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