---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me that making escapist films…"
description: "\"It seems to me that making escapist films might be a better service to people than making intellectual ones and making films that deal with issues. It ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg"
---

#  It seems to me that making escapist films might be a…

![“It seems to me that making escapist films might be a better service to people than making intellectual ones and making films that deal with issues. It might be better to just make escapist comedies that don't touch on any issues. The people just get a cool lemonade, and then they go out refreshed…” quote by Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg)

> “It seems to me that making escapist films might be a better service to people than making intellectual ones and making films that deal with issues. It might be better to just make escapist comedies that don't touch on any issues. The people just get a cool lemonade, and then they go out refreshed, they enjoy themselves, they forget how awful things are and it helps them - it strengthens them to get through the day.”

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Escapist films provide temporary relief, offering audiences a mental break from harsh realities, which can boost morale and resilience.

**In simple terms:** Escapist movies give a mental break and lift spirits.

Key Takeaway

Use humor to help people cope.

Themes

entertainment mental health resilience

Mood

lighthearted uplifting

Type

cultural entertainment

When to use this quote

- stress relief
- social gatherings
- daily routines
- mental health breaks

Key Concepts

Escapism catharsis psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Can humor replace serious discourse?
- How does escapism affect long‑term awareness?

A Different Perspective

Escapist films may avoid confronting important social issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Escapists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escapists/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [I like big escapist films. It's odd because the type of comedian I am and the things I do when I'm writing and directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-like-big-escapist-films-it-s-odd-because-the-type-of-comedian-i-am/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [Real life is generally much duller and inevitably sadder, most of the time. In film, you control everything that's going on, so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/real-life-is-generally-much-duller-and-inevitably-sadder-most-of-the/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [One filmmaker makes films that are deep, intellectual, profound and confrontational. And the other one makes purely vacuous, escapist films. I'm not sure the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/one-filmmaker-makes-films-that-are-deep-intellectual-profound-and/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [What's funny is that with my comedies I don't believe they're my best screenplays necessarily. They're just the ones that I wrote that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/what-s-funny-is-that-with-my-comedies-i-don-t-believe-they-re-my-best/)

[Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/)

> [I like films better than the theater because you have to spend so much energy projecting your voice from the stage in the sheer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denholm-elliott/i-like-films-better-than-the-theater-because-you-have-to-spend-so/)

[Denholm Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denholm-elliott/)

> [I'm not ashamed of any work I do. You can't decide a film's fate before its release. There's no surety that your new films…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amisha-patel/i-m-not-ashamed-of-any-work-i-do-you-can-t-decide-a-film-s-fate/)

[Amisha Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amisha-patel/)

> [I think maybe written films are better than real films. You can see them in your head and yet everything is exactly as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-hartley/i-think-maybe-written-films-are-better-than-real-films-you-can-see/)

[Hal Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-hartley/)

> [Most Pixar films are better than most live action films.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/most-pixar-films-are-better-than-most-live-action-films/)

[Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/)

> [I like smaller films better. I don't know why. I think it's the intimacy and there's not this avalanche. It is an avalanche, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/i-like-smaller-films-better-i-don-t-know-why-i-think-it-s-the/)

[Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/)

> [My films seem to be better understood and better received by the monthly publications. On television the first reactions are usually unfavorable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-resnais/my-films-seem-to-be-better-understood-and-better-received-by-the/)

[Alain Resnais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-resnais/)

> [Toy Story 1, 2, and 3, to us, are some of the greatest films ever made, and each is better than the one before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-goldberg/toy-story-1-2-and-3-to-us-are-some-of-the-greatest-films-ever-made/)

[Evan Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-goldberg/)

> [I have been offered films as well, but it's better to do good television shows rather than a small role in a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaheer-sheikh/i-have-been-offered-films-as-well-but-it-s-better-to-do-good/)

[Shaheer Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaheer-sheikh/)

> [I do films to be behind the camera, not in front of the camera. I'm sure I say very intimate things about myself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-ozon/i-do-films-to-be-behind-the-camera-not-in-front-of-the-camera-i-m/)

[Francois Ozon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-ozon/)

> [With silent films, you're better off avoiding irony, because the spectator is your accomplice. It's this pact that leads to emotion being created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/with-silent-films-you-re-better-off-avoiding-irony-because-the/)

[Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/)

> [That's what I like about Neil Jordan's films: everyone is better at what they do than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hart/that-s-what-i-like-about-neil-jordan-s-films-everyone-is-better-at/)

[Ian Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hart/)

## More by Woody Allen

> [“True, science has conquered many diseases, broken the genetic code, and even placed human beings on the moon, and yet when a man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/true-science-has-conquered-many-diseases-broken-the-genetic-code-and/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/bisexuality-immediately-doubles-your-chances-for-a-date-on-saturday/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [In every generation there are a few people who are authentically funny. The cosmetics change. You may not be able to articulate it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/in-every-generation-there-are-a-few-people-who-are-authentically/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [I think Frank Capra was a much craftier filmmaker, a wonderful filmmaker. He had enormous technique, and he knew how to manipulate the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-frank-capra-was-a-much-craftier-filmmaker-a-wonderful/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [The food here is terrible, and the portions are too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/the-food-here-is-terrible-and-the-portions-are-too-small/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Gauguin flew into a frenzy! He held my head under the X-ray machine for ten straight minutes and for several hours after I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/gauguin-flew-into-a-frenzy-he-held-my-head-under-the-x-ray-machine/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [What has gotten into you lately? Save a little craziness for menopause!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/what-has-gotten-into-you-lately-save-a-little-craziness-for-menopause/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [I enjoy the making of the film and it's something for me to do. If nobody ever comes to my films, if people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-enjoy-the-making-of-the-film-and-it-s-something-for-me-to-do-if/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/why-does-man-kill-he-kills-for-food-and-not-only-food-frequently/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [A stockbroker is someone who invests other people's money until it is all gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/a-stockbroker-is-someone-who-invests-other-people-s-money-until-it-is/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Man cannot live by bread alone. Every once in awhile he needs a salad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/man-cannot-live-by-bread-alone-every-once-in-awhile-he-needs-a-salad/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [All literature is a footnote to Faust. I have no idea what I mean by that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/all-literature-is-a-footnote-to-faust-i-have-no-idea-what-i-mean-by/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [There are two important things in the world, the first is sex. The other isn't all that important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-are-two-important-things-in-the-world-the-first-is-sex-the/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [You can't ride two horses with one behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/you-can-t-ride-two-horses-with-one-behind/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Is old age really so terrible? Not if you've brushed your teeth faithfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/is-old-age-really-so-terrible-not-if-you-ve-brushed-your-teeth/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

[Explore all 935 Woody Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It seems to me that making escapist films might be a better service to people than making intellectual ones and making films that deal with issues. It might be better to just make escapist comedies that don't touch on any issues. The people just get a cool lemonade, and then they go out refreshed, they enjoy themselves, they forget how awful things are and it helps them - it strengthens them to get through the day.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Woody Allen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-films-might-be-a-better-service/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-films-might-be-a-better-service/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/woody-allen-176_awful_it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-film_662386.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It seems to me that making escapist films might be a better service to people than making intellectual ones…” — Woody Allen",
                "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": "Woody Allen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It seems to me that making...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-films-might-be-a-better-service/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/it-seems-to-me-that-making-escapist-films-might-be-a-better-service/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
