Tropescilloscope: Bavarian Fire Drill
Acting with authority fools others into thinking that you have it. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Take That!
Eye Scream
Beta Couple
Word of God
Bound and Gagged
Parental Incest
It Will Never Catch On
Hollywood Darkness
Adaptation Distillation
Book-Ends
Noodle Incident
Action Survivor
Thriller
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Re-Cut
From Nobody to Nightmare
Expy
Black Comedy
Dwindling Party
Drives Like Crazy
Big Bad
Bury Your Gays
Hero Antagonist
Line-of-Sight Name
The '70s
Gorn
Say My Name
Overly Long Gag
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Broken Bird
Fanservice Extra
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Rule of Cool
One Steve Limit
Informed Ability
Reality Is Unrealistic
Asshole Victim
Air-Vent Passageway
My Greatest Failure
Downer Ending
Not Using the "Z" Word
Meaningful Background Event
Bad "Bad Acting"
Karma Houdini
Sole Survivor
Tranquil Fury
Extremely Short Timespan
Auto Erotica
Genre Shift
Take a Third Option
Demonic Possession
Plot Hole
Double Entendre
Calling the Old Man Out
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Mistaken for Gay
Betty and Veronica
Obviously Evil
Visual Pun
Married to the Job
Shown Their Work
Our Zombies Are Different
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Ghost Fiction
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Trailers Always Spoil
He Who Fights Monsters
Vacation Films
Hell Is That Noise
Dramatic Gun Cock
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Australian Movies
Mind Screw
HeelFace Turn
Destination Defenestration
Papa Wolf
Would Hurt a Child
Apocalypse How
Mr. Exposition
BFG
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Ironic Echo
And the Adventure Continues
Crapsack World
All There in the Manual
Fun with Acronyms
Ass Shove
Time Skip
Chekhov's Gunman
Good Is Not Nice
Domestic Abuse
Does Not Like Shoes
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Developing Doomed Characters
Death by Adaptation
The Hero
Decoy Protagonist
Shout-Out
Facial Horror
Ripped from the Headlines
Fan Disservice
Kids Are Cruel
Creator Cameo
Early-Bird Cameo
It's All About Me
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Eagleland
Major Injury Underreaction
Vomit Discretion Shot
Off with His Head!
Undying Loyalty
The Voiceless
The '50s
Pimped-Out Dress
The Mafia
Based on a True Story
The '90s
Country Matters
Spanner in the Works
Let's Get Dangerous!
Broken Pedestal
Brainless Beauty
Establishing Character Moment
Market-Based Title
The Cavalry
Paper-Thin Disguise
Riddle for the Ages
Catapult Nightmare
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Wrong Genre Savvy
Villain Protagonist
Imagine Spot
Overprotective Dad
Curb-Stomp Battle
Shell-Shocked Veteran
True Companions
Love at First Sight
Politically Incorrect Villain
Blatant Lies
Determinator
Dirty Cop
Once More, with Clarity!
Rewatch Bonus
Not So Above It All
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Dark Reprise
Title Drop
Reckless Gun Usage
Darkest Hour
Blackmail
Put on a Bus
War Is Hell
Truth in Television
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
NO INDOOR VOICE
Took a Level in Jerkass
French Films
Earn Your Happy Ending
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Pay Evil unto Evil
The Chessmaster
The '60s
The Oner
Abusive Parents
In the Back
Darker and Edgier
Works Set in World War II
Back from the Dead
Award-Bait Song
Babies Ever After
"Shaggy Dog" Story
The Casanova
Military and Warfare Films
Scenery Gorn
All for Nothing
Retirony
Scare Chord
Bavarian Fire Drill
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Cool Shades
Failed a Spot Check
Diabolus ex Machina
MacGuffin
Spiteful Spit
Random Events Plot
Annoying Younger Sibling
Fake Shemp
The Power of Love
Punch-Clock Villain
Twist Ending
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Male Frontal Nudity
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Pretty Little Headshots
Nice Guy
Race Against the Clock
Fatal Flaw
Insult Backfire
Abhorrent Admirer
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Biopic
German Films
Death Seeker
Disney Villain Death
Becoming the Mask
Ax-Crazy
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Canon Foreigner
Not So Different
Bond Villain Stupidity
Canadian Movies
Character Development
Real Life Writes the Plot
Dressing as the Enemy
Action Girl
Sequel Hook
Psychopathic Manchild
Face Death with Dignity
Kick the Dog
Death of a Child
Punny Name
Badass Normal
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Offscreen Teleportation
After the End
From Bad to Worse
Psycho for Hire
Armor-Piercing Question
Accidental Murder
Outrun the Fireball
Animal Motifs
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Manchild
Soundtrack Dissonance
Anti-Hero
Cool Car
Sealed Evil in a Can
Five-Man Band
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
'80s Hair
Frame-Up
Break the Cutie
The Vamp
Anyone Can Die
Beware the Nice Ones
Stylistic Suck
Fantastic Racism
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Up to Eleven
Composite Character
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Cluster F-Bomb
Sinister Minister
Death by Sex
Contrived Coincidence
Death Glare
Manipulative Bastard
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Amoral Attorney
The Quiet One
What the Hell, Hero?
Damsel in Distress
Femme Fatale
Sadistic Choice
Motor Mouth
Black Dude Dies First
Maybe Ever After
Mexican Standoff
Gender Flip
Epic Fail
The Smart Guy
Smoking Is Cool
Everyone Has Standards
Reality Has No Subtitles
Rule of Funny
Adaptation Expansion
Small Name, Big Ego
Evil-Detecting Dog
Translation Convention
Dramedy
Token Minority
Jitter Cam
Room Full of Crazy
Shower Scene
Cain and Abel
Be Careful What You Wish For
The Bad Guy Wins
Never Found the Body
Gory Discretion Shot
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Irony
Setting Update
Expository Hairstyle Change
Cowboy Cop
A God Am I
folderlabel
Deal with the Devil
Non-Indicative Name
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
Evil Sounds Deep
Vampire Fiction
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Together in Death
Mighty Whitey
Sexy Discretion Shot
Henpecked Husband
Jerkass
Adult Fear
The Great Depression
Bald of Evil
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Man on Fire
Mugging the Monster
Combat Pragmatist
Faux Affably Evil
Shipper on Deck
Cool Old Lady
No-Sell
Manly Tears
Real Life
Artistic License Gun Safety
Crazy-Prepared
Ambiguous Ending
The Smurfette Principle
Your Head A-Splode
Dissonant Serenity
Last-Name Basis
Important Haircut
Precision F-Strike
The Lost Lenore
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Ms. Fanservice
Music Stories
All Just a Dream
Stock Footage
Gratuitous English
Adapted Out
Have a Gay Old Time
Early Installment Weirdness
The Reveal
The Bully
Rule of Symbolism
Drowning My Sorrows
Blood Knight
Chewing the Scenery
The Place
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Rated M for Manly
Cool Guns
Flashback
Actor Allusion
Match Cut
Children Are Innocent
Black Comedy Rape
Super Strength
Fanservice
Adaptational Villainy
Missing Mom
Bloody Hilarious
Fainting
Parental Neglect
Attempted Rape
Only a Flesh Wound
Meaningful Name
Anachronism Stew
Affectionate Parody
Crucified Hero Shot
Horror Films
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Drugs Are Bad
Alpha Bitch
Villain Ball
Cruel and Unusual Death
Bloodier and Gorier
I'm a Humanitarian
For Want of a Nail
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Arch-Enemy
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Evil Is Hammy
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
The Ace
Sanity Slippage
The Faceless
Too Dumb to Live
Author Avatar
Chiaroscuro
A Father to His Men
Hidden Depths
Ominous Latin Chanting
Leave the Camera Running
Christmas Movies Index
Badass in a Nice Suit
Sacrificial Lion
And Starring
British Films
Really Gets Around
Department of Redundancy Department
Novelization
No OSHA Compliance
Author Appeal
Evil Brit
Funny Background Event
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Science Fiction Films
Gilligan Cut
He Knows Too Much
Stealth Hi/Bye
Depraved Bisexual
Captain Obvious
Kubrick Stare
Obfuscating Stupidity
Woman in White
Brutal Honesty
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Happily Married
Villain Song
Vitriolic Best Buds
Continuity Nod
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Ship Tease
What You Are in the Dark
Zombie Stories
Awesome, but Impractical
Mooks
Intergenerational Friendship
Film Series
The Load
Cat Fight
I Have Your Wife
Woman Scorned
Same Language Dub
Costume Porn
Martial Arts Movie
The Remake
Morality Pet
Bring My Brown Pants
Rule of Three
Animated Credits Opening
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Even Evil Has Standards
Poor Communication Kills
Humans Are Bastards
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Greater-Scope Villain
Brick Joke
Rape as Drama
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Artistic License Law
Superhero
It Can Think
Epic Movie
Those Wacky Nazis
Hero of Another Story
Bar Brawl
Historical Hero Upgrade
Call-Forward
Deconstruction
Fish out of Water
Dies Wide Open
Creepy Child
Anachronic Order
Foreshadowing
Animal Title Index
Bittersweet Ending
Daylight Horror
Jump Scare
Red Shirt
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Green-Eyed Monster
Wretched Hive
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Sassy Black Woman
Russian Films
Heroic BSoD
Love Triangle
Alas, Poor Villain
Adults Are Useless
Wham Shot
Fingore
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Documentary
Film Noir
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Bond One-Liner
Didn't Think This Through
Villainous Breakdown
Camera Abuse
Lock and Load Montage
The Big Guy
Homage
Distracted by the Sexy
Unusual Euphemism
Hope Spot
Hate Sink
Badass Longcoat
What Happened to the Mouse?
Star-Crossed Lovers
An Aesop
Big Brother Instinct
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Retired Badass
Historical-Domain Character
Slasher Movie
Red Herring
Dual Wielding
Fiery Redhead
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Stuff Blowing Up
Artistic License Physics
Male Gaze
Grievous Bottley Harm
As You Know
Wham Line
Advertised Extra
Scary Black Man
Loads and Loads of Characters
N-Word Privileges
Adaptation Dye-Job
Took a Level in Badass
Villain with Good Publicity
Batman Gambit
She's Got Legs
Laughing Mad
Defiant to the End
Only in It for the Money
The Alcoholic
Bi the Way
Gainax Ending
Humiliation Conga
Hong Kong Films
Ambiguous Disorder
Bolivian Army Ending
Agony of the Feet
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Get Out!
Antagonist Title
Framing Device
The Stoner
Retcon
Dogged Nice Guy
Blood from the Mouth
No Antagonist
Ungrateful Bastard
Getting Crap Past the Radar
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Anguished Declaration of Love
Tap on the Head
Captain Ersatz
Big Applesauce
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Badass Bookworm
Killed Mid-Sentence
Only Sane Man
Adaptational Badass
Eyepatch of Power
I Did What I Had to Do
Product Placement
Fire-Forged Friends
Public Domain Feature Films
Handicapped Badass
Silent Movie
Only Known by Their Nickname
Serial Killer
Not So Stoic
Badass Boast
Not Quite Dead
Naked People Are Funny
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Mundane Made Awesome
Adaptation Name Change
Villain Opening Scene
Arranged Marriage
Sequel Escalation
Easily Forgiven
Death by Irony
Boom, Headshot!
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
The Brute
Posthumous Character
Bad Boss
Scenery Porn
Playing Gertrude
Arc Words
Rich Bitch
Dying Moment of Awesome
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Made of Explodium
Tempting Fate
Evil Counterpart
Dumb Blonde
Slashed Throat
Conspicuous CG
Meet Cute
An Arm and a Leg
Ambiguously Gay
Casting Gag
A Date with Rosie Palms
Every Car Is a Pinto
Artistic License Geography
Alliterative Name
Enemy Mine
timeperiod
Crazy Jealous Guy
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Oh, Crap!
Broken Aesop
Bloodless Carnage
Driven to Suicide
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Action Prologue
Historical Villain Upgrade
Unreliable Narrator
Big Damn Heroes
Fourth Date Marriage
Bowdlerise
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Sci-Fi Horror
Aluminum Christmas Trees
As the Good Book Says...
This Is Gonna Suck
Wicked Cultured
Credits Gag
Shirtless Scene
Butt-Monkey
Guns Akimbo
Heroic Sacrifice
Romantic False Lead
Taking You with Me
Insane Troll Logic
Pyrrhic Victory
Light Is Not Good
The Mole
Redshirt Army
Hollywood Law
No Name Given
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Meaningful Echo
The Ditz
Heroes Want Redheads
Groin Attack
More Dakka
The Film of the Book
All Men Are Perverts
Hypocritical Humor
Made of Iron
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Evil vs. Evil
Break the Haughty
Almost Kiss
Not What It Looks Like
20 Minutes into the Future
Amusing Injuries
Kill It with Fire
Big Fancy House
For the Evulz
Bait-and-Switch
My God, What Have I Done?
All There in the Script
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Cassandra Truth
Dark Action Girl
Dull Surprise
Artistic License History
Mr. Fanservice
The Hero Dies
Central Theme
Black Best Friend
The Dragon
Straight Gay
Big Bad Duumvirate
Moment Killer
Spared by the Adaptation
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Training Montage
Adorkable
Here We Go Again!
Affably Evil
Anti-Villain
Beard of Evil
Eldritch Abomination
Redemption Equals Death
Totally Radical
Creative Closing Credits
Grey and Gray Morality
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Psychological Thriller
Demoted to Extra
Artistic License Military
Leitmotif
Dramatic Irony
The Chick
Narrator
Stealth Pun
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Catch-Phrase
Half the Man He Used to Be
As Himself
Call-Back
The Dog Bites Back
Flipping the Bird
Only One Name
Lighter and Softer
Older Than They Look
Disappeared Dad
Rousing Speech
Hypocrite
Disproportionate Retribution
Bare Your Midriff
Dark and Troubled Past
Big "NO!"
Funny Foreigner
Actually Pretty Funny
Pet the Dog
Nothing Is Scarier
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Chekhov's Skill
Parental Abandonment
MayDecember Romance
Bland-Name Product
Insistent Terminology
Whole Plot Reference
Evil Is Petty
Gold Digger
The Alleged Car
Age Lift
Bilingual Bonus
Sports Stories
It's Personal
An Axe to Grind
Final Girl
Chekhov's Gun
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Running Gag
Madness Mantra
Reality Ensues
Smug Snake
Faking the Dead
Protagonist Title
Authority Equals Asskicking
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Fate Worse than Death
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Fantasy Films
Spiritual Successor
The Cameo
FaceHeel Turn
Romantic Comedy
Reasonable Authority Figure
Tagline
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Foil
Film Noir Index
My Beloved Smother
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
Hair-Trigger Temper
Fatal Family Photo
Mood Whiplash
Plucky Comic Relief
Extreme Doormat
Index of Film Westerns
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Better to Die than Be Killed
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Pretty in Mink
Double-Meaning Title
Defrosting Ice Queen
Revenge
Naïve Newcomer
Freudian Excuse
Black and Gray Morality
Evil Plan
Badass Grandpa
Intrepid Reporter
Deliberately Monochrome
Large Ham
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Friend to All Children
You Killed My Father
Idiot Ball
Big Eater
Instant Death Bullet
Dutch Angle
Japanese Films
The Musical
The Ghost
Make It Look Like an Accident
Police are Useless
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Adaptational Attractiveness
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Neck Lift
BrotherSister Incest
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Red Right Hand
Pragmatic Adaptation
Curse Cut Short
One-Word Title
Empathic Environment
Guile Hero
Recycled IN SPACE!
The Stinger
In Name Only
Knight Templar
Never My Fault
Improbable Weapon User
Those Two Guys
Bottomless Magazines
Genre Throwback
Dirty Coward
Taking the Bullet
Mad Scientist
Italian Films
Card-Carrying Villain
Disney Death
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
The '80s
B-Movie
Breaking the Fourth Wall
World of Ham
Stalker with a Crush
Pragmatic Villainy
Mama Bear
Closed Circle
Berserk Button
Police Brutality
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Corpsing
Rasputinian Death
Properly Paranoid
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Implacable Man
Lampshade Hanging
No Ending
Hoist by His Own Petard
Interrupted Suicide
Ascended Extra
Your Cheating Heart
Comically Missing the Point
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Toplessness from the Back
Slasher Smile
Exact Words
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Silence Is Golden
Daddy's Girl
Celebrity Paradox
The X of Y
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
La Résistance
Storming the Castle
Malevolent Masked Men
Serious Business
She Cleans Up Nicely
Deus ex Machina
Dark Is Not Evil
And I Must Scream
Mercy Kill
The Un-Reveal
Improbable Aiming Skills
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Disguised in Drag
Adaptational Heroism
Did Not Get the Girl
Mythology Gag
Cloudcuckoolander
The Dreaded
Karmic Death
Car Fu
You Have Failed Me
Despair Event Horizon
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Famous Last Words
The Sociopath
A Minor Kidroduction
The Lancer
Yandere
Show Within a Show
Cat Scare
The End... Or Is It?
Bullying a Dragon
Race Lift
Logo Joke
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Genre Savvy
Jerkass Has a Point
Aside Glance
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Spell My Name with an "S"
The Atoner
In Medias Res
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Kill 'em All
Big-Bad Ensemble
Neck Snap
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Mystery and Detective Films
Dirty Old Man
Eureka Moment
Parental Substitute
Jerk Jock
Our Vampires Are Different
Television Movie Index
Coming-of-Age Story
The Stoic
Those Two Bad Guys
Due to the Dead
Improvised Weapon
Accidental Misnaming
Eiffel Tower Effect
Stepford Smiler
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Deadpan Snarker
Laser-Guided Karma
Gone Horribly Right
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Evil Laugh
Heel Realization
Horror Comedy
Soft Glass
Honor Before Reason
Self-Deprecation
Left the Background Music On
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
"Awesome McCool" Name
I Need a Freaking Drink
Camp Gay
Chase Scene
Action Genre
Loophole Abuse
How We Got Here
Cool Old Guy
Monumental Damage
Covers Always Lie
Would Hit a Girl
Nice Hat
One-Man Army
Video Credits
Cold-Blooded Torture
Artistic License Biology
Skewed Priorities
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Knife Nut
Never Trust a Trailer
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Fat Bastard
Body Horror
Worthy Opponent
Foregone Conclusion
The Starscream
Refuge in Audacity
Historical In-Joke
Immune to Bullets