Most overused Clichés in movies/TV shows?

[platinumsage]

People of varying but generally average athletic ability about to fall to their doom who are able to hang on to an edge with just the fingertips of one hand for long enough to either have a good-bye conversation or be pulled to safety by someone standing at the edge using one arm and who themselves has nothing to hold on to.

 

[T & P]

Just remembered one of my favourites. The main character suspects an individual or a corporation of wrongdoing, but nobody believes them. Eventually our protagonist manages to sneak into the home of the individual or a building or warehouse belonging to the corporation and discovers a room full of incriminating evidence.

The next day he returns triumphantly with the police in tow and a search warrant, but the room or even whole warehouse previously full of contraband/ weapons/ drugs is now completely empty, leaving our hero red-faced.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Just remembered one of my favourites. The main character suspects an individual or a corporation of wrongdoing, but nobody believes them. Eventually our protagonist manages to sneak into the home of the individual or a building or warehouse belonging to the corporation and discovers a room full of incriminating evidence.

The next day he returns triumphantly with the police in tow and a search warrant, but the room or even whole warehouse previously full of contraband/ weapons/ drugs is now completely empty, leaving our hero red-faced.

Mostly it's a beat well into the film, or maybe even a hokey ending, but I like in The Untouchables how a very mundane version of it at the beginning basically provides the drive for the rest of the movie - bringing down smug young Treasury man Ness a peg or two, showing him that the police department as a whole cannot be trusted, and riling him up enough to Make This Thing Personal.

 

[T & P]

In paranormal horror films involving houses that have been unoccupied or abandoned, all the furniture is covered in white bedsheets, some of which resemble human shapes. Luckily when the terrified protagonist pulls the sheet off the shape in question it always turns out to be an umbrella stand, or for bonus points, a mannequin.

 

[T & P]

In paranormal horror films involving houses that have been unoccupied or abandoned, all the furniture is covered in white bedsheets, some of which resemble human shapes. Luckily when the terrified protagonist sums up the courage to pull the sheet off the shape in question it always turns out to be an umbrella stand, or for bonus points, a mannequin.

 

[Cloo]

Woman is uninterested in or annoyed by man who fancies her.... but he changes her mind and she falls in love! This probably does very occasionally happen IRL, but I'm sure this trope is responsible for an awful lot of crap women have to put up with ('She friendzoned me!' 'Women are weird like that, you just have to be persistent'), which at its worst leads to:

Woman has made it clear she hates man, but he starts kissing her without her permission and of course, she surrenders to him because that dislike was just that crazy, mixed-up woman way of saying how attractive she found him!

This sort of crap contributes to a culture of blokes thinking it's OK not to get a woman's consent - I mean, if they're taught that women who say they hate a guy are actually saying they want him to fuck her, of course you can't be assaulting a woman who likes you or gives any indication of liking you, it's practically a green light!

 

[Artaxerxes]

In paranormal horror films involving houses that have been unoccupied or abandoned, all the furniture is covered in white bedsheets, some of which resemble human shapes. Luckily when the terrified protagonist sums up the courage to pull the sheet off the shape in question it always turns out to be an umbrella stand, or for bonus points, a mannequin.

Only for the one covering the furniture behind them to slowly slide down and REVEAL THE KILLER.

 

[Orang Utan]

Woman is uninterested in or annoyed by man who fancies her.... but he changes her mind and she falls in love! This probably does very occasionally happen IRL, but I'm sure this trope is responsible for an awful lot of crap women have to put up with ('She friendzoned me!' 'Women are weird like that, you just have to be persistent'), which at its worst leads to:

Woman has made it clear she hates man, but he starts kissing her without her permission and of course, she surrenders to him because that dislike was just that crazy, mixed-up woman way of saying how attractive she found him!

This sort of crap contributes to a culture of blokes thinking it's OK not to get a woman's consent - I mean, if they're taught that women who say they hate a guy are actually saying they want him to fuck her, of course you can't be assaulting a woman who likes you or gives any indication of liking you, it's practically a green light!

Just been watching Moonstruck and that’s exactly what happens

 

[T & P]

In supernatural/ psychological horror films involving children, the troubled or spirit-bothered child in question will always be doing disturbing drawings.

Black coloured ink or crayon is a must of course, and a furiously scribbled black circle is widely popular among fucked-kids. Unsettling figures and animals, and drawings of the child’s family members being stabbed or burning to death is also a staple.

For toddlers or babies too young to draw, the faithful baby monitor never fails to pick up conversations between demons and little nippers.

 

[Wolveryeti]

Who has ever slipped on a banana skin? This trope was just dreamt up for film, I am sure.

 

[belboid]

Who has ever slipped on a banana skin? This trope was just dreamt up for film, I am sure.

it hasn't been used unironically for at least half a decade

 

[UrbaneFox]

I'm bloody sick of the leading man being a sports journalist or commentator. Or, in the old days, owning a record shop - see Mindy's Dad in Mork and Mindy.

 

[Combustible]

In paranormal horror films involving houses that have been unoccupied or abandoned, all the furniture is covered in white bedsheets, some of which resemble human shapes. Luckily when the terrified protagonist sums up the courage to pull the sheet off the shape in question it always turns out to be an umbrella stand, or for bonus points, a mannequin.

The first "scary" moment in a horror film is always a false alarm.

 

[Kaka Tim]

Who has ever slipped on a banana skin? This trope was just dreamt up for film, I am sure.

I actually did once slip on a bannana skin whilst walking accross wet wooden decking at Glastonbury festival, so definitely possible, and funny.
Apparently it was trope intruduced by early movies as a family friendly surrogate for slipping on horse shit, which was a common occurance back in the day.

 

[Reno]

In supernatural/ psychological horror films involving children, the troubled or spirit-bothered child in question will always be doing disturbing drawings.

Black coloured ink or crayon is a must of course, and a furiously scribbled black circle is widely popular among fucked-kids. Unsettling figures and animals, and drawings of the child’s family members being stabbed or burning to death is also a staple.

For toddlers or babies too young to draw, the faithful baby monitor never fails to pick up conversations between demons and little nippers.

The first "scary" moment in a horror film is always a false alarm.

Horror nerd alert: I can think of plenty of horror films where that isn't the case.

 

[T & P]

‘Marco fucking Polo!’ game just about every single fucking time there are kids a pool in America- and plenty of times involving grownups too.

I mean, I get that’s a real game in the US, but judging by the movies/TV series it feels like it’s illegal not to play it if you’re in a pool in America. Could our resident Americans elaborate further on this?

 

[Orang Utan]

‘Marco fucking Polo!’ game just about every single fucking time there are kids a pool in America- and plenty of times involving grownups too.

I mean, I get that’s a real game in the US, but judging by the movies/TV series it feels like it’s illegal not to play it if you’re in a pool in America. Could our resident Americans elaborate further on this?

Polo? They play it here too

 

[T & P]

Polo? They play it here too

Never once in my mind have I heard any kids playing it here.

 

[Orang Utan]

Never once in my mind have I heard any kids playing it here.

We were made to play it

 

[8ball]

We were made to play it

We had “rescue the brick in your pyjamas”.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

We had “rescue the brick in your pyjamas”.

An odd euphemism for masturbation

 

[belboid]

We had “rescue the brick in your pyjamas”.

I dont think Marco Polo has ever been part of the Bronze Swimming Certificate

 

[Saul Goodman]

An odd euphemism for defecation

CFY

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

CFY

If it's in your PJs it's long past saving.

 

[Saul Goodman]

If it's in your PJs it's long past saving.

Oh I don't know. I like to save mine until the morning, kinda like a little brown hot water bottle.

 

[fishfinger]

Oh I don't know. I like to save mine until the morning, kinda like a little brown hot water bottle.

Saul Goodman earlier:

 

[spanglechick]

We were made to play it

Marco Polo or water polo?

 

[belboid]

If it's in your PJs it's long past saving.

I think it was the Silver level you had to do in your PJ's

 

[Orang Utan]

Marco Polo or water polo?

Polo

 

[spanglechick]

Polo

On horses??!