List of film clichés
Film clichés are recurring ideas which have become overused in cinema.[1] Clichés can be used to quickly establish themes or characterization.[2]
Examples
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- A chase scene, be it running on foot or a car chase.[3]
- A computer used as a plot device to instantly solve a crime or otherwise defeat the enemy at the last moment.[3]
- A cliffhanger. These are commonly found in serials to encourage audiences to return.[4]
- A deathtrap and accompanying monologue.[5]
- Deus ex machina. A fortunate happenstance which saves the day.[6]
- Explosions. Spectacular explosions are common in action films. Following an explosion, characters walk away without looking at it, to demonstrate their sang froid and grit.[7]
- Happy endings. These are especially common in romance films.[8]
- Love interest. A person included for romance with the protagonist. Action films commonly include a token woman for this.
- Star-crossed lovers[9]
- Love triangle[9]
- Sex is used in many films to get audiences more interested.[3]
- Telephone answering machines can replace actors' conversations to establish a plot point.[3]
- Training montage, as seen in Rocky.[10]
- Victory by the underdog, especially in sports films.[10]
- An inspiring speech, which is also common in sports films[10] or for antagonists to come to their senses
- The depiction of a character's life from birth to death or otherwise showing different stages.[3]
- Climactic showdowns between the protagonist and antagonist in Westerns.[9]
- A hardboiled sleuth and a guilty rich person.[9]
- Time paradoxes which are easily solved.[5]
- Dumb blondes, a negative stereotype about the intelligence of blondes.[5]
- Unrealistic vehicle explosions.[5]
- Villains attack one at a time, can't shoot straight, or become incompetent in the face of opposition by the protagonists.[5] Roger Ebert called this the "Principle of Evil Marksmanship".[11]
- Female nudity, especially during the aforementioned sex scenes.[5]
- The Manic Pixie Dream Girl, a free-spirited woman who teaches a repressed male protagonist to relax and have fun in his life.[5]
- A Mexican standoff, wherein three characters engage in a free-for-all duel.[5]
- Comic book death, the apparent death and subsequent return of a protagonist.[5]
- The Magical Negro, a black character who selflessly uses magical powers exclusively to the benefit of white characters.[12]
- A formerly supportive, shrewish wife who stands in the way of her husband's heroic quest.[2]
- A dysfunctional family whose issues are quickly and easily resolved through token efforts.[2]
- The wise fool, an apparently foolish character who possesses greater wisdom than his educated peers.[2]
- Voice-over narration, a stylistic choice that can unintentionally over-explain plot elements.[2]
- A protagonist who wants to commit one last job in a heist film before he retires from a life of crime.[2]
- An ambitious (sometimes even ignorant), businessman attempts to buy out a property, a common main conflict.
References
- ↑ Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly, The Elements of Technical Writing, pg. 85. New York: Macmillan Publishers, 1993. ISBN 0020130856
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Cliché, cliché, go away". The A.V. Club. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Thomas, Bob (23 April 1996). "Film cliches play again, again, Sam". Daily News. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ Roberts, Andrew (25 March 2012). "Enough With the Cliffhangers! Movies Need a Cathartic Conclusion". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ditum, Nathan (10 November 2009). "The 47 Greatest Movie Cliches". Total Film. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- ↑ "Robert McKee". Time Out Sydney. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
- ↑ Wales, George (18 April 2012). "Top Ten Action Movie Cliches". Total Film. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
- ↑ Queenan, Joe (16 October 2010). "Joe Queenan's guide to romance cliches". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Wilmington, Michael (10 June 2001). "Movies use cliches again, and again, to draw audiences". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
- 1 2 3 Zalben, Alex (24 May 2011). "Think Sports-Movie Clichés Are Lame? Imagine Rocky or Rudy Without a Training Montage". AMC. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ↑ Ebert, Roger (2013). Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary. Andrews McMeel Publishing. ISBN 9780740792465.
- ↑ Zoller Seitz, Matt (14 September 2010). "The offensive movie cliche that won't die". Salon. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
See also
External links
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