# Stuff you see in a trailer that makes you know the movie will suck **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984 "2009-03-10T18:18:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/61 "2009-03-11T07:33:08Z")
I can give you an almost verbatim example: The newest Julia Roberts/Clive Owen movie. Clive’s character: Hello, remember me? I’m the spy you slept with then dumped. Julia’s character: So, what is your plan for revenge? Gah! You think this is the dialogue that’s going to make me run to the theater? Hell, no. I’m a girly girl who loves dresses, makeup and high heels but I despise these types of “chick flicks”. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/62 "2009-03-11T11:19:11Z")
Wha…? I don’t know what you saw, but **Duplicity** is absolutely NOT a “chick flick.” It was written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who wrote and directed **Michael Clayton**. **Duplicity** is about industrial espionage, and just because there’s some sexual tension between the lead characters does not, in this or any other universe, make it a chick flick. I haven’t seen it yet, neither has anyone else because they haven’t started sneak previews yet, but just based on **Michael Clayton** , I expect it to be smart, interesting, clever, complex and intelligent. And with those leads, sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/63 "2009-03-11T11:30:40Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Wha…? I don’t know what you saw, but **Duplicity** is absolutely NOT a “chick flick.” It was written and directed by Tony Gilroy, who wrote and directed **Michael Clayton**. **Duplicity** is about industrial espionage, and just because there’s some sexual tension between the lead characters does not, in this or any other universe, make it a chick flick. > > I haven’t seen it yet, neither has anyone else because they haven’t started sneak previews yet, but just based on **Michael Clayton** , I expect it to be smart, interesting, clever, complex and intelligent. And with those leads, sexy. And because I liked _Michael Clayton_ I will like this flick? I have my doubts. I wanted to see MC on the previews alone, because it peaked my interest. This new shit, not so much, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/64 "2009-03-11T11:59:50Z")
> [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](#): > > And because I liked _Michael Clayton_ I will like this flick? I have my doubts. I wanted to see MC on the previews alone, because it peaked my interest. This new shit, not so much, sorry. Geez, I don’t know if you’ll like this just because you liked MC. How would I know? I’m saying _I_ happen to trust Tony Gilroy based on **Michael Clayton**. When I see **Duplicity** then I’ll know if I was right to trust him. Everyone’s hit or miss sometimes. I’m willing to give him a chance. Why you’re calling this movie “shit” seems based more on…what? Can’t stand Julia Roberts? Think Clive’s an ugly toad? Two freakin’ lines of dialogue? Whatever. You can see what you want for whatever reasons you want. I just wanted to point out that **Duplicity** isn’t a chick flick, and throw out Tony Gilroy’s name. Sometimes a movie that I think will be awful gets a second think if I find out it was written and/or directed by someone I like and admire. An example of that for me is **Black Snake Moan**. Holy god in heaven it looked horrible as all hell and I had no intention of seeing it. But, then I found out that it was written and directed by Craig Brewer, who wrote and directed **Hustle & Flow**. That made me perk up and say woah. I went to see it and it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of 2007. Btw, piqued. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/65 "2009-03-11T12:02:31Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > To call back a recent thread…the record scratch sound effect. Yep. Or any other "zany"sound effects, boings and such. Also, anyone typing in a computer. Especially typing an e-mail, blog post or IM. And narrating what they’re typing. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/66 "2009-03-11T12:11:40Z")
How about dialogue that seems to be written just for the trailer? As in wacky friend asking in astonishment “You’re going to Los Angeles to track down your old girlfriend who’s dating a movie star???” ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/67 "2009-03-11T12:17:03Z")
Also, any time an animal reacts to the zany humans around him. Like a dog suddenly puts his ears up, tilts his head and makes that “arum” sound when the wacky comedy lead does something wacky. ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/68 "2009-03-11T12:17:59Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Geez, I don’t know if you’ll like this just because you liked MC. How would I know? I’m saying _I_ happen to trust Tony Gilroy based on **Michael Clayton**. When I see **Duplicity** then I’ll know if I was right to trust him. Everyone’s hit or miss sometimes. I’m willing to give him a chance. Why you’re calling this movie “shit” seems based more on…what? Can’t stand Julia Roberts? Think Clive’s an ugly toad? Two freakin’ lines of dialogue? Whatever. You can see what you want for whatever reasons you want. I just wanted to point out that **Duplicity** isn’t a chick flick, and throw out Tony Gilroy’s name. Sometimes a movie that I think will be awful gets a second think if I find out it was written and/or directed by someone I like and admire. An example of that for me is **Black Snake Moan**. Holy god in heaven it looked horrible as all hell and I had no intention of seeing it. But, then I found out that it was written and directed by Craig Brewer, who wrote and directed **Hustle & Flow**. That made me perk up and say woah. I went to see it and it turned out to be one of my favorite movies of 2007. > > Btw, piqued. Yeah, most of your screed is correct. I hate Julia Roberts so I’m biased there. _Black Snake Moan_ is a movie I cannot stand so forgive me if I retch. I admit I do not know Tony Gilroy, but if he does more _Michael Clayton_ type films then I may like him. Don’t tell me good directors always hit… how would you explain _Intolerable Cruelty_? ---
**Author:** ![PharmBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@PharmBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PharmBoy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/69 "2009-03-11T12:23:11Z")
- Any characters doing “hip-hop” dancing, especially if they are animal characters. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/70 "2009-03-11T12:32:42Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > How about dialogue that seems to be written just for the trailer? As in wacky friend asking in astonishment “You’re going to Los Angeles to track down your old girlfriend who’s dating a movie star???” Oh, good choice! Yes! It’s only in the past few years that I began to notice this ruse. A similar ploy is including short, pithy lines that serve little or no purpose in the actual movie, and aren’t that funny, but are there because they will look/sound good in the trailer, and provide little moments of _trailer punctuation_. E.g. a lead character, with a wearied look of resignation, saying something like, ‘This just isn’t going to go well’, or, ‘So, anyone got a Plan B?’. The trailer is in full flow with the music pounding, then they abruptly stop the music, plug in one of these quieter ‘punctuation’ lines, and then immediately cut back to the blaring music and the rest of the trailer. If you actually watch the movie, you see that this pithy little line really doesn’t belong anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/71 "2009-03-11T12:51:09Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Evidence that “The Rock” is in it. Hey, The Rundown was a good movie! Anything that falls under the heading “Sex Comedy”. Case in point: that new abomination that’s making the trailer rounds-I can’t even think of the name, though. Being a virgin is not a funny punchline, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/72 "2009-03-11T13:37:07Z")
The words “Academy Award winning.” It just seems that if there’s more than one Oscar winner in a movie it’s just going to suck. And if the director is a winner too it’s going to suck even harder. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/73 "2009-03-11T14:39:32Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > The words “Academy Award winning.” It just seems that if there’s more than one Oscar winner in a movie it’s just going to suck. And if the director is a winner too it’s going to suck even harder. This is wildly different from my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Marine\_One](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marine_one/32/3461_2.png) [@Marine\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marine_One)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/74 "2009-03-11T15:18:21Z")
- “I’ve got to get a _ **wife/husband** _ in _ **\_\_ hours/days/weeks** _ or \*\*\* the stupid plot line will never happen\*\*\*!” - Any man dressed as a woman or woman dressed as a man. Does it ever work? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/75 "2009-03-11T15:27:20Z")
> [@Marine\_One](#): > > – Any man dressed as a woman or woman dressed as a man. Does it ever work? **Tootsie, La Cage au Folles, Victor/Victoria, Monty Python and the Holy Grail**. Hell, even **Charlie’s Aunt**. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/76 "2009-03-11T15:40:14Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > The words “Academy Award winning.” It just seems that if there’s more than one Oscar winner in a movie it’s just going to suck. And if the director is a winner too it’s going to suck even harder. > [@cricetus](#): > > This is wildly different from my experience. How about that recent movie with Pacino and DeNiro? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/77 "2009-03-11T15:43:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Tootsie, La Cage au Folles, Victor/Victoria, Monty Python and the Holy Grail**. Hell, even **Charlie’s Aunt**. Also \*\*The Birdcage \*\* (okay, this _was_ **La Cage aux Folles** , but it was the movie version) and \*\*Mrs. Doubtfire \*\*(“It’s a run-by fruiting!”) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/78 "2009-03-11T15:47:53Z")
oh, and _Some Like it Hot_. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/79 "2009-03-11T15:49:58Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > This is wildly different from my experience. Marge: “But you liked _Rashamon_.” Homer: “That’s not how I remember it!” ---
**Author:** ![Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984/80 "2009-03-11T15:51:13Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Tootsie, La Cage au Folles, Victor/Victoria, Monty Python and the Holy Grail**. Hell, even **Charlie’s Aunt**. Oh, hell yes, these are primo movies and should be viewed by all. Well, at least the first four, I have never heard of _Charlie’s Aunt_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuff-you-see-in-a-trailer-that-makes-you-know-the-movie-will-suck/488984.md?page=5)