea! The movie is a puzzle, and it requires many viewings to put all of the pieces together. I still don't fully understand it either, but you can bet I'll die trying!
Casablanca
What's Misunderstood: The love story is not the point!
Put simply, many people remember this as a great romance movie. But, don't you remember that Rick actually made her leave at the end? He loved her, but knew that getting her out of the country for her own safety was the right thing to do. There are more important things here than the old romance they fail to rekindle!
The Lion King
What's Misunderstood: Do not Hakuna Matata!
The most popular song from this movie was actually meant to be shown as bad advice! Remember, Simba actually followed it, but was then reminded that he had a responsibility to face his troubles and go reclaim the throne! Sadly, people hear the song Hakuna Matata, and think that's actually the way they're supposed to live.
Star Wars
What's Misunderstood: The Jedi way is not always the right way!
Remember what caused a large part of the conflict in the prequels? Love and emotional attachment are supposed to be forbidden for the Jedi, but Anakin disobeyed and married Padme. This did seem to lead to his downfall, but don't you remember that love is also what saved him in the end? Luke also disobeyed the rule about no personal attachment and reached out to his father with unconditional love. And it worked! So, in the end this rule was shown to be flawed as love actually ended up saving the day!
The Godfather
What's Misunderstood: Violence leads to tragedy!
The other contender for the greatest movie of all time (ha, "contender." See what I did there, Marlon Brando?) People see it as just a fun gangster movie with a lot of great shoot-em-up action. First of all, to say that totally neglects the art of this film. Second, the point of this movie is that violence begets violence! An attempt is made on Vito's life. This causes Michael to assassinate the men responsible, which causes the death of Michael's first wife. Later, after Connie is abused by her husband, the oldest Corleone boy, Sonny goes looking for revenge and walks right into a trap, which results in his death. Vito fortunately recognizes the pointlessness of this cycle and calls for peace. Of course, after he dies, Michael ignores him and has all the other heads of the other families killed. But, the point is that the movie is showing the uselessness of making violence a way of life, not glorifying it!
And now, for those movies I promised which if misunderstood, could mean serious trouble...
Fight Club
What's Misunderstood: Fight Club was not meant to be a suggestion!
One of my top 10 favorite movies and probably one of the most misinterpreted there is. Narrator/Tyler starts an underground fight club for men to let out their repressed urges, which escalates to full blown terrorism. Did you read that? FULL-BLOWN TERRORISM! THIS IS BAD!!! So, why in the world did some people watch this and think "Dude, lets go start our own fight club!" Do you want your life to self-destruct like the guy in the movie?!! This is just another great example of why we shouldn't passively watch movies. This is one of many that demands deeper analysis!
A Clockwork Orange
What's Misunderstood: Ultraviolence was never meant to be considered a legitimate pastime!
Possibly the most controversial film ever made, of course it was going to turn up sooner or later on this list! Stanley Kubrick seems to be the master of the misunderstood! In this movie, we see Alex Delarge and his gang of "droogs" commit the most despicable sort of violent crimes, until Alex gets busted. This clever study of the concepts of criminal psychology, the lengths we go to to stop them, and free will got twisted beyond repair by a few psychopaths who evidently only watched the first half hour and thought what the droogs were doing looked like fun. They went so far as to dress up like Alex and his friends and commit their own acts of ultraviolence! It got so bad, that Kubrick, a man who is known for refusing to ever compromise his artistic vision, actually campaigned to get the movie banned in England to stop the crime! So, once again, what could have been a very clever cautionary tale that could raise some good questions and discussion, was ruined by a bunch of nut jobs who just like to watch violent movies.
And all of this just points to some of my core beliefs about movies in general. People see them as just a form of passive entertainment. And, yeah, some of them are. The Avengers or Transformers probably don't require deeper looking than the surface. But, there are quite a number of films, such as some of those listed above, that are made to be art, and should be treated as such. Just like any other medium of art, they require you to actually think while you watch and not just veg out! Critical thinking is a must when looking at any type of art, and it actually makes me sad that so many people see movies as an exception to the rule. Most of the time, the result is just a work of art going unappreciated for what it is. And, yeah, that happens with any art medium. But, there are others, such as Clockwork, where the passive viewing of the art can actually lead to tragedy!
Wow, this post ended up being a lot more impassioned than I originally intended...
Today, I am going to look at some films that clearly had something to say, but wasn't understood by everyone who saw it. And, yes, sometimes the people who misunderstand can be big fans of these movies. They just don't get it...
Note: Most of the time, misunderstanding the purpose of a movie isn't too big of a deal, obviously. I'll be the first to admit there are more important things to worry about. However, there is occasionally a movie that the misunderstanding of its content has lead to dire consequences! I can think of at least two such movies, and I have saved them for last here!
And...here...we...go!
The Great Gatsby
What's Misunderstood: The excess isn't meant to be an endorsement!
As you probably already know, The Great Gatsby started as the masterpiece novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story is mostly told through the eyes of young Nick Carraway, who eventually becomes so disgusted with the lifestyles lived by everyone around him, he leaves the neighborhood. Unfortunately, much of his thoughts and feelings can't quite be communicated as clearly on film. So, a lot of people see this story (and, yes, a lot of them have read the book, so they should know better!), and think that they should go throw a Gatsby party and party like him. What they are missing is that the movie ends with tragedy for everyone involved, which means the story is condemning the lifestyle and not glorifying it! Seriously, did any of you pay attention in high school? Cause I'm pretty sure every high school in the world analyzed the crap out of this story, so there is really no excuse!
Wall Street
What's Misunderstood: Greed, for lack of a better term, is NOT good!
I admit I thought, as a lot of people probably did, that Gordon Gekko was the main character in this movie before I saw it. What a lot of people probably know from this movie is Gekko's now famous speech in the movie where he says "Greed, for lack of a better word, its good!" Well, that's what the movie said, so that must be what we're supposed to take away, right? Wrong! Turns out Gekko started out as the knowledgeable broker who took a young Charlie Sheen's character under his wing, but then quickly became his worst enemy as he tries to crush Sheen's father's company. Gekko is the VILLAIN of the movie, people! And while we're talking about evil stockbrokers....
The Wolf of Wall Street
What's Misunderstood: Belfort, Donnie, and the rest are not heroes!
You would actually be forgiven for misunderstanding this one. In fact, the movie seems to want you to. Like Goodfellas before it, this Martin Scorsese directed film seems to be glorifying the lifestyle of people who are fundamentally bad guys. And I will admit, it is often fun to see the crazy characters in this movie doing all their crazy stuff. But at the end, the movie throws a curve ball when the main character, Jordan Belfort, gets nabbed by the FBI for his crimes, has a drug relapse, beats his wife, almost severely injures their young daughter, and ultimately loses his business, family, and fortune. We're never quite sure whether he learned his lesson, but we did see some hints that he was wanting to go straight before all the trouble started. Star Leonardo DiCaprio has said the movie was intended as a cautionary tale, and the real Jordan Belfort stated explicitly in his book, which inspired the movie, that he hoped his story would discourage people from thinking his life was glorious. So, I guess I'll agree with them...they probably know more than I do...
Inception
What's Misunderstood: The. Top. Does. Not. Matter!
One of the most debated film endings of all time, just when we think we're all done going in and out of dreams, Cobb spins that top that we don't know whether it fell over or not, leaving us to wonder whether he's made it back to the real world or not. But, as director Christopher Nolan will attest, the question is unimportant anyway. Cobb's goal in the movie was to find his children, and he achieved it. The rest is immaterial.
(500) Days of Summer
What's Misunderstood: Tom is a moron!
Most people who saw this movie thought that Summer was the worst kind of person for how she stringed Tom along and never committed. To a certain extent, it's true. But a lot of people forget that Tom was warned time and again in the movie that she was trouble, but he refused to listen. He had a very unrealistic view of love, which Summer failed to live up to, and that's his own fault! Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played the part, would back me up on this too! He says that he can't understand why people keep looking at Tom as some kind of heartthrob. He rightly sees his role as an idiot who was taught a valuable lesson. Tom's line when he finally quits the sappy greeting card company he works for could very well sum up Joseph Gordon-Levitt's views on this movie as whole: "There's enough bullsh*t in the world without my help!"
The Graduate
What's Misunderstood: a) The MILF experience was a bad thing and b) neither Ben nor Elaine had a clue what they were doing!
Ben's affair with Mrs. Robinson was not meant to be glorified, and we aren't supposed to think of him as a hero for it. Ben explicitly states late in the movie that he has done nothing in his life that he's proud of, which leads us to believe that the affair was his attempt to fill some kind of a hole. Also, a lot of people misunderstand the ending where he and Elaine escape to mean they will now live happily ever after. However, as soon as they sit down and Sounds of Silence starts playing for the third time in the movie, we see reality start to set in as they realize that they rushed into this decision too quickly, and they don't know what they're going to do now!
Citizen Kane
What's Misunderstood: Does the twist make all that much of a difference?
Considered by many as the greatest film of all time, and with good reason. It was probably the most innovative of its time, bringing in many techniques we now take for granted in movies, such as telling the story through flashbacks. It also seems to be the original "twist movie." By now, even if you haven't seen the movie, I'm sure we all know the twist by now: Rosebud is the sled! Some people saw that scene and thought it was really stupid that that's how it turned out. Others, myself included, saw it and thought, "Oh, it's saying that he wishes he could go back to the simpler times when that sled was all he had!" Whatever your interpretation of that scene, does it really matter how powerful or trivial it is? Don't get me wrong, I think that the inclusion of that final reveal was a genius move that revealed more about Kane's character. However, in considering the meaning of this, we miss the earlier statement made about what Rosebud could mean: No single word could possibly sum up a man's life. Of course, the meaning actually revealed quite a lot about Charles Foster Kane, but the point still stands that a person as complex as he was could never be summed up in one peace of information.
2001: A Space Odyssey
What's Misunderstood: The movie isn't meant to be viewed like a regular movie!
I get it. Really, I do. Most people nowadays just don't have the attention span necessary for this movie. A lot of people say that the movie is just too long, boring, and only serves to confuse you. What people don't get is that that's the entire point of this Stanley Kubrick masterpiece! Whenever somebody asks me whether or not they should see this movie, I tell them not to watch it like a regular movie, and to think of it as moving art instead, much like Walt Disney's Fantasia (which I also love!). The ending is meant to make you decide for yourself how you want to interpret it, and the story was meant to take a backseat to the visuals! It's what makes this film a true work of art!
Donnie Darko
What's Misunderstood: The weirdness is what makes it worth it!
First of all, let me apologize for neglecting to mention Donnie for my favorite main characters! Lots of people don't want to bother with this trippy movie, which they say is just too weird and confusing for them. But that's kinda the idea! The movie is a puzzle, and it requires many viewings to put all of the pieces together. I still don't fully understand it either, but you can bet I'll die trying!
Casablanca
What's Misunderstood: The love story is not the point!
Put simply, many people remember this as a great romance movie. But, don't you remember that Rick actually made her leave at the end? He loved her, but knew that getting her out of the country for her own safety was the right thing to do. There are more important things here than the old romance they fail to rekindle!
The Lion King
What's Misunderstood: Do not Hakuna Matata!
The most popular song from this movie was actually meant to be shown as bad advice! Remember, Simba actually followed it, but was then reminded that he had a responsibility to face his troubles and go reclaim the throne! Sadly, people hear the song Hakuna Matata, and think that's actually the way they're supposed to live.
Star Wars
What's Misunderstood: The Jedi way is not always the right way!
Remember what caused a large part of the conflict in the prequels? Love and emotional attachment are supposed to be forbidden for the Jedi, but Anakin disobeyed and married Padme. This did seem to lead to his downfall, but don't you remember that love is also what saved him in the end? Luke also disobeyed the rule about no personal attachment and reached out to his father with unconditional love. And it worked! So, in the end this rule was shown to be flawed as love actually ended up saving the day!
The Godfather
What's Misunderstood: Violence leads to tragedy!
The other contender for the greatest movie of all time (ha, "contender." See what I did there, Marlon Brando?) People see it as just a fun gangster movie with a lot of great shoot-em-up action. First of all, to say that totally neglects the art of this film. Second, the point of this movie is that violence begets violence! An attempt is made on Vito's life. This causes Michael to assassinate the men responsible, which causes the death of Michael's first wife. Later, after Connie is abused by her husband, the oldest Corleone boy, Sonny goes looking for revenge and walks right into a trap, which results in his death. Vito fortunately recognizes the pointlessness of this cycle and calls for peace. Of course, after he dies, Michael ignores him and has all the other heads of the other families killed. But, the point is that the movie is showing the uselessness of making violence a way of life, not glorifying it!
And now, for those movies I promised which if misunderstood, could mean serious trouble...
Fight Club
What's Misunderstood: Fight Club was not meant to be a suggestion!
One of my top 10 favorite movies and probably one of the most misinterpreted there is. Narrator/Tyler starts an underground fight club for men to let out their repressed urges, which escalates to full blown terrorism. Did you read that? FULL-BLOWN TERRORISM! THIS IS BAD!!! So, why in the world did some people watch this and think "Dude, lets go start our own fight club!" Do you want your life to self-destruct like the guy in the movie?!! This is just another great example of why we shouldn't passively watch movies. This is one of many that demands deeper analysis!
A Clockwork Orange
What's Misunderstood: Ultraviolence was never meant to be considered a legitimate pastime!
Possibly the most controversial film ever made, of course it was going to turn up sooner or later on this list! Stanley Kubrick seems to be the master of the misunderstood! In this movie, we see Alex Delarge and his gang of "droogs" commit the most despicable sort of violent crimes, until Alex gets busted. This clever study of the concepts of criminal psychology, the lengths we go to to stop them, and free will got twisted beyond repair by a few psychopaths who evidently only watched the first half hour and thought what the droogs were doing looked like fun. They went so far as to dress up like Alex and his friends and commit their own acts of ultraviolence! It got so bad, that Kubrick, a man who is known for refusing to ever compromise his artistic vision, actually campaigned to get the movie banned in England to stop the crime! So, once again, what could have been a very clever cautionary tale that could raise some good questions and discussion, was ruined by a bunch of nut jobs who just like to watch violent movies.
And all of this just points to some of my core beliefs about movies in general. People see them as just a form of passive entertainment. And, yeah, some of them are. The Avengers or Transformers probably don't require deeper looking than the surface. But, there are quite a number of films, such as some of those listed above, that are made to be art, and should be treated as such. Just like any other medium of art, they require you to actually think while you watch and not just veg out! Critical thinking is a must when looking at any type of art, and it actually makes me sad that so many people see movies as an exception to the rule. Most of the time, the result is just a work of art going unappreciated for what it is. And, yeah, that happens with any art medium. But, there are others, such as Clockwork, where the passive viewing of the art can actually lead to tragedy!
Wow, this post ended up being a lot more impassioned than I originally intended...
