Something has bothered me with modern writing for a while and i couldnt quite express what it was, i think i watched so many movies i got used to it to the point where i was unable to express what it was because it became something normal.
Its only by re watching a lot of older movies from the 40's and 50's for example that i could understand why : dialogue back then felt believeable. Expressions, tone, words used ... things fit the situation, you had no issues believing actual humans could have had this conversation. And i feel like nowadays thats not really the case anymore. Dialogue feels artificial, inhuman and more often than not inadequate with the situation at hand. A lack of vocabulary and constant swearing also doesn't help the situation.
But maybe that is just me, so i was curious to see if i am biased and perhaps wrong or if other people shared this impression
You're definitely not wrong about this. I've been on a classic film kick lately and the difference is pretty jarring when you go back to modern stuff. There's something about how people talked in those older movies that feels more... I dunno, thoughtful? Like the characters actually had time to think about what they were saying instead of just rapid-firing quips
Part of it might be that writers back then came from different backgrounds - a lot more theater experience where dialogue had to really carry scenes. Now everything's so visual and fast-paced that dialogue sometimes feels like an afterthought. Plus modern movies seem obsessed with making every character "witty" in the same generic way, whereas older films let different characters actually sound different from each other
The swearing thing is interesting too because when it does show up in older films it actually means something, you know? Now it's just filler half the time
1
SaulsAllMar 26, 2026
+1
One thing that might be causing this is that movies back then didn't do nearly as many closeups. If you have a dialogue going, you likely have both people in the shot, and they are moving around sometimes. Modern movies prefer to fill the entire frame with one person's face, and then go back and forth between closeups of the various faces.
While this generally is still shot all at once, you *can* go in and shoot each line separately, and some times they do, and this closeup + the rare edited together conversation makes for a more disjointed experience.
1
summ190Mar 26, 2026
+1
My perception is the exact opposite, naturalism became more common through the 60s / 70s and now dialogue feels more believable.
1
fzvwMar 26, 2026
+1
How do you feel about His Girl Friday
1
GreenGorilla8232Mar 26, 2026
+1
In most modern movies, dialogue mainly serves the purpose of advancing the plot and giving you background information. I agree it almost never sounds like how people actually talk.
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