More often than not, when we indulge in a television show, we accept the fact that not everything we're watching is 100% realistic.
Even outside the world of science fiction and fantasy, we acknowledge that certain conflicts resolve a bit easier than they likely would in real life ("you had me at hello"? seriously?), or that modern medicine hasn't evolved quite that much (Meredith Grey drowning and coming back to life anyone?)
However, there are certain tropes and clichés which are becoming increasingly commonplace in film and television which result in viewers finding themselves truly unable to suspend their disbelief.
Sometimes not even coming until the film's climax, leading viewers to think "surely they're not going to go there?"
Only to find themselves infuriatingly disappointed that yes, they did.
"What single trope can cause you to fully lose interest in a movie/show?"
That is quite an unusual set of skills
"I can’t stand seeing specialists being cast as masters of multiple highly specialized skill sets or areas of study."
"I understand that it’s a popular action movie trope, but you also see this in the medical and academic fields."- BeatMeElmo
Income/Housing Disparity
"The main character bakes muffins part-time 3 days a week but lives in a 2500 sq ft loft penthouse in the chic part of town."- SeaTie
Henchmen Have Families Too...
"If I kill him I'm no better than him"
"Motherf*cker you just smoked 19 of his henchmen and put 5 more in a wheelchair for life, end his a**."
"And of course the bad guy gets let go, but decides at the last second to try to kill the good guy, justifying a bullet between the eyes, usually by either the good guy's sidek ick, or the bad guy's henchmen that he just got done betraying."- Pyrochazm
matt damon punch GIF by Jason BourneGiphyGet It Over With!!!
"The main character is about to get killed."
"The antagonist is sitting there pointing a gun at them about to shoot them, but they first have to give a 30-second speech."
"This gives the love interest/forgotten sidekick/child with developing fighting skills to come kill the enemy instead."
"Follow it up with a quote from them saying 'you think I’d miss this party?'."- Jimbo19091
Mortal Wound? No Problem!
"Being mildly impacted by lethal injuries."
"Likewise, when in subfreezing temperatures, not succumbing to hypothermia when soaking wet.'
"Not always enough to shut it off, but it always stands out and strains the illusion."- spill_oreilly
No Conflict? Let's Make Some...
"Smart people making dumb decisions for drama."
"I have stopped watching several shows because of this."- TheWalkingBlondeJoke
hey arnold nicksplat GIFGiphy"We Can't Do It Without Them!"
"The cop who is about to retire, the soldier with one last mission before they're out, and the person who was about to get married WHEN THEY GOT KILLED."- virgilreality
"The ex-cop/FBI agent that comes out of retirement because the entire government can't catch a criminal."- The_Spyre
Just Kiss Already!!!
"'Will they won't they'."
"I liked watching 'New Girl', but when they completely restarted the main characters' relationship I was like, 'Oh, so it's going to be like that'."
"Dear producers, please let your characters grow."- MrMToomey
"But she has glasses! And a ponytail..."
"The 'clumsy, nerdy, awkward girl' who are normally played by the hottest actresses out there..."- Icy_Note_8154
It Only Took Two And A Half Hours To Figure Out!!
'“Wait!'
"I can explain this very obvious and easy to explain scenario'.”
“'Nope'."
"You’re dead to me."
"Now stare speechless as I’m meander my way out of your life slowly'.”-Aerhart941
"Something that can be fixed right away with just a conversation."- Beginning-Match592
"If an entire conundrum can be solved by just someone waiting 1 minute for the other person to explain but chooses not to."
"Irritates me to no end and I'd much rather stop watching the movie."- charthrowawayliet
Tyler Perry Problem Solved GIF by NickelodeonGiphyBig Words Can't Get You Everything...
"When a character is repeatedly hyped as being insanely intelligent, but then they just have a decent vocabulary and aren't particularly insightful or clever."- Gloomy-Flamingo-1733
The best part of sitting back and watching a movie or a TV show is to surrender to a world completely different from our own.
And enjoying them in the comfort of our own homes gives us the freedom to scream at our TV sets when something happens to annoy us.
Movies, especially the action-packed ones, need to keep things moving. Plot and character development reign supreme over all else.
The collateral damage of those priorities? Realistic, accurate, mundane details.
Most of the glossed-over details go unnoticed. After all, people went to the movies to be absorbed for a couple hours, not educated on the finer details of gun operation and morning routines.
But a recent Reddit thread removes the blinders. Hollywood's oversights and inaccuracies are named, explained, and denounced.
It's a thread that fascinates while it risks ruining movies for you. Here's hoping you don't become an insufferable movie night guest after the discoveries.
OG_Builds asked, "What's something that is totally normal in movies, but never happens in real life?"
Tick, Tick, Tick
"Bombs with a special display that counts down to zero." -- VoiceOfRealson
"I would love a movie where someone fakes a timer, so when the heroes think they still have very tense 10s to cut the specific wire, it actually already explodes." -- jan_67
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
"Being able to outrun an explosion." -- My_Dog_Rolls_In_Poo
"Enough force from an explosion to push you off your feet and several meters forward. But not enough force to collapse your lungs." -- lemonylol
"While we're on explosions, can we talk about grenades?"
"Grenades do not create a fireball in real life. They're basically just really intense flashbangs with shrapnel." -- YourTypicalRediot
WHAT DID YOU SAY?!
"Actually being able to have a conversation at a bar while music is playing." -- Birthday_Dad
"Or just groups of people having a conversation and no one interrupting or talking over each other" -- hammerdown710
"And nightclubs. Movies and TV made nightclubs out to be more fun than they really are" -- ThaddeusSimmons
A Few Minutes With a Shovel
"In horror movies I always enjoy how fast and deep a perfectly symmetrical grave gets dug" -- LugosisKarloff
"Exactly, digging a grave takes ages with a shovel, but in movies and games it's a matter of a few hours at most." -- Slippy-Vagina
"It takes me forever to fix a sprinkler yet in American Horror Story: Murder House, two people dug a grave and built a gazebo on top of it in less than a day." -- boardgamegreek
Tinnitus is Lame
"Using guns in small rooms with no ear protection, without being affected by the very loud bang that would probably damage your hearing" -- TheMoris
"I was so used to this that I was really confused when Rick in The Walking Dead used a gun inside a tank and then obviously suffered from the noise."
"There's just a loud ringing and he looks like his head is going to explode and I was like 'wtf is his problem' - took me a moment to realize that this is probably what would happen." -- rosarevolution
Getting the Main Idea
"Guy walks in holding a 30-page document, gives to some other dude."
"The dude who's getting the document glances at the first page for a nanosecond and immediately knows everything there is to know about this case."
A Very Unfussy Customer
"Someone goes up to a bar and asks for alcohol or beer and the bartender gives it to them without asking the brand or type." -- goggleboxdogooder
"Whatever they ask for is conveniently right in front of the bartender under the bar." -- MeMuzzta
"Hello sir, I would like one alcohol please" -- stnrnts
Be Sure to Budget That Time In
"Most 'knockout' drugs don't work very fast."
"Chloroform is always depicted to be some "instant-knockout" drug when in reality it takes several minutes of constant exposure to knock someone unconscious."
"I'd guess a bad guy standing there for seven minutes waiting for the hero to pass out would probably make for a boring movie."
-- SirFrogger
Not Adding Up
"Working as a waitress and living in a huge apartment, with the fridge full, and expensive clothes." -- DemonLinuzzz
"In California or New York City of all places." -- TheRedMaiden
"And still having the energy to have hobbies and do everything in the world after your 12 hour shift." -- acid_bear_boy
Somewhere to Be
"A crash or chase happens with shooting and stuff and every other car continues to drive as if nothing is going on around them."
"People slam on the breaks in real life cause a cop is going the opposite direction on the highway, yet you watch a Marvel movie and a dudes tailgating a van Cpt America and Ultron are actively fighting on."
-- ShnuckTuck88
Double Standards
"Women can be in the jungle for days but no body hair anywhere. Men instantly grow a beard." -- bubblebumblejumble
"Because a woman having hair on any part of her body other than her head is scandalous, even in movies where ANYBODY in real life would grow hair if they had no access to proper shaving equipment for days on end."
Notice how in commercials for women's razors, their legs aren't actually hairy." -- PerfectTube12
Wouldn't That Be Nice
"Meeting new friends the minute you move to a new town" -- Pralineswithrum
"Especially when they don't try, people just approach them. Everyone's so interested in figuring the guy out" -- omgidfk123
"This one time I move into a new house, and as soon as I got there three people came by, started talking to me, starting using my computer, my bathroom, and ate my pizza on the counter. Oh, wait, that was The Sims." -- IllyriaGodKing
Who are these Eloquent People?
"Unless they are written to be stupid/ comic relief, people in movies talk with zero filler words. In real life very few people are able to do that." -- Wind_Yer_Neck_In
"Yeah but like I want my movies to like kind of have characters like talking like um... you know, sort of like talking like this all the time." -- reginatribiani
"That's because it's really hard to make scripted verbal tics sound realistic. Not many actors can pull it off outside of comedy." -- reallybirdysomedays
THEY STUDIED A LOT
"Scientists in any field are experts in every other field of science as well, e.g. the physicist in Annihilation concluding the tree formations are due to homeotic mutations." -- survivalofthefittest
"Same with technology in general. 'If only I could track this military grade radio back to the government agents trying to kill me. I guess I better take it to that guy in IT.' 5 minutes later, they have a physical address to the bad guys." -- Unblued
Important Not to be Hasty When Slashing People
"Serial killers just standing there staring at you and giving you enough Time to escape." -- LonelySwimming8
"And then the target runs away full speed whilst the killer slowly walks and yet never seems to fall further behind." -- lemoountofcountydisco
"Or giving a long-winded explanation which allows enough time for hero to rescue or for the intended victim to fashion an unusual weapon or devise a clever escape" -- urgent45
Locked and Loaded
"Unlimited bullets and accuracy 100% for shooting normal bad guys" -- beklog
"While the normal bad guys have unlimited bullets and 0% accuracy shooting back." -- Nimelannar
"Being able to talk in the middle of a gunfight. Guns are loud. The dozens to hundreds of gunshots in a movie gunfight would leave everyone with their ears ringing till the next day." -- DarkYendor
Always Yes
"Ask your friends to meet you at a predetermined time and place with no explanation as to why."
"I have a hard time getting friends to meet up for legitimate reasons with advanced notice. Meanwhile, movie characters come together in an abandoned warehouse in Brazil like..."
"(all walk in at the same time)"
"'Why'd you call?"'
-- huazzy
Do Not Take Cues From Romantic Comedies
"The pushy dude in the romcom ends up getting the girl whereas in real life they'd be more likely to end up with a restraining order." -- IWillCube
"Surprised I had to scroll so far to see this one. Being pushy and persistent in real life is a good way to be labeled a creepy stalker, not a good way to get a girlfriend." -- sai_gunslinger