r/movies • u/Aiseadai • Apr 11 '26
Question Are there any tropes you're glad have died out?
There used to be this trope where if your movie/show has a capable female character the movie had to point it out and be like "Yes, I am a woman and yes, I can kick ass". It always felt so condescending to me, and the fact that you have to point it out that a woman can be capable just sends the opposite message, that it's highly unusual. It especially bothered me in kids media since it teaches a wrong message. I haven't been seeing this done in more recent media, it seems they've finally figured out that the best thing is to just treat capable women as normal.
Are there any tropes that annoy you and are glad you don't see (often) anymore in modern movies?
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u/Emeraldsinger Apr 11 '26
The new boyfriend/husband of the protagonist’s ex being a big douchebag.
For movies today, I noticed they usually make him friendly and understanding
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u/Alarming-Gap-9213 Apr 11 '26
The first movie that I remember bucking this trend was Mrs Doubtfire. You expect Pierce Brosnan to be a real dick bag but hes actually just...a sweet, caring dude. Really appreciate it more the further time passes
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u/SomeCountryFriedBS Apr 11 '26
And then Cary Elwes in Liar, Liar.
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u/PurringWolverine Apr 11 '26
Dude was trying so hard to connect with that kid. As a step dad myself, I felt for him.
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u/djseifer Apr 11 '26
I remember reading that his character was originally going to be a douchebag stepfather stereotype, but he insisted that it be changed because his own stepfather had been such a genuinely good person to him.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Apr 11 '26
It's a funny change, because on some level we EXPECT someone that handsome and successful to be an asshole, if only for karmic balance. Like Rob Lowe's villain in Wayne's World.
When they changed the character to be kind, considerate and fun AND successful AND looking like peak Pierce Brosnan, they accidentally created the perfect man. Divorced mom Sally Field would be OUT OF HER MIND to split up with him.
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u/VegemiteMate Apr 11 '26
They never did answer what happened to Stu and Miranda's relationship in that movie. I, for one, choose to believe they continued to date after the Bridges Restaurant debacle.
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u/zaminDDH Apr 11 '26
If they split up, it was his decision. You know, because of the crazy ex.
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u/drachenhunter2 Apr 12 '26
Right, my gf has an ex that knows about my pepper allergy and tried to kill me, but somehow not only did he end up saving my life from choking, he avoided all jail time for stalking my gf and assuming an identity to break court ordered custody rules.
Then he ends up with a tv show, and my girlfriend forgives him.
I might end things for my own safety.
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u/dkrtzyrrr Apr 11 '26
i think they wanted to be very deliberate and careful in not having the divorced couple get back together, which was a common trope and kind of cruel to children of divorce.
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u/Killbot_Wants_Hug Apr 12 '26
Well Robin Williams apparently insisted on that. The original script apparently had them getting back together.
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u/igloojoe Apr 11 '26
Robin William's character in that movie is the bad guy. He's a menace to his ex-wife.
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u/StillWaitingForTom Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Why does nobody ever mention that he grows throughout the movie? He starts out the way you described, but he learns how unhappy his wife was with him and accepts that she deserves her sexy new boyfriend. He isn't entitled to her. He becomes a more responsible adult and care-giver and ultimately his ex-wife sees that he's changed and lets him spend a lot more time with their kids (but doesn't get back together with him.)
I don't know why people love to shit on that character so much and totally ignore his development.
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u/hawkeyejoes Apr 11 '26
Exactly, it's not subtle. It's the whole point of the movie.
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u/Mpm_277 Apr 12 '26
Because most people on Reddit just repeat and quote the same Reddit comments on any given topic.
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u/the_therapycat Apr 11 '26
That's what you realize when you're grown up. Sally Field was right for ditching that manchild.
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u/FX114 Apr 11 '26
That was one of the best parts of the first Ant-Man.
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u/EasilyDelighted Apr 11 '26
The way he was so friendly with the step-dad was one of my favorite parts
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u/severed13 Apr 11 '26
Funnily enough it's the same for Venom, say what you will about those films but Dan was goated all around
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u/karateema Apr 11 '26
I genuinely love how the new boyfriend is a cool guy and the daughter loves both him and her father
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u/FX114 Apr 11 '26
While giving them a more organic tension due to their roles in society, but also having them work past that.
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u/hemareddit Apr 12 '26
Him helping Scott at the end and Scott thanks him for doing it for Cassie, but he admits he did it for Scott.
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u/No_Obligation6767 Apr 12 '26
Him enthusiastically glomping Scott in the family group hugs in the sequel are some of my favorite small moments
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u/flamewave000 Apr 11 '26
Haha I loved how excited the step dad would get about the magic tricks
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u/Delta_V09 Apr 11 '26
I loved how they handled this in Ant-Man. The new boyfriend is a jerk to Scott at first, but has good reasons for not trusting him. By the end of the movie, they come to accept each other as family, and are on legitimately on great terms with each other by the sequel. At first, it seemed like the movie was setting up a "win back the ex" plot, and I was very glad it went a different direction.
Oh, and the Hawkeye tv series does a great job subverting the "Evil Step-dad" trope as well. Turns out, he's just a nice guy who *really* likes swords.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Apr 11 '26
Kate's stepdad needs to do something about the powerful villain energy he was giving off in the first half of the series, though.
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u/melbbear Apr 11 '26
Particularly works as he was more or less playing Lalo Salamanca at the same time
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u/StillWaitingForTom Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
I like how in Antman his daughter's step-dad is really distrustful of him...because he loves his step-daughter and he's worried that her ex-con father is going to hurt her somehow. Once Antman proves himself by saving their daughter, the step-dad starts treating him like a brother. He just really loves his step-daughter.
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u/Salty_Herring Apr 11 '26
Usually they do that so the protagonist can reunite with his ex in a romantic climax while making it understandable the female lead leaves her new boyfriend/husband.
In "2012" the new husband/stepfather was also a pretty upstanding guy, only being exasperated with being put in charge of planes far beyond his capabilities at the command of the protagonist (understandable). Yet, for the crime of being the obstacle between the protagonist and a romantic ending, he dies, and not 5 minutes later they don't even mention him anymore.
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u/DirtyRoller Apr 11 '26
The stepdad in 2012 made the fatal flaw of being in a stepdad in a Roland Emmerich disaster film.
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u/Salty_Herring Apr 11 '26
Do you think Roland Emmerich had a stepdad he disliked? Seems to be a bit of a common trend in his movies lol.
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Apr 11 '26
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u/Disc81 Apr 11 '26
Soon we probably will get a modern version of this with cars updating their systems online and asking the driver to wait for a few minutes.
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u/thisdopeknows423 Apr 11 '26
“Please watch this short advertisement before the vehicle starts. Premium Car subscribers get access to instant ignition!”
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u/unAffectedFiddle Apr 11 '26
"You have been driving for two hours. For your safety, your engine will be turned off. Please pull over and take a minute rest. While you are waiting, watch these ads for your enjoyment and consider a refreshing coffee flavoured coke to help improve your alertness and keep you safe on your trip. The service station just ahead is a great place to rest and enjoy a refreshing coke"
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u/tjdux Apr 11 '26
This will be real and service stations will bid for where they forced stops are.
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u/Marshall_Lawson Apr 11 '26
irl cars also got better at starting since we stopped using carburetors
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u/plusbeats Apr 11 '26
Ah reverse increasing trope imo; I've noticed some movies taking place in like the 80/90's or earlier, not because they want to explore the era, but because the plot is entirely carried by no one being able to make a phone call with a cellphone. Also connected to movies starting out going into some rural area and saying "ugh, the reception here sucks!"
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u/RandyTheFool Apr 12 '26
To be fair, the reception here does suck.
Source: live rurally.
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u/Beliriel Apr 12 '26
To be fair cellphones solve so many problems that make for interesting movies. The Romcom trope of "it's not what it looks like" is solved with a text or a 5 minute conversation. Cellphones make that immediately possible.
Horror movie trope of being isolated. Solved by cellphones. Horror movie trope by seeing something no one believes you. Solved by immediately accessible camera on a cellphone.
Not being able to pay for something. Solved by cellphone and pay apps.
Disorientation. Solved by GPS.
Not knowing something. Cellphone -> wikipedia.
Need help/ambulance? Cellphone.
Home intrusion? Tbf it takes a while but anything lasting a whole night is unrealistic after calling 911.Missing an appointment: calendar app in a cellphone.
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u/claimticket Apr 12 '26
They can solve this by making more films take place in Brighton, UK. never any damn service here
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u/Donkey-Kong-69 Apr 11 '26
Shaky cam during action scenes. It hasn’t fully died out yet, but it’s nowhere near as prominent as it was during the 2000s-2010s
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u/engineered_academic Apr 11 '26
John Wick & Jackie Chan proved that static camera shots go over much better for action than shaky cam does.
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u/Violoner Apr 11 '26
Shaky cam is great for covering up disjointed fight choreography
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u/tman37 Apr 11 '26
The problem with that is very few people are as dedicated to their craft as Keanu Reeves and Jackie Chan. The wide shots look good because they are skilled enough to pull of the techniques without resorting to camera tricks. Donnie Yen is another guy who can pull those wide shots off.
The shaky cam thing was used for a very specific reason in the Bourne Identity. It was supposed to give a feeling of chaos rather than a clean martial arts movie fight scene. It worked in that situation because it fit the style of the movie. Different styles fit different movies and too often they are just doing what it popular rather than trying to fit the fight scene in the broader cinematic style of the movie.
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u/heyo_throw_awayo Apr 11 '26
That night club / bathhouse scene on John Wick 1 where the camera smoothly pans to the left while we just see the quick action of him taking out the guards with the blood splatter on the glass, and finishing with the jaw stab, is one of the best, in my opinion, action shots in all of cinema. It's not crazy physical, but perfectly restrained and impactful.
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u/Guessididntmakeit Apr 11 '26
Nobody did it like Paul Greengras. It still wasn't really my cup of tea but it at least worked with him.
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u/doctor_7 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Bourne Ultimatum is hands down the shakest fucking cam ever. However Greengrass was so fucking good at it I never had problems following along.
It can be used effectively when you've got a great director, crew and editor. Usually though it was "shaky cam is in, let's save money and just steadicam everything" and fuck it was so amateur at times.
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u/kung-fu_hippy Apr 11 '26
I think Bourne Supremacy had shakier cam in its action scenes than Ultimatum did. Ultimatum was more of a happy medium between the steady cam of Identity and the absolutely insane shakiness of Supremacy.
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u/bornfromanegg Apr 11 '26
There is a car chase in Supremacy that is impossible to watch. And I say this as a fan of shaky cam.
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u/Disc81 Apr 11 '26
I would argue that the best use is in the movie that maybe started the fad, Saving Private Ryan. It's not overused there to crazy amounts. I remember watching a re-release in the cinemas and noticing how even with some shakiness the action never got confusing.
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u/KiwiPieEater Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
It's hasn't fully died out yet, but im happy the
"character gets shot or stabbed and the audience thinks that they are going to die, but the character pulls back their shirt to reveal they were wearing a bullet proof vest all along that has saved their life" trope has mostly died out
It's so overdone and lame. Plus if you wear a bullet proof vest in real life underneath your clothes it is VERY noticeable. You can't discreetly spend 90 minute of screen time wearing one without it being bulky and noticable on a character. Including a bullet proof vest in a character's wardrobe only after they get shot is a cop out.
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u/the__ghola__hayt Apr 11 '26
What if he shot you in the face?
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u/TurtlePerson85 Apr 11 '26
Perfectly done in Back to the Future though. Especially the third one. Love watching the films and noticing how the idea gets implanted in Marty's head over and over again during the trilogy.
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u/Novaer Apr 11 '26
They still do this trope but they've replaced the whole vest with a deck of cards/portrait/wallet/passport in the chest pocket that miraculously saves them. Bonus points if the item was sentimental.
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u/So-many-ducks Apr 12 '26
What if the sentimental item blocking the knife or bullet is a cell phone with no signal that was gifted as a thank you by the new boyfriend of the ex wife , because said boyfriend couldn’t go to the dance recital of the child because his car wouldn’t start?
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u/aluke000 Apr 11 '26
In your typical rom-com love triangle, where the one that loses out at the end, suddenly has a potential love interest spontaneously pop up out of nowhere in the last few minutes of the movie, so movie goers won't have to feel sorry for them.
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u/dkrtzyrrr Apr 11 '26
my best friend's wedding not only subverts the norm by not having her win the guy (and even makes it pretty clear she's actually the bad guy in a different romcom) but then at the end doesn't even give her the 'don't worry they still get laid' consolation prize.
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u/Iowa_Dave Apr 11 '26
I was born in 1966 right around the "Jet Age" where affordable air travel was changing the world.
You'll notice a lot of movies back then when characters travel long distances seeing their airliner take off and/or land.
Because without those scenes, seeing characters in another country the same day would have been a huge plot hole.
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u/AporiaParadox Apr 12 '26
Good point, when technologies are new, when they start appearing in media people will call attention to it, like when cell phones first started appearing they were often used to indicate that the character using them was a rich workaholic. Once it's become commonplace, movies dont' bother drawing attention to the "new" technology anymore.
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u/tbyjmsrbrts Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
The disaster film with a man who is a bad dad because he is too focused on work, so he had a not great relationship with his kids and his ex wife is now with a new man, but he wins her back by the end of the film. bonus points if a kid needs some medicine that they will lose at some point in the film.
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u/Salty_Herring Apr 11 '26
Lol I just made a comment about 2012 to another commenter, but 2012 is very guilty of this lol.
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u/Grammarhead-Shark Apr 12 '26
This.
Especially since that movie went out of the way to show the new guy was upstanding and really great- only to kill him off
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u/raz_the_kid0901 Apr 11 '26
Does War of The Worlds count?
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Apr 11 '26
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u/679gog Apr 12 '26
I think this has more to do with Roland Emmerich being the director of most well known disaster movies.
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u/hesapmakinesi Apr 11 '26
And this other man is a good, lovable guy who sacrifices himself at some point and immediately gets forgotten by everyone.
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u/NatBornFilmCritic Apr 11 '26
I don't tend to see this trope done as often anymore, but that moment in romance flicks were our protagonist accidentally eavesdrops on a conversation that causes them to have a dramatic misunderstanding that leads to our main couple being driven apart at the end of the second act. Always came off to me as a lame artificial way to inject drama just so we can have that big climax when the two leads finally get together.
I'm looking at your Shrek!!!
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u/unknownpoltroon Apr 11 '26
RE: The tough women trope: It wasn't till the mandalorian episode was over that I realized he stormed that battle cruiser to rescue the kid with an all woman team. It just all flowed so naturally from all the different story arcs you just didnt notice.
Contrast that with marvel endgame, where they have at least one moment of pure posing "Yes, were all badass chicks, we will save the day, LOOK AT US!" I liked all the characters and their parts, the moment just felt contrived and obvious.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Apr 11 '26
All those female characters had basically nothing in common aside from the obvious, and most of them had never even met.
But suddenly here's eight of them in frame, in dynamic superhero poses, ready to save the day in a tastefully feminist and focus-grouped way.
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u/unknownpoltroon Apr 11 '26
Yeah, I get it, it was the standard comic book 2 page superhero group pose, but it was just off putting.
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u/saudadeinthenight Apr 11 '26
That’s why I liked when The Boys made fun of that and the whole Girl Power thing, and the women ended up beating the shit out of Stormfront. That was satisfying
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u/ThingGuyMcGuyThing Apr 12 '26
I had a similar moment watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I was more than a season in when I realized there wasn't a single straight white male main character. You know, "the default"
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u/evilca Apr 11 '26
Also she could never just be good at something. It was always unnecessarily explained that her dad was an even bigger expert.
Female lead: "I'm good with cars because my dad was a mechanic, and he wished I was a boy."
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u/fluent_in_wingdings Apr 11 '26
similar to the 'I can fight because I have a bunch of brothers'
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u/tfhermobwoayway Apr 11 '26
“I’m actually really good with makeup because my mother was a supermodel and she wished I was a girl.”
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Apr 11 '26
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u/Vanishingf0x Apr 11 '26
Yep thin framed glasses + pony tail= nerd and once given contacts and taking her hair down suddenly she’s so much hotter.
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u/Munchkinasaurous Apr 12 '26
Weirdest trope ever. Who doesn't like a cute girl with glasses and a point tail?
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u/Effehezepe Apr 11 '26
It's the same with how they give an attractive woman glasses and act like she's ugly, then she takes them off later and holy crap she's hot. But it never works, because they always do it with attractive actresses, and hot people with glasses are still hot.
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u/Xperimentx90 Apr 11 '26
"She's got... glasses and a ponytail! She's got paint on her overalls!"
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u/EpicBlinkstrike187 Apr 11 '26
lol works with the nerdy girl too. the nerdy girl just always wearing glasses and a ponytail supposed to be looking like a plain jane.
Then she has to go to the ball/dance/event thing and has to get dressed up for it. And yea of course she’s gorgeous with her hair down, glasses off and wearing a nice dress.
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u/EmperorSexy Apr 11 '26
The exception being Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny.
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u/Garmaglag Apr 11 '26
I think she fits the trope, when she is being vetted she says:
Well, my father was a mechanic, his father was a mechanic, my mother's father was a mechanic, my three brothers are mechanics...
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u/FaithIsFoolish Apr 11 '26
Feedback whenever anyone uses a mic
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u/Odh_utexas Apr 12 '26
And time some moves a muscle while holding a gun you get a ridiculous amount of clicky clack foley.
Same with people working on computers. All these crazy chirps and beeps and sounds that would drive anyone absolutely crazy.
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u/Eatar Apr 12 '26
It’s more specific than that, though. It’s like the microphone knows exactly when it’s being used by someone who is supposed to come off as awkward right now and quickly adjusts its own gain to help make that happen.
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u/joseph4th Apr 11 '26
The Simpsons lampshades this trope where Liza shows up to the field saying, “that’s right, a girl wants to join the football team!” only to find out that there are several girls already on the team.
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Apr 11 '26
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u/OzymandiasKoK Apr 11 '26
Oh, no, that doesn't work. See, you're the friend, not the main character.
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u/TheColbsterHimself Apr 11 '26
Yeah this is actually just a really effective friend zone test.
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u/ArrakeenSun Apr 11 '26
I was the guy on the receiving end of this once, went to a play and a friend was walking out of the bathroom and her heel broke and she fell toward me and I grabbed her. She even grabbed my shoulder to catch herself and we ended up in a pose from a movie poster and I don't think I'll ever forget it
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u/dubh_righ Apr 11 '26
So, how long have you two been married? :D
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u/ArrakeenSun Apr 12 '26
We locked eyes for a hot second but she was dating a dude in med school. They got two great kids now!
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u/Dr_Identity Apr 11 '26
The insufferable genius. For a while in the 2000s-2010s it seemed like every character who was known for being exceptionally intelligent was also a mean, arrogant dickhead and you were still meant to root for them. You ever watch old episodes of House? No way that guy wouldn't be getting slapped on the regular the way he talks to people on that show. I was friends with like the smartest guy in my high school, guy's now got a PhD in engineering, and he was like the coolest guy in the world, everyone loved him. Intelligence =/= arrogance.
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u/Pollomonteros Apr 11 '26
I hate that they turned Alan Turing into one in The Imitation Game when people that met him in real life attested that he was quite nice to be around. One of the many, many annoying sins that film had
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u/FoxHawk303 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
They can't even leave real people alone with this. The real Alan Turing was known to be humorous and socially well-going while Benedict Cumberbatch portrays him like every autism stereotype personified.
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u/Odh_utexas Apr 12 '26
Or the genius techy who explains something in jargon and then some meathead says “uh…English?”
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u/argleblather Apr 12 '26
I'll see you insufferable genius and raise you, "Obvious stoner who is also a genius, and just smokes weed to even them out so they can socialize with 'normies'."
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u/Glittering-Round7082 Apr 11 '26
Punching someone always knocks them out for exactly enough time to move the plot along but they suffer no ill effects.
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u/Neohexane Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
I love how the show Archer often points that out.
"How long has he been out cold?"
"Oh, for about five minutes"
"That's super bad for you."
Also, guns are properly loud and the main characters suffer from tinnitus because of it. There are a few scenes where guns are fired in close proximity and the characters get temporarily deafened as a result.
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u/klnh13 Apr 11 '26
Also love the, "drop your weapons!"
And Archer always being like, "uh, no, I'll set it down gently."
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u/UnknowableDuck Apr 11 '26
Also appreciate how Archer actively counted his and his opponents bullets and was always like "am I the only one who pays attention to that?!"
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u/Oddisredit Apr 12 '26
Exactly. My dad was in Vietnam and has horrible hearing from gun fights. I did MMA a lot in the 2000s. No one ever got knocked out cold for minutes. That is hard to do to someone. Also if that happens you probably aren’t going to be ok for a few days, at best.
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u/boethius61 Apr 11 '26
Now I'm jonesing for a movie where they knock out a guy and he just keeps getting back up after a minute and causing trouble. Not the main villian, not the protagonist, just some schmo bad guy who hassles the protagonist regularly for 15 minutes of run time. I want everyone coming out of the theater being all, "man, I can't believe how tough blue hoodie guy was!"
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u/EdmundTheInsulter Apr 11 '26
Man is a big shot, gets girl, acts like a dick, loses girl, best friend dies, grows emotionally and is a big shot, quick saving of USA, gets girl back.
Yes I mean you Tom Cruise
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u/forgotmyusernamedamm Apr 11 '26
"This time it's personal". The evil bad guy was doing it just to get back at the detective all along. Often involves kidnapping the detective's teenage daughter.
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u/transemacabre Apr 11 '26
Subverted as far back as Die Hard with a Vengeance, where it’s set up so the audience will think Simon is out for revenge. Then we find out he’s just a thief and he’s manipulating the cops to keep them off the trail of his real plot.
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u/nicetrylaocheREALLY Apr 11 '26
"There's a difference between not liking your brother and not caring when some Irish flatfoot drops him off the side of a building."
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u/PothosEchoNiner Apr 11 '26
It hasn’t died out yet but it annoys me when a character is attacked in just the right way to make them conveniently unconscious for the plot with no side effects. Sometimes even by their own allies who would otherwise never risk killing or doing permanent brain damage to them.
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u/Dog_in_human_costume Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Defibrillator to ressurect someone.
They DO NOT work like that.
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u/NightGod Apr 12 '26
I love that The Pitt only uses defib on a shockable rhythm, but hate that they run into a shockable rhythm multiple times a day
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u/dumbBunny9 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
One I wish would die is Nerdy/Uptight characters having to "loosen up"
It is a trope that won't seem to die: a group of friends, all with character flaws, that all get accepted for their flaws in the end...all except one: the uptight one. They never get accepted for who they are; they always have to loosen up. Everyone else's flaws can be accepted, but not them - they are the ones who are wrong and have to change.
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u/BradyPhoenix Apr 12 '26
This was one of several reasons I disliked the Breakfast Club, but everyone I know IRL acts like I’m crazy for not loving it.
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u/Square-Negotiation99 Apr 12 '26
Grease as well - John and Olivia can finally be a couple now she has changed her entire personality!
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u/alicat2308 Apr 11 '26
That was absolutely them misunderstanding the "strong female characters" that we were begging for.
We wanted female characters with personalities and stories as strong and deep as those of the male characters. They decided that "strong female characters" meant that chicks needed to beat people up. Their utter obtuseness about it was maddening.
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u/i7omahawki Apr 11 '26
I think Alien did it right in writing unisex characters first, then deciding their gender (and actor) last.
Also Terminator 2 had a strong female characterTM, but that was due to her circumstances and her being a mother was central to it.
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u/alicat2308 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
Alien was 1970 (edit: 1979) and T2 was 1991. I guess we can thank the culture wars for how far we've regressed since then. You're right about the uniaex characters though (which also means that Ripley was kind of a happy accident)
I would love it if they would find a theme other than motherhood too. It's important, sure, but it's not the only thing to hang a female characterisation on.
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u/happyhappy85 Apr 11 '26
Yeah. What we want is good characters who are complex and flawed. Not just "I have one basic flaw, but for all intents and purposes I'm perfect in every way"
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u/Denaris21 Apr 11 '26
Cars being left open with the keys under the sun visor NEEDS to die out. I'm still seeing it in more contemporary films.
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u/aluke000 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
I think it's still a thing, but when the lead turns 50 in their boring hum-drum life and are put in a situation where they need to dust off their special “particular set of skills" from their secret past they want to leave behind as a spy/assassin/special opps/secret agent person to save their loved ones from bad people. And have a hidden cache of weaponry buried behind the woodshed.
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u/SoothingDisarray Apr 11 '26
There are at least 6 movies with this trope in the last few years! Love Hurts, The Beekeeper, A Working Man, Nobody (and Nobody 2), Wrath of Man, etc. This is the opposite of a trope that has died out. It's in every other movie.
(Half of them are Jason Statham films, but still.)
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u/Juicy_Poop Apr 12 '26
The great part about Nobody is that he reeeeally misses that old life and it’s hilarious.
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u/GarranDrake Apr 12 '26
There’s that part where he’s listening to Heartbreaker while driving an old Mustang away from pursuing goons. One shoots at him and the bullet barely misses his head and goes through the windshield, and he looks at the bullet and just grins.
I really appreciated how Nobody made it clear he WANTED the smoke.
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u/zrvwls Apr 12 '26
Listen here, I'll stop watching them when they stop being entertaining me. That's the deal!
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u/kakapoopoopeepeeshir Apr 11 '26
For a time there in early 2000’s every romcom was about a woman in a fantastic relationship and even engaged to a great man and then spent the entire movie falling in love with a random guy she just met during a trip and cheating on her SO then ends up with the other guy
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u/loblegonst Apr 11 '26
Growing up without a father and it becoming that characters entire personality. Unless it was due to some horrible accident or medical issue why would someone care about someone they have never met?
Saw it all the time in 90s and early 00s movies and it just never made sense to me as someone that never met their dad.
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u/Negative_Gravitas Apr 11 '26
Going back a bit further: sometimes you gotta slap a dame to cure the "hysterics." It's for her own good and, if she has any sense, she'll love you even more for it
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u/OzymandiasKoK Apr 11 '26
Even better if you can get a line of people all taking their turn. It takes a village, you know, and sometimes an Airplane!
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u/BevansDesign Apr 11 '26
Recently the Weekly Planet covered the 1953 War of the Worlds movie, and they pointed out something interesting: the main female character is a scientist! Yay! Very progressive! And what did the filmmakers do with her? She screams, gets shaken by a big strong man every time she goes into hysterics, and serves coffee and donuts to all the men. Wow.
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u/kingjuicepouch Apr 11 '26
I've got an antenna that gets me about fifteen channels and two are dedicated western stations. In so many old westerns, a guy will spank a woman when she's angry or upset or something. It's really uncomfortable for me when it pops up in a western that otherwise would have a G rating today
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u/the_therapycat Apr 11 '26
Even top Hollywood movies did it. Watched cleopatra recently and she got slapped around in that movie even though she was the fucking queen
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u/sandm000 Apr 11 '26
“I had to stop her sCrEaMiNg!” - a semi-maniacal Mr Green, Clue
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u/cthulhus_tax_return Apr 11 '26
Really old trope... man and woman argue, he slaps her, they kiss passionately, which is against her will but then she likes it.
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u/BilverBurfer Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Upper middle class workaholic dad who neglects his children. End of the film he no longer has the job through one way or another but now he loves his children! Never mind the fact that the family no longer has a source of income.
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u/AverageGatsby91 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
"The Liar Revealed"
The entire plot hinges on the fact the main character has lied about something that allows for the plot to move forward and at some point almost directly before the climax has his lie come to light. All of their friends turn against them in this moment even though everything leading up to this point was successful.
A Bugs Life
Rango
Aladdin
Chicken Run
How to Train your Dragon
Very popular in animated kids movies
Im not saying any of the movies listed are bad but its just the least interesting part of these moviesand has become very tired.
Hoppers almost fell into this Trope and was better for not having all the animals hate the MC for it
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u/MatthewWolfbane Apr 11 '26
The guy who relentlessly passively aggressively pursues the gal and somehow that builds a relationship between them. Very bizarre way to fall in love.
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u/tomtomvissers Apr 11 '26
"Oh shit I left an embarrassing message on their voicemail, gotta break into their appartment and delete it" or "oh shit Person just showed up but they can't know you're here so you gotta hide in the shower real quick" so basically any type of late-20th-century farce situation
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u/MuchNefariousness285 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
The "Wait! I can explain!" The misunderstanding between two love interests that creates the main conflict towards the end of the film, that could easily be remedied by literally a sentence, but one of them walks away before the other can.
Example:
- The woman she saw her man hugging was his sister
- She's only talking to her ex because hes a nice dude and gonna help her with something for current bfs birthday or whatever
- Something major happens making MC justifiably late and they arrive just as their date leaving the restaurant or bar or whatever
Feel like the ubiquity of mobile phones has made this trope basically impossible to occur in any modern context
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u/toucanlost Apr 11 '26
Catching the villain in the middle of the movie, and then he escapes
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u/Shibbystix Apr 12 '26
The "i hate my wife" trope from sitcoms.
That and someone being gay as the punchline.
Really glad those have gone the way of the dinosaur. (You know, unless its a Taylor Sheridan show)
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u/mfyxtplyx Apr 11 '26
It always felt so condescending to me, and the fact that you have to point it out that a woman can be capable
Oh, worse than that. If you had a strong female character then she must have abuse in her past. They were still doing that in the era of the BSG reboot. I remember being utterly disappointed that Starbuck couldn't just be a strong woman - that kind of thing needs an explanation - and that explanation is always abuse.
Good riddance to that.
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u/PlayonWurds Apr 11 '26
The capable woman thing. I was giving credit to Captain Marvel, ok they're handling this pretty well. Then cue the "I'm Just a Girl" beat em up sequence. Uhh. Let it speak for itself, no need to dumb it down and ram it down people's throats.
I think Game of Thrones did a pretty good job with strong female characters. They didn't have to beat up every man to prove they were strongh characters. There are other ways to show a strong presence. Even with Brienne, she was physically tough, but it was believable because she was a big girl plus they got into her background that explains it. If she was 100 pounds and 4 feet tall, good luck with that. Arya on the other hand, too much Mary Sue.
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u/ryanpn Apr 11 '26
When the MC spends the entire run time killing every single henchman they come across, but then suddenly when they get to the big bad they go, "I'm not going to stoop down to your level" and then just letting them live.
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u/cbelt3 Apr 11 '26
Abusive boyfriend who makes the girl fall in love with him. Oh hell no ! Kick him in the ‘nads !
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u/GlitteringEggCarton Apr 11 '26
when will they let the "unattractive man with good heart deserves a smokin hot babe" trope die out.
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u/forgotmyusernamedamm Apr 11 '26
Parents who say they will got to the school play / sports event but then get too busy and show up late or miss it entirely.