History WebVideo / RedLetterMedia

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!!Examples given by their other works:

[[folder:''General'']]
* InNameOnly: [[invoked]] Invoked verbatim when describing such films as ''TheHangover Part III'' and ''StarTrekIntoDarkness''.
* RunningGag: AccidentalInnuendo is almost always followed by the [[StockSoundEffects Stock Sound Effect]] of a slide whistle.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Half in the Bag'']]

** Also, in the ''Film/XMenDaysofFuturePast'' review:

* EurekaMoment: Rich and the crew realize that the Japanese SOS tape (which they misidentify as Chinese) is a series of European produced religious music videos. (Aurora Productions is a Switzerland-based Christian Fundamentalist group.) Jesus doing a take to the camera while flying to Heaven on a cross during TheRapture.

* ScullyBox: The ''XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' episode had Jay and Mike standing next to one another during the intro. At the end, Jay visibly steps down, and Mike directly [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] the use of the trope as being necessary for Jay to be "almost as tall as me".

* EurekaMoment: Rich and the crew realize that the Japanese SOS tape (which they misidentify as Chinese) is a series of European produced religious music videos. (Aurora Productions is a Switzerland-based Christian Fundamentalist group.) It goes BeyondTheImpossible when you have Jesus doing a take to the camera while flying to Heaven on a cross during TheRapture. Yeah.

-->'''Jay:''' "Speaking of hungry, have you seen ''[[Film/TheHungerGames The Hung-]]''"\\

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: During the fourth "Wheel of The Worst" episode, the crew watches "Florence Henderson's Looking Great, Feeling Great". They do not include it in their discussion, and the video is not mentioned during the rest of the episode.

* EurekaMoment: Rich and the crew realize that the Japanese SOS tape (which they misidentify as Chinese) is a series of European produced religious music videos. (Aurora Productions is a Switzerland-based Christian Fundamentalist group.) It goes BeyondTheImpossible when you have Jesus doing a FourthWallAside flying to Heaven on a cross during TheRapture. Yeah.

* TheBusComesBack: The Wheel of the Worst made a comeback after being tossed in the trash.

* CoversAlwaysLie: ''Ninja Vengeance'', ''Never Too Young to Die'', ''Playing Dangerous'', ''Shapeshifter'', ''Thunderpants'' and ''Bloody Birthday''. By far the biggest offender is ''Playing Dangerous'', with ''Never Too Young to Die'''s tantalizing claim of "one-against-a-hundred bazooka battles" in a close second.
** Perhaps the most disappointing example of this is "Tree Stand Safety," the cover of which promises spectacular safety film injuries, with a man or dummy falling out of a tree. That scene, nor any other mishap, aside from a brief slip off the bottom rung of a ladder, never appears, and 60 minutes of the video's 75 minute runtime is a stealth advertisement for a new type of tree stand that requires none of the preceding safety tips [[note]] That particular type of tree stand is actually quite popular to this day. If the video had something to do with it is anybody's guess. [[/note]], and allows an old lady to kill and puppeteer a deer.
* CrazyAwesome: [[invoked]] The crew considers ''Film/MiamiConnection'' to be this as one massive BigLippedAlligatorMovie.

* EarlyBirdCameo: In ''Half In the Bag'' #21 (''JackAndJill''), Mr. Plinkett angrily states he wants to be able to watch his VHS copy of ''Russian Terminator''.

!!Examples given by their other works:

[[folder:''General'']]
* InNameOnly: [[invoked]] Invoked verbatim when describing such films as ''TheHangover Part III'' and ''StarTrekIntoDarkness''.
* RunningGag: AccidentalInnuendo is almost always followed by the [[StockSoundEffects Stock Sound Effect]] of a slide whistle.

[[folder:''Half in the Bag'']]
* AccidentalMisnaming: Mike in the ''Film/AfterEarth'' review refers to WillSmith's wife as Jada ''Plinkett'' Smith, causing Jay to give the appropriate reaction.
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse: Adam Sandler has actually been pulling a SpringtimeForHitler with his movies.
* AnnoyingLaugh: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUPaxgIo98 Rich Evans.]] His laugh is referenced multiple times within the episodes as quite possibly the worst thing you'll ever hear.
* AnythingButThat: When Jay shows a poster of ''Film/JeffWhoLivesAtHome'', Mike exclaims, "'''''[[BigNo NO!!!]]''''' Get that ''away'' from me!", then calmly tears the poster into tiny pieces, while Jay deadpans, "Oh, no" in the most emotionless tone possible.
* AssholeVictim: Anytime something bad happens to Jay and Mike, [[LaserGuidedKarma they basically deserved it]]. Plinkett began as this, but has gradually devolved into TheChewToy as the duo continues to exploit him.
* AuthorAppeal: Mike considers ''Film/TheRocketeer'' an underrated gem, and occasionally includes a clip as an examples of ''correct'' storytelling.
** He's also quite biased towards Kirsten Dunst.
** While on-screen AsHimself, Mike's brand of humor revolves around BadBadActing and lampshading [[MediumAwareness the trappings of his own show]], Gary Shandling-style.
* BadBadActing: This is Mike's signature comedic style. Jay does this, too, but he's not as good at pretending to be a bad actor as Mike is.
** {{Subverted}} and PlayedForLaughs in their [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5hSwnZ7FyY Dark Knight Rises review]]:
-->[Mike answers Plinkett's phone]\\
'''Man''': Is this Harry S. Plinkett?\\
'''Jay''': Pretend to be Pinkett!\\
'''Mike''': [doing the Mr. Plinkett voice] Yes, this is Harry S. Plinkett, who is this?\\
'''Jay''': ''[[{{Irony}} That is the worst Plinkett impression I ever heard. He's going to think you're a fake!]]''
* BaitAndSwitch: A common running gag consists of them building up the "plot" of the episode to the movie they're about to review (which the audience knows since it's in the title), but then mention the movie in a completely different context and proceed to review it.
-->'''Jay:''' "Speaking of hungry, have you seen ''[[Film/TheHungerGames The Hung-]]''"\\
'''Mike:''' "We should now talk about the recent films we've seen."\\
(''Film/TheHungerGames'' trailer rolls)
** Also, in their review of ''Film/TheLastStand'':
--->[Jay explains the premise]\\
'''Jay''': Mike, what did you think of ''The Last''-- movie we saw?
** Used in a different way in their ''Film/IronMan3'' and ''Film/PainAndGain'' review. Instead, it immediately voices their general opinion on them.
--->'''Mike''': Seen any good movies lately?\\
'''Jay''': Yeah. And I saw Pain and Gain.
** Lampshaded in the Another Day to Die Hard review:
--->'''Mike:''': "Speaking of reference, have you seen movie?"
* BigBad: George Lucas fills this role here also, with requisite LampshadeHanging from Mike and Jay, of course.
* BitingTheHandHumor: If you invite these guys to a fan expo, expect to be blasted with both barrels.
* BlackComedyRape: In one episode, the hosts accidentally create a robot while trying to fix Plinkett's DVD player and VCR. Then [[RefugeInAudacity another robot comes in and rapes the first robot to death]].
-->'''Jay:''' "I never thought I'd be so happy about rape!"
* BrandX: The bottles on the title card are labeled "CHEAP BEER". Averted within the show proper, in which Mike and Jay are quite frequently seen to be drinking Wisconsin's own [[http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/index.cfm/beers/ourbeers/beer/spotted-cow Spotted Cow]].
* BrokenRecord: The "Red Letter Media Talks About ''Film/{{Prometheus}}''" segment. Mike asks endless questions "Why did they...(x20) ''Whhhhhhhyyyyyy?''". Jay stares vacantly into the distance and says [[TheVoiceless precisely nothing]].
* ButtMonkey: Plinkett has essentially been [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] into this trope on ''Half in the Bag''. He's still creepy and a pervert, but he's generally portrayed as ineffectual. He's suffering from amnesia, and is abused by Jay and Mike on a regular basis, up to attempted murder. He even shows some form of genuine affection for them in some episodes.
* CallBack: In the review for ''Film/JackAndJill'', Mike uses Plinkett's memetic line, "''you'' may not have noticed, but your ''brain'' did," complete with the identical "child playing with molding clay" image.
* CallingTheOldManOut: While having a female guest who enjoys "chick flicks" discuss What's Your Number with them, she eventually gets frustrated and calls Mike out for trying to insinuate she and fans of the genre must be stupid for liking it.
* TheCameo: [[spoiler: [[Creator/TimAndEric Tim Heidecker]]]] in the season finale.
* CaptainObvious: Frequently used by Mike to introduce movies, usually ones he doesn't like.
-->"''[[Film/ParanormalActivity Paranormal Activity 4]]'' is about 90 minutes long, and features actors pretending to be other people in a fictional setting called a movie."
* CatScare: Used endlessly in the ''ParanormalActivity 4'' review, chiefly to make a point and mock the film at the same time.
* TheChewToy: Plinkett has gradually evolved into this. The show makes light of his age, deteriorating health and senility, and constantly getting killed over and over a la ''South Park'''s Kenny only to arise again next month.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Jay and Mike spend the first few minutes of the review of "[[Film/{{Skyfall}} SkyFAIL]]" bashing the movie for being [[SeinfeldIsUnfunny full of cliches]] and unrealistic ("[[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why doesn't the bad guy just shoot M in the face]]") before the ''real'' review cuts in and they say what they really think (they liked it).
* {{Corpsing}}: During Mike's CaptainObvious description of ''Film/WhiteHouseDown'', he concludes, "Thank you, Roland Emmerich! I hope someone shoves a club up your ass!" then giggles out of character.
** Jay ''finally'' gets Mike to really laugh (after ''45 episodes'') during the ''Haunted House'' discussion, which segues into a riff on the Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg films (ironically, it's about how unfunny their jokes are). Jay is [[IThinkYouBrokeHim clearly taken aback by how hard Mike is laughing]], even starting to ask him "Did your brain...", before being overcome with laughter himself.
** In the review of ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'', Mike laughed the hardest he ever has in a video... when Jay refers to the villain as Benedict [[CabbagePatchKids Cabbagepatch]]. Both Jay and Rich react to his sudden burst with wonder.
** Mike gets Jay to corpse during the 2014 Summer Movie Preview when he says that MichaelBay's ''Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2014'' film is so bad it won't be screened for ''audiences''.
* CouchGag: Plinkett knocking over the beers at the start of each episode.
-->"Half in the baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag!"\\
"Fuck movies."\\
"I don't even know who I am anymore."\\
"Jay and Mike are frauds."\\
"Hey, ain'tcha got anythin' better to do?"\\
"Why are you even watching this shit?"\\
"Who do these guys think they are? Rick Berman?"\\
"Everyone always complains about things on the internet!"\\
"I just shit in a coffee can."\\
"Whatever happened to Meg Ryan? [-oh right, she died-]"\\
[[Franchise/RoboCop "I'd buy THAT for a dollar!"]]
* {{Catchphrase}}: Mike, in his lawyerly way, will always ask, "Are you suggesting that...", as a lead-up to Jay openly accusing the filmmakers of being hacks.
** Whenever Mike gives an (honest) unpopular opinion on a movie, Jay will respond with an understated "Oh my god..."
* CreditsGag: This joke is done when Jay asks Mike for his opinion about ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods''.
** Jay's final word on ''Film/TheLoneRanger'' was "don't bother", but he complimented them for using the ''The William Tell Overture" to trick the audience. Said theme rises to a crescendo as Mike responds, [[CriticProof drowning out his complaints]].
* DeadpanSnarker: Mike Stoklasa appears to be this in RealLife, and it's a trait that all his characters share, but especially [[AlterEgoActing Mike on "Half In The Bag"]]. He's usually able to get his co-host Jay to laugh without even cracking a smile himself, and any time he's called upon to show any kind of emotion, he always does it in a very phony and insincere way. He also likes to say things that he knows will piss off his audience (i.e. DrSeuss is [[HypeBacklash overrated]] and TheMuppets are [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids for babies]]).
** In the review for ''Film/{{Movie 43}}'', they go UpToEleven in snarking, talking about how ''"clever"'' the writing was, complete with LaughTrack galore, finally saying things like eating dog poop or leaky periods are [[ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars Not Supposed To Win Oscars]].
* TheDogBitesBack: During the ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'' review:
-->'''Plinkett:''' I'm just watching the end of the movie on my [=iPad=]... These things are great. You know all about it - '''yours is in my TV'''. ''(chuckles)'' I sure loved watching the same movie 68 times tonight. Maybe that'll '''teach you fucks not to LIE to me.'''
* {{Doorstopper}}: The ''Prometheus'' box set promises to answer all of Mike and Jay's questions... which is why it comes in 47 discs.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jay, who's spent most of the series exploiting, belittling, abusing, and even attempting to ''murder'' Plinkett, objects to Mike trying to take advantage of his recent meth addiction. Though how much of this is due to genuine concern or [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall because the story demanded it]] is unknown.
* FatAndSkinny: In true ''Siskel and Ebert'' tradition. Jay is the wiry {{straight man}}, while Mike is a big, sardonic JerkAss. (In-character, that is.)
* GainaxEnding: The end of the Film/RoboCop2014'' reboot review, where [[spoiler:the cop played by Rich Evans flies into space and lands on the planet of Film/HowardTheDuck, which is his favourite film. Also doubles as a BrickJoke.]]
* GenreThrowback: In the review of ''Film/RedTails'', Stoklasa deconstructs this, asserting that making a film a throwback to 1940s wartime B movies actually hurt the film overall, because, while the subject matter and presentation were familiar and nostalgic, other, less positive tropes (cliched characters, illogical plotlines, caricatured and demonized villains...) were not excised and had already been a part of the genre from the beginning. He further asserts that this makes ''Film/RedTails'' an uncomfortably offensive film because "we know better."
* GushingAboutShowsYouLike:
** Mike is an avowed fan of ''Film/TheRocketeer'', and encourages viewers not to write it off as a flop.
** Episode 66 is devoted to ''Film/RoboCop1987''. Mike professes to love ''Film/RoboCop2'' as much (if not more) than the first film.
* HardWorkMontage: Jay has one of his day-to-day tasks since he's not quite as interested in talking about ''StarWars'' than Mike and the director of ''The People Versus George Lucas''.
* HeroicBSOD: When Jay and Mike note the endless sequels coming in 2013, such as ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'', ''TheFastAndTheFurious 6'', ''TheHangover Part III''', and so on.
* HissBeforeFleeing: George Lucas does this when scared off by the original release of StarWars.
* HypocriticalHumor: "Did you just say black? ''(To Rhoda)'' How does it feel to sit so close to a racist? ({{Beat}}) Anyways, the movie was directed by black filmmaker Clayton Prince ..."
* IAmNotShazam: In-universe example. In the review of ''[[Film/TheBloodWatersOfDrZ ZaAt]]'', the duo keep referring to Dr. Leopard as "Zaat".
* INeedAFreakingDrink: In episode 40 of ''Half in the Bag'', Mike and Jay goes out seeing ''ParanormalActivity 4'' wondering how bad it could be. GilliganCut to "2 hours later", where they sit in the repair shop and pour up vodka shots.
* IncrediblyLamePun: Mike indulging in a Gene Shalit-style soundbite: "I guess you could say I'm ''hungry'' for more ''[[Film/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]]''." He immediately [[VomitIndiscretionShot vomits]].
** An earlier episode had one so bad that the 'Pun Police' came by sirens blazing.
** "I think ''Film/{{Battleship}}'' will sink. [[DontExplainTheJoke AT THE BOX OFFICE!]]"
* InstantAIJustAddWater: Connecting a VCR and a DVD player apparently creates an intelligent robot that wants to kill everyone.
* JumpScare: Their main criticism of ''Paranormal Activity 4'' is that it consists almost entirely of these. The review includes some JumpScares itself to spoof this practice.
* {{Kayfabe}}: [[DefiedTrope Defied]]. While the show nominally centers around Mike and Jay, two amoral VCR repairmen, the duo barely even try to conceal the fact that they're Mike Stoklasa and Jay Bauman, two internet sensations and indie filmmakers.
** In their review of ''Film/RoboCop1987'', frequent guest reviewer Rich Evans is introduced as a police officer who has never met Mike or Jay before. Lampshading this inconsistency becomes a RunningGag.
** For ''Film/ManOfSteel'', Mike asks Rich about how as a construction worker if he had any reactions to the buildings collapsing. Rich replied, "Construction worker...? ''Oh'', I'm a ''construction worker''!"
* KnightOfCerebus: Jocelyn Ridgely seems to be their go-to actress for playing these characters. When she first appears in the show, it marks the beginning of a lengthy story arc [[spoiler: which culminates in George Lucas attempting to destroy every VCR and kill every VCR repairman in the world, so that nobody will ever be able to watch the original edits of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, which were only ever released on VHS (at least, for the purposes of the story).]]
* LackOfEmpathy: Jay and Mike. They almost never feel... gooeelt? Gooey-elt? Gweelt? Guilt-- no, that doesn't sound right.
* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: During the review of ''A Haunted House'', Jay talks about ''ScaryMovie'' as the template for the "horrible plague" of the modern era of spoof movies, and examples of movies that fits the template such as ''Epic Movie'', ''Date Movie'', ''Vampires Suck'', and ''Meet the Spartans'' are shown on the screen. The last of the "horrible spoof movies" examples is ''IAmSam''.
* LastSecondWordSwap: Mike (in full SarcasmMode) sending up FanDumb:
--> I call him Javier BOREDOM... I call him [[DanielCraig Daniel BOREDOM]].
* MidReviewSketchShow: There's generally one at the beginning of the video, and one at the end. Sometimes if they're reviewing two movies, they'll include sketch material in between. The sketches themselves are often openly parodying the trope, in the sense that they are deliberately hackneyed and self-deprecating.
** The most prominent example is Episode 37. In what is supposed to be a review of ''Step Up: Revolution'', only about 7 seconds of the 8 minutes long episode are spend talking about the film ("It sucked!"), the rest is about wrapping the season's running storyline.
* TheNicknamer: Mike does this a lot, such as calling Channing Tatum "MagicMike" during the ''WhiteHouseDown'' review.
* NoodleIncident: "Remember that time when we misplaced [Plinkett's] kitchen?"
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: During the Half in the Bag review of ''Film/GhostRiderSpiritOfVengeance''they have to put "This is REALLY in the movie" below one of the weirder scenes included by the directors of ''Film/{{Crank}}''.
* NutritionalNightmare: In the episode where Mike and Jay review ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'', there's a subplot about Mr. Plinkett trying to intentionally have a heart attack through eating A LOT of this (mostly burgers that he fills with butter and lots of bacon).
* OneSteveLimit: ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' apparently has characters called Bruce Wayne, Bane, Bruce Bane and [[TheHulk Bruce Banner]], and they travel to Brisbane to watch basketball. It's very confusing.
* OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope: In their review of ''Jack and Jill'' they make a very half-hearted one as they make the transition from the review proper to making their case that the movie is basically a scheme to pump the cash from an inflated movie budget into the pockets of Sandler and his friends. Though the first two notes they start to read from their lawyers are themselves libelous (and even in the third, Mike has to change the word "cohorts" to "associates" as he is reading statement.)
* OverlyLongGag
** Mike dialing the paranormal investigators' number in the ''Paranormal Activity 4'' review.
** Mike asking Jay which summer movies he has seen which include ''Film/{{Elysium}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Planes}}'', and ''[[Film/TheFastAndTheFurious The Fast and the Furious 6]]'' in ''Film/TheWolverine'' review. Each one is responded with the same clip of a blunt no from Jay.
* ParallelPornTitles: According to Mike, ''Prometheus'''s first title was ''[[TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo The Girl With a Dragon in Her Cooch.]]''
* PermaStubble: Mike has a perpetual five o'clock shadow. Contrast Jay, who can't seem to make up his mind whether he wants to be clean-shaven or wear a beard.
* PetTheDog: Plinkett of all people literally pets a dog at some point. [[ItMakesSenseInContext Okay, it was a VCR he mistook for a dog]], but still.
* PricelessMingVase: Subverted. In the review of ''Film/CowboysAndAliens'', Plinkett puts out a priceless vase on a flimsy stand while people are throwing bricks with notes responding to Mike and Jay's ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' review [[WindowPain through his window]]. The vase is never broken.
** Until the next episode, that is, where the first thing they do is smashing it with a baseball bat without any further comment.
* ProductPlacement: This trope is frequently discussed and parodied in the ''Jack and Jill'' review, especially when outlining its ExcusePlot:
-->'''Mike''': They wanna get Al Pacino in a '''Dunkin' Donuts''' commercial.\\
'''Jay''': '''Dunkin' Donuts'''? \\
'''Mike''': '''Dunkin' Donuts'''.\\
'''Jay''': Did you say '''Dunkin' Donuts'''?\\
'''Mike''': '''Dunkin' Donuts'''.\\
'''Jay''': Oh, so '''Dunkin' Donuts''' is in the movie?\\
'''Mike''': '''Dunkin' Donuts''' plays a prominent role in the film.
* PutOnABus: In the ''Film/ManOfSteel'' review, Mr. Plinkett is forced to move out of his house since the city is going to pave a highway over his property. Later reviews so far have only taken place in the Lighting Fast [=VCR=] repair shop.
** TheBusCameBack: Mr. Plinkett is revealed to have moved into an apartment that he shares with Palpatine and still calls Mike and Jay to fix the very same VCR.
* RealTrailerFakeMovie: On a "Special Edition" episode, Mike and Jay review a parody fake trailer, for a "movie" called ''The Zookeeper'', starring Kevin James. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope It turns out the movie is very, very real.]]]]
* ResetButton: Mr. Plinkett's LaserGuidedAmnesia thanks to dementia allows Mike and Jay to mooch off him as VHS repairmen once more, after Plinkett had exiled them.
* RuleOfThree: Discussed while talking about Lucas' record of creating cultural icons. To quote Mike "Two means coincidence, three equals a pattern." They cannot come up with anything else besides ''StarWars'' and ''IndianaJones''.
** Their guest for that episode, Alexandre Phillipe, suggests ''AmericanGraffiti'', which ''was'' a big hit in its day, but which Mike oddly seems to dismiss because it does not appeal to ''his'' generation.
* SarcasmMode: Mike puts on an extraordinary thick layer when he claims that ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' is one of his favorite films.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Mr. Plinkett, during a robot attack: "Fuck this, I'm taking a bath!"
* SelfDeprecation: Mike and Jay often jokingly diss their own film, ''Feeding Frenzy,'' as being a horrible flop movie.
** Don't miss a chance to purchase RLM's greatest hits on "ancient non-digital media."
** Also, they really like to do whatever they've criticized in the movie they've been reviewing in the ending segment of the episode, for example in the ''Jack And Jill'' and {{Transformers}} episodes.
* SellOut: {{Lampshaded}} in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hAovTH_n8M this]] merchandise promo. Jay and Mike make it apparent they're ashamed ''by remaining completely miserable and monotone.''
* SharedUniverse: Relentlessly mocked, especially by the presence of the various Mr. Plinketts.
** Despite an entire episode where Mike spoke with indie filmmaker Alexandre Phillipe about the making of the Plinkett reviews, Mike later claims to have never heard of the reviews in their "2013 recap" episode.
* ShoutOut
** George Lucas is [[ThisWasHisTrueForm eventually revealed to be]] one of the aliens from ''Film/TheyLive''.
** Mr. Plinkett lives on 847 [[Series/AllInTheFamily Hauser St.]]
** Several scenes from ''Titanic'' are interspersed with parodies of the film, including [[SaturdayNightLive Cheri Oteri]] as Old Rose.
** Mike makes one to his other series, ''Best of the Worst'', in ''Film/TheWolverine'' review when trying to decide whether that one or ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' is better.
* SoOkayItsAverage[[invoked]]: Their general consensus is that this is the worst kind of movie, or at least the least interesting one to talk about on their show. In contrast, they dedicate several episodes to showcase SoBadItsGood movies.
* SpitTake: Mike does in the review of ''Film/SuckerPunch'' when mentioned that it was meant to empower Women.
** He gets another one when Jay informs him that [[Film/{{Twilight}} Taylor Lautner was in love with a]] [[RunningGag vampire baby]].
** In the ''AfterEarth'' review, Mike in a INeedAFreakingDrink moment downs a bottle of pills, then suddenly spits it out and exclaims, "''[[IAteWhat LAXATIVE?!]]''"
* StraightMan: Jay is usually depicted as this, in contrast to the senile Plinkett and the bizarrely fetishistic Mike (though both he and Mike are about equally misanthropic).
* StylisticSuck: Anytime anyone is called upon to "act". The "plot" and any "effects" fall under this as well.
* SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: George Lucas' face melted off after he realized that he could never cleanse the world of the original ''Star Wars''.
* TakeThat:
** At the fans who were disappointed by [[spoiler:the fake Mandarin twist]] in ''Film/IronMan3'' by Mike in the ''Film/ManOfSteel'' review. He imitates their feelings towards it with a dumb-sounding lisp.
** During the Film/{{Looper}} [=/=] Film/{{Dredd}} review, Mike gets a call from Rick Berman - former Star Trek producer and now pizza delivery guy.
** At the people who accused them of being Marvel fanatics by hating ''Film/ManOfSteel'' and liking a lot of Marvel movies in their ''Film/TheWolverine'' review even though they actually liked ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga''.
* TakeThatAudience: In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hAovTH_n8M "Selling Out" video]], Jay's response to Mike listing things they have on sale is [[UnpleasableFanbase "When is the next Plinkett review?"]]. [[invoked]]
-->'''Mike:''' That's right, Jay.
* TechnologyMarchesOn: Mike and Jay hasn't had a VCR repair job in 15 years before Plinkett called them..
* ThatPoorCat: Nearly every time one of the guys throws something offscreen, we hear an unhappy cat.
* TheyJustDidntCare: [[invoked]] They show that even this [[TropesAreNotBad trope isn't bad]] in the review of ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''. One of the reviewers watched the first half of the movie and the other watched the second half of the movie out of protest of the bloated nature of the movie. They then compare notes about what happens in their respective halves of the movie and manage an effective criticism by showing the disconnects between the first and second halves of the movie.
* ThisCannotBe: Jay and Mike are amazed that ''ParanormalActivity 4'' makes ''Film/JackAndJill'' look ''competent''.
* ThrowItIn: Subverted in the ''Film/TheHobbitAnUnexpectedJourney'' review:
-->'''Mike''': It's sort of amazing how we just... *coughs wildly* SORRY *cough* PLEASE LEAVE THIS IN THE FINAL EDIT *cough*
* TitleScream: Every episode opens with Stoklasa's Plinkett voice saying "Half in the [=BaaAAAaaag=]", followed by a random comment ("Mike and Jay are frauds!" etc.).
* ToBeContinued: Episode 66 retroviews the original ''Film/RoboCop1987'' film (as well as the two sequels), and ends with a To Be Continued as Mike, Jay and Rich go off to watch the [[Film/RoboCop2014 remake.]]
** After the ''Film/RoboCop2014'' review, "Officer Rich" finds himself on the ''HowardTheDuck'' planet, [[YankTheDogsChain only to find]] that there will be ''no'' To Be Continued on ''his'' adventures there. Ever.
* TrashTheSet: Plinkett's house takes quite the beating over the course of the show.
* UncannyFamilyResemblance: Harry S. Plinkett (Sr. and Jr.), Telekinetic Plinkett, Telekinetic Plinkett's brother, and Harriet Plinkett are all played by Rich Evans.
* UndercoverCopReveal: {{Inverted}}. "Officer Cooper" turns out to be an undercover ''hooker'', out to get Mike and Jay to pay money so that she and her colleagues can perform "humiliating sex acts". Cue EvilLaugh.
* UnpleasableFanbase: Invoked in the review of ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon''. Jay expresses his frustration that a fanbase will either react to movies by saying that they are terrible or will form a backlash against acclaimed movies by calling them over-rated. Also mentioned in the reviews of ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' and ''Prometheus'', Mike and Jay's deadpan sarcastic "That Creator/ChristopherNolan[=/=]Creator/RidleyScott is an overrated hack" when talking about minor plot holes is clearly a TakeThat at this kind of FanDumb.
* TheUntwist: [[invoked]] The mastermind behind all of the attempts on Jay and Mike's lives is -- George Lucas (again), trying to wipe the original cut of ''Star Wars'' from the face of the Earth (again). Jay and Mike go on openly express their disappointment about TheReveal being just "another lame George Lucas thing" and make small-talk over Lucas' MotiveRant, barely even paying attention to him.
* VerbalTic: An amiable "Sure," for Jay.
* VerySpecialEpisode: Spoofed in episode 49, wherein Mr. Plinkett develops a meth addiction.
* VideoReviewShow: More review-oriented than the Plinkett Reviews (though that's not saying much), but still always includes a MidReviewSketchShow.
* VillainProtagonist: Jay and Mike have their moments, especially when they try to kill Plinkett for his life insurance money.
* VisualPun: The "bomb" George Lucas uses to kill the repairman and their guest is a HowardTheDuck DVD box.
* VulgarHumor: The ending of the ''Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon'' review. Plinkett's ruptured colostomy bag sets off [[CrossesTheLineTwice over a minute of Mike and Jay throwing up]].
* [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield Where The Hell Is Plinkett's House]]: Early episodes of ''Half in the Bag'' are contradictory about whether the show is set in Teaneck, New Jersey (setting of the Plinkett Reviews) or Milwaukee, Wisconsin (RealLife home of Red Letter Media). About the same time that the "two separate Plinketts" theory prevailed, so too did the show's setting in Milwaukee.
* YourCostumeNeedsWork: The one time Mike used the Mr. Plinkett voice on-camera, Jay told him that it was a terrible Plinkett impression.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Best of the Worst'']]
* AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle: The crew gets a lot of mileage on the actors of ''Russian Terminator'' clearly reading all their English lines phonetically, leading to hilarious line reads like, "That's ''what'' friends ''are'' for?"[[note]]It wasn't a question - the line reading made it ''sound'' like it was a question.[[/note]]
-->'''"Music/KennyRogers"''': What the hell is this?\\
'''Phil Davis''': I['ve] [=SEen=] one of [=THOse=] [=beFOre=].
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: InUniverse, Gary Coleman is thought to be an "[[GodModeSue all-powerful deity]]" in his own safety video, [[JerkassGods spying on and magically tormenting]] a pair of [[WouldHurtAChild children]] for the sake of [[ItAmusedMe his own amusement]] and impressing a [[HospitalHottie hot nurse]].
** The crew discuss the possibility that [[FanNickname "Backdoor Mayor"]], from the same video, really did have a legitimate UPS package for the boy's mother, and the kid screwed up the shipment by not letting him inside.
** Though the protagonist of ''[[Film/TheExterminator Exterminator 2]]'' is meant to be a straitlaced, sympathetic [[TheHero hero]], he is agreed upon by the crew to instead be an AssholeVictim, the DesignatedHero, a complete simpleton, and even a VillainProtagonist. Rich also speculates that the one scene in which the actor portraying the Exterminator actually tried to act was filmed first, immediately after which the actor was diagnosed with MS.
* AndStarring: Not only does Rich Evans get this treatment, but he's also the only cast member credited [[FullNameBasis by his full name]].
* AnythingButThat: Jay and Jessi's reaction to ''The Dance of Birth'' being the third pick on The Wheel of the Worst.
-->'''Jay:''' Aaaaaah. Fuck you, ''The Dance of Birth''!\\
'''Jessi:''' ''{horrified)'' Can we do this over?! Please, I don't want that one!
* AssholeVictim: The crew describe the protagonist of ''[[Film/TheExterminator Exterminator 2]]'' as this, pointing out that "he [[KillItWithFire set people on fire]] ''first''."
* {{Author Appeal}}/{{Ho Yay}}: ''The Killer Eye'' has many, many shots of shirtless beefcake in their underwear with their crotches thrust toward the camera and rubbing their chests when they see the monster. The crew accuse the director of getting off on the male flesh. It's not a surprise David [=DeCoteau=] is [[http://www.thebiggaymovieblog.com/2011/01/interview-with-gay-horror-film-director.html an openly gay horror film director]].
* BadBadActing: A fade-in of the ''Best of the Worst'' crew seated at a table and "discussing" amongst themselves, a la daytime talk shows. Rich is clearly looking at no one, moving his mouth without speaking, and absurdly gesticulating with his arms. (''Christmas Special'')
* BaitAndSwitch: At the beginning of ''R.O.T.O.R.'', [[FanNickname Back Problems]] spends [[{{Padding}} several needless onscreen minutes]] preparing coffee, retrieving carrots from his fridge, and walking across his front lawn to his horse. When he finally gets there, he gives the horse the coffee and eats the carrots himself. Rich is not amused.
* BaitAndSwitchComment: Done when discussing the crew's motivation for destroying their copy of ''Ninja Vengeance''.
-->'''Mike''': We need to get ''[[IncrediblyLamePun vengeance]]'' on[[{{Beat}} ...]] [[SubvertedTrope this movie]].\\
'''Jay''': [[LampshadeHanging Oh, I get it.]]
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Ever since since the Wheel of the Worst was introduced the crew have waited for the chance to watch [[spoiler: ''Tree Stand Safety''.]] When it finally happens the video switches between their excitement before watching it and their bored reactions watching it.
* [[invoked]] BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** The climactic battle with the snake in ''Film/HardTicketToHawaii'', which has no relevance to the rest of the film's plot.
** The ending sequence of ''Film/TheAmazingBulk'', which features the Bulk jogging through a disjointed multitude of stock CGI locales populated by a leprechaun, a kid playing soccer during a helicopter air strike, and a hostile, lightning-hurling Zeus. The crew declare it the most baffling thing they've ever watched.
** The five-second shot of the [[MonsterClown creepy birthday clown]] in ''Bloody Birthday'', who has no significance to the plot but provides the movie's only genuinely frightening moment.
** From ''Crazy Fat Ethel II'', the lengthy scene of the spider-guy erratically moving around a small section of the backyard. The group speculates that, during filming, the camera was pointing in the wrong direction and filming the director instead of the actual scene.
** The scene from ''Psycho From Texas'' in which the titular psycho forces a young female bartender to strip naked and dance as he pours beer all over her. The crew explains that, though it could have been a genuinely well-done piece of disturbing character-building in a different context, it comes out of nowhere, [[MoodWhiplash clashes wildly with the rest of the film]], and gives the impression that the director made the whole movie out of a SickAndWrong urge to film that one scene.
* BigLippedAlligatorMovie: ''Film/MiamiConnection'', to such a degree that it wins the title of Best of the Worst on this basis alone.
** Not only does ''The Aftermath'''s tone and content shift wildly between family-friendliness, gut-wrenching violence, and nihilistic despair, but all of the film's darkest content is [[SoundtrackDissonance set to music reminiscent of]] ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''.
** ''The Dance of Birth'', a.k.a. "the greatest movie that Creator/DavidLynch never made."
** ''Shapeshifter'' is described as at least five completely separate movies (or potential elements of one miniseries) packed into a single, incomprehensible children's film.
* BigNo:
** By all six members of the group when they watch the scene in ''Xtro'' where the grandma smashes the pet snake into bloody pieces. Jessi even [[ScreamingWoman gives a high-pitched scream]] to complement the guys' [[{{Squick}} visible revulsion]].
** The crew all say "Oh, NO!" in reaction to the opening {{flashback}} murder in ''Crazy Fat Ethel II'' - due not to the murder itself, but the cheap VHS production value.
* BlackComedyRape: Invoked when the protagonist of ''Film/DeadlyPrey'', just after his wife's murder, tells the BigBad to take off his shirt.
-->'''Rich''': "You're gonna have to take my wife's place!"
** The crew surmises that ''Key Matters'' was made for kids like Mike who, as Jack outlines, would otherwise probably have been kidnapped, raped multiple times, and had their body dumped. [[CrossesTheLineTwice Mike claims that this would have been the best outcome for him.]]
-->'''Hispanic Father''': ''[[RunningGag Excelente]]''.
* BoringButPractical: While admitting that ''Let's Rap About Fire Safety'' is horribly out of date, Rich Evans says that the information on the video is useful because it would have helped him as a child; a dramatized incident in the video where somebody started a grease fire while trying to cook french fries actually happened to him once in real life. Though not for the same reasons, Mike comes to the same conclusion.
* BrokenAesop: After the heroes of ''Film/MiamiConnection'' have graphically and brutally killed a band of ninjas (in a severe MoodWhiplash from the rest of the film which the crew says resembled a college edition of ''SavedByTheBell''), the end card says, "Only through the [[IWillFightNoMoreForever elimination of violence]] can we achieve world peace." This earns perhaps a bigger laugh from the crew than any other they had while watching the film.
* CallingYourAttacks: "Film/{{Gymkata}}!"
* CatScare: Quite literally in ''Psycho From Texas'', as a cat is ''literally'' thrown at an actor in an attempt at a Cat Scare. Doubles as ThatPoorCat.
* CatchPhrase: The constant refrain for choosing which movie is the Best of the Worst is "Most entertaining, for whatever reason".
* ChekhovsGun: Averted in ''Film/DeadlyPrey''. The grenades on the evil merc leader's desk are always prominent in every shot of him at his desk, but they're never used.
* ChewingTheScenery: The crew felt that [[Music/{{KISS}} Gene Simmons]] was by far the most watchable aspect of ''Never to Young to Die'' due to his playing up the camp value of being a villainous, glam hermaphrodite. Same goes for Mario Van Peebels in ''[[Film/TheExterminator Exterminator 2]]''.
* ChristmasEpisode: Episode 14, featuring ''Elves'', ''Film/SantaClaus'', and ''NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation 2''.
* ClicheStorm: ''Film/DeadlyPrey'' is considered by the group to be filled with nothing but stock 1980s action movie cliches with little to no plot or character developement. Even more so by it's sequel, ''The Deadliest Prey'', which reuses all the same cliches the previous movie had [[spoiler:until the twist ending]]. [[invoked]]
* CloudCuckooLand: The "Crazy Town" in ''Film/{{Gymkata}}'', which has a HiveMind full of old weirdos that attack the hero wherever he is.
* CloudCuckooLander: Billy from ''Playing Dangerous 2'', a MotorMouth who seems to be intrigued by the "live Jello" he eats and the piggy bank he was saving pennies in.
* {{Corpsing}}
** While reviewing ''Psycho From Texas'', Mike, Jack, Gillian, and Jay are given two lists of titles that the director of ''Crazy Fat Ethel II'' made and try to read them without laughing. All four of them fail to do so (though Gillian gives the best effort). Even Jessi, who is offscreen, couldn't maintain her composure. [[note]]Titles include ''Wendy's Naughty Night'', ''Fire In Her Bed'', ''Sex Weirdo'', ''Confessions of a Dirty Pair'', and ''The Slut''.[[/note]]
** The primary reason Mike's "''[[Film/TheHuntForRedOctober Ed Hunt for Red October]]''" [[IncrediblyLamePun pun]] earns such a big laugh is that he himself starts laughing midway through.
** Mike, Rich, Jessi, Jack, and even Jay [[note]] Who was behind camera. [[/note]] ''all completely lose it'' for a good ten minutes about trying to figure out how ''Film/SantaClaus'' was made.
--->'''Rich:''' '''''It hurts! It hurts! IT HURTS!!!'''''
* CoversAlwaysLie: ''Ninja Vengeance'', ''Never Too Young to Die'', ''Playing Dangerous'', ''Shapeshifter'', ''Thunderpants'' and ''Bloody Birthday''. By far the biggest offender is ''Playing Dangerous'', with ''Never Too Young to Die'''s tantalizing claim of "one-against-a-hundred bazooka battles" in a close second.
** Perhaps the most disappointing example of this is "Tree Stand Safety," the cover of which promises spectacular safety film injuries, with a man or dummy falling out of a tree. That scene, nor any other mishap, aside from a brief slip off the bottom rung of a ladder, never appears, and 60 minutes of the video's 75 minute runtime is a stealth advertisement for a new type of tree stand that requires none of the preceding safety tips [[note]] That particular type of tree stand is actually quite popular to this day. If the video had something to do with it is anybody's guess. [[/note]], and allows an old lady to kill and puppeteer a deer.
* CrazyAwesome: [[invoked]] The crew considers ''Film/MiamiConnection'' to be this as one massive BigLippedAlligatorMovie.
** The ''Killbike'' sequence from ''The New Gladiators'', wherein, among other things, all the vehicles are MadeOfExplodium.
-->'''Jay''': I want ''this'' for ninety minutes.
** The scene from ''Film/DeadlyPrey'' where Logan chops off TheDragon's arm and [[GrievousHarmWithABody beats him to death with it]], which causes the group to burst into laughter and applause.
-->'''Jay''': The movie really should have ended right there.\\
'''Josh''': You know, ''fine'' if [[BigBad the colonel]] gets away, I don't care - because ''that'' happened.
** ''Playing Dangerous'' spends nearly thirty slow-motion seconds building up to the kid firing a Super Soaker [[KillItWithFire filled with gasoline]] at a {{Mook}} trying to light a cigarette, with the crew on the edges of their seats all the while. [[spoiler: It turns out to be an unintentional subversion; when it finally does happen, the film awkwardly cuts to a brief shot of the mook screaming and falling out of frame with only a weak smoke effect to suggest that he was even lit on fire. The entire group simultaneously gives an identical dejected groan at this.]]
* [[MonsterClown Creepy Clown]]: A bizarre party clown with a ratty t-shirt saying "[[FridgeHorror I Can't Say No]]" appears briefly in ''Bloody Birthday'' [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment for no apparent reason]] and is considered by the crew to be scarier than the psychopathic children. Jay and Mike identify him as Bagul from ''{{Sinister}}''.
-->'''Jay:''' This movie just got ''[[NightmareFuel genuinely scary]]''.
* DamnedByFaintPraise: Jay's example of "something good" about ''Lethal Ninja''.
-->'''Jay:''' The fact that the boom mic showed up a few times, means they bothered to use a boom mic.
* ADateWithRosiePalms
** The crew surmises that the characters of ''The New Gladiators'' have to masturbate in order to land their flying vehicles.
** Mike picks ''Candid Candid Camera'' as "Best of the Worst'' because he thinks it's value is that elderly men get to masturbate to it.
** After ''Psycho From Texas'' ultimately comes across as an excuse by the director to film the perverse "dancing" scene, the group accuses him of "furiously masturbating" while shooting the scene. The same accusation is summarily leveled at Rich Evans, who provides us with a short scene confirming this.
* DesignatedHero
** [[invoked]] The protagonist of ''[[TheExterminator Exterminator 2]]'' as described by the crew.
** Gary Coleman's safety lessons might be a little easier to swallow if he wasn't the one repeatedly putting the kids in danger with [[JerkassGods his divine powers]].
* DiabolusExMachina: An audio issue forced the crew to re-record Episode 6, and because ''The Vindicator'' turned out to be too mediocre to derive much entertainment value from, the group decided to watch a different movie in its place. Their second pick, ''Class of '99 II'', had a promising premise and positive word-of-mouth, but their copy broke the moment they tried to play it. Only after attempting to watch a third movie, ''Cyber Tracker'', and finding that it was the most boring movie they'd ever tried to watch did they give up on the whole business and resign themselves to discussing only the two remaining films. Of the two, [[spoiler: ''Film/RobotJox'' turned out to be a legitimately good movie and thus ill-suited to the show, while ''R.O.T.O.R.'' may have proven ''too'' good a fit for the show]].
-->'''Jay''': So, what started out as an innocent attempt to watch some bad movies with robots in them has turned out to be the most miserable experience in any of our lives.
** Basically the only plot to be found in ''[[TheExterminator Exterminator 2]]'' is all of the people close to the Exterminator being taken from him one by one and him seeking revenge.
* [[DieHardOnAnX Die Hard with a Kid]]: ''Playing Dangerous'', [[CoversAlwaysLie though you'd never know it from the cover]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: ''R.O.T.O.R.''
-->'''Rich:''' ''R.O.T.O.R.'' is about a police program to create a robotic policeman who will execute people for minor traffic violations.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The Heimlich maneuver scene from ''Gary Coleman For Safety's Sake'', which includes a close-up of the girl making an... ''interesting'' face while rhythmically performing offscreen abdominal thrusts on her brother. The group later comments on the fact that there's no logical reason for that shot to exist in a scene meant to teach children how to perform the Heimlich maneuver.
** The glass harmonica from ''Shapeshifter''.
--->'''Sorceror''': You caress the lips.\\
'''Mike''': He's teaching him something else...
** From ''Playing Dangerous'''s back-of-the-box summary:
--->'''Mike''': "When his mom said to go outside and play... she didn't exactly have this in mind." Well, that sounds like-\\
'''Rich''': Sounds like a porno.
* DontExplainTheJoke: Played straight by Rich [[ZigZaggingTrope and]] subsequently [[ParodiedTrope parodied]] by Mike when discussing Backdoor Mayor's claim that he has a "package" for the child's mother in ''Gary Coleman For Safety's Sake''.
-->'''Rich''': ''[[LampshadedDoubleEntendre "If you know what I mean."]]'' ...Sorry.\\
'''Mike''': ''[[SarcasmMode Oh]]'', you mean, like... his penis.
* DownerEnding:
** Not [[spoiler: ''Exterminator 2'']], but the review of it, which ends on the note that the lead actor may have spent all but one scene of the movie having been diagnosed with MS. This provides the perfect segue into the discussion of...
** [[spoiler: ''The Aftermath'']], which ends after a KillEmAll climax with a shot of a young child, who has just murdered an adult, walking down a highway by himself with a revolver in hand.
** [[spoiler: ''Deadly Prey'']], in misguided imitation of [[spoiler: ''Rambo: First Blood'']].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Rich Evans.
-->'''Rich''': I had to call the [[UsefulNotes/SuicidePrevention suicide prevention hotline]] last night because of ''R.O.T.O.R.'' [''sic''] [[FateWorseThanDeath They told me to do it.]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: In ''Half In the Bag'' #21 (''JackAndJill''), Mr. Plinkett angrily states he wants to be able to watch his VHS copy of ''Russian Terminator''.
* [[invoked]] EnsembleDarkhorse
** Gene Simmons's character in ''Never Too Young To Die'' is said by the group to light up the film whenever he's onscreen.
** The crew mentions that they'd like to watch a film entirely about the Exterminator's jovial BlackBestFriend going to bars and picking up ladies - or, better yet, that ''he'' was the Exterminator.
** Logan's wife's father from ''Deadly Prey'', who provides one of the film's funniest deaths and gives a speech that earns a spirited applause from the crew.
** Robot Cop from ''R.O.T.O.R.'' is rightly described as the film's only interesting character. He has a delightfully silly design, his vocal performance is hilarious and oozing with personality, all of his lines are gold, and the movie is just begging for him to face off against R.O.T.O.R. in the climax. [[invoked]] [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot Alas, he disappears halfway through the movie]], though the method by which he does so goes a long way toward making up for it.
** ''Crazy Fat Ethel II'' has Granny, who is charming not only on the basis that her home, colleagues, and actress are seemingly those of the director's actual grandmother, but also because of her flawlessly condescending delivery of the film's best line. The man who thinks he's a spider is also highlighted.
* EveryCarIsAPinto
** The crew gets a lot of mileage out of the easily exploding motorbikes in ''The New Gladiators'', including one that explodes when it touches the base of a ramp.
** A car at the end explodes for almost no reason at the end of ''Film/TheExterminator''.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The crew gets mileage out of the girl in ''The Family Guide To The Internet'' who doesn't know what an Internet Service Provider is.
-->'''Rich:''' It's... an ''internet service provider''.
* ExcusePlot: ''Film/{{Gymkata}}'''s ''Film/GameOfDeath''-esque plot is only there so that Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas[[note]]Technically an Olympic-level gymnast. His one shot at getting a gold medal was forever sidetracked by the US boycotting the 1980 Moscow Olympics[[/note]] can show off his gymnastic skills.

[[folder:Other Works]]
* AbusiveParents: The Grabowskis.
* BaitAndSwitch: The Grabowskis episode "The Hardware Store" starts out as a typical sitcom but ends up as a [[spoiler:SurrealHorror]].
* GagBoobs: Occasionally [[IncrediblyLamePun perks up]] in their work, as Mike seems [[BuxomIsBetter preferential toward casting busty women]] in their films. Most memorably, the two main female characters of the RLM short "The Great Space Jam" size up one another's racks before deploying them as weapons.
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: The series finale of The Grabowskis ends with the two title characters experiencing a flashbacks of [[BlatantLies "Good times"]].
-->'''Honey:''' Cliff, did you see that too?\\
'''Cliff:''' Yeah, I did. And let's never speak of it again.
* LineOfSightName: When 'George Lucas' visits the Chicago Comic Con to destroy all the copies of ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'', he tells one vendor that his name is 'Paul Superman' after seeing someone in a Superman costume walk by.
* MindScrew
** Recipe for Disaster.
** "The Hardware Store"
* NoBudget: Many of the early shorts. While some of their newer stuff is a bit better backed by the bank, it is still pretty bare-bones.
* ProductionPosse: Take everyone who appeared in at least two out of the three following projects: the Plinkett Reviews, ''Half in the Bag'', and ''Feeding Frenzy''; and there you have it. The "core" posse seems to be Mike, Jay, Rich Evans, and Jocelyn Ridgely, along with other, less well-known behind-the-scenes folks.
* ShoutOut
** Darth Maul running away in terror at the sight of fifty Jedis. ...and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPPj6viIBmU this guy]].
** Creator/GeorgeLucas is [[ThisWasHisTrueForm eventually revealed to be]] one of the aliens from ''Film/TheyLive''.
** "The Hardware Store" contains characteristics reminiscent of Creator/DavidLynch's works.
* SurrealHumor: The gorilla movie.
* ThatWasNotADream: Mike in "The United States of Noooooo!" wakes up and says he had a bad dream about the ending of ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' stumbling out of a contraption and screaming "No", then invoked the Trope.
* TheyKilledKenny: Sammy Grabowski.
* TotallyRadical: The basic premise of their show ''Dudebros''.

** The climactic battle with the snake in ''Hard Ticket to Hawaii'', which has no relevance to the rest of the film's plot.

* ChekhovsGunman: The snake in ''Hard Ticket To Hawaii'', which appears only a couple times early on and doesn't appear again until the end where it kills Seth.

* {{Fanservice}}:
** Particularly blatant in ''Hard Ticket to Hawaii'' in which exposition is accompanied by huge bare breasts.
** As discussed above, ''The Killer Eye'' arguably panders more to viewers attracted to males than it does viewers attracted to females thanks to its openly gay director.

** Jay also points out that the "cancer-infected rats" line in ''Hard Ticket to Hawaii'' sounds like it was made up on the spot, both in terms of the line itself and how it was delivered.

* RasputinianDeath: Seth in ''Hard Ticket to Hawaii''. He gets shot on one cheek with a pistol, gets shot through the shoulder with an arrow, gets stabbed in the stomach with his own knife, and finally dies when a giant snake bites him on the ''other'' cheek.

* GiftedlyBad: The reason the crew loves Len Kabazinski.

* SpecialGuest: Episode 15 provided the most shocking one of all, [[spoiler: Len Kabazinski]].

* FanNickname: Cate Blanchett's impressive turn as [[PunnyName Ivanna Spankov]].

* FanNickname: Many of the films watched by the group have at least one fan-dubbed character.

* NoBudget:

* OhCrap: Jack and Jay both give epic ones when [[spoiler: Len Kabasinski]] punches their picture to retrieve a ninja film to review. Words can't describe their expression well enough.

---->'''Jack''': So then, finally, once it's established that he's a guy who lives in a farmhouse, and has a coffee cup, [[OverlyLongGag and pullin' some carrots out of the fridge]], and then he goes to hang out with his friend the horse, and his horse is way the fuck over ''there'', and he's gotta take his time just amblin' on over there, and we needed to see every goddamn step he takes to get up to the horse.