Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Explain Which Tropes Completely Ruin A Movie Or TV Show For Them

Action movie posters
the walking dead dvd movie
Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

More often than not, when we indulge in a television show, we accept the fact that not everything we're watching is 100% realistic.

Even outside the world of science fiction and fantasy, we acknowledge that certain conflicts resolve a bit easier than they likely would in real life ("you had me at hello"? seriously?), or that modern medicine hasn't evolved quite that much (Meredith Grey drowning and coming back to life anyone?)

However, there are certain tropes and clichés which are becoming increasingly commonplace in film and television which result in viewers finding themselves truly unable to suspend their disbelief.

Sometimes not even coming until the film's climax, leading viewers to think "surely they're not going to go there?"

Only to find themselves infuriatingly disappointed that yes, they did.


Redditor Fake-And-Gay-Bot was curious to hear which tropes will instantly ruin a film or television show for modern audiences, leading them to ask:
"What single trope can cause you to fully lose interest in a movie/show?"

That is quite an unusual set of skills

"I can’t stand seeing specialists being cast as masters of multiple highly specialized skill sets or areas of study."

"I understand that it’s a popular action movie trope, but you also see this in the medical and academic fields."- BeatMeElmo

Income/Housing Disparity

"The main character bakes muffins part-time 3 days a week but lives in a 2500 sq ft loft penthouse in the chic part of town."- SeaTie

Henchmen Have Families Too...

"If I kill him I'm no better than him"

"Motherf*cker you just smoked 19 of his henchmen and put 5 more in a wheelchair for life, end his a**."

"And of course the bad guy gets let go, but decides at the last second to try to kill the good guy, justifying a bullet between the eyes, usually by either the good guy's sidek ick, or the bad guy's henchmen that he just got done betraying."- Pyrochazm

matt damon punch GIF by Jason BourneGiphy

Get It Over With!!!

"The main character is about to get killed."

"The antagonist is sitting there pointing a gun at them about to shoot them, but they first have to give a 30-second speech."

"This gives the love interest/forgotten sidekick/child with developing fighting skills to come kill the enemy instead."

"Follow it up with a quote from them saying 'you think I’d miss this party?'."- Jimbo19091

Mortal Wound? No Problem!

"Being mildly impacted by lethal injuries."

"Likewise, when in subfreezing temperatures, not succumbing to hypothermia when soaking wet.'

"Not always enough to shut it off, but it always stands out and strains the illusion."- spill_oreilly

No Conflict? Let's Make Some...

"Smart people making dumb decisions for drama."

"I have stopped watching several shows because of this."- TheWalkingBlondeJoke

hey arnold nicksplat GIFGiphy

"We Can't Do It Without Them!"

"The cop who is about to retire, the soldier with one last mission before they're out, and the person who was about to get married WHEN THEY GOT KILLED."- virgilreality

"The ex-cop/FBI agent that comes out of retirement because the entire government can't catch a criminal."- The_Spyre

Not Quite Dead...

"Resurrection and fake-out deaths."- Cold_Hour

Giphy

Just Kiss Already!!!

"'Will they won't they'."

"I liked watching 'New Girl', but when they completely restarted the main characters' relationship I was like, 'Oh, so it's going to be like that'."

"Dear producers, please let your characters grow."- MrMToomey

"But she has glasses! And a ponytail..."

"The 'clumsy, nerdy, awkward girl' who are normally played by the hottest actresses out there..."- Icy_Note_8154

It Only Took Two And A Half Hours To Figure Out!!

'“Wait!'

"I can explain this very obvious and easy to explain scenario'.”

“'Nope'."

"You’re dead to me."

"Now stare speechless as I’m meander my way out of your life slowly'.”-Aerhart941

"Something that can be fixed right away with just a conversation."- Beginning-Match592

"If an entire conundrum can be solved by just someone waiting 1 minute for the other person to explain but chooses not to."

"Irritates me to no end and I'd much rather stop watching the movie."- charthrowawayliet

Tyler Perry Problem Solved GIF by NickelodeonGiphy

Big Words Can't Get You Everything...

"When a character is repeatedly hyped as being insanely intelligent, but then they just have a decent vocabulary and aren't particularly insightful or clever."- Gloomy-Flamingo-1733

The best part of sitting back and watching a movie or a TV show is to surrender to a world completely different from our own.

And enjoying them in the comfort of our own homes gives us the freedom to scream at our TV sets when something happens to annoy us.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Melania Trump
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Melania Just Held A Bizarre Press Conference To Debunk 'False Smears' Related To Jeffrey Epstein—And Everyone Had The Same Response

First Lady Melania Trump had everyone thinking the same thing after she held a bizarre press conference on Thursday to deny that she had anything but casual ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the late disgraced financier, pedophile, sexual abuser, and sex trafficker.

Mrs. Trump publicly denied any ties to convicted sex offenders Epstein and his procurer Ghislaine Maxwell, saying claims linking her to Epstein are “lies” meant to damage her reputation. She said she met her husband, President Donald Trump at a New York City party in 1998 and did not meet Epstein until 2000, contradicting a witness statement in the Epstein files that alleges Epstein introduced the couple.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sarah McBride; Nancy Mace
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Dem Rep. Sarah McBride Perfectly Shames Nancy Mace For Her Transphobic Response To McBride's Condemnation Of Trump

Delaware Democratic Representative Sarah McBride pushed back at South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace after Mace responded with transphobia to McBride's criticism of President Donald Trump's genocidal threat to kill the "whole civilization" of Iran.

Trump has insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of JD Vance
News Nation

JD Vance Dragged After Making Bizarre 'Skydiving' Analogy About His Wife To Explain Iran Ceasefire Deal

Vice President JD Vance had critics raising their eyebrows after he used a bizarre analogy about his wife–Second Lady Usha Vance—going skydiving while attempting to explain the United States' position on Iran's right to enrich uranium.

Vance addressed reporters on the tarmac at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport as he left Hungary, where he had voiced the Trump administration’s support for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán only days before the country’s elections.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @mikemancusi's Instagram video
@mikemancusi/Instagram

Comedian Explains How Millennials' Midlife Crises Are Different From Past Generations—And He's Spot On

Don't make promises you cannot keep, unless your goal is to hurt someone.

Millennials know that practically better than anyone. They were fed a long and impassioned series of advice, hyper-focused on the importance of getting a college degree in order to find a good job. They were also force-fed traditionalist ideals of getting married, having kids, and buying a nice house with the money they'd be making from that great job, of course.

Keep ReadingShow less