Posted on Apr 17, 2021

Some Movies Are Just Really, Really Clever, And Here Are 19 Cinematic Parallels That Prove It

You'll never watch Gone Girl and A Simple Favor the same way again.

Kayla Yandoli

by Kayla Yandoli

BuzzFeed Staff

While watching popular movies over the years, sometimes you notice a whole lot of interesting details you probably didn't catch onto earlier. Whether these moments and homages were included on purpose, they're still clever as hell!

Sarah Paulson and Cate Blanchett doing an interview for "Ocean's 8"

So here are times movies copied other popular movies that'll probably change the way you view them forever.

1. Pretty Woman (1990) vs. Addams Family Values (1993)

"Addams Family Values" copying "Pretty Woman" by putting Uncle Fester in a bubble bath

2. Corpse Bride (2005) vs. Titanic (1997)

"Corpse Bride" poking fun at the spinning dancing scene from "Titanic"

3. The Shining (1980) vs. Finding Nemo (2003)

The shark from "Finding Nemo" making a reference to "The Shining" by screaming: "Here's Brucie!"

4. Gone Girl (2014) vs. A Simple Favor (2018)

Emily from "A Simple Favor" throwing a wrench at her head, similar to Amy sledging a hammer to her eye in "Gone Girl"

5. Get Out (2017) vs. Us (2019)

A close up of Chris crying in "Get Out;" a close up of Adelaide crying in "Us"

6. Black Panther (2018) vs. Moana (2016)

T'Challa reuniting with his father in "Black Panther;" Moana reuniting with her dead grandmother in "Moana"

7. The Princess Diaries (2001) vs. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Principal Gupta copying Queen Clarisse's pose in her office; Miles copying Spider-Man's chin stance

8. Coraline (2009) vs. Lady Bird (2017)

Coraline and her mom driving angrily in the car; Lady Bird and her mom driving angrily in the car

9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) vs. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Han Solo and Lei having an intense conversation while someone walks through them in "The Empire Strikes Back;" Poe and Finn doing the same in "The Last Jedi"

10. Carol (2015) vs. Disobedience (2017)

Therese taking a picture of Carol; Ronit doing the same to Esti

11. Paddington 2 (2017) vs. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Paddington and Monsieur Gustave H. doing parallel acts in jail, like wearing the same striped-suit, rolling around treats for others, and escaping through the laundromat

12. Mary Poppins (1964) vs. Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Mary Poppins watching herself walk away in the mirror; Mary Poppins in "Mary Poppins Returns" doing the same thing

13. Home Alone (1990) vs. The Shining (1980)

Kevin covering his face but moving his fingers to leave one eye open in "Home Alone;" Danny doing the same thing in "The Shining"

14. The Cheetah Girls (2003) vs. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Cheetah girls rescuing a dog in a hole just like they did in "The Silence of the Lambs"

15. The Virgin Suicides (1999) vs. Mustang (2015)

The women in "The Virgin Suicides" laying down in their pajamas against each other; the women of "Mustang" doing the same thing

16. Joker (2019) vs. The Man Who Laughs (1928)

Joker using his hands to smile; Gwynplaine creepily doing the same thing in "The Man Who Laughs"

17. Moonlight (2016) vs. Happy Together (1997)

A montage of similar love sequences between Chiron and Kevin in "Moonlight," and Ho Po-Wing and Lai Yiu-Fai in "Happy Together." Parallel images of couples walking together, driving down a road, holding each other, riding the bus, and playing games

18. Aladdin (1992) vs. The Little Mermaid (1989) vs. The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Jasmin, Ariel, and Tiana all holding their heads against their hands, leaning against their balconies at night

19. And Hereditary (2018) vs. Midsommar (2019)

Parallel images of Peter and Dani's experiences; a triangular set full of torture; Peter and Dani laying in bed, hopeless; obscure drawings of the horrific experience they would later endure

Are there other cinematic parallels you've noticed in movies before? Let us know in the comments below!

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