There is a power in movies that allows them to take us to places we could only wish and situations we could only dream of. How many times have you been watching a movie and thought to yourself, Wow, I wish my life was like that!? There’s something in movies like The Notebook and P.S. I Love You that makes us think, If only…
1. Being kissed in the rain
You know the scene. Girl turns and walks solemnly away from the boy she loves. The rain begins to pour down, gently camouflaging the tears streaming down her face. As she thinks about what has just happened, she turns around in regret. Of course, there her young lover is, just in time to scoop her up and kiss her in the rain. Whether the scene is happy or sad, kissing in the rain always seems to happen in movies. Now, I’m sure this romantic comedy cliché does happen in real life, but many of us are still waiting hopefully.
Movie Examples: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Notebook, Castaway, Step Up 2, Daredevil, Spiderman, Garden State
2. Money always being exact change when you take it out of your wallet
Ever notice that in movies, when paying for items, the money is always perfect change, especially when paying taxi fare? No hassling with coins and looking for dollar bills in coat pockets and making a fool out of yourself while holding up a long line at Starbucks. Sounds like the life.
Movie Examples: Sex and the City, Superbad, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Elf
3. Breaking out into song
Sometimes I like to pretend my life is a musical, but I know that if I were ever to break out into song in Hillside or while walking through the Quad, I’d probably get weird looks. The dorm room is total fair game though, just ask my roommates. Now, I don’t have the best singing voice, but that doesn’t keep me from wishing people broke out into song every now and again.
Movie Examples: High School Musical (1,2,3), Grease, Billy Madison, The Break Up, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Anchorman, Monty Python, Top Gun, The Sweetest Thing, The Sound of Music
4. Waking up and automatically looking perfect
After a long, well-deserved night’s sleep, few people are blessed with the ability to get out of bed without their hair in a nest, lines on their faces, and tired eyes. What I would give to look ready to go as soon as I woke up! In the opening scene of Bridesmaids, the film pokes fun at these perfectly coiffed women.
Movie Examples: Something Borrowed, The Notebook, Charlie’s Angels, Enchanted, James Bond
5. Animals talking
Need I say more?
Movie Examples: Every Disney Movie Ever Made, Up, Dr. Doolittle, Finding Nemo, Shrek, The Wizard of Oz, Space Jam
6. Becoming a princess/finding out you’re a princess
Unfortunately, we all aren’t as fortunate as Kate Middleton to be scooped up by a young, dashing prince or as lucky as Mia Thermopolis to find out we are the heir to the throne of Genovia. Personally, I know I’m still holding out an ounce of hope that Prince Harry will realize there is a fun-loving, blonde Bostonian waiting for him. Disney told us that someday our princes would come, right?
Movie Examples: Tangled, The Princess Diaries, Cinderella, Ella Enchanted, The Princess and the Frog, Ever After, Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty
7. Everyone magically knowing the choreography to a dance
Don’t you ever wish all the people around you could instantly know the same dance routine to spruce up your morning walk to class? Everyone dancing up the Million Dollar Stairs every morning could get a little hectic, but every once in a while could be something cool.
Movie Examples: 500 Days of Summer, Slumdog Millionaire, She’s All That, The Breakfast Club, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, 13 Going on 30, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
8. Never having to go to the bathroom
Seriously though… it never happens.
9. Taking off glasses and automatically becoming attractive
A movie cliché that is done all too often, the main ugly duckling heroine ditches her glasses, brushes her hair, and throws on a bit of makeup, instantly becoming the most attractive girl in the movie. For most of us, when we go to Lower on Saturday mornings sporting glasses, a bun, and sweatpants, we still look the same when we finally get dressed later in the day. If only taking off glasses was the surefire way to a man’s heart.
Movie Examples: She’s All That, Miss Congeniality, Princess Diaries, Breakfast Club, The Music Man
Of course, as mature collegiettes, we’ve realized by now that some things that happen in movies just never happen in real life. But that doesn’t keep us from wishing!! What other things do you wish happened in real life that only happen in movies?