--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was an underdog. That’s why the movie…" description: "\"“He was an underdog. That’s why the movie worked. It’s hard to feel sorry for Stallone or Schwarzenegger, which is why they have to work so hard to hav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/brian-abrams-48490_quote_he-was-an-underdog-that-s-why-the-movie_1042091.jpg" --- # He was an underdog. That’s why the movie worked. It’s hard… ![“He was an underdog. That’s why the movie worked. It’s hard to feel sorry for Stallone or Schwarzenegger, which is why they have to work so hard to have 95 guys attack them at once or try to find seven-foot wrestlers to fight them.” quote by Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/brian-abrams-48490_quote_he-was-an-underdog-that-s-why-the-movie_1042091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/brian-abrams-48490_quote_he-was-an-underdog-that-s-why-the-movie_1042091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/brian-abrams-48490_quote_he-was-an-underdog-that-s-why-the-movie_1042091.jpg) > ““He was an underdog. That’s why the movie worked. It’s hard to feel sorry for Stallone or Schwarzenegger, which is why they have to work so hard to have 95 guys attack them at once or try to find seven-foot wrestlers to fight them.”” [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on the appeal of underdog stories in movies, noting that audiences need a clear antagonist to empathize with protagonists like Stallone or Schwarzenegger. **In simple terms:** Underdog movies need strong opponents to engage viewers. Key Takeaway Craft narratives where protagonists face formidable challenges. Themes film storytelling culture Mood entertaining insightful Type cinematic motivational When to use this quote - screenwriting - film analysis - character development workshops - movie reviews Key Concepts hero archetype conflict audience empathy Questions to Reflect On - What makes an underdog story compelling? - How do villains shape hero journeys? A Different Perspective May oversimplify audience preferences and ignore nuanced storytelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Movie Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie-worked-1496864/) [Schwarzenegger Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schwarzenegger-work-2441601/) [Sorry Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry-stallone-2441600/) [Underdog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underdog/) [Underdog Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underdog-movie-2441599/) ## Related quotes > ['Dierdre And Laney Rob A Train' is sort of an underdog movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-murray/dierdre-and-laney-rob-a-train-is-sort-of-an-underdog-movie/) [Ashleigh Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-murray/) > [We mapped out the whole movie, and then worked backwards from that to do these shows. It might not be a movie. It might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-hurwitz/we-mapped-out-the-whole-movie-and-then-worked-backwards-from-that-to/) [Mitchell Hurwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-hurwitz/) > [My first film was a movie shot in 1974. I was 18 on that movie set. It was called 'Big Bad Mama.' I turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-paxton/my-first-film-was-a-movie-shot-in-1974-i-was-18-on-that-movie-set-it/) [Bill Paxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-paxton/) > [ It was nerve-wracking \[to unleash 'Life of Pi' to the world\]. The first show to the journalists, that was the first one, so I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/it-was-nerve-wracking-to-unleash-life-of-pi-to-the-world-the-first/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [Big Fish was the first movie that we worked on together, and I had already written it. We had another director, but that director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-august/big-fish-was-the-first-movie-that-we-worked-on-together-and-i-had/) [John August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-august/) > [There is only one act of violence in 'The Strangers' and it comes at the very, very end... the movie could have worked just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-flanagan/there-is-only-one-act-of-violence-in-the-strangers-and-it-comes-at/) [Mike Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-flanagan/) > [I think my favorite role was playing Sarah Baker in 'Cheaper by the Dozen 1.' It was my first movie, and I worked with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/i-think-my-favorite-role-was-playing-sarah-baker-in-cheaper-by-the/) [Alyson Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-stoner/) > [I think one of the mistakes that people historically have made in Hollywood, and there are countless examples of this, is making the assumption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hutch-parker/i-think-one-of-the-mistakes-that-people-historically-have-made-in/) [Hutch Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hutch-parker/) > [Everybody was cratered after Copenhagen. If the movie had worked the way that it should have, if it had been scripted by Holywood, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/everybody-was-cratered-after-copenhagen-if-the-movie-had-worked-the/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [The first movie I worked was called 'The Spirit of St. Louis.' It was the story of Charles Lindberg's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-needham/the-first-movie-i-worked-was-called-the-spirit-of-st-louis-it-was-the/) [Hal Needham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-needham/) > [I've always felt like a little bit of an underdog at each level - never the tallest or strongest or even fastest. But one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-smart/i-ve-always-felt-like-a-little-bit-of-an-underdog-at-each-level-never/) [Marcus Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-smart/) > [Spiderman is the underdog, and I love underdogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-shroff/spiderman-is-the-underdog-and-i-love-underdogs/) [Tiger Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-shroff/) > [Mourinho is almost at his best when he is the underdog like you saw initially when he was at Porto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/mourinho-is-almost-at-his-best-when-he-is-the-underdog-like-you-saw/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [The lunatic fringe wags the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-lunatic-fringe-wags-the-underdog/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by Brian Abrams > [“I didn’t get along with John McTiernan. He started rejecting people because of their eyebrows. So I went to Joel and said, “I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/i-didn-t-get-along-with-john-mctiernan-he-started-rejecting-people/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [“I thought, “Oh my God this is fantastic,” and I remember calling him and going, “Oh my God, Bruce, you did it. You made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/i-thought-oh-my-god-this-is-fantastic-and-i-remember-calling-him-and/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [“It changed from a seventies movie to an eighties movie. In the seventies, action movies were all full of moral ambiguity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/it-changed-from-a-seventies-movie-to-an-eighties-movie-in-the/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [“The entire incident might have been avoided had Willis more carefully selected the tracks in his blaring music playlist. “Sometimes it’s Diana Ross, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/the-entire-incident-might-have-been-avoided-had-willis-more-carefully/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [“There’s no fun in this. No one feels good about it. There’s no way you can convince someone to get a babysitter for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/there-s-no-fun-in-this-no-one-feels-good-about-it-there-s-no-way-you/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [“At first the buzzword was “adventure.” Then it was “a disaster movie” because the building blows up. Then it was a cop show. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/at-first-the-buzzword-was-adventure-then-it-was-a-disaster-movie/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) > [ “ROBERT DAVI They tried to get me in Die Hard 2 with \[director\] Renny Harlin. Joel would say, “C’mon, put ’im in there.” Then… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-abrams/robert-davi-they-tried-to-get-me-in-die-hard-2-with-director-renny/) [Brian Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) [Explore all 8 Brian Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-abrams/) ## More Underdog quotes > [The lunatic fringe wags the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-lunatic-fringe-wags-the-underdog/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [Mourinho is almost at his best when he is the underdog like you saw initially when he was at Porto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/mourinho-is-almost-at-his-best-when-he-is-the-underdog-like-you-saw/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [Spiderman is the underdog, and I love underdogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-shroff/spiderman-is-the-underdog-and-i-love-underdogs/) [Tiger Shroff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-shroff/) > [I've always felt like a little bit of an underdog at each level - never the tallest or strongest or even fastest. But one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-smart/i-ve-always-felt-like-a-little-bit-of-an-underdog-at-each-level-never/) [Marcus Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-smart/) > [I'm a champion of the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demond-wilson/i-m-a-champion-of-the-underdog/) [Demond Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demond-wilson/) > [I am the epitome of the underdog. By societies standards I should have been dead a long time ago, and I was nobody's gangster,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/i-am-the-epitome-of-the-underdog-by-societies-standards-i-should-have/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [I've been an underdog all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/i-ve-been-an-underdog-all-my-life/) [Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/) > [I have been an underdog my whole life, both in life and in politics. We're going to do well. We're going to pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/i-have-been-an-underdog-my-whole-life-both-in-life-and-in-politics-we/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) [V. R. Krishna Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-r-krishna-iyer/) > [I was an underdog my whole career, but I knew I had the ability to compete with those guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-douglas/i-was-an-underdog-my-whole-career-but-i-knew-i-had-the-ability-to/) [Buster Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-douglas/) > [I love an underdog. No, I don't necessarily mean the cartoon. I mean like David, as in Goliath, or the Bears, as in The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/i-love-an-underdog-no-i-don-t-necessarily-mean-the-cartoon-i-mean/) [Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/) > [Consciousness-one level is understanding where we are in space. Consciousness two is where we understand our position in society: who's top dog, who's underdog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/consciousness-one-level-is-understanding-where-we-are-in-space/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I grew up on the lake and spent most of that time outdoors. As a musician, I travel widely around the country and talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-grew-up-on-the-lake-and-spent-most-of-that-time-outdoors-as-a/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [The oddsmakers can have me as an underdog. I've been an underdog my whole life, and I've been proving them wrong my whole life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-plant/the-oddsmakers-can-have-me-as-an-underdog-i-ve-been-an-underdog-my/) [Caleb Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-plant/) [Browse all 480 Underdog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underdog/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He was an underdog. That’s why the movie worked. 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