Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Media Buffs Call Out Scenes That Were Unrealistically Depicted Or Just Plain Wouldn't Happen

"That's not how that works..."

Make us preferred on Google

We all know that one person.

You know, whenever someone suggest to watch a movie together, you groan silently and roll your eyes. Once the film begins, the torture starts. "This wouldn't happen that way in real life," or, "That's not how that works!" or "He's not that tall." A self-proclaimed "movie buff" who just has to share everything wrong with the film. No matter that movies are all about bringing the unrealistic to reality, they need to speak up.


Reddit user, u/Lettuce-b-lovely, hopefully wanted to get all the facts out of the way when they asked:

What things are misrepresented or overemphasized in movies because if they were depicted realistically they just wouldn't work on film?


Who's Your Source? Me.

Giphy

Comas. Source: when I was a teenager I was in a coma for several days...

1) the way the tubes (ventilator, feeding tube, etc) are taped to your face/body is not the same way Hollywood does it

2) a patient in a coma is not (necessarily) totally motionless. Just because they are moving doesn't mean they are awake.

3) waking up. I did NOT yawn, stretch, and remark on how well-rested I felt. From what I've been told, the first sign of me being awake had something to do with the heart monitor.

4) it took MONTHS of rehab for me to resume anything resembling a normal life, and I was only out for ~11 days. There's a loose correlation between the length of coma and length of rehab (more time in a coma=more time in rehab). And by "normal life" I mean "able to leave the house without a walker or cane", NOT "able to outthink and outmuscle a bunch of bad guys".

heyrainyday

How Many Abs Should A Freshman Have?

High school students who look like f-ing super models in their mid 20s.

poopellar

Horrifyingly Curious To Know How This Is True

Giphy

Land mines.

They don't click and then only explode after taking the pressure off the plate.

They just explode, no warning at all.

QuintusNonus

If Only There Were Real-Life Columnists That Could Clarify This...

Salaries are always way higher than reality.

Carrie Bradshaw is the best example. She writes a tiny column once a week and can afford 1500 shoes and a decent apartment in NYC.

In reality, she would be living with her parents in New Jersey.

DoubleHelix787

So. Much. Paperwork.

The amount of paperwork and investigations after a car chase or police shooting. Bad Boys/Lethal Weapon would have been the first scene and then months of admin work/investigations. You don't kill 7 people in a gunfight and go back to work as normals the next hour.

nekmatu

When Has Anyone Done This Ever?

Giphy

When somebody is watching video footage and they're at the wrong part, they press fast forward for 3 seconds (whirrirh) and press play at exactly the right part.

nolep

How'd This Happen Again?

How amnesia works. It's not like you always get bonked on the head and forget everything about your life up until that moment.

Leharen

It Never Takes 5 Minutes...

Protagonist: "How long will it take to get this lab result?"

Technician:"10 hours"

Protagonist:"You have 5 minutes"

Technician:"Fine with me"

Niguro90

Does Hollywood Know Anything About Lawyers?

Giphy

Lawyers. Most of the job is research and they're not always in court doing cross examination with controversial questions and soap box closing arguments.

Same with TV lawyer shows. No lawyer can actually be like Alan Shore

AGMarasco

Criminal court trials can be very, very dull. Even the murders. Everyone knows everything before hand. I've been doing this 20 years and never has a defendant been broken down by the prosecutor and made a dramatic confession on the stand. Only once has a cop come through with a missing piece of evidence that exonerated the defendant on the morning of trial (it was security camera footage misplaced in evidence).

There's a lot of paperwork and report reading and less going out on to the gritty streets to interview witnesses.

I've never been shot at. Never been intimidated by the mob or threatened by a Mexican drug cartel. No high speed chases.

Lab results take weeks and I've never "gone down to the lab." The lab is in a different county and I only ever talk to those guys on the phone or by email.

Maxwyfe

Oh No! We're...Landing Safely?

Helicopter crashes.

In movies/video games you spin out of control.

IRL if the tail rotor stops working or the engine fails or something then you can use autorotation to land safely. This is something that pilots are required to learn and demonstrate.

slowpokerface

H/T: Reddit

aDOORable

Shoot a car with a pistol and it fucking EXPLODES, man.

rust_and_diamonds

Or the opposite - open the car door and suddenly it becomes a bullet proof shield.

Bunktavious

Or flip a desk/wooden table or couch, become immortal.

anon_2326411

Swashbuckling

The Princess Bride GIF - Find & Share on GIPHYGiphy

Sword Fights

SearchingForKokomo

they always aim for the blades and not the other person, sure hitting the blade to knock it away and follow up with a strike to the body is effective and you do see it in fencing, but they don't do that, they always only try to disarm the opponent and luckily the opponent also does that otherwise they'd probably be screwed

RQK1996

This is call Flynning (warning: TVTropes) and is named after Errol Flynn.

Flynning exists, in live-action at least, so that non-expert actors can put on an entertaining show without causing Real Life injuries. The first problem is that most actors aren't trained to fence, and most fencers aren't trained to act. Neither skill is something you can teach someone properly in a short amount of time, and audiences are more likely to recognize (and be bothered by) wooden acting than unconvincing swordplay...

A lot of Flynning entries will be written by people who know and care a lot more about swordsmanship than the average person, and therefore can tend toward being critical and nitpicky. Tropes Are Tools, however, and Flynning is not necessarily a "bad" trope: it's just that it comes out of a real-life safety concern that makes it difficult to show the full range of historical combat techniques, and it's often used as a crutch to cover up for a lack of time, money, or expertise... At their best, Flynning and stage combat can be like real swordsmanship filtered through Rule of Cool.

isildo

Black Hats

Computer hacking, it's actually a rather boring convoluted Process and not just a 5 seconds and in kinda thing. Video games also make hacking out to be way cooler than it is

LindFang

Furious typing, eyes darting between three different screens

I'M IN.

DrProfessorElizabutt

Baby Booming

Going into labor/giving birth. Rarely as dramatic as the movies.

andsteven

And they always just pretty much skip to the birth after that first contraction because no time for an 8 hour labor process in a movie

vomirrhea

And the newborn is played by a 3 month old actor

newredheadit

Venting About This

Giphy

Air vents that always lead the main character to the point of interest. Not to mention they will not hold up a full grown adult much less fit one, unless it was a beefy industrial system.

How quickly people get knocked out or how long they stay knocked out for. Some people are more prone to getting knocked out in less hits but watch boxing or UFC, they take hits all day long and in some fights nobody gets knocked out just beaten up. Our hero vs a huge thug, huge thug gets knocked the fuck out everytime.

A server instantly shows up when the main character takes a seat in a restaurant.

Voselot18

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Vann Bentley and Chris Pappas
Joseph Prezioso/Getty Images

New Hampshire Democrat Thanks Husband In Moving Speech After Becoming First Out Gay Man Elected To Senate

By now, whether a United States voter is a conservative MAGA minion or a progressive Democratic Socialist, they're likely reeling from the results of the 2026 midterm elections.

In 2024, when MAGA Republican President Donald Trump garnered only 31.97% of the popular vote, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris received 31.03%, and 36.37% did not vote at all, Trump called his narrow victory a "landslide" and claimed his electoral college win was a "mandate" from the people.

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Douglas; Cher
BBC; Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

Michael Douglas Just Threw Some Massive Shade At Cher's Oscar Win—And Fans Are Losing It

Hollywood legend Michael Douglas has stirred up some discourse after shading another Hollywood legend, Cher.

The moment came during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show alongside his Fatal Attraction costar Glenn Close, in which they discussed Close's upcoming honorary Oscar.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bowen Wan; OpenAI and ChatGPT logos
The Schenk Law Firm, LLP; Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Woman Dies After ChatGPT Tells Her To Stop Taking Epilepsy Medication—And Now Her Family Is Suing

Artificial intelligence is being increasingly forced on the general public via tech devices and social media, but it's reliability as a source of accurate information has never been established, and people are suffering the consequences of trusting AI to provide factual information.

Bowen Wan, a 31-year-old Chinese immigrant living in Seattle, Washington, has died after taking medical advice from OpenAI's ChatGPT. Wan was suffering seizures due to epilepsy, but started reducing her medication upon the suggestion of the AI app, according to a lawsuit filed by her family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Bill Murray speaking to Kevin Hassett
CNBC

Bill Murray Epically Trolls Trump Official For Grinning During Segment On Struggling Economy

Actor Bill Murray criticized National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett for smiling through a CNBC segment on President Donald Trump's failing economy, openly trolling Hassett on the air.

Murray was at CNBC’s studios on Monday after appearing earlier on Squawk Box alongside author Tom Coyne to discuss A Course Called Ireland, a six-part golf and travel series on Paramount+ in which Murray stars.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Ron DeSantis
Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Podcast

Ron DeSantis Just Ripped Republicans Who Claim That High Gas Prices Are 'No Big Deal'

On the eve of the midterm elections, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis surprised observers by criticizing Republicans who've downplayed the impact high gas prices have had on the electorate.

Americans continue to struggle with a nationwide affordability crisis hurting their wallets as well as at the pump. Because of the war President Donald Trump began with Iran earlier this year—and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz—the global oil supply has been limited, causing a surge in prices.

Keep ReadingShow less