British and Hollywood films

[Janis]

What makes British films different to Hollywood movies?

Your observations are very much appreciated. Thank you!

[Hayhoe]

Hollywood films are aspirational while British films are more likely to be set in a realistic context.

[stoo_pid]

Money (or rather, lack of it in British film-making)

[jam4u]

British movies are boring and have no logical story line, and example shaun of the dead, it's a pathetic story and i hated it.

While Hollywood movies and fun and exciting and worth watching, it takes u in another world.

[BigDogsWang]

British films always seem to use 'Stage School' actors and actresses, so you always end up with Hugh Grant type films. The Yanks have more money and better actors. Saying that, all there films begin and end in America, coz that's the centre of the Universe, apprently....

[LeMarchand]

"Big Movies":

GB: Comedies have to star Hugh Grant (it's a legal requirement, apparently), the only other genre allowed is (shudder) "gangster" films a la Guy Ritchie.

US: Wider range of genres, higher budgets, the children can act, generally look a lot better.

 

"Independents":

GB: Dull, depressing and generally performed by non-actors in the name of realism.

US: Again, a range of subjects/tone, and they usually use actors and look as if the budget was more than 50p (even if it wasn't).

[1234ggg]

(Is aspirational even a word? Anyway) I think its more that british filmmakers think that the story has to be realistic and in believable context for people to like their films, when infact this is not true, as evident from the overwhelming preference of hollywood films here in Britain. Peolpe watch films to see an exciting and interesting story, not the general goings on of someone who might live a few doors away.

[jidboy85]

For a start British films wont always have a British character as a bad guy. In British films a car does not always explode on impact (just like real life). British films utilise our superior linguistic skills to develop a more complex and interesting plot. Failing that, we can compensate with a sense of humor that extends to more than just scripted one-liners and jokes about being gay. British films tend to have real people in them, rather than the plastic ones made in Hollywood. In British films, the British accents are actually convincing.
I do agree that they are not always perfect:
Harry potter: All films
Guy Richie's: Snatch, Lock, Stock etc...
But then look at the crock that the yanks churn out with:
Boat trip, Euro trip etc...
White chicks
Scary Movie
the 'documentary' Open Water etc...
All in all... u want an un-sophisticated, explosion and boob filled laugh, go see a hollywood creation. You want to exercise a little more intellect, pick home-grown.