# Which of these cliches from film & television have you experienced in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 11, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905 "2014-12-11T01:55:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/41 "2014-12-11T10:55:31Z")
53, 56, 64 ---
**Author:** ![Idilia\_Dubb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/42 "2014-12-11T10:55:54Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Haven’t you ever seen “The Green Mile”? > > [“Magical Negro”](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MagicalNegro) from TV Tropes. Thank you for the link, **Ranger Jeff**. No, I haven’t seen _TGM_. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/43 "2014-12-11T11:42:10Z")
1. I know a federal agent whose badge was taken away due to an extraordinary lack of integrity. 2. Many times. I’ve still led a pretty boring life. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/44 "2014-12-11T11:50:11Z")
**1) Throwing a drink in someone’s face.** More all over me than in my face, but yes. I was hogging the computer during a Youtube party. **13) Time travel.** This will have happened to me tomorrow. **16) An inspiring speech before a big showdown or challenge.** We sometimes got these in my telemarketing job. **39) In vino veritas: a revelation or admission while drunk/high.** Yes, about my love for my now fiancée to a third party. Worked out OK. Also probably a lot of other stuff that I don’t remember because I was drunk. **48) Student surpasses (or defeats) the teacher.** I could occasionally pull out some trivia that baffled my teachers when I was younger, but it was never the way you saw it in films. Nobody applauded. **56) A cross-country road trip.** Travelled up to Scotland and back after university. As I live on the South Coast, it was a pretty long way. **72) Cops breaking up a party.** Closest I got was college porters, who are sort of like cops… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/45 "2014-12-11T11:55:00Z")
76 - Not quite a cliche, but I was once in a deli that was completely out of cheese. I even tried several varieties and they had an excuse why they didn’t have each. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/46 "2014-12-11T13:50:58Z")
Can anyone explain “meet - cute”, for me? Meeting a cute girl/boy is cliche? Really? Hasn’t everyone met a cute boy/girl at sometime in their life? It doesn’t even require any action whatsoever on the part of either party. Just two people be ing introduced at an office or event? Doesn’t seem like it should be on the list at all, to me. Or, perhaps I’m reading it wrong? Can anyone explain? ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/47 "2014-12-11T13:53:03Z")
Three in a row for me: 1. Threesome, orgy, key party, etc. 2. Picking up a one night stand at a bar. 3. Cops breaking up a party. Also a certain amount of 35) Life on the Road: debauchery during a concert tour or something similar. Also 53) Slapped in the face by a woman. If we were to open it up to “has this happened to someone you know?” I could probably knock off half the list. Many of those things aren’t really all _that_ unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/48 "2014-12-11T13:54:42Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Can anyone explain “meet - cute”, for me? > > Meeting a cute girl/boy is cliche? Really? Hasn’t everyone met a cute boy/girl at sometime in their life? It doesn’t even require any action whatsoever on the part of either party. Just two people be ing introduced at an office or event? Doesn’t seem like it should be on the list at all, to me. > > Or, perhaps I’m reading it wrong? Can anyone explain? > **[Meet cute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_cute)** > > A meet cute is a scene in media, in which two people meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or cute circumstances, and go on to form a future romantic couple. > This type of scene is a staple of romantic comedies, though it can also occur in sitcoms and soap operas. Frequently, the meet cute leads to a humorous clash of personalities or of beliefs, embarrassing situations, or comical misunderstandings that further drive the plot. > The origin of the term is unknown but it appea... ---
**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:** [December 11, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/49 "2014-12-11T14:01:56Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > 1. Flushing pills down the toilet, or booze down the drain, etc. > 2. A love triangle. > 3. Star-crossed lovers. > 4. Friendship torn apart new-found wealth, jealousy, etc. > 5. Hellish descent into booze and pills. > 6. Life on the Road: debauchery during a concert tour or something similar. > 7. A psycho ex. > 8. Cocaine in a strip club. > 9. (Legitimately) crazy mom. > 10. Pulling someone out of a fire. > 11. Slapped in the face by a woman. > 12. Having sex with someone to get back at someone else. > 13. Blowjob in a car while driving. > 14. Threesome, orgy, key party, etc. > 15. Picking up a one night stand at a bar. Note: I edited your post to include only the ones that I have personally had some experience with in real life. In my life, #2, #34 and #43 are intertwined. #47 - A few years ago, we were called to the scene of a nursing home that had caught on fire after being struck by lightning. My paramedic partner and I aided the staff and firefighters in evacuating the building of its residents. I didn’t go FAR into the building, but go in I did. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/50 "2014-12-11T14:45:12Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Can anyone explain “meet - cute”, for me? > > Meeting a cute girl/boy is cliche? Really? Hasn’t everyone met a cute boy/girl at sometime in their life? It doesn’t even require any action whatsoever on the part of either party. Just two people be ing introduced at an office or event? Doesn’t seem like it should be on the list at all, to me. > > Or, perhaps I’m reading it wrong? Can anyone explain? As the link above indicates, it means meeting a boyfriend/girlfriend in an especially funny, entertaining, or “cute” way – not just meeting a cute person. It’s very subjective as to what qualifies. “She was a friend of a friend and we all went out for drinks one night” is not a meet-cute. “We sat next to each other on the train carrying identical duffel bags and we wound up leaving with each others’ bags by accident and then had to track each other down” definitely is. In between is a lot of borderline cases. > **[Meet Cute - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeetCute)** > > Meet Cute is a way to quickly introduce two characters and set up their burgeoning relationship. A meet-cute is almost always rife with awkwardness, embarrassment, and sometimes outright hostility. It's often used in films, particularly the … ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/51 "2014-12-11T15:08:07Z")
1. Flushing pills down the toilet, or booze down the drain, etc. I’ve done this, but it was nothing dramatic- I’ve never been an addict. When old prescritpion drugs have expred, and I didn’t need them any more, I have sometimes flushed them. 16) An inspiring speech before a big showdown or challenge. I’ve seen my son’s soccer coach give such speeches before games. 17) Manic Pixie Dream Girl I’m a nerd who has fallen in love a few times with “free spirits” who were probably all wrong for me. But it’s always been unrequited. 1. From the Mouths of Babes: a child who speaks an unrealized truth. This has happened several times. In particular, I remember my son (then 5 or 6) seeing me get angry at my wife. He told me “You’re supposed to love her, and you’re not doiung a very good job.” 1. Voices in your head. When I was a kid, I sometimes thought I heard my deceased father speaking to me. 1. A psycho ex. Yep. Once. 1. In vino veritas: a revelation or admission while drunk/high. I’ve always been a teetotaler, and it’s often interesting what I’ll hear when everybody else around me is drunk. Oh yes, I’ve heard lots of embarrassing revelations (and propositions from women who’d NEVER giove me a second thought if sober). 1. A wise or prophetic blind person. I’ve know a fair number of blind people. Several were very smart, a few showed real wisdom, but none were inspirational mystical types. 1. A cross-country road trip. My family did a few long-distance car trips when I was a kid. 1. Exceptionally inspirational, once-in-a-lifetime teacher. I’ve had a LOT of excellent teachers. I’ve been very lucky in that regard. But none was a magical, one-of-a-kind teacher. All were just smart, dedicated, funny, and had a passion for their subjects. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/52 "2014-12-11T15:22:07Z")
\*\*5) Any shootout/armed standoff/ hostage situation, etc. \*\* There used to be a bank on the first floor of the building that I work in that got robbed 3 or 4 times. No standoffs or anything like that though. **7) A love triangle.** I dated two people at once but I would say that was pushing it. **10) A great underdog triumph.** My senior year in high school I lost the first match or a wrestling tournament and then went on to win the rest. **13) Time travel.** Heh, no comment. **14) Jumping or being thrown through a window.** In college, a bunch of guys in my reserve unit came down to my school and we ended up doing Parachute Landing Falls out of the second story hotel window. **16) An inspiring speech before a big showdown or challenge.** Yeah, in sports and the military. **19) A fugitive from justice.** My car got booted once for parking tickets and they stamped “scofflaw” all over the paperwork. That’s kind of a fugitive from justice, right? **22) Voices in your head.** Yes. No. Yes. **26) Stabbed in the back by an underling or partner.** Sure. My roommates and I would do this to each other in college all the time. It was always stupid little shit but it became a running joke. **29) Getting whipped into shape and straightened out by joining the military.** I was in decent shape when I went into the Army but I didn’t realize how good of a runner I was until that first PT test. **30) Bribery** Yep. Some places you just have to grease the wheels. **36) Police interrogation.** I was accused of stealing from the register when I worked at Toys R Us when I was 16. They called in a store detective who grilled me for 45 minutes and he and a manager did the “good cop bad cop” routine on me. They even said “Either we can handle it here or we’ll let the police handle it.” I said “OK.” So the manager left the room and came back and said the police were all busy right now. I wasn’t guilty and looking back it was pretty ridiculous but at the time I was a little freaked out. **37) A psycho ex.** Yeah. Nothing stabby though or anything like that. **40) Strippers at a bachelor party.** Yes **45) Hard-ass drill instructor.** Yes **56) A cross-country road trip.** Yes **64) Blowjob in a car while driving.** Yes **70) Threesome, orgy, key party, etc.** Yes. **71) Picking up a one night stand at a bar.** Yes, in college. **72) Cops breaking up a party.** Yes **76) Other (explain).** I once medevac’d a bee sting casualty out of the jungle while in Panama. ---
**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:** [December 11, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/53 "2014-12-11T16:04:41Z")
These either happened to me or were observed by me: 1. Throwing a drink in someone’s face. 2. Walking in on a cheating lover, in the act. 3. Any shootout/armed standoff/ hostage situation, etc. 4. Deus ex machina – a crisis is resolved by something which is unexpected and totally out of your control. 5. A love triangle. 6. Car chase. 7. Dirty cops. 8. Jumping or being thrown through a window. 9. Star-crossed lovers. 10. Manic Pixie Dream Girl 11. A fugitive from justice. 12. From the Mouths of Babes: a child who speaks an unrealized truth. 13. A climactic showdown. 14. Computer hacking. 15. Stabbed in the back by an underling or partner. 16. Bribery 17. Friendship torn apart new-found wealth, jealousy, etc. 18. Embezzlement 19. Hellish descent into booze and pills. 20. Life on the Road: debauchery during a concert tour or something similar. 21. Police interrogation. 22. A psycho ex. 23. In vino veritas: a revelation or admission while drunk/high. 24. (Legitimately) crazy mom. 25. Abusive drunk for a father. 26. Hard-ass drill instructor. 27. Student surpasses (or defeats) the teacher. 28. Road to Damascus: a moment of divine revelation. 29. Accosted in a darkened alley. 30. Slapped in the face by a woman. 31. A cross-country road trip. 32. Exceptionally inspirational, once-in-a-lifetime teacher. 33. Street gang (or prison gang, etc.) 34. A charming psychopath. 35. Having sex with someone to get back at someone else. 36. Extortion/blackmail. 37. Dramatic “I quit!” moment. 38. Picking up a one night stand at a bar. 39. Meet-cute. 40. Others (explain): Picking up one-night stands at parties. Being phoned out of the blue by old girlfriends wanting to “rekindle the spark.” Running into people I hadn’t seen in years at church, in the subway, in hotel lounges, at McDonald’s… Learning from Euronews that someone I used to work under had been murdered by terrorists in Lebanon. Being sprinkled with liquid shit between exiting a building and entering a subway station. I still have not figured out how this happened. Either it fell out of the sky or some prankster was lurking on the sidewalk with a colostomy bag. Or maybe a sewer pipe was leaking in the pedestrian tunnel. I honestly have no idea. (This occurred in Toronto, BTW.) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/54 "2014-12-11T16:27:18Z")
1. Throwing a drink in someone’s face: No, but I’ve gotten a graham cracker covered in peanut butter shoved into my beard. Does that count? 2. A love triangle: You bet! 3. Being called out of retirement (to complete a specific task): I’ve been called back to a contract I was let go from because the much cheaper guy they had me train as my replacement couldn’t follow a pre-printed list of instructions. 4. Manic Pixie Dream Girl: See #7 above. And #1. 5. Voices in your head: Just you guys. 6. In vino veritas: a revelation or admission while drunk/high: Many. I’m normally quiet but a talkative drunk. 7. Pulling someone out of a fire: No, but I did have a pants leg catch on fire while camping once, and somebody kicked dirt onto me. Does that count? 8. Slapped in the face by a woman: See #1 above (peanut butter in the face) 9. A cross-country road trip: Several trips to foreign wars (“foreign” in the SCA sense, aka Pennsylvania, Mississippi and South Dakota) 10. Dramatic “I quit!” moment: Yep. Dropped my keys and badge on my boss’s desk and just walked out when he was being a power-hungry, micro-managing martinet. 11. Picking up a one night stand at a bar: This one time, at music camp… ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/55 "2014-12-11T16:43:00Z")
Mine: 1. Flushing pills down the toilet, or booze down the drain, etc. 2. Deus ex machina – a crisis is resolved by something which is unexpected and totally out of your control. 3. A love triangle. 4. Road to Damascus: a moment of divine revelation. 5. A cross-country road trip. 6. Blowjob in a car while driving. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/56 "2014-12-11T16:58:27Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > 1. Running to catch someone at the airport/train station before they leave. > > 2. A love triangle. > > 3. A psycho ex. > > 4. Blowjob in a car while driving. > > 5. Other (explain). Apparently my love/sex life is more interesting than the rest of my life. Also Hollywoodesque: Once was in a heated conversation on the phone with my ex over a custody case and she slammed the phone down on me… but failed to hit the trigger hanging it up. So I sat and listened to her talk to her parents about it for a bit and became substantially more informed. I once got into a cab with my fellow group getting into another cab. The fellow group knew the location we were going to so I got to tell my driver “Follow that cab!” While on vacation in London, was approached in the hotel lobby by two attractive girls on a school trip from Australia who asked if I wanted to accompany them for the day. Alas, a friend was on her way to meet me from outside the city and I had to pass on the offer. I either spared myself an exciting tale, a police record or waking up in a bathtub full of ice without my kidneys. Not sure which. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/57 "2014-12-11T17:08:39Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > When old prescritpion drugs have expred, and I didn’t need them any more, I have sometimes flushed them. Why do people do this? Wouldn’t you rather have them end up in a landfill than in the water supply? I’m guessing it doesn’t make an appreciable difference either way—anybody know the straight dope on this? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/58 "2014-12-11T17:19:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m guessing it doesn’t make an appreciable difference either way—anybody know the straight dope on this? Modern landfills have heavy clay or impermeable barriers specifically designed to prevent all the nastiness from leeching into the surrounding soil/water. Pills dissolved in water in the sewers will just make their way into the water table, rivers, etc. On balance, you’d be better off throwing them in the garbage if you’re picking one or the other. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/59 "2014-12-11T17:38:58Z")
1. Throwing a drink in someone’s face. I am a drunk - see below 2. Flushing pills down the toilet, or booze down the drain, etc. I am a drunk - see below 3. Any shootout/armed standoff/ hostage situation, etc. I am a drunk - see below 4. Dirty cops. No drinking. A long story but when I was a teenager my friends and I got into it with some off duty cops. They ended up getting either repremanded or fired. 5. Computer hacking. I am a network admin. I’ve done penitration testing (a little) and broke into multiple friends/families computers after they lose passwords (quite a few) 6. Hellish descent into booze and pills. I am a drunk - see below 7. Life on the Road: debauchery during a concert tour or something similar. I was in a metal band and made a living playing bars. 8. Police interrogation. I am a drunk - see below 9. A psycho ex. Had a woman follow me around for about 6 months. She would show up when I was a date with other women and act like she was my girlfriend. Very odd and annoying. 10. Cocaine in a strip club. My band played a strip club (where the old strippers went to die, it wasn’t all that great). Lots of booze and drugs. 11. In vino veritas: a revelation or admission while drunk/high. I am a drunk - see below 12. Slapped in the face by a woman. I am a drunk - see below 13. A cross-country road trip. Too many to list 14. Blowjob in a car while driving. Multiple times 15. Threesome, orgy, key party, etc. I played in a metal band for a long time. Lots and lots of this type of stuff 16. Picking up a one night stand at a bar. When I was playing bars, one night my bandmates and a few friends counted one night stands. We stopped because the numbers of one night stands for each of us was reaching silly heights. Plus it was really hard to remember due to all the booze. 17. Cops breaking up a party. On top of playing bars, we’d throw keggers and play. Usually made a good amount of money (enough to pay the rent). I am a recovering alkie. Before I quit, well, lots of standard drunk behaviors happened. Got arrested a few times. Got chased by pissed off boyfriends (though in my defense, I never knowingly hooked up with a woman who had a boyfriend. I didn’t want the drama but it happened anyway) Now I don’t drink (10 years. Yay) and all the silliness has gone away. And I don’t miss it at all. Slee ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905/60 "2014-12-11T18:59:08Z")
\*\*12) Dirty cops.\*\*Only if you count getting a speeding ticket in a town that’s an honest-to-god speed trap. 🙂 42mph in a 30 zone, but that 30mph zone is an 6- to 8-lane Federal highway serving mainly industrial and airport traffic. :rolleyes: Stone Park on Mannheim Rd./U.S. 12 for Chicago-area dopers. \*\*37) A psycho ex.\*\*To a friend, not me. No blood or anything, but crazy ex-fiancee of my friend sued him for [breach of promise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breach_of_promise) – in the 2000s! :eek: **73) Wedding called off at the last minute.** See (37). Not literally at the altar as in the movies, but late enough that my friend would forfeit what he paid for the reception and bridal suite at a hotel. He decided to turn the reception into a party for all his friends and co-workers, including an after-party in the bridal suite. 🆒 **40) Strippers at a bachelor party.** But the bachelor party went to the strip club, so the bouncers ensured no hanky-panky. ☹ 🙂 **60) A charming psychopath. 68) Dramatic “I quit!” moment.** I worked as an associate attorney for three months at a one-owner law firm, for a man I refer to only as Crazy Guy. How crazy? At three months, I was the longest-termed associate in at least a year. :eek: Manic-depressive as hell, demanding of unlimited respect but giving none, taking your head off at any random time for any random reason, but uncannily able to know when you were just about ready to quit and then say/do whatever was needed to [del]suck you back in[/del] calm you down. Invite you to a barbecue at his McMansion, promise profit-sharing “coming soon”, spin dramatic but fruitless expansion plans (when he couldn’t keep the staff he had!), etc. The thing is, it worked on me for three months. :smack: The dramatic resignation? I had resolved to quit while Crazy Guy was on vacation, prompted by him dramatically firing his office manager (half his staff!) on the way out the door. :eek: But the firm had cases in court, clients who couldn’t be left in a lurch, so I was going to work until Friday and leave a letter of resignation. But he called me (during his seashore vacation with his family!) as I was heading out to court, started yelling at me about some imagined shortcoming, and demanded I not hang up though I had to get to court. 😕 I hung up and hailed a cab to get to court, and he called me on my cellphone to read me the riot act for hanging up. :mad: Well, I finally read him the riot act too, and told him how I felt about his work environment and management style, and that I was quitting effective the last court call on Friday. Unlike Crazy Guy, I managed to avoid using strings of curse words. 😛 He kept yelling at me until I had to hang up to pay the cabbie and get into court. The cabbie could hear the crap Crazy Guy was throwing at me because he was yelling so loud, and he complimented me for giving my boss a piece of my mind without sinking to his level. 🆒 As I walked into the courthouse (for routine matters only, thankfully) I was shaking with adrenaline as if I’d been in a fight. Another movie-scene Crazy Guy moment: when he fired the office manager, Crazy Guy led him out of the office with a golf club slung over his shoulder like a rifle. :eek: When I later told Crazy Guy that I thought he was going to re-enact the baseball-bat scene from _Untouchables_, which I did not mean a a joke or compliment, he laughed. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-of-these-cliches-from-film-television-have-you-experienced-in-real-life/706905.md?page=4)