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