# Movie cliches you hope to never, ever see again **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2005, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819 "2005-06-11T00:41:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/21 "2005-06-11T14:46:26Z")
The incredibly innocent, gifted, good, etc. & also afflicted/persecuted person whose initials just happen to be JC- also a vastly overused literary device. SO YOU JUST STOP IT, STEPHEN KING!!! ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/22 "2005-06-11T14:59:47Z")
This isn’t a cliche so much as an overused cinematic trick: night time roads are always wet for dramatic effect. People who jump through glass windows and doors without injury. Also, I can stand to see a dramatic death, revelation, secret or sudden appearance NOT punctuated by thunder and lightning. Also: the plain woman who doesn’t get noticed until they get a dramatic makeover and are suddenly revealed to be gorgeous. Bleh. Gorgeous women who aren’t made up already know they’re gorgeous. People who run UPSTAIRS or DOWNSTAIRS to get away from a killer. Not all black churches are the whoopin’ and hollerin’ Baptist variety. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/23 "2005-06-11T15:03:47Z")
Not all Englishmen are archvillains. Some of us are mere apprentices, who will never sadly achieve or even aspire to world domination. Just getting the better of my wife is about the extent of _my_ ambitions. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/24 "2005-06-11T15:34:45Z")
We’re so very angry at each other that we must now kiss! This cliche always bugs me. Two characters have instant dislike for each other which progresses until they are yelling and then suddenly, kissing. There was a woman in my past and we both seemed to dislike each other immediately. We eventually fell in love - but not in a fiery yelling-then-kissing argument. ---
**Author:** ![sleeepy2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@sleeepy2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeepy2)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/25 "2005-06-11T15:48:56Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > The tacked on love story. I think this classifies as a cliche since it’s in around 80% of the movies out there. No matter how unlikely the chances of a main male character and a minor female character have of falling for each other, they do so anyways each and every single damn time. Many times the writers don’t even give the two a reason for going from hating each other with the intesity of a thousand burning suns to dry humping each other at the end of a hour and a half. Why? Does tacking on this damnded element to seemingly _every_ movie actually win more viewers? I’d like to think that there’ll be a day when people get as sick of it as I do, but I doubt it’ll happen. Ignorance is the slipperly rug under art and entertainment’s attempted advancements. The two examples of this that leap to mind were Anne Heche and Tommy Lee Jones in _Volcano_ and Nick Cage and Diane Kruger in _National Treasure_. Aside from the general gawdawfulness of these movies, I think the characters said to each other, “well, it’s the end of the movie, and despite all my actions to the contrary, I’m gonna pretend I feel something for you, now let’s kiss”. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/26 "2005-06-11T18:00:34Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > We’re so very angry at each other that we must now kiss! This cliche always bugs me. Two characters have instant dislike for each other which progresses until they are yelling and then suddenly, kissing. > . My favorite response to that. Ash: “First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me. Blow” ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/27 "2005-06-11T18:03:43Z")
> [@JoeSki](#): > > The tacked on love story. I think this classifies as a cliche since it’s in around 80% of the movies out there. No matter how unlikely the chances of a main male character and a minor female character have of falling for each other, they do so anyways each and every single damn time. Many times the writers don’t even give the two a reason for going from hating each other with the intesity of a thousand burning suns to dry humping each other at the end of a hour and a half. Why? Does tacking on this damnded element to seemingly _every_ movie actually win more viewers? I’d like to think that there’ll be a day when people get as sick of it as I do, but I doubt it’ll happen. Ignorance is the slipperly rug under art and entertainment’s attempted advancements. Oh god, yes. I was so thrilled to **not** see that during _The Peacemaker_ between George Clooney and Nicole Kidman that I nearly cheered. Admittedly there’s a little hint right at the end that they might start something in the future (they go out to celebrate, or something), but no “oh, we got on each other’s nerves but now we’re hot for each other” liplock or anything. Way more realistic and appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/28 "2005-06-11T18:35:00Z")
The action-picture cliche where the hero fires two pistols **while leaping through the air.** I don’t believe any Army Ranger, Green Beret or Navy Seal could hit a target, moving or stationary, under those conditions. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/29 "2005-06-11T18:43:58Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > My favorite response to that. > > Ash: “First you want to kill me, now you want to kiss me. Blow” Wait wait…are you watching Army of Darkness on SciFi right now too? “That’s just what we call Pillow Talk, baby.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/30 "2005-06-11T18:48:16Z")
Any movie where a character is in a lofty position (rich, celebrity, etc) and is forced to become a “regular” preson (get a job, etc) and, in the process, “learns something about themselves.” ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/31 "2005-06-11T19:00:56Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Any movie where a character is in a lofty position (rich, celebrity, etc) and is forced to become a “regular” preson (get a job, etc) and, in the process, “learns something about themselves.” [Fry] There comes a point in every rich-guy-who-loses-everything’s life where he _goes back how it was._ [/Fry] ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/32 "2005-06-11T19:22:57Z")
**Annie-Xmas** Great corollary to the eyewitness cliche. I guess I’ll add just a bit more to that. Murderer : Have you told anyone _else_ about your suspicions? Eyewitness: No, I wanted to tell it to you first to: 1. see what your reaction would be 2. give you a chance to explain your actions 3. give you a chance to prove your innocence 4. give you a chance to confess to the police _yourself_ before I turned you in And we all know that the eyewitness’ death will be shortly forthcoming. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/33 "2005-06-11T19:37:52Z")
I don’t know if it has yet (or even could, techinically) reach the status of _cliche_, but the multiple personalities plotline has got to stop. All the movies it has been used in, IMO, would’ve been vastly better without it. The newest incarnation of it, if I’m not mistaken, started with Fight Club, and subsequent offenders, that I know of, are Identity and Secret Garden None of these movies are new releases so those shouldn’t be big spoilers. A similar offender is someone you thought was alive is really dead, who we all know got its most recent incarnation in (I won’t even box this one) _The Sixth Sense_, which was unskillfully ripped off by The Others (also not a new release.) I remember sitting in the theatre for that movie with my then-girlfriend and thinking: _They better not be dead, they better not be dead, this is such a ripoff and waste of time if they are dead. No, no filmmaker is that stupid or unoriginal. They aren’t dead. Oh, goddamnit! They’re dead!_ ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/34 "2005-06-11T20:43:06Z")
Here’s a good one. A boxer’s manager is trying to goad “the champ” into a fight. Boxer’s Manager: My boy says he can beat the living daylights out of you. The Champ: Oh yeah ??? You name the _time_ and the _place_ and I’ll be there !!! The TV show “Police Squad” (with Leslie Nielsen) had a great twist on this. Boxer’s Manager: My boy says he can beat the living daylights out of you. The Champ: Wow, he must be pretty good. * * * **Cisco** similar to what you were saying, I thought a much more popular cliche is the _converse_ of that - someone you think has been killed is suddenly alive later in the movie. This was original back in the days of the original “And Then There Were None”, but it has been hackneyed to death. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/35 "2005-06-11T21:42:28Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > Wait wait…are you watching Army of Darkness on SciFi right now too? > > “That’s just what we call Pillow Talk, baby.” Actually, I posted that before I realized Army of Darkness was going to be on Sci-fi today. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/36 "2005-06-11T21:45:54Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I don’t know if it has yet (or even could, techinically) reach the status of _cliche_, but the multiple personalities plotline has got to stop. All the movies it has been used in, IMO, would’ve been vastly better without it. > > The newest incarnation of it, if I’m not mistaken, started with Fight Club, and subsequent offenders, that I know of, are Identity and Secret Garden I suspect the 2nd one was supposed to be “Secret Window”. Ironically, I guessed that from reading the review. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/37 "2005-06-11T21:59:49Z")
I hate the old horror-movie-cliche-come-everything-else-cliche where the villain or monster that was just completely and utterly killed dead is… dum duh daaaaaaaaaaah! not really dead right at the end of the movie. If you want to make a sequel go make the effin sequel. Don’t tack in on the end of this one. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/38 "2005-06-11T22:22:44Z")
I realize we’re talking about _movie_ cliches here, but I’d like to throw one in from TV if I may. It seems that the nameless CTU agents who accompany Jack Bauer in the field are becoming the new version of the red-shirted Starfleet crewmen, i.e. having a life expectancy of about 20 minutes! ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/39 "2005-06-11T22:59:22Z")
> [@bluethree](#): > > The strip-club scene. Oh, how I dread it. The one in _Closer_ was probably one of the more important ones in the film, and one of my favorites. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819/40 "2005-06-11T23:25:37Z")
Here’s one that never made any sense and makes less sense every time they do it: The bad guys have the heroes in their grasp and, instead of simply killing them, or even putting them in some elaborate, escapable Rube Goldberg execution device, they make them fight to the death in an arena, where the heroes are sure to prevail. Last time I saw this was (I see no need for a spoiler box) _Star Wars: Attack of the Clones._ I mean, it was a space opera and all, but still! I remember saying out loud, "Oh, no, not an **arena!"** :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-cliches-you-hope-to-never-ever-see-again/307819.md?page=3)