If you have been around film discussions on the internet, you have likely found people abbreviating the titles of some films that are overly long, to gain writing space in case of, for example, a tweet or even to avoid writing a long name repeatedly. Some examples might includeCaptain America: Civil Warwhich becomes CA: CW or therecent Best Picture winnerat the Oscars,Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is commonly referred to as EEAAO.
Why do directors choose long titles? Is it to make an impression? Some give the audience an idea of what to expect from the movie. For example,The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Fordclarifies that this is a western about the infamous outlaw and his eventual demise. When a title is so long that it takes up the entire movie poster, it’s hard not to take notice. We can’t get into all the reasons one might choose a long title for a movie, but let’s dive into some of the greatest movies with overly long titles and explore the intricate world they all have to offer.
10The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
If you’re going to watchThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007),you will start the movie already knowing the basics: that Jesse James (Brad Pitt) will die, and the murderer will be Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). This western film was directed by Andrew Dominik, based on the novel of the same name by Ron Hansen, and follows the last year of James' life while he is trying not to be captured by the law. Fascinated by Jesse and his legacy, Robert Ford joins the gang and eventually betrays him to the authorities.
Even though it is a Western, the movie has a quite slow pace, creating a tense mood around the character’s motivations, and even with the fact that you already know James' fate, you still find yourself interested in the story Dominik has to tell. It is a great storytelling example, and it was praised by the performances when it was released.
9One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
This classic in film history,One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, was directed by Milos Foreman. It tells the story of Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), a criminal who pretends to be insane in order to avoid prison time and is transferred to a psychiatric hospital. While there, he meets a group of patients and the nurse running the place, played by Louise Fletcher.
McMurphy then challenges the nurse’s authority and encourages the other patients to stand up for themselves, causing them to rebel against their oppression. This film was an adaptation of a novel of the same name, and despite the big title, it is a great take on human resilience and hope, acclaimed as a great success when it was released and continues to do so in the modern days.
Related:10 Great Movies for Fans of Everything Everywhere All at Once
8The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimensionis a sci-fi comedy film, as you might have guessed from the title. Directed by W.D. Richter, Buckaroo Banzai (Peter Weller) is a neurosurgeon, physicist, rock musician, and secret government agent. Alongside the Hong Kong Cavaliers, his team’s mission is to save the world from a group of aliens known as the Red Lectroids, led by the evil Dr Lizardo (John Lithgow).
Buckaroo is a man of many inventions, and his latest one, the “oscillation over thruster,” allowed him to pass through solid matter and travel through dimensions but during a test, he opened a portal to the eighth dimension, allowing the Red Lectroids to escape their imprisonment and threaten the Earth. It is a fun movie to watch and a cult classic that has beendeveloped into a TV series.
7Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The great thing about the titleSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Streetis that it already sets the tone of the story, so the audience starts the story knowing what to expect. Tim Burton directed this film adaptation of the musical by Hugo Wheeler and has all the characteristics his name carries. The movie isdark both in the plot and visually, and tells the story of Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp), a barber that returns home from the sea after ten years he lost his wife and daughter to the town’s judge, Turpin (Alan Rickman). Now, under his old barbershop lives Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), owner of the worst pies in London.
In order to get his revenge against the judge and to increase the quality of the pies, Todd and Lovett come to an agreement. Every new client that enters the barbershop mysteriously does not come out, but a new batch of pies is ready later in the same day. With great acting and a nice adaptation of songs, it’s a nice movie to watch and a great musical if you’re a fan of the genre.
6Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Innocence)
The award-winnerBirdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Innocence)is a movie directed by Alejandro Iñárritu. It follows Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a faded Hollywood actor best known for playing the superhero Birdman in a popular film franchise. In an effort to revive his career and gain artistic credibility, he decides to write, direct and star in a Broadway play based on a Raymond Carver short story.
Haunted by the voice of Birdman, he is constantly questioning his sanity and the reality of the things that happen. With stars like Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Zach Galifianakis, Naomi Watts, and Andrea Riseborough, Iñárritu talks about ego and identity. His work was technically praised for a long take and continuous shot at the film’s beginning. It’s a great option if you like the movie and theatre universe and the scars that fame and recognition leave in an actor.
5Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The first movie of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise,Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,is directed by Gore Verbinski and the debut of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack teams up with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), who is the governor’s daughter and has a golden medallion stolen years ago. Captain Barbossa, the owner of theBlack Pearl,is looking for all the medallions as they are part of a cursed Aztec treasure.
Barbossa’s team kidnaps Elizabeth, causing Will and Jack to go after her to rescue Swan and take theBlack Pearlback, as it once belonged to Jack. It isa great adventureand a nice start for this franchise, with five movies in total.
Related:Pirates of the Caribbean Actor Wants a Commodore Norrington Spinoff
4Everything Everywhere All at Once
This film is a great use of the multiverse concept, and it is no surprise thatit got seven Academy Awards in 2023. With an excellent cast, script, and direction by The Daniels,Everything Everywhere All at Oncetells the story of Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese woman that is having trouble trying to manage taxes regarding the laundry place she owns with her husband, who is unhappy with their marriage. Their daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu), is trying to get her mother’s attention and also fails to get it.
On a trip to the IRS, her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) talks to her differently and tells Evelyn a set of instructions, so she can help him to defeat Jobu Topaki, the great chaos in the multiverse. Evelyn then goes on a journey rediscovering herself, her family, and the infinite possibilities our choices leave behind.
3Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombis a must-see for film fans. Stanley Kubrick directed this satirical film, a dark comedy about the Cold War arms race and the concept of mutually assured destruction. The story starts with a group of high-level American military and politicians grappling with a crisis after an Air Force general, Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden), orders a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union without authorization from the President.
The officials then have to prevent a full-scale nuclear war and deal with Dr Strangelove (Peter Sellers), a former Nazi scientist who is now advising the U.S. government on nuclear strategy. The characters start questioning reality as the situation scales more and more as the film progresses. The cast’s performances, especially Peter Sellers, were also widely acclaimed.
2Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Sacha Baron Cohen’sBorat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstanwas a huge success worldwide when it was released. This mockumentary follows the journalist Borat Sagdiyev as he travels to America to learn about American culture. This satirical piece uses a mixture of what the actor does best, putting people in uncomfortable situations with funny sketches, and exposing prejudices and misconceptions in the American culture.
Also, it is quite difficult to know if the real-life people in the movie know that Baron Cohen is making a character or not, which makes the movie even more interesting. And its success was so big that in 2020 he made a sequel,Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,with Maria Bakalova, talking about the COVID-19 pandemic and the different ways of thinking related to safety measures.
1Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutes
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines, or How I Flew From London to Paris in 25 Hours and 11 Minutesis a satirical British film about the early days of aviation since the Stone Age, inspired by a bird’s flight. to advance British aviation in 1910, a young officer and the fiance of a newspaper magnate decided to come up with an air race from London to Paris. With sabotages and dangerous flying, it’s a nice movie that displays the advances in technology and the persistence of humankind to make things better, overcome challenges, and how modern flights still have some challenges despite all the technological advances it already went through.
