# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 116
**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:** [January 10, 2023, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2302 "2023-01-10T08:17:12Z")
There was an episode of _ **CSI: Miami** _ in which one member of the team got shot in the face with a nail gun, and the nail was embedded in his eye socket. Ouch! šŸ˜– ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2303 "2023-01-10T12:29:07Z")
Nail guns have a safety that requires them to be pressed up against something to shoot. You canā€™t just fire away at someone across the room unless you disable the safety. Not sure how much damage it could do to if you did that. I donā€™t think the nail would embed itself very far unless you actual have it pressed up against something. Iā€™m sure plenty have people have accidentally shot them selves in the leg or whatever. That would be very easy to do. And very nasty. ---
**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:** [January 10, 2023, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2304 "2023-01-10T16:18:43Z")
I can tell you that the nail can go as much as 3ā€ below the skin, based on a limited sample size. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2023, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2305 "2023-01-10T22:33:17Z")
Police have charged a 19-year-old man after he allegedly [shot two men with a nail gun while driving on the M1 Motorway](https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/man-charged-after-allegedly-shooting-drivers-with-nail-gun-on-the-m1-motorway-20230110-p5cbfl.html) on the NSW Central Coast on Monday. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2306 "2023-01-14T20:11:06Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Or _ā€œGimme a beer.ā€_ And the bartender just does it. I found a variation of that this morning. Was watching an old movie, from 1943, and a man walks up to a kiosk and says, ā€œGimme some cigarettes.ā€ ---
**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:** [January 14, 2023, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2307 "2023-01-14T20:38:40Z")
> [@digs](#): > > _ā€œGimme a beer.ā€_ And the bartender just does it. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WyWm8USVRoU/hqdefault.jpg "Hamms Beer Commercial - A Beer is a Beer Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyWm8USVRoU) ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2023, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2308 "2023-01-14T23:27:07Z")
There was an exchange in \*Whatā€™s Eating Gilbert Grape?" when Mary Steenburgen goes to the convenience store and asks for ā€œsomething with menthol in it.ā€ I was expecting the clerk to hand over some Hallā€™s cough drops, not a pak of Kool cigarettes. Just me, or lousy writing? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2309 "2023-01-15T00:38:33Z")
I used to think that was just a daft movie cliche to indicate a Really Bad Dream, until one night, while having a really bad dream, I did just that. If I did it, it is safe to say millions of people have done it. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2310 "2023-01-15T00:45:35Z")
Maybe it was an extremely backhanded reference to the scene in _Back to the Future_ where Marty orders ā€œsomething without any sugar in itā€? (Steenburgen having co-starred in _Back to the Future Part III_ three years earlier) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2311 "2023-01-15T09:40:50Z")
Also, _Clerks_. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2312 "2023-01-15T19:58:34Z")
I was watching a clip from something called ā€œCross of Ironā€ā€¦and they kept showing this very old German soldier, then I realized that was James Coburn and heā€™s the lead. CORPORAL in rank. ---
**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:** [January 15, 2023, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2313 "2023-01-15T21:52:40Z")
Sergeant. Sgt Steiner. ā€œGood kill!ā€ I liked the T-34s. ---
**Author:** ![Pavelb1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pavelb1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pavelb1)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2314 "2023-01-15T21:54:37Z")
That was the clip I was watching. With the T-34s ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2315 "2023-01-16T00:25:32Z")
In that time period, cough/cold medicine would be on the shelf: she would not have to ask the clerk for cough drops but would for cigarettes. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2316 "2023-01-16T01:09:25Z")
Small town, frequent customer, known smoker. Seems logical to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2317 "2023-01-16T17:04:16Z")
Easy deaths when needed. For example, an episode of **The Blacklist** where one of the protagonists is being yelled at, and in frustration slaps the person, who then trips backwards, falls and hits her head and dies instantly. Iā€™m pretty sure that show has used the ā€˜someone falls over and hits their head and diesā€™ trope multiple times. I mean, of course people can die that way. Falls are a common form of accidental death (usually from a height, though). Bob Saget apparently fell in his hotel room and died. But itā€™s rare. The fact that it occasionally happens means itā€™s now a go-to technique whenever someone in a show needs to die easily, or die in a way that implicates the protagonist without showing them as an intentional murderer. ---
**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:** [January 16, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2318 "2023-01-16T18:17:13Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Falls are a common form of accidental death (usually from a height, though). Bob Saget apparently fell in his hotel room and died. But itā€™s rare. Not if you live in Russia! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2319 "2023-01-28T21:17:33Z")
Two more little TV tropes: TV weddings- their are only two ways a wedding happens on TV: 1. Everything goes wrong (people go to wrong church, ring is lost etc), but the wedding comes out okay as the two are in love. 2. The wedding is perfect in every way, but never happens ( bomb, shooting, cold feet, whatever). A make up ceremony, which is minimalist happens later. There is a big bad suspect or two or ten in a building, so there is a raid 1. A bunch of dudes in full tactical gear- no perps. 2. Just the two detectives/agents- shoot out. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2320 "2023-01-28T23:18:58Z")
Since you mentioned weddings, the groom smashing the cake in the brideā€™s face, and everyone thinks itā€™s funny. I have NEVER seen that done, although I know of a few people who did it, and yeah, the marriage didnā€™t end well. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2321 "2023-01-28T23:53:23Z")
Happened at the wedding for my Momā€™s second marriage. To say it didnā€™t end well would be an understatement. Also, this: > **[Help! Iā€™m Divorcing My Husband Over an Insane Stunt He Pulled at Our Wedding.](https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/01/dear-prudence-wedding-stunt-goodbye.html)** > > Everyone is saying I should give him another chance, but this was unforgivable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=115) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=117)