Not So Different/Film
Examples of Not So Different in Film include:
- Manhunter. Hannibal Lektor informs Will Graham of this.
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Lektor: You want the scent? Smell yourself. |
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- Luke Skywalker of Star Wars gets his Not So Different moment when he cuts off his father's artificial hand. Luke sees that he has just repaid Vader's violence in kind, but also sees his own prosthetic hand as symbolizing the possibility that he's becoming like his father. This was foreshadowed earlier in The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda sends Luke into a cave to be attacked by a masked warrior brandishing a lightsaber, looking much like Darth Vader. Luke quickly defeats the warrior, decapitating it. The warrior's mask falls off, and its face is exactly like Luke's. Yoda pointed out before Luke went in that the cave only contains what you take into it (i.e. it shows you yourself, and your weaknesses) in fact telling Luke he won't need his weapons. Luke completely ignored him, leading to that sequence.
- Occurs twice in the Austin Powers trilogy, between Doctor Evil and Austin (who, amusingly enough, are both played by Mike Myers); first in the first film near the end, and later in the third film:
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Doctor Evil: Remember when I said 'We're not so different, you and I'? |
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- The third film also reveals that Doctor Evil and Austin are twins proving that they are Not So Different in more ways than either believed.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark: Rival archaeologist Rene Belloq provides a definitive example of this trope when he taunts the protagonist, Indiana Jones.
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Belloq: You and I are very much alike. Archeology is our religion, yet we have both fallen from the pure faith. Our methods have not differed as much as you pretend. I am but a shadowy reflection of you. It would take only a nudge to make you like me. To push you out of the light. |
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- Lampshaded in the Riff Trax commentary.
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Bill Corbitt: The "we're not so different you and me" speech is copyright Ben Gazzara. It cannot be used without the express written consent of Ben Gazzara. |
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- It's a Wonderful Life: Corrupt Corporate Executive Mr. Potter takes the opportune moment to throw George Bailey's words back in his face when the hero is facing bankruptcy and jail. Notably, the comparison insults both of them.
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Mr. Potter: Look at you. You used to be so cocky. You were going to go out and conquer the world. You once called me "a warped, frustrated, old man!" What are you but a warped, frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help. |
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- Inverted Trope in Galaxy Quest, where the villain forces the main character to explain how he's Not So Different from the villain... to an ally who hero-worships the main character. Once shown the "historical documents" Sarris is the only nonhuman character who actually realizes that he is dealing with actors who have been mistaken for real explorers. This implies that unlike the Thermians, his own race produces entertainment. This creates a bit of Fridge Horror when you realize the Big Bad can empathize with humans more than the kind, gentle Thermians.
- The Man with the Golden Gun: Scaramanga does this with James Bond. Bond tells him that he is full of a certain bodily discharge.
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Bond: "There's a useful four letter word. And you're full of it. When I kill, it's on the direct orders of my government. And the men I kill are themselves killers." |
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- The Kingdom is an interesting version, having a Not So Different ending. At the very end of the movie, it is revealed what the hero said in the beginning when whispering a reassurance to another member of his team "We're going to kill them all", referring the Diabolical Mastermind terrorists who executed an attack that killed at least one of their coworkers. Just after this revelation the film cuts to that terrorist's grandson, who heard his last words after the terrorist was fatally shot. Asked by his mother what his grandfather's last words were, the young boy replies that they were "Do not worry, my child. For the day shall come when we kill them all".
- Spoofed in a deleted scene from Small Soldiers when the protagonist's slightly obnoxious neighbor and his family is being held hostage by sentient toys:
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Phil: You know, we're not so different you and I. I have been accused of being plastic all my life! |
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- Also inverted:
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Major Chip Hazard: "You've got a lot of guts. Let's see what they look like!" (attacks Archer) |
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- In Falling Down, an odious Nazi shopkeeper tries to use a Not So Different speech with the insane vigilante protagonist.
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Nick: We're the same, you and me. We're the same, don't you see? |
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- Reverend Mother in The Trouble With Angels says it's one of the reasons she decided at the last minute not to expel troublemaker Mary: both are strong willed, and Reverend Mother says she can't be less tolerant of Mary than the Church has been of her.
- An exchange from the 2007 Transformers movie:
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Ironhide: Why are we fighting to save the humans? They are a primitive and violent race. |
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- Especially considering that Ironhide's personality summed-up in two words is "primitive and violent".
- And the Transformers have been in a non-stop war for millions of years. I really don't think they've got room to talk.
- This is a major theme in Heat, where despite Pacino being a cop and De Niro being a professional thief, the two realize that they're very similar people.
- In Scanners, Cameron tells Revok that he's not so different from the now-dead mentor Paul Ruth, specifically to piss him off. Neither of them have much respect for Dr. Ruth, by this point.
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Revok: No. Not like him. Like REVOK! DARRYL REVOK! |
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- In The Elephant Man, Bytes does this to Treves ("You think you're better than me? You wanted the freak to show to those doctor chums of yours!"), which really shakes him up later on.
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"I think Mr. Bytes and I are very much alike." |
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- Not the last time Anthony Hopkins has compared himself to his antagonists; see the Red Dragon example.
- In David Lynch's Blue Velvet, insane drug-addicted rapist Frank hisses "you're like me" at the story's young hero Jeffrey Beaument.
- In District 9, we have this scene when the main character, already in his alien form, is hiding in the nice alien's house. The nice alien kid likes the main character, because they're the same.
- Batman uses a not-so-different Speech to try to reason with Catwoman near the end of Batman Returns in hopes of demonstrating that he understands her struggle with an alter ego that deliberately rejects hope for a happy life. Awareness that he is not so different from the Penguin as Batman and from Max Shreck as Bruce Wayne is also hinted at being his reason for taking his battles against them so personally.
- Shinzon hits Picard with this repeatedly in Star Trek: Nemesis. Seeing as he genetically is Picard, but with a vastly different life, it's understandable that the idea unsettles him something fierce. However, the movie is notable for how once he gets a handle it, Picard makes a game attempt to turn it around on Shinzon: Rather than stressing how far removed he is from villainy, he tries to show how Shinzon could cross the "not so different" gap for the better. It doesn't work. Shinzon's nuts.
- Blithely dismissed in Red Dawn:
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Matt: "What's the difference, Jed? Tell me, what's the difference between us and them?" |
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- Noteworthy in that Jed has a correct evaluation in that scene, even if he's very bad at expressing it. While both sides are indeed ruthless killers one side is attacking without provocation and the other side is merely defending itself, and that makes all the difference.
- In Zulu the Men of Harlech scene where the Welsh and the Zulus are singing their tribal Proud Warrior Race songs to each other before killing each other.
- Inverted in Dogma, when Bethany, the Last Scion, unknowingly has a conversation with fallen angel Bartleby, whom she's been recruited by Heaven to fight against. They talk about each other's problems, the frustrations of life and how much they have in common, and it's only near the end of the conversation that Bartleby realizes who she is. The stage seems set for Bartleby (who, so far, has been a reasonable and sympathetic foil to his more villainous partner Loki) to learn that we're all in this together and everyone has the same problems. Instead, he's infuriated that humans are oblivious to being favored by God over the angels, and their conversation leads him to try to Put Them All Out of My Misery.
- In the climax for Time Cop, when McComb, the corrupt politician, mentions that Max Walker's attempts at stopping McComb (who in the process of going back in time to ensure he won the Presidential elections, also arranged for the murder of Walker's wife) made him as bad as himself. Walker contradicts him, however, stating that he was actually attempting to set the timeline right.
- The protagonist of the first Mad Max has a minor Heroic BSOD over the thought that he might be sliding into this trope, and/or its close relative He Who Fights Monsters. Then said monsters murder his wife and child, after which he's past caring about either trope.
- Turned on it's head in Under Siege, when protagonist Ryback give the speech to antagonist Strannix.
- In The Truman Show, after a heated and bitter on-air callback confrontation, both Sylvia and Cristof stroke Truman's image on the monitor, suggesting that for all their differences, they genuinely love and care about Truman in their separate ways.
- Jordy, Jason and the Bread Squeezer in Mystery Team.
- In Mean Girls, Janis wants revenge on Regina and is as manipulative and spiteful as Regina. It brings an interesting interpretation as Janis used to be the queen bee in her old school and Regina was the innocent friend (like Cady) who was slowly evolving.
- X-Men: First Class, when Erik/Magneto confronts the villain Sebastian Shaw at the end:
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Erik Lehnsherr: If you're in there, I'd like you to know that I agree with every word you said. We are the future. But unfortunately, you killed my mother. |
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- Later when Xavier is shot and Erik/Magneto is speaking to him, the following conversation takes place:
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Erik Lehnsherr: Us turning on each other, it's what they want. I tried to warn you, Charles. I want you by my side. We're brothers, you and I. All of together, protecting each other. We want the same thing. |
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- In a good way, the American and Soviet sailors. Every scene with the American navy is almost immediately mirrored by the Soviet navy (or vice versa), showing that they had the same reaction or feelings. Both have a strong sense of honour and discipline and both are reluctant to shoot first and provoke World War III. The most obvious may be their It Has Been an Honor moment where Magneto fires their missiles back at them. The above similarities were displayed after they not-so-differently attempted to wipe out both mutant groups, including the one trying to help them, so it's perhaps not so good in the end.
- Possibly the sole saving grace(if any) in Irish Jam is the love interest's father giving such a speech to his fellow Irishmen over their racism toward the Black main character (they expected an Irish-American to own their bar) given how their countrymen were treated in America up to JFK.
- Averted in Circuitry Man where androids are genetically and biologically engineered lifeforms. The villain "Plughead" and the hero Danner are both androids. Plughead spends every moment trying to kill Danner and get back his Maguffin. In a virtual reality world it comes to a head when Danner is going to kill Plughead. Plughead realizes he's outmatched and tries to save himself with a "you're just like me". Danner looks like he's going to turn away when he responds with "Yeah, maybe just a little" and stabs Plughead through the heart
- Zen Noir contains a non-villainous example. The story concerns a private detective investigating a death at a Buddhist temple. At one point the detective insists to the oldest monk that he is completely different from the monks and doesn't understand them at all. The monk interrupts to ask for the detective's fedora. Eventually the detective gives it to him, revealing that the detective is almost entirely bald under the hat. "Not so different" says the old monk with the shaved head... who then puts on the fedora and sets it at a stylish angle.
- In the Apocalypse film series movie Tribulation, Franco Maccalusso's Digital Avatar tells Helen Hannah that, as Lucifer, he used to be God's chief angel until he realized he was just like God. Helen Hannah refutes it by saying God loved the world and died for His world while Lucifer (by extension of Maccalusso) wants people to die for him.
- The Avengers shows similarities between Tony Stark and Loki. Both are very clever but have little idea how to fight beyond Attack! Attack! Attack!. Both are nacissistic, Deadpan Snarkers and prone to self-destructive behavior. Bitterly jealous of the blond nobler, teammate who his father liked better? The only real difference is that Tony learned the hard and bitter way to care for and rely upon others, while Loki did not. Tony himself says it best.
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Stark: And Loki, he's a full-tilt diva, he wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the sky with his name plastered- |
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- Enchanted: This trope turns out to be the case for Giselle and Robert. While Giselle is naive and Robert is cynical, it turns out both are really intelligent. Both of them make an unwritten agreement to always listen to each other. And Robert is just as compassionate as she is, as Morgan would attest to. And when Robert saves her from falling, Giselle surprisingly returns the favor when she persuades Edward (a hero antagonist) not to hurt Robert. Small wonder the two become a couple.
- WALL-E: They have a few differences, but both Wall-E and Eve can dance perfectly with each other. And both refuse to allow each other to get hurt, though Wall-E misunderstands the intentions of her creators. They were not planning to disassemble her, just fix an error that they thought she had made.
- Back to Not So Different