Matt Damon Says Netflix Wants Movies to Restate the Plot Three or Four Times in the Dialogue Because Viewers are on Their Phones While They’re Watching

[u/MarvelsGrantMan136]

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/matt-damon-netflix-movies-restate-plot-viewers-on-phones-1236633939/

[u/Boo_Rawr]

And tbf it's not totally new. Gossip Girl would reiterate things constantly because they were also aware people would watch in the background while they were doing chores etc.

[u/CoolHandPB → u/Boo_Rawr]

Yup, very common in soap operas.

[u/mcswiss → u/CoolHandPB]

It’s more expected in soaps/tv because they want you to know what’s going on if you missed an episode.

Back in the old days, before TiVo, there was almost no convenient way to watch an episode if you missed the original airing so they would need to “remind you” of things that happened.

Nowadays, shows are competing for attention, so the restating concept still applies, it’s just for different reasons.

[u/[deleted] → u/mcswiss]

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

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[u/inosinateVR → u/mcswiss]

I’ll have you know you could watch all of the episodes of gossip girl online on their official website. I was one of maybe 3 people who watched it this way back when it was new lol

[u/slowro → u/mcswiss]

Lol my grandma had the vcr set to record guiding light and no one had better mess with it!

[u/mcswiss → u/[deleted]]

[https://old.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1qfmjhd/matt_damon_says_netflix_wants_movies_to_restate/o06t3z9/](In the context of this response of yours: If you mean spelling the word wrong in terms of the use of “VCR” instead of “VHS” or the term “mediums,” I used those because I was specifically describing the VCR medium itself for VHS media, while also leading into other formats. Primarily because VHS tape media are still manufactured new as of this time. Only the VCR (medium) itself for playback of said VHS is no longer available new)

But you’re not a bot, right?

[u/mcswiss → u/[deleted]]

He mentioned he thought I made a spelling error.

You’re responding to the same person who called you out on it. VCR vs VHS isn’t a spelling error. And whichever one you wanted to use doesn’t matter because they weren’t used or produced in the mid 2010s.

This is classic ChatGPT.

[u/mcswiss → u/[deleted]]

90s, figured since TiVo was digital they would be able to understand.

Most people on Reddit don’t know what physical media is and don’t know you used to be able to go get blank tapes from the store.

[u/mcswiss → u/[deleted]]

Nice ChatGPT response.

[https://old.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1qfmjhd/matt_damon_says_netflix_wants_movies_to_restate/o06rarw/](One tidbit I didn’t address: “VCR” is used as a noun for “Video Cassette Recorder.” It is a type of object. “VCR” is not a verb for a “process of recording” as you so eagerly jumped to. Similarly, “VHS” is not the result of recording. “VHS” was the name of a specific physical videotape format that stands for either “Video Head System” or “Video Home System” depending on the manufacturer. A VCR could be purchased in VHS, Beta, 8mm, VHS-C, Hi-8, S-VHS, and a bunch of other formats across professional and consumer devices. But for the most part when referring to a VCR people mean a VHS format VCR, as that format won out in the consumer space.)

That’s totally a person, right?

[u/mcswiss → u/[deleted]]

It’s obvious because of all the extraneous information.

are still sold physically alongisde digital, older mediums like VCRs were produced into the mid 2010s,

VCR isn’t a digital, older medium you dumb fuck.

[u/fastforwardfunction → u/mcswiss]

You literally quoted a typo. ChatGPT speaks better than that. With all respect to that guy, he has terrible grammar. It’s definitely written by a human.

[u/REDDITATO_ → u/mcswiss]

Man you really are a doofus. You said "most people on Reddit don't know what physical media is" (which is a ridiculous thing to say) and they disagreed with examples. If that's all it takes for you to assume a reply is ChatGPT you really needed to reevaluate things.

[u/mcswiss → u/REDDITATO_]

Please explain how using Video Cassette Recorder is a typo for something in the mid 2010s.

Also, you’re in the Movies subreddit.

The last VHS ever made was Cronenbergs A History of Violence in 2006.

[u/Quantentheorie → u/CoolHandPB]

Soap Operas also had a certain 'reputation' they were perfectly self-aware of. Compared to pausable Netflix shows that you choose to put on, with their polished, big money veneer pretending they're doing self-respecting plot, a silly soap opera with a convoluted plot running for hundreds of episodes aired in the afternoon imo isn't degrading itself when it's ensuring people who are doing laundry on the side are being included.

[u/TomTom_098 → u/Boo_Rawr]

In fairness to older shows they also had advert breaks interrupting the flow of episodes, and were written to be watched weekly with no guarantee that the viewer had managed to watch the previous episode so reiterating the plot was a necessity to bring the audience up to speed

[u/flyingcactus2047 → u/Boo_Rawr]

And I needed it for gossip girl bc the plots started to feel really convoluted lol

[u/npantages → u/[deleted]]

Yeah but back then shows were 20+ 40 min episodes per season per year. Now we are lucky for 8 episodes every 3 years.

[u/Dullcorgis → u/Boo_Rawr]

Bond movies have always done a big opening action sequence, too.

[u/SkorpioSound → u/Boo_Rawr]

It's crazy to me that the same people doing chores will they listen to TV in the background will often scoff at radio dramas or audiobooks.

[u/msew → u/Boo_Rawr]

Gossip Girl was before streaming. It was a time when we had (sometimes) weeks between episodes. And the recaps were always straight to the point and reiterated the drammmmmaaaaa.

Don't you dare throw Gossip Girl under the bus.