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Have you ever heard someone compare something to a movie? As if whatever was happening was too good to be true? Well, that’s because the reality on screen is not always an accurate representation of real life.

Take something as mundane as making breakfast. You’ve probably seen at least one movie—or an episode from a TV series—where a parent makes enough food to feed a family of six and members of the household barely touch anything before heading out the door. In real life, the parent would probably stop them dead in their tracks or make a fuss about spending all this time in the kitchen for nothing.

This, and many similar scenarios were discussed by members of the ‘No Stupid Questions’ subreddit when one of them asked fellow redditors about American things that are not that common but are often shown in Hollywood movies or TV shows. If you’re curious about what other misrepresentations netizens have spotted, scroll down to find their answers on the list below and feel free to upvote those you agree with the most.

Below you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a professor of history at the University of Waterloo, expert in modern U.S. cultural and social history as well as the history of American popular culture, including film, Dr. Andrew Hunt, who was kind enough to share his insight on how reality is depicted in film.

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#1

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations I think most Americans are much, much poorer than we are portrayed to be on TV.

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#2

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations The houses and apartments shown do not represent the living conditions of most folks.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. Those really cheap loft apartments with enough room for a sculpture studio....

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#3

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Aliens blowing up the white House. It happens all the time in movies, but rarely happens irl.

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Lotekguy
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's happened at least three times, but the Men In Black show up with their "flashy things" making all the witnesses and repair crews replace what they saw with implanted memories.

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Discussing what determines the extent to which the movie represents reality correctly, Dr. Andrew Hunt noted that that’s a complicated issue. “There are films that claim to be ‘based on a true story,’ but do not represent real situations or history very effectively. Conversely, there are films that are entirely fictional that accurately reflect real historical events, such as John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath from 1940.

“Films that convey verisimilitude effectively often do so because of the vision of the director and the screenwriter, who use their knowledge of events to recreate realities in compelling ways,” he told Bored Panda in a recent interview.

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#4

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Moms making huge breakfasts and no one eats.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They grab a slice of toast and gulp half a glass of juice. The sheer food waste is sickening.

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#5

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations We can’t traverses buildings through duct work. Just ain’t gonna happen.

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Prof. Hunt suggested that different types of movies feature different levels to which reality is depicted accurately. “Some movies, such as comic book superhero films, offer escapism to viewers who want to leave behind the realities of life when they enter a darkened movie theater.

“Other films, such as the acclaimed American Fiction from 2023 or She Said from 2022, to name a couple examples, do an outstanding job of portraying contemporary American life,” he added.

“Films with realistic depictions of life in the United States do not always fare as well at the box office as escapist blockbusters. Still, some very accurate historical dramas can attract big audiences. The commercial success of Oppenheimer in 2023 shows that a very intelligent film that closely follows actual historical events can do well among moviegoers, which is a reason to be hopeful. The continued success of documentaries on streaming platforms like Netflix is also incredibly encouraging.”

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#6

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Women having sex while wearing a bra the whole time. Thats the first or second thing I take off of her.

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Iampenny
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or the "L-shaped sheet" that covers every woman's bewbs but only covers the man from the hips down.

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#7

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations On Law and Order, when the police come and people keep doing their drone jobs. Sorry, but the most exciting thing in my day is a visit by the police, so I’m stopping everything, offering coffee, asking lots of questions, and ratting out my neighbors on unrelated things!

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#8

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Empty parking spaces on city streets.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And finding a parking place in front of the building that you have to go....in the middle of a very busy street...

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“As for what is misrepresented, oftentimes issues such as poverty, racism, and sexism are either not explored or examined in superficial ways in movies that attempt to be realistic,” the expert continued. “This is why movies that depict these themes effectively by weaving them seamlessly into the storyline are especially important and compelling.”

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#9

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Nobody ever has to ask someone to repeat themselves in a movie.

I probably say "what?" about 60 times a day.

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StrangeOne
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I say what pretty much every time someone talks to me, and I find it very hard to hear the dialogue in movies.

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#10

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Being able to talk and have a conversation in a loud bar with music playing.

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BrunoVI
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It just struck me how much those two look like an elf and a hobbit.

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#11

Someone coming home with groceries that are in a brown paper bag with a loaf of French bread and a bouquet of flowers sticking out of the top of the bag.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or a bunch of celery sticking out to show they "eat healthy".

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Dr. Andrew Hunt revealed that the biggest challenges filmmakers face in trying to depict real life accurately usually relate to budget constraints. “This is especially true in films about earlier historical events; the movie Judas and the Black Messiah from 2021, an outstanding biopic about radical Black Panther activist Fred Hampton who was murdered by the Chicago police in 1969, is a perfect example.

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“The director of the film, Shaka King, faced the daunting task of recreating the poor neighborhoods of Chicago from 1969, but he only had a $26 million budget to do so. That may sound like a lot of money, but it gets used up quickly on a variety of things, from the actors to the crew to the catering. So King had to utilize a lot of filmmaking tricks to present a depiction of Chicago from 1969 that seemed accurate to viewers. The movie, in my opinion, succeeded admirably in showing real life at that moment in history, despite its limited budget.”
#12

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations The unexplained ability of characters being able to afford houses or apartment way out of their league.

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#13

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations People in a bar ordering a “beer”. In real life, the server would be likely exasperated and ask about brand/kind and quantity.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Naah, there's small bars all over the world, USA included, where they have a single standard draft beer which you'll get by default if you don't specify.

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#14

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Shoes on the bed.

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According to Dr. Hunt, films that are historically accurate are vital to our understanding of the past. “Movies—more than books or history classes—reach the largest number of people, and they teach viewers about real-life situations in the present and the past. Filmmakers who try to remain faithful to real-life situations are performing a vital function in society by showing that accuracy matters, and that reality can be captured on film if the movie is well made.

“Showing audiences real-life situations can educate the viewer, and deepen their empathy with other people who might be living dramatically different experiences than the moviegoer,” he added. “There is immense power in cinema.”
#15

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Presents where the box lid is wrapped separately from the rest of the box.

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#16

Every attic does not have a mannequin, giant mirror and old bird cage.

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Brenda
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On the flip side, not all homes have basements. Here on the Gulf if Mexico, we're actually below sea level in a lot of places. Remember what happened to New Orleans, the flooding after the hurricane that practically wiped out the city? Certain areas in Houston flood in heavy rains - hurricanes mean 6 to 8 feet of water in those areas, freeway underpasses,, the tunnel in downtown. All because we're below sea level & the water has no where to go. Yet I regularly see basements in homes set in coastal areas. 🙄

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#17

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations I notice that on TV no one has screens on their windows. Where I live the bugs would carry you away.

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Bernd Herbert
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4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don' think that's true. American movies were the first time I saw those, we didn't have screens on doors and windows where I grew up

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#18

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Abrupt endings to conversations or phone calls without saying bye.

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4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

... or the other extreme where people pick up the phone while talking to someone else and they keep talking and talking until they finally take the call and the person on the other end hasn't even hung up.

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#19

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Leaving a bunch of beer bottles or shot glasses on the bar so we know that they're drunk. In real life, the bartenders take away the emptys.

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Bernd Herbert
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

D'uh!! How else woulöd we know that the protagonist is drunk in that scene? :-)

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#20

Inclusivity and diversity.

Not every group of friends or employers are made up of the perfect mix of LGBT, male/female, mixed races. Most groups are very much made up of similar people.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, 'Friends" got a lot of backlash for lack of diversity, while being perfectly normal in that aspect.

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#21

This is kind of the opposite. In media set in the US people always seem to live in small towns, with town squares and historic homes, or big cities, with tall buildings and condos. The reality is that much of America is a copy-pasted suburb that has some chain restaurants, big box stores, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and 2-3 chain grocery stores. There’s some regional differences and likely a few local shops renting space in the same plaza as the chain stores.

That’s not every city, but if you pick a US city at random, that’s most likely what you’ll see on Google maps.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You know your town has made it when you get a Dairy Queen and a Walmart

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#22

Level of attractiveness is an obvious one.

One thing I live about British television is that the actors look more like someone you might actually pass on the street.

And do other countries have teens in media who are obviously adults? Like not even passing for actual teens.

I recently watched that new Nightmare On Elm street from some years ago and there was this blond grown a*s woman who looked like she had a starter mortgage and car payments playing a teenager. Like why is this junior sale rep for a pharmaceutical company playing someone 16?

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Lotekguy
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not just Britain. I've been watching a slew of procedurals and dramas from all over Europe, The cast invariably looks more like regular people; the cops have way fewer fights and shootouts; and when there is a fight the leading cop usually doesn't fare well.

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#23

I know this is dated, but there’s no way Al Bundy could afford a big house in a nice Chicago suburb and support a wife and two kids just selling shoes at the mall, even at that time.

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#24

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Classes last longer than for the teacher to say something pithy, ask someone a question, and then hear the bell ring.

School busses don't honk for your lollygagging a*s. If the bus stop is empty they keep driving.

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StrangeOne
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All the students just leaving while the teacher tells them an assignment and then finds themselves defeated. I had teachers refuse us to leave before they were finished with the lesson and giving us homework.

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#25

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations No one keeps their car keys in the sun visor, yet in movies that’s the first place everyone looks.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The only time I've EVER seen that was on a construction site. Most folks take them with them and LOCK the damn car.

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#26

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations When growing up our Norwegian exchange student asked us where our swimming pool was. Apparently he said everyone in America has one. I wish!

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Brenda
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The neighborhood I grew up in, NO ONE had a pool! Even if you could afford an above ground pool, the yards were too small

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#27

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Cars exploding in a crash.

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Lotekguy
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

On TV, cars go airborne and roll over several times. The car is smashed to hell, but the drivers usually crawl out unharmed or minimally injured.

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#28

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations Halloween party costumes are much more elaborate on TV compared to real life.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You've never gone to a costume party with cosplayers. They make TV costume parties look lame.

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#29

Mean rednecks.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some, but if you watch a Hollywood movie you get the idea that traveling into a rural area is like entering a post apocalyptic wasteland where mutant cannibals are lurking to spring on you.

I’ve lived in Appalachia for my entire life and nobody’s ever made me squeal like a pig or anything. Rural parts of the USA are actually really safe in terms of crime and that sort of thing. .

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As long as you are white. Quite a different story if you are a minority in many rural areas of the country.

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#30

A breakfast spread covering a 14 seat dining table and someone in a rush runs down stairs, grabs and apple; kisses someone, then heads out of the door because they’re running late.

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#31

When I was working in China, my colleague couldn’t believe that I had never seen someone shot and killed by a gun. Her response was, “but the movies show it happening all the time.”.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My wife is Chinese, she was very disappointed to find that British people don't all live in quaint little cottages (a la 'The Holiday').

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#32

High schoolers living exciting edgy high drama adult lives.

Very few 16 year olds are getting drunk and hooking up every weekend. That's a freshman year of college thing.

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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had the wildest time in high school but I'm Gen X, so it's been decades. My high school days were pretty much as described above. I'm now a middle aged, married nurse, with three sons.

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#33

In real life predominantly black neighborhoods don't have hip hop music playing faintly in the background to let you know you're in "the hood".

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keyboardtek
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In every city I lived the last 30 years booming bass from car stereos was the norm in the hood, as well as at every stoplight.

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#34

People Answer What Movies Get Wrong About America And Here’s 35 Of Their Spot-On Observations At schools, teachers give assignments like normal people and don't shout it at the class as they're departing after the bell rings.

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Brenda
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4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had teachers who wrote homework assignments on the board. It was there when you got to class. First thing you did was write it down

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#35

Fruit stands that speeding cars crash in to.

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