# 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:** 141
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2802 "2023-09-14T16:36:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > So there shouldn’t be a drinking age at all? > > I was in a bar in Dominica, a small Caribbean island. I was surprised by how young the bartender was. I asked him what the legal age for drinking was and he did not understand the question. > > As we discussed it more, he explained that anyone could come in and buy a drink. I asked if a little kid could buy a drink and he said of course not, they wouldn’t have any money. I would bet their DWI rate is very low. That is the entire reason for the drinking age in the US. And it worked. Most countries that have a lower drinking age either have a lower per se level for DWI or much higher penalties or both. A small Caribbean island probably has a low rate of car use compared to non-island countries. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2803 "2023-09-14T17:01:36Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > A small Caribbean island probably has a low rate of car use compared to non-island countries. Their school truancy rates are very low as well. (I saw a little jail/prison with barred windows. It only had 4 cells and it was for truants. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2804 "2023-09-14T17:02:55Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I would bet their DWI rate is very low. Honestly, their roads were just glorified goat paths. I loved that island. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2805 "2023-09-14T18:50:00Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Are you thinking of the age of civil majority? I meant the age at which you become a voting citizen- which is 18 in the USA. Sorry if I wasnt clear. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2806 "2023-09-14T19:39:20Z")
A person dying more than once! LOL In, “The Violence Action”, Kei (Kanna Hashimoto) is tasked with penetrating a Yakuza den and rescuing a kidnapped female pop star. In doing so, she kills this henchman with blond hair and distinctive facial features. Two thirds of the way through the movie, she is in another battle when, lo and behold, that same actor, playing a Yakuza soldier, once again dies by her hand. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2807 "2023-09-14T19:43:31Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > This is pretty far from the OP. So I guess, uhh, my friend group in high school did not drink to nearly the extend depicted on TV. We did. It wasn’t as fun as it looks on TV and in the movies, but we certainly drank often and heavily. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2023, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2808 "2023-09-14T21:44:45Z")
Maybe they were identical twins? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2809 "2023-09-15T18:02:45Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > You can not publish a newsletter until age 18 What? Can you give some more information on this? I looked but couldn’t find anything. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2810 "2023-09-15T18:26:47Z")
Along with this is the trope of someone calling the cops or somebody and saying “I know who the killer is!” And instead of just saying the name , they tell the other person to meet them some place isolated with dark corners or the killer to hide in. I just saw this is a cop show _last week_, and it pissed me OFF. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2811 "2023-09-15T18:57:46Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > Along with this is the trope of someone calling the cops or somebody and saying “I know who the killer is!” And instead of just saying the name , they tell the other person to meet them some place isolated with dark corners or the killer to hide in. The usual line is “I can’t tell you on the phone…” Why not? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2812 "2023-09-16T03:50:07Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > > [@echoreply](#): > > > > You can not publish a newsletter until age 18 > > What? Can you give some more information on this? I looked but couldn’t find anything. That is the option that doesn’t belong. I was just trying to contrast the difference between “you can’t drink until 21” which is a law the government has been allowed to make, and a hypothetical law that will be struck down as soon as it is challenged. I guess I should have used the non-hypothetical example of Internet age verification laws, which have really been passed, and have really been struck down by courts. These are all topics for GD, Politics, or most likely, the Pit. Not sure how to bring this one back around to the topic. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2813 "2023-09-16T15:10:01Z")
Because it was a party line and the killer might be listening. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2814 "2023-09-16T15:29:20Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Because it was a party line and the killer might be listening If the killer is listening, then you’re patiently explaining to said killer that you’ll either make your I Know Who The Killer Is announcement _right now_ or _after giving the killer this heads-up right now, plus a timetable for when to kill again,_ and I’m not sure what delaying after that half-assed exposition would gain you — and if the killer isn’t listening, then I’m also not sure what delaying after that half-assed exposition would gain you. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2815 "2023-09-16T16:51:08Z")
This one may have already been mentioned. Someone getting out of a soapy bathtub and just toweling off without rinsing off first. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2023, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2816 "2023-09-16T22:03:02Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > From _Greg the Bunny_: > > > **Junction Jack** : We’re going to Greg’s house. > > **Count Blah** : What? Why? > > **Jack** : No time to explain! > > **Count Blah** : What are you talking about? It’s a forty-minute drive to his house! There’s plenty of time to explain! I noticed something similar in _The Last of Us_: For context, Joel and Ellie are driving from Massachusetts to Wyoming. Joel: “It’s a long story.” Ellie: “Is it more than 25 hours? Because that’s how much time we’ve got.” Granted, that was more of a sarcastic response to Joel’s reluctance to talk about his past, than a subversion of the “No time to explain!” trope. ---
**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:** [September 17, 2023, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2817 "2023-09-17T05:37:55Z")
Or a guy stopping halfway through a shave and wiping the unused cream off his face. As if nobody will notice the patches of whiskers left here and there. ---
**Author:** ![kwintenstraler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kwintenstraler/32/10698_2.png) [@kwintenstraler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwintenstraler)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2818 "2023-09-18T14:50:14Z")
When you enter a room where everyone is looking horrified or surprised in the same direction, face each and everyone of them face to face before slowly turning round to see what they’re looking at. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2819 "2023-09-18T15:14:24Z")
I’ve been watching a lot of murder mystery shows, and I’m amazed by how many victims (or investigators who are getting “too close to the truth”) walk into darkened rooms and _don’t turn on the light_. There’s a _reason_ most rooms have light switches by the door! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2820 "2023-09-18T15:56:58Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I noticed something similar in _The Last of Us_: > > For context, Joel and Ellie are driving from Massachusetts to Wyoming. > Joel: “It’s a long story.” > Ellie: “Is it more than 25 hours? Because that’s how much time we’ve got.” > > Granted, that was more of a sarcastic response to Joel’s reluctance to talk about his past, than a subversion of the “No time to explain!” trope. A semi-related subset of this is the couple who leave an event (movie, school play, presidential inaugural ball, etc.) and don’t begin talking to each other about said event until they walk in the door of the house. If they had a good time, they’re giddy when they walk in – were they sullen and silent during the drive home, only to be all smiles and laughing as soon as they open the door? ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/2821 "2023-09-18T17:01:28Z")
I’m always yelling “Turn the light on!” at those shows. No, your flashlight is not enough, hit the switch for the overhead. But then they wouldn’t be able to have a Thrilling Chase Scene when the suspect runs out of the dark room. [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=140) [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=142)