Favorite Plot Contrivances, Anyone?

Rat-Bat-Spider · July 21, 2009, 05:15:44 PM

I've been watching a LOT of movies lately, and one thing I always seem to keep running into is the fact that a lot of scripts sell (and consequently a lot of movies are made) despite a number of widely accepted, well-known cliches that might hurt the film. I'm talking about anything that is used copiously as a plot device. A lot of these are just priceless if you've seen enough movies to know, and are at least good for a laugh at their expense. Some examples:

In a number of thrillers and horror films, people are driving out in the middle of the desert, going to a party/event/wild orgy, when all of a sudden THE CAR BREAKS DOWN! (Used by Breakdown and Manos The Hands of Fate)

In every comedy, there is a moment where the main character does something or says something inappropriate, and ends up losing all the buddies he has acquired over the course of the movie. To be regained later, of course, but not before a serious and heartfelt montage (Used by Team America: World Police and Anchorman)

During a sword fight in a film, there's ALWAYS a moment where the villain has the clear upper hand (either he has disarmed the hero or is severely bearing down on him), but gives it up to pause and make a smart-ass one-liner or sneer obnoxiously, thereby giving ample opportunity for the hero to think his way out of the jam. (Used by In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and almost EVERY SWORD FIGHTING SCENE EVER MADE!!!)

Those are some of my favorites and just a couple examples of what I'm talking about. Anybody got any others they'd like to add?

Kester Pelagius · July 21, 2009, 05:41:37 PM

Guy loses girl, meets other girl, but is too oblivious to her true/inner beauty to realize how awesome/amazing/beautiful/sexy/hot-to-trot she really is as he opines about his lost love and contrives, usually with the help of the newly met girl, to get his old gf back only to *gasp* realize that the new girl is his true soul mate. And the new girl always meekly accepts the douche bag because she has like no real self esteem and/or probably assumes she can "fix" him or wtfever. :gag:

How overused is this? Let's see: Cherry 2000 (1987), Addicted to Love (1997), and probably way more movies than I care to remember/look up in IMDB.

Similar to the above is the: guy who's a player/rich womanizer meets girl (usually an activist of some sort) and instantly the two hate each other but the entire movie is really just showing they have this sexual tension between them that, inevitably, invariably, unerringly, ends with the man and woman getting together in the end after a myraid of trials and tribulations (which may or may not include the guy having taken sexual advantage of the girl, usually around the mid-point of the movie). How long has this plot contrivance been in use? At least since Metropolis.

ghouck · July 21, 2009, 07:00:09 PM

Something seems amiss, one person in a group warns everyone else, people take to laughing at them and in doing so, let their guard down enough to get annihilated. Happens in about half the slasher flicks ever made.

Totally hot woman has dorky looking husband that is only interested in either his business or a hobby. Woman is left on her own when the postman/pizza delivery person/pool cleaner shows up. Hot woman goes over and bluntly starts unzipping his pants. Happens in many many 80's pornos.

Rat-Bat-Spider · July 21, 2009, 07:43:43 PM

The "woman's slow breakdown" scene is always a hard one for me to watch. In nearly every dramatic film with a woman in a leading role, there has to be a scene where she shuts herself in her room, begins to undress, and as she does, she starts to weep uncontrollably. It makes the assumption that women can't stop crying for more than five minutes to have another cry session, and it really wears on me as a male feminist.

Oh, and the "Diablo Cody" scenario, which is gaining way too much steam in today's indie film market. You know what I'm talking about; the meet-cute between two awkward characters where the potential love interests bond over obscure cultural references or unrealistic quirks that they both HAPPEN to have in a slightly insulting bid to connect with the audience. See either Juno or Eagle Vs. Shark to know what I mean.

Jim H · July 21, 2009, 07:52:56 PM

Quote from: Rat-Bat-Spider on July 21, 2009, 07:43:43 PM
The "woman's slow breakdown" scene is always a hard one for me to watch. In nearly every dramatic film with a woman in a leading role, there has to be a scene where she shuts herself in her room, begins to undress, and as she does, she starts to weep uncontrollably. It makes the assumption that women can't stop crying for more than five minutes to have another cry session, and it really wears on me as a male feminist.

I agree with you there. A similar one is how female rape victim's are treated in many films - as if they are forever tainted and destroyed by the experience. I'm not trying to suggest this couldn't happen, or that the pain and trauma of it easily fades, but too frequently complete destruction of the victim is portrayed as the only possible outcome. Basically, it's another way of tearing women down, by demonstrating how they are overly weak and dependent.

Not one of my favorite films, but I like the way The Accused handled this. A bit of an exception.

Rat-Bat-Spider · July 21, 2009, 08:39:48 PM

Yeah, that's a pretty disturbing trend, Jim H. Why is Edward Norton able to continue living after his ordeal in American History X, but a woman is obliged to lay down and die in so many other films? It's degrading. I don't get it, and I probably never will.

Oh, and HOW MANY TIMES have you seen a romantic comedy where the leads are about to kiss, but the comic relief busts in at the last second to ruin their moment?!?! Eric to Hollywood: ENOUGH!

LilCerberus · July 21, 2009, 09:31:49 PM

The plot of "Body of Evidence" (yeah, I think it's safe to call it a plot) seems like a grocery list of every crime drama cliche in history. It's like being stuck on a bus next to a little kid with a passion for "knock-knock" jokes.

Perverted rich old fart
Perverted rich old fart dies
Cops on the scene, surprised & disgusted at all his s&m toys
The secretary who won't stop crying

My favorite cliche in this one is the "Secretary accuses Mistress of doing cocaine, Lawyer bursts into Mistress' house screaming "You lying b***h!", only to be embarrassed when she reveals it's an herb for her cramps" scenario.

It's like this really bad episode of Saturday Night Live, where you can see every puncline before they even start trying to tell the joke.

akiratubo · July 22, 2009, 01:21:18 AM

Ex-husband and ex-wife, or maybe just ex-lovers, are forced to work together for whatever reason and end up rekindling their romance.

Jack · July 22, 2009, 07:24:50 AM

If there's ever a dangerous event about to happen, you can bet the town's annual festival - the one that keeps their whole economy afloat for the year - will be in full swing. And yes, the mayor will be greedy.

trekgeezer · July 22, 2009, 11:01:45 AM

Shouldn't that be Rat-Bat-Spider-Crab?

3mnkids · July 22, 2009, 11:55:34 AM

To Rat-Bat-Spider and Jim H

Turning women into weak victims all the time gets really old.

Another thing that bothers me is that they cant seem to write a strong women without turning her into a total bit**. Give them a little bit of power like an executive in an all male firm or something and they are power hungry and cruel. while the girl at the coffee shop is just the sweetest most innocent girl on the planet.. please!

There is a series of books I read that has one of the strongest female characters I have seen so what do they do when they make it into a tv series? They make her weak. I was so mad I couldn't continue watching it.

Doc Daneeka · July 22, 2009, 12:58:18 PM

Quote from: 3mnkids on July 22, 2009, 11:55:34 AM
Another thing that bothers me is that they cant seem to write a strong women without turning her into a total bit**.

I know, it's like they just can't settle on a normal balance! I think one of the few films to give a real good balance between strength and temperament was Wes Craven's CURSED, though really the characters were some of the only things that made that movie OK in my opinion.

lester1/2jr · July 22, 2009, 03:16:03 PM

pregnant woman in peril to add tension

Rat-Bat-Spider · July 22, 2009, 03:38:12 PM

Quote from: Trekgeezer on July 22, 2009, 11:01:45 AM
Shouldn't that be Rat-Bat-Spider-Crab?

Perhaps; I didn't see as much Crab in The Angry Red Planet as I did Rat-Bat-Spider, so I just kept it off.

I see a lot of good ones. What about the situation in EVERY slasher finale, where the Final Girl disarms the killer, he is cold and unconscious on the ground, but instead of finishing him off, she runs away! Urrgh! Finish the job! Stop padding the movie so you can get ONE more scare out of the audience!

The Burgomaster · July 22, 2009, 03:56:56 PM

* How about the loser / nerd / social outcast character who performs an astonishing act of bravery at the end of the movie and saves the day!

* The hot girl who breaks up with her arrogant jock boyfriend and falls in love with the geek main character.

* The innocent looking every day item that is shown briefly near the beginning of the movie - - then the audience forgets about it - - but it shows up again at the end as the weapon used to kill the villain.