On this week’s October Road — yes, I’m still watching; no Geoff Stults hasn’t danced shirtless in my office yet — Physical Phil got mad at Pizza Girl when they were screening The Dirty Dozen (featuring Robert Ryan and Charles Bronson, pictured) and she didn’t ask him to press pause when she left the room to get more salsa. To Phil, her not asking for "pause-press" meant that she didn’t get the movie, doesn’t value what’s important to him, and may not care when he tells her that the girl he liked when he was 10 years old just died. While that last part is somewhat of a leap, I’m guessing we can all relate to points No. 1 and 2. Which got me wondering: What are your friendship or relationship deal breakers when it comes to pop culture?
Maybe there’s a TV show, movie, album, or book that you need someone to "get" if you’re going to be close to him or her. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer anyone? I actually have friends who haven’t seen it yet, but none who haven’t seen it and dare to dismiss it as a teen show.) Or, maybe your deal breaker is something more philosophical, like the "pause-press" issue. l, for instance, know that the man I marry will need to want a cable package comparable to or better than my current one. He’ll also agree to give any show or movie a try if it really means that much to me. Because it does.
Your turn.
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my husband knows that to make me happy he has to sit through the millionth screening of all Buffy and Angel episodes when the urge hits me.
I would also need the best cable or dish package on the market and have complete control of the remote control between 7 and 10 central standard time.
I think Ally McBeal put it best, but if my man or any friend of mine can’t appreciate Moulin Rouge for the masterpiece that it is, then they must be truly sad people not worth my time. A little harsh yes, but Moulin Rouge is just that fantastic.
Johnny Cash. If he doesn’t appreciate the amazingness of the Man in Black, there’s just no hope for the relationship.
And he can’t make fun of me for continuing to watch reruns of Star Trek the Next Generation almost 20 years after they aired.
While watching a movie in the comfort of my home:
-Walking in half-way through a movie and asking questions about what’s going on.
-Answering the phone during the movie and not leaving the room to chat (loudly!).
-Believe it or not but there is an art of asking questions and talking during a movie and it’s very simple: do it when the people in the movie aren’t talking and make it short and sweet.
- Don’t take it personally if I ignore you to listen to said movie instead or answering your questions.
- The pause-press is a biggie too, especially when it’s a movie I want you to discover.
Of course there are many, but in recent memory I recall my friend’s boyfriend did not like the Goonies, but since he has learned to at least not express is dislike.
Otherwise, I have an undying love for…Jurassic Park and the Mummy anynone, friends or boyfriends would need to accept that.
watch high fidelity with an old girlfriend.. after it finished, all she said was “you WOULD like that movie.” ouch.
As long as they respect the things I’m into and don’t belittle my favorite things, I’m ok. I don’t have any specific likes or dislikes. But, if there’s a guy out there who loves Star Wars, Heroes, Alias, Battlestar Galactica and can go Simpsons quote-for Simpsons quote with me, sign me up.
Don’t talk to me or ask me what is happening during Lost. Please do not interupt me with a random topic while I am deep into a book.
I was dating a guy once and it came out that he hates scifi, at first I tried to get past this, but it was hard to watch movies and have pop culture inspired conversations. Also, he was a big fan of Ben Stiller, and yet hadn’t seen Mystery Men which I consider one of the three Ben Stiller movies worth watching.
The Comeback
Moulin Rouge, Buffy/Angel, Rent, and Harry Potter. My husband also knows he must at least tolerate, if not actively watch, Project Runway and So You Think You Can Dance.
I very briefly dated a guy in law school–”very briefly” being the key word here. As soon as he “didn’t get” Wet Hot American Summer and kept trying to make out with me during it, I knew it wasn’t going to work out.
Talking during a TV show I’m into…I’m more forgiving if it’s very brief, and during a comedy like 30 Rock or The Office. If it’s Friday Night Lights–FORGET IT. Not that I’m dating him, but I actually had to leave the apartment to cool off when my roommate’s dad kept interrupting my viewing of FNL (which I’d been looking forward to during my loooong day at work), to tell me how bad he thought the writing was. Thank God for TiVo.
I wanted my girlfriend Erica to like “Lost” so much, because we’re so in synch in virtually every other way pop culture wise. But she’s just not having it.
This, and my absolute rejection of “Grey’s Anatomy” and the way I openly mock it whenever I have to sit through it, has led to many a fight.
This one’s rather general, but it’s anyone who acts high-and-mighty because they don’t watch or don’t own a television. It’s fine to not watch TV, but when people get arrogant about it and imply that they’re somehow more enlightened because they don’t watch TV, it chaps my arse. My last boyfriend was almost like that — didn’t own a TV and loved telling people that — but what he didn’t reveal was that when he was at my place he was a total channel-surfing couch potato.
A friend of mine and I have agreed to disagree on “The Rose” he thinks it’s a classic, I think it’s overwrought and isn’t aging well.
(We watched it one night he was transfixed, i got drunk and slept thru most of it and was all “ugh is this still on?” when I woke up) But he dosen’t get some things I dig either. Long story long.
R.L.- This girl considers High Fidelity a classic. We are out there. You can find us.
My make or break thing is Criminal Minds. I am beyond addicted to the show. You do not call on Wednesday nights. You do not call if I’m watching the DVDs. You do not mock it, call it a bad show, or tell me Dr. Reid is at all a terrible actor, or I will dump your sorry a** and never speak to you again.
I’ve done this before with other movies and tv shows, but this is the current obsession. I may be bordering on the pathetic.
My dealbreakers were that a potential mate would need to like Vespa scooters and most of my music. Well, my wife loves cheesy reality tv shows (which I hate), hates scifi (which I love), seeks out romantic comedies (which I avoid) and thinks Firefly is stupid (which is one of my favorite shows ever).
That said, she dug riding on the Vespa Scooter and we found common ground with Stevie Wonder. The decision was clearly the right choice as my now wife got me into Ugly Betty, trashy Telemundo tv novelas (watch them with CC3 to get English subtitles), and she got me an xbox360.
A relationship started because of the show LOST has blossomed into a pop -culture friendly marriage.
The Lord of the Rings. It doesn’t have to be his favorite movie (cause I’m the type of fan that regards the three as one), but he has to like it. Also, friends, boyfriends, basically anyone who wants my respect has to like the Beatles. Again, you don’t have to love them, but I cannot respect someone who doesn’t appreciate them at all.
Just don’t be too Hipper-Than-Thou. Yes, Woody Allen movies are cerebral-haha – which is great, but Will Ferrell movies are stupid-haha, and sometimes all a girl really wants is a boy that will respond “That’s why I’m doing this” to her “Ribs. I had Ribs for lunch.”
That, and don’t dis Elvis.
Okay, this is embarrassing, but…I once actually stopped dating a guy because he said he didn’t like Gregory Peck’s performance as Atticus Finch in “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In fact, he said that Peck’s courtroom monologue was “too loud and dramatic.” He was out of there. I didn’t actually come out and say “All right, then, we’re not going to date anymore,” but it was such a huge turnoff that that’s what I was saying in my head.
If someone doesn’t get Napoleon Dynamite, they probably won’t get me. Same for The Office, though less so.
If they can’t appreciate “Sex and the City” I pull a Berger and use a Post-It to end the relationship.
i think the main deal breaker is that the guy cannot love reality TV more than scripted tv. i simply refuse to sit through more than an hour of it. but overall he can’t be condescending about my movie choices that can range from mindless dance movies like Step Up 2 the Streets to mindless action movies like Transformers to 80s comedies like Just One of the Guys to critically acclaimed films like Juno. Oh and needless to say, he can’t knock The Goonies.
Friendship breaker right here: When someone has chick flick DVDs in their collection and NOTHING else. I quickly think “How many Julia Roberts/Sandra Bullock/Kate Hudson movies can one person watch???” I’ve definitely questioned friendships over that.
Also, I’m pretty sure my current b/f made it look like he watched Buffy just so I would like him. Cause now (we’ve been dating for 4 years) when I ask him to watch Buffy, he avoids it all together. Very questionable. He probably thought that was my deal breaker. Then again he likes to watch Angel, so I could be wrong.
It’s one thing if you’ve never seen THE WIRE. But if you’ve seen it, and you don’t get it, then I don’t get you.
I have stopped being friends with a guy because he didn’t like “Brokeback Mountain”. First of all, I didn’t understand how that could be possible and secondly, he dissed Ang Lee. Goodbye!
My deal breaker would be Beverly Hills 90210. It could be sad to think that I was in college when it first started & still watch the re-runs to this day. I can’t help it.
Movie(s): Lord of the Rings. I find myself losing a bit of respect for anyone who dismisses these films.
TV: Lost. Most common complaints I’ve heard? Too confusing, too many people, too much going on…I for one love the fact that this show actually makes you THINK. And may think a little less of you if you don’t get it.
I absolutely love fantasy/sci-fi so anyone who doesn’t get these, won’t get me.
When I first started dating my wife, I told her she was required to watch CASABLANCA with me, as it is my favorite black and white classic of all time. She did.
Any guy who appreciates “Office Space” can have me!