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