# Things that are extremely common in TV shows/movies that you've rarely seen in real life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161 "2009-08-29T16:20:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/61 "2009-08-29T23:02:53Z")
> [@alexandra](#): > > John: Jane, I have something really important to tell you. It’s about your father. > Jane: WAIT! I also have something really important to say! I must talk about it ad infinitum whilst you stand there mute! etc etc etc, blah…So what did you want to say? > John: Nothing. > Jane, strangely, is not curious at all and doesn’t press him on the point. Ugh, yeah. If you did that in real life, I’d be so annoyed. “WHAT? What was the thing? Is it related to what I just said?” ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/62 "2009-08-29T23:10:01Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Blossom. Silver Spoons! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/63 "2009-08-29T23:12:53Z")
> [@cruel\_butterfly](#): > > This has happened to me in real life. I tend bar a few nights a week, and there are actually people who will order “a beer” when asked what they’d like to drink. > > I always say, “This isn’t a movie…you have to tell me what kind.” Not in a snarky way, just a light joking way. Beers are interchangeable to some of us. I could see myself not thinking and just ordering a beer if I ever found myself in a bar. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/64 "2009-08-29T23:18:55Z")
I’ve said this before but I’ve never seen anyone get off a bus or out of a cab and then pound on it to signal the driver it’s OK to leave. Happens all the time in the movies, though… ---
**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:** [August 29, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/65 "2009-08-29T23:19:38Z")
This thread reminds me of a book by Roger Ebert called “Ebert’s Little Movie Glossary” or something like that. It is a humorous compilation of cliches you can be sure to see in movies. Like when the bad guy, driving his car, looks in the mirror and sees a cop behind him. You can be sure he’ll turn to his buddy in the passenger seat and say, “We’ve got company.” ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/66 "2009-08-29T23:57:13Z")
I live in Florida, and most of the Chinese food I’ve gotten has come in those white boxes with the metal handle. It’s not unusual to see that here. You guys have hit on so many of the things I’ve noticed: sofa in the middle of the room, people sitting around one side of the table, gift boxes with only the lid wrapped. Here’s another one: people just casually and unexpectedly dropping in. I know this is done to get characters to interact face-to-face, but my friends and I call/text/email when we want to talk to each other–we don’t drive to one another’s homes and knock on the door. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/67 "2009-08-30T00:08:31Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Paunchy middle-aged guys going out with hot women - think George Costanza on Seinfeld. I’m fat, slovenly & impractical- by all sitcom rules, I should be married to an impossibly hot woman who is the Einstein of common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/68 "2009-08-30T00:27:24Z")
In regards to shows: Most older houses around here have enclosed stair to the second floor, and not an open banister. Carpets on shows don’t have wear marks on them. The plumbing fixtures don’t have rust or lime stains. ---
**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:** [August 30, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/69 "2009-08-30T01:14:12Z")
“Take evasive action!” Who the hell says that in real life? ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/70 "2009-08-30T01:38:54Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > “Take evasive action!” > > Who the hell says that in real life? Starship captains, of course! Other ones: Shower caps. I know some people probably wear them, but I’ve never seen anyone in real life. Turning on the TV at the exact moment a news story relevant to the plot comes on. But then my life doesn’t have much of a plot, so maybe that’s why. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/71 "2009-08-30T01:55:00Z")
You very rarely see people in TV shows driving average, normal cars that are, say, 10-15 years old. They’re brand new, “classics”, or old dungers with mis-matched panels and belching smoke, portrayed as such for comedic effect. You’re not likely to see the main character of comparatively limited means in a contemporary film/TV show driving an otherwise perfectly serviceable 1998 Toyota Corolla, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/72 "2009-08-30T02:05:11Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > In regards to shows: > > Most older houses around here have enclosed stair to the second floor, and not an open banister. Interesting. Where do you live? I’m in Upstate New York and I’ve never seen a house built like that. So much of the stuff people have mentioned must be regional variations like that. I always expect Chinese food to come in those white containers. When restaurants started putting the more liquid foods into plastic containers I thought it was a huge modern convenience. Never occurred to me that it might be standard elsewhere. Here’s a new one for the list. People cross town to show up at somebody’s door for an intense and emotional conversation. That lasts less than a minute before they leave. Without ever coming in. Never has happened to me in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/73 "2009-08-30T02:11:53Z")
Faking one’s own death, funeral service and all. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/74 "2009-08-30T02:23:31Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Interesting. Where do you live? I’m in Upstate New York and I’ve never seen a house built like that. > > So much of the stuff people have mentioned must be regional variations like that. I always expect Chinese food to come in those white containers. When restaurants started putting the more liquid foods into plastic containers I thought it was a huge modern convenience. Never occurred to me that it might be standard elsewhere. > > Here’s a new one for the list. People cross town to show up at somebody’s door for an intense and emotional conversation. That lasts less than a minute before they leave. Without ever coming in. Never has happened to me in real life. Wisconsin ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/75 "2009-08-30T02:35:29Z")
People always seem to have framed pictures with their college roommate/military buddy placed prominently in the living room - especially if that person is a murder suspect/victim. All a detective has to do is walk in there and see the photo and solve the crime. (I don’t think I have a picture of MYSELF in college, let alone one of me, arm and arm with my roommate…) If you are a “good dad”, they will show you playing catch with little Billy in the front or backyard, because, after all - all “good dads” play baseball and love to play catch with their sons. Bad dads all regret never having played catch with their sons, which is why they became serial killers later in life. Every pre-teen girl in America is on a soccer team, and they all have spiffy uniforms. Apparently, in films and TV’s shows, chances of a pregnant woman falling down a staircase are about 80%, but if it is a soap opera, those chances increase to a solid 100%. People can carry on ten minute conversations, looking eye to eye, while driving a car and never once swerve to avoid oncoming traffic. And unlike me, the passenger never once says, “Keep your fuckin’ eyes on the road, idiot!” Has there ever once, in the history of film or television, been a scene of a family getting up in the morning and the kids NOT being late for school and dashing out the door in a mad flurry? And lastly - I wish people would call me and get the conversation over as fast as they seem to do on film: “Hello?” 5 second pause to listen. “OK.” hang up. “Bob told me that he will be at the diner at six, last booth at the end, and for us to meet him there and be sure to bring the money, drive down Main Street as Third Avenue is under construction, valet parking costs $5 and, by the way, his dog, Barney, died yesterday.” ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/76 "2009-08-30T02:39:21Z")
I’ve been meaning to start a thread on this one: Two or more friends who meet after some relatively long time will immediately launch into a perfect unison performance of some special handshake/musical routine/cheerleading chant/whatever. Does anyone actually do this in real life? ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/77 "2009-08-30T02:48:22Z")
Magma. Power Suits. Things that transform. Yes, I have six year old boys that watch a lot of cartoons. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/78 "2009-08-30T02:50:23Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Re: Carol Brady- a guy marries her, immediately adopts and agrees to support her AND her three girls AND pay for a full-time live-in maid even though Carol is a stay-at-home mom… she must have been the best lay since Cleopatra. My god man, she was _Florence Fucking Henderson!_ Of course she was a good lay! And that’s not even _mentioning_ the fried chicken. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/79 "2009-08-30T02:53:34Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > People can carry on ten minute conversations, looking eye to eye, while driving a car and never once swerve to avoid oncoming traffic. And unlike me, the passenger never once says, “Keep your fuckin’ eyes on the road, idiot!” “Bones” actually gets this one right, at least when Booth is driving. He keeps his eyes on the road, mostly. Brennan is less attentive, and if I couldn’t talk her out of the driver’s seat I’d do what a friend used to do for me when I got nervous: he lowered the visor to block my view forward. I’ve (virtually) _driven_ to the Moon and back so I’m a terrible passenger, and this was like throwing a towel over a horse’s eyes so you could lead him out of a fire. > [@](#): > > And lastly - I wish people would call me and get the conversation over as fast as they seem to do on film: > “Hello?” > 5 second pause to listen. > “OK.” > hang up. > “Bob told me that he will be at the diner at six, last booth at the end, and for us to meet him there and be sure to bring the money, drive down Main Street as Third Avenue is under construction, valet parking costs $5 and, by the way, his dog, Barney, died yesterday.” I do, but I’m OCD and script my calls when I can. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161/80 "2009-08-30T03:08:32Z")
Vomiting due to emotional distress. I’m not talking about being so upset that you lose your appetite or are afraid to eat lest you get sick. I get that feeling a lot. I’m talking about moments like, “Honey, I have to tell you…I’ve been sleeping with your mother.” _Honey’s face contorts in a grimace of distress and disbelief and .78 seconds later starts hurking up breakfast over the kitchen table_ Even John Waters has complained about this cliche, and boy, you know if he hasn’t seen it in real life, it doesn’t often happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-extremely-common-in-tv-shows-movies-that-youve-rarely-seen-in-real-life/508161.md?page=5)