12 Movies That Everyone Misunderstands (And What They Mean)
![12 Movies That Everyone Misunderstands (And What They Mean)](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/4/0/3/671403.jpg?v=2)
Most of the time, a movie's story and message are pretty straightforward. Love conquers all. Absolute power corrupts. Being John Malkovich is not as fulfilling as just being yourself. Pretty simple, pretty standard. Thanks for watching, onto the next movie or onto the rest of your life.
But some movies are notoriously layered. The story can be a giant metaphor or the ending is ambiguous, hinting at a specific interpretation. But many audience members don't have an appreciation for subtlety. That's when the fan theories and Reddit threads go buck wild.
There are levels of meaning that people frothingly argue about for years about movies. And yet, with all the resources available to us, people still manage to misunderstand and misinterpret the messages those movies are trying to get across.
We asked our readers to find the most widely-misunderstood movies and set the record straight, in handy meme format. Here's what they told us.
![P LPFICT N is a cool story about gangsters, drugs, and violence... but ultimately it's about redemption and second chances. In a 2013 interview about](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/8/671098.jpg?v=2)
![Josie and The Pussycats was critically panned because of its blatant product placements. According to directors Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, that'](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/8/5/671085.jpg?v=2)
![Audiences debated the ending of INCEPTION: -Did the top fall over? -Was the last scene real? -Did Cobb get his kids back? completely missing the point](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/8/3/671083.jpg?v=2)
![CRACKEDco COM NIGHT OF THE LMING DEAD Many people think Romero was making a statement about racism in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, but according to him,](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/2/5/4/671254.jpg?v=2)
![THE WRESTLER CRACKED.GOM The movie ends ambiguously, it's not clear if Randy The Ram Robinson survives the big leap off the ropes. Director Darren A](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/6/671096.jpg?v=2)
![Darren Aronofsky's mother! sharply divided audiences with its odd and violent narrative. However, when you view the film knowing that Aronofsky intend](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/7/671097.jpg?v=2)
![CRACKED.COM The critically acclaimed It Comes at Night confused audiences, who wondered why it never came. Director Trey Edward Shults explained tha](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/5/671095.jpg?v=2)
![Pokmon: The First Movie is widely criticized by critics as an incoherent movie marketed towards kids. However, according to producer Takeshi Shudo, th](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/1/671091.jpg?v=2)
![Director Dan Gilroy did not intend for NIGHTCRAWLER to be a movie about a psychopath who would do anything for a buck. Gilroy wanted people to come aw](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/8/9/671089.jpg?v=2)
![TAXI DRIVER People misinterpret the tonal shift at the end of the film and assume that it is a product of Travis Bickle's imagination. However, writer](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/8/7/671087.jpg?v=2)
![12 Movies That Everyone Misunderstands (And What They Mean)](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/2/671092.jpg?v=2)
![Despite the fact that the main character shares many traits with the actor who starred it, Birdman isn't about Michael Keaton... It's about Director A](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/0/9/0/671090.jpg?v=2)