Movies are like burgers: how to pitch on the next one

Movies are like fast food burgers. Every film tastes different no matter they have the same ingredients.

So run away from people who says: "oh, you loved Earthquake, then you must see San Andreas", because the first rule for movie lovers is: do not take suggestions based on plots or topics. And second rule: do not take suggestions based on what your friends like.

There is a good chance the suggestion will let you down.

Be honest to yourself. This will be the scenario: you feel compromised to watch a movie just to answer what you think about it the very next time you meet your friend. You wish not hearing that question hoping your friend forgot about that pathetic movie you unbelievable still regret for watching. But here it comes when you feel guilty without nowhere to run while your friend says: "Did you see the movie? It is really great, isn't it? I told you!".

Most probably, you will have no chance to talk before your friend still continue talking amazing things about the movie and you will have to lie saying how much you loved it to don't wreck your friend's momentum. What your friend does not know is that you are hating that movie because it was a totally waste of time (I hope at least the popcorn was good, but popcorn without a good movie is like a white painting in the most expensive museum).

You did not even have a chance to say a word further when your friend suggests another great movie for you. But now you learned the lesson. Great for who? Exactly. For your friend. You realized your taste is not your friend's taste.

When was the last time a friend suggested you to try a Whopper just because you like a Big Mac? Well, although both are burgers they taste completely different. It happens the same with movies and series. Topics or plots can be pretty the same but the outcomes and expectations are not.

If your friend likes Burger King does not necessarily mean you would love it too just because you eat at McDonalds. But if you love McDonalds, there is a good chance you will like any other of their combos as they are cooked in a similar way. At least you will try one without feeling guilty. Doing so, you will discover something new on your own. If you dislike it, it will be just your fault without damning someone else.

Actors are the real ingredients of the movies and series. Of course they are not the only ones. There are so many ingredients (director, producer, writer, sound, make up, costume design, etc.), all of them important and necessary. Together they all confer the unique taste. But remember: actors are the meat of the burger and they have to be so credible you can forget being in front of a screen. The best script can be ruined by a poor actor but a mediocre script can taste so good with a great performance. There are not good movies without good actors.

Performance and actors go together like meat and sauce. And it requires a balance. A great sauce in a over burned meat will not remedy the taste as same as a spoiled sauce will ruin the best meat ever cooked.

Think for a second about that line in all the movies and series reading "Casting by". This task often goes unnoticed when actually is one of the keys to ensure the film will be successful. Even Robert De Niro or Meryl Streep have to audition no matter both are Academy Award winners with a long career.

Sometimes directors ask for a particular person to lead the story o scripts are written based on how an actor will performance the role. Here the scenario is the same even when the meat is placed in the bun before the tomato and the lettuce as the taste does not change when the ingredients are realigned.

If you loved Forrest Gump, then most probably you like any of the Tom Hanks movies: Sully, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr. Banks, The Terminal, Cast Away, Philadelphia, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, to mention just a few. All of them completely different but all of them great movies. It's not the category or the plot what makes a movie to be great but the performance of the actor to engage you during the film.

Take a look how Tom Hanks describes himself in Twitter: I'm that actor in some of the movies you liked and some you didn't.

If the actor didn't engage you at all, don't blame the rest of the ingredients. Some people prefer chicken than meat in a burger. You are the only one to choose what you want to eat to satisfy your appetite, same as what you want to watch for the night.

So when the actors left you undecided about what to watch, then try Decider. You will not regret it.

Do you remember your friend suggesting to watch a movie you ended up hating? Well, at decider.com they are really experts on what to watch as a food critic does writing good or bad reviews for dishes. How many times did you go to a restaurant after reading a bad review from an expert? Now, how many times you left disappointed from a restaurant suggested by a friend? See, if you cannot take a decision on your own, then trust the people who really know.

With so many restaurants to choose, and so many dishes to be potentially ordered, it can be a difficult decision to make to satisfy the appetite for the night. It happens the same with films and streaming platforms. There are so many places to rent and own movies and series that a decision to pick just the perfect one can be exhausting.

That is why Decider helps to choose what to watch and where to watch it. Imagine you just want to eat a burger, but not any kind of burger. You want to try a good one to say it was worthy not matter where you had to go or how much you had to pay. That is what Decider does. Well, they don't recommend burgers but what are the movies or series you must try to satisfy your appetite without being disappointed.

What is unique from Decider is showing you the menu for your particular appetite in every streaming platform, and also where that menu is being offered if you already have one kind in mind. Plus, you will discover there are so many other streaming platforms you were not aware about them as same as you don't know all the burger restaurants.

But Decider is much more than a place to suggest what burger to eat next. Well, what movies or series you must try next. They tell you all kind of menus being offered if next time you don't want a burger but a pasta. Well, if you don't want a drama but a comedy next time. And also what will be added to the menu next month so you can anticipate what to expect in your next visit. But don't expect to read just a list of dishes with their ingredients. What is better is that you will have a really good sense of how the movie will taste before ordering it, and that is why Decider is so different from your friend.

If your favorite actors don't convince you about what to watch, then try Decider. And tell your friends. They will love you without knowing you hated that movie they suggested you first.