# Dealbreaker screenplay clichés **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [March 14, 2022, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002 "2022-03-14T02:31:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/241 "2022-04-14T09:28:03Z")
I grew up in rural-adjacent America in the 70’s and we had visor keys and unlocked front doors. Now that I’m in dense-suburban America, my keys aren’t in the car unless I’m in the car with them. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/242 "2022-04-14T10:48:06Z")
Not only that, but as soon as I get out of the car, I lock it. I decided to start doing this years ago so I wouldn’t have to ask myself later, “Did I lock it?” Now it’s just automatic. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/243 "2022-04-14T11:08:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > How about: > > “Are you saying **I** killed Mary Lou?” > “Did you?” > > There are lots of variations of this one: > > “You seem to think **I** moved the body.” > “Did you?” > > “Are you asking me if that’s **MY** gun?” > “Is it?” > > “You act like you think I’m lying!” > “Are you?” isnt that basically the last half of every perry mason episone ? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/244 "2022-04-14T16:58:01Z")
The reverse happens if your a jedi. A jedi will die from a papercut, but you can decapitate a Sith, cut them in half, throw them in volcanoes, melt their flesh in acid leaving only a pulsing blob of grey matter, and no worries, they’ll be back. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/245 "2022-04-14T17:07:04Z")
I saw Dick van Dyke do the same thing the other day in an episode of _ **Diagnosis: Murder** _. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/246 "2022-04-14T17:12:29Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > A jedi will die from a papercut This reminds me of something that happens occasionally which annoys me. A single instance of an enemy is incredibly difficult to defeat, but lots of the exact same enemy are easy to defeat. Examples (if I remember correctly; watched it years ago) at the end of the Buffy series, the ancient vampire demon is very hard to defeat, and Buffy loses fights with it a few times before finally killing it. Then the hell gate opens, and there’s a whole army of ancient vampire demons, and she’s one shotting them left and right. Or, Sith versus Jedi. When it’s one Jedi, the Sith have a big problem, and the fight goes on for a long time, and maybe the Sith loses. When it’s a whole bunch of Jedi, the Sith can kill a bunch of them pretty easily. On Star Trek Discovery one Klingon or Terran is a long drawn out fight. A bunch of Klingons or Terrans die quickly, except maybe the last one. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/247 "2022-04-14T17:16:24Z")
You left out one Kung Fu master versus hordes of minions … all of whom wait for their turn to attack instead of just swarming him. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/248 "2022-04-14T17:21:42Z")
Act I: “Hero, please help me by defeating this terrible enemy! He is far too strong for me, and I could never hope to defeat him!” Act II: “You defeated the powerful foe I could never hope to overcome! Now I’m going to stab you in the back, because despite beating that guy that was way too powerful for me to defeat, I’m still pretty sure you’re a chump.” Happens a lot in video games. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/249 "2022-04-14T17:24:25Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Kung Fu master versus hordes of minions And before fighting the hordes of minions with glass jaws, there’s usually a difficult fight with one minion, and then of course the big boss fight at the end. It reminds me of some RPG system I played that had the concept of “minions,” which were enemies that were killed in one hit, regardless of how hard the hit was. They could be a problem when attacking in groups, because they still caused full damage, but one AoE spell could quickly change the balance of a fight where the party was greatly outnumbered. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/250 "2022-04-14T18:20:08Z")
Our big, muscular, brawny, he-man hero gets a pretty small wound-- a scratch or a puncture. Usually on his face, shoulder, or arm. Someone else, usually a woman, runs to get the first aid kit and takes out gauze and appropriate disinfecting liquid. She is poised to apply said remedies to injury, but always says first, _“This is going to hurt a little.”_ She touches the wound ever so slightly. Our hero winces dramatically with a plaintive cry, and nurse pulls back momentarily, then goes in a second time to swab the injury. One hour earlier, the same guy was shot, stabbed, thrown from a moving car, and/or attacked by sharks and didn’t utter a word of complaint. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/251 "2022-04-14T18:36:28Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > A single instance of an enemy is incredibly difficult to defeat, but lots of the exact same enemy are easy to defeat. TV Tropes calls this “Conservation of Ninjutsu.” The idea is that there is only so much ninjutsu available, and has to be spread equally among all fighters. Thus, a single ninja (having all the ninjutsu) is an unstoppable badass, but a whole bunch of ninjas (all sharing that same amount of ninjutsu) are disposable mooks. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/252 "2022-04-14T21:41:11Z")
This actually correlates well to emergency medicine. The biggest guys are often lightweights. I remember during medical school being asked to do an eye exam on this big dude. He put his head on the chin rest as I turned on the slit lamp. I started looking in his eyes and he said “I don’t like people looking in my eyes” before slumping to the floor unconscious. The resident then walked into the room. “Geez, what did you do to this guy?”. (Vado a gals are more common with stitches and pain; never seen this again over two decades.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/253 "2022-04-15T07:18:56Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > One hour earlier, the same guy was shot, stabbed, thrown from a moving car, and/or attacked by sharks and didn’t utter a word of complaint. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/254 "2022-04-16T15:47:09Z")
A long-running action series I have on in the background when I’m exercising or doing drudge work is a master class in screenplay cliches, many of which have been mentioned here. One I don’t think has been mentioned here, that they do all the freakin’ time, is shooting a lock with a pistol to open a door or gate. According to Mythbusters, this just doesn’t work, unless you use a shotgun or 30.06 at very close range, and the risk of serious injury from ricochets and shrapnel is very high. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/255 "2022-04-16T16:21:27Z")
What show is that? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/256 "2022-04-16T17:18:44Z")
Every show ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/257 "2022-04-16T18:10:24Z")
I was asking about this comment: > [@solost](#): > > A long-running action series I have on in the background when I’m exercising or doing drudge work is a master class in screenplay cliches… ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/258 "2022-04-16T18:35:12Z")
Almost embarrassed to admit it…’Supernatural’. There’s like 15 thousand seasons of it on Netflix. For those who aren’t familiar, capsule summary: two brothers drive around the country in a ‘67 Impala looking for monsters and demons to kill. Yes, it’s about as silly as it sounds, if not more so. As mentioned, it fits the bill for having something mildly entertaining and not too complicated to keep one eye on while doing other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/259 "2022-04-16T21:54:27Z")
Sounds just what I need to put on in the background. I’m getting tired of watching 20+ seasons of America’s Test Kitchen over and over again. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2022, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002/260 "2022-04-16T22:56:38Z")
I love ATK, but you sure can’t watch it if you’re even a little bit hungry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dealbreaker-screenplay-cliches/961002.md?page=14)