4 Things Movies Have Tried To Convince Us Are Normal Even Though They’re Not
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock The movie industry has influence on everything from fashion to lifestyle, and that includes trying to convince us that certain behaviors and expectations are totally normal, even though they absolutely aren't. Still, there’s nothing quite like cozying up on the couch to watch your favorite movie. They may be fictional, but films can bring us comfort, while also imparting some messages we probably didn’t even mean to take in.
It may seem like it’s just a nice little story that can distract you for two hours, but every movie comes with its own underlying meaning that filmmakers are trying to convey. For example, writing for the Arizona State Press, Andi Ruiz pointed out that many of the biggest blockbusters of 2025, like “Superman” and “Sinners,” have aimed “to spark conversation about the world’s current social and political state.”
Of course, not all movies have messages that are so deep. Some are simply about finding a happily ever after or fixing a problem. Author Jason K. Pargin argued that even these movies have an agenda, though. In a TikTok video, he asked, “What’s the weirdest propaganda you feel like movies have tried to push on you in your lifetime?” It’s an interesting question to consider.
Here are 4 things movies have tried to convince us are normal, even though they’re not:
1. It’s fine to never grow up
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Have you ever noticed that movies tend to villainize people who are, well, just living their lives? Pargin has definitely picked up on this. “For me, I grew up with tons and tons of movies that kept saying that the worst thing a man could be is a grown-up,” he said. “You’d see a lot of love triangle romances like this, where the guy you’re supposed to be rooting against, his only sin is that he’s just kind of normal.”
Oftentimes in movies, women have to choose between two men. One is a regular Joe just going to work and doing his best, while the other is, as Pargin said, “more childlike.” But even in movies where there is no love triangle and a serious choice for the woman to make, this still pops up.
Think about “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” The titular character is a normal guy clocking in at his nine-to-five, and he’s considered boring for just doing what typical people do. But then, he travels across the world on a huge adventure and is suddenly intriguing. While it’s great to send people the message that they should live life to the fullest, you can’t really expect them to do so at the expense of being able to pay their bills.
2. Being successful is bad
This is one theme that runs deep in the film industry. They might not exactly be the standard of cinema, but think of pretty much every Hallmark movie ever made. Chances are, there’s a woman who’s in a relationship with a big shot from the city who has a solid job and makes good money. Then, she goes back to visit her hometown and runs back into that boy she knew in high school, who is trying to save his family’s farm/bakery/whatever. Obviously, the guy from the city is bad because he cares about his job and works hard.
“Sometimes they would code it as, ‘Well, he only cares about his career and money, and he only cares about her!’” Pargin said. “And if you’re a teenager, that sounds great. But once you grow up, you realize, well, yeah, having a career sucks up a huge amount of your energy, and he just mathematically does not have the same amount of free time.”
A good example of this can be found in “Titanic.” Cal Hockley, the man Rose is supposed to marry, is very successful and, therefore, a total bore. Meanwhile, Jack is exciting and edgy — clearly the better choice. As Pargin said, “The movie portrays it as him living more authentically or living life to its fullest, but he’s really just living like a teenager.”
3. You have to be a rebel if you want to be a hero
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The truth is, a lot of people are happy living quiet lives. They go to work, spend time with their family, and participate in their hobbies. There’s nothing overly remarkable about their lives, and that’s perfectly fine — there doesn’t have to be! This is a bad thing in movies, though. Someone always has to be working against the system, and that person is always the hero.
“In adventure films, the big obstacle to the hero is just some dude doing his job,” Pargin stated. “It’s just a guy who applied for a job in an office, and is doing the stuff that job requires.”
A Reddit user was curious about why films followed this pattern, so they asked, “Why are good guys always … associated with rebellion and disorder in fiction?” One person had an interesting answer: “This is the case specifically (if not exclusively) in modern western fiction, and it is because the history that modern western society tells about itself is in fact largely a story of ‘regular’ human beings rising up against regimes that do not acknowledge their human rights.”
So, it may all stem from history, and that would make sense with one of the most obvious examples. In “Captain America: Civil War,” the Avengers have been running wild for a while, basically enforcing the law on their own. Naturally, the government wants to get involved and make sure their actions are approved. Steve Rogers/Captain America is not on board with this, claiming it takes away their freedom. And, as Captain America is literally supposed to represent American ideals, it seems an awful lot like he’s standing up for what the country was founded on, right?
4. There’s nothing more important than chasing your dreams
OK, let’s make one thing clear: chasing your dreams is not a bad thing. If you’re brave enough to go after what it is you want, that’s amazing. But, as we’ve established, some people are content just living those regular Joe kinds of lives, and that doesn’t mean that they should think something is wrong with that just because they aren’t aspiring to some “greater purpose.”
Psychology writer Melissa Kirk noted, “The trouble with the exhortation to follow your passion or dream or to find your purpose is that it implies that those of us who are decently content, albeit not particularly passionate about any one thing, or those who are unemployed or underemployed, depressed, raising kids, or otherwise unable to gather enough resources to start off on a new path, are somehow devoid of dreams, passion, or purpose, are even somehow small people.”
Take the Disney movie “Tangled,” for example. Rapunzel feels like she has pretty much no purpose in life because she’s literally trapped in a tower. So, her purpose becomes her dream to see the “floating lights” that cover the sky every year on her birthday. Right before she sees those lights, which are actually lanterns, with the help of her new companion, Flynn, she becomes frightened, asking what she will do once the dream is fulfilled. All of this comes while she is ignoring her newfound freedom and the joy it brings, which would be enough for many people.
Movies are a great way to spend an evening when you have nothing else planned. They can bring the perfect amount of nostalgia, heartbreak, or hope. But we’ve got to remember that they are just fiction. Just because someone lives their life a certain way in a film does not mean that should or even could be emulated. Some movies have important messages to teach us, but not every message should be taken seriously. Sometimes, it really is just a movie.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
