“It Only Happens In Movies”: 67 Things That Would Never Work In Real Life
Ah, the magic of the silver screen — where gravity-defying leaps, spontaneous synchronized dance routines, and romantic encounters in the pouring rain are all part of everyday life. But have you ever found yourself chuckling at the absurdity of these unrealistic movie scenes and thought, "Come on, it only happens in movies"? If so, you're gonna love this list, fellow cinephile.
With all the movie-themed content we've written on Bored Panda, we've learned a thing or two about movie clichés, and let's be honest, we love to hate them. They're the not-so-secret ingredients that keep us coming back for more, despite their often exaggerated, cringeworthy, and laughable nature. In a recent Reddit thread, movie buffs shared their favorite "only works in movies" moments, and boy, did they deliver! We've sifted through their submissions and handpicked the most hilariously unrealistic Hollywood exaggerations to share with you.
From weapons to the often overused villain monologue, the industry has a penchant for film inaccuracies that make us roll our eyes. But hey, let's not be too harsh; after all, these creative liberties are what make the world of film such an escapist pleasure. So, in the spirit of poking fun at these movie tropes, we've compiled a list of things that would never work in real life. Let's dive into this movie vs. reality showdown and chuckle our way through some of the most delightfully unrealistic moments in cinematic history!
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DarkStar860 said:
"Turning on the TV and hearing the relevant news story at that very moment."
Daddict replied:
"Only one time did a friend call me and say "Turn on the tv" and the information he was talking about was on. Hell, I even asked "What channel?" He said "All of them".
That day, of course, was September 11th, 2001."
Ali8ly said:
"I will leave my high-paying job in a big city, to work at a bakery in my hometown."
Redditor replied:
"Is your fiance Bradley, the powerful investment banker who verbally abuses you, totally against the idea? That's okay. Tommy the ranch hand who lives in a 10x10 trailer behind your mom and dad's house who is super hot will change your life. He only lives in the 10x10 trailer for fun, though. He's the heir to the fortune of the family who owns most of the region but is super humble and cool about it."
"Being an unattractive geek who suddenly transforms into a stunning beauty just by taking their glasses off and letting their hair down."
Doing that would make me look like someone’s sleep paralysis demon.
"Sleeping with all your make-up on including false eye-lashes, and waking up looking great without destroying your pillow and your skin."
midunda said:
"Shooting a gas tank so it explodes.
Or removing a bullet from yourself and then you're fine."
Ok-Traffic-7714 replied:
"And after the bullet is extracted, it HAS to be dropped into a metal cup so it makes that clank sound."
"'It’s a date! I’ll pick you up at 7!'
Great, but where are you going? You don’t even know her name, and didn’t ask for her phone number or address."
"If you're a good guy, no bullet will do anything more than slow you down. If you're a bad guy, any gunshot wound is instant death."
A TV show I like to watch said that: unless it is in a sensitive place, or a high caliber, most people don't even know they have been shot. So the falling down is the lie.
"Single mom living in 9 million dollar house in San Francisco, on the secretary or teacher salary."
BigBearSD said:
"Stalking a woman until she finally sees how great of a guy you are, and then you two ending up with a happily ever after."
CarmenxXxWaldo replied:
"In movies 'she's with the wrong guy I'm going to harass her until she falls in love with me'.
Real life 'she's with the wrong guy I'm going to harass her until she gets a protection order and I violate it twice and get locked up and lose my job.'"
GoneFullCircle replied:
"Or the brokenhearted one manages to win them back with an extravagantly romantic yet creepy gesture like sending them an entire garden’s worth of flowers or holding a boombox over their head for hours in the middle of the night blasting a song they once listened to while screwing."
Ruminations0 said:
"Running for a very long time and then being able to talk normally."
gozba replied:
"Tom Cruise can do that. But he learned to regulate his breath by doing certain things with his mouth in the closet he’s living in."
StealthyBasterd also replied:
"I thought it was the middle tooth that regulated the air intake."
"Jumping through shattering glass windows and surviving without lacerations all over."
"Keeping someone from falling by holding onto one of their hands. Bonus points if they let go of a ledge and someone grabs their arm before they fall more than a few inches."
Fulla_Flava said:
"Bonus if they’ve been in water when they spit a little out and they’re fine with never a mention of secondary drowning."
Fflewddur_Fflam_ replied:
"I don't think he knows about second drowning, Pippin."
yParticle said:
"Conveniently knocking someone unconscious so they're not bothering you for several minutes while you do secret stuff. Without killing them or serious brain damage.
Actually lampshaded in Archer."
shegedep replied:
"The joke that hooked me on the show was when he’s excited to fight on top of a moving train, but the instant he gets up there the wind nearly knocks him off and sends his gun flying away."
TheAres1999 said:
"Infection doesn't exist in movie land, so if you survive the battle, you're always fine!"
VocalMortal1234 replied:
"If you want to be sure, just pour a bottle of cheap whiskey over the wound afterwords to make sure it doesn't get infected."
Don't forget the knife sterilised by 10 seconds in a naked flame to cauterize a gaping bloody wound.
"Having an expert in a certain field (like history, archeology or science) who knows literally EVERYTHING about the subject instead of having just one particular specialisation."
2020-RedditUser said:
"Crawling through air vents as regular air vents are too small to fit a human body let alone hold the weight of one."
Fulla_Flava replied:
"Not to mention real-life vents are dusty grimy spaces with lots of sharp screws or rivet protrusions where the sections are joined. Also the grille rarely pops off so it can be opened from the inside."
"Morning breath make-out sessions."
"CPR that lasts a minute and the victim wakes up and is fine."
"Finding a parking spot in a big city immediately, without having to circle the block for twenty minutes."
SMG329 said:
"The way they talk while driving. I talk, but I never take my eyes off the road for as long as they do in movies."
DarkStar860 replied:
"Also, if you're in a convertible, you can hear them talking clear as day, with no wind muffling them."
Was in a convertible few years ago on a country road, wind blowing my hair around, ended up swallowing a chunk of my own hair and almost choked to death - driver had to pull over before I projectile vomited everywhere - t'was traumatic
"A revolver meant for six shoots twenty."
Being a tad pedantic, I often count the gunshots of movie revolvers and then point out the error to my wife. And she's still with me.
Studio_Life said:
"Shooting a lock to open it is my favorite. Sure shooting a lock will break it, but you just broke it in the locked position. Now it’s even harder to open."
whitemike40 replied:
"Also any type of electronic, just shoot the control panel and it resets everything."
"Pulling a sword out of it's scabbard and it makes a metal sliding on metal sound. If this were true, swords would get dull really quick."
Philcoman said:
"Killing an enemy instantly with a single stab wound."
Tyeveras replied:
"Christopher Lee knew how to do that from working in the Special Operations Executive during WW2. He told Peter Jackson he knew what noise to make when Saruman got stabbed in LOTR as a result of his experience."
aperson7780 said:
"Doing whatever you want in a courtroom as long as you are 'going somewhere with it.'"
shegedep replied:
"Any random person being able to walk up and present new evidence."
A 1st year law student actively involved in a real murder case... and winning because she knows about the dos and don'ts of perms. Which was very smart of Elle Woods to notice. But that wouldn't fly in real life.
dzastrus said:
"Closing a dead person's eyes by gently brushing your hand over them. That doesn't work. They'll just go back to being open again. Stop touching them, they're dead."
CrazyCatLadyBoy replied:
"This is why they used to put coins on dead peoples eye lids. It holds them shut until things kind of dry up and they stick there."
MyNameIsRay also replied:
"These days, morticians use metal contacts with spikes on the outside, that poke into the eyelids and prevent them from separating."
I'm not sure I wanted to know that last bit! I was fine with coins or metal washers.
KyOatey said:
"A hushed conversation immediately after shooting a gun indoors without ear protection."
could_use_a_snack replied:
"Terminator 2 (I think) 12ga shotgun in an elevator. I would think that would cause permanent hearing loss."
AshamedCookie7382 said:
"Stealth helicopters that make absolutely no sound until they reveal themselves."
ThaneOfCawdorrr replied:
"By suddenly appearing OVER THE HORIZON thwip-thwip-thwip
You have to admit it's an effective shot."
xrc20 said:
"Walking up to a bar, just ordering “a beer” and not having to specify which one you want."
fizzy_milkshake130 replied:
"I work in a pub. you wouldn’t believe the number of customers who come up to the bar and ask for “a beer” and when I ask which one, they look at me as if I should know what beer they want."
SeedsOfEssence said:
"Silencer being silent."
Redditor replied:
"I read a novel that actually got into that. The main character said that "Indoors a 9mm gun firing will still sound like throwing a phone book onto the floor, but at least the sonic boom is removed."
Peptuck also replied:
"Dresden Files? I think White Night specifically had that exact description when a mob assassin attacked the main character."
"Airport finales... running through security and customs to stop the love of your life from flying away forever... you can get shot down!!"
Yeah. And kids can run faster than security people. (I'm looking at you, Sam from Love Actually, straight through all those checkpoints.)
"When your convertible stops, your hair is still perfect."
"Hanging up the phone before a definitive end to the conversation has been established."
I genuinely believed Americans never wait goodbye at the end of phone calls for way longer than I care to admit because of this
"Having perfect aim until it comes to the person you actually need to shoot."
Double-Elevator619 said:
"Someone pushing a fruit cart across a street just as you’re speeding by. I’ve never seen a moving fruit cart otherwise. Or seen a fruit cart, actually."
yParticle replied:
"Or carrying a bare pane of glass across the street. It's usually well packaged and delivered as close to the site as possible."
TheUnblinkingEye1001 also replied:
"Yeah, why aren't these people parking on the same side of the street of the building the glass is being delivered? If movies have taught me anything it is that there is always a wide open parking spot right in front of your destination."
Graceland1979 said:
"Having enough spare time from work and/or school to go on long a** adventures."
Ooze3d replied:
"Or the guy working at a coffee shop or a diner with 40 people sitting and waiting for their stuff saying “hey Tom, cover for me, ok?”."
Wake up. Work out while watching the news. Shower. Get dressed and do hair. Drive to wherever you park your car that isn't actually your job. Walk to your favorite coffee shop. Get coffee and muffin and take time to say hello to the people that you've grown to know so well that you know their personal business. Walk to work while chatting with your best friend on the phone. Get to your office ("hi jerry!"), walk in, sit at your desk with just enough time to turn on your computer monitor and Janet poked her head in to tell you that Mr. Barenstein is waiting in the conference room. WHO HAS 5 HOURS IN THE MORNING TO GET TO WORK?!
CatherineConstance said:
"Relationships ending or imploding, often times for good, because one party gets caught doing something and says 'Let me explain!' and the other party is like 'No thank you, goodbye forever.'"
Aurorafaery replied:
"'Let me explain' followed by them making NO attempt to explain before that person storms off or “I need to tell you something” and then not mentioning that important thing again after you were interrupted for 5 seconds… rage-inducing."
shegedep said:
"Falling from a huge height and being totally ok cuz you caught yourself on a ledge with just your fingertips."
Incorporeal999 replied:
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about falling 50 feet and then grabbing a pipe or something. Good luck with that. Sometimes they land on their abdomen and don't crack a rib. Akin to jumping off a cliff but are saved because you crash through multiple limbs of a tree. Maybe it would improve your odds? One branch puncturing any part of you would suck."
I actually fell 2 weeks ago 40 feet off a cliff and hit a bunch of trees and almost fell in a river if it wasn't for my boyfriend using his belt to pull me up into a tree and wait for paramedics. I broke my leg but it could have been so much worse I'm so thankful I'm alive
"Killing the criminals instead of arresting them, without questions being asked."
"Not reloading guns and having infinite ammo (yeah I know John Wick did reload his guns, but most other movies didn't)."
Slytherian101 said:
"Yelling at a judge and invading the judges personal space always works out ok."
nonresponsive replied:
"I once made a sarcastic remark at a judge during jury selection. I got read the riot act. We laughed about it after the case was over but was still quite something."
Hot take: the judicial branch needs to be taken down a peg. Then again given recent erm... "decisions" that might not be that hot of a take anymore
ImInJeopardy said:
"Running away from an explosion and letting the blast push you to safety."
roadfood replied:
"Jump towards the camera!"
GriffinFlash also replied:
"Aim for the bushes!"
AIM FOR THE BUSHES!!! hahahahahahahaha i seriously love that movie.
Chowdah-head said:
"Stealing a vehicle by grabbing the keys that are under the visor."
GreyWulfen replied:
"Apparently this was a real-life thing on sets when multiple people would need to move different vehicles. Rather than try to track down keys they would put them on the visor for the next driver. Next thing you know it's a movie trope."
"Punches to the head with little to no damage to the striker or the recipient of the strike. Bare knuckle punches are a terrible weapon that could damage the puncher as bad or worse then the person getting punched."
css01 said:
"Odd number of hits to the head = amnesia. Even number of hits to the head = amnesia cured."
KypDurron replied:
"They make that exact joke on Family Guy when an amnesiac Peter gets hit repeatedly on the head.
'I was just lucky he had an odd number of objects.'"
They said the same in The Simpsons, on that episode when Homer becomes a boxer. Bart tells him this trivia before a big fight. I assumed that keeping track of the blows he received was what avoided amnesia.
"They never wait long for elevators."
And when it arrives the elevator sadly is filled to the brim with enemy agents
"No one laughs at other people’s great quips. People don’t ever laugh, and just keep talking as if the funny person said nothing at all."
I've always found it so uncomfortable that no one in comedy shows laugh. If an actor laughs while taping, they will literally cut and redo! People should be laughing their brains out.
"Get on a bed with your shoes/ boots on. Why do you even have them on in your own house?"
Guilty as charged - but usually only because I'm going back out again shortly and my boots take forever to get on/off so I'll leave them on until I'm home for the night - but I do shampoo my carpet regularly so I don't feel too bad
"Breaking high-rise windows by throwing a human body at them. It won’t work. At best, you can push out the frame (which is what happened to one lawyer who loved to demonstrate it to paralegals)."
"Long speeches or monologues about the story of your life where in no one interrupts you or interjects."
But that's in every villain's job description! Are you even a real villain without monologing??
"Shooting a stick of dynamite and it exploding. That won’t do sh!t. My grandpa knows someone who has some dynamite who explained this (I wasn’t there).
He said it’s the blasting caps you wanna be careful with, because even some jostling can make them explode.
My grandpa told me the guy kicked around the box of dynamite he had like it was full of shirts. He was very careful with the box of blasting caps however."
You sure don't want to do that with old dynamite though, older dynamite the nitroglycerin separates and becomes very unstable
Ursa_Mid said:
"Car jumps. In most movie jumps the car is immediately destroyed and becomes undrivable."
Objective_Tour_6583 replied:
"Check out the most recent Fast and Furious trailer. They literally drop Vin Diesel's car from a helicopter onto other moving vehicles, and you can see the entire front end bend up about 20 degrees. Of course, he then drives away in Showroom condition."
Odd_Adhesiveness4804 said:
"One man defeating an army."
gozba replied:
"A man hitting the intended target with every shot (outside competitive shooting, that s**t is something else)."
roadfood also replied:
"But whoever is shooting at him always misses no matter how many of them there are or how many bullets they fire."
My dad just read Battle Royale and had a mini rage about the second part. Quote: The author clearly never had a pistol in hand. These untrained high schoolers shoot moving targets like snipers. When I had my firearm training in the military I couldn't hit a paper target!
Imaginary-Bluejay-86 said:
"Leaving a full beer at the bar."
AfterSolution4762 replied:
"Happens more often than you’d think. Worked as a glassy at a nightclub at 18, people would leave behind full drinks all the time. People always gave me this blank look when I would tell them about it and how angry it made me that people would just do that... anyways 11 years later, it turns out the reason they had a blank look on their faces was that they didn’t care and the reason I’d get so mad, is because I’m an Alcoholic."
It happens often and healthy people know their limits. It happens that you want that drink but when it comes you take one sip and realise you don't want it anymore, especially when it's alcohol and you already had a few. A normal person won't drink that drink knowing they'll get sick if they do, an alcoholic doesn't feel when it's enough and always empties that drink and gets angry when others don't do the same because they don't understand healthy limits. That's why they're alcoholics.
"Driving from suburbs to the downtown area in less than 10 mins, no obstructions, traffic always flows, and a nice, wide open parking spot right in front of the destination."
"Having a person be an expert in multiple unrelated disciplines. 7 doctorates and speaking 17 languages are total bs."
"Choking someone to death… usually in under 30 seconds. Yeah… it takes a lot longer than that and most people, even strong people don’t have the capability of just crushing everything in one quick squeeze."
"When you put everyone's faces up on the wall and connect them randomly with strings to solve a big mystery."
That's a Mindmap or Mindcloud and it's regularly done within planning sessions in all kinds of projects to visualise connections and impact. It's a valid technique for problem solving and you can look up how it's done. It's not neccessarily done with strings on a wall, usually you use whiteboards or Flipcharts but the principle is well known, works great and is indeed a valid method of problem solving or project planning. Neither in movies nor in reality are the connections random. The lines are used to visualise existing connections.
"Ending a phone conversation without saying any variation of “bye”."
"When you’re looking at someone who’s far off and across the street and then a bus drives by and they disappear."
mut1n3y said:
"Activating the Fire alarm and setting off the sprinklers."
ChronoLegion2 replied:
"Or putting a lighter near a sprinkler, even though most sprinklers don’t double as smoke detectors. And the water will be clean, not stale and smelly."
"Casually walking away from the cops that are questioning you because you're in a hurry."
"Breaking formation as soon as the battle starts and still somehow winning."
Ask the normans, the english did that and got their asses handed to them.
"Everyone being home for dinner at the same time! It was easy to do when kids were small but now that they are older and have activities, forget it."
ChampignonOfMurkwall said:
"Justice."
MagicSquare8-9 replied:
"Similarly, vigilante justice that somehow always swift and accurate without a massive surveillance system and information network. I don't care how super Superman is when it comes to physical strength, he's not known for his brain, and chances are he had miscarried justice on a regular basis. Batman is even worse, he does not even have X-ray vision."
Superman doesn't kill people. He takes them to the police though. So there's not much problems. They can easily get exonerated if he's wrong. Same for Batman who indeed has a surveillance network and fights mainly corrupt cops and also doesn't kill people. So this is clearly written by someone who just doesn't like that kind of movies. The collateral damage they cause on the other hand is definitely an issue
I don't like that in most action movies huge damages are done in very lively areas and no one cares for collateral damage or even kills that must have occurred. It's never even mentioned! And then the hero finally catches the evildoer who has killed tons of people and there's no indication they'll stop and it's even pretty likely they'll just turn around and do it all over, but despite having killed several of their henchmen on the way all of a sudden they find their conscience and let them live for part two. So it's just fine to kill innocent bystanders, henchmen and people whose evil doings might have happened under pressure or blackmail, but killing the mastermind behind it is somehow bad?
Let's be honest. Some of this stuff would be really boring to watch. I don't need to see the car circling the block 20 times. The great thing about movies is the6 can cut out all mundane b******t.
Leaving the room without closing the fridge. Leaving or returning home/apartment without closing the front door
Especially in winter, also, going outside in just a sweater an scarf in winter and not seeming cold. Only be cold when the nice guy (who you still hate /don't realize you love) at that point comes by and offers you his coat. He is unaffected by the cold. (Yes Hallmark...)
Load More Replies... I don't like that in most action movies huge damages are done in very lively areas and no one cares for collateral damage or even kills that must have occurred. It's never even mentioned! And then the hero finally catches the evildoer who has killed tons of people and there's no indication they'll stop and it's even pretty likely they'll just turn around and do it all over, but despite having killed several of their henchmen on the way all of a sudden they find their conscience and let them live for part two. So it's just fine to kill innocent bystanders, henchmen and people whose evil doings might have happened under pressure or blackmail, but killing the mastermind behind it is somehow bad?
Let's be honest. Some of this stuff would be really boring to watch. I don't need to see the car circling the block 20 times. The great thing about movies is the6 can cut out all mundane b******t.
Leaving the room without closing the fridge. Leaving or returning home/apartment without closing the front door
Especially in winter, also, going outside in just a sweater an scarf in winter and not seeming cold. Only be cold when the nice guy (who you still hate /don't realize you love) at that point comes by and offers you his coat. He is unaffected by the cold. (Yes Hallmark...)
Load More Replies...