History ObfuscatingStupidity / Film

** Ragetti, who is revealed to know more and more as the movies go on.
*** Although, given that he seems really uneducated and unable to read, he just might have a knack for insightful comments.
*** Lack of book learning is not always a symbol of stupidity, especially not in the time period of the films.
*** Part of the joke is how many obscure bits of trivia he knows (like the proper pronunciation of "Kraken" in the original Scandinavian) despite being completely illiterate. Also, despite his illiteracy, he seems to have quite an advanced vocabulary, and at one point uses "dichotomy" correctly in an intelligent, insightful comment, to the surprise of everyone in earshot.
* James Kirk in the new ''Film/StarTrek'' film practically turns this into an art form, frequently acting like a [[HandsomeLech womanizing idiot]] or [[TheFool playing the fool]] throughout parts of the film.
** However, it quickly becomes clear that he's not nearly as stupid as he leads people to believe, effectively beating the supposedly unbeatable [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation Kobayashi Maru]] through rather ingenious means and then [[spoiler: stopping Nero's [[RoaringRampageofRevenge rampage of revenge against the Federation]]]].
** Prior to joining Starfleet, it's even stated by Pike that Jim's the only "genius-level repeat offender in the Midwest."
* If you watch ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' closely, you will notice that the "brainless" Scarecrow is the one who has all the ideas, comes up with the plan to sneak into the witch's castle, and even (at the climax) manages to think quickly enough to use the Tin Man's ax to drop a chandelier on the witch's soldiers. This is even more pronounced in [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz the original book]], where he comes up with clever solutions to nearly every obstacle and monster that the Witch of the West and Oz itself throws at them. In both versions, the Scarecrow's dumb act has even [[BelievingTheirOwnLies fooled himself]]. He associates intelligence solely with being a "great brain" or "deep thinker". Since he's not one of those by any means, he fails to recognize his planning, quick thinking, and resourcefulness are ''also'' signs of intelligence.
** He's so in denial of his own intelligence that he resorts to SelfDeprecation. When Dorothy points out to him that he came up with a clever plan to save her, his only response is to say that if he had a brain, he would have thought of it sooner.
** Of course, that was rather the point - the Cowardly Lion and the Tin Man also always had the traits (bravery and heart) that they wanted the Wizard to grant them, which is why he gave each of them nothing more than [[MagicFeather an item to act as confidence builders]].

** In ''Revenge of the Pink Panther'', a character expresses the (erroneous) belief that Clouseau's blundering is actually a version of this.

** He's also the only one with whom she seemed to exercise caution. With everyone else, Bill included, she barges in and starts swinging, kicking, and slicing. When the woman who takes on an entire army of sword-wielding Yakuza by herself skulks around a guy's trailer and takes the time to make sure he's sitting down before making her move, and he ''still gets the best of her''...you know he's a badass.
* Silent Bob, from Creator/KevinSmith's ''Franchise/TheViewAskewniverse'' appears to be little more then Jay's silent companion, only less exuberant and dumber. It turns out that he's quite knowledgeable. Silent Bob may seem smarter than Jay because his friend is very loud.
** In ''Film/{{Mallrats}}'', Silent Bob apparently won his eighth grade science fair by turning his mom's vibrator into a CD player with "[[NoodleImplements chicken wire and shit]]"

** He speaks Chinese in the second movie, it's just horrible. In his very first scene, he thought he was inviting two Chinese girls to have a drink, when he was [[MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels actually inviting them to get naked, and sacrifice a small goat.]] Granted, the first part of that invitation is completely in character for him.
*** He also tells a roomful of Triads to take out their samurai swords and shave his butt before asking Lee what the hell did he just say. Strangely, this is ''also'' in character for him.
* In both the 1940 and 1920 versions of ''The Mark of Zorro'', Diego de la Vega plays the featherbrained fop to lull the corrupt Governor Quintero, while, as the masked swashbuckler Franchise/{{Zorro}}, trying to frighten Quintero out of the country.
** And the 1974 made for TV movie with the same title. Frank Langella's portrayal of foppish Diego de la Vega is the greatest bit of the film.

* Roger Rabbit spells it out in ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', and implies that obfuscating stupidity is second nature to a toon:
-->'''Roger''': ''(to [[BigBad Judge Doom]] and the [[GoldfishPoopGang Weasels]])'' We toons may ''act'' idiotic, but we're not ''stupid''!
** Given that he never actually does anything useful in the movie, it could just be that he's full of hot air on that one, which would also just make him stupid rather than using ObfuscatingStupidity.
*** The toons in general seem to vary in intelligence. It could be that Roger is just a stupid one.

* Bruce Wayne in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'', he pretends that he is [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob a vain, stupid, frivolous and superficial playboy millionaire]] in public, all to make people never suspect of him being Franchise/{{Batman}}.
** In a more specific example: in ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Joker causes chaos by threatening to blow a hospital unless the people kill a man who claims to know Batman's identity. When someone tries to ram the police vehicle carrying the man, Bruce pulls a vehicular TakingTheBullet. Afterwards he acts like it was an accident, but still shoots a knowing glance towards the man whose life he saved.
-->'''Gordon:''' That was a very brave thing you did.
-->'''Bruce:''' Trying to catch the light?
-->'''Gordon:''' So you weren't protecting the van?
-->'''Bruce:''' Why? Who's in it?
-->'''Bruce:''' (after shooting the knowing glance) Do you think I should go to a hospital?
-->'''Gordon:''' You don't watch a whole lot of news, do you, Mr. Wayne?
** Interestingly, the third film reveals that Gordon had no idea that Bruce was Batman (that's right, Gotham's top cop is the ''last'' named character to figure out who Batman is).
** Of course he pointedly refuses to even try to find out who Batman is.

* Both Mr. Green and Colonel Mustard both embody this throughout most of the film ''Film/{{Clue}}''.
** Although, depending on which ending you get, it's completely genuine for Green.
* In ''Film/TheAvengers'', Natasha Romanoff uses a variation of this combined with a WoundedGazelleGambit as an interrogation technique. She lets the interrogat-ee think that they've outwitted her and plays the part of the helpless prisoner, then waits for them to [[YouJustToldMe shoot their big mouth off]] while they're gloating about how she failed to live up to her reputation. Then she [[PlayAlongPrisoner breaks out]] and kicks the shit out of them.
** This scene is just {{foreshadowing}} for [[spoiler:when she pulls a similar trick on Loki.]]

* ''Film/{{Fracture}}'': As part of his scheme, Ted Crawford, who's being tried for attempted murder, initially presents himself as a layman unacquainted with courtroom procedures but who decided to represent himself by exercising his basic rights, presumably out of hubris. When he later pushes for an acquittal based on lack of admissible evidence by the prosecution, he reveals that he has quite a bit of legal expertise, which the annoyed judge quickly notices. You can especially see it when he uses the legal phrase "motion for judgment of acquittal", not having demonstrated any familiarity with them earlier.

** [[spoiler:With the recent announcement of Kill Bill Volume III, Elle Driver is confirmed to be alive.]]

** Although Nathan is obviously a genius as an inventor, he tends to act like he is not as smart in other respects when in actuality he is extremely cunning. He might have affected or at least exaggerated his drinking problem and frat boy personality so that Caleb would be suckered into trying to trick him.

* Although Nathan from ''Film/ExMachina'' is obviously a genius as an inventor, he tends to act like he is not as smart in other respects when in actuality he is extremely cunning. He might have affected or at least exaggerated his drinking problem and frat boy personality so that Caleb would be suckered into trying to trick him.

-->'''Norrington:''' "No additional shot nor powder, a compass that doesn't point north...(looks at Jack's sword) And I half expected it to be made of wood. You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
-->'''Captain Jack Sparrow:''' "But you have heard of me."\\
-->(''Shortly after, when their ship is stolen by ''two people'', including Jack'')
-->'''Lt. Groves:''' "That's got to be the best pirate I've ever seen."
-->'''Norrington:'''(acidly) "So it would seem."

--->'''Lt. Groves:''' "Do you think that he [[ThePlan plans it all out]], or just [[IndyPloy makes it up as he goes along?]]"

The Film ''Film/TheIdiots'' is about a bunch of middle class teenagers and 20-somethings that pretend to be mental retarded in order to fuck with people. And of course when the leader of The Idiots actually encounters someone mentally retarded he flips completely out on them. Needless to say the movie does not end to well.

* Silent Bob, from KevinSmith's ''Franchise/TheViewAskewniverse'' appears to be little more then Jay's silent companion, only less exuberant and dumber. It turns out that he's quite knowledgeable. Silent Bob may seem smarter than Jay because his friend is very loud.

* Captain Jack Sparrow, ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean''. You might think he's quite a harmless fellow when you lock him in chains, but if you start a 10 minute long conversation with him, he'll probably [[TalkingYourWayOut talk you into opening his chains]], [[CombatPragmatist steal your pistol and threaten you with it]], make a break for it and steal the ship you should be guarding before you can even realize what the hell just happened. And when you reach out for your pocket to get the whistle and call the guards you'll notice that your wallet is also missing...the quotes below give great examples:

* ''{{Zatoichi}}'', in the series of movies of the same name, posed as a harmless blind masseur (he really was blind) until it came time for either intimidation or the mass slaughter of the EvilMinions.

* In the 2006 ''PinkPanther'' remake, it is revealed that Inspector Clouseau could [[spoiler: speak Chinese all along and figured out who the killer was when the Chinese woman named "Yu" was brought in for questioning. His rant about actually knowing Chinese turned out to be true.]]

* Silent Bob, from KevinSmith's ''ViewAskewniverse'' appears to be little more then Jay's silent companion, only less exuberant and dumber. It turns out that he's quite knowledgeable. Silent Bob may seem smarter than Jay because his friend is very loud.
** In ''{{Mallrats}}'', Silent Bob apparently won his eighth grade science fair by turning his mom's vibrator into a CD player with "[[NoodleImplements chicken wire and shit]]"

* In ''DirtyRottenScoundrels'', [[spoiler: Glenne Headly plays an extremely ditzy poor little rich girl who is an obvious target of the two cons, SteveMartin and MichaelCaine. Turns out that she was counter-conning them from the beginning.]]

* In ''TheUsualSuspects'', [[spoiler:Verbal Kint, pretending to be a weak-willed and crippled sap who was taken advantage of by Dean Keaton, rather than the diabolical crimelord he is.]]

* In ''HorseFeathers'', Connie plays up her football ignorance to try to get Professor Wagstaff to share his secret signals. She overdoes her childlike ditziness, so either he sees right through the ruse or he thinks she needs to snap out of it.

* In ''DumbAndDumber'', the kidnappers only ''think'' Harry and Lloyd are doing this.

* David "Mo" Rutherford, in ''The Stuff''. He portrays himself as a quite inept and dimwitted lowlife, introducing himself in a particularly obnoxious manner. The trope quite soon lampshaded when one character, impressed with Mo's ingenuity in placing a small microphone into the pockets of everyone in present at the meeting on the night before, comments "you're not as dumb as you appear to be". To which he responds "Nobody is as dumb as I appear to be".

* In MyFellowAmericans, former Presidents Kramer and Douglas run for their lives, trying to discover the criminal genius who framed them for a bribery scandal. [[spoiler: Turns out it was the supposed fool of a Vice President, Ted Matthews, who arranged to remove both the former Presidents and his own boss with a single scandal.]]
* In ''Film/IronMan2'' Vanko shows he's both fluent and eloquent in his early face-to-face confrontation with Tony Stark, but speaks to Hammer in broken, barely intelligible English just to dick with the guy. Later on he acts only barely competent at engineering and technology, convincing Hammer that the best he can do with the Hammer suits is to make drones and then later on that the best he can make the drones do is "salute." Hammer naturally underestimates him as a result.

* ''Film/MissCongeniality'': Most of the girls come across as the stereotypes Gracie associates with pageants, but for the most part this is because the girls are all very well-trained in saying exactly the right things to get them the points needed to win, even if makes them seem brainless. [[spoiler:Cheryl, who spends most of the film appearing to be a sweet and gentle DumbBlonde, turns out to be a nuclear physicist.]]

*** Part of the joke is how many obscure bits of trivia he knows (like the proper pronunciation of "Kraken" in the original Scandinavian) despite being completely illiterate.

* In ''Film/DjangoUnchained'', Stephen plays the role of a submissive house slave in public. In private however, he's actually smarter than his master and serves as Candie's personal adviser.

** This scene is just [[Foreshadowing foreshadowing]] for [[spoiler:when she pulls a similar trick on Loki.]]

*** Interestingly, the third film reveals that Gordon had no idea that Bruce was Batman (that's right, Gotham's top cop is the ''last'' named character to figure out who Batman is).
*** Of course he pointedly refuses to even try to find out who Batman is.

* Budd from ''KillBill'' is depicted to be a drunken redneck who works as a bouncer for a titty bar. Nonetheless he has shown a [[WarriorPoet philosophical side]] and is the only Viper to get an advantage on Beatrix Kiddo, by faking unawareness that she's hiding around his trailer and blasting her with rock salt when she busts through his door. In fact, [[spoiler:Budd is the only of the vipers not to be killed by The Bride (well, Elle is not actually ''shown'' dead, but is at least very thoroughly screwed).]]

* In both the 1940 and 1920 versions of ''The Mark of Zorro'', Diego de la Vega plays the featherbrained fop to lull the corrupt Governor Quintero, while, as the masked swashbuckler {{Zorro}}, trying to frighten Quintero out of the country.

*** Ofcourse he pointedly refuses to even try to find out who Batman is.

* In ''Film/{{Maverick}}'', Bret Maverick pulls this off effectively in an early scene where he invites himself into a {{poker}} game, saying, "I promise that I'll do nothing but lose for at least an hour." For the first hour of so he indeed loses every hand. From second hour of the game on, Maverick winds up cleaning out the rest of the table. When one fellow gambler accuses him of cheating, Maverick explains, "What do you think I was doing for the first hour? I was learning your tells." This sets the tone for the rest of the movie, in which Maverick appears to be bumbling his way through the West, but in reality is as shrewd and sly as anyone else in the movie.
* Bruce Wayne in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'', he pretends that he is [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob vain, stupid, frivolous and superficial playboy millionaire]] in public, all to make people never suspect of him being Franchise/{{Batman}}.

** He's also the only one with whom she seemed to exercise caution. With everyone else, Bill included, the barges in and starts swinging, kicking, and slicing. When the woman who takes on an entire army of sword-wielding Yakuza by herself skulks around a guy's trailer and takes the time to make sure he's sitting down before making her move, and he ''still gets the best of her''...you know he's a badass.

** However, it quickly becomes clear that he's not nearly as stupid as he leads people to believe, effectively beating the supposedly unbeatable [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation Kobayashi Maru]] through rather ingenius means and then [[spoiler: stopping Nero's [[RoaringRampageofRevenge rampage of revenge against the Federation]]]].

* Samantha "Sam" Sparks in ''CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'' was secretly a nerd in her school days but hides her brains behind the facade of the pretty, ditzy weathergirl for fear of being stigmatised. It adds another layer to the character that she is voiced by Creator/AnnaFaris who is more well known for playing genuinely ditzy characters.

* ''IceAge'': Sid kept going on about how Diego is [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes afraid of water]], and subtly teaching him how to swim, saying that most animals can swim when they're babies. [[ChekhovsSkill It comes in handy when the area is flooded, and Sid's unconscious.]] Diego jumps into the water, swims to Sid, Crash and Eddie, and hoists them onto a rock. Sid then states that everybody can swim when they're babies... except tigers.
---> '''Sid:''' I left that part out.
* ''TheHallelujahTrail:'' Walks Stooped Over, the Sioux chief who does all of their negotiating in badly translated sign language, is revealed at the end as speaking perfectly good English.

* Big time in ''Film/NowYouSeeMe''. [[spoiler:Rhodes is always one step behind the Four Horseman and is always outwitted by them. He's actually the Fifth Horsemen, deliberately pretending to fall for all their tricks to make sure the authorities are always one step behind the Horsemen.]]

* In ''Film/IronMan2'' Vanko shows he's both fluent and eloquent in his early face-to-face confrontation with Tony Stark, but speaks to Hammer in broken, barely intelligible English just to dick with the guy. Later on he acts only barely competent at engineering and technology, convincing Hammer that the best he can do with the Hammer suits is to make drones and then later on that the best he can make the drones do is "salute." Hammer naturally underestimates him as a result.

* Bruce Wayne in ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'', he pretends that he is [[RichIdiotWithNoDayJob vain, stupid, frivolous and superficial playboy millionaire]] in public, all to make people never suspect of him being {{Batman}}.