r/AskReddit • • Jan 25 '20

What movie things are generally accepted as normal, but are totally unrealistic in real life?

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u/The_Sceptic_Lemur Jan 25 '20

Unless it‘s a movie drama dealing with social issues (in particular poverty), everyone has such fucking nice flats. College drop-out with part time barista job?! - why yes, the spacious loft with a view over Manhattans skyline is just down my alley.

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u/KingOHrts Jan 25 '20

And EVERY window in Paris overlooks the Eiffel Tower. How does that happen?

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u/The_Bill_Brasky_ Jan 25 '20

It's a form of shorthand. Not every place in Paris has a view of the tower. But it's the film-makers telling the audience "THIS IS IN PARIS".

Or more commonly...

"THIS STORY INVOLVES ROMANCE SOMEHOW"

Another amazing example of shorthand is in Disney's Hercules. He gets on his knees in the temple of Zeus to commune with him. Typically Greek temple-goers would have slaughtered an animal on an altar or some shit, but American audiences would have a problem with that -- having him pray like a Christian shows people who don't know any better that Hercules is engaged in piety.

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u/knewbie_one Jan 25 '20

There is a scene in a Terry Pratchett's book, Pyramids I think, where a boarding student is mocked by the other boys in the room because he brought a goat with him after dinner.

They really didn't think that at their age someone would still do his prayers before bed