# Movie poster cliches **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848 "2013-06-01T07:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/1 "2013-06-01T07:02:53Z")
Just saw two webpages - [here](http://twentytwowords.com/2011/11/09/10-movie-poster-cliches-with-plenty-of-examples/) and [here](http://twentytwowords.com/2013/04/10/5-more-movie-poster-cliches-with-plenty-of-examples/) - about movie poster cliches. It’s surprising how many examples they were able to find of each. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/2 "2013-06-01T07:31:11Z")
Awesome comps. I’ve notice the back-to-backs and through-the-legs EVERY TIME. One they missed is the shot of the hero with his sword (or similar) raised to the sky while his lady swoons next to him. [http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-12111/Conan\_The\_Barbarian.html](http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-12111/Conan_The_Barbarian.html) > **[Star Wars](https://www.movieposters.com/products/Star-Wars-MPW-19409)** > > style A [http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-51903/Tron.html](http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-51903/Tron.html) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/3 "2013-06-01T08:03:33Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > Awesome comps. I’ve notice the back-to-backs and through-the-legs EVERY TIME. One they missed is the shot of the hero with his sword (or similar) raised to the sky while his lady swoons next to him. > [http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-12111/Conan\_The\_Barbarian.html](http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-12111/Conan_The_Barbarian.html) > [Star Wars](http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-19409/Star_Wars.html) > [http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-51903/Tron.html](http://www.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-51903/Tron.html) [http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/110/MPW-55191](http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/110/MPW-55191) ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/4 "2013-06-01T08:09:18Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > [http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/110/MPW-55191](http://www.movieposter.com/posters/archive/main/110/MPW-55191) Forgot about that one. Obviously the cliche is adequately widespread to be spoofed. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/5 "2013-06-01T08:43:31Z")
The interesting thing is, the spoofs always have the girl hanging off the guy’s leg. Another example: [http://ca.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-86350/Army\_Of\_Darkness.html](http://ca.movieposter.com/poster/MPW-86350/Army_Of_Darkness.html) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/6 "2013-06-01T10:44:42Z")
[Black and Orange](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-poster-cliches-Christophe-Courtois-08.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/7 "2013-06-01T11:25:41Z")
White background for nearly every romantic comedy poster ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/8 "2013-06-01T12:01:17Z")
[This](http://gizmodo.com/5972703/movie-posters-love-to-show-a-man-standing-alone-looking-at-something) goes on to link to the ones in the OP, but a few weeks ago I saw the picture in the article somewhere else with a mention about how so many movies have a poster with a man standing and looking and an apocalypse. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/9 "2013-06-01T16:04:26Z")
I don’t know if this counts as a cliche, but I’ve noticed that movies with several major stars NEVER seem to line up their names with their mugs in the poster. For example, you’ll see, left to right, the faces of Paul Newman, Ted Danson, Bette Midler. And the names across the top of the poster will be Midler, Newman, Danson. Obviously that example is made up, but I think it conveys the gist. I suspect this has to do with sharing the “top billing” somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/10 "2013-06-01T16:08:50Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Just saw two webpages - [here](http://twentytwowords.com/2011/11/09/10-movie-poster-cliches-with-plenty-of-examples/) and [here](http://twentytwowords.com/2013/04/10/5-more-movie-poster-cliches-with-plenty-of-examples/) - about movie poster cliches. It’s surprising how many examples they were able to find of each. Alternate title: In the Last 30 Years, A Few Movies Have Posters That Kind of Look Alike ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/11 "2013-06-01T16:13:06Z")
I didn’t see one of the most obvious: [Split-Face](http://www.movieposterdb.com/tag/split-face) ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/12 "2013-06-01T16:44:35Z")
Does anyone else think Don Lafontaine is needed here? _“In a world where movie posters are overtaken by cliches…”_ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/13 "2013-06-01T17:30:43Z")
Obligatory [Cracked article](http://www.cracked.com/article_19093_8-actors-who-look-exactly-same-every-movie-poster.html). ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/14 "2013-06-01T19:45:03Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > [Black and Orange](http://cdn.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/movie-poster-cliches-Christophe-Courtois-08.jpg) [Blue and orange, too](http://www.slashfilm.com/orangeblue-contrast-in-movie-posters/). Of course, that’s part of a larger, insidious trend of orange-and-blue contrast being used in the movies themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-poster-cliches/659848/15 "2013-06-02T02:57:00Z")
I’ve known about the blue and orange for a while. But I hadn’t noticed how many “indie” movie posters use [bright](http://flavorwire.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/11.jpeg) [yellow](http://network9.biz/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/jaune2.jpg).