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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.

rjainsa , universalstudios Report

Final score:

152points

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minnieslave0 4 months ago

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

35points

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.

FB_100 , 20thcenturystudios Report

Final score:

148points

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Lotekguy 4 months ago

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.

49points

babyfresno77 , August de Richelieu / Pexels Report

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.

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.

Final score:

136points

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Tony Chambers 4 months ago

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

1point

Ok_Present_6508 , 20thcenturystudios Report

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.

Final score:

129points

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Lotekguy 4 months ago

Don't tell Bruce Willis.

31points

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.”

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.

BendingDoor , sonypictures Report

Final score:

129points

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Iampenny 4 months ago

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

71points

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!

wawa2022 , nbc Report

Final score:

126points

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Prashant 4 months ago

Snitch haha

21points

other_half_of_elvis , Paramount Pictures Report

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

Final score:

124points

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Isa 4 months ago

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

34points

“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.”

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.

Street-Suitable Report

Final score:

110points

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StrangeOne 4 months ago

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

26points

#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.

CheyenneDemure , sonypictures Report

Final score:

110points

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BrunoVI 4 months ago

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

36points

Delicious_Virus_2520 Report

#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.

Final score:

110points

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Sergy Yeltsen 4 months ago

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

32points

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.

“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.

NotThatKindof_jew , nbc Report

Final score:

104points

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michele mbennett101044@yahoo.c 4 months ago

Let's face it, movies and TV are imagination, fantasy and wishes.

4points

#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.

remymartinia Report

Final score:

103points

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Ace 4 months ago

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.

22points

#14

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

slash-5 Report

Final score:

102points

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Sava Hax 4 months ago

And on the couch. Painful 😖

37points

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.

sra19 Report

Final score:

97points

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StrangeOne 4 months ago

There are gift boxes that come like that.

38points

#16

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

jason_sation Report

Final score:

96points

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Brenda 4 months ago

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. 🙄

7points

#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.

RusticSurgery Report

Final score:

95points

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Bernd Herbert 4 months ago (edited)

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

16points

ParapluieGris , paramountpictures Report

#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.

Final score:

93points

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Rizzo 4 months ago (edited)

... 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.

10points

dreadowntown , cottonbro studio / Pexels Report

#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.

Final score:

92points

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Bernd Herbert 4 months ago

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

13points

#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.

IveKnownItAll Report

Final score:

90points

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ADJ 4 months ago

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

48points

#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.

jrm2003 Report

Final score:

86points

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Brenda 4 months ago

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

35points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

See Also on Bored Panda

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#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?

VisibleCoat995 Report

Final score:

84points

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Lotekguy 4 months ago

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.

34points

#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.

wojonixon Report

Final score:

79points

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Kylie 4 months ago

Goes for most sitcom families.

25points

#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.

Scrotchety , Think Film Report

Final score:

77points

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StrangeOne 4 months ago

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.

30points

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

See Also on Bored Panda

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#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.

michaelyup , warnerbros Report

Final score:

74points

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Kylie 4 months ago

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

24points

Quirky_Definition_38 , Juan Salamanca / Pexels Report

#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!

Final score:

72points

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Brenda 4 months ago

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

13points

#27

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

St_Ander Report

Final score:

72points

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Lotekguy 4 months ago

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.

25points

#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.

Fireproofspider , sonypictures Report

Final score:

71points

POST

Doctor Strange 4 months ago

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

38points

#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. .

CambionClan Report

Final score:

65points

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Cathy G 4 months ago

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

51points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

See Also on Bored Panda

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#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.

LemonsAndAvocados Report

Final score:

64points

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Panda Kicki 4 months ago

Second time this one is at the list.

19points

#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.”.

The_Lost_Pharaoh Report

Final score:

64points

POST

Penguin Panda Pop 4 months ago

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').

37points

#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.

Hosj_Karp Report

Final score:

63points

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Alicia M 4 months ago

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.

21points

#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".

Ibrahim2x Report

Final score:

61points

POST

keyboardtek 4 months ago

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.

8points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

See Also on Bored Panda

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

#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.

Beezo514 Report

Final score:

59points

POST

Brenda 4 months ago

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

23points

#35

Fruit stands that speeding cars crash in to.

MickeyAmica Report

Final score:

55points

POST

Gambit22 4 months ago

My cabbages!!!!

59points

Note: this post originally had 63 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.

A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

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I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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What American thing is not that common but shown in movies/shows?

POST

LokisLilButterknife 4 months ago

I feel like BoredPanda posts something stereotyping the United States when it has officially exhausted all of its "Am I an A-hole for stealing my girlfriend's ham sandwich?" or " Angry man sad that wife won't let him dress up as Mario for wedding day" type of posts.

21points

Anony Mouse 4 months ago

Most of these aren't even specific to America, just to movies and TV. Also they posted something similar last week. Getting lazier.

1point

Bernd Herbert 4 months ago

I'm not sure about what's the point here? Movies are not real depictions of life and reality. What a revelation. I think movies would become pretty boring if everything was exactly as it is in our world. Imagine the dashing Inspector McCool trying to find a parking space for 20 minutes in Downtown NYC.

11points

Becca not Becky 4 months ago

You might be surprised at the number of people coming from poorer countries (as tourists or immigrants) that see movies and expect all of the USA to be like the Hollywood portrayal.

8points

Kendall 4 months ago

One thing that drives me insane that wasn't mentioned is when 2 or more characters get into a disagreement or a conversation and then get into the car. Next shot shows them arriving at their destination, getting out of the car to continue the disagreement/conversation. Like they drove the entire time in silence and couldn't speak until they opened their car doors.

9points

Tiana Spencer 4 months ago

It's more likely they'll show the conversation continue in the car and the driver spends all of their time making eye contact with the passenger instead of watching the road

15points

kansasmagic 4 months ago

I don't know if it's specifically American, but one thing that always stands out to me is how many Hollywood-style "romantic gestures" and (especially) "grand declarations" would come across as overwhelming or even creepy in real life.

6points

Justin Tyme 4 months ago

Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every week. It's easier than finding new content."

3points

Brian Droste 4 months ago

That would get pretty boring real fast.

0points

Sönke Roth 4 months ago

What about swallowing pills without water?

2points

Penguin Panda Pop 4 months ago

Newsflash - this happens in books too (mostly). Most storytelling is just that, storytelling. We all have or have had a friend who gives way too much pointless information in their stories - it's kind of annoying. Let's not do that to entertainment.

2points

Adam S 4 months ago

To be fair a lot of these references apply to other countries too. There was an article a few days ago about things on TV that aren’t like real life, it’s basically that with a few US references thrown in. And who wants to watch a film that depicts real life anyway, would be dull as f**k!

2points

Ash 4 months ago

I was watching a British sitcom once, and they kept talking about how this guy's cousin or somebody sent him a Christmas card from the US, and at the very end it shows the card, and it says "Happy Christmas" on the front. And I was just like, ".....dude. No."

1point

Spring Fisk 4 months ago

Love- love is very seldom like what is portrayed in movies. Where is the conflict resolution, selflessness, and communication and intimacy issues? Although I think TV shows get closer.

1point

Mimi M 4 months ago

Umpteen comments about breakfasts and apartment sizes. Yawn.

1point

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 4 months ago

Sadly, none of the breakfast posts came with bacon.

3points

JK 4 months ago

TIL - Amercians are really done with TV/movies lying about their breakfast habits, but not enough for Amercian producers/directors/script writers/set dressers/etc to stop doing it.

0points

Noho 2000 4 months ago

The romance where the nice guy wins. Nope.

0points

Carrie Heaton 4 months ago

I lived in the Middle East for quite a while. They were very surprised that Americans are not ike what the movies portray (multiple marriages, getting drunk all the time, anti-religion,etc). But to be fair, most Middle Eastern people are not what the news portrays them as either.

0points

Lea S. 4 months ago (edited)

If you are watching the movie you are supposed to be mature enough to know it's fantasy, it's streamlined in ways that real life isn't, the time is compressed, you have to assume some things are happening instead of see them in real time (bathroom, getting dressed in the morning, eating, etc). Unless there's some sort of weird disclaimer happening that I've never seen it doesn't include everyone in/with that religion/age range/sexuality/country/state/hair color/hobby/musical taste. It is telling a story about the people in the movie and not to be applied generally to anyone else. My mom has bad feet, bad back, bad knees, she wears a pair of shiny clean tennis shoes around her house. They go on the bed, they go on the couch, they're HOUSE SHOES so she doesn't fall and break a hip. That doesn't mean everyone in America (or any random country) does it.

0points

ElfVibratorGlitter 4 months ago

I'm getting serious deja Vu, deja Vu, deja Vu ....🤯

0points

David Paterson 4 months ago

Drama. There isn't any in real life. And if there is then it certainly doesn't look like anything on movies or TV.

0points

Elle Roque 4 months ago

Prof who has never worked in film production is not an “ expert.”

-1point

POST

LokisLilButterknife 4 months ago

21points

Anony Mouse 4 months ago

Most of these aren't even specific to America, just to movies and TV. Also they posted something similar last week. Getting lazier.

1point

Bernd Herbert 4 months ago

11points

Becca not Becky 4 months ago

You might be surprised at the number of people coming from poorer countries (as tourists or immigrants) that see movies and expect all of the USA to be like the Hollywood portrayal.

8points

Kendall 4 months ago

9points

Tiana Spencer 4 months ago

It's more likely they'll show the conversation continue in the car and the driver spends all of their time making eye contact with the passenger instead of watching the road

15points

kansasmagic 4 months ago

6points

Justin Tyme 4 months ago

Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every week. It's easier than finding new content."

3points

Brian Droste 4 months ago

That would get pretty boring real fast.

0points

Sönke Roth 4 months ago

What about swallowing pills without water?

2points

Penguin Panda Pop 4 months ago

2points

Adam S 4 months ago

2points

Ash 4 months ago

1point

Spring Fisk 4 months ago

Love- love is very seldom like what is portrayed in movies. Where is the conflict resolution, selflessness, and communication and intimacy issues? Although I think TV shows get closer.

1point

Mimi M 4 months ago

Umpteen comments about breakfasts and apartment sizes. Yawn.

1point

Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 4 months ago

Sadly, none of the breakfast posts came with bacon.

3points