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“Digging Graves In Wooded Areas”: 50 Fake Things That Happen In Films That Annoy Audiences
According to Hollywood, we can all survive a crazy car crash and walk away with just a scratch on us. In fact, we might even be able to take a bullet and avoid going to the hospital at all. But having a 5 minute long conversation that could easily resolve a misunderstanding and allow us to skip the rest of the film’s plot? Nope, we can’t have that!
Cinephiles on Reddit have been discussing unrealistic things that happen in films that they’re tired of, so you’ll find their most spot-on thoughts below. Enjoy reading through these moments that always require suspension of disbelief, and be sure to upvote the ones you’ve seen enough of too!
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#1
Whenever some idiot is running on foot while being chased by a car that's trying to run them down, they without fail ALWAYS run straight down the middle of the street, when all they have to do is simply run off to the side where there's trees and lamp-posts and plenty of other s**t to block them from getting hit.
In that case, I always root for whoever's driving.
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#2
That everyone in a Tom Cruise movie is the same height or shorter than him...
#3
When someone is "driving" and they look away from the road by looking at the person in the passenger seat for a prolonged amount of time, or when they're constantly turning the wheel and the car doesn't move, things like that bother me too much.
#4
Digging graves in wooded areas.
There are f*****g roots everywhere. You can't dig a 6 foot grave with a pair of shovels in an hour; that s**t takes time.
#5
Setting off Fire Alarm / Fire Sprinklers.
1. Pulling a fire alarm will not activate fire sprinklers
2. Setting off a single sprinkler head will not set off the entire system. Each fire sprinkler has either a glass bulb with heat sensitive liquid or a metal fusible link. You need to essentially break the bulk/link on each individual sprinkler to allow the water to flow.
3. The water leaving the sprinkler system will be black from the years of corrosion that occurs inside due to the stagnant water, you do not want to be around this water when it comes out.
I design these systems, I know how this s**t works.
#6
When getting shot, stabbed, bones broken and beaten seems to have no physical detriment on a character. Get shot in the leg? Still able to run. Stabbed in the back? Still able to finish a fight. Ridiculous.
#7
Men surviving in the wilderness: Unrecognisable, overgrown hair and beards.
Women surviving in the wilderness: Perfect hair, no need to shave at all.
#9
When there's a big fight scene and all the bad guys attack the protagonist one at a time whilst the rest just stand at the side. If you wanna win, all attack at once!!
#10
Women's hair is always perfect after a crazy action sequence. They're also wearing heels ALL THE TIME. No matter what crazy stunts they're doing.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
One of my favorite scenes is in a film called Romancing the Stone starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Turner's character is lost in Columbia and has to rely on Douglas for help. The first thing he does is take his machete to the heels of her shoes, cuts the heels off and hands them back to her and says "Follow me".
#11
When the brilliant detective can solve the case—but only if someone is willing to repeat the random thing they just said.
>Friend: I just had diarrhea, so I think I'm going to head out
>
>Detective: Wait! Say that again.
>
>Friend: Huh?
>
>Detective: What you just said, I need you to say it again.
>
>Friend:...uh. OK...I just had diarrhea, so I'm going to head out?
>
>Detective: That's it! Her diary! That's what's going to lead us straight to Mrs. Hamisham's missing head!
>
>Friend:...so I'm gonna go...
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
LMAO! "Mrs. Hamisham's missing head!" That's a hilarious random scenario. I love it!
#12
Hackers in movies:
*enters a few keystrokes*
*"I'm in!"*
Thenatural 11 months ago
Yeah...let's have a movie sequence that lasts 4-5 hours showing just a team of hackers bashing keyboards...what a great movie that would be
#13
How people in NYC/LA/SF and so on work jobs that really don't pay much, yet live in these giant, nice, well-located apartments.
#14
College professors being shown living in giant Victorian houses with massive libraries. I used to be a professor, and can confirm that the pay isn’t that good.
Panda Kicki 11 months ago
I just assumed they lived in a inherited place and did the job for fun.
#15
Turning on the TV at the exact moment a relevant news report starts.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Sometimes they play with the formula and the TV is already on. The hero says something like "Hold on, turn that up".
#17
Firing guns in enclosed spaces not deafening anyone.
#18
The Doorbell rings and someone answers almost immediately.
There is a delicious breakfast on the table,but everyone grabs a piece of bread and runs off to work!
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 11 months ago
I've just decided to wander around on movie sets to eat all the breakfasts.
#19
Standing under the shower head when you turn on the shower. Dat s**t way to cold.
Anonymouse 11 months ago
TIL people stand under the shower and turn on the water instead of warming it up first before stepping in...
#20
Guys who get rejected and then stalk the girl and win her over at the end of the movie.
#21
A woman on the run with dark brown/black hair goes into the bathroom for 30 minutes and emerges with perfect light blonde hair using box color.
#22
The phone rings and the actor picks up the handset, listens for two seconds:
"Oh really?"
one second later:
"When"?
one second later:
"I'll be right there"
Hangs up without saying goodbye.
The actor turns around and relays a 30 seconds of details that he just learned in only four seconds.
#23
Gift wrapping the box and the lid separately. I mean, I get why they do it (multiple takes), but it always sticks out to me. Also, every bag of groceries has french bread.
#24
A relatively small woman beats 5 large guys in hand to hand combat.
“I grew I up with 5 brothers. Had to learn to be tough.”
#25
People giving insulin to a diabetic who is crashing.
This pisses me off because it's the wrong thing to do and it perpetuates a dangerous way of thinking in people that aren't familiar with diabetes.
Dale Williams 11 months ago
As a type 1 diabetic myself, this has got to be the worst thing shown on TV, I even complained to the BBC once when they showed this exact thing on an episode of Causalty, the person who they showed as having a Hypo was given an insulin shot and miraculously recovered, no checks on Blood Glucose were done to check what the issue was, just immediate insulin shot. In reality if someone is presenting ANY diabetic symptoms it is far better to give them something with sugar in it, and call for an ambulance, if they're already going Hyperglycaemic then the extra sugar will not make much difference and the paramedics/hospital will be able to get them back where they should be, if they're going low (Hypoglycaemia) then the sugar will bring their blood glucose levels back up and save their life. Unless you are the one responsible for giving someone their insulin doses, NEVER give them a shot, you do not know how they will react, just leave it to the professionals.
#26
Are people shooting at you? Take cover behind... anything! Car doors, drywall, couches, tables, cardboard boxes, it doesn’t matter! EVERYTHING is bulletproof!
#27
Movie depictions of childbirth are often ridiculously wrong. They make it look so easy, quick, and clean. This is not the case.
#28
After a hit to the head or being knocked unconscious, people are fine after a minute. Concussions don’t seem to exist in movies.
Janis Wise 11 months ago
Not to mention (this from my husband, Vietnam Vet, Special Forces, who also had his share of fist fights back in the day), that the fights, and number of punches landed, would be more than an average human could take. He said that even a couple fist punches solidly landed to the head would definitely knock a person out and possibly kill them. In movies it’s repeated punches to head and stomach and they jump right up and go on to save the day!
#29
People sneaking-around inside air ducts. Don't get me wrong, in big buildings you absolutely can walk around in there, i've done it a lot, but: 1) they're dirty as sin, not gleaming metal 2) There are screws poking in there and sharp edges everywhere 3) There are lots of barriers to movement, fans, filters, humidifiers, dampers and fire dampers. all of those would stop your progress 4) it's not a quiet process, that metal bongs and klunks like crazy under your weight
Ai-Li Mae Sarvis 11 months ago
If I stuck my nose anywhere NEAR that thing, my seasonal allergies would go haywire. And those people always come out spotlessly clean!
#30
Bad. Trigger. Discipline.
If you (the character) know enough about guns to be a movie badass, you know to keep your booger hook off the bang switch.
Alan Watkiss 11 months ago
"booker hook off the bang switch" this is a fantastic way to put it. Kudos
#31
Fire, Lava, etc. has no heat- people can be suspended over a volcano, or in the case of The Hobbit, SURF ON MOLTEN METAL and no one gets so much as a blister.
Poison Ivy/Boo 11 months ago
Ask Anakin Skywalker lol. He was fried after Obi-Wan took him down 🤣
#32
EMTs / doctors / random hero person using a defibrillator on a person that has flat-lined. That is NOT how it works. You shock a flat line and all you do is make the patient even more dead. Flat-liners get drugs to get their hearts beating, and THEN get shocked if that beat is abnormal.
Becca not Becky 11 months ago
Also, paddles exist but are rarely used nowadays. I've been in several CPR situations and I've NEVER seen anyone use the paddles. We have sticky pads now that hook up to the defibrillator. Much more portable and easy to use.
#33
Drowning revivals. Victim is pulled, blue, from the water. Couple of chest compressions, hero through gritted teeth says "don't you die on me godammit", small arc of water shoots from the mouth of the victim as they cough twice and immediately regain consciousness, sit up and ask what happened.
Alright.
HelluvaHedgehogAlien 11 months ago
Yeah that ain’t happening… source: was nearly pulled under by panicking and drowning kid in a swimming pool. It doesn’t show as flailing on the surface of the water, but panicking people are surprisingly strong and will grab onto anything they can. The kid was ok because the lifeguard was on duty.
#34
Candles. Who lit all those candles and who goes and puts them out? Same for torches in an abandoned cave.
#35
Shooting the monitor as a way of stopping the computer....
Jeff White 11 months ago
I have seen this happen a 100 times and never thought how ridiculous this was until right now. Good point.
#36
Horses constantly making noise, neighing etc. horses rarely make any noise, due to being a prey animal. yet in movies, the f*****s have full blown horseconversations with themselfs. constantly. source, own 7 horses.
#37
When an actor clearly has no idea how to play the instrument they're holding. They don't have to be an expert, but Christ someone show them where their fingers are supposed to go, or stop focusing the shot on their fingers.
Michael Largey 11 months ago
They should always have the actor play the bagpipes. There's no wrong way to play the bagpipes. Because there's no right way either.
#38
‘ Zoom in on that. Can you make it clearer? ‘ ‘ Sure, no problem ‘. Two MP CCTV screen grab.
#39
People order food or drink in a restaurant, get the food, never touch it and decide it's time to go.
#40
Simultaneous orgasms EVERY SINGLE TIME.
#41
The fresh out of college student scoring a great apartment in a swanky part of town while working minimum wage job for themselves. In reality, you'd have 4 roommates for such a place, or you're living in a dump in a bad part of town.
Awesome At Being Autistic 11 months ago
IRL you'd have 4 roommates and still live in a dump in the bad part of town.
#42
Every time a car drives off/stops there’s a sound of tires screeching. Even if on a dirt road.
Snorkeldorf 11 months ago (edited)
Or the sound of crickets chirping. I've heard this several illogical times on shows/films. Really, it's Valentine's Day in Wisconsin and crickets are chirping outside? Valentine's Day is February 14th and it's too cold for crickets in Wisconsin during the month of February. Or, a couple is outside on a porch swing. Heavy coats, scarves and you can see their breath when they speak. Yet, there are crickets chirping. Are these professional crickets that are hired and kept warm just for the scene?
#43
That a sample can be DNA processed in 2 mins so you know who your killer is.
olivier FRESSE 11 months ago
A court-ordered DNA paternity testing can take from 2 to 10 business days . Whole genome sequencing - another type of DNA testing that tests the entire genome - can take up to 3-7 business days for processing
#44
In action movies, the hero, often alone faces an army of elite trained veterans armed to the teeth but they can't seem to know how to shoot, take cover, use tactics or fight.
Black Garbage 11 months ago
And they are always polite enough to attack the character one at a time and slowly get beaten up.
#45
The way movies and TV shows handle the childbirth process kills me. It's always a pregnant woman going about her day before suddenly she either feels a very painful contraction or her water just simply breaks out of no where. In reality, contractions are a slower process. You have them for a long while before they actually get to the painful level. I know plenty of women who were in labor for days, some of them didnt even realize it was labor and thought they had the flu.
Also the way movies and TV shows portray newborn babies is hilarious. I've seen them use a literal six month old in place of a newborn and lemme tell you, those are two completely different stages.
#46
When someone throws a grenade into a building and the whole building blows up.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Explosives in general. Most of the time they're using propane or other flammable gasses to make those big Hollywood fireballs.
#47
Lawyers walking up to the witness or the jury.
You are not allowed anywhere near either of those things. You stay behind the desk, the bailiff moves evidence around. The only time you go towards anyone is the judge if they approve a sidebar.
#48
Everybody being conventionally attractive and just waking up like this even in a war zone.
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 11 months ago
Enemy at the Gates. Seriously a romance plot set against freaking Stalingrad. When I realized that was what was going on I turned it off.
#49
When people fall in love and decide to spend together the rest of their lives after spending 5 minutes together.
Janis Wise 11 months ago
My fav is in adventure movies that are just balls to the walls tense with c**p coming down on them when the main couple, who never knew one another before this, suddenly find time to make out and even find a place to “do the dirty deed”, whilst being wounded, with filthy and ripped up bloody clothes with a couple dozen bad guys two minutes away! Realistic? I like “sexy time” but I doubt I’d even be in the mood at a time like that!
#50
Neck breaking for an easy or quick kill. Im getting sick of it.
What do you think ?
witchling 11 months ago
I get it. I do. But I've been told the 'willing suspension of disbelief' is essential to truly enjoy theater, movies, television and books. I like that. Gives you permission to ignore the the b******t stuff.
Wintermute 11 months ago
Yeah, if these were all shot to be 100% accurate then it'd take a 3 hour epic for the character just to get up and go to work in the morning. Sure, some of it is just plain dumb, but the rest? Jus t accept some shortcuts that illustrate bigger concepts and just let the story move on.
Load More Replies...
similarly 11 months ago
This doesn't annoy me ... [TRIGGER WARNING: blood, death and violence] but people might be surprised how little blood there can be in a very sudden death, even a very traumatic death. Living people bleed a lot, so do dying people. Dead people, not so much. It's sometimes surprisingly ... clean's not the right word, but you get the idea. Likewise, horror movies etc go to a lot of trouble making the corpse look real. In my experience, real corpses look surprisingly fake to me. It could just be that my mind rejects reality for a bit, but I've found that bodies and body parts just look really fake somehow. And before you ask, I used to be on a team that investigated industrial accidents.
Mike Crow 11 months ago
There are some films that are extremely realistic but are not popular because people found them boring. Fast and Furious is very popular but has little to no reality or physics in it. The producers follow what the audience likes.
Ryan Mercer 11 months ago
Fast and Furious reminds me of how I played with my toys when I was a kid. Can a car turn in mid air while making an impossible jump? Oh you bet it can!
Load More Replies... witchling 11 months ago
I get it. I do. But I've been told the 'willing suspension of disbelief' is essential to truly enjoy theater, movies, television and books. I like that. Gives you permission to ignore the the b******t stuff.
Wintermute 11 months ago
Yeah, if these were all shot to be 100% accurate then it'd take a 3 hour epic for the character just to get up and go to work in the morning. Sure, some of it is just plain dumb, but the rest? Jus t accept some shortcuts that illustrate bigger concepts and just let the story move on.
Load More Replies... similarly 11 months ago
This doesn't annoy me ... [TRIGGER WARNING: blood, death and violence] but people might be surprised how little blood there can be in a very sudden death, even a very traumatic death. Living people bleed a lot, so do dying people. Dead people, not so much. It's sometimes surprisingly ... clean's not the right word, but you get the idea. Likewise, horror movies etc go to a lot of trouble making the corpse look real. In my experience, real corpses look surprisingly fake to me. It could just be that my mind rejects reality for a bit, but I've found that bodies and body parts just look really fake somehow. And before you ask, I used to be on a team that investigated industrial accidents.
Mike Crow 11 months ago
There are some films that are extremely realistic but are not popular because people found them boring. Fast and Furious is very popular but has little to no reality or physics in it. The producers follow what the audience likes.
Ryan Mercer 11 months ago
Fast and Furious reminds me of how I played with my toys when I was a kid. Can a car turn in mid air while making an impossible jump? Oh you bet it can!
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