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Few things ruin a movie as badly as a cliché. It can break our suspension of disbelief in just a second and completely undermine all the good work everyone on the project has done.
In an attempt to find out which of them infuriate people the most, Reddit user Gosenco posted a question on r/AskReddit, saying "What's a movie trope you absolutely HATE?"
From painful exposition in dialogue to lazy plot conveniences, continue scrolling and check out some of the most upvoted answers.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Turning on the TV at the exact moment a relevant news report starts.
#2
"You have to trust me" or "there's no time to explain". In 9 out of 10 cases, there's definitely time to explain, and the explanation would take less time thay trying to convince the other party to blindly trust you.
Star of the world 3 years ago (edited)
like NO im not gonna go with you thats HIGHLY suspicious
#3
Domestic violence against men = Comedy
#4
The sexy teacher trope.
I spent two years teaching high school as a young woman fresh out of college. I had many very uncomfortable interactions with male students, who thought it was funny.
TV makes it seem like it's okay for teenagers to be lusting after their teachers if they're young and reasonably attractive. It's a joke, it's funny. The TV dads hit on their kids teacher, make comments about their dress or their body. It transfers to the real world.
It is never, ever okay to sexually harass someone at their occupation. This include teachers, wait staff, flight stewards....anything.
Agnes Jekyll 3 years ago
Equally gross is the dreamy male teacher who is not depicted as a predator for dating his students.
#5
Girl: Does something athletic.
Guys: Confused and surprised.
Girl: I have four brothers/my parents wanted a boy.
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 3 years ago (edited)
Yes, and unfortunately I have met many people who seem to believe this stereotype.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
In fairness, I *am* the stereotype. My dad wanted a son, didn't get one, decided I'd do. Luckily, I enjoyed being outtside, etc., but.... my poor sister? No.
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Karin Jansen 3 years ago
Also: "wow, she is so not like the other girls!" (because apparently, the rest of us just sit around coloring our nails or something?)
Grace Skerp 3 years ago
The only reason any woman becomes a cop is daddy was a cop. Also applies to any woman in the military, daddy was a hot shot officer.
I'm lay sheep in China 3 years ago
Or she trying to show her ex bf, what heartbrok turn her into
*insert funny name* 3 years ago
When a guy does something athletic then everyones like "Wow so talented"
Karen Lyon 3 years ago (edited)
Actually, the four brothers trope is not as overrated as you think. A great example: Jane Austen knew how to play cricket -- you can't tell me she would have learned that if she hadn't had 6 brothers. I grew up with 3 brothers, played baseball(hardball) and football with them, despite a minor disability. I NEVER threw "like a girl", know how to stand at the plate, and understand both games as well as my brothers do. It's not that girls don't get that from their dads -- I taught a girl in Kindergarten who is a now a junior in HS and a really good softball catcher, and she has no brothers. But there is a difference between girls growing up in a houseful of men, and those who don't. This trope is just a really poor way of introducing the idea.
CharliAnn Olney 3 years ago
I have three brothers including a "step-twin" but since we are so far apart in age I was basically raised as an only. I worked on cars, did wood work and did my chores on the ranch just like the rest of the family. "Did you learn that from your brothers?" "No, I learned it from LIFE!"
Michael Capriola Jr. 3 years ago
I've actually used this in a story-line. Except for the bit about parents wanting yet another boy.
Mewton’s Third Paw 3 years ago
At its core, that is sexist. A woman can and will be good at sports regardless of how many brothers she has.
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HooowlAtTheMoon 3 years ago
You can still be girly with 4 brothers, or be athletic without any brothers, or with sisters. It's not a big thing..?
May 3 years ago
There's some truth to this stereotype though - I read an American study that said that girls were more likely to participate in organized sports if they had an older brother - the theory was that boys are more likely to be encouraged to do sports, and younger siblings want to do what their older sibling does.
#6
Overworked dad who rushes through the kitchen and only grabs a triangle of toast even though his wife prepared a goddamn IHOP-worthy breakfast complete with meat and pancakes and orange juice and coffee.
"i'm late."
#7
Everyone with Autism is a super genius.
#8
When the LGBTQ+ character comes out and suddenly being LGBTQ+ is their entire personality and story arch.
#9
if any woman between the ages of 16 and 50 vomit, it means they're pregnant
Sandra Libertad 3 years ago
Well, in real life, anytime I said that I feel nausea or vomit along my life, slmeone said "uh oh, maybe you are pregnant". Eventhough now that I'm 45 and menopausic from 3 years. This literally happenes this week
#10
A fat girl wants to go out with the attractive man, let's make her either sexually aggressive or a laughingstock!
#11
A male or female character love bombing/stalking their love interest into a date or relationship. Like their attention and affection will just wear down the other person until they capitulate.
That stuff isn’t cute or sweet, it is definitely not attractive, and does not make for good cinema.
I’d like to see a movie where the would-be love interest runs the heck away and gets the police involved.
#12
Prosecutor introduces a "surprise" witness or evidence in a middle of a trial.
You would get disbarred for pulling something like that.
#13
Not exactly a trope, but nobody has a problem finding a parking spot in a movie.
#14
Hey let's take a popular movie and remake it with a black cast
I want to see black stories, not rehashed white ones.
#15
I hate this:
A self-destruct timer gets started by the bad guy with a 5 minute countdown. Half an hour of action later, the good guy shuts off the timer with 1 second left on it. F***ers should have died 25 minutes earlier.
#16
If your plot can only be maintained by your characters not having a simple conversation to resolve things, you're a bad writer and I don't like you.
idraax poission 3 years ago
Isn't the plot of every romcom based on the characters not having a simple.conversation?
#17
Everyone's home is spotless & well decorated.
CatWoman312 3 years ago
And everyone is rich even if they’re a waitress or a grocery store clerk
#18
CPR. I'm an EMT and I get it, you can't actually have someone do chest compressions coz you'll cause serious damage to the actors. But trust me, when your heart stops, one or two pushes and 'CMON MAN, BREATHE!' don't do it. Same with shocking a flatline and they jump up with a gasp. You actually can't shock a flatline, it literally will not work, and ain't no one jumping up fine after they were DEAD A MINUTE AGO. Even medical programs get this stupid trope sometimes.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
THIS. In real life, CPR is effective, when done properly.... not that often. And shocking is used to convert a heart rhythm. No rhythm? You do your best, and then you have to ontify the family. I *hate* when this is done wrong.... People get so upset with doctors b/c they have the trope in their head.
#19
Character 1: *Explains something in technical language*
Character 2: "Uuuhh, in English?"
Painfully unfunny and overdone.
troufaki13 3 years ago
Also, 9 times out of 10 the other guys is in tech too and they probably have encountered stuff like that numerous times
#20
First kiss leads to hot steamy sex leds to the woman covering her chest with sheets and then running to the bathroom wrapped in said sheets. It's been what, 60? 70 years? even more?... that we get to see sex scenes in movies. If you can't imagine a creative and realistic way to not show a woman's breasts or private parts, don't shoot a sex scene.
#21
Damn I hate the funny fat best friend or the quirky black guy on the side or the smart Asian kid that has a cameo, like damn marginalised people can be the main characters in stories that aren't just about their trauma!
your local lesbian 3 years ago
heck. yes. so overused! there’s one in pretty much every movie so that they’re ‘inclusive’. it annoys the heck out of me
#22
Jumping/being thrown through a window and emerging without any cuts.
#23
Teenagers being ripped beyond belief looking like they’re 26.
#24
Taking off your glasses and dressing smart is supposed to make you go from a 5 to a 10
oh gee you were hot all along!
#25
When two characters walk into a house or apartment, having just went to a restaurant.
“Wow, that was a great dinner!” “Yeah, I am really stuffed!”
Did they not talk at all in the car???
#26
Characters about to kiss for the first time -- get interrupted. Every damn time.
Hans 3 years ago
Be sure to more gently before, with a little resistance occasionally. Gentler i say. And more slowly, there might someone come around the corner. MORE SLOWLY NOW! (In case there is no interruption, the gentle kiss will directly turn into wild grabbing and undressing while porcelain is wiped off tables etc.)
#27
Female characters only written to display how they’re a strong feminist female. It’s f***ing cringe. If you want an actual strong female character, then show that through her actions as a person without drawing back to meta s**t. Not everything has to be “wow and she is a FEMALE doing this.” It’s counterintuitive and only disvalues her character.
Random Panda 3 years ago
That's why I love characters like Sarah Conner and Ellen Ripley. They were s**t-scared normal people that overcame their fear and kicked ass. When women say we want "strong female characters" we mean we want well-written ones, not a thousand versions of female Rambo.
#28
Getting shot in the shoulder is practically a lucky break. You can continue fighting!
#29
Having sex and then hopping out of bed and just throwing your clothes on and running to work...
Sex is messy. Clean that sh*t up first.
#30
I hate it how people who were shown to be of relatively limited means are somehow always able to buy last minute plane tickets across the globe when it furthers the plot.
troufaki13 3 years ago
They also have unlimited wardrobe, like wth doesn't anyone wear the same outfit twice??
#31
Hollywood hacking.
IRL, hacking isn't "pounding on four keyboards at once while random green bytes flash by on the screen." It's generally more along the lines of "intermittently types for a couple hours, then takes a break and comes back in a day or two to see what the other target's cybersecurity has done in response"
#32
Looking away from the road to have a full conversation while driving. It's almost satisfying when there is a crash.
#33
Romance for the sake of romance. Man? Woman? LOVE! Nooooo. For f***s sake. Now is not the bleeding time.
As an aside lots of these romances are just downright s**t because there is absolutley NO time put into the relationship, it's not like movies DON'T put time into relationships, friendship/buddy stories are VERY fleshed out. But because it's a straight romance, and it's just expected that they fall in love, no bloody effort goes into it. Leading to hundreds upon hundreds of boring, non fleshed out romance plots that are not organic in the slightest and come out of absolutley nowhere.
Frankly it's a trope used to hide lazy writing imho.
#34
Post-apocalyptic settings in which everyone looks clean-shaven and showered. Ancient warfare depicted as chaos instead of ancient military formations and tactics.
#35
•"We're not so different, you and I" or any variation of that
•Person is fighting another person, falls to the ground, reaches with their hand and magically there's something there that ends the fight
•Two people get in a fight -- the guy who is obviously winning just throws the other person from place to place (nobody fights like that) in between basically taking breaks to state long-winded monologues
•WHhhhaattt??/!!! She's a LeSbIaN! And oh wow she can toss around guys who are 100 pounds heavier than her and she don't take no shit?! Never saw THAT coming. I bet she can drink shots like all the boys and never get drunk and has promiscuous sex after grab-assing at the bar. Because that's what guys are like, right? But she's a GIRL so it's like really progressive!
•Main character randomly saved by some other character we haven't seen for the last 20 minutes who just sneaks up from behind and shoots / hits the villain over the head. And literaly NOBODY heard them coming. Even if it's wide open in a field -- this magical person just pops up out of nowhere and saves the day.
•Guns that have no recoil.
Those are some of the ones that make me roll my eyes the hardest.
#36
•Everyone having perfect social skills, unless it's a huge part of their personality.
•The main protagonist having an easy time finding a partner. Just once I'd like to see a protagonist who is single by choice, or even someone who struggles finding a date
•Mental illnesses/trauma in general are really misrepresented in movies.
#37
Something is falling towards them. DON'T F***ING RUN THE SAME WAY IT'S FALLING ! JUST RUN TO THE LEFT FOR 5 SECONDS TO DODGE IT INSTEAD OF RUNNING 2 MINUTES FORWARD !
I love prometheus, the alien movie
LesAnimaux 3 years ago
I have never seen something fall TOWARDS somebody before. But I do agree in the case of car pursuits
#38
Teen comes down to a full breakfast, blinds open, sun is out and bright. Everybody’s at the table, mom, dad, siblings.
Then they’re like “Nah i’ll just grab this apple”
Everything about those scenes are completely wrong. Who has time to make a sunday breakfast on a random school day before they go to work? And damn I went to school in the dark. I go to work in the dark. The sun just doesn’t come out that early.
Elena Ktmr 3 years ago
People wake up and sun is out, they go jogging, they shower, have a full breakfast, and then they leisurerly go to work or at school and it is still morning. Do they wake up at 4 am to a full sunlight?
#39
When a date is made, and they just conclude by "Ok, see you tonight at 8!". Like, where are we meeting? What are we going to do? Do I have to have dinner before? Will it include drinking, so do I leave my car at home? What do I wear?
#40
I've always hated ridiculously over the top action scenes and fights. Like you're really gonna take a baseball bat to the face and jump right back up and whip someone's a**. No, you're gonna lay there and bleed and hope you can find a good plastic surgeon.
LesAnimaux 3 years ago
People really are punching bags in movies. I'd be down after a single slap. No ma'am, that hurts.
#41
The guy and girl hate each other at first sight but end up falling in love later on.
#42
The "evil guy sacrifices himself in the end so he is good right!" Trope. Like wtf, because he died doesn't erase the soon time of abuse/murder/terror/terrible acts that they already committed. They don't get done lovely pass for being a "good guy in the end". Duck no and it's absolutely not healthy way to portray people in real life either, that because someone dies for a good reason that they didn't do terrible bad sh*t and that they weren't terrible people
#43
Female action heroes who have long hair and high heels.
Women who "aren't like other women."
#44
Nobody ever just has a cough.
My all time hated version of this trope is when it is followed by a shot of a tiny drop of blood on a handkerchief that the person quickly shoves into a pocket. lazy film shorthand for yeaah, don't get too attached.
#45
This is too specific, but it bugs me:
-Latina, and attractive? she has a child and she is a single mother.
-Latina, and has a strong personality? she is a lesbian.
#46
"Legend says, a chosen one will defeat Big Bad Guy and lead our people to freedom."
THANKS FOR SPOILING IT, YOU OLD BAT
#47
The space scientist takes their helmet off, right before trying to pet the new organism they've found.
#48
Not a movie trope per se, but why is the dad in nearly every sitcom a dumb f***ing dimwit?
#49
A pregnant woman always has to go into labor at the most cosmically inconvenient time possible.
#50
Guys getting kicked in the balls.
It is apparently the funniest form of sexual assault.
your local lesbian 3 years ago
and everyone laughs at them for being in pain! cruel and heartless.
#51
Everything about being "knocked out".
In real life, if your head is hit hard enough to render you unconscious, it's called a "concussion". It's not something you can just wake up from.
#52
The perfectly diverse friend group. Every age, sex, ethnicity and orientation is represented in their group of six.
#53
"It was all just a dream". Thanks, now the entire movie was pointless. It's sometimes followed with "...or was it a dream?" which somehow makes it even more annoying ending.
#54
When a character saves the day by sacrificing themselves and then reappears safe a few second later.
That's why I love reading A Game of Thrones, if someone does something or gets in a situation where they should die... they die. Keeps the tension and you actually worry about the characters. Rest in peace Robb Stark.
#55
Bad guys who have kidnapped their target whom they want dead, and have the opportunity to kill them. So do they do that? No, instead they give a big long monologue detailing their evil genius plans which gives the victim enough time to be rescued or to escape.
My favourite movie villains are usually the ones who actually make genuine attempts to kill without too much wasting time or messing around unnecessarily.
#57
I hate when "Badass" Character walks into a scientist's laboratory demanding they work faster and then breaks a test tube or something as a threat.
It's like "hey A-hole, if you'd stay the f**k out of my lab, we'd be done by now." That equipment is expensive. He just set them back weeks, if not months.
#58
After the MC is done murdering a hundred people he won't kill the main guy because he would just be like him if he does that/the bad guy would win somehow/he isn't a murderer
Kira Okah 3 years ago
Never gotten why killing the henchmen is not counted. Billy the Hench-guy might have had a wife and kids. The baddie might have even known them personally - I mean they aren't going to go get someone from the Henchman Hires place to guard their keys, they would give it to someone they know and trust.
#59
A character, having never shot a bow or used a sword, suddenly picks is up and is able to defend themselves. NO. Speaking from experience, it takes years of practice to get proficient at using a bow or a sword.
#60
Making it look like someone is gonna die unless the bullet is removed asap. And then they are all better when it is out. This is ridiculous and false. Most of the time we don't even care about the bullet itself.
LivingTheDream 3 years ago
And don't forget how healing it is to pull out the knife/spear/sword... instead of leaving it in until you are prepared to stop the blood flow.
#61
Love triangles, 95% of them are all the same and usually go like this.
“Hello my name is generic rom com protagonist, I am an average person just like you and I have a problem, I’m in love with 2 boys/girls.”
“Hello I am generic love interest number 1, I am likely the childhood friend who wishes the best for my best friend, I have been yearning for their love and have been patient for their affection, alternatively I may be the rich person as well who promises a life of luxury and stability who will do anything for my one true love.”
“Hey, The name’s generic love interest number 2, unlike the bore that is generic love interest 1, I have a more wild and Exotic personality, I may be the bad boy, the manic pixie dream girl or whatever my role is, I may be poor but I will give generic rom com protagonist excitement as routine is so lame and I will probably win anyways and if I don’t, I’m sure the fanbase will make fanfictions where I am the winner anyways.”
“Oh no whatever shall I do, I’m only at the mercy of the writers who has to pad this conflict out for 90 minutes and I am sure that there will be no needless dramas or misunderstandings.”
TL:DR love triangles are always the same plot line over and over again
Laura Würker 3 years ago
And that is not even a "triangle". Only if there is something going on between the two love interests from the protagonist. Than it's a proper love "triangle"
#62
No movies having any concept of how guns actually work. Eg. Unlimited ammo, bullets not penetrating things the would go straight through like car doors, No recoil silencers making the gun too quiet etc.
#63
All men are perverts/evil.
Seeing it a lot more lately because lazy/bad writers can't write strong women as strong women so they default to making all dudes awful instead.
#64
When going through a database of criminals, the screen flips through mug shot by mug shot. No software works that way.
#65
Fight scene where the giant and more powerful bad character picks up the hero and throws them a few times, normally over a table or through whatever. It's a tool to show the audience how much stronger they are and thereby raise tension/ humour even, but it's SO unrealistic it just irritates me.
If you were physically capable of literally tossing someone across a room so they go fully airbourne, surely the most efficient way of winning the fight would be to just grip their windpipe and destroy it or just straightforward pulverise their face and head into oblivion with forearms and knees in 3 seconds. But no. Pick them up and throw them a few times, because LoOk, StRoNk!
#66
All bartenders are capable of remembering every customer they have had in last six months in full detail if you give them enough 100 dollar bills.
#67
•People never, NEVER saying goodbye on phones.
•The weird clapping thing (I know it is to not make sound to have raw sound from the actors, but come on..)
•Drivers not paying attention to the road when talking to their passengers
#68
If a person ever tells you, "Trust no one," just go ahead and shoot that person.
#69
This is a minor one, but in movies if anyone went to the store for groceries, they came back with one paper grocery bag, which ALWAYS has a baguette sticking out the top. On some occasions they may be carrying two at the same time but this usually results in them either comically unable to use their hands, or they end up dropping them everywhere.
No one ever has plastic grocery bags that they bring in multiple trips or, as is more realistic, grab all of them at once for one trip.
Jenny Rosbach 3 years ago
Or the pop of green parsley or flowers out the top of the brown bag.
#70
people just park anywhere.
running into city hall or the courthouse or the police station or an airport or whatever the f**k? no worries...just park here literally right in front of the front door.
not only is that illegal, it's not even physically possible in most cities/towns.
they never show our heroes schlepping it from a parking garage 2 blocks away.
N G 3 years ago (edited)
Conservation of narrative momentum. Do you really want to watch a movie in real time where a guy queues for 4 hours at the DMV? No, the movie magically make it so there's no one else in the building so he gets service immediately. Same thing with finding a parking spot - would it be more realistic to show our main character stumbling for change at a parking meter if it doesn't advance the plot? Yes. Would it be entertaining? No, and if you were to include all the little details, the movie would be about 9 hours long.
#71
When main characters kiss first when they are literally near death or out of time to save themselves. They have 12 seconds left to live but they talk their feelings first and kiss or do something dramatic like isn’t that already more than 12 seconds? How are you still alive? Lol I hate watching these scenes they take too much time in the middle of a near death scene.
Another is a female character who is mean or bitchy for literally no reason at all, they are just mean. You know those female teenagers who hates school and practically everyone and everything. And at the end of the movie or series they get kind to the main character and everyone she was mean to. I know it’s character development but characters like this are overused. Applies for mean boys too (although I mostly know mean female characters).
The 5-star rated 5-star rating system 3 years ago (edited)
I don't know why those kiss-in-a-life- threatening-situation scenes still exist. The characters sometimes just become dumb because there "needs" to be a random romantic, dramatic moment...
#72
See-through monitors in futuristic movies. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I want to see what's displayed on the monitor, not what's behind it, and I think future humans will feel the same. That sort of defeats the purpose.
Yet every single damned one of them does this.
#73
The sassy black girlfriend. I may be snarky at times, but I don't adhere to what they think it means or look like on a black woman. She often is so cliched/stereotyped that she doesn't have any character development of her own. Also, it's a sad ploy to make the vanilla protagonist look cooler than she is.
#74
When two people wake up and don't remember that they got married the night before because it's Vegas and they were drunk. It doesn't work like that, dammit!
marianne eliza 3 years ago
Or 2 people wake up together and don't know if they had sex. IRL it's usually pretty obvious, at least from the receivers point of view.
#75
The guy that bullies the gay kid ends up being gay. Even worse when they end up with the kid they bullied.
Sushi Monster 3 years ago
You can downvote if you like but things like this actually happen in real life, due to internalized homophobia.
#76
Short guys ALWAYS being dorky pathetic losers who get bullied or otherwise picked on.
No one can be short in a movie without an issue being made of their height. They can’t just exist as a short person.
*I guess how controversial this comment is speaks to why this is such a popular trope. It's apparently very important to some people that short guys are portrayed this way. What does that say about them?
#78
Just as the villain is about to deliver the death blow, they take a moment to threaten the hero’s SO. This gives the hero the resolve to keep going and defeat the villain. Dude, don’t gloat. Just keep your mouth shut and pull the trigger.
Sophia Coe 3 years ago
Or, when they decide they are going to make the hero watch them kill their love interest, even though they literally are not the one they spent months trying to kill, and then, BAM, hero saves them and they both get away to some cheesy scene where they confess their love in the middle of a friggin battle
#79
This one often appears in anime. Where the (main) character stumbles and falls head/hands first between the chest of a girl/woman
#80
How do we know the main male character is a tortured genius? Because he writes on the windows/walls and stares at his work pensively, and is a jerk to everyone around him while he processes this (or any) information. Genius does not necessarily equal jerkitude.
#81
When a character suddenly becomes incredibly well-spoken so they can deliver a powerful speech.
The dumb dumb whose email password was “boobies” earlier in the movie will say some s**t like “You know, maybe I’ve just been projecting my own subconscious insecurity about my career advancement onto you, Lance. It’s not fair to you, and in the future I’ll endeavor to rectify my past grievances.”
K. 3 years ago
Sounds about right. Give people a chance and they will rise to the occasion. I’ve seen and heard a lot of good coming from humanity too. In the state I’m from, we’ve had a lot of people step up... Not everybody feels the need to be well-spoken and intelligent all the time. When you dismiss someone for being silly as an idiot, you make a fool of yourself.
#82
Car chase/shoot outs.
Car takes thousands of rounds and works fine, and the driver doesn’t have a scratch.
#83
Closing of dead characters eyes by waving a hand passed them, grinds my gears
Jo Johannsen 3 years ago
Do people's eyes really stay open when they die? Seriously , wouldn't that mean you'd need to tape your eyelids to go to sleep?
#84
A kid saving the day in an adult situation...perfect examples: the last Predator movie..the kid figured out alien technology in 10 minutes.....the first jurrassic park movie..the girl solves the computer system in a minute.
I realize why directors do this is because it makes kids watching feel like they can relate to the kids on screen...or they need a kid hero for the kids watching.....whatever it is, its dumb and removes me from the movie.
#86
When a character has no simplistic ability to help themselves out of a situation and need to be rescued. All of a sudden they become these useless twats. This is seen with the type of characters using university level language and they have full out stem educational backgrounds but all of a sudden forgotten all about their masters degrees, and all the tools they have at their disposal... Because the lights went out.....
#87
Anything having to do with any aspect of medicine. The worst though is that arm slings cure everything
your local lesbian 3 years ago
yes! broke your arm in seven places? just put it in a sling, it’ll be fine! and a broken rib, it’s bandaged and fine now! you don’t bandage broken ribs, they have to heal on their own, there’s virtually no medical measures that can be done with a broken rib. (now three or more ribs, that’s a different story that usually requires hospitalization)
#88
There are no police unless they serve the narrative.
People get into fistfights, they shoot at one another, they start fires, they break windows, but the cops never come... unless they serve the narrative.
Also, — technically this isn’t a trope but the absence of something, — where are the toilets on the Enterprise? Babylon 5 has toilets. Battlestar Galactica has toilets. Why doesn’t the Enterprise? Yes, the recreation at the Hilton (or wherever) has one, but it never appears in the TV show or movies. I feel this should be part of a sci-fi Bechdel Test.
Kira Okah 3 years ago
The Enterprise has toilets, certainly Enterprise D and E - they are mentioned multiple times in dialogue. The Original Series was released at a time where showing or mentioning a toilet was a big no-no in television. Voyager mentioned the toilets too. There are technical drawing type layouts drawn of all the main Star Trek vessels that mark the toilets too.
#89
"As you know"
"As you know, I conducted a raid on the Great Library which many people said didn't even exist."
I hate it when movie characters say this because it is the worst way of explaining exposition to the audience.
Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago
Ranks right up there with "remember" or "don't forget." As in, "Sis, don't forget to come by on Christmas morning for Mom's fresh cinnamon rolls. Remember, it's our family tradition that we've done all our lives."
#90
the idiot plot. basically the main problem in a movie stems from the fact that the protagonists are really completely f***ing stupid and fail to do things any regular person would do.
As in, "oh hey, I wonder if it's raining", well then, the only way we can find out is if we get naked, go outside and if you feel water falling on your body, then it's raining
#91
Character either gets mad or they’re “looking out for themselves” and leaves the group only to come back and help in the final battle anyway. It worked with Han Solo and its been predictable ever since.
Susan Widomski 3 years ago
This is a movie ploy going waaaaay back. Builds a little momentum to make it more dangerous for the antagonist.
#92
Dumb kids in movies, like they have to put everyone at risk to get there stuffed teddy bear or get lost at some point in a disaster movie
Becky Samuel 3 years ago
Ugh. Nah, kids are just dumb animals with no sense of self-preservation. Walk out in front of a car - yeah, sure. Run full speed off a cliff - no problem. Climb some huge rock - seems like fun.
#93
Fake jump scares. Building all that tension and suspense, then an incredibly loud music sting for a cat jumping in front of someone.
Susan Trevaskis-Owen 3 years ago
Followed by the startled person turning around and whooops THERE'S THE KILLER RIGHT BEHIND THEM.
#94
Grenades with the power of 4 blocks of C-4.
#95
Not limited to movies but the master manipulator whose overly elaborate plan requires them to be not so much intelligent insomuch as be basically clairvoyant so that nearly everything falls into place exactly as they need for the plan to work.
Random chance and bad luck are non-factors, because if they were the plan might end up falling apart in stage one.
#96
People hanging their phone mid conversation People leaving their house/car doors open People knocking other people out with a casual punch, like “yeah go to sleep”
CrunChewy McSandybutt 3 years ago
A well place jaw punch will knock a person out because of the shock to the vegus nerve.
#97
Someone running, in a panic going "nononononononono!!!!" It seems like it's been a thing since the first Transformers movie where Shia LeBeuf did it all the time. I hate it so much! Also when something purposely hits the camera lens. It was a thing done effectively in Children of Men, as the scene was immersive (the refugee camp scene) but it happens a lot now, and it immediately takes me out of a movie or TV show.
What do you think ?
troufaki13 3 years ago
For me it's that all female characters (unless it serves a narrative) have super model bodies. They can be 50yo, mom of 3 and still be smoking hot. Are there such women in real life? Sure. Is it the norm? I don't think so. I really like to see women I can relate to. Women that are not beautiful but ok-ish, that don't have flat tummies, that their hair isn't always impeccable, and they are the main character not just a sidekick.
Julie Daly 3 years ago
And this is woman, so and so, a leading expert in her field. Ahh no, she's 22 she's only out of university.
Load More Replies...
22Rincut 3 years ago
For me is that most female superhero/action lead has a long, wavy, impeccable hairstyle that always lands perfectly on their shoulders after the fight that involves martial arts, or flying w/o getting sucked, tangled, grabbed etc
Seabeast 3 years ago
I used to be amused by the long hair on Baywatch. If you swim with long unbound hair, it flops in front of your face the minute you lift your head to breath, but they'd be swimming with it streaming perfectly behind them.
Load More Replies... Paul K. Johnson 3 years ago
The one I hate the most is the "Approval Person". That is the person the main character spends the entire movie attempting to prove something to. At the end the Approval Person nods approvingly. Screw that. I've been working my ass off to get to where I am and if it's not good enough for you that's your problem. I'm not doing jack to gain your approval you egotistical jack-ass.
Mallowmelt Tardis 3 years ago
For me, it's that all girls who aren't skinny as a stick MUST be loud, hilarious, obnoxious, kinda dumb, etc.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
My most hated trope: Injuries never maim or kill, and amnesia resolves perfectly.
Vilma 3 years ago
For me it’s that in action movies a woman can easily kick every man’s ass, but when she faces another woman, it suddenly becomes very though fight. The same is with the good guy vs main bad character. He can beat everybody up, but with the final boss it’s always a huge fight. Even though the bad guy is half the size..
fogharty 3 years ago
What I find annoying is the kind of scene, where there’s some kind of emergency and one character drives like hell to get somewhere, defying all traffic laws and endangering all other motorists, then squeals to a stop at the FAR END of the road or driveway and gets out and runs to the house/person usually screaming their name. Drive all the way, man. Why stop and sprint the last 100 yards? Also done with tender reunion scenes like the end of “The Color Purple”. You see a car coming along the road, the road that goes right next to the house, but it stops a few fields away and the people get out, forcing these two elderly women to run to each other. Couldn’t they just have driven all the way to the house?
marianne eliza 3 years ago
Once the female lead has gotten into danger, usually by kidnapping, she no longer has a name. She's just "the girl". As in "where's the girl?" "I want the girl" "The girl stays/goes free".
Bow, I’m a Slytherin 3 years ago
The mom/mum in the movie makes a huge breakfast, checked tablecloth, jug of juice, crosaints, but her children just grab a bagel, because they’re ALWAYS late for school.
Tobias the Tiger 3 years ago
The series I'm working on actually parodies/makes fun of a lot of overused tropes in various kinds of stories!
Load More Replies...
Chicken Nugget 3 years ago
When two characters have half a conversation and are automatically in love. Not just like each other, but in love. And it's usually the girl who falls in love with the guy, and the guy's like, 'Oh, this hot woman likes me? Guess I'd better like her back!'
David Cumberland 3 years ago
Most annoying to me is the cop or federal agent gets out of their car when they see the person they’re looking for and call the persons name from across the street or whatever distance. The person then runs making the cop start chasing the bad guy. It never fails.
Trina Risos 3 years ago
Someone just waking up AND THEN proceeds to brushing their teeth BEFORE going down for breakfast. Like WTF you brush your teeth AFTER meals. Jeez.
C. Mayo 3 years ago (edited)
1) Shooting a padlock at close range causes it to spring open. 2) Knocking the handle off a door unlocks and opens the door. 3) Gunfire in close proximity to bystanders, as if bullets only go where you want them to and no further. 4) Classic cars in movies set in the past are always spotlessly washed and waxed 5) Full credits that roll BEFORE the film.
Thenatural 3 years ago
The pretty waif who absolutely batters 16 stone bouncer types even taking full right hooks to the jaw that merely smears their lipstick...just f**k off with that bullshit!!
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
All women everywhere always wear perfectly matching lingerie all the time. /s
Jutta Plötz 2 years ago
About the shopping bags,those are special probs to cancel out noises. It is basically felt shaped like paper. It is harder and costs more to make a quiet plastic bag so fake paper is the go to.
Billie Sue Patrick 2 years ago
When a woman pregnant with her first child suddenly grabs her belly and says "The baby is coming!" in a panic stricken voice. She is rushed to the hospital like it's a life threatening emergency. Labor comes on gradually and lasts for HOURS, not minutes. If you go to the hospital at the first pang, they will send you home.
Ann Abdelzaher 3 years ago
One that gets me every time is strangling someone for 10-20 seconds kills them... nope knocks them unconscious and unless you have crushed their windpipe they will wake up in a few minutes.
Izzy 3 years ago (edited)
1. Blood coming out of the mouth means a person is about to die, not that they might have just bit the inside of their mouth or something. No mouth blood after a serious-looking injury means they're okay. In reality, unless blood from an internal injury has direct access to the mouth, you're not going to see it, and even if you do, there's still a possibility you might pull through. 2. Poor trigger discipline. Someone needs to tell the actor to keep their finger off the trigger when handling a gun if they want to make it look like they actually know how to use it. You're only supposed to put your finger on the trigger when you're ready to shoot. Otherwise, you keep your finger out of the little hole and let it rest along the side.
Jaybird3939 3 years ago
I hate how easily the 1,000's of bad guys are so easily knocked out/killed. Orcs and Storm Troopers get knocks over the head and they are instantly out/dead. They didn't manufacture them very well. Maybe that's why there are so many of them.
Catherine Spencer-Mills 3 years ago
Any movie that attempts to know something about computer hardware or software or networks or wifi. ASK AN EXPERT and then follow their suggestions. I refuse to watch Independence Day. After i heard about the Apple created virus downing the alien mother ship - that was it. You have to be effing kidding me. Do the alien ship computers run on base 2? Do they understand ASCII or is it EBCDIC or some other protocol? Are the machine commands even the same? Is there a "save to memory" command for example and what is it? And so on. Drives me insane. All the cell phone towers are down? Then how the hell are you using your cell phone for anything? I could go on.
Anon Anon 3 years ago
Here are a couple of Hollywood cliches I hate: A young woman wakes up, her hair is perfectly neat and clean, and the bedding isn't in disarray whatsoever; a young man or teenager wakes up, his hair and bedding are in disarray, and always (unless it's a mature romcom), he has no boner at all whenever he gets up.
Paula McCullah 3 years ago
1. Labor. Suddenly, at the most inopportune time, woman goes in to full labor out of the blue. That's not how labor works. It's a slow progression over hours and hours even if her water breaks. 2. There's a grainy image or security camera recording. Can you clean it up? Sure! It's now perfect resolution!
Randy Kilpatrick 3 years ago
I really hate how a stun gun instantly renders a person unconscious, I sure hope nobody has ever attempted to use one in a self defense situation and expected them to knock out the bad guy.
I'manoob! 3 years ago
For me it's, "What could go wrong?" and "It's probably just the wind". Like...first, that line: "What could go wrong" needs to be banned for how much it's been used and how it ends the same way in any and every situation. And second, just the wind?...JUST the wind??! IT'S NEVER 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 THE WIND!!!
troufaki13 3 years ago
For me it's that all female characters (unless it serves a narrative) have super model bodies. They can be 50yo, mom of 3 and still be smoking hot. Are there such women in real life? Sure. Is it the norm? I don't think so. I really like to see women I can relate to. Women that are not beautiful but ok-ish, that don't have flat tummies, that their hair isn't always impeccable, and they are the main character not just a sidekick.
Julie Daly 3 years ago
And this is woman, so and so, a leading expert in her field. Ahh no, she's 22 she's only out of university.
Load More Replies... 22Rincut 3 years ago
For me is that most female superhero/action lead has a long, wavy, impeccable hairstyle that always lands perfectly on their shoulders after the fight that involves martial arts, or flying w/o getting sucked, tangled, grabbed etc
Seabeast 3 years ago
I used to be amused by the long hair on Baywatch. If you swim with long unbound hair, it flops in front of your face the minute you lift your head to breath, but they'd be swimming with it streaming perfectly behind them.
Load More Replies... Paul K. Johnson 3 years ago
The one I hate the most is the "Approval Person". That is the person the main character spends the entire movie attempting to prove something to. At the end the Approval Person nods approvingly. Screw that. I've been working my ass off to get to where I am and if it's not good enough for you that's your problem. I'm not doing jack to gain your approval you egotistical jack-ass.
Mallowmelt Tardis 3 years ago
For me, it's that all girls who aren't skinny as a stick MUST be loud, hilarious, obnoxious, kinda dumb, etc.
Leo Domitrix 3 years ago
My most hated trope: Injuries never maim or kill, and amnesia resolves perfectly.
Vilma 3 years ago
For me it’s that in action movies a woman can easily kick every man’s ass, but when she faces another woman, it suddenly becomes very though fight. The same is with the good guy vs main bad character. He can beat everybody up, but with the final boss it’s always a huge fight. Even though the bad guy is half the size..
fogharty 3 years ago
What I find annoying is the kind of scene, where there’s some kind of emergency and one character drives like hell to get somewhere, defying all traffic laws and endangering all other motorists, then squeals to a stop at the FAR END of the road or driveway and gets out and runs to the house/person usually screaming their name. Drive all the way, man. Why stop and sprint the last 100 yards? Also done with tender reunion scenes like the end of “The Color Purple”. You see a car coming along the road, the road that goes right next to the house, but it stops a few fields away and the people get out, forcing these two elderly women to run to each other. Couldn’t they just have driven all the way to the house?
marianne eliza 3 years ago
Once the female lead has gotten into danger, usually by kidnapping, she no longer has a name. She's just "the girl". As in "where's the girl?" "I want the girl" "The girl stays/goes free".
Bow, I’m a Slytherin 3 years ago
The mom/mum in the movie makes a huge breakfast, checked tablecloth, jug of juice, crosaints, but her children just grab a bagel, because they’re ALWAYS late for school.
Tobias the Tiger 3 years ago
The series I'm working on actually parodies/makes fun of a lot of overused tropes in various kinds of stories!
Load More Replies... Chicken Nugget 3 years ago
When two characters have half a conversation and are automatically in love. Not just like each other, but in love. And it's usually the girl who falls in love with the guy, and the guy's like, 'Oh, this hot woman likes me? Guess I'd better like her back!'
David Cumberland 3 years ago
Most annoying to me is the cop or federal agent gets out of their car when they see the person they’re looking for and call the persons name from across the street or whatever distance. The person then runs making the cop start chasing the bad guy. It never fails.
Trina Risos 3 years ago
Someone just waking up AND THEN proceeds to brushing their teeth BEFORE going down for breakfast. Like WTF you brush your teeth AFTER meals. Jeez.
C. Mayo 3 years ago (edited)
1) Shooting a padlock at close range causes it to spring open. 2) Knocking the handle off a door unlocks and opens the door. 3) Gunfire in close proximity to bystanders, as if bullets only go where you want them to and no further. 4) Classic cars in movies set in the past are always spotlessly washed and waxed 5) Full credits that roll BEFORE the film.
Thenatural 3 years ago
The pretty waif who absolutely batters 16 stone bouncer types even taking full right hooks to the jaw that merely smears their lipstick...just f**k off with that bullshit!!
Ann Mohrmann 2 years ago
All women everywhere always wear perfectly matching lingerie all the time. /s
Jutta Plötz 2 years ago
About the shopping bags,those are special probs to cancel out noises. It is basically felt shaped like paper. It is harder and costs more to make a quiet plastic bag so fake paper is the go to.
Billie Sue Patrick 2 years ago
When a woman pregnant with her first child suddenly grabs her belly and says "The baby is coming!" in a panic stricken voice. She is rushed to the hospital like it's a life threatening emergency. Labor comes on gradually and lasts for HOURS, not minutes. If you go to the hospital at the first pang, they will send you home.
Ann Abdelzaher 3 years ago
One that gets me every time is strangling someone for 10-20 seconds kills them... nope knocks them unconscious and unless you have crushed their windpipe they will wake up in a few minutes.
Izzy 3 years ago (edited)
1. Blood coming out of the mouth means a person is about to die, not that they might have just bit the inside of their mouth or something. No mouth blood after a serious-looking injury means they're okay. In reality, unless blood from an internal injury has direct access to the mouth, you're not going to see it, and even if you do, there's still a possibility you might pull through. 2. Poor trigger discipline. Someone needs to tell the actor to keep their finger off the trigger when handling a gun if they want to make it look like they actually know how to use it. You're only supposed to put your finger on the trigger when you're ready to shoot. Otherwise, you keep your finger out of the little hole and let it rest along the side.
Jaybird3939 3 years ago
I hate how easily the 1,000's of bad guys are so easily knocked out/killed. Orcs and Storm Troopers get knocks over the head and they are instantly out/dead. They didn't manufacture them very well. Maybe that's why there are so many of them.
Catherine Spencer-Mills 3 years ago
Any movie that attempts to know something about computer hardware or software or networks or wifi. ASK AN EXPERT and then follow their suggestions. I refuse to watch Independence Day. After i heard about the Apple created virus downing the alien mother ship - that was it. You have to be effing kidding me. Do the alien ship computers run on base 2? Do they understand ASCII or is it EBCDIC or some other protocol? Are the machine commands even the same? Is there a "save to memory" command for example and what is it? And so on. Drives me insane. All the cell phone towers are down? Then how the hell are you using your cell phone for anything? I could go on.
Anon Anon 3 years ago
Here are a couple of Hollywood cliches I hate: A young woman wakes up, her hair is perfectly neat and clean, and the bedding isn't in disarray whatsoever; a young man or teenager wakes up, his hair and bedding are in disarray, and always (unless it's a mature romcom), he has no boner at all whenever he gets up.
Paula McCullah 3 years ago
1. Labor. Suddenly, at the most inopportune time, woman goes in to full labor out of the blue. That's not how labor works. It's a slow progression over hours and hours even if her water breaks. 2. There's a grainy image or security camera recording. Can you clean it up? Sure! It's now perfect resolution!
Randy Kilpatrick 3 years ago
I really hate how a stun gun instantly renders a person unconscious, I sure hope nobody has ever attempted to use one in a self defense situation and expected them to knock out the bad guy.
I'manoob! 3 years ago
For me it's, "What could go wrong?" and "It's probably just the wind". Like...first, that line: "What could go wrong" needs to be banned for how much it's been used and how it ends the same way in any and every situation. And second, just the wind?...JUST the wind??! IT'S NEVER 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 THE WIND!!!
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