MovieChat Forums > Bandits (2001) Discussion > Fun movie, only one stupid mistake

Fun movie, only one stupid mistake

posted 16 years ago by jeroen-106
24 replies | jump to latest

Bruce Willis at a certain point says: "I got this girl from the Netherlands, and we had this beer at an Oktoberfest". And they keep on refering to beer, Oktoberfest, and the Netherlands for a while.

Well...Oktoberfest is German. It has nothing to do with the Netherlands.

Why doesn't the US know the difference between two totally different countries? I mean, different language, different culture. Hack, we fought eachother in the second worldwar :-P

Anyway...pretty annoying to watch if you're a Dutchie.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] KingOfCollege 16 years ago

That's like saying there's something wrong with the statement "I knew this girl from the USA, and we had a great time in Mexico." Is travel suddenly impossible?

[–] polsixe 11 years ago

But then the Willis character adds " and we had these huge steins of Holland beer". Do they serve Heineken in Munich? It's not that some people don't know the difference between Holland and Germany but they don't care. Similar to Arkansas and Kansas and Oklahoma, the good folks there may be aware of the differences but no one else really cares. And, there is an Oktoberfest in Kitchener Waterloo Ontario, must be others wherever there are German ex-pats.

[–] mlaiuppa 8 years ago

Not to mention that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in the U.S. but not so much in Mexico.

Oh, and the U.S. celebrates Oktoberfest too.

[–] Marinas1212 16 years ago

It sounded so ridiculous to me, especially given the expression on his face while he's telling the story, I took it to mean he was making up one fabrication after another to justify why he was broke by the time he came back.

Why wish for the moon when we can have the stars?

[–] ferdiverweij 15 years ago

Bruce Willis later says he flew his Dutch girlfriend back to the Netherlands. so he knew the difference, as does this film's screenplay.

[–] pvmovie 15 years ago

Some Dutch people still have a big problem with Germany, because of WW2. Thats all.

[–] legnadibrom (5711) 4 years ago

what happened in WW2?

[–] artjom36 15 years ago

"Why doesn't the US know the difference between two totally different countries?"

haha, I live in Belgium and I know there are Americans who say Belgium is the capitale of Brussels...
so the Oktoberfest looks like a minor mistake to me... (but yeah, I don't actually think the Dutch do it)

[–] Hobo-Cop 15 years ago

There's also the point that Bruce's character does get alot of countries, names and locales wrong all the time, so it would easily have been a case of his character's own dimwittedness. if it isn't the very likely scenario of his girlfriend being allowed at some point in her life to travel of course..

*****************
"Primetime euthanasia.. could be just what the BBC are looking for.."

[–] kenfxj 12 years ago

haha, I live in New York and I know there are Europeans who say New York City is the capital of New York. Also I've been to several Oktoberfests in the United States with my Irish wife.

[–] Ironman54 10 years ago

They are regularly held all over New York State ...

[–] Jeff-01 14 years ago

He said that he met her "down in San Diego."

[–] krankasaurus 14 years ago

News flash: Oktoberfest celebrations are held all over the world. A girl's country of origin has nothing to do with her ability to enjoy a beer at an Oktoberfest with ol' Brucie.

It doesn't have to have anything to do with the Netherlands.

I speak English and have a mixed descent--am I not allowed to enjoy a Gyro at Greekfest next summer?

What is it Sebastian? I'm arranging matches.

[–] richimorton 13 years ago

The Oktoberfest is Munich dumbass . It just is . Google it . Everyone is missing the point - ie : you are meant to know he is getting it wrong . sheesh !

That which does not Kill me makes me Stranger

[–] !!!deleted!!! (8072733) 13 years ago

If the line is quoted accurately by the OP, "I got this girl from the Netherlands, and we had this beer at an Oktoberfest", the inference is that it's pretty much any Oktoberfest in the world other than the Oktoberfest.

www.kitchenproject.com/german/GermanThemeCities/Oktoberfests.htm

[–] bigballs-4 11 years ago

I googled it, what happens in San Diego, if there's one (two, three...) Oktoberfests, here you are:

https://www.google.hu/#hl=hu&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22oktoberfest%22+%22san+diego%22&oq=%22oktoberfest%22+%22san+diego%22&gs_l=hp.3..0i19j0i30i19l3.194402.199178.1.199549.4.4.0.0.0.0.64.239.4.4.0.eappsweb..0.0...1.1.9.psy-ab.vDnp63e8x38&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45373924,d.Yms&fp=7655989eb61e9bd&biw=1920&bih=1048

[–] atlasmb 9 years ago

Yes, and just because the character doesn't know the difference between Stanley & Livingstone and Lewis & Clark, that doesn't mean no Americans know the difference, though I am sure they are some that don't.

[–] Crimson99 14 years ago

I am an American but I know what you are saying. The cultures of various countries are like night and day. This movie did not come close to realization. But I do really love this movie

[–] donuts151515 11 years ago

You're not even bothering to comprehend the facts properly with that statement.