Life hack: The mistaken identity game
Can be played in cafés, bars, restaurants, even public transport – if you dare!
I was listening to an episode of the ‘Shortcomings’ podcast which reminded me of a fun game to play when out and about…
One of the presenters was describing the scene from the 80’s film ‘Big’ …
“where this little boy wakes up as a grown man in his kid-sized bed and tries to convince his Mom that it’s really him, while she calls the police to report there’s a stranger in her house”…
and here comes the kicker…
“starring Robert Downey Jnr!”
Say what?!?
Did you read that right? Has your forehead started to wrinkle?
Are you about to join me in screaming 'it was TOM HANKS not Robert Downey Jnr you ABSOLUTE BUFFOON!!!'
I was about to feedback to the producers about their grave error, but decided against it, as the podcast originally aired in July 2021.
So common sense and the general public's willingness to get involved on the internet would surely have meant that there had already been an avalanche of ‘feedback’ about this particular gaff! Presumably for six months after airing, the hapless presenter would not have been able to so much as get a coffee without someone screaming 'TOM HANKS!' at him.
Whereas playing this game in real life, garners a very different response particularly in the UK…
Next time you are in a busy café or on public transport with a friend, try talking about a famous film or TV show… ask your dining companion who starred in it… and then BOTH agree on the wrong person!
It's seriously fun to watch, and indeed to sense, people's reactions because if you're playing this game in the UK, no one will say anything but there will be a palpable tension in the air.
The conversation could look a little like this…
You: "I can't believe I've only just watched The Shawshank Redemption! Woody Harrelson was absolutely brilliant as the lead!"
Your friend: "Yes, he was amazing, should have got an Oscar for that!"
Then listen to the audible frisson emitting from your fellow diners, as they start to wonder whether they should perhaps, possibly, mention quietly that in fact it was actually Tim Robbins, for the love of God!!!! Or would they appear rude to say anything, instead consoling themselves with some overly forceful bread roll tearing.
This creates a social dilemma in Britain, where it's not very common to just start talking to the diners on the table next to you, without a full 25 minute gentle simmer of quandary beforehand.
This is a game my son, Charlie, and I love to play when out and about, and never more successfully than one perfect afternoon at our local café one Saturday lunchtime.
We were seated at the bar on high stools, facing each other in conversation. There was a fellow diner behind Charlie and the café was full and buzzy.
We were bitching about the seeming impossibility of getting through all three of the Godfather films (having really struggled to reach the end of Part 2 without falling asleep), when the penny dropped with me that this was the perfect set-up to play our little game… and so I offered (in a slighter louder voice than usual, although my usual voice is pretty loud)…
Me: Who was it that played the lead in the Godfather, the head of the family, the main Don?
Charlie: Hmmm, I'm not sure, who was it?
Me: Danny DeVito!!!
There was a barely audible gasp from Table 9.
Charlie: Yes, that’s it! He was brilliant, even if the plot was a bit lame in places!
A whimper of derision and some low-level head shaking from Table 6.
Me: Not a tall man but he certainly does have a lot of screen presence.
An exaggerated eye-roll and deep exhalation from Table 10.
Charlie: Did he get the Oscar or was it just a nomination?
The tension was building in the café, but everyone was British, so no one said anything.
Me: I'm not sure if he won, but he’s certainly come a long way from that cage in Taxi.
Table 12 burst into flames.
Er, no, it didn't.
What actually happened was the guy behind Charlie could take it no more, gently tapped him on the shoulder and offered him his note pad, upon which he had written (in capitals) MARLON BRANDO!!!
At which point our house of cards came crashing down and we admitted our mistake, how foolish of us, of course it was Marlon Brando!
As it turned out the Godfather Trilogy was our fellow diner's favourite1 set of films, or so he said, during the somewhat tense ten minutes of polite chit chat that followed.
What luck to have sat next to him, he must have been in acute social distress for the full 6 minutes that we managed to string it out for!
Thank heavens he wasn't without his trusty biro and notepad to get himself out of that sticky situation, god forbid uttering the words ‘er excuse me but…’ to a total stranger, which I think is a physical impossibility for an Englishman.
I'm sure this scenario would play out differently all over the world, why don't you have a go?
Unless, of course, you're in an area of high gun crime in which case just let it go.
I never want to hear this as a defence in court:
“When she agreed on how breath-taking Reese Witherspoon was as Barbie, I just lost it your honour.”
Anywhere else, just go for it and see what happens!
Good luck and don't forget to let us know in the comments below how it went.
You’re welcome.
K8x
PS: I can also share with you that a friend of mine, had a huge laugh with his daughter when they pretended to agree that the winner of an on-going reality TV show would almost certainly be the person who was voted out the night before! Can you imagine the psychological carnage that one provoked! But of course, it was England, so no one said anything.
Top tip: if playing on public transport only start the game 5 minutes before your stop, as a train carriage or bus cannot sustain that level of social tension for much longer.
Here’s another fun game to play on a day out or holiday:
Thank you for being here, please ❤️ (below) if you enjoyed this piece, it really helps others find it.
Obviously we later decided it was actually Toy Story, but he was too macho to admit that.
Hilarious! It definitely wouldn't be as fun here in the states, since someone would immediately correct you (we're definitely not as polite!). Nonetheless, I think I'll suggest this to my hubby, so we can add it to our list of *other* fun games to play. (One is a music game, the other is a guess-the-relationship game, which I've enjoyed since childhood.)
What a fun little torture session your game is for fellow humans. 🤣 We must try it soon!
Love this! Another one to play with a friend is having part of an extremely juicy (and fabricated especially for the purpose of the game) gossip session while in a lift with other people. Salacious enough to immediately grab the attention of everyone else in the lift, but brief enough to leave them wondering for the rest of the day what the outcome of the story was....