Best movie stupidity of all time

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 picture

Stupidity: The bad guys should have just shot Paul and his backup during the standoff rather than risking another impediment.

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Beetlejuice picture

Stupidity: Barbara and Adam can obviously interact with physical objects (the statue horse, holding the door shut, etc.) but when trying to scare the Deetz's they tried visual stunts rather than throwing or moving objects.

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Suggested correction: Barbara and Adam are not aggressive, intimidating people. Maybe they could have thrown and moved objects, but that would be almost violent. They would rather try a few visual stunts, instead of possibly hurting someone and/or damaging something in the house.

I respectively disagree with this. One of the visual tricks Barbara and Adam tried was her holding a bloody knife over his decapitated body, that in itself would have been violent and aggressive if they had been seen.

Suggested correction: They first off didn't really understand how to interact with the physical world and secondly they didn't realise yet they were invisible.

lionhead

I'm not sure the point of this correction because we see none of this is true. Barbara picks up a physical object and moves it without thinking about it. Then she looks at herself in the mirror with the horse and sees she doesn't have a reflection.

Bishop73

I have to agree. Even if Adam and Barbara couldn't be seen, the noose that Barbara "hanged" herself with or even the knife she was holding still should have been seen as they are physical objects and a knife, to the Deetz's, would be floating in midair and would probably scare them off.

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Along Came a Spider picture

Stupidity: You'd think that Jezzie would have been a little smarter as a secret service agent. You know, like once they acquire Megan, to delete all the incriminating evidence sitting back on an unattended computer. Aside from the fact she also used quite a stupid password, a single password isn't very secure at all. And then the content, displayed instantly when you get in, might as well say things like "hey look, we know what the kidnapper looks like" and "wow, here's the boat he's in too" and "wow, a cabin for sale. Why don't we go hang out there with all the evidence." Come on....they might as well have left a trail of breadcrumbs, because they sure were asking to get caught.

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage picture

Stupidity: Shriek is being taken to a new facility for superbeings, after a medical exam established that her sonic powers that she has been using since she was a kid are too strong to keep her at the correction house. So "naturally" for this transport she is not gagged, sedated, not even bound, and there's just one guy with her, not even wearing earplugs. It couldn't possibly be any more comically unsafe.

Sammo

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Scream 4 picture

Stupidity: Jill wasn't thinking too clearly when she plans her story. She only wiped the fingerprints off the gun but they would be all over the tape on Trevor's body. Then she wipes off the knife yet touches it again to slide it across the floor. She was thinking that Trevor and Charlie were going to be thought of as the killers but their fingerprints weren't on either of the weapons.

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How to Train Your Dragon picture

Stupidity: During one of the test drives, the hook that Hiccup uses to fasten himself to Toothless gets bent, so he takes Toothless to the blacksmith to cut the line. There are two ways he could have easily avoided this: He could just unhook the saddle, take that to the blacksmith and cut himself loose, or he could just untie the leather strap. What he does here is needlessly risky and just there for his awkward conversation with Astrid.

Friso94

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The Abyss picture

Stupidity: Monk steals the magazine from Coffey's SIG. However, I don't see how he could have jacked the slide to eject the round in the chamber without being noticed. Someone as paranoid as Coffey was at this point would not have left the chamber empty. (Just FYI, when you load an automatic pistol with a magazine, you have to pull back and release the slide to load the first bullet in the barrel.)

Grumpy Scot

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Suggested correction: Since we are never shown that Coffey did chamber a round, we cannot assume that he did based on his personality alone. Therefore this isn't a plot hole. However, it is ridiculous that he is threatening people with a gun without a chambered round. This entry should be listed as "Stupidity."

BaconIsMyBFF

SEALs don't carry weapons without a round chambered. The "maybe" here falls much more on the side of the round being in the chamber. And "Stupidity" wasn't an option available when this entry was originally submitted. :).

Grumpy Scot

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The Full Monty picture

Stupidity: When Gaz tries to steal a jacket and Dave, who works as security, catches him in quite a dramatic manner they are seen by other employees. Dave lets Gaz go because he is a friend. But the next day both stroll together through the shop as if nothing had happened, with no enquiries or follow-up from the other employees. (00:59:30)

NancyFelix

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Bird Box picture

Stupidity: When Greg volunteers to watch the security monitors to see if the creatures can affect people through a screen, no-one even thinks to remain in the room with him to cover up the monitors with a blanket, towel or something similar in case the creatures' power can be transmitted that way. They tied him to a chair to reduce his chances of committing suicide, so they certainly thought there was a possibility that he would be in danger.

Phaneron

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Goldfinger picture

Stupidity: Oddjob brings the crushed cube of the Lincoln back to the stud farm so that Goldfinger can "separate my gold from the late Mr Solo." Oddjob could have simply removed the gold from the trunk of the Lincoln before having it crushed.

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Starship Troopers picture

Stupidity: When the invasion of planet P begins, we see the Rodger Young get hit. In the explosion sequence, we are treated to people sitting around tables in what can only be described as a mess hall exploding. In a military environment, this would be a time where everyone would be at their "battle stations". Nobody would be having chow or off-time when the ship is expecting combat. In this case, it was a planned troop landing.

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Suggested correction: Yes, it was stupidity, but it was an intentional depiction that supports the plot. During the landing, the Captain is completely surprised by the bombardment and says something like, "This isn't light uncoordinated resistance." The fleet's lack of preparedness at Planet P is a major plot point that later results in the replacement of the Air Marshal in command.

No, you are talking about a different sequence. When they are unprepared, they are doing an invasion of Klendathu, the Bug's home planet. This is earlier in the movie and the Rodger Young was only slightly damaged in that. The stupidity is about the invasion of Planet P at the end of the movie, where the Rodger Young is cut in half.

lionhead

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Creepshow 2 picture

Stupidity: After the Slick devours Laverne, Randy jumps into the water and swims for shore with the Slick following. Even though Randy made it to shore, he stops and turns to confront the Slick, screaming that he beat it. When Randy turns around, the Slick immediately envelopes him. If Randy had just got up and started running instead of facing the Slick, he would have lived.

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Suggested correction: This is a deliberate movie making technique to make the audience think the character has escaped but at the last second a surprise is thrown in. It's the same as hanging over the body of the killer. It doesn't come under stupidity.

The_Iceman

Yes, it does. In any movie where someone comes face to face with either a supernatural enemy or even a regular one, confronting it is extremely stupid because the character could have simply walked away and made it to safety. The character confronting the killer is stupid because they'll always be killed. Better to do the smart thing and run as far and as fast as possible.

A example of a valid stupidity entry is an astronaut taking his helmet off when in space because he's an expert and knows better. A stupid person doing something stupid is considered a stupidity entry (which is essentially a plot hole writers use to move the story in a particular direction it wouldn't have gone otherwise). A character making the wrong choice because they underestimate the situation isn't a minor plot hole, in real life people underestimate opponents all the time, and movies exploit that all the time in their plot development (i.e. Apollo underestimating Rocky).

Bishop73

Suggested correction: Randy's decision isn't what constitutes a "stupidity" mistake. Stupidity mistakes are minor plot holes, which means characters can act stupid. Plus, when Randy gets to shore he's worn out so he tries to catch his breath. He then says he's won because he under estimated the Slick's ability to get him (which would fall under the category of "celebrating too early").

Bishop73

Put yourself in Randy's place. If you're friends were eaten by a huge slick like monster and you were swimming to shore with it chasing you, after making it safely to shore, would you want to turn around to confront it. No. That would be stupid because confronting it will certainly get you killed the moment your back is turned. The smart thing to do would be to keep running. Randy facing it was very stupid. Had he done the smart thing and kept going after he made it to shore, he would have survived. Stupidity killed him. Pure and simple.

First off, you said it would certainly kill you once your back is turned, which means if you're running away, your back is turned and if you confront it, your back isn't turned. But, he never tried to confront it. He just celebrates beating it. However, Randy thought he was safe once on land because he thought the creature couldn't attack him or reach him, so in Randy's mind he wasn't doing anything stupid. He thought he was safe, he thought he won. He was tired and sat to rest. But that's part of his character and his character traits. But, acting stupid isn't a "stupidity" mistake. Otherwise movies like "Dumb and Dumber" would just be thousands of stupidity mistakes because stupid characters are acting stupid. Now, if Randy knew the creature could kill him in water and he turns to celebrate his victory, or stops to rest, in the water, that could be a "stupidity" mistake since his character was already shown to know he can't stop in the water and the writers ignored what was already established as his character. Stupidity mistakes just are minor plot holes that go against already establish character traits or established facts/statements in the film.

Bishop73

Not only that, but, Randy was acting stupid since he chose to face it rather then run.

If you re choosing to say its a stupidity because they choose to fight rather than run then that's a moot point because you wouldn't have a movie in the first place! Movies get a degree of latitude when it comes to reality (people can be shot 7 times and still walk away as the credits roll) so rather than stupidity, this is under slightly suspended reality of how an actual person would behave. In this segment, we're talking about an oil slick with a mind of its own. 100% reality has to take a back seat where plot forwarding is concerned.

The_Iceman

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Beauty and the Beast picture

Stupidity: So when Belle finds out that her father is being hauled away to the insane asylum, she is in such a rush to get that she doesn't even change out of the massive yellow dress that would be really uncomfortable to ride a horse in, probably because she is in such a hurry. But earlier in the movie, the Beast shows her his magic book that allows him to teleport anywhere in the world, so why doesn't she just use that?

Friso94

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Suggested correction: As you've just stated, she is in a hurry. She probably didn't think about using the book.

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Aladdin picture

Stupidity: When Jasmine finds out that Prince Ali is actually the boy she met in the marketplace, she seems to completely forget about Jafar telling her he had been executed. She never asks why he's alive, nor does she even bother to confront Jafar about his treachery.

Movielover1996

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Suggested correction: The fact Aladdin was alive only told her Jafar lied about it. When she is brought back by Aladdin to the palace it is still night, not long after that she is confronted by her father and Jafar who has him under a spell. She hardly had time to ask about the treachery, probably thinking to do it in the morning. It is there and then Jafar is exposed by Aladdin. She probably wondered about it, but didn't figure out the implications yet.

lionhead

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Spider-Man 2 picture

Stupidity: Early in the film, Peter Parker desperately wants to see Mary Jane's performance, but he is turned away at the theatre doors because he is a few minutes late. Defeated, Peter shuffles away and sulks. Seriously? Why couldn't Peter simply enter the theatre through a side door or the roof? He's Spider Man.

Charles Austin Miller

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Suggested correction: There's two things to consider here. First, a major theme of the film is Peter struggling with keeping his Spider-Man and Peter Parker lives separate. Peter makes every attempt to get to the show on his own, as Peter by riding on his scooter. Simply breaking into the theater after he has been turned away would ruin the idea that keeping his two lives separate is a struggle. It would instead imply the opposite, that Peter can simply use his powers to solve his problems whenever it's convenient. Secondly, the usher makes it clear that no-one is to be admitted after the show has started as this would disturb the guests and possibly the performers as well. Sneaking into the theater could very well ruin the performance and Peter obviously wouldn't want that.

BaconIsMyBFF

If there's one thing we know about Spider-Man, it's that he is incredibly stealthy, often coming and going without any detection whatsoever. He could have easily accessed the building and watched the show from a secluded vantage and even met Mary Jane backstage afterwards. Certainly in this case, using his powers would be justified, given that it was more important for Mary Jane to know Peter attended the show, rather than simply giving up.

Charles Austin Miller

He doesn't want to do any of that, though. He wants to go to the show as Peter, with a ticket, sit in a seat with the rest of the people, enjoy the show, and see Mary Jane afterwards. He stops the car chase as Spider-Man after his scooter is wrecked and instead of web-swinging to the theater, which would have been much faster, he chooses to change back into his regular clothes and drive the criminal's car. Sure, he certainly could have used his powers to get into the theater but the point is he doesn't want to. The fact that he chooses not to use his powers and instead deal with the consequences of hurting Mary Jane's feelings is the entire point.

BaconIsMyBFF

And besides he'd probably get kicked out of the theater if he was caught.

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The Silence of the Lambs picture

Stupidity: Lecter fires the first bullet to alert the police that something is up, and the lift goes up, then comes down. Now in all this, only 6 or 7 go up the floor where Lecter was. Why aren't police sent in groups to investigate every floor? Lecter could have been anywhere, instead there are about 30 police huddled on the lobby floor.

kh1616

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Die Hard: With a Vengeance picture

Stupidity: In the scene with the water-jug puzzle, both Zeus Carver and John McClane initially suspect that the small carrying case contains a bomb. McClane goes ahead and opens the case, which confirms that it is a bomb (the electronic readout in the case even says: "I AM A BOMB. YOU HAVE JUST ARMED ME"). If they suspected it was a bomb in the first place, why didn't Carver and McClane immediately try to warn the dozens of pedestrians all around them to evacuate the area before McClane opened it? That would be a seasoned police officer's first instinct. Instead, McClane and Carver banter and bicker and never attempt to warn the public, even as the timer is ticking down.

Charles Austin Miller

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Suggested correction: This carries over from the very first time McClane and Zeus talk to Simon on the phone (the "As I was going to St. Ives" scene). Simon tells the two not to run and McClane assures him they won't but that there are at least 100 people on the street, to which Simon responds "That's the point." McClane takes this to mean he can't just warn everyone or Simon will set the bomb off. They open the case because they don't know that doing so will arm the bomb. They wanted to know if there was a riddle or more instructions. Having the bomb be armed by being opened, complete with the pithy text "you have just armed me" was just a way for Simon to torment McClane. The bantering and bickering is of course, still pretty stupid but is consistent with how the characters behave for the entire movie.

BaconIsMyBFF

Still, McClane's whole motivation in this movie is to save innocent people from death, which goes above and beyond his motivation in the first movie (which was to save his wife). What is the whole point of disarming the briefcase-bomb in the park if not to save the public? As stated in the original post, no seasoned and dedicated officer of the law would proceed without warning the public.

Charles Austin Miller

Except he was told specifically earlier not to do that. If he warned people of the bomb, it was implied that Simon would remotely detonate it. It can't be "stupid" of McClane to not warn people if he thinks doing so will get them killed. I agree that it is a trite movie cliche that a cop doesn't act like a cop would in the real world, but in the context of this film McClane's actions are consistent with the instructions Simon gives him.

BaconIsMyBFF

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Rocky picture

Stupidity: There is no way a fighter with a brain would risk serious injury to themselves before a fight by continually punching a frozen rack of meat in a freezer slaughterhouse. There is nothing to gain by doing this, and it would only result in both fists being broken.

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Suggested correction: In fact, Sylvester Stallone permanently damaged his knuckles filming the two scenes. He obviously did not realise how dangerous punching a side of beef would be, and it isn't out of the question that the character Rocky Balboa wouldn't realise this either.

BaconIsMyBFF

It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that if you punch or hit anything with a bare fist against anything solid, rock hard, you will damage yourself badly.

Absolutely, it shouldn't, but that is not what the "Stupidity" category is for. It is unintelligent for someone to do this, but that is not a movie mistake. Sylvester Stallone really did punch that beef and really did injure himself, so it is not something that is out of the question for a character in a movie to do.

BaconIsMyBFF

No, but it is out of the question for a man with painfully damaged knuckles to go fifteen rounds with a world heavyweight champion boxer. In fact, Rocky would probably have failed the compulsory pre-fight physical and would have been ruled unfit to fight.

Where in the movie is Rocky experiencing "painfully damaged knuckles"? With your logic, the fight would have most likely been called long before the 15th round, due to the very unrealistic and improbable punishment the 2 boxers were inflicting on each other.

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Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan picture

Stupidity: Reliant's prefix code is 16309. This code prevents an enemy ship from ordering a friendly ship to lower its shields or something similar. Five digits with no symbols. We know that symbols and letters aren't used since Spock uses a 10 digit set of switches to input the code. This is ludicrous. In 2016, a high powered server could crack a 6 digit password in approximately 0.0224 seconds (at 100 billion guesses/second). Any starship computer would have to far more processing power then a 2016 server. The prefix code protecting a starship from cyber attack would have to be insanely complex in order to be useful.

Grumpy Scot

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Suggested correction: Keep in mind the era that this movie was made in. This movie was made before PCs really existed. Computers at this time were typically huge devices or box like containers. Their data storage capacity was minuscule and there certainly wasn't any form of AI logic programs built to "hack" passwords. I know this movie is about space and set in the future but there's a lot of stuff in Star Trek movies that based on our technology or development currently, we would expect something bigger, smarter, etc. We still have problems today with people using archaic password structures like 1.2.3.4. or actually using the word password for/in their password. Back in '81-'82, I'm sure that most people would not have thought about codes being hacked. This is not to mention that in many movies, which I don't know if there is a specific reason for using 16309, codes, passwords, numbers for addresses/apt#/room#/etc and other info frequently come about as tribute, honoring, or coming from something in the lives of a film's director/producer/actor/etc! So sure with today's technology, which could have been accomplished more than 10 years ago as well, using a single string of numbers as security measures for anything is foolish and can be hack by a self running password-like cracker program... But they made this "code" back in the very early 80s when computer hacking was barely unconscionable (MAYBE) so unless these #s were a tribute or to honor something, I'm pretty sure no one was even thinking of hacking back then... We all aware of today... all about the hacking threats and YET we still have people using 1.2.3.4., the word password, or other horrible predictable password choices that can easily be broken by a password cracking program... And we know that there's a huge hacking threat requiring strong security measures but don't do so while back then, there was little awareness of the threats of hacking much less the concept of hacking altogether.

OR... in this future they have limited the number of password attempts to one a day and the ship automatically goes to red alert after a failed attempt until the right code is entered. That way it would take 7,327 years or so to try all the codes with the crew on notice and plenty of time to address the threat.

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Batman and Robin picture

Stupidity: Mr, Freeze and Poison Ivy join together and plan to cover Gotham in freezing temperatures and plants, with none of them ever considering in the slightest that plants don't survive freezing temperatures, despite both of them being scientists.

Movielover1996

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