Is it just be that found the trailer for "In Bruges" to be deceitful?

Submitted by notoliberals t3_11cprcx in movies

I was browsing the web for a dark humor crime comedy to cheer myself up, and I came across the trailer for "In Bruges". I really liked it and decided to watch. Instead of getting what I was promised in the trailer, I got a depressing mess that was clearly no what was promised.

Did I miss something about the trailer?

P.S. A lot of people seem to really take this post really personally... If you liked the movie, fine - whatever floats your boat...but it doesn't change the fact that the trailer was NOTHING like the movie itself.

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wilsonw t1_ja4cdxo wrote

I wouldn't call it a mess. It's a great film.

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Cw2e t1_ja4cz1v wrote

Definitely misleading but I feel like a lot of dark comedies have or used to have those kind of trailers to get butts in seats. The Lobster immediately comes to mind. While it’s a very good dark comedy, the trailer feels really whimsical and silly compared to the true tone of the film.

That being said, I found In Bruges to also be absolutely hilarious despite how dark it was. Definitely not the action comedy in the trailer but a very well done flick

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4dv4d wrote

Replying to Cw2e (#2,032,060)

The tones are mismatched. That is probably the greatest problem. I imagine that most people when viewing the trailer are looking at the tone and judging if it would match what they want to watch. In "The Bruges" the tone is completely off. So much so that I would go on to call it false advertising. Whoever are the audience for the film as it is presented in the trailer (like myself), are unlikely to be the audience for the movie as it really is.

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chodgson625 t1_ja4eis9 wrote

It’s character based humour so once you know the characters, it’s a lot funnier. I’ve seen it 4 times. First time I just thought it was dark and didn’t laugh much but really liked it. Saw it last year for the 4th time (just before going to Bruges on holiday) and pretty much laughed from beginning to end.

Give it another chance some time. Once you know their predicament it substantially changes your attitude to the tourism

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4emne wrote

Replying to wilsonw (#2,032,209)

I mean...it is like whoever was in charge of marketing realized that the real movie would appeal to very few people and instead presented it as a Guy Richie-type comedy that many people would have been glad to watch.

I have made this post mostly because I was furious at getting tricked into wasting 2 hours watching something totally different from what I was promised. For over an hour, I watched the movie waiting for the depressing bit to end and for the fun comedy action to finally start, and never got it.

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Cw2e t1_ja4f2im wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,032,220)

That’s not false advertising. The trailer depicted characters in the town of Bruges where the film took place, it showed the marketed actors who were in the film, and gave the name of the film. Trailers are allowed to be creatively misleading for marketing purposes, that doesn’t reach the threshold for false advertising.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4ffo1 wrote

Replying to Cw2e (#2,032,433)

> Trailers are allowed to be creatively misleading for marketing purposes, that doesn’t reach the threshold for false advertising.

That sounds like something a lawyer defending the fraudsters in court might say. The point is that it didn't honestly depict the product that was actually there. I got something other than what I was promised in the trailer.

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CalaveraPrimera t1_ja4fzmy wrote

You know trailers are deceptive and you're judging a movie based on that criteria? Sad

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4grqv wrote

Replying to CalaveraPrimera (#2,032,601)

I am judging the movie on the criteria that I wasn't given what I was promised. If I were at a restaurant and ordered a steak to receive a salad instead, I would judge that salad on how good it is as the steak I ordered. When choosing a movie based on the trailer, you expect the movie to be what was promised in the trailer. I got something totally different. Something I didn't want to watch.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4iqlg wrote

Replying to wilsonw (#2,032,957)

That would be a fair complaint as far as I am concerned. Presenting your product in your advertisement in a way it is misrepresentation of it is THE definition of false advertising...

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4j3kd wrote

Replying to [deleted] (#2,032,913)

Pardon?.. If I were judging this movie based solely on the trailer, it would have gotten the top score from me. The trailer was great...it is the movie itself that got me disappointed.

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girafa t1_ja4k33s wrote

Can you show us which trailer you watched?

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Insane_Overload t1_ja4l6cc wrote

Trailers are not a good way to gauge what a movie will be like as they are designed to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. Hopefully you have learned a lesson for the future

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bolshevik_rattlehead t1_ja4mr10 wrote

A deceitful trailer?!

Really though, In Bruges is one of the great dark comedy crime films. Didn’t you get exactly what you want?

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bolshevik_rattlehead t1_ja4pr2y wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,033,983)

Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, gallows humor, or dark humor is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss.

Not sure what your definition of “dark comedy” is but I’ll roll with this one, and I think this sums up In Bruges perfectly.

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Sks44 t1_ja4q7wm wrote

It was a dark humor comedy that involved criminals.

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Sks44 t1_ja4qpxn wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,033,329)

That trailer tells you exactly what the movie is going to be like. It just focuses on Farrell because Americans know him way more than Brendan Gleeson. Especially back in that time.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4rhm6 wrote

Replying to bolshevik_rattlehead (#2,034,292)

Not every dark movie constitutes as a comedy. It needs to be FUNNY to be a comedy. I absolutely don't deny that the movie is dark...it is just not a comedy in any normal sense of the word...particularly not in the way it was represented in the trailer.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4rtgs wrote

Replying to Sks44 (#2,034,550)

How was it humorous? It was depressing AF. There may have been a couple of weak jokes, but it was no Snatch or Lock Stock and Two Somoking Barrels. These two were dark, but they were also funny.

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Sks44 t1_ja4sa92 wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,034,667)

Neither Ritchie movie was dark. Snatch has moments but it isn’t dark.

The dialogue and several scenes in In Bruges are comedic. The interactions between Ken and Harry are funny. Going out drinking with the racist little person was funny. If you didn’t think the ending was dark humor, you may not enjoy dark humor the way you think.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4sq9q wrote

Replying to Sks44 (#2,034,762)

We are arguing semantics now. We have a different definition of what we consider "dark". Regardless, whatever "In Bruges" it wasn't what was promised in the trailer, and I am not the only one to think that. Browse reddit for "misleading trailers" threads and you will find this movie in a lot of them.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4t381 wrote

Replying to Sks44 (#2,034,824)

Fine, but my point is that the "In Bruges" trailer suggested that this movie would also be just that: a "traditional British crime comedy". Instead, it is what it is.

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Insane_Overload t1_ja4tf4z wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,034,088)

Yeah I think it is good to check a few summaries from there to get a feel what it will be like. Im not sure what dark comedies you have seen in the past but in my experience, there often is a sadder element to them too

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khirn t1_ja4toqq wrote

If you don’t think In Bruges is hilarious, you need your sense of humor transplanted. There are so many hilarious lines and moments, nearly every scene is gold. Honestly, guessing most of it flew right over your head ngl.

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Sks44 t1_ja4tr25 wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,034,850)

We aren’t arguing semantics. Guy Ritchie movies aren’t dark comedies. Monty Python has done darker shit that Guy Ritchie.

And, tbh, if you take are looking for a movies “tone” from a trailer, you don’t realize that trailers are not made by the filmmakers. They are made by outside companies.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4tv9t wrote

Replying to Insane_Overload (#2,034,982)

I consider movies like "Snatch" and "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" to be dark comedies. The trailer seemed to suggest that "In Bruges" would of the the same genre. I see a lot of people disagree with me on this.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4ud5a wrote

Replying to Sks44 (#2,035,045)

>you don’t realize that trailers are not made by the filmmakers. They are made by outside companies.

I fully realise that. I am saying that whoever made it clearly intended to mislead people about the sort of movie it is. At no point did I suggest that the filmmakers are the ones responsible for it.

>Guy Ritchie movies aren’t dark comedies.

I consider them to be dark comedies. Perhaps not the darkest there are but they are still dark.

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notoliberals OP t1_ja4ul4v wrote

Replying to khirn (#2,035,034)

Not my cup of tea. I really enjoyed Snatch and Lock Stock though...the trailer for this movie suggested to me that it would be of a similar sort...

It might be a very good movie for a particular crowd, but it was clearly misadvertised. Had the trailer been honest, I would have not watched the movie and wouldn't be posting here.

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mistercloob t1_ja4wiq3 wrote

Does anyone know if it’s currently on any streaming services? I’ve been wanting to rewatch this for a while especially after rewatching Lobster and Banshees.

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HEHEHO2022 t1_ja4z7b7 wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,033,983)

not having a go but look at the reaction this thread got. youre clearly in the minority so dont you see that maybe you just didnt find it funny but its STILL a comedy film that many others find funny.

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Rayliex t1_ja51tiz wrote

Ooo I just watched this last night. Whilst I too thought it was going to be a lot more fun before I watched it (not because of any trailer, I almost never see trailers before watching films) I still really loved it.

I think I was expecting something more like Hot Fuzz for some reason? But it fell more in line with Martin McDonagh's other films and that still works well for me. It has it's own type of comedy that I enjoy (love a good jest against the Americans).

Can't say much about the trailer, maybe next time don't watch trailers? I find going in with a loose sense of what the movie is about is best and surprise surprise you get less misled cause there wasn't much there to mislead you from the start.

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Phoeptar t1_ja52h9i wrote

I was confused reading your title, and thought I better go and double check and rewatch the trailer to what I thought was one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. Yep, trailer shows a wild ride comedy which it totally was so 🤷‍♂️

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ingloriousbaxter3 t1_ja53iy4 wrote

YOU’RE AN INANIMATE FUCKING OBJECT!

it’s fair if the movie isn’t for you, but In Bruges is pretty much the dictionary definition of dark comedy

The scene where Colin Farrell is about to kill himself is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen

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kranta11 t1_ja54mvo wrote

Lol at the PS - you are one to talk. What a whiny brat. Or an inanimate object.

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RyzenRaider t1_ja5a01k wrote

You didn't miss something about the trailer, the trailer missed something about the movie. The film isn't an action comedy. It's a great, dark comedy drama.

I was also disappointed by the movie on first viewing because I was expecting an action comedy, but revisiting it years later with no incorrect expectations allowed me to appreciate the movie for what it actually is, and not for what it was marketed as.

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yanks2413 t1_ja5ggg9 wrote

Its hilarious. So many genuinely laugh out loud moments. Maybe you just get offended easily since they mock like every race and nationality. But it's definitely funny. It is also sad at times. But mostly funny.

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theblackfool t1_ja5l11x wrote

So the argument is that it's false advertising because you didn't find the movie funny even though most people do?

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mps5002 t1_ja5v6w3 wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,035,152)

I love a good guy Richie movie but others are right in saying they are not dark. I’m not trying to pile on. I’m just pointing out that you calling these movies dark comedy is what lead to all the confusion. Just look for crime comedies

  • the gentlemen
  • the ladykillers
  • welcome to colinswood
  • any movie where washed up action stars are part of a heist
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lucia-pacciola t1_ja61ofh wrote

It took me three tries to get through this movie. On the third try, I finally realized how hilarious it is.

On the other hand, Sexy Beast isn't nearly as funny as it looks at first glance, but it makes up for that in sheer intensity and narrative tension.

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Appropriate_Focus402 t1_ja69v9n wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,034,919)

Dude. All dark comedy comes off as “depressing” for some people. It’s dark. Snatch isn’t at all dark, so stop externalizing your idiotic mistake. Go watch Bullet Train and google genres.

Most dark comedies CANT really show what they’re doing in the trailer. It’s partly a marketing thing, and partly your duty to know what you’re watching

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OneAcreWood t1_ja6aucv wrote

I wish I had the 5 minutes back that I just wasted reading this post hoping to get to the part where OP realizes he’s wrong and backs down. Geeeez!

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BackwardsMarathon t1_ja6h97n wrote

Here's the thing, they had no idea how to really market In Bruges. McDonagh's next film Seven Psychopath's even makes fun of the movie that In Bruges' trailer tries to sell, but yes, in reality, it is much different. I think it's a beautiful haunting and meditative dark comedy, and that's not what the trailer sells at all. It sells a hitman dark comedy that's quick, snappy, and breezy. Sometimes PR people just have no idea how to sell the movie.

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CorgiGal89 t1_ja78x8t wrote

Dark comedy can be depressing. It's a part of the genre. The Menu was also a dark comedy and also depressing if you think about it.

The trailer wasn't deceitful at all

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Councilist_sc t1_ja7esiy wrote

Man In Bruges was a great film. I found it funny all the way through. I loved Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason in there, they work so well together. Definitely something I can watch again anytime and get a lot of enjoyment.

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-No_Im_Neo_Matrix_4- t1_ja855ay wrote

It is a dark humor crime comedy, though…. Perhaps we could argue that it’s so absurdist and violent that it crosses from dark humor to black humor.

Maybe you have to be a bit depressed/nihilistic to laugh at Martin McDonagh films, but I find them uproariously funny while also being a bit philosophical. You not finding it funny seems to just be a matter of taste and, perhaps, intellect.

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-No_Im_Neo_Matrix_4- t1_ja86xb8 wrote

Replying to notoliberals (#2,035,182)

I was fortunate to first see In Bruges in a philosophy class. The trailer uses music to play up marketability, but you see a basic idea of the humor, and even see that >!Ray killed a little boy!<, which should tell you that this is going to be very dark and fucked up.

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OneAcreWood t1_ja8hs8l wrote

Replying to chodgson625 (#2,032,337)

No OP, please don’t give it another chance sometime! I couldn’t stand to have to read through another of these posts, where he doesn’t get the movie and insists everyone else is wrong about it.

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AlanMorlock t1_ja8okb6 wrote

Really not sure what you were looking for by that description if not In Bruges to be honest. Do you have e other examples of ehat you were looking for?

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KSchmuckley t1_ja8pcg2 wrote

“In Bruges” came out 15 years ago, so you shouldn’t be shocked about what it is. Sure you can watch a trailer, but maybe look at a review or synopsis before saying a wonderful film is a “depressing mess”. Ding dong

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