10 Cinematic Clichés That Must Die!
by James HudnallAs a writer and consumer of entertainment, I really hate clichés and stereotypes. They’re only useful for misdirection, making readers believe the story is going a certain way so you can fool them. But Hollywood keeps trotting out the following lame tropes over and over again. It’s about time they were called on the carpet for this stupidity. These stereotypes are not only offensive; they’re overused to the point where they must be retired for good. If you really care about not offending people, Hollywood, stop offending me and the legions of people who are sick of this drivel.
1. The Crazed Vet/Soldier: According to Hollywood, if you’re a veteran who fought in a war or a soldier returning from one, you are insane, dangerous and probably a murderous sociopath. Either that or you’re a pathetic loser with mental problems. An emotional basket case. And of course, only poor people join the military, only uneducated stooges easily fooled by government propaganda. No one joins the military because they believe in something. If they do they will find out how foolish they were and become disgusted with America.
Note to Hollywood: Obviously, reality and research are a problem for you. Here’s a newsflash: People from all walks of life join the military and most who serve during wartime never experience serious combat, or any combat at all. During the Iraq war, it was actually statistically more dangerous to work on a farm or drive a taxi cab than to be a soldier in Iraq. And most vets are stable people. They’re trained to be responsible and orderly. They’re trained to deal with stressful situations rationally. Those who can deal with live fire are more likely to be able to handle stress back home, not the other way around. You’ve created ugly myths that betray the very people who make it possible for you to lead your silly lives. They defend the free speech that you use to defame their good name. They work for little money, often in horrible conditions, away from the people they love, for years in some cases. They risk their lives so other people can be free. People like you. And this is the thanks they get? You should be ashamed of yourselves! This is an insane form of prejudice. Bigotry against people who protect you.
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2. The Professional Bitch: For some reason, professional women have to hate men in Hollywood films and TV. They have to be cold, and smarter than men in every way. Their aloofness and snobbery is supposedly a way of showing they are above the lowly male. But of course, the right guy may melt their heart toward the end of the story. But he will almost always be dumb in some way and act more like a puppy than a man.
Note to Hollywood: The 70s are over. Man hating Feminism is so passe it might as well be wearing bell bottoms. I get it; you’re trying to create some friction between the characters so the romance will be hotter, except you make these women unlikable. Who cares if they get the guy? Unpleasant people are tedious. And few of you know how to make entertaining bitches. They’re always the same, tired kind. Smart people know how to be appealing to others. They know the importance of being charming. If your professional woman is really smart, then having some kind of witty verbal play would show that. But it seems many of you can’t write witty banter anymore. Maybe the problem is you don’t know how to write appealing characters because you’re writing about yourself?
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3. The Evil Christian: Hollywood seems to say that anyone who believes in Christianity is a sexual deviant, crook or a murderer. Christians are always shown to be hypocrites and phonies. They’re never good people. They’re exposed as pious frauds when their “true colors” are revealed.
Note to Hollywood: Do any of you realize that Judeo-Christian values are the foundations of modern liberalism? That liberalism was a movement that came from Christianity? The very things you claim to believe were derived from that. Every group of people has their bad apples. To constantly paint Christians in this way because of a few is pathetic. You want to be seen as tolerant and yet to resort to these abysmally vicious clichés? By your logic everyone in Hollywood is a scumbag. Christians do a lot of good work all over the world. More charity work than all the liberals in Hollywood combined. Christians do more public service, feed more of the poor, work in more developing countries and provide rehab and other outreach services than Hollywood ever will. So why do you hate them? Don’t like the competition? Maybe you pick on them because they don’t fight back. Maybe you hate them because they set a better example than you. Show some respect for their good works. If you don’t agree with their religion, find a better target. One that deserves it.
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4. The Stupid Dad/Male: In Hollywood movies men are either stupid or gay. If they are straight, they’re almost always either buffoons, geeks or dumb jocks. Women are always smarter. Men can’t do anything without a woman telling them what to do. And fathers can’t take care of the kids. They can’t cook dinner or even be good parents. They’re always too busy to spend time with their kids, or they do idiotic things that get the family into constant trouble.
Note to Hollywood: The only thing more idiotic than this cliché is the fact that you keep using it after it was worn out 20 years ago. Maybe you write dumb characters because you write from experience. Or maybe it’s because ripping off Homer Simpson is easier than thinking. Perhaps your way of telling people you’re a sexist creep. Misandry is not better than misogyny. Bad is bad. What you’re doing is morally, ethically and intellectually bankrupt. In other words, it’s stupid.
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5. The Magical Minority (aka “Magic Negro”): I’m sure you’ve seen a movie or three where some wise old Black/Asian/Native-American man/woman, who’s usually a janitor/maid/babysitter/garbage man, is a fountain of wisdom and always seems to know things. And they dispense good luck with some sparkly effects and a wink. They seem to either have supernatural powers, or they enter the clueless white person’s life and change it for the better by getting them to loosen up and put on some James Brown records. Dancing to black music or putting on some other ethic affectation always makes the dumb white character cool somehow. Because, let’s face it, white people are lame. Their culture is stupid and they are clueless. Right?
Note to Hollywood: Guess what? Aside from being racist to whites, it’s patronizing and a soft form of bigotry. Viewing “people of color” as being “special” because of their race is the point of view of a white person who doesn’t get to know others too well. Probably because they’re self centered. Race doesn’t put any one group on some exalted level, you know. There is a term for doing that. It starts with an R and I already used it for those of you who are slow. People are people. They don’t get magic powers with their skin color. Black people can’t automatically sing well (see American Idol). Native American people don’t commune with the spirit world and animals just because they took some money from you the last time you visited a Sedona gift shop. And yeah, old Asian men don’t all know kung fu and feng shui. Sorry. This kind of stuff annoys a lot of minorities. Though some find it useful when they want to trick dumb lefties.
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6. The Pedophile Priest: Similar to the Evil Christian except this is a huge fictional cliché . According to Hollywood, unless there’s a demon that needs exorcising, priests are all sanctimonious, corrupt child molesters. And often alcoholic ones at that.
Note to Hollywood: The Catholic Church made a huge mistake sweeping the pedophile priest problem under the rug for so long. They didn’t want to give the Church a bad name, so they moved the priests around rather than kicking them out. The problem grew until it became a serious a national scandal but not every priest did this. Once again, you show you have no imagination by whipping out this drivel every time you have a priest in a story (unless it involves demons or Vatican corruption). Sweeping generalizations against a group of people is something you like to accuse conservatives of doing. Hypocrisy alert! Why don’t you take a break from this one? It’s played out and tired. Try something current for a change. Like the UN child sex scandals.
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7. The Traditionalist Hypocrite: Anyone who stands for traditional values, or works in a traditionally male role, like a cop, fireman, cowboy is revealed to be a drunk, wife beater, or criminal. Because we all know that tradition is wrong. At least, that’s what Hollywood seems to think. (Similar to the Crazed Vet/Soldier).
Note to Hollywood: Just because you live in a messed-up social circle where being a drugged-out, back-stabbing phony is common, doesn’t mean that everyone else is like that. And just because you can’t be imaginative enough to make complex characters rather than clichés, doesn’t excuse you from your lameness. We know what you’re trying to do. You want to tear down the male in our culture. The creeps passing as lit professors at your college called it “deconstruction.” Remember that old joke that those who can’t do, teach? Our culture isn’t your urinal. We’re not interested in your daddy issues or your loyalty oath to the brainwashed counterculture. Like I said, the 70s are over. So is the 20th century. Get over it and start writing real people or find something else to do.
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8. Evil Republicans: What a surprise. All Republicans in movies or TV are evil. They’re all trying to cheat the public, start unnecessary wars, take away civil rights and turn the country into a fascist dictatorship. And, of course, it’s saintly Democrats who save the day.
Note to Hollywood: Do you even bother to educate yourself about the corruption going on out there? A lot of Democrats in the news lately aren’t exactly saintly themselves. And those who aren’t under investigation are busy trying to pass laws taking away more freedoms in the name of “saving us”. Gee, isn’t that what you claimed Bush was doing? If you think your party is the good guys and the Republicans the bad guys, no wonder so many of you are crazy. You’re bound for some massive disappointments in the next 4 years. While this will amuse those of us not blinded by your hubris, the fact is politicians of any party are our servants. Some of them forget that and they deserve our scorn. But your blind acceptance of one party, your blind hatred of the other, makes you one-dimensional hacks. We seek truth in our fiction, not propaganda. If you can’t deliver, McDonalds is always looking for burger flippers.
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9: Wise Trashy People: According to Hollywood: hookers, homeless and bizarre lifestyle people are the normal ones. They know what’s “really going on, man.” They’re just being honest. Everyone else is a freak. People who act normal are all depraved and sick. The suburbs are a place of spiritual death. The only truth lies in Bohemia.
Note to Hollywood: So, people who lead self destructive lives (as many of those listed above do, but not all) are wiser than those who try to lead responsible lives? Really? Based on what evidence? Have you ever flipped through the mugshots on sites like the Smoking Gun? Not a lot of “ordinary people” there. And not too many people I would accuse of being wise. Nope. Are you perhaps trying to tell us something about yourselves? Are you trying to rationalize your own freaky code? Or is it just another attempt to dump on traditional society and normalcy. We know that you seem to hate it. You certainly seem to have contempt for Middle America. Well, you’re asking for the same from us. Watch it.
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10. Flyover Losers: Hollywood says: Everyone in the middle or South of America are worthless, toothless, dumb-as-dirt, inbred hicks who may or may not be incestuous psycho killers who keep their deformed children chained in the basement and let them out to feed on any foolish coast dwellers who run out of gas near their house. Either that or they’re insane Bible-thumping Jesus Freaks who want to scream about the Lord and torture you in bizarre reenactments of Passion of the Christ.
Note to Hollywood: If you’ve read this far and haven’t learned anything you really are as stupid as the tropes described above. And probably as inbred and as crazy, so I don’t know what good it is lecturing you. Maybe I’ll just join the public and stop supporting anything with these abysmally lame, sub-literate, morally bankrupt caricatures. You’re starting to look like a bad stereotype yourselves. And smell twice as rank. Clean up your act!
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196 Comments
And if they dropped these, then what?
Actually…write interesting and complex charcters exchanging witty dialogue about weighty issues or solidly entertaining escapades??
Obviously, you’ve posted your April 1st column too early.
But keep hammering away.
The wall may not fall down, but maybe it’ll at least start to ache a little.
I repeat myself–I sooooooo love this site. You are so right on. I just have a great feeling about this website; I think you’re going to have a huge impact. Everyone who writes here is no only completely based in common sense and reality, but you’re just great communicators.
What if instead of just not going to these movies–instead, we go and picket outside the theater and list some of the very reasons you mentioned in your article? Just let me know what I, an ordinary citizen, can do to help, and I’ll be there!
Ah yes, the Evil Corporation. I second that.
This is a rant about what the TV Tropes Wiki calls the “Strawman Political.” 3, 6, 7, 8, and 10 fit this description.
As for other TV Tropes equivalences:
1 is the “Shell Shocked Veteran.”
2 sounds like a “Straw Feminist,” which is just a subset of the Strawman Political.
4 is the “Bumbling Dad.”
5 is the “Magical Negro” (obviously!)
I’m not sure of 9’s TV Tropes equivalent.
All in all, this is an all-right article, though I had already grown tired of the clichés myself.
Great post, James. As a not-yet-produced writer, I would like to add something. Part of the problem is the conventional wisdom being handed out in screenwriting books, seminars, and film schools. I accept that the movie biz is part art and part profit-making business. Trouble is, the art side (creating fresh characters, settings, and story lines) is too often viewed as an “unnecessary” risk.
“How to be an entreprenuer” books warn against trying to be an innovator. If you want to maximize your chances of success, say the business experts, do not innovate – offer people a familiar product or service they already know – with a twist to make it better.
Likewise, writers typically pound out specs “something like” a recent hit. And we all know that producers want to buy scripts that are “the same, only different.” If your script does NOT have the cliche characters and a tried-and-true story line, business people don’t see much chance of success. “How do we KNOW that these characters or this story will appeal to people?” It’s safer to stick with the familiar.
This makes sense if you’re starting a restaurant or a hardware store, but it’s a lethal attitude for the arts. If “make money” is your goal, stop wasting your time writing. There are much easier ways to make a buck!
The challenge is to come up with fresh material that works. If you want to write a “traditional values” story, here’s your incentive to ditch the traditional cliches: your story is already off-kilter. Go for broke!
I saw Gran Torino – what a great example of what I’m talking about.
Too many writers – conservative or otherwise – are following a well-beaten path toward what they think is a commercial story – but instead, turns it turns out to be the same-ol’ same-ol’ dusty cliche. If you’re a writer, you’re supposed to use your imagination – no one is going to pay you just to strike computer keys.
These things have been done to death:
1. Sports redemption
2. Psycho slasher
3. Agnsty teen comedy
4. Quirky teen comedy
5. Gross-out romantic comedy
6. Rogue agent
7. Heist gone wrong
8. Shoot-em-up
9. Magical kids, with or without talking animals
10. Cute dog (or whatever)
Yawn! What’s the point? The number of specs making the rounds in each of those architypes is in the zillions already. Be original! You’re writing something traditional and pro-American, so what have you got to lose?
James, if they stopped using the characters on your list, most of Hollywood wouldn’t be able to cobble together movies anymore.
Lee: It got started when the communists took over Hollywood circa 1943. They were our “allies” then, but after the war, no one bothered to kick them out.
Re #5:
Evidently you didn’t get this memo either. Only whites can be racist. All non-whites CANNOT be racist.
Thank you! I’ve noticed every one of those cliches and despise every one of them. (Especially the anti-Southern and anti-military cliches. Note to Hollyweird: That’s my family you’re bashing) Needless to say, I don’t watch much tv any more and even fewer movies.
What pedophile priests? You perpetuate a lie with this cliche. The priests were gay, not pedophiles. The were all same sex molestations (the lone female who I remember filing a suit was molested by a nun) of mostly adolescant boys. Pedophiles molest usually much younger children of bot sexes. Back in the mid 80s there were published warnings that the Catholic Church was courting disaster with it’s 70% – 80% recruitment of gay priests (due to the no marriage requirement) and it happened. So now we have a conserevative poster repeating the propaganda lie that it was pedophilia…
I think you hit them all. No, you forgot the wise children who know more than their parents.
There was an episode of “Frasier” from Season 2 or 3 that was surprising at the time, but makes far more sense now that Kelsey Grammer outed himself as a Republican.
In it, Frasier and Niles decided to go all-out to elect a liberal Democrat to Congress who they believed shared their political views, only to find out later the guy was a stark raving lunatic. What made the story work, and be true to character, is that given Seattle’s demographic and the Crane brothers cultural pretensions, the idea that they would be out there shilling for a liberal Democrat was perfectly natural. The shocking thing was that you’d actually see a liberal Democratic politician portrayed on a network TV show as a nut (normal procedure of course would have been to suddenly make Frasier and Niles into conservative Republicans so the looney candidate would then have the right party affiliation, even if that meant changing the main characters’ personalities just for that one episode).
How about the hero college professor. I know a few academics. They aren’t heroes, unless you call defeating the evil digestive effects of bourbon as a heroic trait. Most couldn’t get a real job if they tried. Yet the Da Vinci Code, that Redford/Cruise abortion, chances are a modern movie will have a college professor as the hero than a soldier or a cop.
You could also add the heroic newspaper writer. I’m a reporter and worked with plenty of others. Being heroic or altruistic is the last thing on any of their minds.
[...] at Big Hollywood – Breitbart’s new site – James Hudnall offers up excellent advice for Hollywood. I’ll excerpt it here, but the full article is well [...]
Joan – Russian accent = pure evil, especially for males; teh hawtness (sic) for females.
Even in this generation, where there is no more Soviet Union, a Russian/Ukranian/Southwest Asian/Southeast European accent is used as an indicator of evil. Not governmental evil any more, but of organized criminal evil. In Taken, the main bad guys are Albanian “Mafia”; in the last 2 Bond films, the criminals had “Eastern Bloc” flavored accents.
Yes, we know that the Germans, Italians and Japanese are tha bad guys in WW2 films; and that the Russians, East Germans, and Yugoslavians are the bad guys in Cold War films; but PLEASE, can we have bad guys that aren’t Russians all the time?
Maybe more Arab bad guys; or is that too politically incorrect?
well, when you choose to see mainstream films, can you expect any better than cliches? Perhaps you’re looking in the wrong places for the original and intellient material you crave.
More “Arab bad guys” wouldn’t be politically incorrect. I see them all the time. Actually, they’re pretty cliche. Ooops. That wasn’t on the list . . . big surprise.
And what about sainted gays (Philadelphia, Brokeback, Milk) . . . there’s a tired cliche . . .
Homeschoolers are freaks, or the kids are victims, is another not-so-prominent one that I’ve seen around on pop TV (Smallville, etc.). This might be tied to the Evil Christian, too, or even Evil Republican (but I bet there are Evil Liberal Christian Homeschoolers, too!).
You left out stupid and/or naive older people. In TV shows they’re usually the parents of the main characters and don’t even exist until they show up in some ridiculous story line like deciding to motorcycle across the country or leaving spouse of 50 years for unbelievable reasons.
Outstanding article. I’d add the noble blue collar worker- unless said worker is white, at which point the worker is ignant white trash.
And speaking of ignant, actionman wrote:
“I just vomitted in my mouth while reading this piece of trash article.”
Brilliant rebuttal, Einstein.
Think it’s time to dismantle this blog, if this is the rapier like wit that opposes us.
Bravo, James! Your list applies to comic book creators, too. Should be mandatory reading!
Hey, I have a great idea for any aspiring conservative filmmakers out their. A spoof comedy called the cliche movie that incorporates all of the above cinematic cliches. Maybe if these cliches are ridiculed enough publicly Hollywood will stop using them.
Nice list!
This is my biggest objection to most bad movies: bad characters. In fact, going back to the Battlestar Gallactica post yesterday:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dbenedict/2009/01/19/lt-starbuck-lost-in-castration/
This list here describes why I can’t watch BSG. Most of the characters in that show are built upon these cliches that you just described.
Have you ever heard the lefties in Hollywood show any cognizance of the fact that they are doing this? Or do they not realize it at all?
I like to watch these cliché movies on a dark and stormy night….
So Growltiger, I guess you would like to see Nazis portrayed as the “good guys”?
Go back to prowling Stormfront… bigot.
I give him 0/100 for comprehension, but 80/100 for enthusiasm.
Also, I am at this moment penning a letter to President Obama pleading with him — for the healing of the nation — to put a stop to the use of “I just vomited/threw up a little in my mouth.” Talk about cliche.
Good post, James…and as someone mentinoed we can’t forget the evil corporation. I wonder if all of this is the main reason Hollywood’s customers are primarily teenagers?
Another cliche’ that seems to be out there a lot is that there is Nothing funnier than an overweight black person when they are dancing.
This article, and the comments, pissed me off for several reasons.
First – yes, most films take the easy way out with characters. Most films suck, let’s only make the good ones. Wait….that doesn’t work. Films must & will be made, and people are fallible. The bell curve works with film quality.
Second – a primary tool in the writer’s arsenal is the dichotomy/juxtaposition. Sad clown. Evil priest. Mature child. It works, because we the audience takes notice of these. When you see a fun clown, you walk on by. Yup, seen hundreds of those. Same with good natured priest and child-like child. Boring. Every day. To get up on 50′ of reflective canvas, it needs to be different, interesting. No one has had a problem with the uneducated street rat knowing all the answers in “Slumdog Millionaire.”
Third – if you don’t like it, make your own movie.
How about Hollywood almost always showing male gays as being various versions of the ’sissy’ type, or of being neurotic in some way? And how often are lesbians shown to be some version of being ‘butch’?
I am an older gay man (55) who has lived in San Francisco for many years. We homosexuals are men and woman, Hollywood, not the sexual parodies that you have presented us as being since the very beginning of profesional filmdom. There are many homosexual actors in Hollywood, but why should they come out knowing that the general publics attitude toward them will change from being a fan to “Oh, so he/she is queer!”.
Jever notice that most courtroom scenes are centered by a black female judge? It’s become a cliché in movies and in TV.
Jack Bauer – January 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
“Dude, I would say like, get a life dude!”
Nothing more cliche than flame-bait.
The intrepid reporter who will stop at no ends to expose the Evil Corporation or the like. Commonly screams “People have a right to know” and a strange obsession with “The scoop.”
“Second – a primary tool in the writer’s arsenal is the dichotomy/juxtaposition. Sad clown. Evil priest. Mature child. It works, because we the audience takes notice of these.”
You missed the point Directorguy. These themes have been done and overdone to the point that they no longer surprise or interest us. Portraying a clown as funny or happy WOULD catch our attention since we have seen nothing but scary and suicidal clowns for the past 30 years.
Moreover, the “dichotomy/juxtaposition” character has become a crutch for unimaginative writers — that is why they are now cliche, and we are sick of them.
You know what would be eye-catching for the American audience? A REAL character. You know, like a married guy in his early 30’s who works 40-60 hours a week, yet barely makes enough to cover his bills, and loses sleep at night because he barely gets to see his young children or wife. Show his struggles, justify his feelings, then integrate a story of triumph…and boom, $200 million box office.
Some others:
1) The Evil CIA
2) Blacks overcoming white racism.
3) The saintly journalist exposing evil corporation.
Most of the time, people now assume that any character in a movie/show will fit in one of these cliches (eg, you can stop watching Law and Order when they introduce the aggressively christian/conservative guy, since he is obviously the one who did it). There is no “insight” or “irony” in using the cliches anymore. It’s just plain laziness by the writers.
However, these cliches can still be exploited very effectively to trick the audience. If you have a priest character, make sure a few shots reinforce the cliche (eg, a shot lingering a bit too long with the priest looking at children, while the music becomes ominous). This is all it takes to absolutely convince the audience that the priest is a molester. Then, when it is revealed at the end that the priest is actually the good guy, the audience is genuinely surprised and entertained.
That actually takes imagination, and is the only way you are going to get the audience to ‘examine their own prejudices’ or whatever BS the writers use to justify the continued use of these cliches.
You ommitted the “idiot savant” character that must have the highest proportion of Oscar winners.That’s a teeth grinding stereotype.
Please, no more crusading journalists who know everything and are always on the side of right.They are never capricious,envious,greedy,lazy or ignorant because they have a mission to make sure the mail gets through come rain or shine….
I am eight of these catagories,a white, catholic,hetero,traditional,suburban,Republican, father, Vietnam Vet. I was also a business ’suit’. I can’t watch anything without being punched in the face by these clowns.
The only black guy cast in the show plays the chief of police.
[...] at Big Hollywood is an interesting list of cinema clichés that should die. Number one is: 1. The Crazed [...]
Though you didn’t cover it, per se, you covered it from several angles. My one least favorite stereotype in movies and TV these days is the evil white-man. He’s not just any white guy, he’s usually a White, Christian, husband/father, conservative, white guy, and he’s always the baddest guy in the whole movie even if there are saintly dope dealers and wonderful gangbangers throughout the movie.
Hollywood hasn’t had an original thought in 30 years. Must be all that alcohol and cocaine! Like the Demoncrats, Hollywood is inherently evil and stupid and it’s belief system puts out films that have no relationship to reality. They are racists, bigots, sexists, misanthropic, anti-American and the result are films mostly that don’t open! Eventually, financial reality will hit them between the eyes and they will stop making films that only exist as a derangement or a delusion! Mr Hudnall I salute your treatise!!!
I was going to ask how you could leave out the “mad scientist” cliche, but I think JOHNFNWAYNE answered that. He’s morphed into the nerdy college professor who Speaks Truth to Power (tm.)
Still a cliche I have no use for.
This site keeps getting better and better. Best Commentary on the site yet.
BRAVISIMO!! May your words sear deep into the conscience of the Hollywood bigots.
And if you are reading this GARY BUSEY, if one soldier has been killed as a result of your portrayal of an evil
military doctor in Valley of the Wolves, (who sells organs to wealthy Israelis that were ripped out of Iraqi bodies) then may you spend 9 eternities in the Bardo – you’re the worst kind of traitor.
Thanks for your guts and insight Mr. Hudnall – I salute you.
So many replies … it looks like this crowd is a market. Writers/developers should network and use the the Internet for distribution.
A-B-S-O-L-U-T-E-L-Y P-E-R-F-E-C-T!
Seriously, you nailed it all, holy crap, someone else gets it!
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Oh yessss ….
From now on I only want to see movies devoid of all conflict and character development.
Maybe a movie about fat freepers sitting behind their keyboards all day bitching about how miserable their lives are will be next years “big block buster”.
At least there won’t be any “magic negroes” in it.
: JAMES HUDNALL, I made a film that shows the vietnam veteran as a heros I am selling the DVDs off my website http://www.fogottenheroesthemovie.com I have been at this for 20 years. I pissed off a lot of powerful liberals in town and they blacklisted me for years and years and even now I am ignored around here like a homeless drunk in a crowded elevator. I am just letting YOU know that FORGOTTEN HEREOS exist and that I was making conservative pro american films way back in the early 80s before any of these blogs and documentaries were being made. I’d love to post my story on here for all conservatives that are just FED UP with all this BS being dumped on us in a movie theater that we PAY to see. I am blogging all over algore’s creation, I am on internet radio shows all over the country and people are buying the film. I am getting great responses. Too many Hollywood people both liberal and conservative are just way to jaded with their opinions with films. If you people are truly fed up with all this crap dished out by Hollywood, then I have the film you can throw back at them. It is the only 35 mm narrative feature length film ready for any theater in the country. FORGOTTEN HEROES go to the site, buy the film because you want to SUPPORT a real conservative FILMMAKER and with your purchase we make a donation of our profits to THE AMERICAN VETERANS DISABLED FOR LIFE MEMORIAL FUND . Every DVD sold is a victory for our side and right now I am the only one from our side out there in the trenches fighting these Hollywood fascist. There is talk and there is action and action gets things done lets get the only Vietnam film that honors our troops to salute a generation that was spit on in film.
What about the sentient machine/computer/software that comes to the conclusion that humans are the problem and must be destroyed?
I’m tired of seeing the rogue CIA agent with evil intent. Or the NSA as being some dark & evil organization who’s member are working to secretly manipulate the lives of ordinary people.
With all the true evil in the world how come Hollywood chooses them to be their villians so much of the time?
Right on the money! Exactly!
Great. This even opened up my eyes…
“Second – a primary tool in the writer’s arsenal is the dichotomy/juxtaposition. Sad clown. Evil priest. Mature child. It works, because we the audience takes notice of these.”
Sh’yeah, right. Apparently you didn’t notice the box office for “Sister Act” or “National Tresaure”. You know, “good nuns”. “Honest cops”. “Evil thieves.” “Altruistic patriots”. But evidently the audience did.
“Third – if you don’t like it, make your own movie.”
I think you have unwittingly hit upon the motivating undercurrent of this entire site: Leftist hack screenplays are passé.
I hope that didn’t tear up the street where you live too much.
Great article. Bighollywood is becoming a regular stop for me.
Way to go! Spot on as usual. Maybe someday we can wake more people up to the fact that pop culture is killing america & making more & more people ignorant & apathetic. It makes me long for the days when John Wayne, John Ford, Ward Bond & Jimmy Stewart were in hollywood & it wasnt so taboo to say you were a conservative. Keep up the good work! Remember everybody, support & buy consevative entertainment. That is the only way to defeat this crap.
Great article!
And I agree with the posters who mentioned The Evil Corporate Suit as another tired cliche. Sheesh, you’d think Hollywood was some little cottage industry, entirely unconcerned with making a buck,…,The oil business and the insurance business and every other big business under the sun is filled with corrupt monsters, but studio heads apparently believe they have the souls of Gandhi – hey, they support the correct political party, do they not? And they don’t wear suits and ties to their business meetings, so they must be OK.
Oh yessss ….
From now on I only want to see movies devoid of all conflict and character development.
Translation: Waaaahhh! I don’t wanna my cliches challenged! I love those cliches!! You can’t take those stereotypes away, they’re MY stereotypes!!!
(Oh yessss then stomps off to bedroom and stamps the door.)
Actually, I have my favorite stereotype too, the whiney, wussy, spitty liberal with a massive sense of entitlement – never see them in the movies, but they’re everywhere.
[...] will embrace what is right”» Hail to the Chief» Video: Roberts flubs the oath» 10 Cinematic Clichés That Must Die!» AMERICA PASSES A MILESTONE: We now have more people employed in government than [...]
The inspirational teacher who helps his/her students overcome obstacles to achieve greatness (see Lean On Me, Dead Poets Society, Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers)
This cliche can sometimes be effective, as in the true-life story The Marva Collins Story (TV movie from the early 80s). But it can be overdone.
Jill, buy FORGOTTEN HEROES the only Vietnam action war drama without the F-Bombs and sick violence. I made a old fashion war film in a vietnam setting. If you want to spend money on a film that makes you feel proud of our Vietnam Vets than my film is the one for you to invest in. Besides I am donating $5.00 from each DVD sale to the AMERICAN VETERANS DISABLED FOR LIFE MEMORIAL FUND this the organization that Gary Sinise is the spokesperson to help raise the funding. Anyone can go to my website and buy the film at http://www.forgottenheroesthemovie.com This is the only real independent 35mm feature narrative film made by a conservative with a track record of real films. My film doesn’t preach it entertains you.
I wonder if great blog postings like these ever get sent to Hollywood writers and executives (or instead, if they just languish in the blogosphere and get a lot of affirming comments).
If it’s incisive, print out a copy and mail it to your favorite cliche offender! Track down the address and mail it there. You never know what could happen.
Never said they should be “good guys”. Read the post again. Or can you read? If not, get someone to read it to you. I said I’m tired of the Nazis as villains – it’s been done. And done. And done. And done. And done. And done…………..
What Growl means is, when Big Hollywood needs an international terrorist threat, they select European white nationalists (e.g. Sum of All Fears), when most terrorists are anything but.
The last movie I saw that attempted to portray the radial islam terrorist with any sort of realism was “The Seige”. Of course, it used several tropes in that as well (Meglomaniac Military Leader).
[...] Here [...]
Well, Actionman, perhaps that is what your mouth is for.
[...] these cliches in fiction and cinema. [...]
biggest hollywood stereotype of all? all germans are evil, and/or german accent = evil. time to give it a rest, especially in light of more recent atrocities to which we’re collectively looking the other way.
Right on! What amazes me is that I assume these writers work for companies interested in making a profit. It would seem to me that if the people running the show were interested in maximizing that profit, they would encourage the writers to a) become aware of world events, and b) learn about American exceptionalism. Since most Americans love America, and want to have their pride about their country reinforced, they’d love to pay to see an epic in which pure evil is vanquished by righteous Americans. To do so would not require making anything up. All they have to do is learn about what our soldiers did, and are doing, to liberate Iraq. I recognize this might be difficult. The writers would have to overcome prejudice, media misinformation, political manipulation, and learn. They’d have to learn the facts about the nature of this part of the geopolitical struggle against Islamic Supremicists, the pure evil incarnate practiced by Islamic Supremicists, about the pride and bravery of American troops, and how those brave selfless American troops have been used as pawns by the hateful political left but shrug it off anyway because of their tremendous character. Such a story would bring unimagined profits to Hollywood. Unfortunately, the producer, director, and actors would be shunned by their brethren. But heh, what’s more important? Being popular at some silly Hollywood party or providing for your family?
[...] ..that should die. As they note in comments, he left out the Evil Corporation, and tired trope that businessmen are heartless monsters. I’ve written about the latter in the past. [...]
Any bullet wound that causes people to fly backwards 10 feet…..
Any fistfight that lasts more than 5 blows…unless BOTH are expert martial artists, it’s not a game and anyone who has been trained at all can immobilize/kill another person in just a few steps
Quiet, clean, violent death: It’s neither
‘Flesh wounds’, ‘grazing wounds’ and other ‘minor’ bullet wounds. If bullets were so benign, wars would be pretty damned boring.
Entertainment execs that are afraid to make evil people (say, islamic fundamentalist) evil. Of course, they may be worried about decapitation.
Here’s another one: the tiny wisp of a girl who can take out multiple big male bruisers.
Unless it’s a comic-book movie and she has super-powers, it’s just not believable. And yet we see it so often that it’s become a laughable cliche.
“So is the 20th century.”
Wait, which century is this, again? Didn’t the 21st century start 1st January, 2001?
Good piece.
These cliches are a problem not just because of lazy story telling, which should be enough, but because they are propaganda used to reinforce the writers world view, despite being wrong or very rare as James pointed out.
Ironically, some of these could be made into much better, maybe even good, stories if they were presented as the outliers that they are rather than the norm.
Say, a soldier returns from a war a bit unhinged, so his wife calls his old army buddies to talk to them. They are well adjusted/normal people and show him why he should be proud of the hard things he did. Etc.
Perhaps that’s how these started, because people assumed the norm, but after being so misused for so long, it seems that Hollywood actually thinks that these cliches are generalities that are representative, which makes them irritating indeed.
Hudnall: “I have not seen a lot of attacks on pagans or atheists in recent films and TV. They did it in the past, but I’m talking about current cliches. (the atheist one, I can’t even remember seeing anywhere.)”
I saw one recently for the pagans, “The Wicker Man.” The main character has a few of those stereotypes going for him. He’s a martinet. He’s a Catholic. He’s sexually repressed. He’s obviously supposed to be ridiculed for his squareness.
And then you realize that the people he’s up against aren’t just hippies, they’re literally pagans with bloody intent. And then they cruelly murder him for their own sick, gratuitous and unjustifiable purposes. And all he tried to do was uphold the law and protect and defend a child he had every reason to believe was being victimized.
I found it shocking to view a film (from the 70’s) where someone who is really quite unimpeachable in the character he shows (even for his misunderstandings) who is not only victimized, but martyred for his faith without a trace of irony. It’s really something we’re not familiar with because it’s been so thoroughly wiped out for centuries, but people used to die in just this way spreading civilization to the remoter parts of the world.
I’m not sure what effect it had on the audiences of the time (obviously it inspired pagans with the “Burning Man”, but that’s clearly not the intent of the film.) My reaction was more like the one in “Aliens.” I’d say nuke them from orbit, just to be sure.
But I’m a layman and not even Catholic: the traditional response would be to send in the Jesuits…one after the other until the disease was cured.
So, when the Catholics were vicioiusly murdering people in Spain during the Inquisition was that “spreading civilization”.
[...] has found it’s just too easy to use the same old tired memes over and over, hell they’ve even started to just recycle movies they made 20 or 30 years ago rather than [...]
“Catholic Ghoulgirls” – Sequel to 2003’s cult hit Escape from the Dead.
Any cliche’s in that one?
Flight ER Doc wrote: “Any bullet wound that causes people to fly backwards 10 feet…..”
Yes, and let’s not forget people who get hurled through storefront windows, and yet somehow manage to not bleed to death from their cuts. All those shards never seem to sever major arteries.
[...] Cinematic Cliches That Must Die Big Hollywood Blog Archive 10 Cinematic Clich
[...] from Big Hollywood 10 Cinematic Clichés That Must Die! the best take down of the big wigs in the entertainment industry. I am sick of the rotten movies we [...]
“there actually is humor to be found in subjects other than the sexual obsessions of teenage Jewish boys.”
My 23-year-old daughter Salem and I are “movie buddies”, that is, we’ve gone to a lot of movies together over the years. We’ve had a long-standing joke that “edgy teen/young adult comedies” usually work out to male directors and/or screenwriters putting up on the screen their unrealized (and unrealistic) teenage fantasies. ..bruce..
Good to know I’m not the only one who has observed and is irritated that men are always portrayed as stupid, women as smart.
Excellent article and comments.
Just to add a couple:
1) If there is any type of contest/competition between a woman and a man, or between a minority and a white person, the woman/minority will *always* win, at least by the end of the movie.
2) Regardless of your age and occupation, you’ll live in a home you couldn’t possibly afford in the real world. Really, you work in a coffee shop and you live in this awesome loft in downtown NY?
And already mentioned, but the one that really gets my goat is how stupid and helpless men are portrayed in both movies and TV. The man is *always* wrong/stupid/oblivious/lazy and needs to be guided and cajoled by his wiser wife and/or kids. Could we once in a while see a dad who is competent, clever, and sets a good example for the family? You can’t say that is dramatically uninteresting – you have women in that role all the time.
One thing I really liked about Steven Spielberg’s ET the Extraterrestrial was the fact the three kids were stupid. We’re talking dense. Jumping to conclusions, missing the point, underestimating grownups, that sort of thing. Displaying the lack of insight and forethought real kids are notorious for. In short, being children.
Then again, four year olds blab. There is no way Drew Barrymore could’ve kept that secret in real life. Even when they get something right there’s always something they get wrong.
Here’s more:
Protagonists are all writers/aspiring authors/English professors. And the corollary is that they all live in cool places like Seattle, New England or New York driving cars and living in homes they could no way afford in real life.
The poor girl gets raped by a big, dumb, mean, rich (white of course)jock upon enrollment at the new school…well she gets invited to a party first. (I’m sure anyone at his/her first day at a ghetto school is greated with open arms). Oh….and the ugly girl simply combs her hair a tad differently and puts on a cute sweater and is transformed into Miss America. Her blothcy skin and zits and downward gaze disappear; oh and her figure is the envy of Playboy models everywhere.
Young poor minority women are where they are (with illegitmate kids in tow) not because of bad life-choices because the white-run system has s**t on them. They are always sincere, honest and highly ambitious. Oh and they seem well educated despite a high school “diploma” from some slum gangster high school.
The kind but inexperienced journalist (read that white wussy male) cracks the crime of the century even though he can’t seem to get a job at the newspaper wielding a feather-duster.
More:
Along with the “Magic Minority” there’s the “Magic Homosexual”:
He’s always hilarious, honest, stylish, good-looking, sincere, kind, glib, smart and heroic. The lesbian is sweet but a constant victim.
Sorry..not every gay person fits that description…except according to Hollywood. There are plenty of slimy gays out there as ther are hetero’s
And of course the evil conservative spends at least 50% of his life figuring out how to oppress minorites.
Cliches are one thing, I’m just getting tired of the remakes of the “Classics”
Redoing “Friday the 13th”. You got to be kidding.
DAVE:
“Oh….and the ugly girl simply combs her hair a tad differently and puts on a cute sweater and is transformed into Miss America. Her blothcy skin and zits and downward gaze disappear; oh and her figure is the envy of Playboy models everywhere”
Gah. I absolutely despise those movies where they put an attractive girl with thick eyebrows in glasses and overalls and then insist that she’s “ugly.” Most often, I find I prefer the girl before her inevitable transformation into a fashion clone.
The only movie I’ve seen where they managed to pull off the “ugly” thing was “Never Been Kissed.” Drew Barrymore looks truly unpleasant in her high school flashback. From what I’ve seen of it, the original Spanish version of “Ugly Betty” has the main character looking pretty awful, too, but for some reason, the American version can’t summon the willpower to do the same.
[...] you read part one of this essay, you know I hate clichés and stereotypes. They’re the products of hack writers, lazy minds, [...]
[...] recently put together a set of essays featuring “Cinematic Clichés that must die”. Part one is here, and part two is here. Some of them spoke to me more than others. The Professional Bitch: [...]
All good cliches. The hurt hero whom continues to fight, and the super-bitch female boss that for some reason is still all desireable are my two biggest peeves. What about the raised from youth to be a cold-blooded ruthless don’t ask questions efficent hitman who disregards all that on a whim that the hooker he comes across on the hit will make him a new man, thus he compromises the mission to save her; whom he just met.
[...] Hudnall had a right-on post about 10 Cinematic Clichés That Must Die!, which he followed up with 10 more. I agree, but I offer my list of characters to replace [...]
Charles Dutton character in Rudy
I, too, am disappointed that you chose that particular character as an example of an otherwise valid point. There’s nothing magical, false, or cliched about him. He’s just a good guy who doesn’t put up with any BS, but is a good, and wise mentor once you prove that you are worth it, or, put another way, that you aren’t just wasting your own time, and are thus worthy of his. These people do exist. And, he does have a flaw, but proves to be big enough to recognize it in the end.
The capacity to be truly happy for another’s success where you have failed is a true virtue, and one not often seen in Hwood movies. He comes right out and tells Rudy how he himself had become bitter, and why. There is no greater gift you can give a kid than to be brutally honest about your own failures when that is appropriate, and it is in this movie. When you do this, the kid does NOT see you as the failure that you see; he sees you as the adult who thought him worthy of such a confidence. Here’s a cliche for you: Kids don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Here’s another: Kids spell love T I M E. True.
The Dutton character gives Rudy his time, his trust (the key, and the story of his own biggest failure, and pain), and his caring. To a kid, this is pure gold. If this is a cliche, then so is breathing.
Oh, please. Irony is so over.
Hud: Man, these types of columns are SO overdue! I’m so glad to see you doing them.
I am tired of people who own or use a firearm portrayed as a “psycho”, survivalist whacko, or some other misfit or deviant. The general attitude in Hollywood is that nobody except cops or soldiers has any reason to own a gun so anybody who does has a serious flaw in their character.
A simpleton or a misfit doing great deeds is a theme done over and over again mostly in disney/pixar productions. He or she is always ridiculed and/or rejected by his/her community and wants to break free for first half and in the end after an “Adventure” is embraced by the community with appreciation. Examples: Ariel, Belle, Flick, Remy from Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Bug’s Life and Ratatouille respectively.
Also in action movies, villain giving or relishing the details of how hero’s father was murdered is also very common.
And Steven Spielberg is not letting go of his bad parenting issues, he has to show them in every of his movie. Bad parenting is his signature.
Also commenting on pedophile priest point in the article above, why would Hollywood want to make movie about a priest who perfectly acts like a priest and good christians?
Riz
Oscar for Heath Ledger….
Are these cliches or just things that irritate you because you tend towards the right?
As a Southern, liberal Christian, I take some offense to what you deem inappropriate in movies. Most movies created are for pure entertainment and should be viewed that way.
I’ve run into several of your “cliches” in real life. Does that make my life a cliche?
I agree with this. I’m a Christian from Manhattan, and judging by film and tv I’m the only one!
By the way I am ALSO pro-choice and pro same-sex marriage. I’ve seen R rated movies and even have an occasional brandy. I don’t sit around counting up profanity or glimpses of bare skin in films. Although admittedly I get irritated after the 100th gratuitous f**k in the dialogue.
I will second the Evil Survivalist Gun Nut. It’s particularly egregious in horror movies, where they tend to be the first ones killed off in favor of the Plucky College Guy, who’s saved by the power of positive thinking or something. In real life, its usually the well-intentioned intellectuals that get thrown to the wolves first–just look at what happened to Trotsky.
Another one that gets me is the WASPy Terrorist Ringleader. Why is it that whenever Hollywood depicts foreign criminals or terrorists, there’s always a rich pasty white guy (often an evil corporate CEO) calling all the shots? We get the implication that the West is responsible for all the world’s ills, in case all the protests and speeches you guys make to that effect weren’t clear enough. But come on, get some new material guys.
I wouldn’t actually mind all these lame tropes as much if they actually had some decent plot to go with them, but more often than not it’s either a cookie-cutter Plucky Heroes Foil The Conspiracy or Villainous Villains Take Over The City And Only A Disillusioned Ex-Cop Can Stop them. Or there’s no plot at all, just a bunch of one-dimensional characters bouncing off each other for 90 minutes. SNORE. This is why I haven’t been to the movies in a very long time.
I’ll close by pointing out to the writers and directors out there that if the 2008 movie season is any indicator, original material actually does sell. Tran Torino, huge hit. The second installment of Nolan’s excellent Batman deconstruction, one of the highest grossing movies of all time. Burn After Reading, an entertaining deconstruction of aforementioned government-conspiracy tropes, didn’t exactly burn up the box office but still pulled in far more than its relatively small budget. The current batch of formulaic Oscar contenders, on the other hand, aren’t doing so well. Excepting the surprise hit Slumdog Millionaire (itself an example that new material does well), the other four big-ticket Best Picture nominees are collectively just breaking even. If only you will break free of the lame, hackneyed characters, and create something truly new and entertaining, people will watch it.
12. The stranger who makes a dysfunctional family functional again (usually takes a weekend to do this).
13. The dysfunctional family.
Wow, that was….just an awful article.
AMEN! Thank you
it seems ridiculous when reading this article that you are calling out liberals for only writing about things that they know and like to write about, while you yourself are only calling out things that offend conservatives. i’m sure you would be terribly happy to write about a crazed atheist or agnostic. Until you are actually going to include a fair amount of unbiased either side of the isle please leave it to real writers who have something valid to say.
And don’t you just love Ron Howard’s “The DaVinci Code” which many consumers do believe? And just wait until you see “Angels & Demons.” If it follows the book, the Catholic Church looks so bad. Whether or not you agree with Catholicism, it’s a problem because non-Christians don’t know the difference. They’ll just think badly of all of us. Good ol’ Opie. Thanks, kid.
So are you saying that the ‘good’ films have no cliches or they just don’t have the ones that bother you? Your favorite films from any period probably have their fair share of cliches and stereotypes, but the writers did a better job of masking them.
It is also possible that some things have become cliche b/c they continue to be true. People in the military do come home w/problems and professional women can get bitter when they sacrifice personal lives for careers (Miranda Priestley doesn’t apply since she was based on a real person who notoriously behaves 10x worse than the film’s depiction), but since you offered no evidence for your opinions, I won’t bother to back up mine either:) That these cliche-ridden films are box office hits says that the problem may not be Hwood, but its loyal viewers who enjoy seeing this material (and not the loyal minority agreeing w/you on this site).
Wow, what a clever little idea for an article that was completely derailed by lack of humor and just unbridled anger.
Funny thing is that most of the example pictures you used above are excellent films. The things you are pointing out as cliches are really just common archetypes, and the reason they get used over and over again is that they resonate with people. It’s up to the writer to present these archetypes in a fresh way and create drama, which is what most of the above films do very successfully.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want to see a movie where the characters are all average, well-adjusted people with modest dreams.
You made imdb.com with this article. Good job!
This article is nothing more than a conservative rant, whining about why conservative, white, Christian fascism has a bad name. Well, that’s because conservative, white, Christian fascism is a bad thing. If you can’t stand reality, I suggest you turn your white hoods around so the eyeholes are in the back. Then you can avoid having to see depictions of yourself which show just how ugly the reality of your belief system is.
Pathetic.
Sweet fancy Jesus, only a fundamentalist wingnut from flyover country could possibly interpret the “magical Negro” stereotype as being racist to white people. Do yourself a favor and follow some of that good ol’ fashioned Christianist advice by putting yourself in another person’s shoes for a second. Abandoning your myopic hatred for “libruls” for a few moments and actually thinking about these stories in their proper context, you might see that the real stereotype being perpetrated in these films is that the “magical Negro” character is ever achieving his modicum of self-actualization only by making the dreams of the white man come true. It’s always the white guy’s dilemma that has to be solved. It’s the white man who has the tragedy, the love story, the job crisis, whatever. These ideologically conservative complaints are—pardon the prejudicial regionalism—as old as the hills. Hollywood makes what sells, and there are plenty of richly challenging movies out there for you to see. I’m guessing the writer longs for the days of the Hays Code. Good luck with that. While you’re at it, why not go about your business and promote the successful movies that are “acceptable” to you and stop…the…whining.
I should have said, too, that we share family values and other values with Catholics, regardless of differences in theology. Catholics on the whole are wonderful people and don’t deserve to be misrepresented.
And this misrepresentation can hurt all of us.
There are a few good points in here, but you would have had a much better case if you hadn’t fallen back on cheap, personal attacks. “If you think your party is the good guys and the Republicans the bad guys, no wonder so many of you are crazy.” Really? You’re going to throw that out there right in the middle of saying “don’t judge someone by their party?” I wish you hadn’t let your own angry, spiteful attacks seep into this, because otherwise it could have been a refreshing viewpoint.
Note on No. 10: The still depicting ignoramuses from middle America and the deep south is taken from “Far from Heaven”. The film was set in 1950s suburban Connecticut, not the midwest or the deep south.
“bigotry against people who protect you.”
Or bigotry against people who kills innocent women and children in countries far away, so far away that they won’t even disturb a poor ol’ fat american “joe”.
Funny how most of the replies were positive, up until this page got put on the IMDB, and now the recent comments are overflowing with the negative “I hate your political philosophy, how dare you write a pro-Christian right-wing article” type of responses.
The simple fact is that all the recent liberal posters missed the point of the entire article…its not that the above cliches don’t exist – they do, and all stereotypes continue to exist because they are consistently reinforced – but that the above cliches are overused to the point of nausea, showing a general void on Hollywood’s part in regards to creativity, partially due to an existing agenda within the majority of the Hollywood establishment.
That was the point of the blog. It’s not the poster’s fault if you missed it. And before you try to argue that ‘there is no liberal agenda in Hollywood,’ just stop. Take a deep breath, think, and don’t make yourself into a ‘blinded-liberal troll who swarms message boards.’
Maybe the problem here is not that the writing’s cliche, but that human beings just aren’t as complex as you’d like them to be. Let’s face it: our genetic programming enables us to complete these functions, and that’s about it: Consume, express thought, procreate, and destroy. What kind of complex characters were you looking for? In my experience, complexity stems from an overabundance of unnecessary thoughts/actions and(or) emotional baggage.
Note: Stereotypes exist because of an overabundance of stereotypical behavior. I.E., the human race as you know it is a “stereotype”. And before you call me self-hating, give me an example of a film that you think we should see more of. Because if that happens, it will just eventually become cliche. See the conundrum?
“And of course, only poor people join the military, only uneducated stooges easily fooled by government propaganda.”
You are more likely to join the military if you’re poor than if you’re rich or middle class. Although many people sign up in order to get an education, many do so in lieu of college. Why is a military made up of poor and uneducated people a bad thing?
I spent 5am-5pm 5 days in a row at the Marine Corps MEPS doing tests, physicals, etc. I was ready to join on Monday. After spending a week with the largest assembly of morons I’ve ever had the displeasure of coming into contact with I had had enough. They were nice enough guys, but I didn’t want to spend 6 years with this brand of idiot.
Perhaps I’m just too sensitive. Maybe I was just mixed up with a bad lot (although a couple of buddies in the Navy and Army have backed up my assessment). I have nothing but respect for the work these military guys do, but call a spade a spade.
So, if we get rid of everything here, what will there be left to make movies about. They continue to make these movies because there is an audience that likes them and continues to see them in mass quantity. Maybe you should settle your pretentious, uptight, rigid ass down and realize that not everyone is like you.
As someone mentioned already sterotypes, though misguided, are based on truth. These ideas come from fact at some point and therefore relate to a lot of people.
Liberalism DOES NOT have roots in Judeo-Christian values. To really figure out the things wrong with that statement, I’d need your defiinition of “Judeo-Christian values”, but I’m gonna go ahead and assume you mean Jesus’s message of love and tolerance. Thousands of publications way before Jesus was born promote love and forgiveness. Do you actually think anything Jesus said in the Bible was original? Most the ideas are taken from earlier philosophical publications.
Also have you seen ‘Doubt’? The ending is ambiguous as to whether the preist was a child molester or not. And are their any other movies with a pedophile preist? I honestly can’t think of one that didn’t do it for without humourous intentions.
And Traditionalists are, by nature, hypocrites. They long to return to a time and place that never existed.
Oh and this is a total ripoff of a Cracked article that’s waaaaaay better.
http://www.cracked.com/article_15989_hollywoods-6-favorite-offensive-stereotypes.html
funny how an article about huge, sweeping generalizations employs said generalizations itself in large swaths. the only thing more stereotypical than the cliches you write of are the way in which you write about them.
so all the heroic men and women in saving private ryan were stupid, crazy or poor?
Yes, Hollywood hates Christians so much that every time an atheist or doubter shows up in a film, he or she is ALWAYS a nonbeliever because “God let them down,” as opposed to just not believing in the big invisible sky being for rational reasons, and always has to be proven wrong or forced to admit the value of faith (Contact, Dogma, Signs, etc). And as for Judeo-Christian tradition spawning modern liberalism, please spare me. If this is so true, why does the Bible relegate women to property status, condemn homosexuals to death, condemn those who engage in premarital sex to death, condemn any non-believers to ETERNAL death, and overflow with passages where God tells his people to go to a neighboring nation, kill everyone, take their virgin girls, and all the rest of their property? Why did Jesus instruct his follwers to not take his teachings to the Gentiles? You come off like the typical “persecuted” Christian, whining about being the underdog despite being in the overwhelming majority.
by the sounds of it you are apart of these cliches and many of these offend you. Must be a Republican Christian that is a clueless father married to a corporate wife that has had a family member in the service. Otherwise you would not have singled out these cliches as to being offensive. I’d rather they keep these cliches and try offending more people. Cinema is an art form that has been regulated to a point of ineptness and sequels and remakes are the standard because nothing else can succeed. REASON – wonderful religious republicans of regulation.
Did anyone stop to consider that something becomes a cliche or stereotype because it is a common societal occurance? The reason these things manage to find their way into stories or movies is because the world always seems to be filled with sterling examples to draw from. It is simply assumed (and should not be) that a smart reader/watcher will acknowledge that these are simply one portion of a much larger issue. All of the things we see listed above are famaliar because they happen all the time, and there is always something from our own lives that we are reminded of.
I might suggest that hollywood has simply turned a mirror on what we have become as American people, and we arent comfortable. Sure, they might have done it in an overblown and unrealistic way, but the message is still there.
If you think about it, I promise you can find many real life examples of all of the cliches listed above.
Consider what that says about us as a culture.
Love the list! Especially item #1. There are too few movies that portray soldiers as we really are, and all too often never the ones about soldiers back from the war… “Hollywood got it wrong every damned time, whetting twisted political knives on the bones of our dead brothers.” G. Harold G. Moore, prologue to We Were Soldiers Once…
Keep hammering away at this one! I refuse to even watch a movie about Iraq (my war) right now because of the ridiculous crap that comes out of Hollyweird right now. They screw up great works of literature, you can’t expect them to make an accurate war movie (unless its Randal Wallace and Mel Gibson, or “Blackhawk Down”… but then, they become critically rejected for the most part beyond “Best Picture Sound” or some such, or the actor is attacked for his ‘Conservative’ views and ‘Anti-Semitic’ rants after falling down to alcoholism again).
I’m glad to see there are some sane voices in the entertainment industry. I certainly hope you seek out some of us to tell our story someday.
If we could drop the smart-ass egotistic blogger cliche from the internet I’d be happy.
This article was a waste of time.
A: I could think of 30 cliches that are far more overused.
B: You’re putting your own beliefs into fact. Yes ALL republicans are evil (and I hate democrats evenly).
C: NO examples
So…throw away every character ever that has made Hollywood successful?!
And yes, they’re successful as they’ve become the norm for ’stereotype’ casting. Although it may not be right, it does sell.
This article just raised issues with no solutions…brilliant. Anyone can do that.
Hollywood is the purest form of capitalism – if someone with the power to greenlight a movie thinks it’ll make money, it gets made. And even people in ‘the flyover’ go and see them.
Which means that Hollywood ‘lefty elitists’ are actually better at capitalism than their critics! How weird is that?
There’s plenty of movies depicting soldiers or ex-soldiers as sane and decent heroic figures. Of course in most of these movies they also happen to be pretty efficient killing machines. Like Commando or Missing in action or The Marine. Which i’m sure were made by righties.
ALso there’s PLENTY of movies depicting cops as heroic figures. Tons of them. There’s not many movies about firefigthers but what about backdraft? As for cowboys. Come on, you can’t be a cowboy without being a drunk. You just can’t. It’s in the requirements.
I have to kind of agree about the magical minorities though, i’ll give you that much.
This was a great article and you are spot on.
This article explains why American Carol made so much money at the box office. Or will you somehow fudge those figures as well? $7mil ticket sales on at least $20 mil budget (excluding marketing and distribution expenses)? Or will you somehow spin those figures like the pre-crash stock market?
Ummm… I am not a fan of cliches- but the sad fact is cliches are cliches because there is at least a seed of truth within them.
A lot of veterans of wars are very damaged by their experiences
A lot of professional ladder climbing women feel it necessary to be the biggest piranha in the tank in order to be respected.
A lot of devoutly religious people do use their belief systems to tell other people how to live their lives.
A lot of men feel kind of lost when it comes to the more difficult tasks involved in being a father.
There have been over 1000 cases of clergy molestation brought to the legal system in the last 10 years- not all of them are innocent.
Republicans do cheat people out of their money and start needless wars.
“traditional Values” can mean a lot of things- but the male as provider and head of the household- ruling by respect- and failing that- fear- is something a lot of people are familiar with- and have the bruises to prove it.
Just because a pewrson is homeless- or an addict or in whatever horrid place in their lives- does not make them- as you suggest inherently stupid or evil.
I have spent time in the south- and as much as it pains me to say it- a lot of places look and feel like they are lost in time- and politically somehow “behind the times” doesn’t quite say it. Try viewing the american south from beyond the confines of a hotel room and you’ll have to agree.
Look- I know you miss George Bush- and you are filled with anger and doubt right now- but why blame hollywood? If you hate it so much stop watching.
How about the embittered Republican, irritated that people keep trying to call them to account for nearly ruining the most powerful nation on Earth? Or the power-abusing old white guys, who’s casual willingness to end the lives of others is tempered by comical incompetence, possibly involving shooting friends and employees in the face during hunting mishaps? These are all fun cliches that went out of style ages ago.
Yet here we have this blog, a stark reminder that some people are still clinging to willful ignorance. You guys just keep moaning in your little corner of the internet…I can almost see the flecks of foam on your lips as you see yourselves become more redundant and ridiculous every day.
You all are a bunch of republican hicks. This post is stupid. Movies make you guys out to be like this because you ARE like this.
I’m a screenwriter- and even though I agree with some of the examples you gave… the war veteran, the dumb male, I even agree with the Magical Minority to a degree, but like one poster said- the examples you gave just don’t match up with what your write. Like the stupid dad/male- you show a picture of Eugene Levy in American pie after he catches his son doing you know what, he actually has a very intelligent, warmhearted conversation with him and I think it was done in a realistic way, awkward silences, little pieces of dialogue. Just my opinion. Also, under the monicer, Professional Bitch- you have a picture of Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, yes she is unlikeable, but she was also married with kids.
I don’t know if you got the memo, but how can Hollywood be anti-corporation if it IS one big corporation. There are so many conglomerates owning movie theaters now and have you ever heard of Rupert Murdoch, owner of AOL Time Warner and owner of who is a conservative? There are more conservatives in Hollywood then you think but people have to change with times; I’m sorry, but I think your views are very outdated. Have you ever heard of Rupert Murdoch, the owner of 20th Century Fox, News Corp and Fox News? Do you think he is liberal?
I don’t know, I can sense the frustration in your post but I think it is misdirected at screenwriters and not studio execs and producers who send back tons of notes on scripts that will soon get twisted into another monster all together.
As far as stereotypes are concerned what about:
The dumb blonde- any movie with Cameron Diaz especially There’s something about Mary. I will add the new Renee Zellwigger movie to this.
The objectification of women’s bodies in mainstream media is a stereotype in itself, it reduces men to oversexed idiots whose only interest is to see an actress take off her clothes. I know this is not the case, all people want is a good story that necessarily doesn’t have to have eye candy.
The beautiful, devious woman: She betrays every man she loves because she has daddy issues. Lame. Any movie with Angelina Jolie in it.
Look, you have every right to express your views about Hollywood and its representation of certain individuals, just wish you would have given better examples.
I LOVED the article, and the reactions here post-IMDb are predictable.
Click on my name link to see a YouTube video about why Hollywood instills these cliches.
This was an awesome article. And to that person who said “cold-hearted Atheist” as a cliche? That is nothing to the amount of times “evil Christian” or “traditionalist hypocrite” is used in a movie.
NOGOD: I am a Republican and a college graduate, not a “hick.” How dare you say that? Your statement proves how bigoted you are. This article has plenty of merit in it.
Excellent article. It’s nice to see that someone recognizes what Hollywood’s doing.
Why can’t so many of you spell? A lot is two words, and use the correct there or their or they’re. If the present state of cinema is too sterotypical and cliched, oh sophisticated viewers, why don’t go to the library and read a book. You could both indulge your political/religious beliefs and perhaps obtain some basic understanding of the structure of the English language.
It won’t not reconcile you to the movie INDUSTRY – remember, its a business- but your writing style may catch up to your aesthetics.
I’m sorry, but cliches regarding Self Righteous Christians, Tight a**’ed Traditionalists and Pedophile Priests are so uncomfortable because they strike so close to home.
And regarding republicans… let’s not even try to go there.
I’m not saying that all the people described in those categories are evil, but they certainly fit the stereotype in most of the circumstances I’ve met in my 40 years of living.
99% of the christians I’ve met are self righteous pricks.
what’s with the liberal bashing?
movies with conservative ideaologies are just as guilty of cliches as their left-wing counter parts. It’s very strange that you single liberalism out so viciously in what purports to be a list of 10 cinematic cliches (a title which doesn’t really denote any political bias).
“your blind acceptance of one party, your blind hatred of the other, makes you one-dimensional hacks.” You said it.
This is a pretty lame post. These “cliches” are not backed up by any specific movie references, except for the images associated to the different categories. There is a very distinct soapbox mentality that just permeates this article…maybe tone down the preachiness and back up your writing with concrete examples of these stereotypes.
Christians “don’t fight back”???
Seriously, what planet do you live on?
Way to cherry-pick in order to support your arguments.
So, based on what you’ve outlined in your points, what you’re saying is that movies should be about white, Christian, Southern, Republican, educated, “traditional” well-to-do ex-soldiers with white sidekicks and dumb an unassertive wives, and where anyone uneducated, poor, or off the beaten track must suffer cinematically for leading “self destructive lives?”
Well, I certainly see where *you’re* coming from …
On the other hand, there are dozens and dozens of popular films like Commando, True Lies, Die Hard, Rambo, The Marine, Dirty Harry, Top Gun, etc. that do seem to somewhat fit your mold, and are ICONIC, money-making pictures.
And you know what? As great as these films are (certainly my favorites) People get bored of seeing the same heroes. Audiences don’t always want to see two-dimensional or traditional characters–just look at the top earners at the box office. Audiences want to see conflict, angst, broaden their horizons, learn about things they wouldn’t encounter or do in real life, for better or worse.
As to your points specifically, “dumb fathers” only account for a small percentage of cinematic fathers, mostly in comedies. A majority of film heroes are working class, cops the most represented. Power bitches tend to exist to contrast with up and coming naive girls. The majority of US characters are Christian, so surely they aren’t all portrayed as evil. “Trashy” people as you put it have often been around the block a few times, and therefore have some wisdom to share. This isn’t necessarily promoting anti-traditionalism, so much as it is sharing what has been acquired during a longer, stranger journey. It’s not like most people set out to be homeless or hookers!
It’s pretty clear that you’re uncomfortable with a lot that Hollywood does. That’s your right. And while it’s true that there are a lot of cliches, unfortunately you’ve picked out nothing new or insightful, only the ones that allow you to rant against the “liberal” Hollywood you so seem to detest.
You seem very bitter. Maybe you should stop watching movies altogether. They seem to depress you. It seems hard to believe that you like movies at all. Anyway, christians are pious and evil and who cares about catholic priests?
The main problem that I have with this article is that none of the cliches listed are backed up by examples.
Because of this, while reading this list of “cliches,” you automatically think, “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that a ton of times!”
Really? Let’s consider.
Outside of some excellent films made shortly after the Vietnam War (Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket) I haven’t seen too many where a twisted ex-soldier is the antagonist. The Rock, I guess, but that was over 12 years ago. I’m sure there have been more, but not often enough that I can remember them, or for you to give examples. And the Vietnam films I listed were more about soldiers who were having trouble dealing with the horrors of war, which has been done since, and usually very well.
As for the clueless dad, this was a little more common in the 80’s than it is now, outside of Disney channel movies. I consider Eugene Levy in American Pie to be more of a parody of this cliche than an example of it. Also, if you’re complaining about how Tim Allen’s character as a cliched clueless dad ruined Jungle 2 Jungle, I think you are expecting too much out of some of these films. If you go to a movie with a cliched dad, chances are you could have seen it coming.
When examples are provided, they are not used well. Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada as the example of the cliched Professional Bitch? She played a character based on a real person. A real person who was a successful, professional bitch. But probably also a Republican!
Which brings me to the Republican “cliche.” This cliche is used as a form of social commentary, and changes with each administration. So to say liberal Hollywood is picking on Republicans is a little unfair. Remember Wag the Dog? Not exactly a friendly look at the Clinton administration. Republicans are cliched as evil because the last eight years were spent under an evil Republican. Give everyone a couple years to get over the fact that he’s black, and people will probably start giving Obama crap for his mistakes too. Outside of Fox News, who have been doing it for about 6 years.
There are a couple of cliches listed that are actually cliches. The Magical minority, and the Flyover Losers. However, much like the moronic dad, if you are watching a movie about inbred rednecks, you probably can’t complain about how the cliche ruined the movie. Also, if you live in a state that was the same color in 2000, 2004 AND 2008, and that color was red, you probably can’t complain too much when you are portrayed as ignorant rednecks.
I also just wanted to reply to a comment left by Fred2. Replying to someone who commented that Christians don’t have the most peaceful history, he posted:
“As a Christian, I apologize for the mass murders committed by Christians fanatics. There is no excuse for the 200,000 people murdered during the Inquisition, the Crusades, and the witch burning. However, where is the apology from Christianity’s atheist critics concerning Hitler’s godless regime killing 10 MILLION people, including 6 million Jews?”
I would like to reply. First, if you think 200,000 people murdered during the Inquisition, Crusades and witch burning is the extent of the people killed in the name of Christianity, you are living in a very sheltered world. And I’m sure that no Jew has ever been killed in the name of Christianity! Right.
More importantly, how can you expect athiests to apologize for Hitler’s horrific acts, just because Hitler claimed to be an athiest? I guess I should apologize too, because I am of German descent. Never mind the fact that my grandparents fled from Germany in 1939 rather than be forced to fight for something they didn’t believe in. I’m a Christian, and to all the athiests out there, I don’t blame you for Hitler, you don’t have to apologize to me. I hope you don’t blame me for the Inquisition!
Sure enough, all the left-wingers are coming out screaming because finally, someone has called them on their propaganda, and shown it for what it is.
And what a convenient excuse: “These cliches exist because they come from life.” Riiiight.
Okay. Let me apply that cliche-defending logic for a moment to another cliche:
CLICHE: “Jews are money-grubbing and selfish and manipulate the media.”
Oh, but nooooo, this cliche cannot be condemend.
Why?
To quote the attackers of this article:
“I’ve run into this “cliche” in real life”
“This has become cliche b/c is continues to be true”
“The thing you are pointing out as cliche is really just a common archetype, and the reason it gets used over and over again is because it resonates with people.”
And so on.
AHA. Not so happy with cliches now, are you?
Okay, so if that cliche about Jews strikes you as offensive, then use some EMPATHY and try to understand why the 10 cliches listed above are offensive.
Hey Ragazzi3, Hitler wasn’t an atheist. He was a Christian. It dovetails well with the whole anti-Jew thing. How about Stalin then? He was officially atheist. Yes, he was responsible for the deaths of many but, unlike the Inquisition, the Crusades, etc. he wasn’t killing in the name of atheism.
MCGINNY
“Why can’t so many of you spell? A lot is two words, and use the correct there or their or they’re. If the present state of cinema is too sterotypical and cliched, oh sophisticated viewers, why don’t go to the library and read…”
Funny that you call upon others spelling and forgot to proofread your own post. Had you, you would have noticed the grammatical error- ‘why don’t go to the library…-
PAUL LEEMICK: Hitler had nothing but contempt for Christianity, and it really began to show after 1937. He believed that Christianity was a scourge afflicting the German people, and he did what he could to eradicate it from his country. As for Stalin, who kills in the name of atheism? Atheist leaders have killed in the name of freedom from the bondage of religion and traditional morality, the name of founding a utopian state, the name of justice, the name of The People… People give all sorts of reasons for committing evil acts, but I’m not certain whether the explanation makes the slain feel better about being murdered. I think atheism opens the door much wider for those justifications, but with murderers there’s always A Good Explanation.
Angry White Male for No Realistic Reason
Real-life cliche that’s clearly overdone.
Try Again. The false indignation is hilarious.
A great example of the child with adult actions is swing vote. Not only does kevin Kostner’s 10 year old daughter have to cook breakfast and drag him out of bed in the morning(also dumb dad cliche), she reminds him it’s his ‘civic duty’ to vote. Upon hearing this he tells her he is not registered at which she replies that she registered him 4 weeks prior. A ten year old registering their ‘dumb dad’ to vote? The whole pretense of the movie is silly, although original, but c’mon . She also goes on to explain to him how he is an independent due to the two party system neglecting the needs of the poor and so on … a ten year old… oh.. and this is all in the first 3 minutes.. I have yet to see what other knowledge of our political system a ten year old knows more about than most adults.
And I have thus ceased to watch this horrible movie know after roughly ten minutes in when said daughter sneaks past sleeping poll personel to cast her fathers vote.
did anyone else read this article and totally picture what the guy writing it looks like? christian, republican, racist, and a complete douchebag. worst combo for a human.
Wow, project much, James Hudnall?
There were some decent points and there were some pure comedy lines. Best laugh I’ve had so far today.
It definitely would help your cause, James, if you didn’t exhibit the exact same traits (hypocrisy, judgmental, self righteousness, hubris etc.) as you are railing against.
Maybe you should’ve chosen the pictures…Maybe you should’ve referenced some actual movies. Maybe you shouldn’t have just pointed out the obvious. Maybe you should go back to school to learn how to create compelling arguments, backed up by examples. This would’ve failed as a 9th grade essay.
Good thing that only took 5 minutes too read. What a load of whiny nonsense, and a solid waste of time. Sounds like a fundie christian republican gay molester male hypocrite trashy “flyover loser” wrote this. How about instead of calling this “10 cinematic cliches that must die” you call it “10 things I’ve seen in movies that offended my christian sensibilities which must die”
James,
I feel ya bro, but you know all to well that as long as the cookies sell, they’ll never discard the cookie cutters. Such is the savagely formulaic survival drumbeat of tinsel town.
Loved the take though as well as how you wordcrafted it.
Signed, just another hypocritical, dumb, traditionalist, trailer trash, minority dad, pedophilic excommunicated, ex-priest, and let’s don’t forget- misogynist, extreme right wing Republican…
AdamPrimera@InParisDark.com
Most cliches do have some truth to them, which is how they originate. They just become overused. All drama requires conflict. If you made a movie about a happy, well-adjusted conservative Christian Republican war veteran who was a perfect father and had a great job working for a nice female boss it would be pretty boring.
War veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder are not just an invention of Hollywood. It’s true that there are civilian occupations that are more dangerous than being a soldier and many people in the military never experience major combat, but who wants to see the movie about the guy who spent the war working as a clerk? Most war movies are about soldiers in combat or prisoners of war, and they’re more likely to develop mental health issues.
The pedophile priest is only a recent character in movies. Before the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal priests were portrayed mostly as noble, kindly characters or holy warriors fighting against evil. When the Production Code was in effect religion could not be ridiculed and ministers could not be portrayed as villains or comic characters. Considering how widespread the sex abuse cases were and how many decades they went back, I don’t think it’s excessive that there have been a couple of movies in recent years featuring pedophile priests.
Some of these cliches actually arose to counter older cliches. The wise, helpful minority may be a cliche now, but it originated to counter the portrayal of non-whites as villains or fools in old movies. I think writers should be conscious of cliches and seek more inspiration from reality than other works of fiction, but I don’t think anyone should be setting rules on what they can and cannot write.
Great article. A little harsh, as a lot of these characters have been in some great movies, but your point is well-made.
Interesting: I’ve been watching a lot of older movies lately, as I am so fed up with the new ones filled with cheap garbage. Those movies have over-done characters, too. But, often, they’re different characters from today’s over-done characters, so I’m not sick of them yet. Since I haven’t seen these characters in a while, the concepts seem fresh and almost innocent – not cheap and over-used.
I agree that no idea is original. Even going back to Shakespeare and Marlowe, you find the predictable classic characters. However, entertainment was an art back then. Artists were poor; they acted because they loved it. And, though artists today still love what they do, entertainment has turned into a money-making machine.
Some movies being made today are good. Many are garbage. I wish producers would realize that they’d get a bigger bang for their bucks in this economy if they quit throwing these cheap movies at us. Don’t let us go out of the theater saying, “Hey, that was just like this other movie I saw,” or even worse, “I liked the first one better.” Give us more to love when we come out of the theater: “I loved that screenplay; it was so well-written!” “That movie was beautiful. Each shot was flawless.” “The score behind that movie was genius.” “That director knew what he was doing. Awesome.”
You seem to have good ideas and most of these need to die but you sound like all those Christian groups who feel it to be necessary that entertainment (movies/TV/music/etc) all live up to good old Christian morals and anything deviating from them is immoral and offensive. Some of these are completely understandable. The pedophile priest. That was pretty recent (lawsuits were in 2001) so to still be using it isn’t terrible. A far worse won is any war movie ever focuses on American soldiers in either WW2 or Vietnam, paints the enemy as evil, and has a glorious American win in the climax. But that’s a good cliche because it promotes American patriotism which is something somebody who complains about the portrayal or Republicans and Christians wouldn’t complain about.
You also make some really stupidly broad statements that hurt your argument. “In Hollywood movies men are either stupid or gay.” You couldn’t have made a better sentence to get your point across. Something like, “I Hollywood movies dads are stupid” That’s a little more accurate. This cliche is much more abused in TV though as almost every sitcom ever has used the fat stupid guy/hot smart wife formula even though the Simpsons are really the only ones to pull it off.
Well I think I’m done here but will leave with one final point. You state that Liberal values come from Judeo-Christian values. Couple of things on this one. Why then have Conservatives (they seem to be more Christian (if that even makes sense)) seemingly abandoned these traditional Judeo-Christian values for some morbid ones that promote bigotry and are against scientific advancement. Also these values were not started by whichever guys sat down and decided to write the bible. They were in place long before hand.
Normally I don’t leave comments on articles like this, but I appreciate that the author responds to the criticisms left here and while I can’t say that I expect to change anyone’s mind, I certainly enjoy a good critical argument.
First off, I’d like to point out a number of solid points in the article. I too have grown quite tired of The Professional Bitch, The Magical Minority, and the Crazed Vet (although your “fighting for your right to free speech” line is just as cliched as those characters, I don’t really mean to incite a massive argument here, but what soldiers, where right now, are fighting what threat to Americans’ free speech? I don’t mean that soldiers are not admirable people, I just think this notion that free speech is under attack to begin with, and especially the notion that those who fight for it should be immune from it, is silly, tired and broken).
That said, I have serious issues either with the arguments you have made, or even the notion of these characters as “cliched” with the rest of your points.
First, I think the concept of “deconstruction” which you so readily dismissed, needs to be raised. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m an English student to begin with that I feel the need to defend it, but its an extremely valuable component of art. America, as with any society is constructed around a specific set of “traditional” values, and the fact of the matter is that while it is perfectly possible for a person to live a happy, traditional life, the veneer of tradition does often hide underlying problems. Furthermore, its also perfectly possible to live a happy and responsible non-traditional life. Deconstruction is about exposing flaws that exist in the predominant ideology, and they do exist, but the reason “traditional” values get attacked is because they are “traditional” and predominant. I can assure you that if the evil non-traditional heathens ever really did take over America that the deconstructionist angle would then shift to their values and the flaws in it.
Its this same reason that Christians are often under attack. There are many wonderful things about Christianity, as with near any other religious belief, the problem is that it is predominant, and that being the predominant religious ideology, it is often accepted as “right.” The thing is that with as many good things as Christian organizations do, the average, middle-American Christian supports the death penalty, denying homosexuals the right to non-religious marriage (and state-marriages are entirely out of God’s hands), systems in which the poor are denied welfare and health care etc. etc. All of these things go against the Christian doctrine of loving those around around you. Once again, its about exposing the flaws in the dominant ideology, and if Judaism or Islam became the predominant religion, they too would come under the eye of deconstructionism.
Of course the whole middle-American Christianity thing really leads right into Middle America period. Now I’m just as tired of overall wearing, moonshine sipping hicks, but leaf through all the statistics you want. Middle America is the least literate, most under-educated part of the country and remains a hot bed for racism and intolerance of anything that isn’t white, Christian and firmly traditional.
Now, I’ll agree that in the above three, that Hollywood is often extraordinarily clumsy with how they handle these characters, making them two-dimensional caricatures instead of well-rounded characters, but I think that how Hollywood writes its characters is more the problem.
Most of my other points are much shorter, and since I’ve rambled on for long enough, I’ll just try and stick to point form.
The Stupid Male: This character shows up mostly in comedies, and while I agree he’s gotten stale, the very concept of a comedy involves making the audience smarter and more fortunate than the characters within.
Wise Trashy People: This is a standard literary archetype thousands of years old. It isn’t supposed to be a message about the unfortunate, it’s supposed to have a mythic quality to it.
Evil Republicans: Not going to touch much on this one, since the Republican party is very much against my own political beliefs, but I will say that when art gets overtly political it just becomes pedantic and boring and lacking in all complexity and I would very much welcome the demise of movies like Lions for Lambs.
Pedophile Priest: Overused, though not nearly as pervasive as you seem to think and when used correctly (and not as a throwaway gag) can be a compelling addition to a plot.
And a quick note to your editor: 6, 7 and 10 have the worst possible pictures attached to them, considering the characters depicted are extraordinarily well-rounded and aren’t even meant to fill those steoreotypes (Hoffman’s pedophilia is ambiguous, Cooper’s character has as much to do with repression as attacking traditional values and as someone point out above, the two characters in the 10th picture meet at an art gallery).
Wow you are one of the most arrogent people Ive read in a bit trying to say how to improve movies. Mostly cause I havnt read alot, You may claim to be agnostic but im guessing you were raised christian and Libertarian is often closer ties to republicans then democrats. Liberal means wanting change nothing else, sorry bub wrong again.
No your out of touch and I see and rather closed minded. Your article is a form of biggotry and is idiotic, you try and make yourself look like the man who knows everything but clearly dont.
One last point have you looked at the statistics on the people who join the military, Hear is a hint, Not alot of millionaries in it
Wow. What a crappy list. You seem to repeat yourself multiple times. I get it, you have a problem with liberals and/or Democrats. No need to bash me over the head with it.
What I find hilarious is that you seem to think only Democrats blindly support their party. I’m a Democrat and certainly don’t vote party lines. I also don’t think Obama is going to magically solve all of our problems. If he f-cks up the country worse than Bush (unlikely, but anything is possible) then yes, I will criticize him just as much as I have Bush. But have you seen those Youtube videos of the racist idiots at McCain/Plain rallies? If you want to stop cliches in Hollywood, try stopping the walking cliches first. If there WEREN’T crazy Bible-thumping Christians out there, there wouldn’t be anything for Hollywood to base that on (and by the way, I don’t think I’ve EVER seen a single movie that pretends all Christians are bad people in any way).
If your political undertones weren’t enough, your list flat-out sucks. There are so many more cliches that are way worse than some that you listed. Like the airhead bimbo that every guy wants just because she’s hot. Or the stripper/prostitute with a heart of gold. The sex-obsessed male teens in any teen comedy. How about the inspirational teacher? Or inspirational sports stories?
Face it. Very little in Hollywood is unique, and you can’t even pick 10 significant cliches to write your pathetic little blog on. You must be very proud.
And for future reference, it would be nice for you to provide an extensive list of examples for each cliche, because quite frankly, I can’t think of more than one or two examples for each cliche, if that. So please, enlighten me. Give me a list of 10+ movies for each cliche.
I agree with Christina, you seemed to pick the most obscure and not-overdone cliches in movies. Cliches that need to die are teen films loaded with stomach churning double entendres, dark and goth-y vampire/werewolf movies, sappy sports movies, disaster movies, shoot-em-up/slasher movies…or maybe seeing the Romeo and Juliet story line over and over and over again. The only cliche on your list that I agreed with was the stupid dad, but I certainly don’t think it’s “morally, ethically, and intellectually bankrupt”.
No, not all people who serve in the military have some kind of mental disease due to their service, but I have lived in the military and have had many relatives who are veterans, and everyone I have met who has served in combat has had psychological issues of some degree. War is a terrible and downright hellish experience and if you think most soldiers escape it completely well-adjusted then, you’re just plain ignorant.
For the life of me I don’t understand the “evil-Christian” cliche….was there even such a cliche in existence? Just what movie was it that portrays every Christian in it as bad or as you say evil? I do remember seeing the numerous movies where the “evil-Christian” was defeated by uh….Christians.
Any middle-school creative writing course will tell you the main key to writing a good story is conflict and that conflict is broken down into three categories: man vs. man; man vs. nature/environment; and man vs. self. so, once I got to number 7 “traditionalist hypocrite” (which of course would refer to man vs. self) that’s when I said to myself “you must just not like movies”. So tell me, what kind of movies do you like? Is it the ones that are about rich, nice, protestant republicans of different races that are completely psychologically and emotionally well-adjusted, who love their family and community?
This list is seriously lacking examples. Sure, everyone’s got their own “cliches” that they would rather not see but no one gives examples of movies that employ such stereotypes. Some of the movies that are accused of being cliche are probably that started it all. What movies used the hooker/stripper with a heart of gold? The only one I can think of is Pretty Woman and as far as I know, there wasn’t a major movie (if at all) with a theme like that. The same could go for Forrest Gump too.
If it’s obvious what movie characters are cliche, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to list a few, if only to provide clarity for some people.
Perhaps you people wouldn’t be annoyed by so many stereotypes if you read a book instead of just watching Hollywood action flicks. Or maybe try a foreign film once in awhile, to get an idea what other people in the world think about life. And BTW, I suppose pro-military, anti-Arab, America-loving, child-defending, heterosexual white man Jack Bauer of 24 isn’t a cliche.
What about the tough female cop that outwits and outmuscles all of the bad guys?
Is there a cop show on TV where there isn’t a female tough cop/detective? I do not know of any female detectives in my area. The female cops I have seen are most definitely incapable of beating up any of the criminals I see. Men have more muscle in their bodies, like 2x as much. It is just incredibly unlikely that EVERY female cop is capable of beating up EVERY criminal, no matter their size.
Or what about the bully that is still a bully 30 years later? C’mon, no one stays a bully their whole life.
Or what about the teen that turns into a basketball playing wolf? That is really old now.
Or what about any movie starring Jim Carrey? Isn’t everything he does just a regurgitated repeat of something else?
Aronofsky, Nolan, Peter Jackson, Zach Snyder, Gilliam etc seem to be the only imaginative, original, creative guys left. Obviously way more than that list but you get the point.
Not all of their stuff is 100% fresh, but cliches are almost always out of hte question whenever they do something.
Ok,Whioch is it?
“During the Iraq war, it was actually statistically more dangerous to work on a farm or drive a taxi cab than to be a soldier in Iraq.”
or
“They risk their lives so other people can be free.”
You can’t have it both ways. Either Iraq was dangerous or it wasn’t.
Look, art reflects life. Almost all of thee Cliche’s do exisit relitivly comonl;y in real life, sure they are not the majhority- but the majority would not make a good film. Rambo would be boring as sin if he was a well adjusted vetran.
And If the Catholic church didn’t want people to pay out on them for sweeping the pedophiles under the rug, they shouldn’t have endorsed their actions. I don’t care how small a minority the pedophile priest might be, there are enough of them to cause alarm and the Catholic church brought ALL the heat on themselves.
“Just Some Guy – January 20th, 2009 at 9:27 am
It was all making sense until you got on a soapbox to champion Christianity. Where’s the sympathy for the “evil pagan”, “satanic lunatic”, and “cold hearted atheist” stereotypes?
Earlier in your article you suggest Hollywood is writing about itself. This happens to lots of writers. hint hint hint.”
Here here. No sympathy for Cliches supported by your own world veiw is there?
so, are you saying that, in your ideal movie, the protagonist is a suited, religeous capitolist with a great family, a great life and no worries?
Therefore the antagonist is…a two-dimentional character that is ‘evil’ with no background?
looks like you’ve got the beginnings to a great movie.
Just saying, Those cliches, though maybe overdone, are touching to many people. There is a message beind them, and they each play their role. These chiches may be unrelaistic, but they are true to life, or at least were very real at one point. We all know that not EVERY vetran is crazy or depressed – but many are, hopefully we can all realize that there is a line between fiction and reality.
maybe some writers are using these stereotypes simply to negate the stereotype. Then again, maybe depth is lost in this generation.
Hate to play devil’s advocate, but hey.
*perspectived*!
Pedophile priests? Does that really deserve to be number 6 on the list? I mean really.
Patrick
“Its this same reason that Christians are often under attack. There are many wonderful things about Christianity, as with near any other religious belief, the problem is that it is predominant, and that being the predominant religious ideology, it is often accepted as “right.” The thing is that with as many good things as Christian organizations do, the average, middle-American Christian supports the death penalty, denying homosexuals the right to non-religious marriage (and state-marriages are entirely out of God’s hands), systems in which the poor are denied welfare and health care etc. etc. All of these things go against the Christian doctrine of loving those around around you”
Have you ever read the Bible? Like the parts that say homosexuality is a sin? Like the verse that says “if you dont work, you dont eat?” Or where the penalty for killing someone in cold blood is death? Or where gov’t/authorities are suppose to punish evildoers how they see fit? Or where we are suppose to be good stewards of our money? Or the part where it’s the church’s responsibility to take care of the less fortunate, not the governments. Or the part where God makes it clear that its not ok to be lazy.
But since you are part of the non-majority it is impossible for you to be close-minded, right? Isn’t that how it works? You are clearly close-minded or ignorant of huge portions of the Christian Bible. It is impossible that any research you did on Christianity was done independently.
Would you not be offended if I acted like I knew all about your beliefs, when I do not?
Open your mind friend, open it up.
I check this site a lot and stay out of the political rabble but one cliche that gets a lot of focus is the way priests are hammered on. Alas, I cannot be specific(can’t think of names of the movies) but a few of you might understand me and/or have seen a movie like such. Priests in inner-city struggle movies are often portrayed as whole heartedly trying to help misguided youth, running shelters and community centers, with nothing but good intentions and are true to what most men of the cloth really are. Im just mentioning this beacuse a lot of people on here comment how there aren’t any movies fair to the catholic church, and like I said I’m sorry for no examples but I know I’ve seen this type of movie before.
Tim
I know all about the bible, and all about the parts of it that directly contradict one another and the many others that defy logic and good reason.
The bible also says the following should be killed: disobedient children, women who have sex before marriage (not men), adulterers, those accused of wickedness by at least two people, anyone who works on the Sabbath.
Almost every point you preached is from the Old Testament, before God did an about face from fire and brimstone to forgiveness and compassion with the coming of Jesus.
Also, you do realize that many of those supported by welfare are in no way lazy. They’re single mothers, and those laid off and unable to find other work. Yes, some people take advantage of the system, but Jesus preached compassion, and I would have to assume that he would prefer to give to those in need and see some of what was given taken by the greedy, than to let the unfortunate starve and perish.
Arguments ARE pointless if they’re not backed up by concrete examples. Vague generalities don’t make for good arguments. Examples open up minds and are a pretty good tactic at getting your point across. That’s what has annoyed me about this article. I don’t give a crap about the politics or religious arguments. I’m bothered by inattentive, lazy writing.
“Do any of you realize that Judeo-Christian values are the foundations of modern liberalism? That liberalism was a movement that came from Christianity? The very things you claim to believe were derived from that.”
Are you kidding me? Like you didn’t know that christian’s higher ups were subordonate to the the aristocraty. They never lived by the equality inherent to democracy, they believed at the time in a natural order, set from God, where a man was king, another one bishop, and another one peasant. I have to admit there are a lot of cliches in hollywood. But you are driven by dogmatism and ideology. Stop hating everything that doesn’t fit into your boxes. Is it a surprise that on you list we find all the cliches of the republican thrashtalker? Gays, anti-war people, strong wowen. Stop living in hate, stop living in fear. But if you do, at leat don’t lie to others while doing it.
This list is fascist garbage. Gotta love the irony, though.
what About this site! a bunch of undersexed 30 somethings that make a attempt at something intelligent, instead of football…..I knew you’ld be a smart one!
Don’t forget these key subsets of the Evil Christian
a Polygamist Mormons (that is so 1860s)
b Rebellious, Slutty or stupid (and possibly all 3) Preacher’s Kids
c Clueless Preacher Wife in the apron and baking cookies
Other subsets
Interracial romance that is only opposed by racist Whitey
Ghettos without rampant crime, teen pregnancy and drug use.
Everyone in flyover country is obviously obese and not nearly cultured enough until they go to the big city
“Jenifer Petersen – February 10th, 2009 at 10:45 am
what About this site! a bunch of undersexed 30 somethings that make a attempt at something intelligent, instead of football…..I knew you’ld be a smart one!”
Because of course anyone posting a comment is an undersexed male baffoon.
Atleast most of the “attempts” to be intelligent are complete with proper spelling and grammer dear. Now, back in the kitchen you go, we’re running low on chocolate chips.
Another cliche: why does Hollywood always give so many villains an English accent? What have the poor English done?
[...] Big Holly Wood [...]
What about gay cowboys? Perhaps it's not a trope, but once was enough.
get rid of these and what else is there?
this list kind of sucks. i think alot of characters playing these kind of roles really help create a very interesting movie/plot.
Thanks Nick. I'm sure that we all have plots we don't like but we can't get rid of them all. If we do we will be left with nothing but Lifetime. Oh wait, Lifetime has about 4 or 5 plots in all. We could all go back to reading, they say it's quite pleasant at times.
While these are tired cliches, this article will never be able to accomplish its stated purpose: Hollywood isn't going to pay a bit of attention to it, and if they do it'll be mockery. You can't expect to effect any change when you spend your article insulting the very people that you want to change.
1."Obviously, reality and research are a problem for you." It's NOT obvious to them. It may be obvious to you and me, but they don't get it. And this sort of tone is going to make them tune you out.
2. "Maybe the problem is you don’t know how to write appealing characters because you’re writing about yourself?" If they weren't done reading with number one, they most certainly are here. Insults are one of the things that Hollywood is being called out for in this article. I don't know anyone that responds well to being insulted. People who perceive themselves to be powerful least of all.
6. "Once again, you show you have no imagination by whipping out this drivel every time you have a priest in a story (unless it involves demons or Vatican corruption). Sweeping generalizations against a group of people is something you like to accuse conservatives of doing. Hypocrisy alert!" Your Hollywood "audience" is going to have a good laugh over this one: the charges of sweeping generalizations being hypocrisy is a shoe that fits BOTH feet in this case. Your generalizations are as sweeping as theirs. You can be sure that they will notice this and it will cost you credibility.
7. "And just because you can’t be imaginative enough to make complex characters rather than clichés, doesn’t excuse you from your lameness." Personal attacks are bad form. They alienate the audience. It seems to me that they also often signal a lack of useful dialog. If we want to have any kind of dialog with Hollywood then we need to refrain from personal attacks. It just leads to more and worse nastiness.
9. "Well, you’re asking for the same from us. Watch it." I don't know anybody that responds well to threats.
It seems clear to me that this article was never written for Hollywood in the first place. That means that your audience must be some segment of the Conservative crowd. Thing is, by dishing this up as a "serious" piece, it seems nearly as condescending to the Conservative readers of your blog as it is blatantly offensive to any Liberal Hollywood supporters that may happen by. The only thing that this piece can possibly accomplish is to further divide Americans. The only ones that benefit from divided Americans are the powers-that-be who are already entrenched and want to keep us fighting with each other so that we don't ever turn all that anger on them and push them out of power. Seems to me that this sort of article plays right into that.
As a white, Christian, military-backgrounded, Southern-bred/raised, fairly-conservative, patriotic American male(pausing for breath now) I REALLY enjoyed reading the words of this article, and those of its proceding comments. I'm working up here in Alberta, Canada, and I was really feeling alone with my feelings on what I recognize as a stagnant pool of cliche-riddled creativity in mainstream filmaking.
[...] A nice web master created an interesting post today on Big Hollywood Blog Archive 10 Cinematic Clichs That Must Die!Here’s a short outline [...]
I just want to smack the kid!
…and the writers.
I like beautiful women as much as the next guy. But does every single action or science fiction movie have to have the beautiful-yet self-assured female scientist/assassin/head of operations/pilot/leader of the expedition/weapons expert/race car driver/ass-kicker/man-killer/martial arts expert, etc,etc. – usually a "model-turned-actress" . What's the matter? They don't believe we'll watch any movie with a decent plot and maybe some action and suspense without the Baaaaabes?!? This is now officially a tired Hollywood cliche'. Oh, that's right – it's now all for the 12-24 drooling adolescent male population with the attention span of a grapefruit. I don't even bother with the action blockbusters anymore. I just need to see the trailer with the ever-present shot of the Victoria's Secret model pointing a gun with a mean look on her face or leveling the bad guy with a Bruce Lee/ballet maneuver (with a mean look on her face), and that's enough for me to say "Nope".
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