Sam Norton
A&E Editor
It’s been argued that movies are purely a source of entertainment, but others say that films represent your personality. If that were true, I’d be a Goonie. It’s not the sense of adventure, or even the friendship dynamics between Chunk, Mikey, Mouth, Data, Sloth, Brand, Andy and Stef, that keep me intrigued, rather, it’s “The Goonies’” sense of sarcasm and wit that keeps me entertained.
From Chunk’s infamous confession, “In third grade, I cheated on my history exam. In fourth grade, I stole my uncle Max’s toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play. In fifth grade, I knocked my sister Edie down the stairs and I blamed it on the dog… When my mom sent me to the summer camp for fat kids and then they served lunch I got nuts and I pigged out and they kicked me out… But the worst thing I ever done – I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa – and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life,” to Brand’s quick-wit responses that ultimately leave you defeated—it’s the type of film that encompasses a sense of humor that I can relate to.
But films portray more than just a sense of humor—from romance, to horror, to adventure and even drama; films are designed to represent every relatable aspect of life.
Authors Ezra Werb and Risa Williams of the book “Cinescopes: What Your Favorite Movies Reveal About You,” argue that a person’s film preference is a representation of their personality.
According to the CBS News article “What Your Favorite Movies Say About You,” Werb and Williams are quoted saying that the movies you find most appealing can do more than entertain you; rather, your film selection can reveal plenty about who you are.
The article states that, “There’s a psychological link between our personalities and the movies that appeal to us. It’s a very personal thing, and we connect with the heroes and themes in the movies we’re drawn to.”
However, it is not just the genre of film that can be a true representation for your personality, a moviegoer can also be drawn to a film because of the characters in it. In Werb and Williams’ book, they focus on the individual characters that an audience connects with.
“If it’s two characters, sometimes it’s the dynamic between the two that you’re [the viewer] drawn to.”
Williams says the lists tell about the type of heroes people like and the themes that resonate with them. “If you’re drawn to romantic comedies, you could be a romantic. If you like action movies, you could be an adventurer at heart,” the CBS News article states.
Williams and Werb argue that there are 16 different types of personalities that your choice in film can represent: the dedicated idealist, the loyal warrior, the passionate maverick, the youthful sage, the charismatic performer, the chosen adventurer, the courageous detective, the destined hunter, the determined survivor, the enlightened healer, the existential savior, the invincible optimist, the magical creator, the rebellious lover, the respected champion and the vivacious romantic.
Each of these types of characters are all present within the films we choose to watch.
According to the article “What type of Movie person are you? Find out what film preferences say about you,” in Psychology Today, “Film preferences reflect attitudes or evaluations that help to organize and are organized by a wider system of values or schemas.”
For many of us, film is an easy way to communicate our mood, our thoughts, and even our perspectives. As a result, your choice in movies can help you convey the various dynamics of your personality, whether you are aware of it or not.
However, Psychology Today states that the “Most interesting reason for linking personality and movie preference is that personality traits may predict why we watch films or what we use movies for. More specifically, this assumes that a) movie-watching fulfills key psychological functions, which vary b) from person to person, and c) from movie to movie.”
Even if you are the chosen adventurer, the rebellious lover, the courageous detective, or even the loyal warrior—film, especially in today’s society, is no longer created for the sole purpose of entertaining us—it has been created to help represent the present and even our past. But then again, Goonies never say die.
Sam Norton can be contacted at
snorton@keene-equinox.com