MovieChat Forums > Selfie (2014) Discussion > Character names are a rip-off from My Fa...

Character names are a rip-off from My Fair Lady

posted 10 years ago by jp7570
43 replies | jump to latest

Really? The main characters are Eliza Dooley and Henry? Almost a verbatim rip-off from the classic stage and film musical My Fair Lady, where the leading lady was Eliza Doolittle and the male lead was Henry Higgins.

Based on the George Bernard Shaw play, it involved a bet that Professor Higgins can transform "blue-collar"-type flower girl Eliza into a respectable member of high society London. Sounds like the template for an updated version involving social media, just like this. I like Karen Gillan and John Cho, but this? Sounds like a short run.

TV creativity really has reached the bottom of the barrel.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] LokiWasAnAmateur 10 years ago

The plot is based on Pygmalion, which is what My Fair Lady was adapted from... How did you not know this?

Sophisticated but distant and arrogant man tries to teach a "basic girl" how to be accepted in higher society, and winds up learning from her as much as she does from him.

I'm not a fan of the show, but come on, this is pretty blatantly a modern retelling of that story. It's like complaining that O Brother Where Art Thou was a "ripoff" of The Odyssey.

Do Ditko inks make my hips look fat?

[–] dan-508 10 years ago

I'll bet you feel like such a mega-genius right now.

[–] kannita 10 years ago

The original write up said it was modern My Fair Lady. How better to pay homage to great work but to emulate it but using the names. Nothing new and I'm sure the Shaw family appreciates the royalties!

[–] DarkTheater 10 years ago

And the ignorance of modern media consumers continues. Educate yourself before you open your mouth or post online with the accusation 'ripoff' in a feeble attempt to appear smarter. You're not.

This isn't a rip off of My Fair Lady. It is a retelling of the Shaw play Pygmalion, just as MFL was. By the way, the play Pygmalion was inspired by Greek mythology. Did Shaw rip off

You're probably one of those idiots who trashes Avatar for being a 'ripoff' just because you know it irks people who like it (Which is a really sad way to live). Avatar was a retelling of a classic human fault of ignorant intolerance.

Less time watching movies and posting, and more time reading books (Not Google hits). IF you insist on posts like this, save yourself some time and simply post "This is a ripoff of XXXX. Weee! I'm smarter than you!"

BLACK BAR

[–] newgoldcatt 10 years ago

If they aired to original pilot with all of the emotion and rhyming the homage to a musical would make more sense.

[–] CaptainTerrific 10 years ago

I feel you, OP. I used to love "The Ten Commandments" until I found out it was ripped off from some other book, and they didn't even have the decency to tweak the names at all. 😜

[–] lonewolfkenj 10 years ago

I realized that there was a reference to My Fair Lady when I saw the character names were Eliza Dooley and Henry Higgs. This is basically a reverse take on that movie, where Henry is trying to tame down a socially popular girl to be more respecting and mindful or others not just all about her. I think it's quirky and corny at times but pretty funny overall. Just sad that it is only one season. :( And it was probably the intention of the writers to have that connection to the original premise.