Roger Ebert: Good Guys Always Use Macs

by , 1:15 PM EDT, August 25th, 2003

Back in the days when TV presented pictures in black and white and you were the envy of your neighbors if you had a set with a 25" screen, you didn't need a scorecard to know who the good guys were; they always wore white. Times have changed: TV screen sizes have grown, and the pictures, via High Definition, are so lifelike that allergy sufferers need to medicate themselves before watching the Animal Channel. Good guys no longer wear only white, they may just as often wear a nice pinstripe suit or jeans and a leather jacket, and they may not fall into everyone's definition of 'good'. So how do you tell who's cool and who's a fool? The good guys have Macs, of course.

In fact, Macs have started popping up on TV and on the big screen like dandelions after a Spring rain. Ever wonder why that is?

Justin Toomey of Athens, Ohio asked that very question of the Chicago Sun-Times Movie Answer Man, Roger Ebert. We thought you might like the question and the answer, so here it is:

I've noticed an interesting trend over the last few years: You can sometimes tell who the "bad guys" are in a movie or TV show by what computer they use. For instance, on "24," all the bad guys used PCs while the good guys all used Macs. The same holds true for "Austin Powers," "Legally Blonde," etc. Why do you think Apple always gets the plumb roles? I'm of the opinion that Hollywood loves the underdog and has a close relationship with Apple computer, whereas PCs seem controlled by a megalomaniac in Seattle. Are there a lot more Mac zealots like me in Hollywood? Does Apple pour sponsorship money in big-budget studio movies?
Justin Toomey, Athens, Ohio

[Ebert's answer:] Since many Windows machines look alike, Apple is one of the few manufacturers that can gain by product placement, which accounts for some of the Macs. It's true that the movie industry and creative types in general prefer the Mac. The novelist Tom Clancy sends e-mails with this signature line: "Never ask a man what computer he uses. If it's a Mac, he'll tell you. If it's not, why embarrass him?"

The Answer Man goes on to tackle other questions, like whether Johnny Depp's character in Pirates of the Caribbean is based on the Loony Tunes skunk Pepe Le Pew, so stop by and read the full column, you might find it very entertaining.

The Mac Observer Spin:

We've noticed that it's hard to watch a movie nowadays and not see the bitten apple symbol somewhere on the silver screen. In Bringing Down the House Steve Martin used what looked like a 17" PowerBook G4 to chat with 'Lawyer-Girl', Queen Latifah. There were Good Guys/Bad Guys in that movie, just Martin clowning and Latifah..., um, Latifah-ing. (Good movie, BTW).

In How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Kate Hudson's news room was full of iMacs. Again, no good versus bad, just a funny chick-flick. Both movies, however, show Macs in a positive light and its hard to argue that people take notice of the brand names the stars use on-screen.

Back to Mr. Ebert's answer: While we like and agree with his reply we're not sure it completely answers Mr. Toomey's question about why Macs seem to be found more in the hands of the Good Guys, while PCs are clutched in the Bad Guys' sweating palms. We'll take a stab at answering that, Mr. Toomey:

We think you are right; that Hollywood likes the underdog, but more importantly, Hollywood likely still thinks the way they did when they made movies in black and white; that is to say that they want to make sure you know who is who. Macs are different enough from PCs in appearance that they become useful visual cues for determining who is who, just like the white cowboy hats in Westerns. Macs wind up on the side of righteousness more because -- this is just our opinion -- Macs tend to be lighter in color, and people still equate lighter colors as being "good" and darker colors are "bad". So, it is reasonable to assume that Hollywood would give the good guys Macs just to show you that they are 'good'. Besides, Macs look way more cool than anything from any beige box maker.

Whatever the reason, Macs on the small and big screen is an advertising gold mine, and we hope we see more bitten apples glowing back at us.

Apple good, PC bad