Even if you don’t fall for these, I bet you know someone who does. We’ve all got those types of friends who believe some — or all — of these pesky movie-watching myths. Now, your friend could be quite selective about the movies he or she watches — but not in the way he should be. 

He’d rather see Fast and Furious 9 than A Hidden Life. Perhaps she thinks any movie made before she was born in 1999 is objectively garbage. This group has unwittingly bought into the biggest Hollywood myths, and they are missing out on a treasure trove of amazing stories because of it.

I’m not attempting to be elitist — there’s a ton of popular Hollywood blockbusters that I enjoy for what they are. Art (and especially our preferences of it) is inherently subjective, so your friend is free to like what he likes. However, I think that cinema, just like other art forms, should be understood as art by the public in a basic sense. This is doubly true for the film executives who greenlight awful movies and give them hundreds of millions of dollars. Movies are a business, but they shouldn’t be only a business. 

There’s no way you can watch every single movie. However, it is possible for anyone to find new and exciting stories that she never thought she’d like! Then she can be swept away into new worlds and experiences like never before. If I knew your friend, I’d tell him this: “Don’t miss out on the myriad of gems hidden away in a century of cinema!”

To help your pal avoid this travesty, I’m going to break down 5 major myths about movies and TV so that these friends of ours can look past the hype and discover what they really like. They just might be surprised.

Myth: More Action! Action! Action!

Truth: Explosions Aren’t Stories

I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is not more explosions. Action ain’t bad, as long as the story uses it appropriately. When the movie consists only of chases, choppy fight scenes, and explosions galore, I’ve already checked out. For the explosion or fight scene to matter, there must be stakes. I need to have doubt about what will happen, and I need to care about the outcome. If the film is just visual noise, it might be momentarily entertaining, but it won’t have emotional depth or thematic resonance. If that’s all your friend wants to watch, she’s free to do so. It’s sad, though, because she’s missing out.

Explosions aren’t stories. To put this another way, just because a movie doesn’t have explosions doesn’t mean it’s boring. This leads me to the next myth:

Myth: This movie is bad because I’m bored.

Truth: Slow Does Not Equal Boring

Pacing is an issue in storytelling and its execution. However, slow and boring are not synonymous. They can be, certainly — but not always. Pacing can also vary between genre, style, and filmmaker. Your friend might not enjoy this or that particular type of film, but that does not mean it’s an objectively bad movie. Even different people watching the same film will have varying reactions in this situation. If your friend will allow herself to be immersed in the story, and she might not be so bored anymore.

For example, what if your buddy loves war and action movies? Then he’ll probably like Hunt for Red October! As a submarine film, it’s a thriller by nature, which might appear to be less exciting to him. However, there’s tension and suspense with nuclear war hanging in the balance. Your friend might like the film if he’d give the genre a chance!

Myth: The More Violent and Vulgar, the Better!

Truth: Edgy Does Not Equal Excellent

Just like my admonition about chases and explosions, when it comes to content, less is usually more. Some studio or network executives think that “sex sells” and “if it bleeds, it leads.” These elements often undermine rather than serve the story. The content should be appropriate to the narrative and its subject matter.

Think of Game of Thrones or the more recent Netflix show The Witcher. The rampant nudity and sexual assault scenes are often points of complaints by audience members of all walks of life, not just the religious or conservative “outliers.”

Less is more.

Myth: Subtitled Movies are Bad

Truth: Foreign Films Are Universal

I wish I had a dollar for every time Gordon had refused to watch a film I knew he’d like simply because he didn’t want to read subs. He’d usually say something to the effect of, “I don’t want to read while I’m watching a movie, dude.”

Here’s what your friend is missing. Stories from other countries are still stories. I can’t imagine my life as a filmmaker and movie lover without seeing the non-English films like Yojimbo, Schindler’s List, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or Ivan’s Childhood. There’s so many live action films and shows from other countries I still need to see, too!

Parasite director/co-writer and Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho said it best:

“Once you overcome the one-inch barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

‘Nuff said.

Myth: Black and White Movies Are Bad

Truth: Old Movies Are Timeless

Just like with non-English language films, old stories are still stories. (Better not tell your buddy I had to watch black-and-white foreign films in undergrad film school. She might run away!) Just because a film is nearly a century old or isn’t in color does not automatically make it subpar. 

As a trained filmmaker, I have immense respect for the analog days of production. A film was ten times harder to make in the 1950s than today from a technical standpoint. Plus, think of the classics that are in color, like Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz. Who would dare label them as worthless fossils? A black and white film can be just as good — or bad — as a modern movie. Your friend shouldn’t refuse to watch it because it’s “old.” There are some excellent stories out there!

Summary

• Explosions Aren’t Stories

• Slow Does Not Equal Boring

• Edgy Does Not Equal Excellent

• “Foreign” Films Are Universal

• Old Movies Are Timeless

There. I’ve busted five movie myths your friend may have fallen victim to. Now you can expand your horizons and enjoy more films that you’ve ever thought possible. You don’t have to like all the same types of films I do. Your myopic friend doesn’t have to love the same films as you or me, either. I just want your friend to have an open mind about the types of stories her or she consumes.

If you’ve already seen through these myths, share — as nicely as possible — this with that group of friends who might benefit from it. Oh, and are there any myths I missed? Let’s discuss in the comments below. 

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