IF Plot THEN Dialogue

What kind of movie do you like? What kind of movie do you need? We all know that you are over the typical American movie. Just take a glance at the hallmark-lifetime-chickflick-drama-blockbuster latest and greatest and see if it looks familiar:

IF one person meets another person AND they like each other

THEN one person is kindhearted AND the other is lying about their past (rich heir/heiress OR spawn of royalty in obscure country OR child of real estate magnate that wants to crush their little farm);

RUN

IF suspicion of their past, royalty, or wealth THEN add difficulty in the relationship; LENGTH ⅔ to ⅘ into movie;

WHEN taxi, boat, plane, or horse = LEAVE;

THEN find significant other AND make out UNTIL credits.

Yes. You know it, and deep down you want a better movie. Perhaps you want something more than a plot as thick as chicken broth. You want something of substance. My first exposure to movies that had a plot - and therefore dialogue - was a summer jaunt overseas. My first impression was that movies were slow. Where was the “blow a bunch of stuff up, get wounded but survive, and make out with other main actor as the credits start to appear” plot? I found myself having to follow dialogue and the unsuspected happened: the interesting plot and dialogue created suspense. I didn’t need over the top sound effects to freak me out or make me want to know what was around the corner. The plot that beget the words that beget the story that beget the reaction of wow-I-needed-that-in-my-life awakened in me the idea that movies could once again hold my attention and this made me want more.

It was like I stumbled upon a cage-free variety of movies and they were pure awesomeness. And the great part about dialogue-rich movies that have great plots is that they don’t have to be confined to one genre. No more sad resignation to only one section of the movie world. People are programmed by shallow-plot movies to only go to the section that matches their tolerances: dramas or action or horror or whatever slice they can find. But with <IF Plot THEN Dialogue>, you can now rediscover the whole world of movie-ness because they are there in every section waiting to be discovered, enjoyed, and cherished. As for me, what have I discovered and what do I recommend?

• Usual Suspects (1995)
• Simon Birch (1998)
• The Sixth Sense (1999)
• Juno (2007)
• Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

A movie about a crime and trying to find out who the murderer is; another about a child with osteogenesis imperfecta trying to find out the identity of his bastard friend’s father; a thriller that has a child claiming to see dead people; one about an unexpected teenage pregnancy and the decisions that come flooding in; an adventure movie about a drifter and an escapee trying to find what makes them who they are. All of these capture the viewer with dialogue. It isn’t the massive crescendo from nothing to excitement with a singular dip to make sure that there was some conflict to be resolved, but an up and down roller-coaster ride of suspense, emotion, and humor. Why? Because when something is dialogue-rich, it has to have all of these elements because dialogue forces the script to be multifaceted; And those multiple facets - that depth now newly discovered - reveal plots of movies that are filled with great conversations that are so diverse and so deep and so riveting.

Let yourself go and fall away from the typical flick and check out these movies. You are certain to discover the <IF Plot THEN Dialogue> is the formula you have been missing for your future movie selections.