Plenty of us seek a Hollywood ending where many of our life's challenges and hardships vanish and our soul mate materializes out of nowhere.
But there's a reason why such happy endings tied up neatly in a bow are so aptly named. With the exception of a very lucky few, the perfect Hollywood ending never happens in real life.
The poor guy never gets the girl of his dreams. The downtrodden never suddenly come into riches left to them by a late relative they never knew they had.
There are many other examples that would never fly beyond the trappings of what is typically captured on celluloid.
To find out more, Redditor AJ-Naka-Zayn-Owens asked:
"What happens in movies that NEVER happens in real life?"
These Redditors pointed out how the passage of time differs on the big screen.
Perfect Timing
"No one has to wait for anything. People phone or e-mail back in time, taxis arrive, the results come back in time to catch the bad guys, even the coffee is ready to go"
Die Another Day
"Villain wastes time instead of killing the protagonist right now."
"Let me spill every detail of my plan to you before you escape."
Planning Made Easy
"Never setting a time for things."
"Want to go out Friday? Yeah. Great see you then. Bye."
– ron2838
"Or asking people you just met for a date and they're like "great I'll pick you up at 8" but never getting a location."
– thorkun
In order to advance the plot, these real-life occurrences are usually nixed for the sake of storytelling and pace.
Cutting To The Chase
"The lack of considerable paperwork from any police-action movie."
Dramatic Interruptions
"If a girl is arguing with you in real life, and you kiss her in an attempt to stop her from yelling, she'll most likely not appreciate it."
In Movieland, bedroom activity goes down like this.
Springing To Life
"Someone who has been bedridden for months (like in a coma) gets out of bed and starts walking around, or even running. Muscles would be atrophied in real life."
– Sullt8
Stay And Cuddle
"Or go to the bathroom."
"They're always like hey babe let's cuddle now."
"Irl she be like yea so I'm go clean up now then we can cuddle."
"She comes back and he's asleep or got dressed and is going about doing things."
One thing I tend to notice from watching TV and film is the fact that people talk in normal voices in loud environments.
When a scene takes place in a club with music blaring, the protagonists engage in detailed discussions without shouting.
Of course, audiences have to be willing to suspend their disbelief.
After all, we escape reality and immerse ourselves in the world of cinema – where characters make undetailed plans to meet later and villains hold off on killing the protagonist right away for the sake of creating tension.
As for that Hollywood ending we all desire, there's nothing wrong with remaining optimistic and keeping an eye out for one.
@elektrotimmy/X
