IS IT JUST ME?
… or have you ever lied about having seen a film?
The boys and girls over at /Film recently posted a list of the FILMS PEOPLE PRETEND TO HAVE SEEN. If you’re wondering, Godfather tops the list but you can see the full Top 10 by CLICKING HERE!!!
Now, I must admit that I have been guilty of this in the past. Not so much to save face or seem cooler or maintain my movie watching street cred. More because I want to avoid a rundown of the film (because I can typically tell you the broad strokes of most films I haven’t seen regardless) or the inevitable “You haven’t seen (blank)? How can you call yourself a movie fan when you haven’t even seen (blank)?” AKA: The most annoying film conversation ever.
The fact is that, being a movie fan, I have seen waaaaaaaay more films than most people. However, the shear number of films being released every year, the number of films in existence and their availability or appeal make it difficult. Nay, it is down right impossible to see EVERYTHING. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to receive a diatribe from someone for not having seen a forgettable action film from the late 80’s or Charlie Chaplin’s entire catalogue or the works of Tyler Perry. Particularly based on the amount of films I see on a weekly basis (which is impressive) and especially not from someone who usually has yet to see The King’s Speech or The Dark Knight or some other much more popular, mainstream and easily attainable film.
What I’m getting at is this… while in the last few years I have really dialed it back, there have been times when I’ve said things like “Sure, I’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life. Great film!” Even though I haven’t and just to avoid the Bullshit. But what I’m wondering is have you ever lied about seeing a film? Which ones and why?
Or is it just me?
THE LIST 
April 29, 2011 at 10:23 am
Just you man, though I fully admit I’m part of the problem.
April 29, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Guilty.
Right with you on the annoying conversation thing. What you wrote up there happened to me, word for word, a few weeks, when I admitted to my No Exit cast mates that I had never seen Streetcar Named Desire. It was aggravating.
April 29, 2011 at 4:39 pm
Great call. I lie about a lot of movies. English patient, cool guy horror movies, etc. I like this topics sibling “movies you’re ashamed to admit you like”.
April 29, 2011 at 8:27 pm
I don’t lie. True fact. I even have a list of all the classic films I haven’t seen. 😛
April 30, 2011 at 11:33 am
I’ve done it before to avoid the “YOU HAVEN’T SEEN!” comment.
April 30, 2011 at 1:34 pm
Yea happened to me a couple times when I was younger and not nearly the movie buff I am today 😉
May 1, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I never lie. Light shines right out of my ass and from it daffodils form into life. However, were I to have possible lied once – by mistake of course – it may have been in reference to Triplets of Belville when I was (allegedly) conversing with a pretentious superiorite and knew enough about the movie through word of mouth to get them to shut up already and leave me be.
May 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Another classic Univarn response!
May 3, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I don’t bother lying. As a result, those kind of YOU HAVEN’T SEEN?!? conversations go one of two ways:
1) I want to see it but haven’t gotten around to it yet
2) I shut it down, as such:
“You haven’t seen JERRY MAGUIRE?!?”
“Nope.”
“How can y-”
“I don’t care.”
“But-”
“Don’t care.”
“It’s-”
“Don’t. Care.”