Infamous Movie Plot Holes Explained
Reddit user Animeking1108 asked: 'What infamous movie plot hole has an explanation that you're tired of explaining?'
A movie is only as good as its ending.
Unless audiences are left with a major cliffhanger under the premise there's a planned sequel, all plot points should be resolved to a degree.
However, even the best films that are thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable can lead to a disappointing finale that leaves audiences hanging with no promise of a follow-up. It can be frustrating.
And then there are the thin plot holes that are so arcane, it's nerve-wracking trying to make sense out of them.
Yet, there's somehow logic in them that escapes the minds of audiences with short attention spans.
Curious to hear examples of these, Redditor Animeking1108 asked:
"What infamous movie plot hole has an explanation that you're tired of explaining?"
And...action!
Scenes from these thrilling films left some audiences stumped.
Beast Follows Feast
"In Jurassic World, Claire didn’t 'outrun' the T-Rex (in heels) … because it wasn’t CHASING her. The dinosaur was conditioned to equate the flare with feeding time so it was patiently following her to an anticipated meal. The situation is similar to how zookeepers can have (limited) interactions with lions and bears."
– PARed717
Choosing Correctly
"How does Sarah Connor know which button to press to crush the Terminator in Terminator(1984)?"
"Because she accidentally presses it a few minutes earlier and it set the crusher off, it what lead the Terminator to find them."
– SuvenPan
"Oh, like in The Incredibles where Elastigirl has the remote and Bob tells her to push that button again."
– DBSeamZ
The Glitch In The Machine
"The matrix reloaded the scene where Neo is talking to the architect, the screens behind them are not other ones, it is the predictions the machines are making on Neo’s responses, most of the scenes are incorrect in those predictions, except for when Neo must choose between Trinity and all of humanity, the machines nailed that response on all screens."
– Omegaprimus
These classic examples left some viewers completely flummoxed.
Getting Intimate
"There was a whole topic on the front page a while back about The Truman Show asking about what happens when Truman wants to sleep with his onscreen wife, is that upsetting to her because she’s just an actress, how do they avoid showing it on TV. People offering all kinds of explanations like 'he was raised not to know what sex is.' I thought I was going crazy because not only does the movie directly address this (two guys watching the show complain that the camera always cuts away when Truman and his wife go to bed) but it’s an actual plot point in the movie that she’s trying to have a baby with him so that they can start Truman Show Phase 2, and his obsession with a woman they kicked off the show years ago is ruining the director’s plans."
– plankingatavigil
Remembering Memory Loss
"In Memento, people always wonder how a guy with short-term memory loss remembers he has memory loss. But he’s conditioned himself to say it, just like Sammy was subjected to conditioning in the flashbacks."
– wakeruncollapse
Eavesdropping
"One of Charles Foster Kane’s servants was outside his bedroom when Kane said 'Rosebud.' The door was wide open. The dialogue later confirms that a butler heard Kane’s dying words and reported it to the paper."
– TheNavidsonLP
Establishing Reality Up Front
"FRIENDS. 'How did they pay for that apartment on their salary in New York?'”
"The very first episode, Monica mentions that her grandma owned the apartment, and she would never be able to afford it otherwise!!"
– PleasantFix5
"And it was rent controlled, plus i think it was an illegal sub lease and they had to hide that from the super."
– turkturkeIton
Playing On A Steretype
"I am so late to the party but… Legally Blonde"
'OMG, a dumb blonde sorority girl studied for the LSAT for a summer and aces it? Bullshi*!
"No. No, the point is that Elle Woods was never a 'dumb blonde.' She was always brilliant. Literally the first scene is her interrogating the salesperson and catching them in a lie because she was observant and smart."
"Rather, Elle was pigeonholed by the circumstances of her looks and her privileged upbringing to pursue a vapid life. While inspired by the wrong reasons, it results in her breaking the mold she was confined in so that she is able to reach her full potential."
– Spectrum2081
Is it too much to ask the audience to suspend their disbelief?
It depends on the movie.
Witnessing The Supernatural
"People sometimes wonder how Indiana Jones initially remains sceptical of the mystical events happening in the second film, when he just witnessed a magical ark mass killing a bunch of Nazis in the first film."
"But that's because the second film is a prequel."
– chillyhellion
Accepting The Mythical As Real
"Also the majority of artifacts and myths Indiana Jones interacts with are completely mundane. They have fascinating cultural significance and implications on history, but they're ultimately just mundane. The encounters with the supernatural are clearly rare exceptions he gets caught up in, not his primary field of expertise."
"Like, even if literally Atlantis was discovered right here and now today, that doesn't mean the lost continent of Mu, or the city of El Dorado, or the lost colony of Norumbega, or anything else is real. It means Atlantis is, apparently, real."
– wererat2000
Heightened Awareness
"On watching The Sixth Sense it may seem completely improbable that Bruce Willis' character didn't realize that he was dead. Yet it's explained right there in the movie: ghosts see only what they want to see."
– prosa123
What makes the moviegoing experience enjoyable is the assessment afterward with other cinephiles.
It's fun to discuss the contrasting takeaways each person may have had from watching the same movie.
Occasionally, there are plot holes that seem easily identifiable, but wind up having a perfectly logical explanation behind them, which warrants a second viewing.
But one movie that my friends and I had a difficult time figuring out was Back to the Future.
Even though Marty successfully corrected the course of time with his parents falling love, wouldn't they have recognized their son when he eventually became a teenager?
They each interacted with the catalyst–their future son–who brought them together in the first place after all.
But that's just an example of the suspension of disbelief.
Sometimes, you just gotta go with it.
Trailers are misleading on purpose, and if they did their job, you shelled out your hard-earned cash at the box office to go see the movie.
Once you're seated in the auditorium, the succession of previews is over, and the lights dim, the anticipation runs high.
How disappointing then, that a certain element in the film that you dedicated time away from home to go see turns out to be underwhelming.
What is it that indicates you're in for a non-refundable time of entertainment?
Moviegoers online shared their thoughts when Redditor Snoo_19146 asked:
"What’s the first sign that a movie is going to be bad?"
Pandering to the audience with lame humor is such a turn-off.
This Speaks Volumes
"Characters think they are funny because they speak loudly."
– drod3333
Soph-moronic Humor
"Also references to farts or weed. (Not jokes: references.)"
'Hey guys who wants to smoke some weeeeed?'
"Pause for laughter"
– Beingabummer
Premature Review
"It's advertised as one of the best movies of the year."
"And it's late January."
– M-Test24
The Poster Says It All
"There’s someone shrugging whimsically on the poster. 🤷"
– findlestick
Trailers alone can be a red flag.
Cliff's Notes Version
"When the trailer already tells you the entire movie."
– JAR_Melethril
"I've scratched titles off my watch list because I feel I've already seen the important parts of the film through the trailer, why bother?"
– butter00pecan
Recycling One-Liners
"If there are multiple trailers for a comedy movie, but they use the same joke in all of them."
– jelecel865
"And then you sit in the movie or on netflix and you're like. Oh, the joke from the trailer, I think that's where the movie starts to get funny, but it just transitions into the serious end arc and then is over."
– candybomberz
Familiar Jokes From Deadpool
"Something that always bugged me was the first Deadpool movie and it’s trailers. Don’t get me wrong, I love the movie, but here you have a character wearing a mask, played by an actor known for comedy in a movie that probably had a ton of jokes and multiple takes left on the cutting room floor."
"They could have EASILY dubbed different jokes into the trailer and used the final ones in the movie for an extra surprise. But nope, trailer jokes -> movie jokes. Kind of a bummer."
– LegendaryOutlaw
Some movies are destined for failure.
If It Ain't Broke
"It’s a remake of something that didn’t suck."
– Diesel07012012
"I hate that there’s so many remakes of decent/good movies. Feels like it’s just a safe money-grab. It would be cool if movies that didn’t do so hot, get reworked into good movie remakes, but I guess that’s too much of a risk for studios to bother with."
– AnEpicHibiscus
A Very Telling Intro
"An exposition in which one character explains everything that's going on to another character that should already know what is going on."
– rohawe8491
Familiar Setup
'Stacy sweetie, you know I haven’t been the same since your brother disappeared 4 years ago at the creek, & then we moved here to get away from the bad memories but it didn’t change anything & now you’re moving to college & I’ve been finding it hard to accept, & I’m struggling to hold down my job at the diner & that new guy I’m seeing is acting really shady & disappears for days, & completely unrelated to all that there’s mysterious murders happening since he arrived in town. You know all this Stacy..'
"whilst unpacking the shopping in the first scene."
– bluerain80
We Need A Reset
"Doctor: what we have here is a case of transcranial temporal reinforcement. If the patient is not restored to his original nacency the Einstein Bozeman condensate will reseed throughout the multiverse and congeal with unfortold consequences!"
"Other doctor: in English please!"
"Doctor: we need to send him back in time so his brain can restart the universe."
– ActorMonkey
Multiple Cooks
"Not always the case but when there are more than 3 writers a movie tends to lack vision. It can also occur due to rewrites. Not A Bomb Podcast reviews movies that bombed financially or critically and this is a subject often discussed if anyone is interested."
– earball1996
Maybe it's all about the journey.
Trailers do have to entice you with the best parts of a film promising audiences they'll be in for a good time.
However, movies just have to deliver on that promise by not revealing all the best bits in the trailer.
One movie I thought was going to be a succession of cheap one-liners with nothing but action was Disney's animated film Big Hero 6. The trailer was never appealing to me.
But after reading many positive reviews, I decided to give it a chance and I'm so glad I did.
It ended up being a very intelligent, emotionally mature film dealing with grief and an internal struggle about doing the right thing. While those are common tropes, it was all the more impactful watching animated characters dealing with serious themes and issues.
The bottom line is don't be quick to dismiss every movie based on its trailer.
You might be pleasantly surprised.
Few things can give you a better cry than a sad movie ending.
It's cathartic and horrible all at once.
I still weep at 'Ghost.'
That ending will always be relevant.
Also, there is something beautiful about crying as a group of strangers in the dark together.
Note: there are movie spoilers below.
Redditor Fl1p1 wanted to talk about the times movies left us in tears, so they asked:
"Which movie has the saddest ending of all time?"
I've shed so many tears in theaters. I can't keep track.
But I will say one word... "Titanic."
Knock Out
morgan freeman boxing GIFGiphy"Million Dollar Baby."
thesweet_submissive
"Damn, I was gonna say the same. I went in blind and that sad ending hit me like a truck. I wept so much alone in my room. The only movie to evoke such a strong emotion from me."
if**kbarney
I Love Literature
"Of Mice and Men."
3BlindMonks
"Oof we had to read the book in high school, and we read THAT part aloud in class. Before we began, the teacher gave a tissue box to each row of desks, and all us teens were like 'that’s a bit dramatic isn’t it haha.'"
"Then while reading that scene, most of the class ended up either quietly crying or at least visibly sad. I love literature, i majored in English, and I know reading isn’t everyone’s cup of tea; to see a novel move the ones that didn’t even enjoy literature to begin with was truly inspiring. I think seeing a novel move people so drastically is what really pushed me into creative writing."
gothboob69
So... Moving
"Where the red fern grows."
Fun-Training-6241
"I had a sociopath for a 6th grade English teacher that made the class take turns reading this book aloud. So cruel. Everyone was choked up."
WhiskyNerdFAF
"It was actually the VERY ending that got to me, where he's talking about wishing how he could go back and visit his old stomping grounds and maybe find a 2 bit axe with a rusty lantern hanging off of it. I grew up in the woods and seeing evidence of your old past self still preserved is so... moving."
spazmatt527
I'm Tired Boss
"The Green Mile."
Short_Perspective72
"I'm tired, boss. Tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we's coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other."
Johnny_Grubbonic
"Saw it in the movies. Everyone in the theater cried. Even when the credits started to roll and the lights went on, we all sat there for a couple minutes collecting ourselves. Hadn’t seen anything like that, before or since then."
DopeCharma
Bye Jenny
Academy Awards Film GIF by CBSGiphy"Forrest Gump. I wouldn’t say it is the 'saddest' however the ending where they visit Jenny’s grave, gets me every time."
Emeraldfox_5
"The part where Bubba dies got me even more."
RandomMemer_42069
Forrest Gump always sets the tears flowing.
A Hard Hit
ewan mcgregor popcorn GIFGiphy"Big Fish... Fantastic movie. I generally don't do emotional with movies but damn this one hit hard. Probably topped my childhood tears of Optimus Prime being killed off in the Transformers movie when I was a kid."
sirandtheirDLW
Family Fun?
"My Girl."
longtallsally15
"On Weekends my dad always looked into the tv magazine and chose a kids movie for us to watch. No warning for it, just 'lovely movie for the whole family.'"
"So me, overly empathic 7 year old watched it… and ended up crying for like 2 hours. My father ended up calling the magazine hotline to yell at them. Since then I spoil myself with endings. Unless I know it has a good ending I just can‘t watch movies."
kamalaophelia
Gut Wrenching
"Life is Beautiful."
mazlow01
"Gawd that movie is so hard to watch but is so amazing."
PirateJohn75
"I literally just saw a clip of this movie in a documentary of where he goofily goose steps around the corner in front of his son with a nazi behind him a couple of days ago and just burst into tears. That movie is gut wrenching."
ArmadilloNext9714
"Also my answer. As a Jew who lost ancestors in the Holocaust, that movie had a physical impact on me."
CommissarCiaphisCain
Bad History
"Bridge to Terabithia."
OkFineBanMe68
"I knew nothing about the movie or book when I went in so it was a huge surprise to me and honestly it tore me to pieces when it played out."
Malikhi
"I read that book in school. Didn’t like it. Movie came out and my mom was like hey that was a school book we should go see it. I said nah no thanks I was a kid when I read it I’ll pass."
"She says fine takes my younger brother (4years younger than me so maybe 10 at this time) and two of my cousins (10 and 8) and my aunt."
"My mom came home so upset and I was just hangin' on the couch. She started yelling at me asking why I didn’t warn them and how come I let them go see that stupid movie. I got grounded for it."
VolubleWanderer
Value
"Schindler’s List."
"Though 1100 Jews were saved, Schindler broke down and mourned over not saving more. Instead of patting himself on the back about what he achieved, he came to understand the value of human life and wished he had done more."
Breathtaking
Great Job Congrats GIF by Cappa Video ProductionsGiphy"The Whale recently. The reveal of the letter had me shattered."
bharatchipkar6
The Whale was a lot. But beautiful. See it.
Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comments.
Define the "worst?"
Are they the worst comically or truly horrendous?
Do we root for their crazy antics and snappy dialogue?
And do we still love them no matter what they seem to do?
Reddit was here to share their thoguhts.
Redditor 3GR3552H3LL wanted to discuss what TV characters are just truly heinous, so they asked:
"Which sitcom character was the worst human being EVER?"
Stefano DiMera, from 'Days of Our Lives.'
A true villain.
And genius. Look him up.
Cartman
south park cartman GIFGiphy"I can't think of anybody worse than Eric Cartman."
KermitTheArgonian
"The fact when Scott tells Cartman that they are siblings and Cartman killed his own dad, Cartman cried. But not because he fed his dad to his half-brother, but because he's half ginger. Evil."
eatflapjacks
"I mean he still helped cats that one time and saved Kyle from death to maintain his ego. A lot of serial killers are on sitcoms."
ButterscotchFuzzy460
Bad People
"Frank or Dennis on Always Sunny. I love the characters, but they are worst in a group of terrible people."
yeahwellokay
"I'm currently watching this show for the first time (in season 6), and all 5 of them are just the worst people ever. They all have their moments of being particularly horrendous, but I think Dennis slightly tops the group."
Migit78
"Currently I'd agree with that order. Might change as I see more of the show."
"I do think Charlie will always be at the bottom of the list though, he really is just an idiot that hangs out with a bunch of truly awful people, I think he'd be a better person if he'd fallen in with better people, that's hard to say about the others."
Migit78
Daddy Issues
"Jay's dad from The Inbetweeners."
LiquidShaman
"I think he particularly resonates in a British context, because, just like how everyone knew a Will and a Jay when they were growing up, everyone knew a Jay's Dad too."
spacebatangeldragon8
"He plays the exact same character in The Office, warehouse foreman Glen (Taffy). He does have one of the best lines in the series, when told to stop smoking near a pregnant woman, telling her he won't stop."
"'Just because you let some useless tosser blow his beans up your muff.'"
mankytoes
That's the Point!
"Bojack Horseman is a grade A a**hole, but that’s kinda the point."
_FreshVegetable_
"That show and this character made me so conflicted. I had no idea whether I should consider him a depraved sack of sh*t, or a terribly confused man trying to find meaning."
Siriuswot111
"He’s definitely an a**hole, the story followed him throughout drug and alcohol addiction so as you said it was kinda the point. he was struggling to live with himself and he took it out on others (usually) as people with drug and alcohol addiction do, they took realism into the show and i think they did an amazing job."
L-A-privvv
Bad Guy
family guy dancing GIFGiphy"Peter Griffin is genuinely a terrible person, and I'm convinced his exploits are supported by Lois' parents secretly giving them sh**loads of money."
waffleirondeluxe
Straight Up Horror
Cocktail Martini GIF by ArcherGiphy"Malory Archer. She was a terrible mother, and straight up horrible boss. Not to mention greedy as f**k and self-centered.
"Nobody in the show is a good person... lol. But I think she's the worst."
AdditionKooky122
a malignant narcissist...
"Marie in Everyone Loves Raymond. I've always said that with a few small cuts, a musical change here and there and the complete removal of the laugh track and you could turn that show into a terrifyingly accurate psychological horror story about what it's like living in a family ruled by a malignant narcissist. I've enjoyed hating characters in shows before but sweet Jesus that character makes my skin crawl."
like-stars
It's all Him!
"Malcolm from Malcolm in the Middle. Dude tried to go one week without being an a**hole, and it went so against his nature he started coughing blood. I loved that little sh*t."
No_Improvement7573
"I find many of the stories are about Malcolm being brought down by his pride. He can't admit anyone else is smarter than him and acts out when he isn't the centre of attention."
MagicBandAid
"I feel like they even had an episode about this where he tried to get into music and was genuinely angry that Dewey was better than him at it."
ToxicBanana69
Best of the Worst
"I mean, George Costanza is a crap bag of a human, but he’s supposed to be — and he is somehow both one of the best and worst characters in sitcom history because of that."
chronicpainprincess
"George is a 'short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man' but he still dates women who are way out of his league. Despite this, he always finds the tiniest flaw with them and dumps them. Jerry does this too but at least he's not quite as miserable and obviously does pretty decently I come-wise as a comedian. George is just a pit of despair with no redeeming qualities. He's lucky any woman would even look at him let alone date him."
DaperDandle
She Admits It
Arrested Development Flirt GIFGiphy"Lucille Bluth from Arrested Development. She's great."
princessbizz
"Every character on Arrested Development is a horrible person, some bother to try to hide it, though. Lucille does not."
superlion1985
Bless Cloris
"Lois’s mother from Malcolm in the Middle. Cloris Leachman nailed that role."
chicagoaussie
These are some legendary characters that have graced the small screen.
Who are some of your favorite characters that could be described as the worst?
I love famous people.
I've met quite a few and have had overall great experiences.
I think they enjoyed me as well.
There is a level of fame though that can change the game.
Some celebrities are just too high on the list to meet without your knees buckling.
If I cross paths with Adele, my life is over.
And I'm ok with that.
Redditor mymiddlenameswyatt wanted to hear about all of the famous people run-ins we've had, so they asked:
"Who's the most famous person you've ever met?"
I once hit LL Cool J with a video camera while being an extra on set. And nobody could've been kinder.
He just laughed it off. Thanks LL.
Sporty Harry
Daniel Radcliffe Chaos GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphy"Daniel Radcliffe worked out at my universities rec center for about a month because his girlfriend used to work at the rec back in her college days. They were in town visiting her family."
Shadow948
Let's Bolly...
"My wife was a PA on a Bollywood movie filming in Chicago years ago. I met this dude Amir Khan at a party and he ended up inviting me over to his temporary condo a bunch to basically be his drinking buddy. I think he enjoyed the fact that I didn't really appreciate how famous he was and just talked to him like a normal guy, because he's basically like the Tom Cruise of India."
mustardtruck
My Favorite
"Ringo Starr. He and his wife were my passengers on a flight many years ago. They were both awesome!"
MizzyvonMuffling
"Ringo will always be my favorite Beatle. Not because of anything in real life but in this weird a** druggie movie featuring the Beatles there was this weird looking guy and Ringo was the only one who wanted to be his friend."
master_a_skywalker69
Sir Yes Sir
"I met Tom Cruise way back in the Days of Thunder era when I worked event security. I was 19 he was easily the most recognizable famous person I'd dealt with and was a fan of at the time. I kept calling him Sir while escorting him to the sky box at a stadium. He told me if I called him Sir one more time he was going to deck me."
"To which I immediately said 'Yes Sir, Tom Sir, sorry Sir, sorry tom, Sir Tom, sorry' he stopped gave me a tap on my shoulder flashed that smile and laughed his a** off. Somewhere I have a autograph he had passed back to me addressed to sir from Sir."
tdasnowman
HOLLER!!
Carol Burnett GIF by Golden GlobesGiphy"Carol Burnett. I even asked her to do the Tarzan yell, and she did!"
MacduffFifesNo1Thane
"That's awesome. I've always liked her but that definitely moves the peg up the board."
tacknosaddle
I love Carol. How could one not?
I Know
Happy Star Wars GIFGiphy"I met Carrie Fisher at Comic Con once. She gave me a big hug and I told her I loved her. She said, 'I know.' I got to pet her dog."
floydfan
On the Job
"Alice Cooper at the Quiznos I was working at."
"The woman he was with wanted a sandwich. But he only wanted to empty our cookie rack. He got like 10-12 of em lol."
"Apparently I just missed Stephen King one day at another job."
"And I worked on Halle Barry's garage door once. But she wasn't even in town at the time."
boogers19
The Good Guy
"Kobe was a regular at a restaurant I worked at. He was super nice and very engaging. It was a counter service place, which usually had a line out the door on weekends. He would sign autographs and take pictures with anyone who asked while he waited in line. I once offered to bring his food out to the back door so he didn't have to deal with all the fans. He declined, said it was all part of the job, basically. Super good dude, so sad he is gone."
Dad2DnA
Mr. Generous
"Ben Affleck... I met him like 10 years in Las Vegas. He came up to the bar and just sit down right beside me. We talked for a few minutes. He was asking me about what I was studying in college. I never let on that I knew who he was. He got up and told me to keep being kind to people and study hard and get that degree. When I got up to leave the bartender told me that Mr. Affleck paid for my drinks. Super nice guy.
Content_Pool_1391
So Professional
rocky balboa win GIF by RockyGiphy"Sylvester Stallone. Due to the circumstance I had to pretend it was totally normal to be chatting with Rocky. He was very chill and professional, and he acted as though he didn't know he was 10000x richer and more famous than anyone else on that set."
Phormicidae
Famous people... they're just like us. Well, mostly!
Do you have any amazing experiences to share? Let us know in the comments.