Dumb Movie Cliches (1 Viewer)

[WillG]

Plently ridiculous, but there is your explanation.

 

[Ruz-El]

"Hero/villaim blows up building and walks slo-mo towards the camera, un'flinching and lighting/smoking a cigar."

This is the one that always makes me groan. Almost always shows up in the trailers.

 

[BretWeaver]

Seeing as I just saw Van Helsing (shudder) here are a couple that are fresh in my mind...

In a fight you must always throw your opponents as far away from you as possible... this way, even tho they are unhurt, it gives them a time to recover so they can turn the tide of the fight

When anything goes off a cliff... it explodes

The rope is always just the right length for your Tarzan swing

 

[LanieParker]

I can't believe noone has mentioned the typical girl falls /trips while being chased by ax weilding psycho.

or

instead of heading out the front door to safety the virginal girl goes upstairs and hides under bed (cause you know they'll never look there).

or what about

sick child needs medication during some hostage takeover or trapped in building or on a mountain ledge without inhaler.

or

the old switcharoo. bad buy tells good guy to meet at some location to exchange priceless amulet for money, only to find that once they are half way to the carribean it's a bag full of shredded paper or bricks. Does noone bother to check the merchandise anymore?

or

felon being transported on plane or bus by some goof nut security always manages to escape.

I'll think of more later. Good thread!

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Andrew Markworthy wrote (post #18):



The cliche is---and this has been much discussed by movie reviewers---the cliche is that the victims of the psycho killer are usually anything but "virginal".

 

[BretWeaver]

Right. As long as you dont drink, do drugs, engage in sexual behavior, rebel against society in any way, or are black... you're totaly fine in a horror movie. Provided you're not related to anyone who was executed/persecuted/or engaged in any of the previously stated behaviors.

 

[Paul_Sjordal]

You can knock people out by hitting them in the head, and this never causes permanent damage.

 

[andrew markworthy]

No - that's another cliche in itself.

 

[Neil J]

Folks holding their pistol sideways...

 

[Pete-D]

These aren't so "dumb" but they are standard.

For War movies...

There's always the young, naive "little brother" type in every group of soldiers who either gets killed or comes out of war hardened by his experience. Usually his commander is tough on him.

There's always the scene in the barracks or the night scene where one of the soldiers is writing home to his sweetheart or wife and the "you got a girl back home?" conversation will always start.

If a movie is in New York City, everyone has huge apartments with nice views of the city skyline, even if the character is supposed to be middle class or poor.

 

[Kevin Porter]

Someone takes a fall or hurts themselves in some way and they say "I'm okay" in a humorous way.

 

[EricW]

i liked the scene in Conspiracy Theory where they had fun with this cliche: Mel Gibson has a guy 'hostage' in a cab, and presses him for information. after he gives it up, Mel knocks him on the head and he lurches over onto the steering wheel. a brief moment of silence... then Mel leans over to him and says "are you really out?" the guy with his eyes closed suddenly opens his mouth and says 'no' and Mel hits him again and knocks him out funny moment.

 

[Jeff Pounds]

Just thought of another one, although this one is more cliche for TV than movies, but it does occasionaly happen:

If there is a pregnant woman, and she steps into an elevator, you know that:

a) the elevator will malfunction and stop
b) the woman will go into labor
c) our hero will deliver the baby

 

[BretWeaver]

Whenever a car hits a gap in a bridge, canyon, etc.... it goes up like it hit a ramp, allowing it to make the jump. Even tho if you drive off a cliff there is NO WAY you can land on the other cliff if it is the same height as the one you drove off. See Speed.

 

[Jim DiJoseph]

Funny, there was a CSI some time back that spoofed this cliche to some extent. They indicated that shooting many models of semi-automatics in this way ejects the hot casing against the shooters hand, thus burning it slightly.

Wonder how many "tough guys" found this out the hard way.

 

[Alphonse Brown]

the line:

"You've got forty-eight hours!"

 

[Ernest Rister]

When the cop/hero parks his car at his buddy's house for dinner, he will LEAVE HIS LIGHTS ON as he gets out of the car and goes inside. See "Lethal Weapon"

When the cop/hero steps out of his car for a long, lengthy conversation, he leaves the car door open and also leaves the lights on.

Every phone number begins with 555 (and yes, I know why this is done, it's still stupid).

The Disney villain always dies by falling off of something. The Disney hero never dies by falling a great height.

The wounded buddy/sidekick/wife always lives just long enhough to impart a meaningful piece of dialogue.

During the PTA meeting, the parents will be screaming at each other over an important issue (like birth control). Then, the young high school student will stand up and deliver an impassioned speech while the adults look on with great wonder at his or her incredible wisdom. If only we could all be as smart as High School sophomores. (sigh)

 

[GARY C]

Didn't see this one mentioned yet (sorry if it is).

How about every computer hacker's standard The Fancy Graphical Hacking Software PackageTM.

You know the kind that lets the user simulate floating thru cyberspace, has slick backdoor password windows, and can run fully rendered 3d building drawings with complete camera control (and no lag).

 

[EricW]

when the good guy and sidekick go on the final mission, to heighten the tension the sidekick is the one that gets injured, thus imparting the sense of peril without actually getting the hero hurt so he can complete his mission.

i read once that after something like 20+ disney cartoon movies, there was only like 1 or 2 (or no) instances where the protagonist child came from a "original/biological mother+father" family.

 

[Jacob McCraw]

If someone (like a scientist or Jack Black in "The Jackal") does any kind of work for a bad guy for a large sum of money, that person is usually killed by the bad guy.

In horror films if a character wears glasses, they're going to lose them.

Historically bad sports teams and/or individual athletes will always have that one last shot at glory and rise to the occasion.

The cop that's two days away from retirement will always get dragged into a big case while simultaneously having to break in a new partner that's either crazy or inexperienced.

Alcoholics rarely have a gut.

There's only one guy that can help us now...