--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think films are about having a good…" description: "\"I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg" --- # I think films are about having a good time, so I don't… ![“I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun of a film or the emotion of a film is what the audience feels.” quote by Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg) > “I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun of a film or the emotion of a film is what the audience feels.” [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Films are primarily entertainment; meaning is imposed by critics, while audiences experience emotion. **In simple terms:** Movies are for fun; meaning comes from viewers, not creators. Key Takeaway Enjoy films and form your own interpretations. Themes entertainment film theory audience perception criticism Mood lighthearted reflective Type philosophical conversational When to use this quote - movie night with friends - film study class - personal reflection after viewing - writing reviews Key Concepts subjectivity artistic intent emotional response Questions to Reflect On - How does your personal reaction differ from critical analysis? - Do you think a film’s purpose is to convey a message? A Different Perspective Critics can offer valuable insights that deepen appreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-feels-259084/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Critics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/critics/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-audience-307148/) [Film Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-emotion-2032782/) [Films Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films-having-2077343/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Good times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-times/) [Having a good time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-a-good-time/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Message Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message-film-1992603/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Simplicity is the strength of the film. It is an emotion-packed film with simple things knitted together beautifully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-dutta/simplicity-is-the-strength-of-the-film-it-is-an-emotion-packed-film/) [Lara Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-dutta/) > [If you make a great film full of emotion, of pathos, people want to continue to know more, to work harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-yates/if-you-make-a-great-film-full-of-emotion-of-pathos-people-want-to/) [Pamela Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-yates/) > [I'm used to my films having little effect on making the world a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-m-used-to-my-films-having-little-effect-on-making-the-world-a/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [I take up films only if I agree with the ultimate message the film conveys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shabana-azmi/i-take-up-films-only-if-i-agree-with-the-ultimate-message-the-film/) [Shabana Azmi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shabana-azmi/) > [A movie I must have seen 10 times is 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull.' It's an old movie, but still such a beautiful message. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-piccard/a-movie-i-must-have-seen-10-times-is-jonathan-livingston-seagull-it-s/) [Bertrand Piccard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-piccard/) > [In entertainment, if you have a message in a film, no one wants to be spoon-fed the message. No one wants to be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-fowler/in-entertainment-if-you-have-a-message-in-a-film-no-one-wants-to-be/) [Jermaine Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-fowler/) > [Having grown up watching my father direct films and having worked with him and my brother, I know how films are made, how shots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/having-grown-up-watching-my-father-direct-films-and-having-worked/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [I've so got my plate full with Resident Evil and then The Three Musketeers, I'm just not involved with Castlevania. I'm not personally involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/i-ve-so-got-my-plate-full-with-resident-evil-and-then-the-three/) [Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/) > [Making films is about having absolute and foolish confidence; the challenge for all of us is to have the heart of a poet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-nair/making-films-is-about-having-absolute-and-foolish-confidence-the/) [Mira Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-nair/) > [When it comes to films, people often don't differentiate between the message of a bad central character and the message of the film itself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/when-it-comes-to-films-people-often-don-t-differentiate-between-the/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [If the audience feels that we influence the youth, I want them to be inspired by some of the positive characters we play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-khan/if-the-audience-feels-that-we-influence-the-youth-i-want-them-to-be/) [Sara Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-khan/) > [As actors, we have to take characters, and we have to feel for them and ultimately become them, and share that on screen so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-butler/as-actors-we-have-to-take-characters-and-we-have-to-feel-for-them-and/) [Ross Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-butler/) > [There were times in my career ... when I felt like a trapeze artist doing dangerous somersaults without a net underneath. When you execute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-sills/there-were-times-in-my-career-when-i-felt-like-a-trapeze-artist-doing/) [Beverly Sills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-sills/) > [What makes a good festival, above all, is the audience. It feels disconnected when it's meant to bring in people from elsewhere and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/what-makes-a-good-festival-above-all-is-the-audience-it-feels/) [Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/) > [I love when people laugh. I love when they cry, I like a story to say something, and I hope the audience feels happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-mccarey/i-love-when-people-laugh-i-love-when-they-cry-i-like-a-story-to-say/) [Leo McCarey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-mccarey/) ## More by Steve Martin > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“It was easy to be great. Every entertainer has a night when everything is clicking. These nights are accidental and statistical: Like lucky cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/it-was-easy-to-be-great-every-entertainer-has-a-night-when-everything/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I like a woman with a head on her shoulders. I hate necks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-like-a-woman-with-a-head-on-her-shoulders-i-hate-necks/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“And after his unparsable response, including a passage where he said he was 'blurring the boundaries between a thing and thought,' she said, 'Thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/and-after-his-unparsable-response-including-a-passage-where-he-said/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I have no fear, no fear at all. I wake up, and I have no fear. I go to bed without fear. Fear, fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-have-no-fear-no-fear-at-all-i-wake-up-and-i-have-no-fear-i-go-to/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Be undeniably good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/be-undeniably-good/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [When I finally retire, I just want to go away so no one has to listen to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/when-i-finally-retire-i-just-want-to-go-away-so-no-one-has-to-listen/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [Only then does he realize what he has done to Mirabelle, how wanting a square inch of her and not all of her has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/only-then-does-he-realize-what-he-has-done-to-mirabelle-how-wanting-a/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“Lacey was just as happy alone as with company. When she was alone, she was potential; with others she was realized. Alone, she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/lacey-was-just-as-happy-alone-as-with-company-when-she-was-alone-she/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [At first I had no skills in writing comedy. I didn't know what a joke was, but, as someone once told me, your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/at-first-i-had-no-skills-in-writing-comedy-i-didn-t-know-what-a-joke/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [You cannot make your opportunities concur with the opportunities of people whose incomes are ten times greater than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/you-cannot-make-your-opportunities-concur-with-the-opportunities-of/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [My most persistent memory of stand - up is of my mouth being in the present and my mind being in the future: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/my-most-persistent-memory-of-stand-up-is-of-my-mouth-being-in-the/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [What I mean is that none of my talents had a - what's that great word - rubric. A singer, an actor, a dancer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/what-i-mean-is-that-none-of-my-talents-had-a-what-s-that-great-word/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) [Explore all 453 Steve Martin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) ## More Audience quotes > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-saadiq/it-s-the-adrenaline-rush-you-only-get-from-being-in-front-of-an/) [Raphael Saadiq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-saadiq/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [The liveness of theater, and the excitement of experiencing it alongside an audience, is something you can't get at home. That makes the theater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-blaemire/the-liveness-of-theater-and-the-excitement-of-experiencing-it/) [Nick Blaemire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-blaemire/) > [One of the things that touches me most when I play for an audience is that although we may be unable to communicate in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hough/one-of-the-things-that-touches-me-most-when-i-play-for-an-audience-is/) [Stephen Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hough/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [“During the first few minutes of your presentation, your job is to assure the audience members that you are not going to waste their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/during-the-first-few-minutes-of-your-presentation-your-job-is-to/) [Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-ludwig-and-greg-owen-boger/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't think about who the audience is for my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/i-don-t-think-about-who-the-audience-is-for-my-books/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I feel I have been playing all primary characters. And if your character forms a connect with the audience, it doesn't matter if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/i-feel-i-have-been-playing-all-primary-characters-and-if-your/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) [Browse all 9,118 Audience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is always what a critic writes, and the fun of a film or the emotion of a film is what the audience feels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Martin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-time-so-i-don-t-know-that-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-time-so-i-don-t-know-that-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10f/steve-martin-593_audience_i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-ti_775921.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think films are about having a good time, so I don't know that there's a message. The message of a film is…” — Steve Martin", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steve Martin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think films are about having...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-time-so-i-don-t-know-that-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-think-films-are-about-having-a-good-time-so-i-don-t-know-that-there/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```