Pickup artists have been sprinkled into popular culture for many years, especially in movies and TV shows. Here’s a list of numerous movies and TV shows with references to pickup artistry, or with pickup artist themes.

 

Pickup Artist Movies

Grease (1978)

Grease didn’t occur to me as a movie about pickup artists, but think about it… The main character, Danny Zuko (Played by John Travolta) effectively spends the entire movie trying to seduce Sandy Olsson (Played by Olivia Newton-John). John Travolta’s character uses cocky-funny behavior, displays preselection by flirting with other women to make Sandy jealous, and his T-Birds crew of friends are basically his wingmen. Danny Zuko also constantly tries to DHV in front of Sandy. The high school acts as Danny Zuko’s social circle with both male and female friends hanging out together, and Danny calibrates his game to eventually win over Sandy.

‘You know that it ain’t shit. We’ll be getting lots of tit. Greased lightnin’.’

– Danny Zuko (John Travolta)

 

Hitch (2005)

Hitch is an obvious pickup artist movie, with Alex ‘Hitch’ Hitchens (Will Smith) working as a dating coach. He rejects misogynist potential clients, only working ethically with men who are genuinely into forming a connection with a woman. Ironically, Will Smith could do with a dating coach himself, with his career having gone down the drain since his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had an ‘entanglement’ with another man. Will Smith’s marriage embarrassment grew even worse when he slapped Chris Rock on stage in 2022 during the Academy Awards in response to Chris Rock making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

 

Magnolia (1999)

Magnolia features a character named Frank TJ Mackey (Played by Tom Cruise), a motivational speaker and pickup artist. In an energetic seminar, Tom Cruise’s character makes a dramatic entrance and yells ‘Respect the cock… And tame the cunt!’. This is while he is presenting his hyper-masculine and aggressive ‘Seduce & Destroy’ system, a fictional parody of pickup artist ideologies, to a room full of cheering men. Tom Cruise’s character is specifically based on Ross Jeffries, the founder of the pickup artist community.

Ross Jeffries keeps a framed Tom Cruise article on his wall as a trophy.

‘Respect the cock… And tame the cunt!’

– Frank TJ Mackey (Tom Cruise)

 

Alfie (1966)

Alfie follows the story of Alfie Elkins (Played by Michael Caine), who gets romantically involved with numerous women.

‘A married woman, see. Every one of ’em in need of a good laugh. It don’t never strike their husbands. I always say, make a married woman laugh and you’re halfway there with her. Of course, it don’t work with the single bird. Start you off on the wrong foot. You get one of them laughing, you won’t get nothing else.’

– Alfie Elkins (Michael Caine)

 

Spread (2009)

Nikki (Played by Ashton Kutcher) is a narcissistic gigolo who bounces from one woman to another in Los Angeles. With no steady job and no place to live, he depends on women who can provide for him, seeking wealthy women to give him access to a high-end lifestyle. Spread has themes of social circle game.

‘When a girl tells you you’re not getting any, before you ask, before you even try, you’re getting some.’

– Nikki (Ashton Kutcher)

 

Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

In Crazy, Stupid, Love, Jacob Palmer (Played by Ryan Gosling) is a womanizer who teaches Cal Weaver (Played by Steve Carell) how to pick up women while he’s going through a divorce.

‘Your wife cheated on you because you lost sight of who you are as a man, as a husband, and probably as a lover.’

– Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling)

 

The Pick-Up Artist (1987)

In The Pick-Up Artist, Jack Jericho (Played by Robert Downey Jr) does lots of cold approaches on the streets on New York, constantly trying to pick up girls with his pickup lines and openers. Jack Jericho literally does day game, running up to women he sees on the street.

‘Forgive for intruding on you like this; but, if I don’t stop you now, I may never run into you again and may never have the pleasure of knowing who you are, so that we can fulfill our destiny together on this planet.’

– Jack Jericho (Robert Downey Jr)

 

Roger Dodger (2002)

Roger Swanson (Played by Campbell Scott) takes his nephew (Played by Jesse Eisenberg) out for the night in New York, having been asked for advice on seducing women.

 

Top Gun (1986)

Top Gun is the movie that inspired pickup artists to adopt the term ‘wingman‘, due to Erik Von Markovik (Mystery) being a huge fan.

‘You can be my wingman any time.’

– Iceman (Val Kilmer)

 

Fight Club (1999)

Fight Club served as inspiration for Owen Cook taking up the nickname RSD Tyler or Tyler Durden in the book The Game.

 

Wedding Crashers (2005)

In Wedding Crashers, John Beckwith (Played by Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Played by Vince Vaughn) are two womanizers who crash weddings together in the hopes of seducing women at the weddings.

‘I will throw in a wedding every now and then. But funerals are insane. The chicks are so horny. It’s not even fair… It’s like fishing with dynamite.’

– Chazz Reinhold (Will Ferrell)

 

American Pie (1999)

American Pie is a 1990s coming-of-age teen comedy classic, following the quest of 4 friends trying to lose their virginity before graduating from high school. Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), a naive teenage dirtbag, is the main character of the movie. However, womanizing jock Steven Stifler (Seann William Scott) steals the show with his infamous crudeness, hosting notorious parties so he could score women. American Pie mixes in a bit of social circle game with night game by using the high school they attend to bring girls to house parties.

‘No longer will our penises remain flaccid and unused! From now on, we fight for every man out there who isn’t getting laid when he should be! This is our day! This is our time! And, by God, we’re not gonna let history condemn us to celibacy! We will make a stand! We will succeed! We will get laid!’

– Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas)

 

American Pie 2 (2001)

We would have to be assholes to not include American Pie 2!

‘When a girl tells you how many guys she’s slept with, multiply it by three and that’s the real number. Didn’t you fuckers learn anything in college?’

– Steven Stifler (Seann William Scott)

 

American Wedding (2003)

American Wedding is the third movie of the American Pie series, exploring some of the characters seducing women, including grandmothers, at Jim’s wedding.

‘Grandmother-fucker.’

– Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas)

 

American Reunion (2012)

The fourth installment of the American Pie franchise, bringing the main story to an end.

‘The key to a good sex life is communication. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go communicate with your mother.’

– Noah Levenstein (Eugene Levy)

 

American Pie Presents: Band Camp (2005)

This one time, at band camp… American Pie’s Band Camp was the first spin-off movie of the original American Pie movies, with Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) reprising his role throughout the spin-off movies. Same concept, but at… Band Camp.

‘We didn’t have MTV when I was growing up. So maybe it’s the overstimulated times that we live in that causes young men to stick their… Instruments in such… Odd places. I knew a certain young man once who actually engaged in sexual congress with an apple pie, and he turned out just fine. So, uh… You’re perfectly normal.’

– Noah Levenstein (Eugene Levy)

 

American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006)

In a different spin-off movie, American Pie’s The Naked Mile follows Erik Stifler (Played by John White) visiting his cousin’s university for an event known as the ‘Naked Mile’.

‘You’re a Stifler AND a virgin?’

– Noah Levenstein (Eugene Levy)

 

American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007)

American Pie’s Beta House acts as a sequel to The Naked Mile, exploring the same characters being part of a fraternity house… The frat house is used in a similar way to a pickup artist’s game house, like Mystery’s Project Hollywood.

‘Most sororities won’t even give you a bid unless you’ve had a three-some. It shows that you work well within the group dynamic and that you are really prepared for sisterhood.’

– Dwight Stifler (Steve Talley)

 

American Pie Presents: The Book Of Love (2009)

American Pie’s The Book Of Love is possibly the most pickup artist themed installment of the American Pie franchise. Three friends discover ‘The Book Of Love’ hidden in a secret compartment of their high school library. The book contains pages and pages filled with seduction and sex techniques contributed by various borrowers who stumbled upon it. It is discovered that the original creator of the book is Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy), unaware that the book had been passed down for 40 years. The entire movie follows the adventures around the huge co-authored seduction book, which would make a great addition to the top seduction books of all time. The closest we have to such a book is Sex God Method for sex advice, and The Message Game for messaging girls.

‘This is not a sex manual. It is a life manual. I’ve been married for 35 years, and not just because I’m this handsome dude who knows how to satisfy a woman. I’ve been married for 35 years because I love my wife and I respect my wife. And whether it’s Amsterdam or East Great Falls, it all comes down to this… If you’re honest and treat a girl with respect, then whatever happens is meant to happen because it’s all perfectly natural. Boys, I’ve prepared you for this quest. And before you lies the biggest test of your lives. This book is a powerful weapon. So, use it for good, not evil.’

– Noah Levenstein (Eugene Levy)

 

Pickup Artist TV Shows

The Pickup Artist (2007-2008)

Created by Erik Von Markovik (Mystery) himself, who is considered the greatest pickup artist of all time, The Pickup Artist guides a group of men into overcoming their fears of talking to women. It aired on VH1 and lasted for 2 seasons.

 

Wing Dad (2011-2020)

Eric Weber tries to teach his son, Nick Weber, pick up girls using his 1970 book How To Pick Up Girls. The miniseries was created on YouTube by Nick Weber, the real son of Eric Weber.

 

How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

How I Met Your Mother follows the social life of Ted Mosby (Played by Josh Radnor) and his friends. One of his friends, Barney Stinson (Played by Neil Patrick Harris), is a pickup artist that constantly attempts to hit on women in bars and other environments. Often in front of his friends. Barney Stinson even comes up with far fetched and elaborate ways to try to pick up women, such as pretending to be an old man from the future and telling women that she must sleep with the younger version of himself that is about to enter the room, or the world will end.

‘Girls are like buses. There’s another one every 10 minutes.’

– Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris)

 

Two And A Half Men (2003-2015)

Two And A Half Men follows the life of Charlie Harper (Played by Charlie Sheen). But, really it’s just Charlie Sheen playing a character that is literally himself. Charlie Harper dates lots of women, never actually caring about any of them.

‘The hotter the girl, the lonelier she is, because most guys are scared to talk to her.’

– Charlie Harper (Charlie Sheen)

 

Californication (2007-2014)

Hank Moody (David Duchovny) is a novelist and womanizer in California, having moved from New York. Hank Moody lives a bachelor lifestyle, and uses alcohol, women and parties to fill the void of his true lonely and heartbroken self.

‘I probably won’t go down in history, but I will go down on your sister.’

– Hank Moody (David Duchovny)

 

The Inbetweeners (2008-2010)

The Inbetweeners tells the comedic high school misadventures of four teenage friends in England, and their embarrassing attempts to get girlfriends. One of the boys, Jay Cartwright (Played by James Buckley), is extremely immature, obsessed with sex and lies compulsively. The boys often get themselves into trouble, doing stupid things and making fools of themselves in front of girls.

‘You better bring your wellies, because you’ll be knee-deep in clunge.’

– Jay Cartwright (James Buckley)

 

The Mentalist (2008-2015)

In The Mentalist, Patrick Jane (Played by Simon Baker) is a psychic medium on the hunt for the serial killer who brutally murdered his wife and daughter. Working with the police, he deploys psychological techniques to read murder suspects to identify the guilty murderers. He holds very powerful frame control, despite having less legal authority than his coworkers, and manipulates social situations in ridiculously clever ways to his own agenda. In the episode Crimson Casanova, Jane throws a drink in the face of a pickup artist and tells him to stop getting phone numbers, and to just go back to the woman who loves him. The Mentalist contains heavy themes of psychology, confidence, frame control and pattern interrupts.

‘The first rule of showmanship: Always leave them wanting more.’

– Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)

 

Seinfeld (1989-1998)

Seinfeld is a comedy that follows Jerry Seinfeld and his friendships with George Costanza (Played by Jason Alexander), Cosmo Kramer (Played by Michael Richards) and former girlfriend Elaine Benes (Played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Seinfeld’s status as a moderately successful comedian helps him in his dating life. Throughout the running of the show, Jerry Seinfeld had 73 girlfriends, and George Costanza had 47. In one particularly famous scene, Seinfeld’s girlfriend tries to break up with him, and Seinfeld is completely unbothered by the breakup, highlighting his surprisingly strong abundance mindset. Seinfeld has heavy themes of relationships, dating and abundance.

‘It’s fine. Anyway, it’s been really nice dating you for a while. And… Good luck!’

– Jerry Seinfeld

 

Miami Vice (1984-1990)

Glamour, guns and girls… Miami Vice is the one TV show that defined an entire decade… The 1980s. James ‘Sonny’ Crockett (Played by Don Johnson), a Miami-Dade Police Department detective going through a divorce, lives his fast-paced undercover lifestyle catching bad guys and attracting the ladies. He has a brief romance with his coworker, Gina Calabrese (Played by Saundra Santiago), and relationships with numerous women throughout the series. Miami Vice established the Miami peacocking look of the 1980s, with Crockett and his partner Ricardo Tubbs (Played by Philip Michael Thomas) wearing pastel clothing and sockless loafers in a distinct, never seen before style. Crockett uses his undercover disguise as a drug dealer to display status in the nightlife scene, with his Ferrari Testarossa, speedboats and glamorous lifestyle. Miami Vice is abundantly painted with masculinity, peacocking, status and coolness.

‘The secret to success, whether it’s women or money, is knowing when to quit. I oughta know: I’m divorced and broke.’

– James ‘Sonny’ Crockett (Don Johnson)

 

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air (1990-1996)

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air follows the transition of an immature Will Smith moving from Philadelphia to Los Angeles with his rich uncle. Will’s backwards hats, vibrants colors and mismatched outfits set him apart from the more serious character in Bel-Air. Will sometimes tries to hit on women, even with the use of negging, and uses his confident presence to become the center of attention.

‘Hey, baby, I noticed you noticing me and I just wanted to put you on notice that I noticed you too.’

– Will Smith