It’s part of WWTW’s mission to point out movie cliches and, hopefully, shame film studios to stop using them.
So, in no particular order, here are some more cliches deserving to be deep sixed.
- The redneck beer grip: Want to make a character look either tough or as if he just stepped out of a honkytonk bar? Make him drink a beer bottle with his index finger wrapped around the bottleneck. It’s shorthand for, “this guy means business and definitely didn’t go to Yale or Harvard.”
- Conflicted hit men: Whatever happened to movie assassins who take pride in their work? Lately, every hit man is dealing with an existential crisis, and we’re left with the emotional fallout. Even uber tough guy Jason Statham succumbs to the trend in the new film “The Mechanic.”
- Super-duper twist endings: What does a screenwriter do after hitting the save button on a thorough unremarkable script? He or she goes back and adds in a nonsensical twist ending to make the story seem edgy and cool. The end result is often terrible, but put enough of a twist on it and you’ll trick a few movie goers into thinking it’s “deep.” Consider last year’s “Repo Men” as a prime example.
- The hot high school chick shuffle: I didn’t go to any swanky high school, but I’m pretty sure the hottest female students didn’t commandeer the halls in unison, dismissing lesser mortals in their wake. “Mean Girls” nailed this move. Everything since then has been a faded copy.
- Slow motion gone wild: Slow motion can make a great scene even better. But it can also make an ordinary shot look foolish. Stop with the slow-motion overkill on people walking, talking or doing other basic activities. Save it for the kill shot, or that final upper cut which floors the smug champion.
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{ 62 comments… read them below or add one }
If I have to see another movie about a retiring master criminal being forced to commit one last heist that goes spectacularly wrong, I just may throw something.
It would also be nice to get a break from evil corporation movies.
Yeah, the “last” anything is just tired … the cop on his last week before retirement, etc.
Take away evil corporations? Hollywood would go silent!
Here are a few that should be put on ice for a while:
* The quirky car. The main character never drives a Camry; he always has to have a unique car, like something European (like a Citroen) or 20 yr old Wrangler. And chicks always drive a Prius.
* In rom-coms, it seems the leading lady is always a neurotic organization freak with a really New York-y job: book editor, fashion magazine editor, art gallery manager. Software company project managers need love, too.
* Since the old prince charming sweeping you off your feet story line is no longer PC, modern fairly tales always have the prince as a playboy/slacker type that is brought to his senses by an idealistic, smarty-pants gal who teaches him to use his position to do good.
* The couple with the most stable relationship is the same-sex couple.
* Dressing mid-westerners in clothes and accessories that are out of fashion by decades. Really, people who don’t live in LA or NYC are aware of fashion. We also have enthnic food joints in our little towns, too.
I’m getting really tired of action movies where the hero is assaulted in his home by faceless assassins dressed all in black, usually with ski masks and night vision goggles. Whether the villain is the CIA or an evil corporation (which are pretty much the only options Hollywood is giving us these days), they always seem to have an endless supply of these guys.
And given that the hero is usually a lethal killing machine, why send a bunch of guys into his house, anyway? Why not put a bomb in his car or pick him off with a sniper rifle or something? Seems faster, easier and alot less risky.
Liz – GREAT additions.
JimmyC – yeah, they have no problem invading a home with a SWAT team … why not just blast the house to smithereens?
I have ranted about this on other sites but the Current or Ex Military guy who has PTSD is so driven into the ground that China is coming into view.
Corrupt politicians of a political slant, its never the person raising money for a playground, it always the capitalistic corrupt big wig who is cheating you out of your money or trying to kill you. In other words, “Da Man”
Anything with Matt Damon in it, the movie is automatically Cliche’.
What about the anti-capitol punishment theme in every movie where the hero can’t get justice against the villain because to do so would “lower yourself to their level.” So the hero then decides to not kill the bad guy and walks away.. until the villain tries one last time to kill the hero, and then having no choice he kills the criminal.
Because they know that no audience would accept any other type of ending where the bad guy didn’t die.
One other movie cliché that really ‘gets my goat’: Americans are geographically ignorant and culturally insensitive. Given today’s global economy, and the relative ease and low cost of travel, most people have traveled outside of the US at least once. Heck, in my immediate family alone – middle-class, middle-American – we’ve traveled to over 30 countries for work, school, or vacation (and that’s not counting the travels of my brother-in-law while serving in the Navy, or my sister-in-law, a naturalized US citizen from India). I doubt we’re all that unique. So spare us the mid-westerner who thinks all Asians look and talk alike, or the ticky-tack tourist who shouts simplified English phrases at the locals that appear so often in movies.
One pops into mind for me-
“We Can’t Close the Beaches!” Syndrome. Watch a horror film. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, when the authorities, whether a corporation or government, get notified of an issue, they either ignore it and hope it goes away or they try to suppress the news. Which always causes the situation to spiral our of control. Realistic? Sometimes. But it’s been done so many times that whenever it happens, I just have to roll my eyes at the film. And it’s lazy screenwriting as well. I’ve seen enough films where they do take action to know that it can be done and done well. Heck, “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid” didn’t even resort to this cliche, and if you’ve been outwritten by The Asylum… Well, you may need to find a more suitable career.
Along the same lines, if a teen covered in blood rushes into the police station shouting that someone is murdering her friends out at the old mill, maybe you should send a cop or two and not just write it off as “crazy kids.”
Just now and then can we please see a husband smarter than the wife or a parent smarter than the kids?
Any character who’s an “Ex-Navy SEAL”.
The radio call sign “Eagle One”.
Regarding slo-mo in films: Anytime a car chase happens and one car drives off the road into a body of water the splash is in slow motion. (Exception was in “Bourne Supremecy” and very noticeable.)
– The criminal who is working “this one last score” before retirement.
– The villian who has killed everyone he opposes quickly and efficiently, only to have a drawn-out battle with the hero.
– In RomComs, when the leads are in a relationship before their hook up the female is dating a self-centered career-minded and unromantic guy; the male is always dating a complete bitch.
– Any and all military generals are corrupt and power-mad, but this gets corrected when they are killed by the finale, usually by the very evil plot they were behind.
– Any movie taking place at an island resort has to be populated with quirky and deeply insightful naitive people.
– All true villians have one henchman who can be killed off in order to make a point to every else.
We went to see this movie called ‘The Curve’ years ago. It had a couple different names because not suprisingly there was another movie with the same theme coming out. It had this absurd double ending, where you find out that not only was that guy they killed as a fake suicide so they could get all ‘A’s alive, but it was a double cross between him, the partner of the guy from Scream, and a whole bunch of other people so they could kill him and use him as a ‘fake suicide’
Yes.
The fiery esplosion in the background while the good goys go windmilling through the air. They are, of course, unhurt.
The bad guys who unleash more bullets than World War II but cannot hit the good guy.
The Corrupt Politician is always republican or “conservative” or Right Wing. A great example is “the edge of darkness.” It takes place in boston, and the chump corrupt tool senator, while doing a perfect John Kerry impersonation is billed as a republican on the quick hit TV interview Mel see’s. In the banner, chyron or whatever.
Yeah gary. Explosions are completely harmless as long as the protagonist is airborne at the time of detonation.
The Charismatic grifter who makes a splash, and then takes over an industry. “The Secret of My Success” “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter is Dead.”
Grumpy? Is that you? Why don’t you quit watching movies? My goodness.
I have an oldie but goodie, used in almost every type of film ever made…Westerns, horror, drama, Film Noir, comedy, romance, classics, animation, sci-fi, crime drama, Bromance, indies, etc…
The good ol’ “double repeat” to drive home a line or point…such as: “I really hope so, buddy (pregnant pause)…I really hope so”.
“You really made me think, sweetheart..(pregnant pause)…you really made me think”
And my favorite from Bugs Bunny in answer to an Irish accented cop when he says:
“Would I throw a lit match into a gas oven if the crooks were hiding in there?”
“You might, rabbit…(pregnant pause)…you might”.
Very interesting. I never noticed the beer bottle thing. Now I’ll probably see it everywhere!
One thing that used to bug me but which I don’t see as much anymore: The hero causes a hovering helicopter to explode by shooting it with a .38 revolver.
For once I’d like to see a movie that happens to be historically set in the early 1970’s and doesn’t include a disparaging comment about President Nixon.
In RomComs: the smart, savvy, beautiful, feisty, (possibly well-educated) woman with the loser boyfriend, ex-husband, or baby daddy in her past. If she’s so damn smart and fabulous, why did she hook up with him?
The parent who arrives at the kid’s school play, dance recital, soccer game, gymnastic meet, etc. etc. etc. in the nick of time to a) prove to the kid they really love them or b) give the kid confidence to go out there and win or c) both.
Mean nuns. Hot young nuns.
Exactly, Liz- I’m surprised we don’t show up chewing on hay straws with Minnie Pearl price tags hanging off our flowerdy hats…
The superficial gunshot-wound to a protagonist’s limb in action movies must stop–now. A lazier way to inflate adversity does not exist.
A) Being in the haunted house/house with a homicidal maniac and going alone into the dark attic or basement.
B) The wise, noble, spiritual, respectful-of-all-life Native American.
C) People who live in the suburbs are neurotic and dysfunctional; people who live in rural areas are stupid and backward; people who live in cities are witty, cultured, and open-minded (bonus points if you’re gay).
The sassy black nurse with attitude…..secretary….bus driver…..policewoman…..etc..etc….
The religious character in any scifi film whose religion is never any earth religion
Anytime the “good person” hits, shoots, or stabs a “bad person” in a part of the body that obviously wouldn’t kill him/her, yet the “good person” still refrains from finishing the job. They just stand there, cry, or leave the scene. Then, we see the “bad person” emerge for one last battle before finally getting killed.
Isn’t “Conflicted hit men” essentially the same as “the ambivalent hit man” from the last time you did this? Not that I disagree. Actually, I’m sick of hitman protagonists, period. They need to let that one rest for a decade or so.
Some more:
- Any heist scheme that uses high-tech equipment that must cost more to get hold of than whatever they are after is worth (even working on the assumption that criminals don’t pay retail).
- In movies set in past decades, having songs playing on the radio in the daytime that were obscure then, and would never have been on mainstream daytime playlists. They’re there because they are popular now.
- The way that destroying a door control panel always does whatever you need it to do. Need to open a locked door? Destroy the control panel. Need to stop a pursuing enemy from opening the door you just shut behind yourself? Destroy the control panel.
- That weird, high-pitched sound that any ’silenced’ gun makes: Shoop!
- C4 is the only military explosive in existence.
Oh, here’s a good one (although it’s more of a series TV cliche): anybody prescribed opiate-based painkillers will become addicted to them.
You know, it would be amazing if some screenwriter read this and took it upon themselves to write a film which avoided all these cliche’s. And tried to make it compelling.
My biggest complaint with the show “24″ was that each year it fell into the same predictible pattern. There would always be a mole inside the unit, there would always be a breach in the headquarters, and no one would ever listen to Jack Bauer even though he was never wrong. If you removed all these elements, put out a mandate that they would not be included, and then tried your hardest to make it as compeling, you might be surprised what could result.
I’ve always thought that older movies were somewhat better because the writers had certain restrictions which forced them to be more crafty in developing their stories. It’s been years since I’ve seen a film that surprised me. I suspect that once the lazy writers of today either get booted or promoted to some non writing positions we may see better films. I hope so.
So that’s the challenge. Write a horror/romcom/action/thriller/mystery/whatever that doesn’t fall into the same cliche’s.
And while you’re at it, historical films made specifically to comment on modern times. Major Fail.
Likewise films set in a period of time when all anyone talks about is some world event. Yes people talk about world events, but it’s not the entire scope of their communication. More often than not its used as nothing more than a lazy way to say what year it is. Again it’s simply lazy.
Chicks falling while running. My wife hates this too.
1) In a mystery show, the detectives are completely at a loss to solve a crime, until they’re having a random conversation with someone who says a word or a phrase that suddenly jars them into figuring out what the answer is, e.g.:
Random dude: “Man, I just don’t know how they can deep-fry ice cream…”.
Detective: “Wait, what you just said! I know who the killer is!”
2) The slow motion walk towards the camera and away from an explosion in the background.
3) When an engine quits on an otherwise intact airplane, it immediately goes into a vertical nose dive, with the requisite Stuka dive bomber sound effect of course.
4) Whenever someone is running from anyone, they always fall down and sprain an ankle.
5) When running away from a car trying to run them over, the person running always runs in a straight line in the middle of the road. And falls down at least once and sprains an ankle.
The one I’ve noticed is an elaboration of one mentioned above by users Martini and Sal:
In many Hollywood films where the person that the charming young protagonist is dating turns out in the end to “not be the right one” for him/her (read: inconvenient for the more famous, attractive lead who is “the right one”), this “wrong one” in reality must be a cruel, self-centered jerk with no redeemable qualities whose original acceptance as a significant other calls deeply into question the character discernment abilities of the protagonist whom we viewers are supposed to admire.
The person the main character could date but simply not end up with in the end could not possibly be a respectable person who turns out to have divergent interests or life goals. Neither could it be a simple matter of their happening to possess benign yet significant differences in personality or character that make them more suitable for another mate.
In the movie, this person will go from an uninteresting, unsympathetic inconvenience at the beginning to, at just the right moment in the narrative: a possessive, demanding, possibly-belligerent clinger insisting on his/her own way that the charming young protagonist would be a fool to stay with. (Or begin a relationship with in the first place. But please don’t stop to ponder this.)
Often but not always in these movies all these character revelations will come to a head, and the protagonist will stop abruptly, state that they no longer wish to be with them, and swiftly turn and leave with the box-office-mandated lover. (If they are female, they may have perhaps had a tender conversation with their father saying, “Yes, I AM sure, Daddy. I love him.”) The rebuffed person will respond angrily, pursue them briefly, and then have something humiliating happen to them to punctuate their obsolescence: a fall into a body of water, the splattering of a large amount of some unsavory liquid onto their face, or an expensive but otherwise non-harmful accident.
The End.
I’m REALLY tired of love triangles, worst TV or movie plot in history. The kids being brats, and parents let them do what ever they want. The “Parents don’t care about me” , Dad/Mom died or left while the kids where young. Also the Evil Corps, or Politians, and im tired of the bad cops, or best friends selling out for really, nothing important.
I love the way everybody stops shooting while the hero changes clips…Or how there is a second tier guy who is stuck between the hero and the higher ranking dude who kisses both of their a**es …
We’ve all seen movies where the good guy lets himself get captured by the bad guy and it turns into a trap where the bad guy gets killed. MY PROBLEM is that the trap requires the bad guy to not kill the good guy right away. He has a gun on him, he could shoot, but he decides to hold off doing it until the trap springs against him. It’s never blatant, like an old Batman TV episode, but it is irritating.
How often do we see the coroner or pathologist or CSI guy happily munching away on a sandwich or slice of pizza while examining, or even performing an autopsy on, a corpse?
What’s with the loud music playing during dialog. Same with TV.
It’s not just chicks falling. If a group of people, men or women are running from danger, SOMEONE is going to fall. Always.
One that went a long way towards ruining the first Lord of the Rings movie for me, was the secondary character/love interest/ whatever plummeting — usually in slow motion — into the abyss while the protagonist reaches out a splay-fingered hand (way too late and too far away to be of any use) and shouts a long echoing “Noooooooo …!”
Purest corn … purest Hollywood.
“Super-duper twist endings”
If you ask me, that is exactly what killed the movie Speed.
When a movie is over, let it be over.
I never want to see another romantic scene where every flat surface is covered with lit candles. Who lights them?
- Astronauts always walk in slow motion towards the camera.
- Good guy/bad guy foot chases: The bad guy gets a good head start
on the good guy, but eventually stops and peers around a corner to see if the good guy is still chasing him. The good guy comes out of an alley, stops, and looks around to see which way the bad guy went. He sees the bad guy peering……and the chase resumes. It’s as if the bad guy’s mentality is “Can you see me? Catch me!”
– Car chases: Cars never bottom-out regardless of the flying leaps and hard landings they make………..and there’s always a big truck backing out of a side street…..
- Any heist scheme that uses high-tech equipment that must cost more to get hold of than whatever they are after is worth (even working on the assumption that criminals don’t pay retail)
Actually, I sorta don’t mind this one too much as long as it’s done well (don’t think I’ve ever seen one in film.) But I used to play an RPG called “shadowrun,” and we had a mission that took months to play out because we had to steal all of the stuff we needed to complete the final mission. (Yeah, I was a geek, I was also a Marine, so it all balances out.)
2) The slow motion walk towards the camera and away from an explosion in the background.
And they are almost always throwing a cigarette.
- Good guy/bad guy foot chases: The bad guy gets a good head start
on the good guy, but eventually stops and peers around a corner to see if the good guy is still chasing him. The good guy comes out of an alley, stops, and looks around to see which way the bad guy went. He sees the bad guy peering……and the chase resumes. It’s as if the bad guy’s mentality is “Can you see me? Catch me!
Yeah, the footchases are irritating. It’s either as you said, or the goodguys partner is apparently tracking the badguy on gps or something. HOWEVER!, BEST FOOT CHASE SCENE EVER.
NSFW language, and not recommended for someone with a soft stomach.
You’ve been watching Castle, haven’t you?
The bad-guy, while pointing a gun at the hero, tells him the plot “because he’s about to die anyway.”
Ok have to weigh in with one that always gets me and i find it annoying and it ruins the whole feel of a movie.
Being stabbed does not automatically kill you. Unless you are stabbed in the head or heart you can take anywhere from 3 minutes to 8 hours to bleed out. During that time you can be awake and screaming in pain or trying to kill the person who stabbed you. Likewise for being shot with a bow and arrow. This is what ruined the character of Legolas in Lord of the Ring for me. a fully armored orc being felled by one arrow that can’t pierce armor or reach a vital organ to instantly kill.
Someone strangling another person, 2 to 4 minutes at most and people drop after 10 seconds on film of someones hands around their throats is ridiculous.
Poison arrows? Magic arrows? Strange Orcan anatomy?
Having Elves fighting Orcs in a fantasy land doesn’t free you from a need for internal logic, but it buys a heck of a lot of Suspension of Disbelief…
There are far too many movie titles that are about doing something to someone. Examples: “Eating Raul”, “Educating Rita”, “Guarding Tess”, “Finding Nemo”, “Saving Private Ryan”. And if you include movies about doing something to some thing — “Gleaming the Cube” — or doing something to some place — “Finding Neverland” — then the list would be endless. If there are less imaginative titles than these, I can’t imagine what they are.
I’m tired of the lovable best friend who tragically dies at a key moment in the hero’s journey of discovery. Examples: Anthony Edwards in “Top Gun”, Jeff Daniels in “Speed” and David Keith in “An Officer and a Gentleman”. It’s become so predictable that the best friend might as well be wearing a red Star Trek shirt.
I’m tired of the idealized image of the “New York Times” as THE bastion of truth and justice in the world. A classic example? The end of “Firestarter”, where all wrongs are righted when The Old Gray Lady gets the scoop — a scoop of steaming dog poop!
I resent the heroic prostitute/drug dealer who is victimized by the corrupt, evil cop.
In horror movies, the cat jumps out…the girl screams…she breathes a sigh of a relief…then turns to face an unspeakable evil that plunges a knife in her chest…not long after her sex scene.
I’m really tired of the “Shaky Camera” and the “Quick Edit” where there are so many camera angles in one seen and the edits move between those angles so fast that your eyes don’t even have time to focus on what’s going on before you are forced into another camera angle of the same exact thing.
This is Frustrating beyond all get out!