New game -- "The Cliche Game"

[Dr. Shrinker]

I was watching Don Cheadle in Celebrity Poker last night, thinking about how he was wasted in that lame Family Man, and I started thinking about what a cliche the role was: the "wise/mystical Black guy who helps White people solve their problems."

Here's my idea: Name a movie cliche and try to come up with other examples of it. The "Magic Black Guy" cliche makes me think of Bagger Vance, but I'm sure you guys can think of others (Matrix trilogy?).

[Meloosh]

The hot-headed, impulsive, but good-hearted young man who needs a gruff but loving father figure to help him see the TRUE meaning of life. See any number of Tom Cruise movies, such as "Color of Money", "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder" or "Cocktail".

[Eric]

Originally Posted by meloosh

The hot-headed, impulsive, but good-hearted young man who needs a gruff but loving father figure to help him see the TRUE meaning of life. See any number of Tom Cruise movies, such as "Color of Money", "Top Gun", "Days of Thunder" or "Cocktail".

I take offense when anyone maligns Cocktail. Yes, it's a shitty movie, but the accumulated wisdom of the human race can be found in the dialogue. And only one of the "wise" lines ("everything ends badly. Otherwise it wouldn't end.") is spoken by Tom Cruise. Seriously. It's only by the grace of Cocktail that I discovered that "men will always be judged by the amount of alcohol they can consume, and women will always be impressed, whether they like it or not."

As I am currently consuming the last of a bottle of Scotch that is older than some members of this forum, I will not be held accountable for the accuracy of these quotes.

Back to the subject at hand, though: I played "catch the cliche" while watching Matrix Revolutions. I particularly liked the too-young recruit given ONE chance by the battle-hardened veteran. The whole audience gasped with surprise when the too-young recruit ended up saving the day.

[larphillips]

Add to the cliche list the black actor who is given the VERY empty position of authority such as police chief, judge, etc.

[Rogue]

The police officer who has only a few days/weeks left before retirement. More often than not, you know they're getting wasted.

[larphillips]

The nobody plucked from obscurity with a destiny. Hey, more Matrix!

[Meloosh]

Originally Posted by Rogue

The police officer who has only a few days/weeks left before retirement. More often than not, you know they're getting wasted.

And they often claim that they are "too old for this shit"

[MrTony]

Another old standby is the deeply religious character whose beliefs are challenged by the events around him. Also, this character will always be Catholic or Jewish. Protestants have everything figured out, and their lives aren't interesting enough to make movies about.

[PALMERLIME]

Here's a cliched line that bugs the living crap out of me. Ready, folks? Here goes:

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?"

[Monterey Jack]

Any movie about a pair of mismatched buddies that yields a sequel will always have a scene where one of the buddies says a line of dialogue, only to have it repeated back to him verbatim by the other buddy in the sequel:

Lethal Weapon: "I'm getting too old for this shit."

Rush Hour: "Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!?"

Toy Story: "YOU...ARE...A...TOY!!!"

~~~

The hero is about to kiss the girl. Their lips are a quarter-of-an-inch apart...and then they're interrupted (The Mask, Who Framed Roger Rabbit).

~~~

Villains in animated movies always die in the final reel by falling from a great height, especially in Disney films (Snow White, The Lion King, Beauty And The Beast, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, ect).

~~~

Movie cops assigned to work with each other will always hate each other at first, then grow to like each other. See Lethal Weapon, The Corruptor, ect.

[Notoriousaurus]

Jennifer Connely's career becoming a collection of "walking down Piers"

which really should be the name of her auto-biography if she chooses to write one

[PolloDiablo]

How about the chick flicks where the entire film the guy/girl is doing everything he/she can to get back their significant other with the help of a member of the opposite sex, and it just so happens that at the end of the movie when they've finally gotten the chance to get back with this person they realize they've actually fallen madly in love with the person who has been helping them throughout the entire ordeal. (Legaly Blond, A Guy Thing, etc..) Hell, I think I might of just described half of the romantic comedies out there.

[georgep]

Fresh, young, quiet girl with a blossoming attitude and a burning desire to be famous struggles to "make it" as a professional dancer. See: Flashdance, Showgirls, the latest Jessica Alba and Julia Stiles films, and too many more--heck, even Never Say Never Again had Kim Basinger in that role! SO cliche!


And don't forget the classic NBC prime-time series conceit of making people seem SUPREMELY important by having them walk in groups of four, side-by-side, down short hallways and around corners, ping-ponging jargon-packed declarations and aphorisms back and forth (The West Wing, Law and Order (and all their cast spinoffs), etc.). Are you and I supposed to be intimidated, or just in awe, of these obviously MUCH more important people? Only A.C. Nielsen knows for sure.

[GaLvAtRoN187]

More Magical Black Guy:

Bruce Almighty

[Enron]

How about the burned out special forces veteran brought out of retirement for just one more job that only he is suited for? (ie. Commando, Rambos 1-3, Predator, Firefox, Apocolypse Now, etc.)

[TopHatCat64]

Hey how the one where a group of seven masterless samurai agree to defend a peasant village in 16th century Japan.

Man, I'm seeing waayy too much of this

[SamSpade]

The crust old general who DEMANDS that the army use brawns instead of brains to deal with a problem, usually alien in nature, but sometimes not.

CHick flick cliche: the dancing around tables in their pajamas, singing oldies (think Aretha Franklin RESPECT) into spoons, helping them bond as women. UGH!

The Kirk/Spock "hand touch through the glass" always bugs me. 24 did it this week! Man that show has got to go now.

[PALMERLIME]

How about the child that "doesn't talk too much" due to a past trauma but naturally overcomes this block by the end of the film, usually by saying something cute and endearing or by screaming like a little banshee?

[brttlt]

How about the criminal/badguy who has killed everyone in site for 2 hours in a movie, yet when it comes to the hero/main character, the bad guy must spend 10 minutes talking about why he killed, who he killed, what he'll do after he get away...inevitably leading to his own undoing!
Far too many movies to name!

[Monterey Jack]

The hero will be knocked out with a punch or a karate chop to the neck, yet will never suffer a concusion or any lasting side effects when they wake up (dizziness, ect.). See any James Bond movie.

~~~

Superheroes always enter the room where the bad guys are gathered by crashing through the convieniently-placed skylight. See Spawn, The Rocketeer (crashing up through a skylight to escape), Minorty Report (cops, not superheroes, but still), all Batman films, ect.

~~~

When being chased by a car or truck, be sure to always run down the middle of the street, instead of maybe ducking behind a telephone pole or into a narrow alleyway where the car/truck cannot follow. See The Terminator.

~~~

Anyone wearing a jumpsuit at the climax of a James Bond movie is going to die, usually by getting hit by a grenade and flying through the air.

~~~

People can be lost in the wilderness for weeks, if not months, and yet never lose any weight. See Anthony Hopkins in The Edge and Instinct.

~~~

Sticking a rock in the barrel of a cannon is enough to jam the weapon and cause it to explode (Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade).

~~~

Herbivorous animals in animated films are always portrayed as meek, English-speaking psuedo-humans. Carnivorous animals are always mute, bloodthirsty savages. See The Land Before Time, Dinosaur, The Secret Of NIMH, ect.

[deltau922]

The by-the-book guy and his rogue partner

The gung-ho military general who wants to nuke the enemy and the young, peace-minded advisor.

The fat Hobbit with the hideous Irish accent who always has some long-winded, teary pearl of wisdom to offer when things are looking bleak (actually that's only been in two movies, but I have a feeling it'll be three).

[deacon73]

Character A wants character B to do something. Character B refuses, saying, "No. Absolutely not. No."

It's pretty much guaranteed that in the very next shot you'll see character B doing exactly what they said they wouldn't do.

If a character drowns, and the body isn't recovered, they're not dead. And will turn up near the end of the film, usually in a shot that has the camera starting at their waist and moving upwards, slowly revealing their identity. Gasp! They were alive all the time!!

If a character dies in an explosion, and their body is burned beyond recognition... see above. And don't trust dental records.

[larphillips]

The mentally challenged character who turns out to be "an ispiration to us all."

The person consumed by work or career, suffers a major blow, and learns that it is the simple things in life that matter most.

The villian with the English/European accent.

The one-against-a-dozen fight sequence where each bad guy waits to take his turn to get beaten by the hero.

The gun, that never runs out of ammo during the big gun fight, only to misfire/be empty at the crucial moment.

The witty remark made by a killer before he delivers his lethal blow.

The dumb-ass chick who always trips and falls when being chased by the slow, lumbering madman/monster.

The director who defends his blantant rip-offs of classic shots and scenes by calling them an 'homage.' (see Brian DePalma filmography)

Characters who make love on screen and always have simultanious orgasms.

The racist/homophobe who winds up with a minority best friend by the end of the movie.

[DoubleDeuce]

How about the classic horror cliches?

If some nubile teenager is flashing her tits or some college dude is getting laid you know they will get hacked to pieces by a knife, axe, claws, etc.

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by DoubleDeuce

How about the classic horror cliches?

That could be a thread unto itself.

The inevitable "let's split up" always spells doom.

[Meloosh]

Originally Posted by SamSpade

The crust old general who DEMANDS that the army use brawns instead of brains to deal with a problem, usually alien in nature, but sometimes not.

And his counterpart, the scientist who just wants to study the creature, not destroy it

[Meloosh]

This isn't a "cliche" per se, but something that has always bugged me. Someone is completely wasted, having been drowning their sorrows or feeling sorry for themselves, when all of a sudden there is a crisis or a reconciliation, then they sober up completely. It don't work that way!

[larphillips]

Originally Posted by meloosh

And his counterpart, the scientist who just wants to study the creature, not destroy it

Add to that mix the sleazy businessman who wants to use the creature or its powers/technology for financial gain.

[Maximum Jonah]

The prophetic child who is just this side of creepy and always utters some scene-prodding dialogue (Signs, The Ring, Poltergeist, The Sixth Sense) or the wise-cracking child that just plain gets on your nerves (Home Alone movies, Uncle Buck) and you just wish once, that someone would unload and give them what for!

Almost any action scene: The hero running while under a hail of gunfire, that always seems to hit where his or her feet just were, but they always have dead aim on the bad guys!

[larphillips]

If one character tells another character "Leave me! Go and save yourself!!!" They never leave and save themselves. They either die together, or the rescue comes through at the last minute.

[Triple HHH]

In some comedies the mother of a character is always irritating and over-the-top, while the father is quiet and tired of his nagging wife. The character usually groans "Oh maaaaa!" when he's annoyed by the mother.

Or how about the ambiguously gay character who drops "subtle" hints as to which way he really swings. Will Ferrell, as much as I like him, is guilty of this in quite a few movies.

Jackie Chan movies: I don't care where they are in the world, there must always be a tough, muscular Russian foe, preferably in a nice suit, which will give Jackie a hard time.

[Larry Larry]

Originally Posted by SamSpade

CHick flick cliche: the dancing around tables in their pajamas, singing oldies (think Aretha Franklin RESPECT) into spoons, helping them bond as women. UGH!

If this topic was a contest, this one above should win. That is hilarious.

On a similar line, any "coming of age" film where the kids dance around their classroom, or hangout, to a popular rock song helping them bond as teens.....even though they don't have a radio or any music in sight.

Another cliche: Any movie with a really weird title, that has a character say that same title dramatically halfway through the movie like; "Yes Alice, THE SUN NEVER SWEATS"

By the way, this is my very first post here. I'm so excited to quit lurking and finally join. I love this place.

[Oscar Antonio M]

-In alot films about High School kids, the characters always go to a party and get drunk and weird stuff happens to them and the film ends with a prom party. I.E.-10 Things I hate about you and Never Been Kissed

In many aimed for children's films the main character is said dead at the end of the film but then wakes up and gets reunited with the other characters and by the way, when they wake up they cough or grunt. I.E. Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Cats & Dogs

[Riedenschneider]

Here's one from a cinematic standpoint:

The wild-running-subjective-shaky-camera

No matter how fast or out of control you run, your vision is hardly as much shaken as those wild-running-subjective-shaky-camera-shots try to imitate...

[Chaddoli]

Originally Posted by Riedenschneider

Here's one from a cinematic standpoint:

The wild-running-subjective-shaky-camera

No matter how fast or out of control you run, your vision is hardly as much shaken as those wild-running-subjective-shaky-camera-shots try to imitate...

Yeah but it looks so cool!!!

The cliche characters I hate the most are the ones that are supposed to be hard asses that will kill you as soon as look at you, but they always seem to have a heart of gold.

[GaLvAtRoN187]

person wakes up from coma to go after the people who put him/her in

[Marq]

Originally Posted by Oscar Antonio M

-In alot films about High School kids, the characters always go to a party and get drunk and weird stuff happens to them and the film ends with a prom party. I.E.-10 Things I hate about you and Never Been Kissed

Never Been Kissed had neither of those things...the characters weren't in high school, no parties, no prom.
But other films have certainly had plots like that - She's All That; American Pie, etc.

[Monterey Jack]

Whenever the hero of an adventure movie directed or produced by Steven Spielberg is in a dark area (room, cave, woods), there will be a perfectly-placed shaft of light illuminating their eyes (Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, The Goonies, Jurassic Park).

[ceeece]

I am not sure if anyone said this already:

The huge red digital timer on all bombs. Every movie with a bomb in it.

[Larry Larry]

Any movie series that proclaims "final" or "last" in the title means that there will be yet another one produced, but not for a couple of years.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Puppet Master 5 - The Final Chapter
Final Chapter: Walking Tall
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade