I Love Voiceovers: A Debate (Possibly)

[SLAW]

So the voiceovers in movies: good or bad? It's considered to be a "no no" for writers because it's not supposed to further plot, and it doesn't make one look like a good screen writer. It's a narration by a character (usually) in the movie explaining a moment, situation, or a conflict.

I'm gonna say in my opinion, the best example of voiceover narration in a movie is FORREST GUMP. Forrest sits and tells people his story at a bus stop, offering his chocolate to everyone, regardless whether they look like they need it or not. Perfect in every way I can think of. Freindly and inviting, humorous and intriguing. And their are two other movies I don't think any of us could imagine without voiceovers: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and FIGHT CLUB (just try to imagine). Three great examples to me, right there.

Although, recently Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN had voiceovers all the way through, which just seemed unnecessarry. A very good erotic film nonetheless, but what was up with some old guy doing the voiceovers? Were the filmmakers trying to help guys like me get our wood down? ;) I can only assume he was one of the boys when they get old, but we never know. In any case, he told us what was going and moved plot on which I guess is the "no no." So that's a bad example of voiceoever use handled badly in a film that ultimately worked anyway.

So what's your view on voiceoevers in movies? Do they work? Are they necessarry? I tend to like them because I guess I enjoy an invitation into someone's mind. It can actually make such movies as THE RULES OF ATTRACTION work on any level at all (but that movies about how people never know what other people are thinking, so that might not be the best example). ;)

[jolanar]

I like em. The one in Daredevil had a nice touch to it.

[MacReady]

I liked the one's from A Clockwork Orange and Taxi Driver.

[chasingbanky]

American History X had damn good voice overs..........AS DID FIGHT CLUB and Full metal jacket

[Scarface98.9]

Some movies can use it to great effect, like Goodfellas, Fight Club, and The Usual Suspects. But many movies use it too often, or for a wrong reason, like Gangs of New York, Dark City (the beginning one) and to some extent, A Clockwork Orange (I think it could've done without them). So, it's pretty much a double edged sword

[moviefan80113]

thanks

[adamjohnson]

Dark city's doesn't realyl count. Thats narration, theres a big difference. The very beginnign and the very end are the safest places to have them as a writer. The end is difficult, because then it seems like youre "wrapping up", and'telling not showing'.

Fight club and the others are exceptions. Fight clubs were good bcause they were taken from an exceptional novel, nearly directly. Reading "Choke" and i envision a movie with the same VO's.

Clockwork oranges really worked 1) because of the voice itself 2) its such a weird, odd movie, his VO's move th eplot and tone of the world. And it says what CANNOT be shown, which is a ghood rule of thumb to live by.

They're tricky business, be weary. so very weary......

[HilfigerB2]

I think Stand By Me would not be anywhere close to being the same if it didn't have the voiceovers.. Such an amazing movie, with a great narration job.. it really did a lot for the movie in my opinion, made it feel even more timeless or something I dont know.. I just.. LOVED it.

[Lindsey]

Originally posted by HilfigerB2
I think Stand By Me would not be anywhere close to being the same if it didn't have the voiceovers.. Such an amazing movie, with a great narration job.. it really did a lot for the movie in my opinion, made it feel even more timeless or something I dont know.. I just.. LOVED it.

You beat me to it Hilfiger! Richard Dreyfus is just amazing.

Same with Edward Furlong in American History X: "Life's too short to be pissed off all the time". Pure genious.

[Inglorious]

I don't think this has any debate to be stuck to it at all, in my mind. Because they can be used so flawlessly, yet easily, very FLAWED! I have seen some greats mentioned though, some of my favorite films.

Stand By Me, Fight Club, Daredevil, The Rules Of Attraction, The Usual Suspects, and Forrest Gump! I love most of these movies to a good to great extent. :)

[adamjohnson]

Then theres a lot of bad ones.

Even clever ones, i dunno the name but one of those crappy freddie prinze jr movies, i think the one where he tries to kill himself with shampoo (WTF??!!) instead of VO he just looks at the camera and talks. Thats still the same principal of VO, telling directly to the audience. And it majorly blowed ass.

BTW, my personal favs for best VO work is ADAPTATION and FIGHT CLUB.

[HilfigerB2]

Originally posted by adamjohnson
Then theres a lot of bad ones.

Even clever ones, i dunno the name but one of those crappy freddie prinze jr movies, i think the one where he tries to kill himself with shampoo (WTF??!!) instead of VO he just looks at the camera and talks. Thats still the same principal of VO, telling directly to the audience. And it majorly blowed ass.

BTW, my personal favs for best VO work is ADAPTATION and FIGHT CLUB.

Shoot me.. but I liked Down To You.. that crappy Freddie Prinze, Jr. movie where he drinks shampoo.. haha :) I don't know, I thought it was sweet.. ok.. STOP the Negative comments. :-D

[James Logan]

I like good ones, and I don't like bad ones. :) When done well, a Voice Over is a bit of added style to a movie if you ask me, and of course they help with exposition and closure.

Oh, and that being said...Linda Hamilton's voice-over in T2 is what prevented it from getting a 10/10 in my book. It just annoys the piss outta me every darn time.

[badberry]

I thought Casino went overboard with them, having de Niro and Pesci narrating the whole movie.

Often they can work quite well though....in any of the movies mentioned thus far. I didn't like Linda Hamilton's in T2 either, or John Connor's in T3 though.

[Droog989]

Voice Overs seem to be required when adaptation a book to a film. And that's perfectly alright with me, because I enjoy V.O's when done effectively; they allow you to get inside the head of a character in a way that would normally be too difficult with imagery. Or that's what I think.

Anyways, off the top of my head really quickly, here are book-to-film adaptations for plentiful V.O:

Fight Club
American Psycho
The Rules of Attraction
The Shawshank Redemption (some of the best V.O/narration ever)
About a Boy
Stand by Me
A Clockwork Orange
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Trainspotting

and there are countless others, I'm just to brain dead to remember them. But I think that's when it's smart to use V.O.'s because it allows you to keep the tone of the narrator from the novel, while adapting it to film and making it accessable.

American Beauty had minor V.O., which I thought worked well.

[Scarface98.9]

One movie I see mentioned is The Rules of Attraction, and that's one I originally meant to include in my first post, but forgot to. The movie's good enough, but the voiceovers are one of the most consistently irritating voiceovers I've ever listened to. Most of the time, it's just about irrelevant shit that has no meaning in the story. Not to mention how wordy and out of character they were. I don't care if they revealed Sean's lust for Laura or Paul's lust for Sean. Point is, they're just reitterating whats been previously said, and they just get on my nerves

[PorcheRacer]

Blade Runner, The Shawhshank Redemption, Fight Club & Adaptation are all perfect examples of good voice-overs.

[Schatten]

Most of you will probably agree with me when I say the best VO/narration was from A Christmas Story. All throughout the whole movie there was a narration, and the narrarator talked more than Ralphie actually did.

[ColinM]

Originally posted by James Logan
I like good ones, and I don't like bad ones. :)

That's exactly right; it depends on the voiceover. A lot of movies have narrator voiceovers when they absolutely don't need to (the example that sprang into my mind was The Ewok Movie: Caravan of Courage, which I doubt many of you have seen and even fewer of you have liked) and that sucks, but there are plenty of movies when it works right. But then you've got voiceovers like Double Indemnity and Adaptation', which are perfect.

"And GOD HELP YOU if you use voiceover in your script! GOD HELP YOU!"

:D

[zeppelin]

A movie that hasn't been mentioned yet that I think has great voice-over work is Apocalypse Now. Can't imagine watching the movie without it. And then there's Sunset Blvd....

Also, I agree with Taxi Driver, A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, A Christmas Story, Double Indemnity, and Adaptation, in terms of ones that have already been mentioned.

And I know mostly all of you will disagree, but I think The Thin Red Line had great voice-over work. It really let you inside the minds of all these soldiers, which is what the movie is pretty much about. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure if it would have worked without the voice-overs.

[SLAW]

And lets not forget movies where a voiceover doens't show up till the very end. They tend to come out of nowhere sometimes. I wonder ehen it's done if it has ever taken people out of the movie because it's a stylized thing? The original MATRIX benefited greatly (in my mind) from Neo's words at the end of the film. And most recently George Clooney in SOLARIS had a touching voiceover near the end of the movie.

[Annie Hall]

Voice-overs can make or break a movie. For example, Trainspotting's opening speech is the only true way for exposition. What with the names, and to many of us, "foreign" accents...how the hell would we pick up the names "Sick Boy" or "Mother Superior"?

While voiceovers can be tacky, stupid, unneeded or pompous, when done correctly, they have the ability to turn something hazy but satisfactory into a masterful, clear script.

[James Logan]

Originally posted by zeppelin


And I know mostly all of you will disagree, but I think The Thin Red Line had great voice-over work. It really let you inside the minds of all these soldiers, which is what the movie is pretty much about. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure if it would have worked without the voice-overs.

Well, I don't know about the others, but I for one completely agree. Was one of the things that made the movie so great.

As for T3, Badberry, I liked John Connor's narration a lot more than his mom's. Was just way less cheesy. :)

[Invincible]

Originally posted by Lindsey

Same with Edward Furlong in American History X: "Life's too short to be pissed off all the time". Pure genious.

i sooo agree!

+ I love the [opening monologue] of T3 Nick Stahl, just speaking...telling us what happened, with so much sadness in his voice. Genius.

***SPOILERS*****





The future has not been written. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. I wish I could believe that. My name is John Connor, they tried to murder me before I was born, when I was 13 they tried again. Machines from the future. Terminators. All my life my mother told me the storm was coming, Judgment Day, the beginning of the war between man and machines. Three billion lives vanished in an instant, and I would lead what was left of the human race to ultimate victory. It hasn't happened, no bombs fell, computers didn't take control, we stopped Judgment Day. I should feel safe, but I don't, so I live off the grid --- no phone, no address, no one and nothing can find me. I've erased all connections to the past, but as hard as I try I can't erase my dreams, my nightmares.

So I keep running, anywhere....nowhere





***END SPOILERS***

[KcMsterpce]

The Princess Bride
A very unique twist on the voiceover was used by the grandfather giving narration to his grandson. It wasn't required, and it was ALMOST to the point of throwing a person out of the story, but held on convincingly enough to keep me interested and help me be reminded of the somewhat false set design, etc... becuase the story is being told through a child's imagination. I think that's wonderful.

I hated the voiceover in T3. I wished to God they wouldn't have put that in. The voiceover in T2 wasn't really needed, but it didn't hinder the story too much, either. I think that the voiceover in both American Psycho and Rules of Attraction (I mention both at once because it's Brett Easton Ellis) are both good, because the stories that the book are based off of are very heavy on internal dialogue. I understand the dislike towards Rules of Attraction, but at the same time it really helped me get the 'feel' of reading an Ellis novel. Also, some of the shit is hilarious, such as: (not verbatim. Doing it by memory)
"I wonder if Lauren goes wild during sex. I wonder if she comes easily or not; or if she comes at all. I wouldn't want to go to bed with a woman that didn't. What would be the point in that? It would be like asking questions in a letter.
Hm....
I'm hungry."
It doesn't prove any point, that's true. It doesnt' move the story further, but I still think it's effective because it gives me insight into how his mind works. Stream-of-consciousness kind of thinking appeals to me. I think it was cool to point out how easily someone can change the subject in their head, and that's the first time I really noticed an example of that in a movie.

Don Juan DeMarco killed me with the VO. It's very effective because he helps give backstory on his life, and at the same time DeMarco would react to the VO during the flashback for some hilarious moments. It's been done before, but most of the time it doesn't work.

I could go on and on about VO. I think they are very effective in the right circumstances, but more often than not it's not used properly. When a voiceover is used in a movie, I always recall what was said and wonder how it helped me understand the motives or the story better. Usually I wasn't satisfied with the results and wished they didn't use it. I'm really fond of the removal of the VO in Blade Runner, not just because it was kinda corny but also because I really didn't NEED to know that his wife used to call him 'cold fish'.

In the right hands VO is good to have. In the wrong hands, it can be a detriment to the story.

[Droog989]

Originally posted by zeppelin
And I know mostly all of you will disagree, but I think The Thin Red Line had great voice-over work. It really let you inside the minds of all these soldiers, which is what the movie is pretty much about. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure if it would have worked without the voice-overs.

I completely agree with you there. There's some brilliant V.O work done in that film, and despite the fact that there's so much of it, the camera is always moving, twisting, and watching new things, so despite all the narration, the eye is never at a loss for something to see. An absolutely brilliant film.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by Annie Hall
Voice-overs can make or break a movie. For example, Trainspotting's opening speech is the only true way for exposition. What with the names, and to many of us, "foreign" accents...how the hell would we pick up the names "Sick Boy" or "Mother Superior"?

While voiceovers can be tacky, stupid, unneeded or pompous, when done correctly, they have the ability to turn something hazy but satisfactory into a masterful, clear script.

Well said.


The voice-over in MEMENTO was quite crucial, whereas the narration throughout Y Tu Mamá También almost removed me from the film.

My favourite voice-over...possible Withnail & I.

[Sugar_Kane]

No one's mentioned the voiceovers at the beginning and end of American Beauty!

[Lindsey]

Originally posted by Sugar_Kane
No one's mentioned the voiceovers at the beginning and end of American Beauty!

Oh good one Sugar_Kane! It's very emotional at the end with Kevin Spacey's Voiceover.

I was watching The Army of Darkness last night, and Bruce Campbell's V.O. was awesome at the beginning when he was telling his story of what happened. ..."Shop smart. Shop S-Mart" :D

[El Bracamonti]

i've always been a big fan of voiceovers. they really help the film in most cases.

[therealjohng]

Doesn't Memento technically have a voice over? Just wondering, if it is considered one then thats my favorite.

[Scarface98.9]

Originally posted by therealjohng
Doesn't Memento technically have a voice over? Just wondering, if it is considered one then thats my favorite.
Yes, Memento has a voice over. A very fast, constant voiceover, but a voiceover nonetheless

[vastlynne]

I agree with what everyone here's said so far. Voice overs can make or break the movie depending on how good the writer is. I totally don't agree that using voice over is an example of bad writing, also. You're a good/bad writer if you have/lack talent. :o

Oh, and Fight Club does have one of the best vos in my film history.