Written by Dan Donche
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. The good thing about Hollywood is that screenwriters have the benefit of carefully orchestrating every word to ensure the ensuing action explodes to life in absolute perfection. While this is not always feasible in real life, as you have no way of knowing how someone will react or what they will say, some prime examples of picture-perfect pickups and interactions can really help you increase your game. Plus, I get to use them to illustrate key points I make in these articles, so you can see them in action. Here are just a few of these prime examples.
How I Met Your Mother – Ted’s 2-Minute Date
In this video, Ted knows the girl only has two-minute lunches, so he masterfully plans the quickest date he’s ever had. What you can learn from this example is how taking the initiative to plan the entire event is essential if you’re looking to build attraction with a woman. Real men take charge, they assume a leadership role. Women don’t want to lead, it’s not in their nature. Comfort is an important part of building rapport, so if you can do all the work, a woman will be able to relax and enjoy herself (which is what she wants to do). The other elements that set him apart here are uniqueness – she will remember him for the rest of her life – and humor. The date is extremely fun, and he makes sure to keep it that way.
The Departed – Matt Damon’s Elevator Pickup
In this video, Matt Damon does several things right. First, he assumes rapport with the woman, coming about it as though he and she are already friends, or at least on the same level. He opens her casually, then keeps things light and fun. He doesn’t balk at her push-backs, just keeps the interaction fun, which signals to her that he is strong and confident. He also holds the door open for a period of time, which is bold, as he could easily be taking heat from the other guys on the elevator. Lastly, he asks for the sale (her contact info). He does this from a mindset of assuming she will give it to him. This is key. Don’t ask for the number from a mindset of “please throw me a bone.” He isn’t hoping for the number. He isn’t hoping she’ll want to hang out later. He just assumes it is inevitable. This is confidence in yourself. He knows he is good enough, and it shows.
This video was actually broken down in more detail by Paul Janka, you can check that out here.
Hitch – Will Smith’s Bar Pickup (Breakdown by Adonis of SameNightSeduction.com)
This video breakdown explains everything, so I don’t need to go into detail here. Just pay attention to how relaxed and confident Hitch is, how he presents himself as being different from the other guys who hit on her, and how by doing this he shows he knows what he is doing (which shows his value without being too over-the-top).
Cruel Intentions – Ryan Phillippe Pickup Scene (4:18 – 6:46)
I remember seeing this scene when the movie first came out thinking, “Jesus, I want to be like that guy.” Really, though, there are several things working for him in this scene here. First, he is extremely direct. He has the inner confidence to do this, so it doesn’t come off as contrived. Second, she gave him quite a few signs of interest, so he calibrated the situation easily. It was obvious that she was attracted to him, so he didn’t need to work to “impress” her (you shouldn’t be doing this anyway, but what I’m talking about is he didn’t need to use any routines, DHVs, or anything). He just took charge of the interaction, and she went along with it. You’d be surprised how often this works if you practice it.
