Doug's Top 10 WORST Cliches

Doug Walker gives you his Top 10 Worst Cliches in movies.
Originally aired on April 7, 2011
See more at our Site: channelawesome.com
Follow us on Twitter: / channelawesome
Like Doug on Facebook: / 127127037353766
Like Channel Awesome on Facebook: / channelawesome

[@randomkid217]

One cliche I'm sick of seeing is the "I'm coming with you." "No you're not, it's too dangerous!" moments.

[@ryanbryant-smith9850]

Amen!

[@gabebarnes6814]

I've seen a joke of that where one person says, "I'm coming with you". Then the other person says, "Of course you are, its your fault". I love that especially when the "I'm coming with you" guy responds to that by saying how much he/she does not want to go.

[@Luka1180]

And then they cut to them travelling together anyway! So no point to it whatsoever. If it's meant as a joke, it's rarely even funny.

[@unregisteredassaultbutterk1185]

especially when it's used to demonstrate how rebellious and stubborn the character is, even if realistically there's no way they wouldn't get their ass handed to them on the ensuing adventure

[@SpectacularSpiderMan]

Kevin Strasser Spider-Man: Homecoming

[@johngleason1776]

That misunderstanding cliche really drives me nuts.

[@Doughboy123x]

john gleason Me too. -_-

[@midvinternatten]

john gleason The Misunderstanding is why I don't watch a lot of comedies. Gives me nightmares! :D

[@johanharmse1789]

The not listening always happens to me.

[@autobotstarscream765]

john gleason #KILLITWITHFIRE!!!

[@brajgmr3746]

Never get closer to anime, 90% of his "plots" are based in the misunderstanding... Very stupid, very anoying cliche

[@MrChipMC]

The stupidest one: "oh, don't go! Please, let me explain!" "No" "OK"

[@AquaLantern]

Exactly, the cliche of "this plot could be resolved in 10 seconds if they let a person talk, but they insist on not letting them speak their peace." Really annoying

[@paulallen579]

Makes you think that relationship is not gonna last anyway. The person who just leaves without listening has some real problems. ”I left the car keys right here, then you hid them from me!? You bitch!” ”No, I just moved them!” ”Yeah, so that I couldn’t find them! I’m leaving!” ”No! Don’t go, let me explain!” ”No!”

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

You ought to start explaining right away without giving the other person the chance to refuse to listen, put the plot requires avoiding listening...

[@gageperuti5519]

Or worse, when the second person says "I've got nothing to say to you." That line always gets my blood boiling.

[@taritzreyes1384]

Imagine the character trying to explain just pushes a button on a random remote which locks all the doors and windows preventing the second character from leaving, allowing the first character to explain

[@JohnReviews]

I hate the forced romance cliche in movies. Does every single protagonist in a mainstream movie *need* to have a love interest?

[@erlendvageskar3356]

It’s not 100% necessary.

[@jasonhorace1338]

Definitely not 100% necessary, but I like a good romance. But like I said, a GOOD romance. Meaning not forced, if it flows naturally I like it.

[@craigtrautman1690]

I think Dreamworks' El Dorado was interesting with the liar cliche. I always was tense waiting for the people to see that these two guys weren't gods and crucify them for conning their civilization, until we see the chief make a subtle remark that implied that he knew the truth but he smiles sincerely and fondly when saying it. He knows they are doing good and find they have affection for these people and what they mean to their society. The only guy who has a problem with the truth is the villain whose agenda is put down by divine authority

[@darrellcovello3518]

The cliche I hate, similar to the Misunderstanding, is when it is a crazy situation that can be explained in a few minutes, but the lover refuses to let them speak. "There's nothing you can say to fix this" then runs off, when the audience knows it is a misunderstanding.

[@davidjames579]

Forced conflict, because we still got 20 mins to fill. That's the only reason it exists.

[@bullwinkle524]

Didn’t Zootopia do this? I wasn’t particularly bothered by it but still

[@gageperuti5519]

No, the line in those scenes I hate is "I've got nothing to say to you." Nobody in a healthy relationship would ever refuse to hear someone out like that.

[@gageperuti5519]

@@bullwinkle524 That wasn't a misunderstanding, since the person in question DID do something wrong.

[@mateuszmarciniak2828]

Completely illogical, totally pointless

[@LightningNerd]

To be fair to Rango, when the lie was revealed, the townsfolk were upset, but they didn’t want him to leave. The villain threw him out and had them at gunpoint; there wasn’t much they could do.

[@Klarpimier]

The misunderstanding always gets me because.... The fact that one misunderstanding leads to the relationship falling completely apart is a telltale sign of an unhealthy relationship, yet it's in almost every romance we see on the screen... Hate to use this term but we are normalizing the worst kinds of human relationships

[@the_once-and-future_king.]

That stems from the 50s and the Hays Code. It was a rule they had to show American relationships as strong to flex on the commies. Things like divorce or acrimonious break-ups were not allowed unless the couple got back together at the end.

[@EmptyAltruism]

Interesting if true

[@olaoluwapowilliams5169]

Here’s one way to approach “the bully” cliché: Make the bully sympathetic and have a change of heart in the end. It would compelling for a bully to see the error of their ways and/or see why the character acts this way.

[@zedalba]

10. Child is evil/possessed. 9. Audience guilt trip. 8. Pretty person turns out to have a terrible personality. 7. Protagonist does something incredibly and obviously stupid. 6. Misunderstandings. (No movie is more guilty than Dinner for Schmucks.) 5. Unnecessary nudity. 4. Forced moral dilemas. 3. Nick-of-time escapes. (Come on 2012, no one is that lucky.) 2. Time slows during dramatic scene. (There are other ways to let the moment sink in.) 1. Convenient solution to major conflict. (The one exception I will make is Office Space. Melvin ftw!)

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

Milton

[@stefanpoirier6810]

Yeah I hear you on the 'Nick-in-time' cliche. I actually refer to it as the 'that was a close one' cliche. (SPOILERS) I thought it was gonna happen for Rachel in THE DARK KNIGHT...but noooooooo!!!! I remember sitting in the theatre thinking "Batman'll save her." I was surprised along with the equally surprised crowd I had seen it with. Her line cut off from the explosion...didnt see that coming whatsoever. In other words, a movie to subvert your expectations like that is definitely doing something right.

[@defectivesickle5643]

“Oh no! This really important person died!” *5 minutes later* “Oh wow! He's not dead anymore!”

[@gageperuti5519]

Oh yeah, I hate those scenes. Especially since we know few movies have the cajones to actually kill off a major character.

[@EmptyAltruism]

Good point, that’s done to death, pun intended. BvS was an especially egregious instance that springs to mind

[@oron61]

Best bully: Gaston, Beauty and the Beast. He's everything of a bully being used to develop the plot.

[@legendarybluepegasus2687]

What about Biff from Back to the Future He's a jerk but he can be really funny

[@micahabrams5899]

Gaston is also a great Contrast for the Beast

[@03bgood]

Nelson Muntz, like Doug Walker said, is a good bully. Even Shooter McGavin was a funny bully.

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

True

[@Dim4323]

Gaston is the protaganist

[@knifetoucher]

- Brings up Kiki's Delivery Service - *Pulls out pitchfork.* - Mentions that it was great - *Puts pitchfork away.* You damn right it was.

[@TheNMan64]

He worships Miyazaki

[@horaciosi]

Aaaand the Ponyo review rests it's case

[@G.S.Productions]

BROJAK HORSEMALE I just saw the re-release of the film in theaters just a few days ago. It was awesome! Top-notch hand-drawn animation, great characters, I enjoyed the Disney-dub, don’t @ me and the story was really intriguing and enthralling. Great movie all around.

[@juanvarela1950]

It was boring

[@WaterCrane]

I like how they did the liar revealed in Chicken Run because rather than the other chickens finding out the truth, it was Rocky realising he couldn't keep up the charade any longer and rather than coming clean, he just runs away in shame, crushing all of their hopes that they could, literally, fly the coop, which they had been working towards all the time he was here. Rocky actually did legitimate harm to the chickens' plan because of the high stakes (and the film pulled no punches in making this known) and the fact they wasted several days doing nothing to aid in their eventual escape (although they did build camaraderie and physical fitness, so that might be something). Granted, Rocky sabotaging the machine did buy them some extra days, but those days would have existed anyway if they didn't waste time learning how to fly. In a Bugs' Life, despite their identities being revealed, their plan with the bird almost worked if it wasn't for their former manager setting it on fire during the climax, and yes, that's where Liar Revealed really hurts because if they just stuck to the plan instead of banishing them, it would have paid off with much less risk.

[@WaterCrane]

@Peter Hanson The one saving grace from it is Flik and Dot having that adorable hug in the back of the circus van after she convinces him to return - I can be a bit of a sucker for cuteness!

[@DragonPrincessAoife]

Doug does the best impersonation of the 'poetic singer.' HAAAAAAAAAAAA, I love it!

[@autobotstarscream765]

Max Barr It sounded like Doug was singing the Space Ghost: Coast to Coast theme! :D

[@davidjames579]

Lisa Gerrard then

[@daneyboy98]

The cliche I hate the most is the 'Third-Act Breakups cliche. Where something happens between the parties, and all of a sudden they cut ties with one another, but just before the big climax, they're back together again. They do this in almost every single kids movie and most of the time it's done poorly. It's so common, it's annoying Examples include Scoob, The Emoji Movie, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, Toy Story 4, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and many more. Thank god it didn't happen in the Sonic Movie EDIT 2023: *spoilers* Great...they did it in Nimona

[@MrGojira95]

I warned my brother that THAT third act breakup cliche would be in Scoob, and also that everything about it would be awful, but since he was defiant towards my warnings, as he’s a big Scooby Doo fan, I left him be. He saw the movie and apologize to me for not listening to me. I was so f-ing glad Sonic didn’t do that. Here’s hoping the sequel doesn’t pull that BS. If it does,……*sigh*.

[@SilverShine-tr5kr]

I would've enjoyed The Bad Guys a lot more if it didn't include that cliché.

[@noahjulius5062]

This even happened in the Chipmunks movies except Chipwrecked

[@ElJefeRules]

Rio, Zootopia.

[@CaptainJZH]

15:10 Chicken Run did NOT have the traditional Liar Reveal. Rocky left before they found out he lied. In fact, when he comes back Ginger slaps him for *leaving*, not for lying.

[@Lauren_210]

Agreed. I felt that Chicken Run did that type of cliché very well. Also, the "Moping and Doping" didn't last that long (probably around 2-3 minutes) and all the hens were able to get back up on their feet (literally since they ended up fighting each other physically) and continue making the plane with optimism again.

[@StarBoy62]

CaptainJZH Even Ginger claimed that Rocky could fly.

[@naturaljoe7397]

Thanks, douchey

[@farlong4948]

So, they DID use the Liar Reveal, except the events were out of order.

[@redwolf6213]

I love chicken run, but i still cringe when that scene comes on. Its well done and goes straight to a awesome scene of them building the crate, but that scene still gives me the same cringe as any other liers revealed plot.

[@MBF78]

Two really stand out for me: 1. The really awkward moment, like when somebody says something embarrassing, or does something embarrassing - but mostly when they say something that just makes me want to change the channel, or just make me cringe. It's hard to give specific examples right now, and I know that that's part of comedy, but I just wish we wouldn't get those for a while. 2. The kid who always knows something, but adults never listen. Don't you just hate that? When the kid knows about Santa Claus being real, or about aliens, or ghosts, or whatevver, and all the adults want to do is send him to therapy? I wish they'd stop doing that too.

[@mateuszmarciniak2828]

@Maxsteel 42 Well, it depends on the quality of the songs and how do they work with the film.

[@ronaldmatos1516]

To be fair, I can pretty much understand the second one-expect when serial killers are involved. They’re abundant in real life, so why not believe your children about THOSE?!!

[@gageperuti5519]

1) Happy Feet is chock full of those scenes, and that's one of the reasons I can't stand that movie.

[@aoj1353]

Just some of them: -TV bad guys ALWAYS hiding in warehouses or factories that were abandoned 2/3 years ago. -Action movie sidekick that starts being a coward/everyday un-heroic person but will do something heroic at the end and earn the main hero's respect. -The hacker, used as a plot tool whenever someone has to be located. -The heist in heist movies is also supposed to be the last one the gang makes before they retire (unless there's a sequel). -The forced romance in some movie genres with no relation to the plot at all but put there to have a bigger audience. -Horror movies that have tons of blood and gore but are NOT scary. -Hundreds of romantic movies having one of the characters (usually the girl) having to leave the town in a plane/train, setting a time limit for the couple to finally fall in love. -Asian people ALWAYS know martial arts in american action movies or have a katana somewhere. -Fat people being dumb and made fun of in bad comedies. -The weapon/piece of equipment the assassin uses to murder someone is only sold in ONE STORE in the entire city.

[@ResakuMaatsuda]

AOJ The first one doesn’t bother me at all, fat people being comic relief and asians always knowing martial arts does.

[@kayladisney15]

Another example of the liar revealed done right is in Sister Act where one reveals the true identity of the main characters and the other characters still want to save her from the bad guy because she left a positive impact on their lives.

[@SoGraphitesify]

Mulan i think, is a liar reveal done right

[@elizabethescalante7866]

Same with Madagascar 3

[@SheevPalpatine66420]

Well her lie had stakes behind it. Not just that we got to see those stakes and many movies who try to explain the lie won't show the stakes and when they do it's in a flashback which is more telling than it is showing.

[@gageperuti5519]

Not really, seeing how she's almost EXECUTED for it.

[@bluedragon9925]

@@gageperuti5519 Except the only person that really wanted her executed was Chief Hu, who the movie already established was a misogynistic prick (even by Ancient Chinese standards) long before that point. Shang ultimately spared her much to Chief Hu's frustration because he promised he "owed [her] [his] life". All the other soldiers in that scene showed very strong signs of being on *Mulan's* side. Some even tried coming to her defense when it looked like Shang was gonna execute her.

[@thomashuffman3237]

@@SheevPalpatine66420 Exactly! Mulan's lie was to protect her father and her country. The movie made it very clear that unless Mulan joined the army, it would be game over for both China and her father. This is a stark contrast from Over the Hedge, where you don't care about what happens whether or not the lie is revealed.

[@thomashuffman3237]

I can't stand the "killing parents/loved ones off at the beginning of the movie". We get this in Finding Nemo, James and the Giant Peach, the remake of Pete's Dragon, etc. When you kill off the parents or loved one right at the start of the film, it feels rushed, because we didn't get enough time to get to know them as characters. If you want character development to work, you have to take your time. Take Lion King for example, Mufasa dies when we're 37 minutes into the film (the film is 88 minutes long), so, by the time it happens, we've had ample time to get to know him as a character, and see how much he meant to Simba, which, in turn, makes his death all the more effective in terms of drama. When you kill them at the beginning, it feels like someone pressed the fast forward button.

[@fantasyalover4782]

Same, it's really bugs me specially when i find that main characters parents are pretty interesting characters and they just decided to kill them off, just annoying. And I'm my opinion, i think Harry Potter did a good job, i mean JK Rowling didn't make Harry's parents died in a kind of generic way, she made a bit background and further into the books or each of the book it revealed about how his father and mother met when they were young, and how his father behave when he was same age as Harry and made a bit history about his father's friends and also made them a really important characters and two of his father's friends become Harry's father figure after his parents died and much loveable character than Harry's father. and the reason why his parents died because someone had betrayed them. and also the reason why Harry didn't die along with his parents is because his mother made a love protection, and sacrifices themselves, and kind it's of hard to explain because it was a bit complex and also a bit confusing. and i don't know if you will care about this or not, i just really like how this concept turned out.

[@floppsymoppsy5969]

The misunderstanding is the worst!!!! No couple ever broke up over a misunderstanding. It's the weakest plot device ever!!!

[@gageperuti5519]

Here's a more recent film that does the Liar Revealed cliche well: The Force Awakens. Finn lies to Rey, saying he's with the Resistance. When he later admits he's a former Stormtrooper, she just shrugs it off and moves on. That's a lot more believable than the usual crap we see with this cliche. She considers him a friend and the lie doesn't change that.

[@androognoix1685]

Oh please

[@daemonsparta]

I'm so glad the misunderstanding is on here. Personally its my number one most hated because it also starts with something so cringey that's super easily prevented with a little something I call COMMUNICATION!

[@therealfna7802]

I thought Rango did the liar revealed thing well, as the film is centered around finding your own identity. Rango didn’t do it for personal gain, he did it because he wanted to be somebody.

[@lucashammar8180]

My Top 10 WORST Cliches: 10: Standing too close to a person with a gun (you know he/she will grab it or punch it away) 9: Man and woman don't like each other, but then they fall in love with each other, but not before that goddamn misunderstanding cliche (most romantic comedies) 8: Portraying women as dumb, clumsy, weak, and cowardly, and yet they have to save the day, and we're supposed to like them (very gimmicky) 7: Characters being introduced by waking up and is late for something (done to death) 6: Forced social commentary (The Last Jedi) 5: The surprised villain (most recent Disney films) 4: Believing that comedy is about misery and stupidity (it's actually about timing and delivery) 3: The "Fuck you"-ending. The type of ending that is about to end well, but then suddenly, NOPE, sad ending (The Mist, Would You Rather, Life, Pay It Forward) 2: Teens are the heroes and the grown ups are the villains in a dystopian future (Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, Ready Player One) 1: Being "artsy" only for the sake of winning an Oscar. (Most Oscar bait-films recently)

[@gorillatitty5537]

The liar revealed is so bad because throughout the whole film you’re just dreading it. I mean you are seeing the character(s) interact with people and build relationships but you know it’s gonna come crashing down when people find out the truth so it just puts a pit of dread in your stomach until it happens and I hate it so much. And then as you said the rest of it is then them having to prove themselves and get into their good graces again which is just redundant. Like we saw the relationship form to begin with and then they undo it just to redo it again. Ughhh.

[@ToonReel001]

The Tigger Movie was among the few "Liar Revealed" plots I enjoyed, maybe because that sort of emotion isn't common with Winnie the Pooh characters. Also the twist that, rather than one person lying and being ostracised, it's the other way round, everyone else tries to maintain a well meaning lie and that person leaves upset (and he still doesn't quite get the gist of the entire lie).

[@avichaiitzhaki7857]

The one that finally realizes that he has feelings for his/her best friend right at the time when he/she is engaged or almost get married.

[@dpm12]

The biggest cliche that pisses me off is "strict, no-nonsense authority figure who hates children is sent to take control of children at a military academy/school/Juvenile detention center, etc., the children hate him and pull pranks on him, find a way to get him kicked out but when he gets kicked out, the kids band together to get him his job back because they all decide they like the strict authority figure now and the authority likes them, and he's back just in time for the kids to win their football game/concert/talent show, etc." I fucking HATE THAT ONE!

[@dantecrottogini529]

10) calling women "girls" 9) the shaky cam 8) sucky credits 7) relying too much on cgi 6) over using the wide angles 5) the poetic singer 4) the whimsical innocent rebellious poet 3) the misunderstanding 2) the liar revealed 1) the bully

[@GroundhogDayisAWESOME]

THANKS - that saves me time, and great thing "groundhog day" takes liberty away from those cliches. ;-)

[@mrdufresne05]

Spolier Alert!

[@TRONDROM]

How come portal in the sky isn’t on there?

[@Makman1994]

My most hated Cliché - Overprotective Cliché To be clear on what this cliché is, it can be either; (1) Character (A) holding Character (B) back from doing something due to risks, despite B having an opportunity to make a difference and have a meaningful life. (2) A character lying about something(whether by giving false information and/or not coming forward with important information as soon as possible) because they claim it's protecting someone, when in reality, it's only making things worse by leaving characters unprepared, the situation not being dealt with and some characters being put in a difficult position. Big problem in Superhero Media

[@momoloco-gk8wv]

One cliche that I absolutely hate is where a character has a nightmare about something then wakes up in a panic and sits upright. They then calm down immediately and the dream is never brought up again, making the entire thing pointless.

[@chrisblanc663]

My biggest pet peeve in movies is the “misunderstanding”. I HATE it. Pulls me right out of the story and reminds me that the writers clearly hit a brick wall and went with the first thing they could think of. “Oh well everything is going well, we have to enter the third act soon and we didn’t think of a conflict, so let’s make them have a misunderstanding.” It’s annoying because the “misunderstanding” when done right can be very good. Seeing things from one perspective and then the other. I’m thinking specifically of pride and prejudice. But usually it’s done as a way to introduce cheap drama.

[@Sacrid_Author]

The cliche that I absolutely despise is the death fake-out. A beloved character dies, the others hear about it, everything gets all sad and quiet, suddenly the "dead" character is found to be alive, the music swells, and everybody is happy. Through zero additional effort, the character comes back to life, making me wonder why the character needed to "die" in the first place. You see this cliche a lot in kids movies, and I fucking hate it. The faster the turn-around, the more I hate it, and it's done poorly every single time. I can, however, think of one example where it was done well: The Abyss. Some lady drowns in her husband's arms, everyone tries to revive her, but her heart doesn't respond to the defibrillator, so everyone gets quiet for a sad moment. They were frantically trying to save her, but they failed, and that made her death more meaningful. After a sad moment, the husband yells that he refuses to give up. He resumes doing chest compressions and orders more rounds with the defib. He repeatedly slaps his unconscious wife while screaming at her to fight for life. After a visceral struggle, he succeeds in reviving her. In the next scene, the husband and wife have a calm moment together: He holds his wife's hand, telling her that he almost lost her.

[@cliffordshafran9250]

Yes. That cliche seems to be in over half of the crappy movies that Doug has reviewed. And some of the time, the character comes back to life with absolutely no rhyme or reason. It is a really tired cliche.

[@cliffordshafran9250]

And "Star Trek: Into Darkness" has got to be the worst offender of that cliche! It had Kirk dying in a total ripoff of Spock dying in "Wrath of Khan"! Boy did that piss me off!

[@disneyfan8719]

I get what you're saying, although I don't mind it when the sacrifice one character makes is the reason he/she comes back to life in a way (depending on how it's done)

[@RegencyLady-ho2ik]

@@cliffordshafran9250 I've done it in a book I'm writing, the main character has been held captive, but the villains brother who is secretly on the good side heavily drugs him to make him seem dead. The father of the main character is in the midst of rescuing his son, but when he actually finds him he finds his unresponsive body. The villain allows for the father to take the body after his brother tells him he's dead. A few days pass before the brother is able to contact the father to tell him that his son isn't dead but he had to fake his death to allow for him to be safely rescued for himself and the rescuer and that he should wake up at any point but would likely be very confused for a while. Because the villain had a merciful side but allowing the bodies to be sent home, so he hoped it would work and that if the villain thought he was dead he wouldn't pursue him any further keeping him safe.

[@ajax4887]

The 3 second death fake out is in almost every movie and TV show

[@Ktb014]

The liar reveal and misunderstanding cliches are the WORST. The second I see a movie go one or both of these routes, you might as well stop watching because you can guess what's going to happen next.

[@ruyman90]

One cliche that he didn't say and I absolutely despise is the "daring challenge". you know when everyone says that "you can't do it" and the hero says "I can do it" and he suddenly do it in a unimaginable or sometimes ridiculous way, and all because he believe in himself. This trobe is so used up that I'm happy when in some movies they actually don't succeed

[@calamusgladiofortior2814]

9:20 The wide-angle close up was a favourite trick of Sergio Leone. I have to say, he made it work. He picked actors with interesting features that made the shots work. He also went all in, sometimes just showing an actors eyes, or a gunslinger’s hand twitching as he waits to draw or whatever.

[@stefanpoirier6810]

I actually dont find it annoying in MATILDA. In that film often when it comes to those shots, they're usually there to emphasize how Matilda or Miss Honey are seeing ppl like Matilda's parents or the main antagonist Miss Trunchbull. It's like even as a kid sometimes adults come off so uncomfortably close to kid's perspectives. Wide-angled lens kinda capture that pretty accurately even for the "cheek pinchers" scene in 1993's DENNIS THE MENACE. I even think it works well with adult characters such as Sam in BRAZIL where it seems like everyone is upclose to him very uncomfortably as though to chase after him or to come off friendly but otherwise often appearing unintentionally creepy through Sam's eyes. Also, notice how in MATILDA the dutch angles are mainly reserved to them bad ppl that make Matilda's life a living hell.

[@benm5970]

The cliche I can't stand is the paring up 2 people to go and save the day, but when they first meet they don't like each other, so we're forced to sit through a ton of shitty 'comedic moments' between the 2 which mostly consists of "I don't like you" "well I don't like you" then out of nowhere they suddenly like each other and go about the plot, then near the end of the film they get into an argument and split up, then after a few long minutes of moping, 1 of them comes in to get the other one back, he gives a half-assed motivational speech, and that solves everything. God that cliche drives me nuts!

[@thenerdofthenorth8205]

Moana has that issue. Love Moana but hate that clichè.

[@100lovenana]

I have that problem with The Emperor's New Groove. The rest of the movie is great (especially Izma and Kronk), but it relies so heavely on the two mains hating each other, even I noticed the trope the first time when I was younger.

[@laurenbonner2393]

Zootopia did it right.

[@SabrinaRina]

I do hate the misunderstanding cliche, probably more than most cliches. Growing up it's this idea that couples fight because they don't talk. Oh no someone is truly unreasonable and fights about how someone does the laundry. Then when you grow up you're like "wait... can we please fight about our favorite foods and not this real problem?"

[@keirtanaka2929]

Sabrina, It's funny you should happen to mention laundry & unreasonable in a sentence together because I was in BIG trouble today for putting dry & wet clothes in tha same basket to take em out tha basement thinking it would do no *lasting* damage but she was so flippin *ANGRY* about it ya might even think I tried cleaning her clothes with a used tampon(sorry - gross)naturally I feel like she overrated and she feels like I'm stupider than said tampon(again - gross)for not knowing how "bad" that is and I honestly don't know what reason(aside from maybe a =mild= inconvenience)she would have to be angry at all about that|

[@samuelmowery1323]

@@keirtanaka2929 Yeah she is way overreacted. All you have to do is wash them again. Don't give me any personal info, but I would like you to take a quick look at your finances to see if maybe she's concerned about running the washer too much. Otherwise I can't see why she would get so angry.

[@keirtanaka2929]

@@samuelmowery1323 No Thanx; we're all good here|

[@samuelmowery1323]

@@keirtanaka2929 Glad to hear that.

[@Sh0tgunJust1ce]

One of my favourites in old detective movies: When someone rings the private detective and says "I know who the murderer is. But I can only tell you in this abandoned place at god knows when in the night." The detective goes there, and that person is, without fail, dead, and the detective is back to square one. WHY NOT TELL THE DETECTIVE WHO THE MURDERER IS ON THE PHONE FIRST?

[@stefanpoirier6810]

I know right. It's all like "OH NO HE'S DEAD N HE (SHE) WAS ABOOT TO REVEAL TO ME THE IDENTITY OF THE MURDERER!!!" like dir dur dur dur dur dur dur. Now anyways

[@TennantJunkie1993]

Don't forget White Christmas. Bob was told by someone that they could turn the General's birthday into a financial gain for him and Phil and Bob didn't want to do that, but the innkeeper mistook the someone for Bob's voice and told Betty about what she just heard on the phone and she confronted him about it.

[@gageperuti5519]

Yeah, after 20 minutes of being cold to him and not explaining herself. That's what I hate most about the misunderstanding cliche: the fact that it usually could so easily be cleared up if the person who misunderstands tells the other person what the problem is. Instead, they say stupid stuff like "I've got nothing to say to you" and "You know what you did. I don't have to explain." THAT'S NOT HOW CONVERSATIONS WORK!

[@NikoBellic04]

One of my personal favourites is the " all hope seems lost" cliché. It's when it goes downhill for the main character/s and they just sit and are grumpy for 5 minutes. It happens in so many movies like: The simpsons movie Horton hears a who The my little pony movie Notting hill A hughe chunk of avengers endgame

[@godemperorofmankind3.091]

well too be fair isnt that "we cant win, all is lost" only about 2 minutes of Cap facing thanos alone?

[@FlashQuatsch]

Mlp does that in pretty much every season finale tho 😂

[@ra8764]

Another movie of Miyazaki that is free of cliches is the winner of the Oscar "spirited away"

[@cliffordshafran9250]

"The Bully" cliche can be good or bad, depending on how well developed the character is. Biff from BTTF was a great bully because his character was well-developed through 4 time periods. So he was an original concept as well as funny! On the other hand, I agree about Sack from "Wedding Crashers". Although well-acted by Bradley Cooper, this character was an egotistical jerk made up just for a plot purpose. It kind of hurts me to say that since I still think that movie's hilarious.

[@haso323]

I hate the "bitch" character or the "independent" female cliche because almost always her badass-ness is lost because she's hurting inside, or has daddy issues, or just needs affection, so she acts like a jerk or a tough cookie until her past or a moment in the film reveals her vulnerability. Why can't she just be badass because it's REALLY who she is? For villians- why can't they just love what their doing and have major motivations? Great examples of the non-pathetic types are Azula from ATLA, Jessica from Suits, fuck- even Maleficent! And why do they need to lose their femininity? I swear BECAUSE men and women are equal certain types of female character's shouldn't be forced into looking or being like men. If they do and its just because they choose to be without trying to constantly prove themselves- great! But there's nothing wrong with being strong, non- vulgar, and still retaining a little virtue from time to time. Sorry for the rant, but i see it everywhere in movies, tv shows, and even in female comedians.

[@Vivikatsidhe]

haso323 you need to look at General Armstrong from FMA. She's awesome.

[@maikenzupancicdanko9377]

What you describe in the first paragraph reminded me so much of Doug's "strong 90s women" rant in the Patch Adams review - like he makes the exact same points (and he hates it too, as anyone should, it's SO overused)

[@legendarybluepegasus2687]

A cliche I'm sick of is when two main characters (a boy and a girl) fight throughout the whole movie but they get together in the end. (The beginning of the movie) "I hate you!" "I wish I never met you!" 😡 (End of the movie) "I love you" "I can't imagine a world without you" 😍

[@jakemetzgar]

Princess Diaries 2 and Life as We Know It - both awful

[@insanechildfanfic]

the love triangle. Especially when it's a forced triangle that is only there to create a barrier. Like one of the party clearly isn't even really interested, but they don't just bow out, but is there to be the obstacle stopping the 'true love' until the end of the movie. Seriously twister; my guilty pleasure, could have happened without the sudden fiancee; he shows up to get her to sign divorce papers; doesn't need a new fiancee to rush things. But ooh love triangle must happen, to cause conflict and misunderstandings Its generally pointless as the girl; usually its a girl, isn't saying who she wants because she doesn't want to hurt her friend's feelings...

[@StarBoy62]

The worst clichés I can think of are movies having a prophecy/chosen one and police officers (when people report a problem to the police and the cops don't believe what's happening). And yeah, I can't stand the liar reveal either.

[@Blueleaf11]

How about the whole cliché where the male and female characters ALWAYS fall in love? If there is a main male character and female character they will have some sort of romantic bullshit going on. Ugh, such a tired cliché. Men and women can work together without having to add romantic shit.

[@christinawilkephillips7684]

I agree, that's a good one!

[@aredjayc2858]

+Christina Philips What'd you mean by "good one"?

[@luspearsoram1507]

I said good one too. I mean this is a good example of a bad cliche.

[@ryanbryant-smith9850]

Finding Nemo contradicts that cliche. Marlin and Dory don't fall in love with each other. They're just friends.

[@JoshuaWebbYT]

I feel like nowadays, that cliche could be altered to account for homosexuals.

[@pkmntrainermark8881]

"Not Hitler, the other guy."

[@vincenthawthorne9360]

You know, a movie called The Scarecrow avoided the liar revealed trope. I mean the villain finds out but the love interest and the kids with her NEVER find out that the protagonist (His name is Feathertop) was a scarecrow brought to life due to magic. Glad they did.

[@floppsymoppsy5969]

The misunderstanding.... Dear Lord, it's not real conflict if it's resolved with a 2 sentence conversation drawn out only because people refuse to listen/speak up

[@Amayoski]

The Worst cliché for me. A "handsome and young" man. A "handsome and young" woman. They know each other. No real feeling, some false and artificial joke, some fight between them... And "puf!", they fall in love! And then... "Puf!", they fight becauseee... They NOT are similar. Of course not! They have been met a few days ago (or less)! No chat about likes and dislikes, just... Love......

[@StuffByDavid]

The teleportation cliché, it's very common in animated films, even Pixar ones. Basically, an enemy or threat is approaching and the main character(s) are hiding away from sight. The camera then follows the enemy, creating tension until it reaches their hideout, only to reveal that the main characters have mysteriously teleported out of danger into a safe spot.

[@austinbaker8042]

Stuff by David Yes absolutely! When there is no possible way they could've escaped. Freaking Toy Story 3 dissapointed me with this. I'm surprised this wasn't on the list actually.

[@anonymoususer5936]

*Patrick Star* or mystically gets there first

[@Luka1180]

Same goes for movies where you watch a main character hide, but then suddenly the villain is behind their back. However, the one you're talking about can easily be explained by the two occurences happening simultaneously and not after one another, which is quite a normal filmmaking technique.

[@ikebirchum6591]

nobodyNothing Anonymous user i loved when emperors new groove made a joke of that

[@kevinmcnally8076]

Stuff by David it's even worse when live action supposedly realistic movies do it.

[@CH-ow8hy]

One cliche that annoys me is "The Dead Mentor". You're introduced to the main character and his/her mentor. The latter scolds the character because of how amateurish they are but deep down, they love them. Naturally they bite the dust in the first act (sometimes later) and the hero mourns them despite all the crap they're given. The rest of the story follows the hero's journey into improving and maturing after the mentor dies. The problem is that this is too predictable. Whenever you're introduced to the mentor, you immediately assume he/she will die and any emotion for the death is removed. You also know what's going to happen to the hero: they mature, they move on, etc... I'll admit though, I don't hate this trope It just annoys me if it's done too soon like in the first acto or something. If the Mentor and Hero have some chemistry and character development, and the former dies at the end or in a sequel, it can work. But if it's just rushed and done too early, it just doesn't work.

[@Gravitynaut]

My cliche is the "Insufferably Stupid Comic Relief". You see this a lot in Disney Channel shows where your comedy is just laughing at some idiot's observations. It's either mean, obnoxious, or unfunny. Actually think when you write your comedy and quit pandering to 2-year-olds. Not that it can't work, but we need some sort of clue that the stupid comedic relief actually has some brain in his/her head. Homer Simpson, Soos, Fry, are all good examples of seemingly stupid people that are actually funny because A: Actual thought was put into the comedy, and B: We know that they aren't as stupid as they always appear outwardly (they can be thoughtful or even insightful), and C: They aren't jerks. (The Disney XD show Lab Rats has not only the most stupid and unfunny comedic relief I've ever seen, but he's the world's biggest jerk as well, who abuses his strength to pick on people weaker than him).

[@yaboimandalor2853]

Gravitynaut your forgetting the worst comic relief to date...JAR JAR BINKS!!!

[@greentaigo2552]

Isn't it kinda clear that the only funny modern American tv shows (animated ones and arrested development) don't have laugh tracks

[@03bgood]

One thing that we can all be thankful for; they no longer write one dimensional bullies in cartoons! Seriously, even good cartoons like Hey Arnold and Danny Phantom had this fucking problem! It's good to see that writers have learned from their mistakes!

[@stefanpoirier6810]

They made mistakes and then they had their... ...THEIR LIGHTS OUT!!! NOW YOU WANNA GET NUTS!!! COME ON!!! Let's get nuts!

[@whizofdisguise9541]

Mines are: 1. The "Was it all a Lie?": a relationship between two or more characters reaches its peak, but an untold truth gets casually discovered and when they face each other, the dialogue always is: "You used me!" "No, it's not what it seems! I wanted to tell you!" "I trusted you, how could you?!" "Please, let me explain..." "GO AWAY! I DON'T WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN!" 2. The overprotective father towards his teenage daughter who's growing up and wanna be independent. This cliche also has sequels, with said father despising his future son-in-law by default (probably assuming his daughter is hanging out with Charles Manson) and complaining about how the couple is raising their kids; 3. When a character is in a way but the movie attempts to portray it differently, for example the character is an asshole but they try to portray it as a poor victim or a likeable person; 4. When a character behaves like an asshole for most of its screentime but after a speedy and unnatural redemption in the third act it has the guts to lecture other people who nevertheless behaved better than him/her (I've often seen this expedient in bad and mediocre movies); 5. Forced and contrived romances, especially when they are a big part of the plot; 6. The moment when the parents scold their kid in plots concerning a kid between 6-14 years and a mysterious creature/animal: said creature makes a mess and the parents blame the protagonist kid, not believing a word he/she says, even when it's obvious it wasn't a kid to cause a disaster like that, something wierd actually happened and we weren't given clues the little protagonist tends to tell lies (and this scene happens at least twice or three times in the whole movie 🙄🤦‍♀️); 7. Mary Sue and Gary Stu characters who can perform incredible acts but cannot do simplest tasks; 8. A character has a crush on someone and acts as if the two of them are actually in a relationship, even coming to act jealous towards the object of its desire or other characters, despite the former not being aware of its feelings or not returning them. The only times this cliche works is when a villain has a crush on a hero, in the Quasimodo- Esmeralda- Phoebus love triangle- like situation and when it's played for laughs. In other cases like "The wild", Shark tale", or "Mermaid melody" (Hanon's subplot in the first season)... goodness 🤦‍♀️; 9. The Threatening shark. I'm tired that since the movie "Jaws" the only roles for sharks in fiction seem to be the villain or the incompetent henchman of the Big Bad (I know there are the exceptions but are too rare and don't stick); 10. The "Homely" girl: she's always a gorgeous actress wearing glasses, hair tied up and grandma's clothes. Please, be brave for once and hire an actual ugly woman; Special mention: the workalcholic parent. It's usually the father, but it can also be the mother. I understand that parents should be a fundamental part in a kid's life, but the children (and often the other parent) accuse the working parent of neglect, of not caring about them and that its job means more to him/her than its own family, as if the guy was partying all the time with friends and/or lovers instead of providing to them (and no matter if the guy attempts to be there for them whenever he can, all of this will be ignored). At the end, the workalcholic parent, at 90% will quit its job, instead of starting work a bit less, because it has learnt that "family is more important than a stupid job". Very touching, but now how you're going to survive and maintain your family?

[@azurai3934]

There was one really good way that the Was It All A Lie was done and that was in the finale of Justice League (Starcrossed), probably helped by the fact that Hawkgirl was lied to and the weight of the scene in question makes it feel impactful. It also gets followed up in JLU where we do see the impact and consequences of her actions.

[@KyrstOak]

"It"?

[@pharaohyami5000]

The poetic singer sounds more like a siren than singing. God, I do not want that to replace the sirens we have now.

[@BarEscm]

The absolute worst cliché for me is a variation of the misunderstanding: the event with absurdly low probability that happens to take place just before the very person who shouldn't see it comes through the door. For example, two people are in a room; one of them is sitting or laying down, or on the knees looking for something, and the other is walking around, when the one walking suddengly trips and happens to land on top of the other in an accidentally sexual pose (bonus points if one is, or both are, not fully dressed), and JUST THEN the significant other of one of them walks in and storms out without waiting for an explanation. And if that wasn't bad enough, they usually act as if they really have been busted, instead of laughing it off as what it was: a weird accident. No wonder he or she refuses to believe them. That never happens in real life. Seriously, what are the odds? Arrrgg, it drives me crazy

[@mixedmango2870]

My worst chliches: Romance movies ending with a kiss instead of developing the relationship The outcast who is misunderstood and people mock The main character in a world where everyone is powerful and they're not Kids being portrayed as idiots Chliches I like: Transformations Crazy hair The clumsy, cute character The big strong scary person and the little kid being friends trope Badasses The optimistic person Kuuderes Yes, I know a lot of these are from anime, so what?

[@toasturhztoastbunz896]

I feel like the Clumsily Cute one only works if the character isn't........ Annyoingly Cute and clumsy.

[@thomashuffman3237]

What are Kuuderes?

[@USMC49er]

@@thomashuffman3237 Kuuderes are people who have a cold looking face on the outside but their personality is the complete opposite. Or the friend/love interest changes them on the inside through the power of love/friendship. One done right, imo, is Saiki Kusuo.

[@jordanswearingen8576]

My two worst cliches is when the best friends split apart but then eventually come back together to finish their destination/goal, or when the hero in a movie says “it was only just the beginning”. I hate that line because it’s so overused and typical because the movie expects a sequel, it drives me nuts!

[@FletcherReedsRandomness]

My personal most hated cliche is the two people on the same side (friends, lovers, it doesn't matter) who seem like they're splitting up for whatever reason and it seems like they're never going to see each other again, even though everyone knows they're getting back together! It's even worse if it's over an argument, because then it's just unpleasant and/or unconvincing.

[@primarina2]

That moment in Harry Potter: Deathly Halloween Part 1 where they're running through the forest from Death Eaters, the camera shakes so much, you can barely focus on what's going on.

[@DigiRangerScott]

"I'm not saying these are the worst cliches…" **looks up at title** Ummmm

[@LoudToon99]

Hypocritical Title is Hypocritical.

[@isetmfriendsofire]

Scott Sandler And the "worst" is in all caps. xD

[@eveningstar7812]

Well know because he said this is the ones he finds the worst, and that is what the title says, it's 'doug's top 10 worst cliches'.

[@eveningstar7812]

*no

[@Artista_Frustrado]

Scott Sandler he isn't saying they're the overall worst, he's saying those are the worst for him *looks at the tittle* "Doug's (top 10) Worst" yep no contradiction there

[@thesapphireone]

Here’s my personal list of cliches I hate. 5. When a young woman is going to marry/and/or lose their virginity with a nice, pleasant boy-next-door type, but for some reason, the parents hate him and even try to break up the relationship, and it’s all played for “wacky comedy”, whereas in real life, this sort of thing would be profoundly creepy, controlling and makes the parents come off as unlikeable. 4. The arguing-but-secretly-in-love couple, where they constantly belittle, insult, emotionally hurt, and barely get along, but at the end they suddenly get together, despite the fact that they share no chemistry, this is in terrible movies like Leap Year, and Alpha And Omega (Not Garth and Lilly, they are both a very sweet and healthy couple, I’m talking about Kate and Humphrey). Now, good movies, like All Dogs Go To Heaven 2, Strange Magic, As Good As It Gets, Chicken Run, Office Romance 1977, Irony Of Fate, Hussar Ballad, and Cats Don’t Dance, they have friction between the couple, but at least they take the time to calm down, share their likes and dislikes, and bring out the best in each other, making their romance feel more genuine and believable. But when it’s done badly, it can feel like it’s fetishising toxic or even potentially abusive relationships, and I’m so sick of this cliche, especially when people try to justify it as arguing being a sign of attraction! 3. Telling a joke, or a series of them, that are pretty funny at first, but then just as the scene is about to end, one character will misunderstand it, and then they just drag it out, to where it loses what made it work, and you’re just screaming at the TV “JUST EEEEENNNNDDDD!!!!’ This thuds to pop up in terrible movies like Ghostbusters 2016, the Night At The Museum sequels, Lazer Team, and Holmes And Watson. 2. The jerk or villain character who suddenly, with no buildup, character development, or sense of mortality, becomes a good guy and dies redeeming himself, and the music goes all sad and bombastic, as it to say “See audience, this guy may have been an asshole for 99% of the story, but he sacrificed himself in the end, totally makes you forget about all the innocent people he murdered!” 1. Now, I’m not going to mince words, I hate the White Saviour narrative. where there’s the stereotypical evil politician/police officer/ice cream man who wants to repress a group of marginalised people, often black people, LBGT, etc, and no matter how hard they fight, life keeps punching them down, until a white person, usually a teacher or a job that ties in with the main conflict, who miraculously knows everything about how to fix the situation, has no flaws or character growth, and the marginalised group immediately worship the ground they walk on. I’m not against white people helping those less fortunate, for example, in Dances With Wolves, The Grizzles, Big Trouble In Little China, and The Killing Fields, and Dallas Buyers Club, while the main white characters contribute to the story, the oppressed group’s plight is explored and emphasised with, as bot sides grow a mutual respect and trust in each other, and work as equals. But in bad films, like Music, The Blind Side, Green Book, Me Before You, and The Other Sister, when it goes beyond that and in indulges into them acting like they are the sole voice of those groups, as the people they help are portrayed as saintly, helpless victims who need to be rescued and can barely do anything for themselves, I find it to be incredibly patronising, uncomfortable and self-entitled.

[@noahjulius5062]

Here are cliches I hate: 1. 3rd act breakups 2. The only female character becomes a damsel in distress 3. Kids having adult voices 4. When a main lead has character development in a movie but is dumb and childish in the sequel 5. Bad guys always suck at shooting 6. Characters that aren't friends or together in a sequel without any explanation 7. The misunderstanding 8. Too much talking in an action scene 9. Characters being late at the beginning of the movie 10. The main lead is forced to get along with the bully or a mean sibling and is left alone at home 11. Constant puns in family movies 12. A silly scene that is followed after a tragic or sad moment 13. The villains are businessmen 14. When it's a black character and they always die first 15. Talking animals are super smart and invincible animals 16. No one believes the main character 17. Pointless love interests 18. Inaccurate costumes and sayings when it's taken place in a decade 19. When the main character looks at a woman and it's played in slow-mo and music starts playing 20. Family movies having rated R movie references and dated humor 21. Nobody eats their food while there's a huge breakfast

[@ladysegagenesis]

I disagree with the Family movies having rated R movie references. Sure it can seem out of place but if done right it could work. (for example the Movie Zootopia reference The God Father & Breaking Bad but you don't have to have knowledge on either subject to understand the context)

[@gageperuti5519]

Here's another that I forgot: The scene in supernatural horror films where the main character goes to the police to warn them and they just laugh. I don't mind the police laughing, because who wouldn't, so much as the hero being stupid enough to think anyone would believe them without seeing it for themselves.

[@Templar-vj1dy]

I actually think that creative credits are usually annoying because it takes longer for the film to start, but I did like the credits for the adventures of Tintin and Monsters INC.

[@darkfire8008]

I would say one of the best things about Wedding Crashers is it's willingness to both do and subvert the liar revealed trope, at the same time.

[@docdave15]

This really isn't a cliche but more of a creative style but whatever, it's on the nose dialogue. The pops up so much in Christopher Nolan movies - it's dialogue that basically spells out the movie. It tells you directly what the message is, what the themes are and so forth and that annoys the hell out of me! Because to me it's not being respectful to the audience, you're not letting the audience analyze and experience the film. I'm sure there are films that I like that are guilty of this but with some movies they do it in a way that's really distracting in a way that makes me think, "No human being talks like this!"

[@jstarwars360]

johnhamilton08 The live action Cinderella does it with the message about being good.

[@docdave15]

I haven't seen that movie so I can't judge it. But Interstellar just beats you over the head with its message to the point where it's unbearable.

[@austinbaker8042]

johnhamilton08 Sometimes, you should just be glad that the movie actually has a clear moral and theme to it. That's a rarity nowadays. Or sometimes the moral is just too hard to catch even after the second time watching it. That annoys me because most times, I don't know if I should waste my time looking for a moral when more likely than not, it won't exist at least not a deep, substantial one. Most continuous story arc shows do this like Alphas, Legend of Korra, Daredevil, Continuum, Arrow, Flash, Gotham, etc.

[@docdave15]

I don't mind having a clear message, or even an ambiguous if that's the film's point, but to beat one over someone's head can get annoying. I just prefer the analyze films and see what they can do through the art of film making instead of them going "THIS IS THE MESSAGE!" With tv I bit more forgiving because they have such a limited amount of time.

[@davidjames579]

When it sounds like the film-maker is writing a TED talk, rather than natural sounding conversation.

[@supermariofan03]

Another liar revealed story done well is Aladdin. Aladdin apologizes to Jasmine for lying about being a prince and Jasmine responds to that by saying “I know why you did it.”

[@mrdufresne05]

10. 0:38 9. 2:12 8. 3:55 7. 5:34 6. 8:26 5. 9:30 4. 10:40 3. 12:24 2. 14:39 1. 17:38 Thanks for liking my comments.

[@maikerrioerr_sunflower]

Austin Hamilton thanks for the timestamps! You’re such an angel!

[@RadinV1]

Thanks,saved a lot of time!

[@cliffordshafran9250]

Here's one I really hate: Pop culture references in kids' movies based on classic literature or other classic media. The Cat in the Hat is the worst offender.

[@JohnRandomness105]

"The Bully": I think I'm going to have to review his commentary on that cliche, to if Biff from "Back to the Future" qualifies. Biff was a bully, rather than a true villain, until his assault on Loraine in the car at the dance. Okay, Biff was definitely developed as a character, so he probably doesn't drive Doug crazy like the bullies he complains about.

[@benm5970]

Another one I hate is the "Guy has a cool magical creature but for some reason the creature always stops being cool and magical whenever anyone else besides the main character is around or when the main character is trying to show it to someone else"

[@dannyjorde2677]

wOt bitch?

[@juliahornback2843]

When is an example of this present?

[@benm5970]

@@juliahornback2843 Like how in the first Alvin And The Chipmunks movie when Dave is trying to show them singing to David Cross and they *just so happen* to get stage fright at that moment, or in Small Soldiers when the kid is trying to get the leader of the Gorganites to talk so he can show his parents but he won’t do it

[@bjornjonsson6583]

There's a great parody of cliché number 4, called Simple Jack, in a movie which name I've unfortunatley forgotten. (Maybe because that was the only funny thing about it.) But it was SO satisfieing to finally see someone make fun of movies like Forest Gump and I am Sam, which everybody else seems to like, except for me!

[@thomasfoster1181]

Tropic Thunder

[@misseli1]

I think the misunderstanding cliche works better for comedic purposes

[@willduff302]

My least favorite cliche has to be what I call the “You wont get away with this!” cliche. Basically a character tells the bad guy that they know of their evil plans but instead of going right to the authorities, they pull a galaxy brain move and TELL THE BAD GUY THAT THEY’RE ABOUT TO REPORT THEM. SPOILER FOR KNIVES OUT which I think is the most egregious example, instead of calling the authorities that dumbass woman meets with Hue in a SECLUDED BASEMENT WHERE THERE ARE NO WITNESSES and tells him she knows what he did. Other examples include the SpongeBob movie, the Batman (2022) and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom

[@LegoManiac_101]

The poetic singer trope happened in the opening shots of “Midsommar”

[@Angel_Investor_Music]

Personally, my most hated movie cliche is unnecessary romantic subplots. I hate how so many movies deem it necessary to have the main character fall in love when it doesn't add anything of substance to the main plot. I don't mind if they do this in a satirical fashion for comic relief (ie. Ruffnut falling for the dragon catcher in How to Train Your Dragon 2), but when they try to force chemistry that doesn't exist and only gets in the way of the more interesting main story, it just bores the hell out of me.

[@VicenteTorresAliasVits]

A lot of critics pointed out that THE MARTIAN and DUNKIRK didn't have romantic elements when they easily could have and that it felt refreshing.

[@jamescallanan2443]

@@VicenteTorresAliasVits Same with Blade. They could have easily had him hook up with that doctor, but they showed restraint.

[@drakecloans8157]

Astrid and Hiccup in the first How to Train Your Dragon. One night and they're suddenly a couple. Let's just ignore that Astrid was pissed at Hiccup for upstaging her in the arena and was ready to kill Toothless on sight.

[@elagaybalus]

Characters not understanding a situation pisses me off so goddamn much. Even when it makes logical sense in the context of the story or is realistic it pisses me off. Like when the mom doesn't believe Cole when he says he didn't steal the earring in The Sixth Sense. That scene is realistic, but for whatever reason it just pisses me the fuck off. As a viewer I know it was a ghost that took it, so seeing his mom get annoyed and frustrated with him because she thinks he's lying just makes me so damn aggravated.

[@RpGfreak901]

I hate the "it was all a dream" cliche. Or the "ordinary character who becomes a hero only because he's in the right place at the right time" cliche.

[@thomashuffman3237]

I also hate the "it was all a dream" cliche, too! It just renders the hero's journey complete pointless!

[@ryandt2623]

Yeah, the: "It was all just a dream" cliche hasn't worked since The Wizard of Oz

[@MunchkinOtterOjo]

@@ryandt2623 Except Oz could not be a real place in that movie, because fantasy films in the 30's that had their fantasies presented as just fantasies and not believable fantasies and had their actors heavily made up to be unrecognizable (such as Paramount's 1933 flop, Alice in Wonderland) were considered box office poison. Also, Noel Langley felt that Dorothy, in the way L. Frank Baum's book described her, had no emotional core. 3 pages in to the first chapter, she is picked up by the cyclone and whisked off to Oz. Langley felt that the adaptation couldn't do that unless it gave Dorothy some sort of emotional life. So, logically, they expanded on the prologue with a framing device by adding conflict to the Kansas prologue (and in Oz with Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West) and giving Dorothy a coming-of-age development.

[@AdamAdam-db7tb]

the worst for me are "let her go" and "i should have killed you while i had the chance" and the lier revealed of course

[@MorganKing95]

Another annoying cliché is when the hero has the chance to kill the villain, but then he says "No, I'm not like you" and walks away. I don't necessarily mind the hero making that decision, but the way it's directly announced and how it's so obviously formulated is annoying, and then we later get the "I should have killed you anyway" like you mentioned. Another cliché I hate is villains who point at a hero with a gun and just stand still talking or anime villains standing still and taking the final blow rather than trying to move out of the way.

[@seinov714]

I'm not sure this is a very common cliche but one that kind of annoys me is the one I like to call "Almost reuniting but they don't quite do it". It's when the movie teases you into thinking the characters who are looking for each other will reunite in that scene but they don't. Like in American Tail when Fievel's family are looking for him and he is literally crossing under the bridge beneath them in the same shot. Also, In Homeward Bound when the pets escape from the pound literally one minute before the family goes to the pound to retrieve them. You see Shadow stop for a few second's but he then fob's it off and continues on his way. Another example would be Home Alone 2 when Kevin's mom takes a taxi from Kevin's relative's house in New York to continue looking for Kevin and he appears in front of the house a few seconds later.

[@theWn123]

The cliche I hate the most is the dorky guy who pines over the same girl for years on end and eventually wins her over. Even though they have no real chemistry and he’s been nothing but creepy, they end up together because the plot calls for it. Leonard and Penny from TBBT and Ross and Rachel from Friends are examples of this. It sends the wrong message to guys that if a girl doesn’t like you, just keep trying and trying and your patience will be rewarded. It’s super creepy and it doesn’t work like that in the real world.

[@showard995]

A movie that did a great job with the “Liar!” Cliche was Yesterday. “Wait, you didn’t really write these wonderful songs?” Pause. Shrug. “Well, if it gets the Beatles music out there who cares.”

[@danmarandola8734]

The cliché I can’t stand is the fake out where it looks like a main character has died but then once the final battle is over / won that same character is fine perfectly healthy gets up and walks away with the gang of heroes like they just needed a moment to catch their breath

[@dvklaveren]

My worst cliche is not that the hero gets the girl, but the girl gets the hero. Like, a girl in the series end goal is to end up with the hero as her husband or boyfriend. I mean... It's not like we don't have female heroes that don't get rewarded with romance. THere are plenty. My problem lies in movies or TV series where for no reason whatsoever "the girl wins" and the hero falls in love with her, even though it was absolutely not relevant to anything else. My biggest example is Avatar the Last Airbender, where Katara gets Aang, even though that was not her story! Her story was that she is a child who endures a war and finds her place in the world that is not dictated by her culture or age or gender. And suddenly, nope, all of that out the window; she and Aang are going to be pumping out babies now. Let that image sink into your retinas, dear viewers. A variation of this is where the woman in the relationship "wins". Where it's shown that she's fooled her husband into doing exactly what she wanted. I very rarely see a woman's supposedly machiavellian plan backfire completely. Silver Lining's Playbook, for example, shows how an almost obsessed woman's plans completely blow up in everyone's face. That's interesting to me.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

Except aang won katara, not the other way around.

[@shadowspeare1145]

I hate horror movies with unrelatable characters (unless it's satire like Cabin the Woods). I'll only be scared if I fear for the characters lives, but mostly I couldn't give a crap.

[@Angel_Investor_Music]

***** That's the exact reason why I hate horror movies but love horror games.

[@shadowspeare1145]

Totally agree with you there.

[@autobotstarscream765]

Shadowspeare1 I think some modern "horror" movies are more like torture/murder porn where all the characters are purposefully made so that you wish everyone would die, and then the movie grants your wish. In this type of movie, you're supposed to be sadistic instead of afraid, root for the killer instead of the victims, and enjoy every torture and death. I *don't* enjoy torture and death, so i avoid those movies like the soul-killing plague they are. >:(

[@shadowspeare1145]

Autobot Starscream yeah I avoid them as well.

[@virz4432]

@@autobotstarscream765 I don't mind them as much. But they get tiresome at some point. I still need to feel SOME basic empathy for the characters to care about ANYTHING in the movie. Or else I get bored quickly. Mixed feelings CAN work (for me, at least) as well as pure "wish fulfillment" or even better. I also need the victims to REALLY deserve the cruel punishment (not just petty "bully" stuff) if it's about enjoying torture porn.

[@thefantasticretroreviewer3941]

I was expecting "Taking over the world" to be on the list, because that's a cliche, too. Every Movie and/or TV Show has done this thing like Mars Attacks, Little Shop of Horrors, The Powerpuff Girls, you name it!!

[@AquaLantern]

Yeah but it’s a fun trope! It’s the reliable Saturday morning cartoon villain scheme that never fails to get a laugh.

[@thefantasticretroreviewer3941]

@@AquaLantern Seems fair

[@Schizniit]

I hated The Hunger Games because it was all shakey cam. People would say "but it makes it intense?" Right, because a bunch of people running around a forest trying to kill each other isn't intense enough, you have to put dizzying, seizure inducing camera work to make it intense cause it isn't intense on its own. That tells me that it's just a bad film and has to be saved by cheap camera tricks that do the opposite of what is intended.

[@professionalballsinspector2006]

One movie makes the liar reveal cliche funny.... O V E R. T H E. H E D G E , B A B Y ! ! !

[@Psychesrose]

I'd love to see Doug do blogs of Green Lantern TAS. I also hate the whole pride and prejudice approach where the main couple hate each other but then they fall in love for no real reason and the misunderstanding, etc. Which is why the main couple in GLTAS is so good!!! The progression the two go through is very natural and based more on learning and growing from each other than just having a romance because the two are attracted to each other and nothing else. The woman doesn't try to change the man or vice versa into "the real" selves; the changes are because of what they go through together as a couple. ♥♥♥

[@yosoyringodesanantonio8405]

Here’s a worst cliché, love triangles. You’ve seen it in Titanic You’ve seen it in Twilight (the shittiest movies based on the shittiest books) You’ve seen it in other romantic/love triangle films. Edit: including TV

[@eduardogomez4275]

That's one of many reasons why I really dislike Star vs the Forces of Evil nowadays. It hurts because I liked it at first, but then they came up with that and it went downhill fast. After all the crap they did, I'll never watch that show again, what a waste of time it was.

[@ibrahimshabazz5490]

The hot girl that doesn't know she's hot cliche

[@kyotokitsune]

Who hated "Marley and Me"? You monsters! That aside, the misunderstanding/ not listening frustrates the hell out of me.

[@st33lze]

The cliche that drives me insane is the good moment turning into the bad moment, it's where something goes well for the Hero's and there finally happy together until something goes wrong and then they all hate each other and they have to sulk for five minutes before coming back, count how many movies have a moment where there's something good happening to the main character and then something goes wrong for them.😡