I’ve always found it a bit odd when a fictional movie references another fictional movie.  It’s such a common occurrence that it mainly goes unnoticed but it’s very peculiar.

Sam linked to a scene in Reservoir Dogs about tipping and Mr. Pink plays the world’s smallest violin.

The movie Dinner for Schmucks also uses this exact same idea.

This reference has even gone as far as Spongebob Squarepants.

It’s quite apparent that Quentin Tarentino probably didn’t invent this bit but was the first to bring it to the big screen. This could be completely wrong but go with it. The way I see it, there are two ways to play the world’s smallest violin in 2014. You either reference the movie Reservoir Dogs or you do it how Dinner for Schmucks did by not saying anything. To reference it, the proper way in my opinion, why would the fictional world created in Dinner for Schmucks know what Reservoir Dogs is?  Does Paul Rudd immediately know that’s from Reservoir Dogs?  Are Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd characters a part of our universe or are they movie characters who live in a movie world?  Why would their movie world be our real world?

An odd concept I know but I always find it weird when movies reference real life.