What is your dealbreaker movie?
Mike - October 2nd, 2008, 8:56pmA dealbreaker movie is a movie that you love and that your significant other has to like for the relationship to have a chance. Perhaps knowing which movie (or movies) that is could save a lot of time, money, and trouble.
The first movie that popped into my head was Field of Dreams. Incorporates baseball and a great story.
I like that choice but I feel like I should explore further. I immediately disqualified any sci-fi, fantasy, or action movies. The areas I’ll focus on are sports and comedy. Even sports might be eliminated. Movies like Field of Dreams and Rudy are loved by all. Meaning it doesn’t tell you much about a person. If you don’t like them, there is something wrong to begin with.
I think comedy is the way to go. It’s also the easiest to test. A serious movie someone can sit through silently and then at the end say, ‘Sure, I liked it.’ You have know way of knowing for sure. With a comedy it will be noticed if you are laughing the whole time sitting next to silence. The first movie I cam up with was Christmas Vacation, but that also falls into the category above, any normal person likes that movie.
It has to be something along the lines of Mel Brooks, Farrelly Brothers, or Naked Gun. The King of those movies is Mel Brooks and my favorite of his is Robin Hood: Men In Tights. So I’m going to go with Field of Dreams and Men In Tights to cover my bases.
While looking through my DVDs to figure this out I actually found a TV Show that would do the job better than any of these movies. Arrested Development. It’s one of my favorite shows of all time but a great test. The show doesn’t tell you when to laugh and you really have to know what’s going on and remember what has happened. There’s no way you can cheat on that test.
Or maybe, we just watch Jackass: The Movie and if she still talks to me, it’s meant to be.
When deciding on a deal breaker movie, I think I would have to consider not only a movie they would have to love, as well as a movie they would have to hate.
I think there are two movies that would need to be loved, in order to ensure my computability with someone.
1. The Big Lebowski: One of my all time favorite movies, its absolutely drop dead hilarious, but is a really subtle humor. Like what you said with Arrested Development, it doesn’t tell you where to laugh, and it is not always obvious that it is intending to be funny. To understand The Big Lebowski’s humor, really to understand my own sense of humor.
2. A Clockwork Orange: Not necessarily one of my favorite flicks, but it does hold a special place in my heart. I think if someone was able to watch this with me, and not only actually be able to sit through it, but to find it hilarious, then you score big points with me. Again To understand the humor in A Clockwork Orange, is to understand my own sense of humor. Plus I love movies that are purely messed up, and if a dame can sit through A Clockwork Orange, and enjoy it, then I have a pretty good clue that they will dig the type I love.
Now, a movie they would have to hate. Theres really only one, and that is Crash. If they tell me they hate it, and tell me that they hate it for the same reasons I hate it, that is a big key to my heart.
Also, there is absolutely no question about Arrested Development, you just gotta like it.