Movies are a very popular form of entertainment, but they also provide the viewers with important cultural background and trends in society. American movies are made through an American lens, and often times, have a pro-American bias in them. This may have something to do with our ethnocentrism and American exceptionalism, but much of it has to do with who will be viewing the movie; and in most cases, these movies are tailored to American audiences.
When foreign cultures are featured in American movies, their portrayal varies according to the movie. Depending on the purpose of the movie, directors can paint a favorable picture of foreigners or a negative picture. However, I believe in a majority of movies, the picture of foreign culture we see is not meant to be an accurate depiction of the culture; the description is used to propel the movie and incite certain feelings towards the group. For example, in Hangover II, the crew visits Thailand for a wedding and it is painted as a crazy, primitive culture; however off base this depiction may be, it served to propel the movie forward and offer the audience something to think about.
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