The Most Overused Tropes We’re Tired of Seeing on the Big Screen

In the vast and ever-evolving landscape of cinema, certain elements have overstayed their welcome, becoming the visual equivalent of an unwelcome echo from the past. For a while, we tolerated them, but we can stomach them no longer.

From the realms of the overly predictable to the borders of the outrageously unrealistic, the following film tropes have exhausted their charm. They elicit groans rather than gasps and rolled eyes instead of drawing them to the edge of their seat. 

1. Lack of Clear Communication

Are you tired of watching relationships go off the rails just because someone isn't saying something that could rectify the whole issue? Maybe a boyfriend could have uttered one sentence or an employee had the answer to a complex problem right at the tip of their tongue. Whatever it is, there is no reason to have a movie that bases its entire conflict on a complete breakdown of communication. I'll catch flack for this, but Fight Club would have been an entirely different movie if Marla had actually communicated clearly with the Narrator. Cutting through her non-answers, we'd have known the truth behind the Narrator and Tyler Durden's relationship.

2. Eyes off the Road While Driving

If you're an avid moviegoer, you're well acquainted with the car scene where the driver carries on an elaborate conversation without looking at the road. There's always the dreaded anticipation of an ensuing car wreck—half the time, there's no pay-off. Forum members said it's getting old and is more annoying than anxiety-inducing.

3. Getting Shot and Still Functioning at a High Level

Sometimes action films push the envelope with unbelievable scenes and action sequences not even remotely tethered to reality. We're all familiar with the Rambo archetype, who gets shot 20 times and manages to finish the film fully intact without as much as a limp. Can he or she at least look like they're battered or badly injured? 

4. The Movie Is Too Dark, and the Volume Is Low

Lighting is everything in a movie, and having to strain your eyes to see what's happening is bad enough. For some reason, these types of movies always seem to be too low as well. Blasting the volume just to glean what's going on is irritating, to say the least.

One such film was Tenet. The movie combined dark scenes with horrible audio.

5. The Alcoholic Is Suddenly Sober

Suddenly, GI Joe is done with alcoholism overnight, and he's ready to go into battle. Let's face it; there's such a thing as withdrawal and many other consequences of alcoholism. How is the main character always able to stop cold turkey and remain completely fine for the rest of the film? 

6. Teasing the Nerd

It's high time to do away with the infamous nerd scene where he explains something using jargon and esoteric language only to have someone interject and say, “English, please.” Let's try a different approach. Here's a suggestion: allow the nerd to be self-aware enough to explain the problem and solution in layperson's terms, to begin with. 

7. Hypocritical Killer

You've no doubt seen a movie where the hero mows down countless goons, and those who aren't dead are seriously maimed, disfigured, or both. They do all this only to reach the final boss and give a hypocritical speech that ends in something like “I'm not like you.”

Excuse me, but I think the countless bodies that you left in your wake would beg to differ. I don't care how much Batman pulls his punches. He's absolutely done some damage along the way and sent some goons to the hospital.

8. Stupid People 

Many film genres suffer from depending on rampant stupidity to carry the story along. I agree with this sentiment. Sometimes the stupidity brings humor and offers a nice break in between heavy scenes. Other times, it's just too much.

9. Car Chases in Broad Daylight 

Ever watch a car chase that happens in the middle of the afternoon? It makes you think to yourself, “Does traffic even exist?” Where and how are these car chases happening with zero gridlock or even a semblance of congestion, for that matter? While viewers get that car chases during rush hour are implausible, swerving and speeding down the street with hardly any traffic or cops around is just as farfetched!

10. Unbelievable Skill Set

I watched Extinction recently, and boy, did the main character have an otherworldly skill set. Hordes of enemy combatants display the shooting accuracy of a blind man. Conversely, the good guy can shoot the wings off of a fly from one hundred meters out. Consequently, you have a movie where the good guy slays 1000 minions who can't ever seem to hit the mark.

11. Best/Close Friend Betrays Main Character

Yes, the protagonist's best friend and most trusted ally is above reproach and overall upstanding. We've seen this a million times by now. The film ropes you into thinking that the friend has their best interest at heart when really, they've been plotting all along to serve the ultimate betrayal. Of course, we didn't see that coming from a mile away. And if you're anything like me, I always think the friend is sketchy anyway!

12. Cliché Love Interest

The “friend first” love interest is just played out! There are always two people who have been acquaintances or maybe even friends for years, and for one reason or another, they've never looked at each other romantically. They do all this hinting and semi-flirting throughout the movie, only to realize at the last minute that they are one another's soul mates. And, of course, there's the cheesy realization that they were right there all along.

13. Dwayne Johnson Starring as Himself

You're either a fan or not, and although I'm a fan, I can admit that Dwayne Johnson gets paid to play himself in virtually every role he's ever starred in. Some people would like to see a little more depth when it comes to his acting skills. That being said, seeing him step outside his comfort zone just a tad would be nice.

14. Keys in the Overhead Visor

I've seen this happen more often than I'd like to admit in films—even in some of my favorite movies. Let's be honest; how many of us put our keys in the overhead visor? Can we figure out a more interesting way to commandeer a car? Is hot wiring not a thing anymore? One individual said, “Putting your keys in the visor hasn't been a thing since the 70s. I'm tired of seeing the character think to look there right in the knick of time too.”

15. Big Breakfast That No One Can Eat

This one really grinds my gears. Mom has been in the kitchen for hours whipping up an extravagant breakfast for the family, only for everyone to be running late and only able to manage to take a bite of toast and a swig of orange juice. What a waste! The spread is amazing, and somehow no one has time to enjoy the feast. Please, let the people eat the yummy food in the movie! 

16. Blatant Exposition

Tactless exposition is among the most annoying things on the planet when watching a movie. Spoon-feeding your audience needless or important information can feel insulting at times. Let's do away with the scenes where a scientist explains to other scientists a scientific concept like they would to a child. I know it's for my benefit, but I wish filmmakers would try to be less conspicuous.

17. Dramatic Labor Scenes

A lot of people who have given birth can tell when the labor and delivery scenes in movies are extremely dramatized. Often, the water breaks, and within 15 minutes, the baby is born. But in reality, it takes many, many hours of pain and monitoring before the baby comes into the world, and in no way is it a clean-cut process. 

18. Ending Calls Without Saying Goodbye

In a lot of movies, phone calls just end. People don't say goodbye like we do in our normal lives. They don't have the awkward moments of trying to end phone calls and often, the calls just kind of end. Have you ever just hung up on someone without saying goodbye? Chances are you were inevitably met with a “Are you mad at me?” text immediately after because that's not a socially acceptable way to end a call.

19. Unrealistic Beauty Transformations

It used to be a bigger film trope where the “nerdy” and “ugly” female character all of a sudden is beautiful once she lets her hair down, takes off her glasses, and finds a new outfit. In reality, the actress was always beautiful, but we're supposed to see her as unwantable before she's pleasing to the male gaze.

20. The Entire Movie in the Trailer

It's been a really big trend lately where the entire movie is revealed in the trailers. Viewers see the teaser and the full-length trailer, and then they head off to the movies, only to realize the entire movie was already spoiled in the trailers. This probably doesn't happen as often as the internet would lead you to believe, but it's definitely an issue.

21. Fictional Science Presented as Fact

While science-fiction movies often have to make up their own science and their own rules of science, fictional science is often presented as true science. A lot of people who might not know better might believe in this fictional science. One very popular example is the entire basis behind Jurassic Park. We love the idea of a dinosaur theme park, but scientists aren't extracting viable dino DNA from a mosquito trapped in amber and reconstructing it to basically clone prehistoric beasts.