# Best use of clichéd movie elements **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 20, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330 "2009-11-20T20:44:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/41 "2009-11-23T19:33:41Z")
> [@Mooch](#): > > **Best use of gratuitous nudity:** Halle Berry in _Swordfish_ This gets my vote. As far as I can recall, the scene serves no other purpose than “go see _Swordfish_, it’s got Halle Berry’s bare tits”! God, that was an awful movie. I’m pretty sure it would also get the award for **Most inaccurate depiction of computer hacking**. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/42 "2009-11-23T19:36:08Z")
**Best “Aha! You only THOUGHT I was dead!” moment** Michael Myers sitting upright after Jamie Lee Curtis has ‘killed’ him in the original _Halloween_. Probably didn’t start this cliche, but I bet 90% of the examples afterward are inspired by it. **Best amnesia** A lot of people hate this movie and this example, but fuck it: Harry in the third _Spider-Man_ movie. Yes, it was hokey. But it needed to happen so we (the audience) and MJ and Peter (the main characters) could reconnect to Harry. Without the goofy scenes of him making breakfast with MJ his Big Damn Hero moment at the climax wouldn’t have carried as much emotional weight. **Best twist ending** _The Others_. Not just a good movie, but literally the only time I had no idea what the twist was gonna be until all was revealed! My suggestions for other categories: [ul] [li]Best “love confession” scene in which someone lists all the things they love about their love interest, ala ‘When Harry Met Sally’[/li][li]Best domineering mother-in-law/mother[/li][li]Best scene in which the villain’s fortress collapses, or his spaceship blows up, or whatever, upon the villlain’s death[/li][li]Best overly-complicated villainous plot[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/43 "2009-11-23T19:36:29Z")
> [@Alistair\_McCello](#): > > I am going to have to go with Chuck Yeager in **The Right Stuff** where he played a waiter who glares at the government fellows when they suggest that Yeager is unqualified to be an astronaut. They should have also had the government guy complaining about the ineptitude of the waitstaff as well 🙂 Or even better the guy wondering if he had a broomstick up his ass or something. ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/44 "2009-11-24T09:48:55Z")
I know this doesn’t really fit - but having just seen 2012, I can forgive any movie that allows itself this dialogue; “I love you son.” “I love you too dad!” 2012 wasn’t the best use of this most worthy expression - so any ideas of the best? MiM ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/45 "2009-11-24T10:12:50Z")
**Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film:** The car scene set to Queen’s **Bohemian Rhapsody** in Wayne’s World. You know I’m right. **Best use of gratuitous nudity:** What? Am I the only one here who was beginning to enter adolescence in 1992? **Basic Instinct,** of course. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/46 "2009-11-24T17:31:33Z")
**Best use of Gratuitous Nudity** : In the David Carradine B-movie **The Warrior and the Sorceress** , the titular Sorceress, Maria Socas, spends about three-quarters of the movie topless. Day-um. 🙂 Completely and totally gratuitous. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/47 "2009-11-24T17:56:53Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Are you serious? I never knew that. Now I have to watch it again. I don’t remember Yeager particularly glaring at the NASA recruiters. He does have a few lines, though; he asks Harry Shearer what he wants to drink, and brings Crossfield his steak dinner after breaking mach 2. > [@Mississippienne](#): > > Best “love confession” scene in which someone lists all the things they love about their love interest, ala ‘When Harry Met Sally’ _Chasing Amy_. There’s a lot about that movie that I like, but I don’t really need to see that scene again. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/48 "2009-11-30T17:58:58Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I don’t remember Yeager particularly glaring at the NASA recruiters. He does have a few lines, though; he asks Harry Shearer what he wants to drink, and brings Crossfield his steak dinner after breaking mach 2. And Harry Shearer replies that he’d like a Coca-Cola. “In a clean glass.” ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/49 "2009-11-30T18:04:46Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > **Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film:** “Say a Little Prayer For You” in _My Best Friend’s Wedding_ > > **Best use of gratuitous nudity:** Jamie Lee Curtis in _Trading Places_ This Munch is a genius! ---
**Author:** ![Lethal\_Babydoll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3be4f8/32.png) [@Lethal\_Babydoll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lethal_Babydoll)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/50 "2009-11-30T18:07:20Z")
**Best Voice-Over By a Character As Movie Ends:** Shadowlands. “Twice in this life I was given a choice. The boy chose safety, the man choose suffering.” ---
**Author:** ![unstrung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a698b9/32.png) [@unstrung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unstrung)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/51 "2009-12-02T06:02:23Z")
Best Spontaneous Musical Number in a Non-Musical Film: I cant really say it will win the category, but I am a bit surprised that no one has even mentioned the “Dueling Banjos” number in Deliverance. Best Voice-Over By a Character As Movie Ends: Gotta be the last line that the dog says in A Boy And His Dog… ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/52 "2009-12-02T15:55:21Z")
My nomination for **Best rally the troops pre-battle speech** : is Aragorn’s “This is not that day!” speech in ROTK. But it’s possible I was overly impressed, just by finally having some original dialogue (i.e. not written by Tolkien) in any of the LOTR movies that was not cringingly bad. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/53 "2009-12-02T19:47:02Z")
Best **Hero punches the bad guy, but it only makes him angry** goes to Mel Gibson & Jet Li on the dock in _Lethal Weapon 4_. Best **Blatant heartstring manipulation over a sudden character death** goes to _My Girl_. My competitive nomination for the previous **Best ending voiceover** goes to the “bydebye to the pockyclipse” girl from **Mad Max Thunderdome** ---
**Author:** ![unstrung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a698b9/32.png) [@unstrung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unstrung)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/54 "2009-12-02T22:54:33Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > My competitive nomination for the previous **Best ending voiceover** goes to the “bydebye to the pockyclipse” girl from **Mad Max Thunderdome** I like that one too. As an only kinda related aside, wasn’t the post apocalypse world from **Mad Max** largely inspired by **A Boy and His Dog**? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/55 "2009-12-02T23:55:24Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > Best one liner before the hero kills the villain: > > Yun-Fat Chow in **The Replacement Killers**. > > Wei: The boy will die. > John Lee: Not in your lifetime. > [shoots Mr. Wei] **Heist** DeVito: “Wait! Don’t you want to hear my last words?” Hackman: “I just did.” ::shoots him:: ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/56 "2009-12-03T01:14:55Z")
**Best taking-a-well-known-cliche-and-turning-it-upside-down** LL Cool J in _Deep Blue Sea_. Seemingly a minor character (the ship’s chef), and he’s black. He might as well be on Star Trek wearing a red shirt, but he’s pretty much the only character who survives to the end. I watched the entire movie wondering when the black guy was gonna get eaten by the shark. The black guy _always_ dies. ---
**Author:** ![Gustav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/919ad9/32.png) [@Gustav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gustav)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/57 "2009-12-03T01:47:49Z")
Best musical number in a non-musical has to be Casablanca. And best “waking up with a gasp at the peak of a scary scene”-cliche at the beginning of Aliens. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/58 "2009-12-03T02:06:13Z")
> [@Lakai](#): > > Best one liner before the hero kills the villain: > > Yun-Fat Chow in **The Replacement Killers**. > > Wei: The boy will die. > John Lee: Not in your lifetime. > [shoots Mr. Wei] My hands-down favorite in that category, and it wasn’t even an action movie: From Pan’s Labyrinth – Vidal (referring to his newborn son, whom Mercedes, the rebel spy, is holding): Tell him the time that I died. Tell him … Mercedes: He won’t even know your name. And then the rebels kill Vidal. So satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/59 "2010-01-19T17:06:40Z")
Alien (the original) should probably get the nod for “best use of a pet to set up scary scenes.” The wandering cat Jonesy is used over and over to lure characters into danger, or to distract the viewers, or to make the audience _think_ an attack is coming, but it’s not, ha ha, fooled you, OHGODHEREITISNOW. This was self-parodied in the sequel when Ripley leaves Jonesy behind, saying “…and this time, you’re staying _here_.” ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330/60 "2010-01-19T18:14:40Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Are you serious? I never knew that. Now I have to watch it again. And don’t let the fact that he doesn’t look _anything_ like Sam Shepard make you think he’s any less than probably the most awesome badass in the world. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-use-of-cliched-movie-elements/518330.md?page=4)