What’s in a name? The stupid film trend that needs to end

Have you seen the film? You know that, what’s it called? Anyone other than the idea of ​​us? Is that it? Yes that’s it.

Over the past year, there have been a handful of high-profile releases that everyone is talking about but no one remembers the name of.

Apparently the latest trend in Hollywood is to give your movie a generic and catchy name.

Why? We’re really not sure. It definitely doesn’t serve SEO value, there are no keywords.

So what explains the “Anyone But You, The Idea of ​​You, It Ends with Us and Nobody Wants This” phenomenon?

A penchant for fuzzy confusion? A preference for pronouns?

It’s really confusing, even though two of them had the names of the books they adapted.

Or maybe the studios really just wanted these films to be known as “That Anne Hathaway Movie Where She Hooks Up With Not-Harry Styles.”

A film or television title needs some real nouns, preferably a proper noun. Because “you,” “we,” and “nobody” lead to a whole lot of “Ah, who?!” It’s like a clickbait headline, it doesn’t give you an idea of ​​what the story is actually about.

Think about how impressive some romantic comedy names are that draw on specific details like a place, a person or a holiday and an event.

When you hear the geographically centered titles “Notting Hill,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Fire Island,” “Roman Holiday,” and “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” you know exactly what films they are and where they are set .

Or it could include the characters’ names, such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Sabrina,” “Amelie,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” and “Annie Hall”. No doubt who it’s about.

Event- or time-specific films included “The Holiday,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Groundhog Day” and “While You Were Sleeping.”

There is also the tradition of recording a number – “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “How to Lose a Man in 10 Days,” “13 Going on 30/Suddenly 30,” “50 First Dates,” “It Happened One Night,” 10 Things I Hate About You, (500) Days of Summer, One Beautiful Day, Two Weeks Notice and 27 Dresses.

Just enter a number and it will generate a list of 18 romantic comedies to watch when it’s raining outside.

Morgan Freeman was once on The Graham Norton Show and shared his theory as to why The Shawshank Redemption, a true classic, didn’t make any money on its original release, and it had to do with the awkwardness and unfamiliarity of the name.

He posited: “People went to see The Shawshank Redemption and they came back and said, ‘I saw this really great movie and it’s called… (long pause)… um… Shan-Sham-Shin-Shon.’ “One day someone saw me in the elevator and said, ‘I saw you in Hudsucker Reduction.’ So if you can’t get the word across, then it’s no good.”

Of course, everyone now knows and remembers The Shawshank Redemption, whose appreciation has only increased. The key here is that it was a great film with weighty themes, fantastic performances and, yes, a name that eventually stuck.

Admittedly, “Anevere But You” and “It Ends With Us” made money, while “The Idea of ​​You” and “Nobody Wants This” were streaming releases that captured the zeitgeist for at least a few weeks, which is the grace is given to most streaming titles.

But what will be their lasting legacies? Will anyone remember Anyone But You 20 years from now, when it was both a pretty terrible movie and had a name that pops right out of your head?

We tried some alternatives:

Who’s inside?: Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell

What it’s actually about: Two hot people meet, have a misunderstanding, hate each other, and then are thrown together at a wedding abroad where they pretend to be in love with each other to get rid of their family and friends. It is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

As it is better known: This movie where Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell may have had an affair because of the hot daddy photos from the Sydney set, but that couldn’t be because the chemistry between them on screen isn’t there. There’s also the Natasha Beddingfield song from the 2000s TV show that everyone was obsessed with.

What should it be called?: The two Sydneys (a number, a place and a person’s name!)

Who’s inside?: Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine

What it’s actually about: Solene is a 40-year-old divorced mother who meets a 20-year-old boy band pop star at Coachella. They ignite and begin dating, making things awkward for their teenage daughter and incurring the ire of all the young groupies.

As it is better known: The film that wasn’t inspired by Harry Styles and his penchant for older women, but definitely was.

What should it be called?: Solene gets her groove back

Who’s inside?: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar

What it’s actually aboutIt Ends With Us is billed as a romantic drama, but it’s actually about domestic violence and a woman’s journey of dealing with inherited trauma, experiencing her father’s violence towards her mother, and these patterns in her own life to repeat.

As it is better known: The film that got Blake Lively canceled after her vile promo campaign that denounced her as a mean girl, tried to sell you shampoo, and implored audiences to “wear your flowers” and inviting her friends over for a fun girls’ day where she watched domestic violence. There have also been endless news cycles about an on-set feud between Lively and Baldoni.

What should it be called?: The scandal starts here

Who’s inside?: Kristen Bell and Adam Brody

What it’s actually about: A sex podcaster meets a hot rabbi and, despite the undeniable chemistry between them, must grapple with the question of how an interfaith relationship will work when his job and calling require him to marry a Jewish woman.

As it is better known: This really funny and sweet romantic comedy that everyone says to watch and that reminded us all that we love Adam Brody and that we should always have more Adam Brody in our lives.

What should it be called?: Hot Rabbi