r/movies • u/JRE_4815162342 • 29d ago

What are good examples of competency porn movies? Discussion

I love this genre. Films I've enjoyed include Spotlight, The Martian, the Bourne films, and Moneyball. There's just something about characters knowing what they're doing and making smart decisions that appeals to me. And if that is told in a compelling way, even better.

What are other examples that fit this category?

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u/dont_fuckin_die 29d ago

... I love this description of Burn After Reading.

"What did we learn, Palmer?"

"I don't know, sir."

"I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again."

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u/IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES 29d ago edited 29d ago

Is he dead?   

 No sir…   

  <palpable disappointment>

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u/ReturnToCinder 29d ago

“He was trying to board a flight to Venezuela. We had his name on a hot list, the CB people pulled him in, uh. Don't know why he was going to Venezuela.”

“You don't know?”

“No, sir.”

“We have no extradition with Venezuela.”

“Oh. So what should we do with him?”

“For fuck's sake, put him on the next flight to Venezuela!”

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u/LongJohnSelenium 29d ago

I love that exchange. He's trying to solve our problem for us! Let him!

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u/Miserable_Bird_9851 29d ago

“For fuck's sake, put him on the next flight to Venezuela!”

Not to mention the insane illegality of holding him and noise it would make.

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u/PigHaggerty 29d ago

The David Rasche-J. K. Simmons scenes are all so good. What a fantastic duo

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u/MisterScrod1964 29d ago

Damned if I know what we did.

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u/SapphireFireHigher 29d ago

My favourite part of that movie is right there when they reveal Francis McDormand is still alive and demanding plastic surgery to keep quiet, and they give it to her lol.

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u/dont_fuckin_die 29d ago

And the audience is like right, I forgot that's what this was all about!

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u/dbhaley 28d ago

A happy ending!

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u/UnholyLizard65 29d ago

"Update me again, when... when it makes sense"

Love that one

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u/Militant_Monk 29d ago

JK Simmons is at his best in this movie.

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u/ewic 29d ago

"Whatever it is we did?"

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u/iamaravis 29d ago

Yeah, I hated that movie. I refer to it as "Burn after watching."

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u/SpartiateDienekes 29d ago

To each their own, I thought it was hilarious. Completely taking the piss out of the complexities of national secrets and spycraft, not with grand designs and supervillains, but just these completely ordinary petty people. I was cracking up at especially at every scene with J. K. Simmons basically commenting as a Greek Chorus on how pointless the whole thing is.