15 Movie Conflicts That Could Have Been Solved With Simple Communication

Summary

• Briony accuses Robbie without learning the whole story from her sister first in
  Atonement.
• Ariel can’t sing for Eric and doesn’t write him a message in
  The Little Mermaid.
• Batman and Superman fight each other instead of explaining Lex Luthor’s plot in
  Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

There are an unfortunate number of movies where the conflict could have been resolved in minutes if the main characters had simply communicated better. Movies that rely too much on coincidences or contrivances often utilize miscommunications to drive the plot. Humans are flawed and characters should also be susceptible to misunderstandings, especially when they are in stressful circumstances and are not sure who they can trust. However, certain cases apply to characters who should know that they can trust each other, or should at least try to talk before resorting to violence and chaos.

There are a lot of classic, all-too-familiar examples: the protagonist sees their love interest with someone else and becomes jealous, a fight is driven by completely superficial reasons, or the characters are just unjustifiably defensive. On the other hand, miscommunication plays a role in some examples of classic literature, illustrating the fatal flaws of the character which give rise to tragedy or comedy. This usually does not stop a modern audience from pointing out how unnecessary the problem is.

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15 Bea & Ben “Hate” Each Other

Anyone But You (2023)

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As a loose modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Anyone but You falls into the time-honored tradition of the Bard’s comedies of overhearing the wrong thing at the wrong time as an inciting incident. Bea and Ben spend the night together, and she leaves in the morning, but regrets it and comes back, and overhears him insulting her to a friend. When they meet again at a wedding months later, Bea doesn’t tell Ben she came back, and he doesn’t tell her he was genuinely hurt. Therefore, a whole movie of shenanigans awaits them before they finally reconcile.

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Anyone But You is a romantic comedy by director Will Gluck starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell. Sweeny and Powell star as Bea and Ben, two strangers with an incredible first date that goes sour following one incident at the tail end. Thinking the worst is behind them, the two are roped into a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, where they’ll have to pretend to be a couple despite absolutely hating each other.

Director Will Gluck Release Date December 22, 2023 Cast Sydney Sweeney , Glen Powell , Alexandra Shipp , GaTa , Hadley Robinson , Michelle Hurd , Dermot Mulroney , Darren Barnet , Rachel Griffiths Runtime 103 minutes

14 Briony Accuses Robbie Of A Serious Crime

Atonement (2007)

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The tragedy of Atonement is set in motion when 13-year-old Briony accuses her sister Cecilia’s sweetheart Robbie of raping their cousin. Briony also witnesses some incidents which she interprets as Robbie harassing Cecilia. Briony never asks her sister about what she saw and Cecilia never explains after Briony walks in on her and Robbie having sex. There are some serviceable explanations here: Briony is very young and might have been too scared to ask, while Cecilia may have planned on talking to her at some point. However, they apparently never clear this up during the years Robbie is in prison.

Atonement tv-maWarRomance

Atonement is a romance and war drama released in 2007 by director Joe Wright. The film stars Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, and Romola Garai. The film takes place in 1930s England, spanning multiple years afterward as a man is wrongfully incarcerated and then must face a war, all while wanting to get back to the girl he loves.

Director Joe Wright Release Date September 7, 2007 Cast James McAvoy , Keira Knightley , Saoirse Ronan , Romola Garai Runtime 123minutes

13 Ariel Can’t Sing For Eric

The Little Mermaid (1989)

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Eric falls in love with Ariel’s singing voice, which poses a problem when Ursula silences her in exchange for the chance to meet Eric again. Eric recognizes Ariel but concludes that she cannot be the same woman because she does not have the voice he remembers. However, still standing as one of the most frustrating Disney movie plot holes is the fact that Ariel could have written something down to communicate that she had lost her voice. Ariel is seen signing Ursula’s contract, so it is proven that she can write, and the movie is driven by unnecessary tension.

The Little Mermaid GAnimationAdventureFamily

The Little Mermaid is a 1989 Walt Disney animated film written and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements. It stars the voices of Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, and Christopher Daniel Barnes, with music from Alan Menken. The plot follows a young mermaid named Ariel that wishes to abandon her life underwater and join the humans on land.

Director Ron Clements , John Musker Release Date November 17, 1989 Cast Jodi Benson , Samuel E. Wright , Rene Auberjonois , christopher daniel barnes , Pat Carroll , Jason Marin Runtime 63 Minutes

12 Batman & Superman Fight Each Other Instead Of Talking

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

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Rather than telling Batman that Lex Luthor has kidnapped his mother and is blackmailing him, Superman fights him for some time.

The entire fight between Batman and Superman in the movie named for this conflict ends with communication that should have happened much earlier. Rather than telling Batman that Lex Luthor has kidnapped his mother and is blackmailing him, Superman fights him for some time. The unintentionally hilarious “Martha” scene gets its name from Superman telling Batman that Martha is in danger and Batman finding a connection with his “enemy” based on their mothers’ shared name, and then helping rescue Martha Kent — raising the question of why Superman didn’t just say this was what was going on from the outset.

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In this high-action film by Zack Snyder, the two DC superheroes face off against one another in a conflict spurred on by the villainous Lex Luthor. The film also features WonderWoman playing a role in the fight against Doomsday and other villains from beyond the Earth. As the world’s two most powerful superheroes prepare to destroy each other, an unexpected commonality brings them together to defeat their real enemy.

Director Zack Snyder Release Date March 24, 2016 Cast Ben Affleck , Henry Cavill , Amy Adams , Jesse Eisenberg , Diane Lane , Laurence Fishburne , Jeremy Irons , Holly Hunter , Gal Gadot Runtime 152 minutes

11 Elsa Doesn’t Tell Anna About Her Powers

Frozen (2013)

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Elsa’s parents tell her for years that Anna not knowing about Elsa’s powers is for the best. However, after their parents die, telling Anna would have been the sensible thing to do. Anna is now a young adult and should really be kept in the loop about these circumstances that affect her safety, the state of her kingdom, and her sister’s emotional well-being. Elsa then puts off telling Anna for another three years, until it is too late. She may consider finally revealing the truth when she asks for a word after Anna announces her engagement, which Anna rejects.

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In this animated Disney musical, the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter. Her younger sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a living snowman to change the weather conditions and restore peace.

Director Chris Buck , Jennifer Lee Release Date November 27, 2013 Cast Edie McClurg , Kristen Bell , Santino Fontana , Idina Menzel , Robert Pine , Maurice LaMarche , Jonathan Groff , Stephen J. Anderson , Alan Tudyk , Josh Gad , Ciarán Hinds , Chris Williams Runtime 102 minutes

10 Lara Jean Breaks Up With Peter

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

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A classic contrived miscommunication is that over someone’s remaining feelings for an ex. After pretending to date for several months, Lara Jean and Peter talk about their real feelings and end up kissing in a hot tub. After that, Peter’s ex-girlfriend Gen taunts Lara Jean with the claim that she and Peter spent the night together afterward. Lara Jean then breaks up with Peter, who tries to explain that nothing happened with Gen. Given the complicated circumstances of them dating only to annoy Gen, a simple conversation about who Peter really wanted to be with was in order.

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Based on the novel by Jenny Han, To All the Boys I Loved Before sees high-school student Lara Jean Covey caught in a terrifyingly awkward situation when her deepest secrets leak out. Lara, who has many passionate crushes, has written confession letters to all of them – with no intention of ever sending them. However, when all five letters somehow reach her five loves, Lara’s high school life becomes an exercise in crisis management as she desperately attempts to gain control of it all.

Director Susan Johnson Release Date August 17, 2018 Cast Lana Condor , Anna Cathcart , John Corbett , Janel Parrish , Israel Broussard , Noah Centineo Runtime 102 minutes

9 Peter Asks Doctor Strange To Erase Everyone’s Memory

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

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Peter goes to Stephen Strange to ask him to erase everyone’s memory of him being Spider-Man, so he, MJ, and Ned will be accepted to colleges free of controversy, before considering any other avenues. Therefore, the villains of the other Spider-Man movies are summoned to their universe. Stephen then angrily asks why Peter didn’t appeal to admissions first (not having realized Peter hadn’t done this yet). This opens up a whole list of things Peter could have done first to avoid the death and destruction of this movie — such as having one or several of the Avengers vouch for him.

Spider-Man: No Way Home PG-13ActionAdventure Sci-FiSuperhero

For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the trials and tribulations of being a superhero. In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) when his identity becomes a problem for the ones he loves. Unfortunately, when the spell goes wrong, Spider-Man will now have to face off with villains such as Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) as Peter finally comes to terms that he can’t run from being Spider-Man. Supported by his close friends and help from an unexpected place (or multiverse), Spider-Man will go toe-to-toe with some of the most legendary foes in his storied history.

Director Jon Watts Release Date December 17, 2021 Cast Zendaya , Jon Favreau , Tom Holland , Jamie Foxx , Alfred Molina , Benedict Cumberbatch , Marisa Tomei , J.B. Smoove , Benedict Wong , Jacob Batalon Runtime 148 minutes

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8 Edward Believes Bella Is Dead

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

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New Moon is heavily inspired by Romeo and Juliet, and not in a good way. After hearing that Alice had a vision of Bella “dying,” Edward calls her house to ask for Charlie and gets Jacob, who simply says that “he’s at the funeral” (a family friend had died). Edward takes this as confirmation that Bella is dead and goes to Italy to provoke the Volturi into killing him. The whole incident could have been avoided if Edward had bothered to ask one more question, or if Bella and Alice had called him (although the book mentions that he abandons his phone).

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The second film in the Twilight film series, New Moon follows Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who is thrown into a deep depression when he vampire boyfriend, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) breaks up with Bella and moves away after an incident convinces him that he and his family and dangerous to her. As she struggles to cope with her depression and begins forming a closer bond with her werewolf best friend Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), Bella begins to be pulled deeper into the world of the supernatural despite both Jacob’s and Edward’s attempts to keep her safe. 

Director Chris Weitz Release Date November 18, 2009 Cast Kristen Stewart , Taylor Lautner , Robert Pattinson , Billy Burke , Ashley Greene , Anna Kendrick Runtime 130 minutes

7 Penelope Thinks “Max” Doesn’t Want To Marry Her

Penelope (2006)

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Penelope’s aristocratic family believes she needs to marry a rich man to break the curse of having a pig’s nose. A poor musician is mistaken for another “blue blood” and accepts the opportunity to meet her, but rejects her when he realizes the curse is real, believing he cannot give her what she wants. This is all in service of Penelope eventually breaking the curse on her own. It still would have done her good for Max/Johnny to communicate that he couldn’t break the curse and that while he was momentarily taken aback by the nose, he thinks she is a wonderful person.

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Director Mark Palansky Release Date February 29, 2008 Runtime 101 minutes

6 Lilo Believes Stitch Is Being Bad On Purpose

Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has A Glitch (2005)

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The Lilo & Stitch sequel revolves around Stitch’s “glitch,” where he occasionally spasms uncontrollably and destroys things around him, due to a problem when Jumba genetically engineered him. Naturally, Jumba and Pleakley tell no one in the family about this while they try to find a way to fix Stitch. Meanwhile, it takes Stitch the whole movie to communicate that something is happening he cannot control and Lilo the same time to realize it — and the fact that she is capable of figuring it out just proves that someone should have noticed sooner. The family then saves Stitch’s life at the last possible minute.

5 Poe Leads A Mutinity Against Admiral Holdo

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi makes a valid point about reckless fighters like Poe having some problems respecting authority figures they are not familiar with. Holdo is Leia’s trusted friend, but Poe ignores her orders and proceeds with his own plan. However, Holdo could have just told Poe that she had a plan to evacuate the Resistance so he wouldn’t have been so certain that she was dooming them all. Likewise, Poe might have mentioned at some point that he had sent Finn and Rose off on their mission before it came back to haunt them all.

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In the second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, General Leia Organa leads the Resistance forces against the First Order. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker struggles to come to terms with his past failures, while Rey urges him to train her in the Force and join the resistance. Culminating in a massive battle between the two armies, The Last Jedi raises the stakes of this intergalactic war, and sees the final fight of one beloved character.

Director Rian Johnson Release Date December 15, 2017 Cast Daisy Ridley , Oscar Isaac , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , John Boyega , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Anthony Daniels , Gwendoline Christie , Kelly Marie Tran , Laura Dern Runtime 152 Minutes

4 Ballister Decides That Nimona Is A Monster

Nimona (2023)

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Nimona actually shows Nimona and Ballister coming to have a kind of dynamic where he is very accepting of her strange powers and should be willing to listen to her. When he discreetly meets with Ambrosius, Ambrosius shows Ballister the scroll that “proves” Nimona is the terrifying monster of their kingdom’s origin myth, and Ballister lashes out at her. Given that Ballister had even defends Nimona to Ambrosius, it would have made more sense for him to calmly say that he trusts her, he just wants to know the truth, therefore preventing the movie’s final act.

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Nimona is a film adaptation of ND Stevenson’s graphic novel of the same name. Chloë Grace Moretz voices the main character Nimona, a shapeshifter who is being hunted by a former knight named Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed). But things become complicated when Blackheart realizes Nimona may actually be able to help him after he’s unjustly accused of a crime.

Director Nick Bruno , Troy Quane Release Date June 30, 2023 Cast Chloe Grace Moretz , Riz Ahmed , Frances Conroy , Lorraine Toussaint , Beck Bennett , RuPaul , Indya Moore , Julio Torres , Sarah Sherman , Eugene Lee Yang Runtime 101 Minutes

3 Shrek Believes Fiona Thinks Of Him As A Monster

Shrek (2001)

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Shrek features another (in)convenient overheard conversation. Shrek is beginning to realize that he and Fiona have feelings for each other when Donkey discovers that Fiona becomes an ogre by night. There isn’t really a plausible explanation for Fiona being embarrassed by this as Shrek is an ogre, although the fact that she feels this way is insulting to him in a different way. Shrek then overhears her calling herself a “hideous creature,” thinks she is talking about him, and later spits it back at her, which she takes as him affirming her fears that he couldn’t love her.

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Based loosely on the children’s book of the same name by William Steig, Shrek tells the story of an ogre (Michael Myers) who sets with his new friend Donkey (Eddie Murphy) out to regain his swamp from fairytale characters. Tasked with rescuing Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in return for the restoration of his solitude, Shrek discovers that he’s not the loner he always thought he was, and that looks aren’t always everything.

Director Vicky Jenson , Andrew Adamson Release Date May 18, 2001 Cast Cameron Diaz , Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy , John Lithgow Runtime 90 minutes

2 The Narrator Doesn’t Realize That Tyler Isn’t Real

Fight Club (1999)

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Fight Club’s plot twist of one of the main characters not being real hinges on the unlikely event that none of the other characters ever say anything to clue the protagonist in on this. Namely, the Narrator does not realize that Marla is not sleeping with Tyler but him. Somehow, he and Marla never have a conversation about their relationship. She is angry with him in certain scenes where he is “blowing her off,” as he conveniently does not realize that they have just spent the night together. Likewise, none of the other recruits say anything revealing.

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Fight Club, David Fincher’s 1999 thriller starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, and Helena Bonham Carter, is the cinematic adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s eponymous 1996 novel. In it, reckless soapmaker Tyler Durden helps the desolate Narrator find meaning in his monotonous life by creating an underground fight club where dejected men release their frustration in the form of fistfights.

Director David Fincher Release Date October 15, 1999 Cast Brad Pitt , Meat Loaf , Edward Norton , Jared Leto , Helena Bonham Carter Runtime 139 minutes

Related 10 Movies That Take Place Inside A Character’s Mind

When an unreliable narrator takes viewers on a journey in their minds, it is a great way for a movie to never reveal what is real and what is illusion

1 Romeo Believes That Juliet Is Dead

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

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The most famous miscommunication with disastrous consequences is, of course, the one in Romeo and Juliet. In all versions, Friar Lawrence and Juliet should have confirmed that Romeo knew the plan before carrying it out or shared it with Romeo’s friends to prevent the very thing that happens. In the modern version from Baz Luhrmann, the friar apparently doesn’t make a phone call or send an email to Romeo either. Therefore, Romeo believes exactly what he hears and takes his own life, showcasing the terrible tendency of many fictional people to jump to conclusions for the sake of drama.

Romeo + Juliet PG-13DramaRomance

Director Baz Luhrmann Release Date November 1, 1996 Cast Leonardo DiCaprio , Claire Danes , John Leguizamo , Harold Perrineau , Pete Postlethwaite , Paul Sorvino Runtime 120 Minutes

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