THERAPY? is an alternative rock/punk rock band from Northern Ireland. The b… Read Full Bio ↴THERAPY? is an alternative rock/punk rock band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer Fyfe Ewing. The band initially recorded their first demo with Andy filling in on bass guitar. To complete the line-up, the band recruited bassist Michael McKeegan.
With keen pop sensibilities, a skewed sense of humour and a willingness to draw inspiration from diverse sources (notably punk rock), Therapy? came to attention in the early 1990s rise of alternative rock, but have endured for more than a decade since; Critic Johnny Loftus writes, "After a ten-plus year career that has seen them outlast competitors and outwit industry attempts at categorization, Therapy? are still headbangers with their thinking caps screwed on tight."

Current line-up :
Andy Cairns (guitar, vocals) (1989 - )
Michael McKeegan (bass guitar, backing vocals) (1989 - )
Neil Cooper (drums) (2003 - )

Past members:
Fyfe Ewing (drums) (1989 - 1996)
Martin McCarrick (cello, guitar, backing vocals) (1996 - 2004)
Graham Hopkins (drums) (1996 - 2001)

Discography:
-Hard Cold Fire (2023)
-Cleave (2018)
-Disquiet (2015)
-A Brief Crack of Light (2012)
-Crooked Timber (2009)
-One Cure Fits All (2006)
-Never Apologise Never Explain (2004)
-High Anxiety (2003)
-Shameless (2001)
-So Much For The Ten Year Plan - A Retrospective 1990-2000 (2000)
-Suicide Pact - You First (1999)
-Semi-Detached (1998)
-Infernal Love (1995)
-Troublegum (1994)
-Face the Strange E.P. (1993)
-Shortsharpshock E.P. (1993)
-Nurse (1992)
-Pleasure Death (1992)
-Babyteeth (1991)

Northern Ireland, 1989.

Nice Guys
Therapy? Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Welcome to my world, now close the door behind you
You look like someone I once liked and left again
I got a little something for ya
Do it here, I like to watch you when you lose your way

I'm a nice guy, trust me, I'm a nice guy
I'm a nice guy, a really nice guy
I'm a nice guy, trust me, I'm a nice guy

I'm a nice guy, a really nice guy

Where do you think I've been? I just got out of bed
Would I lie to you? You're beautiful when you worry
Sometimes I've got to stay out all night
It's just a hazard of my own life

I'm a nice guy, trust me, I'm a nice guy
I'm a nice guy, a really nice guy
I'm a nice guy, trust me, I'm a nice guy
I'm a nice guy, a really nice guy

You took this girl in desperation, you took this girl in desperation
You took this girl in desperation, you took this girl in desperation
Nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
Trust me, I'm a nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
Nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
A really really nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)

Hey baby, you know
Woah

Radio Lust 69 FM, going down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Therapy?'s song "Nice Guys" highlight the theme of deceptive behavior and manipulation in relationships. The singer welcomes someone into his world, but immediately begins to show his true colors by admitting that the person resembles someone he once "liked and left again." He then proceeds to assert his "niceness" while simultaneously making a sexual advance and revealing that he sometimes has to stay out all night. This juxtaposition of supposed niceness and questionable behavior implies that the singer is not as genuinely kind as he claims to be.

The chorus of the song hammers home this theme, with the repeated mantra of "I'm a nice guy, trust me." By insisting on his own niceness, the singer is attempting to cover up his true intentions and actions. The lyrics also suggest that the person he is targeting may have been vulnerable or desperate when he entered the picture, which adds another layer of manipulation and coercion to the narrative.

Overall, the lyrics to "Nice Guys" are cautionary, warning against taking people at face value and emphasizing the importance of looking beyond surface-level niceness to determine the true character of those around us.

Line by Line Meaning

Welcome to my world, now close the door behind you
Come into my space, but make sure you leave the outside world behind

You look like someone I once liked and left again
You remind me of someone I had a relationship with in the past that didn't work out

I got a little something for ya
I have a special treat for you

Do it here, I like to watch you when you lose your way
Stay here and let me witness your moments of vulnerability

I'm a nice guy, trust me, I'm a nice guy
I may come across as charming and polite, but don't be fooled by my words

Where do you think I've been? I just got out of bed
I may seem lazy or uninterested, but it's not true

Would I lie to you? You're beautiful when you worry
I might deceive you, but it's only because I like the way you look when you're concerned

Sometimes I've got to stay out all night
I sometimes disappear without explanation, leaving you to wonder where I am or what I'm doing

It's just a hazard of my own life
It's a risky lifestyle, but I continue to live it regardless of its consequences

You took this girl in desperation, you took this girl in desperation
You hoped to find comfort or connection through me

Nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
I played the role of a kind-hearted man to lure you in

Trust me, I'm a nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
Believe me when I say I have good intentions

A really really nice guy (You took this girl in desperation)
I'm not just good, I'm exceptionally kind and thoughtful

Contributed by Scarlett H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

More Albums Load All

No Tracks Found

01Loose3:00

02Our Love Must Die2:32

03Nice Guys2:49

PT2M49S

Therapy?

04Loose (Photek remix)

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Official_CommanderHale

40w↑2

I had my Nice Guy days before.

Had one chick that I got to know who more or less made the push to be close, but I mistook this as her being attracted to me. Well as I helped give her advice when she asked for it and listened quietly to her life events and whatnot when she needed to vent, I eventually confessed I had feelings for her. She said she had feelings too but didn't think it was the right time.
I later found out she was actually having feelings for a different guy who I knew very well. oddly enough, he was an asshole, he preferred hookups and was against any LDR's. I came as a shock to me that he was also getting with other women regularly and such.
He knew I had an interest in her, and he asked if he needed to back off. I told him I was fine with it all if he at least was pursuing her with the right intentions with what sort of relationship she wanted/ preferred. He promised he was (lied to my face and her's later on) so I backed off and just remained the friend who still supported her with whatever she needed.

In the end, she discovered he was just toying with her the whole time until she was heading home several states away. She called me sobbing about it and how she wished she had just listened to me. I told her that it was a choice she needed to make on her own and despite the information I knew and found out, I wasn't going to change her mind. We are still friends, but I went with my better judgment to move on and not take her up on the offer to pursue me. I'd rather her not be with me while thinking of him if that makes sense.

In short: Recognize that you can't, nor should you attempt to control someone else's decisions. Let them do so on their own.

All comments from YouTube:

Cinema Therapy

2y↑3.9K

Start building your ideal daily routine ! The first 500 people who click on the link will get 25% OFF Fabulous Premium: http://thefab.co/cinematherapy

Jocabed Rivera

2y↑41

Speaking as part of the asexual and aromantic family, you are both pretty.

Poisonheart96

2y↑6

Could you do unrealistic crime movies such as the Hannibal Lector character or shows like criminal minds?

Oblivion Sunshine

2y↑3

Hi guys. I have a suggestion film for you guys to look at.
The movie is call 'Till Death'.

G. F. S F55

2y↑8

Now here's a roast for you, Alan looks like a tomato that fell on the ground before it could ripen and grew fungui on top, while John overall is shaped like a potato

Of course all of this is greatly over-exaggerated, your hair actually looks good on both of you, and your overall likeableness immensely overwrites your mediocre looks (ha! Got you!)

Micaela Juarez

2y↑3

Thanks so much for doing this movie! It's a family favorite ❤️

72 More Replies...

RainbowWiggleCactus

1y↑2.6K

I love how she isn't scared when Megamind kidnaps her, not just because he's predictable but because she knows he won't actually hurt her. He just uses her to fight Metroman. But with Hal she's horrified because she knows he could and would actually hurt her

Henry Negro

38w↑173

Well mega mind isn't really a bad guy, whereas Hal was always low key a creep even when he wasn't full of powers.

Stardust_13

34w↑77

And he does. He literally tries to kill her a couple times before Megamind takes his powers.

Shattered Qvartz

31w↑15

If you think about it, the relationship between Megamind, Metroman and Roxane is some kind of weird friendship

Stardust_13

31w↑17

@Shattered Qvartz Definitely. I think Metroman was selfish when Hal got powers and was threatening the entire city, killing people, and taking everyone hostage, and Metroman had the power to stop him but literally decided to just do nothing.

3 More Replies...

Nadine Youssef-Hatch

1y↑3.4K

The whole scene where he drops her multiple times so that he can "rescue" her is such a horribly amazing abusive behavior. Gives me a stomach ache every time.

Gus Mc

36w↑91

Not only mentally but physically, he would have ripped her to pieces. I despise when hero movies show people falling being instantly stopped when caught. The G forces would be astronomical! If anything the hero would be making it worse by adding in a second velocity perpendicular to the first! Bye bye spine lol

CallmeEli

36w↑14

@Gus Mc Didn't they acknowledge that in a Spiderman movie plotline or something? I forgot,

Gus Mc

36w↑9

@FarsideEli1313 do they? Cool. And about time. There's so many Spider-Man movies anymore I haven't watched them all lol

CallmeEli

36w↑19

@Gus Mc I think Gwen Stacy died? Again, lots of spiderman movies, just like you said.

3 More Replies...

Marty's Maps

1y↑4.1K

It's brilliant how until Hal becomes Titan, the audience only sees him as a comic relief character. The whole Nice guy syndrome isn't directly addressed and it's very subtle and that's how it's like in real life. It's hard to detect nice guy syndrome especially in yourself. When he becomes the villain it's obvious and rewatching you pick up on all the little things. But his twist villain is amazingly written

Šimon Špaček

1y↑106

Whole Megamind (sorry, Meg Amind) is amazing piece.

And yes, PRESENTATION! that is the difference between boring average and super.

Katana Moon

1y↑30

Disney should take inspiration

Trent Bell

1y↑28

*Tighten

bombomos

1y↑12

Unless you are a nice guy then you see all the signs this guy is giving off from the get go

Terence

1y↑47

@bombomos I think they’re saying it’s more that you can tell he is a “nice guy” but it isn’t enough to call out or address until it’s become a huge thing.

You can sort of make fun of or pity him because it’s pathetic but then he becomes absolutely horrible and at that point “WOAH he’s a villian!”

10 More Replies...

Ezer Studio

1y↑5.1K

I feel like there’s this extra layer of “you could have had nice me but you wouldn’t give me what I wanted so now you get abusive me and that’s on you”

scorne414

1y↑436

That’s it right there. Where the whole Mr. Nice Guy thing came from. It’s an act with no genuine follow through.

Vinemaple

1y↑317

And that's a big reason of why Hal remains creepy even in such a silly movie. He isn't just a Nice Guy (TM), he's also genuinely abusive.

Mikael Grande

1y↑114

His true colors are hidden with the justification he of him being “nice” and that the whole world hasn’t seen how great he is yet. Also a type of male entitlement which is just appalling, but I do think that it is something most men go through and learn in life.

Doctor straing Strange

1y↑68

Self-justifying mechanisms all the way, no one wants to be the bad guy so they find someone else to blame, they take their frustrations about themselves and weaponize them against others

Doctor straing Strange

49w↑15

@Gamfluent yep, she falls in love with the personality and sensitivity of a random guy. She's sweet and appreciates good qualities in a romantic partner

7 More Replies...

Grandpa_the_kid

1y↑3.9K

I feel like it’s also important to note that Megamind pretending to be Bernard was never malicious. Like the reason the whole situation started was just because he was embarrassed to be in his pajamas and then the situation just kind of got away from him, ya know?

Obviously it was wrong and he was still lying to her blah blah I’m not condoning it, I’m just saying he never set out to trick Roxanne into falling in love with him

Michael McDoesn't Exist

1y↑594

I feel like there was always some kind of attraction between them in a flirty way. Bernard just happened to be a coincidence to hide the "moronic supervillain" filter from her and see a different side of him. Of course it was wrong but I feel the message was that, in the end, Megamind learns from this (the first real bad thing he did intentionally) and after watching her hurt he never did it again. He experiencied "evilness" and then rejected it.

M. Miller

1y↑401

@Michael McDoesn't Exist I actually LOVE that last sentence- Thinking on it, Megamind had never really BEEN evil, as much as he played into the performance of it all as a role he had taken on. He was not genuinely happy when he thought he had killed Metro Man, and if he was actually evil, he wouldn't have remorse about lying to Roxie either. Many people claim to be good, then do awful things; Megamind claims to be evil, but then is still shown to act primarily neutral/good.

Brianna

1y↑53

Perspective matters too. Maybe Megamind will tell her one day, but at the time of their fight she had zero insight into why he would pretend to be someone else and approach her.

Megamind himself never apologized for the evil he committed. And at the time of the fight, she had just figured out that he is still plotting something and had seen the consequences of that plot firsthand. Whether intentional or not, Megamind's actions had put her life in danger. Most especially, she is in the midst of a huge betrayal of trust. She believed this person to be someone he was not, and she has had zero time to process it when he runs after her in the rain.

One thing I do dislike about the film is the blame game Megamind plays with her in the battle at the end. He implies that it's her fault he lost the crucial item needed to defeat Titan because she dumped him in the rain. But that series of events played out the way they did BECAUSE he chose to continue the lie.

Grace

49w↑37

@Brianna I don't think he was playing a blame game with Roxanne there though. Remember Megamind is bad at social skills due to never being around people so sometimes what he says may come off wrong. But he even said that he lost it the night she dumped him, not that he lost it because she dumped him. He did add the whole alone in the rain (and even started to get sad still clearly feeling the heartbreak of it) and then asked if she ever looked back (the little hope he had of them getting back together) after she said no he dropped it (it was clear he wanted to talk about it and was testing the waters. Same way he was when he asked Roxanne if she would like him if he wasn't normal and had the skin completion of a primary color) but when he dropped it I think he also tried to pretend it didn't happen to cope the best way he can. But after the reveal that Metro was alive and wouldn't do anything he lost hope. He didn't see himself as a good guy and truly believed he was a villian and didn't deserve happiness, so of course when his last hope of getting the hero back backfired he gave up. He was still just a villian without a hero and he would never get the girl he was inlove with because villians don't get to be happy, which is why he turned himself in. But then seeing Roxanne in trouble he went to save her, he still clearly played into the villain part saying "oh your a villian alright, but not a super one" and then came out with a big presentation yelling how presentation makes the difference. He only did that to save the woman he loves, it was in his final moments he realized because of Roxanne belief in him that he can be the good guy and I believe that dawned on him when he chased Titan away. I believe so because he was hesitant to tale Roxanne's hand, it was almost like he just realize he could get the girl and if he could he could also be the good guy

Silver Sing

41w↑14

I had completely forgotten that was why he first imitated Bernard 😭 so relatable tbh

4 More Replies...

ScrambledAndBenedict

52w↑844

You know what's so great about Roxanne in this show? She's not a damsel in distress, but she still shows genuine fear when it's warranted. She's not scared of Megamind since she's come to learn he's not a threat to her, and even trash-talks him, but when faced with Tighten she, while still being fairly tough, genuinely does show fear and become afraid of him. It makes her seem like such a real person, like that's how you'd expect someone to act like in her situation: she's not a distressed damsel but she's not this overly brave plank of wood either.

MZRT Music 🎶

42w↑54

It also expresses the idea that you don't smile when facing a demented psychopath who gets his hands on power for the first time in his life

Something Clever

37w↑4

I didnt like Roxanne. It came across as "I'm too good to be in this movie"

ScrambledAndBenedict

36w↑35

@Something Clever True, but I think that was the joke. Like, they were making fun of how the hero and the villain are just pointlessly going through the motions, and the damsel character was aware of that and just like 5000% done with constantly being kidnapped. Because she begins to take the movie pretty seriously when Tighten shows up.

Cow

33w↑8

Literally what I was thinking, cuz soemtimes writers go too far with the strong woman role that they forget you can be strong and still be scared and have human emotions, but those characters are far less likeable

ScrambledAndBenedict

32w↑5

@Cow Oh, they absolutely do. There's a difference between a "strong female character" and a female character that is strong. There's overlap, yeah, but the difference is like the difference between a virgin and an incel.

A big problem, ironically enough, is the "strong female character" embodies a lot of toxic masculinity traits to be "strong". They're these unemotional, bellicose bullies that throw their weight around and act like assholes. Think like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast: most "strong female characters" are written like him, but unironically. And, the same way Belle was at best disinterested and at worst repulsed by him, a lot of viewers are put off by the "strong female character" because they see past their superficial positive traits.

5 More Replies...

Gabrielle Duplessis

2y↑2.2K

I also loved how the prisoners raised him and educate him even if it is unorthodox. The so called prisoners that we treat only as criminals who are not human helped raise this kid with no family. A lot of Megamind came from this.

kellygreen

2y↑132

I like this new perspective, I never thought of that one before

Miriam Rosemary

2y↑45

Wow, good point!

Katie Taylor

2y↑284

I love how they find him in the prison yard and one guy immediately says "Can we keep it?", while looking pleased and excited by the idea. Note too how Megamind later refers to the prison as "home", and it's made obvious that he sees the Warden as a father figure.

Cinamoonmoon

2y↑15

calm down fella, its a cartoon movie... criminals are nothing like this 99.999999% of the time

maximilian koop

2y↑147

@Cinamoonmoon but they are still human and megamind shows that really well

28 More Replies...

Dreamworldman

1y↑1.9K

I honestly got to admit, Hal scared me, because he reminded me of me. I realized that the way I treated and behaved around woman in my life was completely inappropriate and unacceptable. It forced me to look at myself and go on a journey from becoming a r/nice guy, to becoming a genuine nice guy.

Ellie

1y↑403

At least you realized what you were doing and are actively changing your behavior a lot of men don’t even get to the point of realizing

Gloria Rabanal

1y↑99

@Ellie so true. the important thing is the person he is now♥

Aphelyon

1y↑86

very true, lots of men don't look at it like that they go "I'm not like Hal, I'm a Real(tm) Nice Guy"

Kayla W.

1y↑111

I respect that. it's hard to accept when you're the problem. keep it up!!

latetoupdate

52w↑69

Hells yeah, self improvement, king 👏👏

34 More Replies...

Caffinator

1y↑2K

I love the irony of Hal saying he got all of the flowers because he didn't know what Roxanne likes immediately after saying he knows everything about her. Ooops. 😁

Privacy Mode

1y↑153

Exactly, Hal never takes the time to truly know Roxanne but he still thinks he deserves her.

gRinchY 230490

41w↑40

@Privacy Modeand yet he shames Roxanne later on for "never taking the time to get to know him" when she was able to list waaay more things about him than he could about her?

GamingwolfZJ

50w↑566

“There is no Easter Bunny, there is no Tooth Fairy, and there is no Queen of England.”

Ah yes, the line that aged the best in this movie

minecraftandeggs

41w↑26

GOD SAVE THE QUE-

Jacob Sheehan

35w↑8

Oof

Simone Young

34w↑5

😭😭

Chris Matthews

31w↑1

It was always correct, there hasn't been a Queen of England since 1714; as the Kingdom of England ceased to exist (upon merging with the Kingdom of Scotland) and was replaced by the Kingdom of Great Britain.

David Hobbs

1y↑1.7K

One of my favorite parts of the movie is how Megamind generally tries not to hurt citizens.
The citizens know this after being around him so long. The Warden doesn't fear death. He dehydrated lots of folks. He could have fired the death ray directly at the opening of the museum to FORCE Metroman to stop the laser before it hits innocent people.
Even after he wins, the citizens stick around to find out what's next, when after 1 day or less of Titan they are straight up abandoning the city.

Grandpa_the_kid

1y↑170

This is such a great point!

Rock Face

47w↑149

He's pretty much became their local town celebrities along with metroman , all just for the show untill well u know "under new management" thingy

Nope

46w↑199

Probably went from "oh my god a blue alien hes gonna kill us" to "oh my god bro, I wonder what kind of cool gadget Megamind will do show us next?"
Like hell man, Megamind makes every possible attempt to get a fresh presentation everytime he fought Metroman, hes like a world star entertainer more than anything.

Bored Guy

1y↑1.4K

I've gone through niceguy, redpill, mgtow phase. They make women seem like these manipulative, terrible group of people that needs to be tamed to stop from tearing you apart. How cartoonish their descriptions are compared to every girl and woman I know made me quickly realize how hateful it is

Aliandrin

1y↑29

They're right though. One small caveat: By "women" they mean 10s. 10's say they want a nice guy, rake in anything and everything they can get from their dozen nice suitors (sometimes intentionally but when they compete like this what do you want her to do?) before ultimately choosing the bad boy. Women who are not gorgeous don't act like this unless they're genuinely bad people, which is rare. And on the other side you have incels claiming women are monsters because they have never even seen a woman who isn't a 10, because she's just a waste of space he looks right through.

Bored Guy

1y↑179

@Aliandrin A lot of people in those communities fall into the latter, or at least act like that.
To be fair, the bad boy thing was kinda misplaced. From what I observed online and in real life, women date bad boys since a lot of the bad boys are charismatic and social. They find them different and assertive. The fact they're "bad" is irrelevant.
If someone's an incel, no way they're charismatic or assertive in non-deadly way.

Bored Guy

1y↑25

@DarthMessias Yeah, that's basically the women edition of it

45 More Replies...

cheezemonkeyeater

2y↑21.7K

Don't look at it as you're disappointed we didn't get more Megamind. Look at it as you don't live in the timeline where Megamind was ruined by tons of terrible sequels.

bird who

2y↑415

although... there's a new show in production rn 👀

Grace Holbert

2y↑742

@bird who Say it ain't so

Connor

2y↑273

I hate the accuracy

gee_worm

2y↑856

glances at ice age
megamind only having one movie is probably for the better

DokiDoki EienNi

2y↑620

True. But to be fair, this is Dreamworks. The ones responsible for Shrek 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, and How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Not a guarantee, but the chances are good, I'd say.

111 More Replies...

Sole Zeta

1y↑293

I love that when Roxanne gets kidnapped by Megamind and he "threatens" her with his numerous gadgets, she just doesn't give a rat's ass cuz she knows he's bullshitting. But when Hal keeps "rescuing" her and throwing her around, she panics and she screams.
Roxanne knows the actual threat when she sees it.

mint

1y↑895

there's a really sweet detail in the German synchronization of Megamind, he always uses the polite form of "you" when he speaks to Roxanne, which no other character does to anyone else, until the very very end, I believe the last "you" he said (during the celebration ceremony) was informal
it's in my opinion a really sweet detail because it shows how much he respects her, and only allows himself to speak to her more informally/"closer" when they're in a relationship

Tornado Dee

51w↑53

thats adorable.🥰

AnSi

47w↑40

Thanks for sharing. That's adorable and I think very much in character too.

FeministCatwoman

31w↑1

I am forgetting the German "yous", does he basically use sie instead of du?

mint

31w↑4

@FeministCatwoman yes, he uses "Sie" instead of du all the way until the celebration at the end. no other character does it, especially Titan, he only uses du for her

BlackDivision

51w↑165

It may just be me, but at 11:15 when Megamind first meets Hal as Bernard and calls Hal a brave one, he is genuinely complimenting and giving respect to Hal even if he knows it’s not true. He genuinely is trying to be polite and respectful to him which shows just how much of a good guy Megamind is deep down. Just a thought I had.

RoloSilver

34w↑2

A literal thinker

ThatPlatypusGuy

1y↑790

Something that not enough people talk about is Megamind’s upbringing. He doesn’t become a villain because he’s bad, or because he didn’t wasn’t rich. He was raised by criminals that taught him that crime was good and order was bad. Sure he wanted approval in school, but he did so through outbursts of energy, and didn’t think his creations through. A lot of young men in todays society aren’t taught to outlet their energy into healthy mediums. They learn through their parents, TV, music etc that violence, greed, and disorder is to be virtuous, and that order, love, and compassion is lame. What’s an important take away isn’t that young men are inherently violent, selfish, etc, but that their energy should be put to good in healthy activities, like sports.

Fountain

1y↑44

Preach. I think if I wasn’t into writing, art, design and etc, I most likely would’ve ended myself by now. I can put every single toxic idea I’ve had into a form I recognize and figure out whats wrong with me.

Whyisyes

1y↑22

@Fountain if I hadn’t gotten into music I wouldn’t have been as comfortable with expressing myself and being open and honest, hell even gaming has helped in that regard by adding a healthy outlet for frustration that doesn’t hurt any real persoj

Elongated man Forever

37w↑5

@Fountain
Art is awsome.

AQGD Marcy

1y↑328

I've seen a boy like that. He had feelings for me (I don't remember giving any sign I'm ever sexually/romantically attracted to any living human in this planet) but since I didn't like him, he started claiming that women were all blood thirsty monsters, gold diggers, snakes in disguise. It was very funny to see his character arc and then end our friendship.

kempolar

1y↑39

The intense death spiral at the end always surprises me, I know it happens but just seeing the sharp turn down a cliff when people get really pissed takes me off guard.

Daylilly25

1y↑30

I went on one date with a guy who spent like a half hour talking about how women were all gold diggers and snakes and asking if I had ever gone after a man for his money or “behaved like a snake”. He blew up at me like this for not wanting to go on another date because, what a surprise, his behavior put me off him. I will never use Tinder again.

Margaret Bush

51w↑16

Men who get offended from women rejecting them is a sign of immaturity

YassoKuhl

43w↑3

If by "funny" you mean "concerning", then I agree with you

Bruv

31w

It's so interesting to see the power that aro/ace people have over nice guys™. Like your simple passivity is enough to make them boil from the inside

1 More Replies...

Mika Grossmann

2y↑8K

It just occurred to me that the "bouncy castle\clown" bit was a great indicator to Hal's true personality. When things don't go as he wants them to he becomes violent (he's beating the car, and really aggressively). And then, when due to his own actions he gets hurt (hurt his hand) he blames others ("stupid car!"). It's played for laughs here but it's a great indicator to what's to come.

Adriana Campos

2y↑233

The scariest part is that there are guys like him everywhere in real life

Baldr

2y↑851

Also the audience can look back at that scene and know he was lying because he lives in a tiny little apartment so where was he going to fit a bouncy castle and have a “party”?
My personal interpretation is that he was trying to lure her into a trap where she was alone with him and would feel pressured to do as he said, which is very dark I know, but that’s how I see it

B R

2y↑38

Very nice.

Ginger Snaps The Pumpkin Kitty

2y↑433

@Baldr not to mention it just came across as subtly as a white van with "🍬cAnDy🍬" spray painted on the side.

Ron Weber

2y↑199

@Baldr This has nothing to do with this thread but I named my dog Baldr, with that same spelling. He's a giant, 135lb. floof.

39 More Replies...

DEV Official Channel

1y↑206

One thing that I find more horrifying as an adult than a kid is just how Hal is utterly careless with handling Roxanne and like dropping her (intentional or not) while flying.

I just laughed it off as Hal being a bad "hero" and just treating it like typical kids' animation physical comedy, but it becomes a lot horrifying to look back at it. Like just imagine some random "superhero" who has a crush on you, for whatever reason, and he just flies you around and nearly puts your life in danger.

And like rewatching the whole movie, Hal is way scarier than I remembered him back when I was a kid. Like I just saw a pathetic dude who just becomes a villain cuz "his crush rejected him and now he angy" as opposed to something that hits very close to reality for many women (and even men) who have to deal with very obsessive people who would do anything because they're THAT entitled.

So Hal is indeed a villain, just not a super one. Hal doesn't bother to give any good "presentation" with his evil being more obvious when he became Tighten and unlike Megamind who's forced to be evil due to society viewing him as such Hal is just an immature brute who has zero restraint.

Szatan

39w↑15

And also Roxanne's reactions - she was geniuinely terrified, as she should be. In the first scene where Megamind kidnapped her she not only wasn't scared, she made fun of him - she knew she wasn't in any real danger. But with Hal? She clearly sees that he can and will hurt her.

☏𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘

34w↑7

Also to mention, while due to it being a cartoon, so real life physics and anatomy don't apply, a lot of what Hal did while he was flying Roxanne around and tossing her around while pretending to "save her" could've legitimately KILLED Roxanne if she was a real human. Especially the times where he dropped her and then immediately yanked her back up with extreme force, and the times where he was catching her by just her arms and legs. In real life and real physics, this would literally tear Roxanne to shreds, or in the best case scenario she'd have multiple broken limbs and be paralyzed.

DEV Official Channel

34w↑5

@☏𝕨𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕕𝕒𝕣𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 Yeah. Pretty much. Even Megamind was at least careful to handle Roxanne during "kidnappings" (which aside from showing that Megamind is more "show-off" and less "actual threat", proves that even he cares about Roxanne despite using her repeatedly as a damsel in distress).

And even when Metroman casually juggled babies (which would be fatal if he accidentally dropped one, but I guess people really trust him), at least he gives them back without injuring them and is overall a lot more careful.

LepantoRosary1571

1y↑308

I think MegaMind's initial issue was that he didn't know how to be good--he was raised by inmates for crying out loud. Then when people misunderstood his attempts, they became the barrier.
Then Roxanne helped him, not only by giving him the chance to be good but also by teaching him how to be via her reactions to his behavior.

LH productions

1y↑241

I knew too many “nice guys” in college they were upset that girls wouldn’t date them kinda like Hal here. One even got upset with me and called me all sorts of awful names because I didn’t like him as anything more than a friend. He also got upset that my friend who was gay didn’t like him and said she “couldn’t be cause she didn’t look gay..” 🙄

Greywolf757

1y↑8

I understand why he would be frustrated. Imagine wanting a relationship and doing what society tells you that you should do to get a relationship, and still not getting a relationship. I think anyone would be frustrated in that situation.

FieryFox

1y↑67

@Greywolf757 Regardless of what society tells us, we have no right to take it out on people whose only crime was not having romantic interest in us. We are all products of our environment, but have an obligation to act with at least basic dignity. No one is owed a marriage, a relationship or even a date, and ignoring another person's boundaries or insulting them for rejecting you (as in the above example) is incredibly selfish.

Rita M

1y↑44

@Greywolf757 and that is the whole nice guy/incel mentality explained right there. No one owes anyone anything just because they are acting "nice" or as I would say normally. It's a dangerous mindset to have, if you think that just by following some social norms you are entitled to get sexual or romantic "rewards" from women are most likely the reason why you are alone. Just being yourself and truly getting to know someone you are interested in in a natural, organic way (like in this movie) without an agenda and not expecting the other person liking you just because you are interested in them, will get you way further.

Peach Pie

52w↑26

@Greywolf757Frustration is understandable but hurting people out of frustration isn't. Very huge difference. Think of something like criminals, if someone doesn't understand what they're doing is wrong should they be locked up still? Yes, because regardless of the intention, the RESULT is still a danger.

6 More Replies...

Blue Valley

1y↑270

25:00 something I noticed: Hal says “but I have powers!” like that’s supposed to be the key to winning Roxanne’s heart. But we, the audience, already know it’s not—and we know it because we saw Megamind actually TALK to Roxanne, and treat her like a real human being, enough for her to just organically reveal that Metroman wasn’t her type and they were never a couple. Hal only ever treated Roxanne like the object of his affections, so he knows very little about her. He just assumed that not only was she into Metroman, but that she was into him BECAUSE of his superpowers, so he acted on that assumption rather than actually proving he knew anything about her at all, and got mad when he was wrong.

Also, I gotta say, having a discussion of asexuality in the Megamind episode was the representation I never knew I needed! Y’all did great with that 💜🖤🤍

cockodemon

39w↑24

I do appreciate their discussion on queer identity, as an aromantic myself it makes me feel very happy that they discussing these as normal feelings that people have and not as some bizarre thing different from everyone else

SpaceMonkeyBoi

2y↑15.5K

Hal being shocked that she doesn't immediately love him after he gets superpowers is a good representation of how niceguys assume that getting money will make a girl immediately fall in love with them

Daffodils and Dogwoods

2y↑1K

Yes, or getting a new cool car or getting ripped.

Max Savage

2y↑771

@liza bette Well, I mean... People like that exist. You don't really want them in your life, because they're not there for you, they're there for what you provide, but they exist. One mistake a lot of "Nice Guys" make is believing that ALL women are like that.

Nemu Mami

2y↑144

@Roz W. Brazel Snap out of it man. That is the same for a lot of people but you can’t buy everyone out, that’s just how it is.

67 More Replies...

LargeCube

1y↑243

Thank you guys! This was true awakening call for me. I am that "nice guy", I was treating my girlfriend well and expecting something in return, like sex or more affection, even though she was going through hard time. I am so ashamed of myself. Always though that I was a decent man, but you opened my eyes. No longer I want to be that "nice guy", I have rewatched this video like three times. Thank you again! You gave me insigh I needed to become a better version of myself so I can treat people that I love in a way they deserve & dont be an arrogant asshole.

Subs + Like! Gonna check more of your videos

CL

1y↑29

I wish you a good journey to a good place!

Kayla W.

1y↑22

I'm proud that you've come to realize the error of your ways! Keep it up

fvwak

52w↑7

Wow. Incredible

Isabel Gee

50w↑14

Good luck on your journey to become a better person. I'm rooting for you.

JustAlpha

48w↑16

Self reflection is really difficult, but commendable for that reason

4 More Replies...

Alexa Byron Fujino

1y↑126

I find one of the best ways of dealing with "nice guys" is being brutally honest with them. I've made the mistake of trying not to hurt feelings and this kept leaving the "nice guy" with false hope. Tell them the truth, this at least gives them the opportunity to move on with their lives.

Peach Pie

52w↑18

Unless they're dangerous.

az21bob666

49w↑1

the could part if you honest they might prove there are good people,

say you guy freind has a crush on you and you say look you not my type and i never date you and he like ok, still freind.

see think like creepy there no such think, something that creepy to you might be great for someone else.
kind like calling to much or to much touching

Concept 🏳️‍⚧️

40w↑1

@Peach PieAlso very true

n /a

36w↑1

@Peach Pie Be prepared to protect yourself, then.

the superior hobgoblin

31w↑2

Tbh I actually had that happen recently. There was a girl I thought was cool to talk and hangout with so I asked her if she wanted to hangout sometime outside of work and so I gave her my number. We continued to talk with her also coming up to me and chatting so I thought she wanted to be friends too. Eventually she gave me her number just before I left that job and I texted her probably twice, once to confirm that I got the number right and a next just to see how she was doing. A week goes by with her never responding to that second text and I didn't text again either but I suddenly wake up one morning to her giving my the I have a bf talk. I felt like a total creep when I really wasn't trying to and didn't know I was. I would have preferred she told me out right that she didn't want to hang out because I immediately started thinking that I was a piece of s**t and didn't want to interact with anyone for awhile.

3 More Replies...

Preston Hall

1y↑102

I like the dichotomy of how Hal and Megamind handle romance throughout the movie.

Hal's persona is the "nice guy" attitude that's explored throughout the video; the entitled "I deserve you because I can do all these things" persona which in simply comes off as creepy.

Megamind's persona is different, but orthogonal to Hal's. Where Hal thinks he's entitled to love no matter what, Megamind believes he's not even able to be loved and so pretends to be someone who is. Both though stem from the feeling of being societal outcasts and so their perception of how to fit in is warped - and they each try to fix it, just in bad ways.

Megamind learns his lesson in the movie: that he can be loved by being himself, but Hal doesn't learn his: that he can be loved if he is more loving (that is, selfless). That's the true moral of the story in my view.

Ariel Raine

1y↑135

Me and a female friend of mine were hanging out with two of our guy friends one time and they subtly (not-so subtly) pulled up a song called "Nice Guys Finish Last" when we were watching YouTube together. The boys commented on it while my female friend and I sat quietly and awkwardly. And both of them confessed/asked me out at a later time, and they definitely showed their true colors when I declined.

AwhRyan

1y↑34

What's ironic is that if it's the song I'm thinking of, the song was actually an insult to people with "nice guy" behavior. I'm assuming it's the Green Day song "Nice Guys Finish Last" which literally has the line "don't pat yourself on the back, you might break your spine" talking about the constant need for attention and praise.

TheHawk

36w↑5

That song was made to make fun of nice guys. It's pretty funny lol.

Zuany P.M.

1y↑71

I think I’ve just been friendzoned and I’m feeling pretty bad about it, so thank you guys for this video. Believe it or not I come back to this video pretty frequently for some reason, but now I needed it to come back to a good perspective-taking place. Thank you for your channel, your videos help a lot

Tommy Bare

1y↑12

Dude I’m in the same boat, I see some of myself in Hal and this video helped me a little bit figure out how I can be a better person. But yeah dude, this video is great

Kay Haven

33w↑1

You’re not a bad person for feeling this way or being put in a friend zone. You only become a bad person when you don’t try to learn from it. Feelings are fine to have but should not be used as a weapon.

Tobias Lawrence

2y↑7K

Hal is the definition of "what if you gave a rejected incel superpowers?"

Korra the Australian Shepherd

2y↑274

This deserves to be pinned!

Tobias Lawrence

2y↑31

@Korra the Australian Shepherd "pinned"?

Astraea's Archive

2y↑282

@Tobias Lawrence Getting pinned is when the uploader 'pins' the comment, meaning that it's the first comment everyone will see when you enter the comment section of that video ^^

NotABot 8436

2y↑50

yes, that is the character description

Prinny Hayate

2y↑142

SUPER INCEL

57 More Replies...

Morgan

34w↑19

Ive seen a few comments about being "friendzoned" and i just wanted to say something. If you feel that being friends is a kind of punishment or consolation prize then you didnt actually like that person as a person, you desired them as a trophy. If cant enjoy being "just" friends with someone, youll never be in a happy relationship because you cant acknowledge the depth of personhood the other individual has.

Imagine being someone that has someone they feel close to, that they can trust and confide in, and who doesnt want anything but friendship from them. Only then to find out they were playing the role so they could 1)parade you around as a partner, like some trophy, 2) use you to fill an emotional hole regardless of who you actually are, or 3) use you for sexual gratification. Its dehumanizing and isolating. Finding out your closest friends only wanted you in their life so one day they could f*** you is soul destroying and i wish more men understood how that behavior affects others, women in particular.

The Baking Pomegranate

32w↑1

This. You put my exact thoughts into words, thank you!

I don't feel a lot of romantic attraction to others and believe platonic relationships are as important, if not more, than romantic ones.

There've been a couple instances where a friend I could casually speak with/confide in, who I had zero romantic interest in, would confess romantic attraction to me. Perhaps a miniscule part of me is flattered in some way, but that's completely overshadowed by the drop of my stomach and feelings of pure dread. What's worse is that I could somewhat tell they felt that way, but I purposefully ignored any subtle advances as a way to try and maintain the friendship with the person, because I still cared about them. I wanted to cling to the false hope of them truly wanting to simply be a good friend.

The idea of someone having romantic interest in you may sound nice, but in practice, if it's not someone you're attracted to in that way, it adds so much emotional baggage. I truly wish media put more emphasis on healthy platonic relationships, especially between men and women.

Malakai Stokes

1y↑70

Just wanted to thank you both for showing me signs of abuse and gaslighting, you both have really helped me understand things in a new light while keeping it fun and lighthearted, watching your show makes me feel safe and like the things I went through are normal and I’m not the only one, I appreciate you and all of the insight you’ve given me ❤

Sasha K

1y↑205

I have probably watched this video at least 7 times … I love your analysis. Thank you for all the videos you make.

Cinema Therapy

1y↑53

Thanks, glad you like them!

Aubrey Carter

1y↑3

Lol, glad I'm not the only one who watches this, along with other CT videos, repeatedly😂.

Leto617

1y↑2

@Aubrey Carter nope, not even close.

Sadness pile

46w↑12

One thing I noticed was that Roxanne was never scared around Megamind, because she knew he was only doing it to get a rise out of Metroman and he was never actually going to hurt her. But, with Hal, She was genuinely scared because she did not trust him.

Twilight Creates

33w↑5

You made this professional sound designer soo happy with your acknowledgment that we exist 💜💜 No one talks about sound design. 98% of the time, if sound is acknowledged, it’s about the music.
And some bonus info for your audience: Foley is usually just a portion of what sound design entails. I work on games so a bit different, but it’s usually a mix of any of these approaches: Foley, field recording, libraries (made from your own or others recordings) synthesizers and more. It’s usually a combination of these techniques that come together for each sound. Even a footstep recording will most likely have layers and processing added to it. It’s rare that we record and it’s done, though it may be different in film.

Veronika Majerova

2y↑18.2K

I like the theory that MetroMan chose to be a Music Man because music is something his powers can´t help him with. He has to learn how to play instruments on his own, just like any other human, and that challenge for him is refreshing.

Libby

2y↑1.9K

interesting that they brought up the good place as well, because michael an immortal being ends up taking guitar lessons after trying to master it for like 300 eternities

matheus Santhiago

2y↑630

that and the striking resemblance with elvis

Pisa Schitt

2y↑1.2K

That's literally what Metroman is talking about. He says he's good at everything except music but society forces him to be a superhero so he cant have a choice yet

AustynSN

2y↑512

Which is essentially one of the reasons given for Clark Kent becoming a writer.

Kielian

2y↑336

He also always had a passion for showmanship and spectacle.

40 More Replies...

TheForbiddenChode

38w↑11

I loved Hal’s character in the whole movie. I remember first watching this movie when I was 12 and I was in love with this entire movie. Hal’s character development is phenomenal and so realistic. I hate him as a person but as a character he’s just so REAL. But none can top Megamind. “Orlo” is still in my daily vocabulary.

Vengent Karma

1y↑97

Loved your vid as a recovering ex nice guy I complete agree with everything said here. Spent my whole life angry I kept getting overlooked for assholes and blamed everyone else but myself.
Took years to realise I brought nothing to the table, I had no career, confidence, ambition and I expected confident good looking women to want to take a chance on me when I had nothing to offer other than being a "nice guy" once I realised the error I was making I focused on myself got a decent career worked on my confidence and happiness before looking for someone now I'm happily married in a high paying career so year nice guys suck

Ok the bearded dude asking to be roasted sorry can't do so I look like one of those hillbillys from deliverance and I would jump at a chance to look like you plus your hair is so thick so be proud dude

WiFiDown

42w↑10

I'm so happy that Megamind is getting the love and appreciation that it was robbed of. such a work of genius and the love that was poured into every crevice of this movie is evident in said crevices. I have loved this movie ever since I was a kid and I still hold it dear to my heart

Colin Fox

1y↑55

When Megamind says to her "And I don't get the girl" - he wasn't saying that good guys DO get the girl, but he was certainly saying that bad guys DON'T. And while he did deceive her, he did go back and apologize and worked with her honestly to try to get metroman to deal with Hal. She got to see the real him during that part of their time together, and if she was willing to forgive him his bernard-deception and move on, I don't see a problem with that.

victor 117

31w↑5

Megamind is a story about facades. Megamind created his evil persona as a way to push people away to hide how vulnerable he really is, whereas Hal created his nice guy persona to camouflage how despicable he is in an attempt to lure people closer.

hpdanfan14

2y↑7.3K

One moment that absolutely terrifies me, is at the end of the scene where Hal is “rejected”, not only does he fly off in a whiny tantrum-y way, but he LEAVES Roxanne on the top of that skyscraper. Not on the roof of a tall building where she can get down - on a spire where she’s left completely stranded. I thought that was a good, subtle, and completely chilling example of how deeply selfish “nice guys” are.

MTibbs89

2y↑614

I always wondered how she got down.

Rebekah King

2y↑534

That moment always scared me! Like, seriously, how did she get down???

Aegix Drakan

2y↑417

Yeah that scene threw me too. Like, I legit said to my then girlfriend "Wait...Did he just.....How did she get DOWN?! :o "

Tosin Akin

2y↑556

Exactly! That was my first thought when I saw that scene. Like, how is she supposed to get down from there? It really just shows you that he doesn't actually care about her or view her as a real, valuable person. She only has value and is deserving of respect, care, and assistance when she fits into whatever mold he's envisioned. That's the most terrifying type of partner.

Kit B

2y↑335

@MTibbs89 I rewatched it recently, and I thought I saw a ladder attached to the side as a maintenance thing

127 More Replies...

The Jade

1y↑23

Watching this channel, has honestly changed me as a person. The moral differences between goodness and niceness truly saved my life in some parts. While I am cautious, I am now so thoughtful because of you guys. ❤ Thank you so much. ❤❤

Cinema Therapy

1y↑5

That's so great to hear. Thank you for watching!

The Jade

@Cinema Therapy Omg.. I love you guys so much. Commenting on these videos with us.. You guys are truly great and no, thank you for the advice. I was in a part of my life where I was just being a shitty person, in general. I found your videos while I was drinking Malibu at home. Truly, you guys are the best ❤

1 More Replies...

Lex Taro

39w↑10

Something I always found interesting is that Hal says that he knows everything about Roxanne, but then when he gets her flowers, he says "I didn't know what kind you like, so I just got all of them." It shows that even though he was basically obsessed with her, he never took the time to actually get to know her.

Liquid's_ Death

1y↑20

Only nine minutes in and I've learned so much from you guys. Definitely a new subscriber.

Cinema Therapy

1y↑5

Welcome aboard! Thanks for watching!

Andrew Palla

1y↑20

This is the first time I’m seeing a Cinema Therapy video but so far it’s really good. I think to a certain extent, all boys are socialized to see love and affection in this transactional way and many of them mature out of it but some never do. It’s up to you fellas, to recognize your guy friend’s morally questionable behaviour and confront it head on. Don’t let them wallow in their self-entitlement.

Greywolf757

There has to be some transaction in relationships or else you will just be taken advantage of. If you are helping others and they aren't helping you back, then that's a toxic relationship.

The Firebird

1y↑13

I wanted to point out something else: if you feel disappointed about not getting what you wanted does not mean you are not good. Giving a christmas gift and not getting one in return can be disappointing, but it turns into a nice guy situation when you turn it into something bigger than it is

Fountain

1y↑3

Its true, its the same scope as people saying “if you expect thanks in return for doing something good, you’re still not a true altruist.” Its like, yes, and? That doesnt make the inverse true, that you’re being selfish. Pursuit of niceness for its own sake is good, good people will try, great people just do. Nice people can still expect reciprocity because its in our own interests and thats natural.

Emily Divis

2y↑6.9K

I think part of what makes Hal such a brilliant portrayal of the "nice guy" problem is how Megamind behaves in contrast. He pays attention to Roxanne and tries to make her happy. Her, specifically, as an individual. For example, he cleans up the whole city because he notices how sad she is to see the park covered in litter.

By contrast, Hal doesn't try to get to know Roxanne. He sees her as a girl he likes and that's all. "I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked, so I got you all of them." "Girls don't like bouncy houses, they like clowns!" Et cetera. Roxanne could have been literally any woman he thought was attractive and he would have behaved exactly the same way.

At the end of the day, Megamind sees Roxanne as an individual and develops an honest connection to her, while Hal fails to see Roxanne as a person - so not only does he not try to understand her, but he is completely flabbergasted when she doesn't react positively to the reveal that he's got superpowers. For someone who has known her for years, you'd think Hal would understand her basic personality.

cooki3monstr

2y↑236

So well said!

Anime_simp_9000

2y↑173

Yea you just articulated my exact thoughts

Eternalvibe

2y↑397

He basically thinks it's his lack of powers that are what's keeping himself from her. He gets them, and then starts to believe he is owed her because he has them, and also that he is a "nice" guy.

face fucker

2y↑53

Well said amazing 🙌🙌

Cherie Kalel

2y↑72

Hal seems like a narcissist.

165 More Replies...

Bryant Bautista

51w↑8

This was an incredibly eye-opening, enlightening video. As somebody who's been a "nice guy" for years, I never thought of it like that. The whole concept of "Nice is not the same as good, nice is when you expect something and get mad when you don't get it, good is when you give with no expectation simply because you want to". Definitely learned a lot from this video!

Hello

1y↑11

Roxanne was tied up over a pool of alligators in front of a flame thrower and saws and lasers and machine guns and didn't bat an eye because she knew megamind wouldn't hurt her, but she was scared for her life when Hal showed up. Technically she was in more danger in the beginning but only felt true fear with Hal

Abe Meyers

1y↑18

Honestly the conversation between Hal and roxy where he asks her out kinda is literally my worst nightmare when talking to women that it’ll come out the way it did with Hal

wadenotdead

42w↑5

Screenwriters often play into this thing where traumatic moments create increased time dilation. Like when you’re in an intense situation, time seems longer. So the ending makes more sense because the entire time Megamind was battling Titan while saving Roxanne’s life, Roxanne was able to connect with Megamind on a deeper level and feel like she’s had the time to accept who he is.

Nathan Burghardt

50w↑11

I would just like to say that as a 17 year old kid , watching your guys videos is so awesome for me because even though you guys dont know me, you guys are like role models to me. you guys give so much good advice.

Statikk Sheev

2y↑5.2K

What's so interesting to me as well that I didn't notice until this video, Roxanne isn't really scared of someone until Hal tries to "rescue" her a few times. The whole first half of the film she was so calm and collected around Megamind, but when hal becomes Titan she's genuinely terrified.

Salpertia Ouavou

2y↑351

Of course she would be, she knew he was into her and as far as I remember she never directly told him the hell off directly.

Of course I'm not blaming her for this, that's her partner and she decided for one reason or another to not do so.

But even a moron can tell which people that get power would become absolute monsters

MsLilly200

2y↑406

@Salpertia Ouavou Because even before he got superpowers he was bigger and stronger than her (like, she's a little taller, but Roxanne is skinny af). And she's probably seen how he reacts to anger, what with working together for years.
Notice how uncomfortable she gets when he's trying to convince her on a date in the beginning, and she's trying to let him down gently but he just refuses to understand the word no.

Choshako

2y↑307

@Salpertia Ouavou She shouldn't have had to directly tell him this. Her body language, facial expressions, and clear lack of interest in him should have tipped him off that his attraction was one-sided, but Hal either refused to see this or he can't read nonverbal cues. Neither of those are Roxanne's fault.

YouthRightsRadical

2y↑120

@Choshako We can call Hal a monster without resorting to tarring people who have legitimate difficulty reading nonverbal cues. People with difficulty reading nonverbal cues know they have difficulty reading nonverbal cues and don't flip the fuck out when someone finally directly tells them they've been reading the situation wrong. They listen and are generally grateful for the clarification. They might be hurt or embarrassed, but not being able to read cues well isn't the same thing as entitlement.

And what Hal was was pretty classic entitlement. It's spelled out pretty clearly with "space dad" telling him that if he rescues her she'll be his. That sets up the entitlement. That clarifies the terms he's thinking of the situation in. Honestly, if I'm going to blame Megamind for one thing, it would be giving Hal that bit of advice, because that is really, really wrong. It's mostly down to him believing all the hero villain tropes too much, but it's probably the most destructive manifestation of him buying into that social construct.

zoomer296

2y↑51

@MsLilly200 "And she's probably seen how he reacts to anger..."
Also in the beginning. 7:06.

21 More Replies...

Catalin-Rares

1y↑78

the reason that there isn't a lot of work for their relationship is perhaps because she understands why he lied, to some degree at least. Also their feelings are mutual, she knows he likes her and that he is now genuinely and openly good.
Holding the past lies above the relationship as constant reminder becomes a power move to hold the reigns of the relationship, constantly reminding your partner of their mistakes in the past is not you being a good partner, it's you trying to guilt them into submitting to your control. It's a way to remind them that "I am the better part of the relationship because you lied and I didn't" and then make them feel guilty and adjust their behviour to your liking.
She said that she judges people by their actions, and his actions helped her forgive him.

Mister Foxxo

31w↑2

One thing I like about Tighten was that after he got powers but the girl still rejects him, he quits on her and immediately want to just commit crimes. Even wanted to team up with Megamind and go on a crime spree.

QuirkyHunter

1y↑34

I had a friend who was entitled and acted like we where a couple when we never were he got jealous and aggressive when I talked or hung out with other men, he acted offended and said I cheated on him when I was in pictures with others

Hockey Girl#12

33w↑1

This actually helps me so much! I was talking to a guy who was a really nice guy but definitely had this. I always had a weird feeling about it and I didn’t love him back and I felt so guilty.

IDon'tHaveAName

38w↑3

I watched Megamind recently and here are two things I noticed:

1. Before Roxanne finds out that Hal has powers now she says that people with powers were never her type. They were never going to be together in the first place.

2. When Hal states that Roxanne is supposed to love her, she attempt to tell him that they need to find out how he got these powers. He doesn't care how he got powers, he just likes the fact he HAS powers.

IceLaza

1y↑7.2K

I love the detail that Hal says "I know everything about you" but then immediately after says that he doesn't know what Roxannes favourite type of flower is. Just a cool little detail right there.

Luxter

1y↑279

It's like youtubers. People always watch their videos and says that they know this youtubers. But, no? This is only a fraction of his live, one that he shows the public because he feels he can want to share it. At the end you know nothing until that person let you know it.

Emo Rizz

1y↑15

das what i said XD
(no but fr i didn't even see your comment till after i said it too lol)

Dudewhatthewhat

1y↑80

“I know everything about you! Expect maybe 99% but it’s still something”
Why does the conversation feel so realistic

Ray F

51w↑43

It's the arrogance of Hal being better at something than he is. I have watched you, worked for you, bought things for you and look at all my effort!

Emma

50w↑25

@Luxter parasocial relationships are wack

7 More Replies...

Michael Corbalis

30w

I think that it's really important to recognize that our three main male characters have some common roles they adopt. Your guy's experience of being Nice Guys™️ is a lot like mine. I dont really think I "deserve" anyone's affection but I do also feel pretty pissed sometimes that it's like... why am I not getting ANY affection. Its a tough thing to grow out of, and Im glad to watch you two cause it's a reminder that I can grow out of it no matter how long it takes lol

Fathom Tuns

1y↑82

I actually thought they did Megamind and Roxane's reconciliation well enough, at least with the time they had in a single feature. He apologized, and while he needed her help, the apology was genuine. He never pressured her after her rejection, and referred to her as "the smartest person I know", clearly indicating he values her mind (maybe sapiosexual himself). Then, they didn't immediately reconcile, but worked together to search for Metroman. They really work as a unit, and I feel those scenes were Roxane meeting the real Megamind, true and blue. Maybe seeing that he wasn't lying about the content of his character was all she needed to forgive him for the lie about his circumstances.

zOOpygOOpert

1y↑3

Question: what's the best way to go about looking out for toxic traits in ourselves and trying to be the best for our friends?
I feel like one factor is just acknowledging mistakes and that we can make them.

KJ

38w↑2

What I love most about you both doing this is you answer so many questions I’ve had about myself and others that I didn’t understand. Thank you! And also for being pretty all the time while helping us 😇

Moonbeam Sun

2y↑3.3K

Megamind is the perfect example for a film too ahead of it’s time. It got forgotten pretty quick when it came out, now it’s been hailed and beloved so much that it’s getting a TV show.

Mia Sinbela

2y↑208

Wait what the fuck?!

Local Scissors

2y↑154

It’s getting a series?? Shoot, it’s probably gonna be exclusive to the dreamworks streaming service right

Lunamaria Miraestels

2y↑67

Excuse me tv show??? :O

frog

2y↑317

My guy just share some sacred information and just dipped without further explanation.

Cyber-Streak

2y↑33

Really??

30 More Replies...

hhairball9

36w↑1

I love listening to the two of you! Every video has surprises inside! I even will watch you talk about movies I have not even the tiniest interest in, just to hear you break it down.

AndroidHeaven

38w

This was the last movie I watched with my dad before he died. I always thought about how fitting it was. He wasn't exactly nice all my life but in the end he had a good heart.

bombomos

1y↑3

As someone who definitely has "Nice Guy" tendencies it use to be an everyday struggle to keep in my anger, jealousy, and paranoia. But then I got into an actual healthy relationship built on trust. It's so much easier to live trusting your partner rather than constantly thinking she's sleeping with someone if she's having a drink with co workers at the end of a shift. Being able to trust someone helps you change into a better person. And it feels good.

Your Pal Bryan

50w↑4

This was me. I realised it too late, but i was just like Hal. If i got rejected, it wasnt my arrogance or temper, i was too skinny or not handsome enough or they just arbitrarily like the bad boys. When i watched the movie i related to Hal, and then when he became Titan i really related to him. That was a wild wakeup, and now i workout for myself and also because golden age bodybuilders are a whole role model

First Name Last Name

1y↑152

"...And there is no queen of england."

that aged well

Worm on a String

2y↑6.4K

I really like the way the scene where Hal "rescues" Roxanne is animated. Even when she is actually in his arms, she is just flopping around, and he is doing things like holding her up by her arm (which would be pretty painful). He is literally treating her like an object.

EliseIsHere

2y↑73

Gaw dam

Piie

2y↑7

voltinator

2y↑3

Girl you're just hating on Hal because his face isn't manly. Imagine the same scene except it was the superhero guy with the good jaw from the beginning doing it. It would be a romantic comedy if superhero guy did that.

176 More Replies...

Half cooked chip on weed

43w↑2

It’s really entertaining and wholesome how secure and confident you guys are with your masculinity, how you two are making fun of ‘nice guys’, yourselves, yet also are complimenting each other and having some dumb fun.

DefectiveDetective

1y↑2

I needed this episode to continue my self-reflection. I was pained a few times and it made me stop and think about actions and thoughts I've had. Doing a hard look at myself to become better is painful, but required for growth. Thanks, guys

Panda XIII

51w↑3

When watching the movie it hit me bad when I found out my ex was definitely a "nice guy" just from how Hal acted. It was nearly 1 to 1 how he acted essentially during the fight, saying no? Didnt exist and it ended in so many fights. When I ended that relationship it definitely opened my eyes to the whole "nice" guy everything.

SilkieKitchen

39w↑1

I remember watching this a year ago and when they said "Things always come out," I was like "Yeah, maybe for other people." Well, they were right. Things always come out. Luckily it was for the better and we're stronger for it. Honestly, I wish truth had come to light sooner so that I wouldn't have spent all that time worrying and stressing. More often than not, hiding things from your partner doesn't allow them to prove to you that they're worthy of your trust. It also doesn't allow you to know you're worthy of loving anyway, and this one thing isn't all of who you are.

FeministCatwoman

31w

11:35 was literally my reaction to being hugged for the first time as a kid in grade school lol
I'm so happy you talked about aromantic and asexual people!! I feel so seen! :)

saif sufian

2y↑11.2K

A detail I love is that when Megamind captures Roxane she really doesn’t care and is calm because she knows that Megamind won’t hurt her, but when Titan captures her she is terrified because Titan will actually kill her

DarkFallen001

2y↑1.1K

Yeah, his reason for capturing her makes her more a close-up audience to the shenanigans he pulls with Minion against Metroman than an actual bargaining chip. He has no deliberate need to hurt her, though he does try to make her SCARED of the danger, not him.

WynneL

2y↑833

Exactly. It even shows their mindsets in a way--Titan tosses her around like a rag doll with no concern for her safety or terror; there's a creepy sense of "I could coerce her to touch me if she's afraid she'll fall to her death...😏" while Megamind puts her in a flying vehicle immediately. Care for her safety, and as minimal terror as possible. Because he values her as a person, and values her feelings, while Titan only values her as far as he can bully her into submission.

Pepper Finn

2y↑488

@DarkFallen001
And it's part of the game. Metroman won't bother with Megamind without a hostage and who better than the reporter who will put it on the news?

The traps etc are to give the illusion of danger FOR METROMAN, for him to treat this more urgently. They are all out of range to hurt her.

Even capturing her his concern is her safety (putting her into a safety car) because hurting her is not the plan. He has no desire to hurt her and they both know it. Hence why she snaps back at him because she feels safe enough to do it.

Ambrose Killpack

2y↑281

Megamind only captured her because he wanted to draw out metroman. He was putting on a facade which the public percieved as scary so that metroman would react. He just wanted another showdown with metroman, he wasn't actually looking to hurt anyone.

seigeengine

2y↑289

Basically Megamind is a good guy pretending to be a bad guy. Nothing he does in the movie is really directly harmful to anyone other then Metroman, and he didn't expect it to work in the first place.

In contrast, Metroman is an ordinary guy pretending to be a good guy. He fills the role, but he doesn't really feel the call to do good. He just wants to be left alone to live his life, mostly.

Then Titan is just a bad guy, and not a power-corrupts bad guy, he was bad from the beginning, but lacked the power to fully act on it.

Roxanne basically understands that Megamind isn't actually a threat. He's not going to kill her, or basically anyone else. Until she thinks he killed Metroman, it wasn't even serious.

64 More Replies...

David Lawrence

1y↑7

One little detail I love is that Roxanne starts off wearing Metroman's red, then starts wearing purple when she is dating 'Bernard', then at the end of the film she is wearing Megamind's blue.

Titanwhiskers

44w

I gotta say, I've rewatched this video so many times (not just because I love Megamind!), and I love watching and rewatching you guys' videos because it provides so much insight into common issues we encounter such as Nice Guy Syndrome. It gives me peace of mind and an avenue to learn. Cheers Alan and Jonathan!

David Lowden

38w↑1

It's been YEARS since I've seen this movie, and I totally forgot Jonah Hill voiced one of the primary characters. I was just going through your channel looking for the few uploads I haven't watched before, and found this one... ironically, and poignantly after all the skeletons of Jonah's closet were exposed by his ex recently. Life imitating art, or vise versa, I suppose.

Anyway, love your channel - even the older vids. I look forward to everything you guys do, and have even shed some tears along with you from time to time. Thanks for this channel. I only wish I could find a therapist like Jon, and could work in film like Alan. Alas, I will just have to make peace with being a useless slug who never gets therapized beyond CinemaTherapy. 🤣

tieflingklaus

I've been watching their videos for like a whole week and I honestly love them. It's everything, everything they say, what they say, how they say it, and the fact that Alan doesn't mind crying on camera helps a lot. To be honest, there have been a couple of videos that have really helped me understand myself, and Idk. I love you guys, and it's also sad because I would really love to meet you in person, even if it was just seeing you on the street. But, as a Hispanic viewer, the mere fact of watching your videos already makes me happy. <333

TheNova5

1y↑100

I’m surprised you didn’t bring up the fact he was harassing her. She didn’t verbally say no but her physical actions and tone are all screaming no and nice guy keeps going and increases his unwanted advances. That’s harassment

Greywolf757

1y↑2

He may have felt that if he kept talking, he could turn it around so she would want his advances. I don't think he was trying to harass her.

39TiredEyes

50w↑3

@Greywolf757 Even if you aren't trying to harass someone, you can end up harassing someone if you don't stop doing something they clearly don't want you to do.

1 More Replies...

Cheesecakecrush

2y↑16.1K

Notice when Titan is throwing her around while he's "rescuing" her she's actually screaming, and not once while Megamind is 'threatening' her to draw out Metroman.

SCP

2y↑3.2K

That and Roxanne is never actually in danger with Megamind nor feels to be in danger. With Titan... yeah, she feels very, VERY unsafe. :(

doll💛

2y↑1.9K

lmao roxanne always knows when megamind is just bullshitting

Dragons Tooth

2y↑1.5K

this is probably why she can forgive him at the end. after going through what she did with hal/titan she realizes that Megamind is actually not that bad deep down. Even when Hal was just a camera guy you can tell she felt, at the very least, uncomfortable around him. When he became titan she then really felt unsafe. When she compares that with megamind she realizes that she can trust him. I dunno thinking about this too much lol

Jane

2y↑891

@Dragons Tooth I actually disagree. I'm certain that she always knew he wasn't actually that bad of a guy, just kinda a criminal. She was never afraid of him, because she always knew that he didn't like hurting people, so he wouldn't hurt her. She didn't like him at that point because he chose to be a pariah and to wallow in misery. I think she was able to forgive his lie more because she knew that he had always been wearing somebody elses face. More because of a long time understanding of who he was than because of anything to do with Hal.
It needed maybe another ten minutes or so to flesh out the process of her moving on from his lie and him earning her trust, but everything they needed for that moment was in it from the very first moment they met, long before the events of the movie, it was already part of their characters and their chemistry.

SuperFan MusicMaker

2y↑634

Hal was clearly trying to replicate the iconic romantic flight scene from Richard Donner’s Superman movie.

But while Clark was always considerate of Lois and absolutely assured that she wouldn’t be in any danger, Hal pretty much abducts Roxanne with no consent or warning, and takes her on a joyride where she’s clearly fucking terrified.

28 More Replies...

SeamanMachine

1y↑43

one detail about this movie, If you notice Roxannes dress it goes from red: hating magamind, to purple: warming up to him and finally to blue when she's in love with him

Rozaline Engtore

39w↑1

I know this is an older video, but it spoke to me. I love this movie and your takes on it were amazing. Also sorry for the long message lmao

People are so used to niceness that when someone is good for them, they get confused or suspicious. I love giving small gifts or doing simple favors to my friends, because it makes them happy or helps their everyday life. I don't need or want anything back from it, all that is important to me in that moment, is to know someone is happy. ALL my friends I've had in my 30 year old life have been confused by this. "I don't have anything to give back to you" you don't have to, I just wanted to make you happy for a moment. "why?" ...why not?
It was weird to me that everyone around me were weirded out by this and I started to think if I was doing something wrong. I was raised to be good to people, because that is right. The moment when I realized this was not the norm with everyone around me, was when this girl in my class said "sorry, I won't invite you to my birthday party, because you never come" and sure I was introverted and I never actually attended, but I just responded with "sure, no problem, I'll just give you a present at school then". The looks I got were so weirded out. Giving a present to someone without being invited? I understood I was the "weird kid" for not wanting something back for my present, like cake and candy at the party.
I've learned thoughout these years that you CAN be good to everyone, but finding the balance in to who and how much, is not so easy. People also take advantage of good people a lot and take your kindness for granted.

Jadedbydefault

1y↑2

At 32:00, I think they made the right choice. They had the scene earlier where she points out all of the cliches, so she is basically seeing that he successfully reached the resolution of his character arc and knows that he is reformed. She strikes me as more of an 'intuition'-driven women and has already gotten the prerequisite "good-vibes" from him before, fake backstory and other lies notwithstanding, I can still imagine her being able to assess him based on the ways in which he has reacted to things in front of her as well as his reactions to things in general. Keep in mind that we are talking about a woman who lives in a world of superheroes and supervillians, so, her perspective will most assuredly be unique when compared to our own.

Kol Boi

50w↑2

When the film first came out, I was too young to really grasp the idea of the "nice Vs good" theme being made and then, when I was in my early - mid teens, I ended up falling down that same "Nice Guy" line of thinking and actually found myself being more defensive of Hal in this movie (I could still recognise he was unequivocally a villain and bad guy by the end but would defend his actions prior to becoming Titan)

Luckily, I snapped out of it later in my teens but it's scary to think how you could end up justifying some of things he was doing if you're in that same frame of mind, even if it's only a little bit.

spidey_ things

1y↑2

Megamind has been one of my favorite movies since childhood. I have always known that Hal was disturbed in some way, but I never addressed it to "nice guy" syndrome. Now that I've been shown what he is, it makes so much sense, and I've been able to trace it to real "nice guys" I've had to deal with.

Cyber Runner

2y↑2.9K

Honestly just shows how well this movie was written. Being "nice" doesn't always mean you're a "hero", and being "bad" doesn't mean you're automatically a "villain". This movie showed this perfectly.

diana carinao

2y↑60

Ah, yes...expanding the moral spectrum in a healthy way. I just love this movie :3

User Name

2y↑10

good comment but L profile pic

Yhamil Garcia Montiel

2y↑11

To be honest, I am tired off people trying to be nice just for getting a girl.

Now I cannot be nice (Which I am because of modals) because people may think other things...

This is why I love the move.

Antoine Hicks

2y↑3

No actually it doesn’t. Make it mine created Hal the way he was. It made him I had given him powers he would not have run amok. It is because of what Megamind did that Hal ran amok he gave him powers to a guy who was already emotionally disturbed plus he lied to him. You can’t expect a good outcome if you give a person who is being bully the same powers as superman, that person is going to use his powers get back as bullies but without training a self control that person is going to hurt his would be bullies. This is the case of Hal, while he wasn’t bullied he was a very depressed person who felt he was being used and his powers weren’t given exactly what he wanted. He became unhappy very quickly.

Cyber Runner

2y↑6

@User Name ..bruh.

15 More Replies...

Madison S

44w↑1

This was an awesome video! I really loved the explanations of asexual and aromantic! It's awesome to see representation.

RandomPhail

41w

Did not think I'd be getting a therapy session out of this. Thanks, guys

Jordan Vezzani

This one hit home. For the longest time, I wasn’t aware of the difference between love and trust, so if I cared about someone, I would instantly trust them. This, as you’d guess, was not a healthy formula to live by. And watching this video has helped me connect the dots on why I was so miserable socially in my high school days. Still working on plenty of baggage but I’m thankful to see this video to get clarity on having a healthier mindset so I can be more like the person I want to be. Thanks guys!

Official_CommanderHale

40w↑2

Tor Nordmark

39w

My favorite interpretation of this comes from Discworld with the witches, especially the witch Granny Weatherwax
A less nice person is hard to find, but she is definitely Good. She will help people no matter what and give people the justice and mercy they deserve, no matter what.

She is the archetypical "Good does not necessarily mean Nice."

Haley Russom

2y↑1.4K

I love how Roxanne is just rolling her eyes and sarcastic to Megamind. I like to think that she doesn’t believe he’d ever actually hurt her, it feels like she’s just comfortable. Later in the movie shes trying to talk herself out and actually seems afraid with Titan. Now that could be seen as there’s a for sure hero coming with Megamind and no one with Titan, but I like to think she just knows she’s safe with Megamind

Aegix Drakan

2y↑134

Yeah, I get the feeling that after a decade or so of being kidnapped by Megamind, she knows by now "Hurting people isn't Megamind's MO, I'm safe".

Here and Genderqueer.

2y↑85

With all the times he's captured her she knows it's just a dance of pageantry, she's smart enough to see that the "weapons" are far enough away to not actually hurt her.

ALJ 9000

2y↑1

@Here and Genderqueer. What about the Gatling gun?

Here and Genderqueer.

2y↑24

@ALJ 9000 like he'd really let her come to harm. Even when he was using her as bait. He wasn't intent on killing, he didn't even want to kill Metroman.

Queen of Yasrabien

2y↑12

i kinda feel like megamind and roxanne even had fun during the whole "kidnapping" situations

1 More Replies...

Keul

1y↑4

To your point about Aromantic vs Asexual in the context of r/Niceguys (or Nice Guys tm), I remember one person in high school that I had a big crush on. We hung out a bunch, loved being around them, loved spending time with them, the whole nine. So I naturally asked her out twice (of course I did, I was an idiot), once in junior year, and the other in senior year. The second time I asked her out, she said that she thought she was Aromantic. I had absolutely no idea what that meant and I don't exactly remember what I said, but I had probably very bluntly questioned what she was talking about. This was probably the tail end of my "nice guy phase", as I figured that I was a nice enough of a guy, was a decent person to be around, and I genuinely liked these people, so I should ask them out. Of course, I hadn't realized that I had internalized the message that BECAUSE I was nice therefore they would naturally say yes. Not sure if this qualifies to that level, or if it's on the cusp of this sort of behavior, but I still cringe just thinking about it today. Even now, I had questioned whether or not I was Asexual because I didn't really think of people in the sexual sense, in that I wanted to sleep with them, but to the end of "I'm not sure if I actually want this from people". Then I realized that not thinking about wanting to do that with others is actually entirely normal, and what I was experiencing was that tonal shift from "I think that this will happen and it'll just happen when I ask for it" to "It will happen when it'll happen". Like the entire shift went from the brink of niceguy syndrome to "you know what? let's just be friends with people and let things naturally progress", and I'm glad I made that shift over time.

DotNickCore

32w↑5

Me when i was younger: "I feel so sorry for Hal, I understand why he became a villain"

Me today: "Hal was always a bad person, his superpowers only amplified his crappy behavior towards Roxanne and everyone around him"

Quantum Videos Cz

30w↑1

It is worth asking, though: HOW did he become a bad person? I mean, he definitely wasn't just born evil, no one is, so how did this happen? How did Hal become an incel?

Sky

30w

@Quantum Videos Cz I can definitely see where it came from, honestly. Social norms are this really weird dance that doesn't make much of any sense sometimes, and so some people (like myself sometimes, unfortunately) try to figure them out using logic. But people don't always follow the norms, and you can't expect them to- that's where Hal went wrong. He, and people like him, try and memorize the patterns of what makes people do certain things, and they get mad when that doesn't work- it should've followed the pattern; why didn't it?
Mind you, I'm not saying that's a valid way of doing things. Don't look at people as parts of some machine; they're just not. They have their own emotions and wants, and that's what that viewpoint forgets.