# What is it with Men and the movie...JAWS?



## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

DH has seen it 73,865,942 times and he is presently watching it again!!
What is the attraction?


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

I have seen it once and that was enough


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

cheerio said:


> I have seen it once and that was enough


Well, I'm a man, and I think maybe I've watched it twice in its entirety. I've seen parts of it off and on over the years when I've come across it while channel surfing, but it's not anywhere near being on my favorite movies list. I mean, I know how it ends, so it's not like there's any suspense or anything.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

It's one of those movies that has great lines, great scenes and great performances by great actors.  Its just fun.  I'm a girl and I stop to watch it whenever I come across it on TV.  I do the same thing with any Star Wars movie, LOTR, Time Bandits, Princess Bride, Casablanca, and the list goes on and on.....

p.s.  You're gonna need a bigger boat!


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

_Jaws_ was probably my first adult movie when it came out. I was 12 and saw it a few dozen times. But I haven't watched it again in 30 years or so.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

I don't think Intinst has ever watched Jaws.  Now, Princess Bride is a different story.  I don't know how many times he, as well as our two sons, have watched it.  Even though we have a copy, if he is surfing channels and comes across Princess Bride, he will stop and watch it.  

Watching movies over and over and over must have something to do with how males are wired.  It's not the same that I've watched some of the old musicals many times.  LOL


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

> I stop to watch it whenever I come across it on TV.


That's what DH does. He'll pass up something new and watch that if he comes across it. Yet, it's not his _favorite_ movie. Tonight, I'm watching Time Traveler's Wife and he surfed and stopped at Jaws. I asked wouldn't you want to watch a new thing? He said that's OK, I'll watch this. Go figure!!


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

this is why we own somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 movies. And there was still a month where for some unknown reason they were playing something like HITCH, and he stopped to watch it EVERY SINGLE TIME... and yes.. Jaws is the same way...


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## Sendie (Dec 3, 2009)

also the movies ALIENS, PREDATORS, and TREMORS.  The men in this house watch those constantly....


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I am another one who will stop and watch Jaws if it's ever on t.v.  Love that movie (even though it was responsible for a whole generation of kids--including me--being terrified of learning to swim)!


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

My DH is exactly the same.  I have never seen Band of Brothers in it's entirety.  Only snippets.  And why is it that when they are surfing, it is always the same scene?  I mean, Band of Brothers is about a bajillion hours long, it can't be a new scene


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Parts of JAWS were way too scary for me, and the rest of it was boring, so I can safely say that one time was quite enough.  And since this house is only occupied by females (two human and three feline), I don't suppose I'll have to sit through it again....    But you know, it could be MUCH worse.  A long time ago, I found myself having to share living space with someone who thought that Benny Hill and professional wrestling were entertaining.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I think Jaws is a decent movie, but nothing more.  I've watched it all the way through once or twice, and watched chunks of it when I stumbled on it by channel surfing (which I don't do that much, I tend to find something to watch when I turn on the tv and stay there without bumping around during commercials).

So Jaws is good entertainment, but nothing more.  Now there are other movies, Zulu, Time Bandits, Tora, Tora, Tora, Murder by Death (which doesn't make it onto tv much, but I have my DVD!) and Kelly's Heroes that are _SPECIAL_ and must be watched in their entirety whenever they come on!  Well not really.  But those are extremely good movies (and not an exhaustive list, just the first to come to mind).


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Parts of JAWS were way too scary for me, and the rest of it was boring,


Which reminds me, the only part of Jaws that I'll usually rewatch for more than a few seconds is the last half hour or so.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I tend to find something to watch when I turn on the tv


Funny, but even though that's what almost everyone does, it's something I cannot bring myself to do. When I had a tv, I'd check the printed program to see whether there was anything on I wanted to see, and then only turn it on if I had found something. It takes less time to read the listings than to go through all the channels, especially since half of them would have commercials on and you'd have to go back to those... and also, I can't stand not to watch something from the beginning, whether it's a movie or just some half-hour series. So if I just went through channels, by the time something came on so that I could see I wanted to watch it, it would have already started, and I wouldn't want to see it anymore. I've declined to watch full-length movies, preferring to wait for the next time they came on, because I had missed the first ten minutes.

For me, regularly sitting next to a channel-surfer would require Valium.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> It takes less time to read the listings than to go through all the channels, especially since half of them would have commercials on and you'd have to go back to those..


My cable system has a built-in program guide at the bottom of the screen, plus I generally only check about ten channels when I turn on the tv, plus I haven't subscribed to a paper newspaper or to TV Guide in print for ages! So turning on the tv and jumping to channels 33, 63, 49, 51, 59, 61 101, 104, 162 and 163 goes pretty quickly for me! (those are American Movie Classics, Turner Classic Movies, Travel Channel, Animal Planet, History Channel, Discovery Science, History International, and National Geographic. If I'm very bored, or it is time for Jon Stewart, I'll also check out Comedy Central and the Encore movie channels. As you can see, I've got this pretty well down by now!

once in awhile I'll check out tv guide online early in the evening and check the whole evening. But I'm not usually that organized!

In any event, I won't come to rest on Jaws unless the guys have already left port in that little cabin cruiser!


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## JimJ (Mar 3, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Funny, but even though that's what almost everyone does, it's something I cannot bring myself to do. When I had a tv, I'd check the printed program to see whether there was anything on I wanted to see, and then only turn it on if I had found something. It takes less time to read the listings than to go through all the channels, especially since half of them would have commercials on and you'd have to go back to those... and also, I can't stand not to watch something from the beginning, whether it's a movie or just some half-hour series. So if I just went through channels, by the time something came on so that I could see I wanted to watch it, it would have already started, and I wouldn't want to see it anymore. I've declined to watch full-length movies, preferring to wait for the next time they came on, because I had missed the first ten minutes.
> 
> For me, regularly sitting next to a channel-surfer would require Valium.


I'm the same way as far as needing to see something from the beginning, the exception being if I've already seen it before. I've skipped going to the movies before when I was running five or ten minutes late. Even though I knew all I'd probably missed was trailers I'd rather just wait and get there on time another day.

As for Jaws, I like it ok I guess. I've never really understood why it was so revered. As far as shark movies go I'll take Open Water over Jaws any day.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Both of my daughters and I love to watch Jaws, but I doubt if my husband has seen it more than two or three times. My daughters and I  make a point to watch it before the summer really gets underway, as it's a fun way to kick off summer. In fact, we're watching it this Friday night on my new HD tv. We all love the ocean, and are fascinated by great white sharks, so I'm sure that's some of the movie's appeal. In addition to that, there are some truly memorable lines in the movie, and Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw are all great in it.  Given the mechanical appearance of the shark, the movie is a bit campy, but we still love it. The book was very good, and I remember watching the movie in the theater shortly after having read the book.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

> professional wrestling were entertaining. Roll Eyes Tongue Tongue


*Come on: you weren't into*

Chief Jay Strongbow
Fuji & Tanaka
George the Animal Steel
Haystacks Calhoun
Iron Mike McCord
Andre the Giant
Ivan Putnski (sp)
Fred Blassie
and My Personal Favorite
Lou Albano...lol.


> Funny, but even though that's what almost everyone does, it's something I cannot bring myself to do.


I hate when DH surfs...I have to watch something from the beginning.


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

You had me at "What is it with men" LOL  

There are a lot of movies that my husband will watch if they happen to be on TV (Close Encounters, Star Wars-any, The Day the Earth Stood Still-original, etc.) and Jaws is one of them.  I don't get it either.  I've watched it all the way through once and it was enough for me.  But then, to be fair, there are a number of movies that I can't turn off either.  I have been known to watch Pretty Woman, Father of the Bride, Someone Like You, You've Got Mail, What Women Want, and probably many other romantic comedies over and over just because they're on, and it doesn't even matter if it's the beginning or ten minutes from the end.  My fingers will freeze over the remote, unable to flip the channel until the credits roll.  

-Jenn


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

On a related note regarding channel surfing: do you ever find you stop on a movie, and then realize you're watching a movie on a channel where it's interrupted by commercials every 10 minutes or so, _even though you own the DVD?_. I usually either change the channel, telling myself to watch the DVD later, or else continue watching while feeling kind of stupid.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

sjc said:


> *Come on: you weren't into*


I've never heard of any of those except for Andre. But this was in the early 80's. I think Hulk Hogan was still in it (presumably long since retired?) but I don't remember any other names. I tried really hard to block it out... though that was difficult, being in the same room, and it was always so


Spoiler



damned


_ loud_.



sjc said:


> I hate when DH surfs...I have to watch something from the beginning.


Wow, with JimJ that makes three of us, and here I thought I was a little crazy for feeling that way.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

NogDog said:


> On a related note regarding channel surfing: do you ever find you stop on a movie, and then realize you're watching a movie on a channel where it's interrupted by commercials every 10 minutes or so, _even though you own the DVD?_. I usually either change the channel, telling myself to watch the DVD later, or else continue watching while feeling kind of stupid.


Yes, that happens in our house all the time. It is usually my hubby more than me, but what is that about?


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

I have the DVDs for all the movies I mentioned, yet I just can't turn them off.  My husband does it too.  I think everyone does.  And no, it doesn't make any sense. LOL

-Jenn


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Ditto:  We watch movies on TV that we have right in the cupboard.  What IS with that? (Jaws is one of them...lol)


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Which reminds me, the only part of Jaws that I'll usually rewatch for more than a few seconds is the last half hour or so.


And I like the first 3/4 best...and I've watched it far more times than my hubby.

Betsy


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Footnote:  The reason I started this thread is that I know of several men who do this with the movie Jaws...
They either surf and stop
Watch
Re Watch
All the guys that I know have seen it many times.

I'm with Betsy:  I like the beginning more than the end.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Jaws is a good movie with great moments. I'll stop surfing and watch it every time (Jaws and Airplane). Ain't no guys around here who'll do that. 


Magenta said:


> p.s. You're gonna need a bigger boat!


 
Maybe time to break out the DVD


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

sjc said:


> Ditto: We watch movies on TV that we have right in the cupboard. What IS with that? (Jaws is one of them...lol)


I do that with movies and songs. I might listen to a certain song dozens of times on my iPod, but I still turn up the volume and get excited when I hear it on the radio. But if I hear it on my iPod when I'm in the car? There's a chance I might just hit next.

With movies ... I'm not sure why, but I'll suffer through commercials instead of just popping in the DVD. It's a horrible level of laziness or something. Although, when the commercials do hit, I'll channel surf, and if I find something, there's a good chance I'll forget all about the other movie.

Oh, and I've never seen Jaws. Is this something I should consider watching?


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## J.L. Penn (Mar 17, 2010)

AddieLove said:


> I might listen to a certain song dozens of times on my iPod, but I still turn up the volume and get excited when I hear it on the radio. But if I hear it on my iPod when I'm in the car? There's a chance I might just hit next.


I was thinking the same thing! What is it about us as humans (b/c I think it's pretty universal) that makes us do that?? LMAO

-Jenn


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## loca (Jan 3, 2010)

Jaws is a classic due to a level of fear that it instills.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I remember when it came out, and Universal Studios put the shark on the tour. My mom had my 3 yo brother in her lap, and that shark came up RIGHT next to them.... he pinched her so hard it caused a blood blister. Up to that point he (and we) had all been enjoying the tour/ride.


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## austenfiend (Nov 17, 2009)

Jaws - yup, that's one of those movies that gets watched over and over again in this house.  And, oh yeah, we have it on DVD but yet my husband will sit through commercials if it comes on when he's surfing - I'll never understand that!

Also agree with the previous poster - why, when you are flipping channels does a movie that you've seen a gabillion times come on at exactly the same point?


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

OMG...I just found out that my boss watched it too!!
Too funny. That movie just has a hold on people. If you are flipping; you stop on Jaws *and* watch the commercials.
It sort of has a cult following...remember the havoc it caused at the beaches? People went all summer without going in the water...Parents wouldn't let kids go past their ankles. And all because of a mechanical shark...lol. Though, *for its day*, those were some good special effects.


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## sandypeach (Oct 28, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> ... A long time ago, I found myself having to share living space with someone who thought that Benny Hill and professional wrestling were entertaining.


I don't remember sharing living space with you.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

sandypeach said:


> I don't remember sharing living space with you.


Benny Hill - yeah, hi-larious!! But, I never understood professional wrestling. Nope, just don't get it any more than I do car racing.


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

FearNot said:


> Benny Hill - yeah, hi-larious!! But, I never understood professional wrestling. Nope, just don't get it any more than I do car racing.


Car racing is only about the racing for the drivers and those supporting the drivers. For everyone else, it's all about the anticipation of the crashes and who wins ... or so I've heard.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Peachy and FearNot  --  I suspect that Benny Hill is a "guy thing", like the Three Stooges.  I've never heard of any woman liking those, either.  (Of course, now five women are going to chime in here and post that it's their most favorite entertainment ever...  )


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Men just like Jaws.  It's a commonly known fact that men just like Jaws.  There is no real scientific reason or explanation, it's just one of those anomalies of nature.  A mystery, if you will, of life like any other mystery of life or physics for that matter such as Black Holes, Quasars, Nebulae, Gluons, Muons and other teeny-tiny quantum particles... Men just like Jaws. OK? All right!


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Brendan Carroll said:


> Men just like Jaws. It's a commonly known fact that men just like Jaws. There is no real scientific reason or explanation, it's just one of those anomalies of nature. A mystery, if you will, of life like any other mystery of life or physics for that matter such as Black Holes, Quasars, Nebulae, Gluons, Muons and other teeny-tiny quantum particles... Men just like Jaws. OK? All right!


Probably related to the hunting instinct all us males have. (slober, drool, "bring on the red meat!")


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

and the Stooges.
DH has a Stooge t-shirt that says..."It's a guy thing!"


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Now, if they _combined_ those interests, and declared open season on the Stooges.....


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

for sure.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Magenta said:


> It's one of those movies that has great lines, great scenes and great performances by great actors. Its just fun. I'm a girl and I stop to watch it whenever I come across it on TV. I do the same thing with any Star Wars movie, LOTR, Time Bandits, Princess Bride, Casablanca, and the list goes on and on.....
> 
> p.s. You're gonna need a bigger boat!


I'm right with you on that one. I've watched the movie a few times, along with Princess Bride, Casablanca, etc. My hubby isn't a fan of Jaws but he'll watch Gladiator and other fight movies repeatedly.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Susan in VA said:


> Peachy and FearNot -- I suspect that Benny Hill is a "guy thing", like the Three Stooges. I've never heard of any woman liking those, either. (Of course, now five women are going to chime in here and post that it's their most favorite entertainment ever... )


I liked the Three Stooges. Of course, probably the last time I saw the Three Stooges I was about 9. I have no idea how I would react today, although I still remember..."Slowly I turn....step by step....inch by inch...."

L


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Now, if they _combined_ those interests, and declared open season on the Stooges.....





sjc said:


> for sure.


My heart is broken!  Imagine the headlines:

Super Shark Shanks Stooges, Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk!


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## Greenkeeper (Mar 16, 2010)

Sendie said:


> also the movies ALIENS, PREDATORS, and TREMORS. The men in this house watch those constantly....


They must have excellent taste. Also, add Terminator 1 to that list. You can't pass it by if you're channel surfing.


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## louiseb (Mar 2, 2009)

I love Jaws, grew up in FL near where they filmed part of it. I was in high school when it came out and it made a big impression on me, I was fairly low key about sharks before then and saw them frequently. I have it and most of the "guy" movies mentioned in this thread on DVD or Blu-ray.

I also have DVRs on all my TVs and keep them pretty busy recording so I don't channel surf. The only thing I watch "live" is sports. That's also the only time I might catch a commercial.


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## Rasputina (May 6, 2009)

sjc said:


> Ditto: We watch movies on TV that we have right in the cupboard. What IS with that? (Jaws is one of them...lol)


LOL my husband does that to and I just scratch my head saying "we have that on blu-ray/dvd".


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

louiseb said:


> I love Jaws, grew up in FL near where they filmed part of it. I was in high school when it came out and it made a big impression on me, I was fairly low key about sharks before then and saw them frequently. I have it and most of the "guy" movies mentioned in this thread on DVD or Blu-ray.


Florida? I thought it was filmed in Martha's Vineyard...

L


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I *love* the movie Jaws, and have probably seen it twenty times. Even the parts of the movie that are so-so, I've grown attached to despite their campiness (e.g. Roy Scheider's kitchen table scene with his son).

The 'behind-the-scenes' interviews on DVD, with Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss, are really fun. 

Trivia: according to IMDB, author Peter Benchley was thrown off the set after objecting to the climax. If you've read the book, the ending of the book is very anti-climactic. Spielberg improved on it immensely.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Harvey said:


> I *love* the movie Jaws, and have probably seen it twenty times. Even the parts of the movie that are so-so, I've grown attached to despite their campiness (e.g. Roy Scheider's kitchen table scene with his son).
> 
> The 'behind-the-scenes' interviews on DVD, with Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss, are really fun.
> 
> Trivia: according to IMDB, author Peter Benchley was thrown off the set after objecting to the climax. If you've read the book, the ending of the book is very anti-climactic. Spielberg improved on it immensely.


I loved Richard Dreyfuss's take on the broken shark in the bonus part of the DVD. "The shark is not working. The shark is not working."........................"The shark is working."


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

Love JAWS -- as some of you know, my mom read it to me as  a bedtime story.  I tend to stop and watch it when I stumble across it and I have it on either Bluray or just DVD -- whatever it is, there are tons of extras. 

Other movies that I "brake" for are:

Matilda

Shawshank

Green Mile

Any of the Harry Potters

You've Got Mail

Love Actually


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

For its time:  Having a movie create that much pandemonium at the beach; it was ahead of itself.  The other movie which scared the bajeezies out of most people:  The Exorcist...people were afraid to sleep!!  I confess; I slept with a nightlight on for a week.  The makeup job on that movie was phenomenal...the special effects; like the puking and the bed rising...again; for its time...


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

sjc said:


> DH has seen it 73,865,942 times and he is presently watching it again!!
> What is the attraction?


I think there's a couple of things at the heart of this story. First, it's the bond between men. The closed environment they have on the boat meant they could be honest with each other. Second, it showed men as heroes. Three guys went off to slay the dragon to save the village. What guy wouldn't want to do that in their life...just once.


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