People Are Sharing The 14 Signs That A Movie Isn't Going To Be Good, And We're Taking Notes

"Mean Girls pulled this off but it's the exception to that and about a hundred other movie rules."

Recently, u/FlintTheDad asked "what are some immediate red flags that the movie you are watching is about to suck?" and we decided to round up some of the best answers:

1. "When characters exchange information they both already know, and that’s the dialogue."

NBC

"For example:

 'Aw, what’s up, my baby sister?'
'Don’t call me baby, I’m already 10.'
'I know. Because you were nine when Mom died, and that was a year ago. Remember?' 

'Of course I remember, you’re my older brother after all.'"

u/cbm2max

2. "If there are multiple trailers that use the same bad joke, that's not a great sign."

u/WatchTheBoom

"And if the trailer makes you feel like you've seen the whole movie already."  

u/SlobZombie13

3. "Licensed music that doesn't match the scene but is recognisable."

u/SnooPeanuts5571

4. "When characters are blatantly oblivious to the very obvious clues throughout the movie."

CBS

u/UsefulIdiot85

"'Let's go that way!'  — (tunnel full of blood, guts and the Chittering of Xenomorphs)"  

u/_Aj_

5. "When people don't speak like people."

u/ParsleyandCumin

"'Hello my sister who I have not seen since our mother's funeral. How is our drug addicted brother who I also haven't seen since our mother's funeral?'"  

u/neogreenlantern

6. "When it starts with a city girl going to a small town inn."

"They really need to make some new holiday movie concepts because these are all they make now and they are so boring."  

u/walking_google

7. "Unnecessary jump scares constantly."

CBS

u/babyfresno77

"Ugh this irks me with so many shitty horror films... If you gotta default to constant jump scares for your film to be 'scary' then it's hot garbage."  

u/Setsuna85

8. "Opening with a voiceover narration that merely repeats what we are looking at."

u/marshfield00

"Mean Girls pulled this off but it's the exception to that and about a hundred other movie rules."  

u/gdawg99

9. "If it starts in a bar where the protagonist has to beat up some loud mouth patrons to let the audience know he's a bad ass."

u/Jet_smoke 

10. "Not really true in every case, but my husband and I have a running joke that if the first scene for a character has a car door open and a booted foot (or stiletto) comes out to stand on the pavement (camera angle low) it's either a shit movie or a comedy."

Bounce

u/UnfetteredMind1963

11. "Plot contrivances. If something nonsensical happens or someone makes a ridiculous decision just to make the plot happen I automatically start checking out."

u/Calm_Froyo_475

12. "As soon as I see the sixth or seventh production company logo at the beginning I know we’re in trouble."

20th Century Fox

u/Splitsurround 

"A surplus of production companies in the opening credits, none of which you've ever heard of before. Guaranteed to be low-budget and almost always a complete mess." 

u/domoarigatodrloboto 

13. "When they say 'there's no time to explain!'"

u/diakked

"Then they go somewhere and they could have explained the situation 10 times over along the way."  

u/Big-Fat-Box-Of-Shit

14. "When they draw too much attention to their foreshadowing."

NBC

u/FatSquirrel37

"I quite liked the film Anyone But You but it intentionally pointed out its foreshadowing a lot."  

u/DSQ

H/T to u/FlintTheDad and AskReddit for having this discussion!

Note: All submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Do you have anything else to add? Let us know in the comments below.

Additional thumbnail credits: Nickelodeon / Fox / Paramount Pictures / Getty Images / E! / Warner Bros. Pictures