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..."

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

Dave Bautista
Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images

Dave Bautista Assures Fans That He's Fine After Concern About His Dramatic Weight Loss

Actor Dave Bautista assured fans he was fine amid concerns he's lost weight and appears unhealthy.

The 55-year-old actor, known for his hulking presence combating malevolent crime lords and intergalactic henchmen in action films like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, explained his significant weight loss was due to recent movie roles.

Keep ReadingShow less
Justin Timberlake
Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images

Justin Timberlake Gets Candid About Drinking And Driving In Somber Statement Outside Courthouse

Prince of Pop star Justin Timberlake addressed the public about drinking and driving after taking a plea deal on Friday after being arrested earlier this year for drunk driving near the Hamptons in New York.

On June 17, the Friends with Benefits actor was initially charged with DWI (driving while intoxicated) after he drove his 2025 grey BMW XM through a stop sign and swerved into oncoming traffic in Sag Harbor, an incorporated village in Suffolk county, New York.

Keep ReadingShow less

Things The Super Rich Do That Normal People Could Never Dream Of Doing

Times are tough right now, and for many people, it's hard to know where the money for groceries and bills is going to come from.

But for a limited few, money is truly no object, and it's crazy to realize what they spend money on as a matter of convenience rather than necessity.

Keep ReadingShow less
RuPaul's Drag Race stars on the Emmys red carpet
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

'Drag Race' Queens Clap Back After Reporter Claims They Walked Out After Losing Emmy

The Hollywood Reporter's Chris Gardner is in hot water online after posting a misleading tweet during last night's Primetime Emmy Awards.

Gardner posted a video clip he filmed just after the announcement of the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Program, which RuPaul's Drag Race had won five of the past years in a row.

Keep ReadingShow less
Doctor with stethoscope
Alexandr Podvalny/Unsplash

People Break Down The Wildest Things A Doctor Ever Said To Them

Hearing a medical professional offer their official expert advice or assessment has patients always hanging on their every word.

But occasionally, the things they tell patients can be eye-opening in the unintentionally humorous delivery of their findings.

Keep ReadingShow less