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38 Movie and TV Tropes That Rile the Passions

November 03, 2023

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: just loudly declaring something “awkward” is not a punchline! You’ve conjured an uncomfortable scenario, and your big crescendo is just… calling it uncomfortable? Cool, bro. Maybe next you can film an insane bullet-riddled car chase, and cap it off with Vin Diesel saying, “Action packed!” Yeah, no shit, Vin!

Sorry! We got a little riled up there. If you’re the movie and TV buffs we think you are, these tropes might get your blood boiling, too.

38

Crowds at sporting events need to see a lone person slow clap before they start applauding. Rudy Mystery, Alaska Cool Hoosiers Runnings CRACKED.COM — Source

37

STAR WARS REVENGE OF THE SITH WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A NIGHTMARE SO INTENSE THAT YOU CONSTANTINE JOLT UP 90 DEGREES FROM YOUR BED? HOW ABOUT... NEVER? THE RING CRACKED.COM — Source

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Batman & Robin In Time GUESSING SOMEONE'S PASSWORD IN FILMS IS SO EASY, YOU CAN DO IT IN MINUTES. JUST LOOK AROUND THE COMPUTER FOR HINTS, OR RECALL BIRTHDATES OF PEOPLE THEY CARE ABOUT AND YOU'RE IN! Lord of War War Games CRACKED.COM — Source

35

Hellboy Batman Begins IT If it rains at a funeral, the guests will be prepared with matching black umbrellas. John Wick Across the Universe The Amazing Spider-Man CRACKED.COM — Source

34

WORST REALITY TV TROPES IMMEDIATE DISTRUST Contestants distrusting people they got along well with is an easy way of manufacturing cheap drama. No explanations, no acknowledgment of context - just quick, unreflecting distrust. This is especially clear in trust-based reality shows, like Survivor. CRACKED.COM — Source

33

Reality TV Tropes

CRACKED.COM WORST REALITY TV TROPES THE GIRL NEXT DOOR As dating shows glorify traditional gender roles, it's no surprise that they love the girl next door trope. Are you naïve, cute, and from a small town? You might just be the next Rachael Kirkconnell from The Bachelor (hopefully without the racism). — Source

32

CRACKED.COM WORST REALITY TV TROPES CRINGEY SILENCES In their desperate attempt to create appealing interpersonal dynamics, reality shows punctuate conversations with silences, knowing looks, and quirky music - something that was wonderfully parodied in the SNL sketch Pregnant in Heels. — Source

31

Reality TV Villains

WORST REALITY TV TROPES THE VILLAIN Long before a certain reality show host became a real-life supervillain, The Apprentice's Omarosa was perfecting the reality TV villain act. She was not there to make friends, and didn't care who knew it. Still, this trope is as tired as the genre itself. CRACKED.COM — Source

30

CRACKED COM Enough of the new hair = character development shortcut. It's time to be a little more creative. — Source

29

MR. & MRS SMITH Perfect Gift... الله Card TMNT SPIDER-MAN WALL-E DAWN OF THE DEAD X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE *Awkward Elevator CRACKED.COM Music* — Source

28

CRACKED.COM Best friends in high school (these are all specifically about males) try to lose Porky's their virginity before college or some other specific date. Hilarity rarely ensues. American Pie Superbad Girl Next Door Sex Drive — Source

27

GRACKED.COM SNOW PLANET. DESERT PLANET JUNGLE PLANET A planet with more than one type of biome? Only Earth. — Source

26

Friends Only You Prem CRACKED.COM Don't worry, if someone loves you just book a flight and they'll chase you to the airport to stop you from leaving them... ...right? She's Outta My League Love Actually — Source

25

Sitcom Tropes

TIRED COMEDY BITS Mets THE FAT MAN-CHILD AND HIS HOT WIFE After Homer Simpson (who ironically was created to satirize the American man), the fat idiot who is helpless without his capable (out-of-his-league) wife became the biggest sitcom trope. CRACKED — Source

24

... TELL US NOW. DESTRUCTION Dawn S. says, Wrecking a room in a moment of unrestrained passion. ... I'm all for having sex when and where the mood strikes, but you'd have to clean up all the mess. Also, not sexy nor comfortable for the person on the bottom. CRACKED.COM — Source

23

CRACKED.COM New Girl Friends Are you best friends with your exes? How I Met Your Scrubs Mother — Source

22

Comedy Tropes

TIRED COMEDY BITS I'M OKAY! Even overdone in cartoons, but at least the absurdity of an I'm okay after a building falls on someone is way funnier than a live action character just falling, giving a dramatic pause, then proclaiming, I'm okay! Extra hacky points for the thumbs up. CRACKED — Source

21

TIRED COMEDY BITS PARENTS TRYING TO BE COOL Middle-aged parents who have no idea what a Tikitty Tokitty is get a massive eye-roll from their teen daughter, who either helps them understand, or just storms off in a huff. CRACKED — Source

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20

TIRED COMEDY BITS AWKWARD HANDSHAKES It's usually the punchline in most commercials, but countless movies and TV shows feature a spin on it. The missed high-five, or being left hanging, or the are we gonna hug, or fist bump, or shake, or high-five, or 'oh my god, this is so awkward! CRACKED — Source

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TIRED COMEDY BITS SERIOUSLY? This one word joke comes before or after something wacky. Before, it's usually, You're not seriously thinking about stealing that car, are you? Or after the guy steals the car, he'll pull up to a more straight laced character who just says, Seriously? CRACKED — Source

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TIRED COMEDY BITS AWKWARD! In lieu of writing an actual punchline, a character will just say awkward, and the cringe we feel is supposed to be the joke. It's not a joke! It's all set up with a forced awkward chuckle because we're uncomfortable! CRACKED — Source

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AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES WRITING ON GLASS When Tom Cruise does math on glass in Mission: Impossible III, it makes sense because it's an action thriller. When Russell Crowe and Andrew Garfield write on glass in A Beautiful Mind and The Social Network, you know they're just trying to make boring intellectual labor look sexy and action-packed. = روم 1+10 EP= CRACKED.COM — Source

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CRACKED.COM AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES DOWN MEMORY LANE Musician biopics start late into their careers, usually as they're about to start an important show and they reflect back on their lives. We've seen this tired trope in the Johnny Cash, James Brown, and Queen biopics. — Source

15

CRACKED.COM AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES CHANGING THE ACTOR'S APPEARANCE AS OSCAR-BAIT We like Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman, so we'll let Monster and The Hours slide. But giving awards to Jared Leto for playing a trans woman in Dallas Buyers Club was just condoning narcissism (the Jared Leto kind of narcissism, which is even worse). — Source

14

Biopic Tropes

CRACKED.COM AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES TRAUMA AS MOTIVATION Genius is explained by trauma, right? Because that seems to be a narrative staple of biopics. Every traumatic incident in your life and every mistake you make pushes you towards your destiny of greatness. — Source

13

CRACKED.COM AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES THE MOMENT OF TRUTH Just as our hero is about to lose their shot, they manage to prove their genius in one single moment of truth. Examples appear in Coal Miner's Daughter and Walk the Line, but people going from mocking Ray Charles to jumping up to dance during his audition scene borders on self-parody. .COM — Source

12

AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES TRIVIALIZING THE VICTIMS The Wolf of Wall Street, Straight Outta Compton, and House of Gucci gloss over the victims, and Pam & Tommy forced their subjects to relive a gross invasion of privacy. Even worse? Elizabeth Kendall, Ted Bundy's ex-girlfriend, was only consulted after her lawyers got involved in That Zac Efron Movie About Ted Bundy That Apparently Exists. CRACKED.COM — Source

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amount - - - - NETSUITE NETSUITE - AtAletic AWFUL BIOPIC TROPES INNOCENT PEOPLE GET TURNED INTO VILLAINS Every movie needs a villain, which makes it tricky when real people face several enemies or even entire systems. In that case, you can condense every challenge into one character, even if its real-life inspiration wasn't really an enemy. Movies that have screwed over real people include Cinderella Man, Moneyball, Dog Day Afternoon, and Ed Wood. CRACKED.COM — Source

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THE FRIENDSHIP BOOMERANG A trusted companion leaves just before the final battle... But returns just in time to save the day! All is forgiven. GRACKED.COM — Source

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The romance develops quickly. CRACKED.COM Canon THE BIG TWIST? She's working for the bad side. — Source

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CRACKED.COM A character makes a wish.. Regrets making it. — Source

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38 Movie and TV Tropes That Rile the Passions — Source

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FATALLY WOUNDED ALLIES ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE CRACKED COM — Source

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MAIN VILLAIN DELIBERATELY CAPTURED GLASS BOX CRACKED.COM — Source

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CRACKED COM Surprise twist villains are always underdeveloped. Zootopia Incredibles 2 Frozen Having to hide their true character robs them of valuable screen time. — Source

3

Hollywood

TELL US NOW. ... Chey R. is tired of how Hollywood portrays autism. g 120 We aren't emotionless robots who do math and are incapable of being loved. CRACKED.COM — Source

2

WE ARE NOT SO DIFFERENT! YOU AND I CRACKED.COM — Source

1

ID4 BATMAN BEGINS INDEPENDENCE DAY I've gotta get me one of those/these! Tangled NEP A line that gets used when a movie character sees or uses something cool. CRACKED.COM — Source

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