YMMV / The Imitation Game

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• Adorkable: Some of Alan's scenes with Joan are geeky, slightly awkward and utterly endearing. For instance, they have lunch together outside in what appears to be a picnic date, but they are solving complex mathematical equations. Alan later steals encrypted messages from Bletchley Park, throws little rocks at Joan's window as if he were a would-be suitor, and then sneaks into her room past visiting hours to see if they can find a pattern that can help them break the Enigma code. When Clarke's parents pressure her to quit her job to get married, Turing proposes to Joan on the spot despite not being fully dressed (his shirt is untucked while his suspenders are loose) and there is still a little bit of shaving cream on his face; he then creates a makeshift engagement ring from a wire that he finds in his pocket.
• Aluminum Christmas Trees:
  • The one German operator who used his girlfriend's name (Cilly) in many of his transmissions sounds like a fanciful way of "humanizing" how the codes were broken. It is in fact an entirely true story, but not the solo "Eureka!" Moment for the code breakers as there were many German operators who left telltale words in their messages ("Heil Hitler" also being one of them).
  • Additionally, because military messages always follow a set format, Bletchley would arrange for the military to do something which they knew the Germans would report — such as air-dropped naval mines at a specific point. Because they already knew what the message said, they could easily work it backwards.
  • Joan's apathetic reaction to Turing's sexuality seems far-fetched, but she was indeed reportedly "unfazed" when he admitted it to her.
• Broken Base:
  • Some felt the performances were the best thing about the film. Others felt them to be too over the top and unrealistic.
  • The Artistic License – History (as there's a lot of it). Some felt it was all in the name of creating an interesting story, and the film worked with it. Others feel that the real story was interesting enough and didn't need to be changed just to nab Oscars.
  • There's also the portrayal of Alan Turing's sexuality. It's been criticized for victimising him too much and employing But Not Too Gay to make the film more commercial. But there are just as many LGBT fans who enjoyed the film and were happy that Turing's achievements were at least recognised in a high profile production.
• Diagnosed by the Audience: Nobody tries to analyse or categorise Turing's clearly unusual way of processing, with his mother's description of being "an odd duck" the closest thing to a label his mentality is given. This is unsurprising given how much less developed psychology was at the time; autism wasn't identified until 1944, and Asperger's was only recognised as a separate sub-condition starting in 1988.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Allen Leech's character says he has "limited experience" with homosexuality. A couple of years later, he stars in Bohemian Rhapsody; another LGBT themed biopic, this time playing a gay man himself.
  • Matthew Goode and Allen Leech's presence was already amusing, considering their roles in Downton Abbey. But Tuppence Middleton (Helen) would appear in the 2019 film, playing the love interest of the latter.
• Retroactive Recognition: Tuppence Middleton has a small role as Helen, one of Joan's friends that Hugh tries to hit on and indirectly helps the team with a breakthrough. She'd later be more recognisable for Jupiter Ascending, Sense8 and the Downton Abbey films.

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