The Worst Movie Cliches, And How They Hurt Entertainment

Sometimes a movie comes along that is so bad it's good; it falls to lazy conventions so often that it could be likened to a shambling corpse of cinematic tropes. Yet few in the audience stop to think, "How did it come to this? Where did these tired films come from? Why do they run together like this?" The answers are more difficult to come by than one might expect, but a commonality between these films and a surprising number of "Grade A" movies is their reliance on repetition of stereotyped characters, formulas, and situations-in short, the movie cliché.

A cliché, Wikipedia helpfully informs us, is "a saying, expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect rendering it a stereotype, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. The term is frequently used in modern culture for an action or idea which is expected or predictable, based on a prior event. It is likely to be used pejoratively. A cliché may sometimes be used in a work of fiction for comedic effect." That definition is remarkably simple and to the point, and it largely identifies the who-what-when-how-and-why of all clichés; for our purposes, it's something in a movie that we've seen in many other movies before. The examples of the best movie clichés range from obvious to subtle, and big to small. Here are just a few examples:

*In horror or suspense movies, the lone hero/heroine reluctantly picks up the ringing phone, to find out it's just a friend. But when he or she puts down the phone is when the monster will strike.
*If a main character is being chased or needs to get somewhere in a hurry, you can bet they'll trip or be unable to get back up.
*When a villain has the advantage on the hero, he or she wastes time by talking, allowing the hero to escape somehow.
*Even after stoically taking that beating without so much as a whimper, the hero winces in pain when the dutiful leading lady cleans his wounds.
*In romantic comedies, it appears the main characters have no obligations at their jobs, allowing them to pursue their significant other with dates at all locations and times of day.
*No matter your income, if you're a main character living in New York, you've got a spacious pad and big windows.
*If your car falls off a cliff, it will explode.
*If a private eye is brought in to investigate a seemingly simple crime, he will get entangled in a larger plot.

We often seen clichés in genre films (the horror and romantic comedy genres, being the most formulaic in structure, feature the lion's share), but whereas genres are defined by commonalities and conventions in films (the westerns focus on individuality and the wilderness, the fight for survival, vigilante justice, et al.), clichés go a step further by mimicking precise individual elements beyond a theme.

A distinction must be drawn, however, between stereotypes and "beautification", by which I mean that most movies generally employ tricks that we take entirely for granted, and these are not necessarily a hindrance to story. Unless you've ever been at a serious film shoot, you would probably not realize that the type of lighting dramatically affects what types of picture a filmmaker will have, how they will compose the scene, and how they position the actors. Makeup isn't just a way to smooth out those wrinkles, it's to provide the illusion that people aren't sweating under hot lights to get the proper exposure. Something as simple as having two actors with different skin tones means additional technical considerations. In making a movie, the audience gives a tacit agreement to these methods; without them, the very fabric and illusion of the film begins to degrade. We accept a certain amount of style and substance in our mainstream films, and deliberately breaking these conventions is also acceptable and often used as a way to adjust audience perception (the shaky camera, or the bleached and desaturated color landscape.)

So what's the problem? Some clichés are entirely innocuous and enjoyable, and are purposefully done to spoof other movies or as a nudge to those in the audience clever enough to figure out what the filmmakers are doing. But at its worst, clichés are not just bad entertainment, but a warping of our understanding. Clichés are at the heart of many of the mediocre movies that flood screens every year, but by actively buying tickets and participating, theatergoers become part of the problem. Box office returns means that the producers are going to make the same type of movie, furthering the clichés. At the same time, the more consistent and formulaic a picture can be made while still making money, the less likely an original or interesting film that breaks the mold will see wide release; it's simply not worth the risk.

Hackneyed writing and clichés are not going away any time soon, and even what could be a novel and original idea (i.e., The Matrix's bullet time effect) can quickly become a cliché itself. But consumers have a powerful tool-their wallet. By voting with their money (or, more accurately, withholding it), the masses can shape the kind of films Hollywood produces. Secondly, those interested in film and who will be the next generation of filmmakers need to step back and realize what bad practices they've internalized, to avoid making another four decade's worth of bad ideas and unoriginal concepts. In the meantime, I suspect cars will continue to explode with alarming frequency.

For more reading on movie clichés and bad movie elements, I recommend reading the following excellent books:
*Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary (1999) by Roger Ebert-Well-known film critic Ebert's book compiles film knowledge, including the time-honored clichés of modern movies.
*Insultingly Stupid Movie Physics: Hollywood's Best Mistakes, Goofs and Flat-Out Destructions of the Basic Laws of the Universe (2007) by Tom Rogers-This book deconstructs many great cinematic moments and focuses on how they are physically impractical or impossible. Many movie clichés are covered.
*Everything I Know I Learned in the Movies: A Compilation of Cliche's and Un-Truisms Gleaned from a Lifetime Spent Entirely Too Much in the Dark (1995) by John Wilson-the title is self-explanatory; a personal account of most of Hollywood's worst self-perpetuated myths and tropes.