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Most of us skeptics by nature blame films, *cough cough* romance movies, for being far-fetched and nothing like real life. However, the scriptwriters are not to blame for why you don't get flowers sent to your office. Yet, they are to blame for the expectations they raise. Either way, it's widely accepted that certain things that work in movies simply don't work in real life. These are the so-called film tropes — a set of cliches overused in movies.

One of which is when a leading actor (ref Tom Hanks in The Terminal (2004)) hops in a random taxi they caught on the street and asks the driver to take them home. Just home, no address or anything. As if the cab driver knows where each of his passengers' homes is. Funnily, this movie trope was "exposed" in How To Be Single (2016) with a snarky comeback from a taxi driver. Yet, this is just one of the many movie tropes that have been used, recycled and used again in filmmaking.

Horror movie tropes arguably rank second (if not first) in frequency. A cabin in the woods is probably the most prevalent theme in teen screams. However, tropes in movies go beyond the romance and horror genres. When a user on AskReddit asked, "What happens in movies or TV that seems to be normal and you think to yourself 'that is not what people in real life do'?", thousands of trope-hunters revealed the most common movie tropes recurring on the silver screen.

Below, we've assembled this movie tropes list from the many answers people left in the thread, revealing the most frequently recurring cliches/tropes in films. Make sure to give the cliches you see way too often an upvote and write down any more movie tropes or 'things that don't happen in real life yet do in films' missing from the list in the comments!

#1

"A Woman Rejects A Man And He Keeps Pestering Her With Gifts And Attention Until She Changes Her Mind. In Real Life, That’s Called Stalking And She Won’t Appreciate It"

Patrick Verona fire

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Stardust she/her
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

80% of Bollywood in a nutshell. The worst thing about it is that boys look up to the “heroes” of the movies and do the same to their crushes. It’s happened to me before

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#2

"Women Can Be In The Jungle For Weeks, And They Don't Have Hair Growing Anywhere. Men Immediately Begin To Grow A Beard"

Tom Hanks in movie Cast Away

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fair_weather_rose
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Also, somehow womens makeup never gets smudged when traversing through rough terrain and getting coated in dirt, sweat, and mosquito bites, but the second they have an "emotional moment" their mascara runs down their cheeks in an entirely unrealistic way.

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#4

"Being A Young, Aspiring Artist Living Alone In A Nice, Spacious Apartment In A Prime Area Of A Big City Like New York Or LA"

Johnny Depp in movie Secret Window

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#5

"Women Running Around In Heels With Perfect Hair And Makeup, And The Dirt And Sweat Making Their Hair And Makeup Look Even Better"

Jurassic Park woman run

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Amy Taylor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL I'm a film and TV makeup artist and any time I question the realism of how it should be applied, the response I always get from the director is "it's not a documentary!" lol

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#6

"School Buses Honking And Waiting For Kids Who Are Still In The House. If I Wasn’t At The Bus Stop When The Bus Arrived, It Would Drive On By. It Didn’t Stop. It Didn’t Honk"

Yellow School Bus from Simpsons

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#7

"No One Using A Computer Ever Uses A Mouse. It’s Just Constant, Frantic Typing"

John Krasinski The Office computer type

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RamiRudolph
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just as annoying as seeing people using a laptop without a charging cable. And then not switching it off overnight.

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#8

"Having Highly Confidential Conversations About 4 Foot Away From The People They Are Talking About, And Not Being Overheard"

David Schwimmer in Friends wearing black shirt

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#9

"Everyone Has One Paper Bag For Groceries, And It Has A Celery Stalk And Loaf Of French Bread Sticking Out The Top"

Lois from Family Guy wearing green shirt and taking groceries

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#10

"Running Upstairs In Horror Movies. If There Was Something Chasing You, Wouldn’t Head For The Door To Get Outside?"

Jack from the Shining talking and wearing red shirt

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#12

"If A Simple Miscommunication Happens, No One Stops And Clarifies With The Other Person. Like If One 10 Sec Conversation Can Derail An Entire Plot Thread I'm Not Interested"

Lord of the rings table meeting

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#13

Girl Vomiting Means Pregnant, Hiccups Means Drunk, Coughing Means Seriously Ill

Rick and Morty drinking

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#14

"Ordering A Beer Without Specifying What Brand Of Beer They Want"

William H. Macy in Shameless bar drinking

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Rachel Cobb
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True. Living in /somewhat/ of a beer state; you HAVE to specify, and then again. "I want "version", of 'brand'."

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#15

"People Splashing Cold Water In Their Faces And Looking In The Mirror To Indicate A Character Is Upset"

Leonardo Dicaprio in movie The Wolf of Wall Street face wash

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#16

"Young Singles Living In Million Dollar Condos That Overlook The City"

Tony Stark Wearing Black shirt

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timothythefrog (he/they)
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ok but the example here is iron man,, like, his whole thing is that he's a billionare . this trope is better shown in movies where their only job is a waiter and they have a huge apartment?

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#17

"On The Phone Making Plans: 'Ok, Meet Me At 5?' 'Sure.' And That’s The Whole Plan. Where Are You Meeting?"

Jim Carrey with phone

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#18

"Wearing Shoes On Their Beds. Like Who Actually Does That?"

Spider Man Across The Spider Verse Peter Parker and Gwen

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Donkey boi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wearing shoes in the house!!! I made the police take their shoes off before they came in my house!

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N Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one comes up a lot. And let's face it, it's just not a realistic use of screen time to have the character remove their shoes, deliver their four minutes of plot important dialogue, put their shoes back on and leave. We just have to let this one go

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Cynthia Wilkins
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, not unrealistic. I avoid shoes anytime I can, but I know lots of people who don’t take them off until they’re going to sleep.

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Skorm Carter
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's me! I have my shoes on all day. I felt vindicated recently when my Dad shattered his toe inside in a super freak accident. Also, I am in no way judging you for your choice to go shoe-less! To each their own.

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marianne eliza
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh jeez. Get over it. Unless you're out walking in paddocks, puddles, mud, or raw sewage, and have white carpets, keep your shoes on. Stop trying to sanitize your world. It's better for a person's immune system to have some nature around them. Especially children. I walked through my horse's paddock barefoot. Same with the chicken yard when feeding or collecting eggs. Barefoot as often as possible, even now (63f). And a very robust immune system. Besides, my pets carry so much in, what little I carry in on my bare, hairless feet is miniscule compared to my hairy Labs and cats. Decide what you will be proud of and thinking about on your deathbed. I doubt it will be clean carpets.

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georgios pahatouridis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

you get over it. You don´t have to walk into mordor to take all this dirt inside the house.

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Skorm Carter
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I mop my floors once a week so I really don't understand the big deal about wearing shoes inside. I mean, unless your entire house has carpet, I guess.

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georgios pahatouridis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so you tell us, that mopping the floors ONCE A WEEK, will keep the house clean for the rest of the week, where there are 6 days of getting all the dirt from the outside, in your house. Ok

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The Original Bruno
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or climbing the rose trellis (which supports all of 15 pounds) to climb into the young, teenage girl's closed by unlocked bedroom window. I've tried it hundreds of times and it NEVER works.

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Jeffrey Johnson
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's wrong with shoes on the bed? Shoes in the house are also common, I'm not removing my shoes every time I come inside. What a hassle.

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ConstantConstance
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe this depends where your from? Maybe not the bed thing, but shoes in the house is common in some places and not in others

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Misha Writer
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Depends on what I'm actually doing. If I an not going anywhere, shoes off. If I'm sitting on my bed for a bit before I go out and I've got shoes on, I don't take them off to put them back on.

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timebleeder
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did when I was a teenager so did most of the people I hung out with. We were 90s goth kids wearing combat boot who smoked. We were in and out so much taking our shoes off everytime was tedious. Just don't get the shoes close to the pillow area.

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Scp_049
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why use a picture of a movie that I'm pretty sure isn't even out yet?

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Katie Howerton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately I know a lot of people who do. I try to have people take their shoes off when they enter my home

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Lil mish
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Somebody Just get rich trust me you will dump the flip flops

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kenya smith
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does it f*****g matter if a person wants to wear shoes in THEIR f*****g house? No! It's their damn house. Let them wear shoes if they f*****g want to. It's not your f*****g house.

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#19

"Crying Without Face Getting Puffy And Red And Ugly"

Cry Baby Johnny Depp

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or being pregnant but only having the belly. Sorry, but pregnancy isn’t just the bump. Your body changes pretty much all over the place, and you don’t give birth and hop out of the stirrups with your skinny pre-pregnancy body back, especially if you’re not a teenager or someone blessed with a hyper fast metabolism.

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#20

"Absolutely Everything Related To Pregnancy And Especially Childbirth. You Don't Just Instantly Rush To The Hospital"

The Office pregnant scene

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Amy Taylor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL I worked on the series "Private Practice" and every single birth scene they had us makeup artists spray them with tons of water until they were soaking wet and the actress would scream bloody murder. We used to joke that epidurals were banned at that hospital, lol

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#22

"Hitting Someone On The Head With A Whiskey Bottle To Knock Them Out. Pretty High Risk Of Killing Them"

Tom hardy in movie Legend fight

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the A-Team days, B.A. wearing heavy rings. If he punched someone wearing them he would rip the persons face off.

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#23

"Knocking On The Door And Someone Opening It Within Two Seconds"

Lois Griffin door

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No one answers within two seconds, the police/whoever break in. Like, seriously? I am busy parking my lunch, give me time to finish and wipe!

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#24

"Throwing An Unspecified Amount Of Money On The Bar And Walking Out"

Will Smith in movie Focus

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Stephanie A. Miller
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m glad I’m not the only one bothered by that. I always wonder, is that the correct amount?

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#25

"Going To A Friend's Place, Staying There For All Of 30 Seconds To Talk About Something Plot-Relevant, Then Just Leaving Right Away"

Matthew Perry in Friends door scene

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Lil mish
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My friends would play games drink all my juices before they say what they are here for then drink watch TV

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#26

"When A Couple Wakes Up In Bed Together (With No Wild Bed-Head Hair, Mind You) And Just Start Making Out"

Ian Somerhalder in Vampire Diaries bed

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#27

"Scenes Where Someone Is Painting Something, Like A Wall Or A Chair, Wearing Nice Clothing, With No Tape, Coverings, Or Paint Splatter Anywhere"

Persons painting walls red and blue

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#28

"Taking Turns Talking. Like In Cop Shows When One Cop Begins An Explanation, Then The Next One Picks Up The Story At A Seamlessly Convenient Spot"

Let's be Cops fake cops

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HipHop
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yelling FBI while flashing a badge gets you immediate access to anything. No questions asked

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#29

"Furiously Making Out While Coming Through A Front Door"

Riverdale Jughead Kiss

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Katie Lutesinger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex actually tried that one on, thinking it was "hot" and "romantic" (we were both young idiots). It ended with me bashing my elbow on the wall and yelling "will you STOP THAT!"

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#30

"Every Time Anyone Sneezes People Assume They're Sick, Like Don't They Ever Get Random Sneezes"

Jonah Hill in movie Get Him to the Greek sneeze

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Nathaniel
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For a good ten years, after getting up I would sneeze twice, for no reason.

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#31

"The Stupid Slow Motion Kiss Or Hug As The World Is Falling Apart"

Dwayne Johnson in movie Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw kissing

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#32

"Getting Fired From An Office Job And Walking Out With A Box That Has A 3-Foot Tall Plant Sticking Out"

The Office Ed Helms holding box

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PattyK
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And just one box, one small enough and light-weight enough that the star can carry it easily.

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#33

"Suppressors On Firearms Making Them Whisper Quiet"

Keanu Reeves in movie John Wick 2 subway fight

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Thegoodboi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone walking around not seeing a bunch of dudes running around with guns that have "longer" barrels now lol. Silencers and suppressors don't make the guns invisible plus why are you guys running? Should I run too??

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#34

"Car Gets Hit, Scratched, Rolled, Goes Off A Cliff, In A Car Accident... It Blows Up"

Fast And Furious car destroy

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Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s because, way back in the days before safety testing of automobiles (thank you Ralph Nader!), cars could catch fire or blow up on impact, as for some reason the fuel tanks were generally just put where they fit, even if that was the absolute worst place. So, the trope was created back in the early days of filmmaking when cars were so much more dangerous, by their safety-ignoring design, than they are now. You’d think someone would’ve updated the trope by now, but of course why would they do that if they can make a scene more dramatic by using it? They forget that audiences are a bit more sophisticated now, and aren’t as willing to suspend their disbelief as they used to (unless of course the story isn’t trying to be realistic, like a movie based on a fairytale or sci-fi or something). Any movie that’s trying to go for today’s realism had better rely on more updated versions of well known tropes. Cars don’t blow up on impact. Women don’t fall in love with their stalkers. The bad guys’ guns won’t always miss the hero, and the hero’s gun won’t kill all the bad guys surrounding them.

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#35

"Just Asked A Random Girl: "Hey Wanna Get Dinner Tomorrow? I'll Pick Up At 5". You Dont Have Her Adress Or Her Phone Number"

Couple eating in the restaurant outside

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Thegoodboi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They go home, have sex, instant love, dude breaks her heart, dude says he's sorry, have sex again. Rinse and repeat :).

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#36

"Turning On A Shower And Jumping Right In Without Checking The Water Temperature With Their Hand First"

Meg from Family Guy taking a shower

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Há joke's on you, i Never check the water temperature with my fist. I use my foot.....

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#37

"Find A Parking Spot Right In Front Of Their Building"

Family Guy Warwick Mall with Christmas decorations

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Cintapxl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

but don't you love it when it happens? I'm on a high for the rest of the day!

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#38

"Wake Up At 6am No Matter What Time Of Year And It Is Bright And Sunny"

Dwayne Johnson in movie Fast And Furious Hobbs And Shaw sunglasses

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Stardust she/her
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live below the tropic of cancer and I can confirm that where I live, the sun begins rising at 6:30 minimum

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#40

"Instantly Drying, Even Though They Just Jumped Into Water Fully Clothed"

Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron walking and wearing red and blue shorts with blue shirt

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#41

"Dreaming Of Kissing A Beautiful Woman, But Actually You're Just Being Licked By An Animal"

Stewie and Brain from Family Guy talking and Brain licking wall

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#42

"Highschool Bullies In Movies"

Peter parker lift Flash

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sofacushionfort
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

IMHE, bullying involves the entire student body singling out one victim, rather than one bully and a few toadies picking on a victim. More like a flock of chickens than lions and wildebeests.

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#43

"Waving 'Full' Coffee Cups Around"

Matt Leblanc in Friends sitting on the couch

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Kensi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, this one was constantly annoying me in Friends and Gilmore girls

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#44

"Putting Baby In A Playpen When Your Friend Visits And Said Baby Doesn’t Scream"

Lois Griffin strong holding Stewie

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#45

"Soldiers Running Towards The Enemy Instead Of Hanging Back And Setting Up Suppressing Fire"

Captain America and Avengers running

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Paulo Freitas
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yea... I was gonna make a snarky joke, but then i realizei this dude is right....

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#46

"Computers Doing A Soft Priiiiiip Every Time A Line Of Text Appears On Screen"

CSI cyber computer

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#47

"Walking Into Friends' Houses Without Knocking"

Lois and Peter swinging door

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#48

"People Opening The Oven Only To Be Surprised And "Oh No" To A Completely Black Roast/Turkey/Meat Of Some Kind. And Then Have Smoke Just Billowing Out Of The Oven"

Peter Family Guy cooking Meg

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#49

"The Amount Of Ultimatums In "Romantic" Movies Is Appalling"

Lucy Fairy Tail crying

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#50

"Make The School Dance A Big Deal"

Rick and Morty flu

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Note: this post originally had 55 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.

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