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