It's no secret that Hollywood loves a good trope. Boy meets girl. Jump scares. Kissing in the rain. We've seen it all. So when Reddit user Novaxel took to the site to ask fellow movie-watchers, "What movie cliche do you hate the most?" folks had a lot to say.
Believe me when I say that these Redditors did not hold back when it came to what they are downright sick of seeing onscreen again and again (and again).
Here are some of the most notable comments on the thread:
1. "When a character is driving and talking to the passenger while making eye contact with them for a very long time and not looking at the road...very unrealistic."
2. "When the main character fights his way through enemy base killing 200 henchmen in the process, then when he reaches the bad guy he refuses to kill him because 'it would make me just as bad as him.'"
3. "Some scientist or doctor says something deliberately 'smart' and another character asks for it to be repeated 'in English.'"
4. "The part where one character learns something about another in an unfortunate timing so they misunderstand the intention."
"You just know the simple solution of communication is gonna be too far-fetched for the plot, and it's gonna be used to ruin whatever the misunderstood character is planning on doing. Ugh."
5. "Forced romance subplot in a movie that requires no romantic interest at all."
6. "I absolutely hate when the whole plot of the movie relies on the main character(s) just being blindly lucky. It's just so lazy."
7. "Creepy, stalkerish obsession and harassment being portrayed as 'romantic.' In real life, 'romantic comedy' behavior gets you arrested and slapped with restraining orders."
8. "There's a person in a helmet or mask doing something badass. Then they pull away their face cover for the big reveal: 'It's a girl!!!' What kind of kindergarten bullshit is that? Are we supposed to be shocked when a character is female or gay or something like that?"
9. "Whenever they hack a computer or equipment, it's always quick and easy with just a few key presses."
10. "When someone sees their crush with someone else and automatically assumes they are dating/interested in the other person. They could just be friends. Talk to them!"
11. "Raining during break up scenes."
12. "Anything that draws attention to the camera lens. Len-flair, blood splatter, fogging it up, etc...I don't want to be reminded that I'm looking through a camera, and it instantly takes me out of the movie. I have no idea why so many directors think it's a good idea."
13. "When anyone coughs in a movie it's because they have cancer."
14. "Walking away from explosions and not looking back."
15. "When people drive in movies, the road is always clear in front of them, or they find a prime parking spot."
16. "When a character sees a hot girl or something and wants to tell his friend, he’s like, 'Hot girl 12 o’clock!' I’ve never heard anyone ever use clocks as directions, but they do it all the time in movies and TV shows."
17. "The line 'we've got company' when the bad guys show up. God help you if you start noticing it, cuz it's every-frickin-where."
18. "Girl thinks she's in love with generic dreamboat man, when in reality her perfect man has been there all along. And probably works at a bar."
19. "Boy meets girl. They fall in love. Boy does something wrong to make girl leave him. Boy and girl get back together."
20. "That large women are always portrayed as being funny or comical."
21. "When a character stumbles and falls while being chased and instead of getting up and continuing to run they try to crawl their way out."
22. "When people are having a conversation and another person around the corner just so happens to only hear incriminating things but leaves before the truth is revealed, like damn, just stick around a bit if you're gonna snoop."
23. "People who have just had sex, and are still wearing their bra/thongs/boxers. Um, how exactly did you do the deed?"
24. "How the first jump scare in every scary movie is fake."
25. "Crawling through air conditioning ducts. It’s not shiny, it’s usually dusty and it’s got screws sticking through to the inside. Also it probably wouldn’t support anyone that weighed more that 80 pounds."
Did we miss any other painfully overused movie tropes? Comment below to let us know!
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.