History Main / SuchAPhony

A staple of sitcoms from the eighties to the nineties, but [[DiscreditedTrope constant reuse has robbed the joke of its sting]]. You can still see it on contemporary shows, but the better-written ones try to avoid or play with it.

** Roz in "Shut Out In Seattle".
** Frasier in "Hot Ticket".

* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': Once by Frasier and once by Roz. Also once by Martin, who was bitching to Frasier about how much he hated Niles' new girlfriend Mel.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': In "The Parking Space". [[PolishTheTurd "That Michael Jordan is so...phony"]] is the knee-jerk answer, attempt at saving face, and failed example, by Mike (Kramer's Friend) to convince Jerry that calling him a phony behind his back was said in a positive light, as in using a reverse nickname (bad means good, hot means cool, and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons to shake your booty means to wiggle one's butt]].)

* ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope'' (by Creator/{{Moliere}}: When she hears that Arsinoé is coming, Célimène castigates her. As soon as Arsinoé enters the room, Célimène pretends to be nice to her and says that she really enjoys her visit.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Peter is playing on an electronic piano and being witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically. This results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff. They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.

* In Molière's ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope'', when she hears that Arsinoé is coming, Célimène castigates her. As soon as Arsinoé enters the room, Célimène pretends to be nice to her and says that she really enjoys her visit.

* One of the subplots of ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' depicts all of the girls as this, with them constantly getting together into committees, and accusing a girl not in the committee of being "a bitch". Several of these committees exist simultaneously and have girls accused by other committees in them. On the off-chance that one of the (elementary-school-aged) girls actually ''is'' guilty of whatever feat of promiscuity or substance use they learned about on television, she is usually EasilyForgiven. It's implied that this is just a game they play as practice for when they grow up.

* [[https://chainsawsuit.krisstraub.com/20091201.shtml This]] bizarre ''Webcomic/{{Chainsawsuit}}''.

%%* Website/{{Overheard}} documents a number of real-life examples, [[http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/012458.html this]] being one.

* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff. They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.

* Something similar can be found in the very first ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip: "Good ol' Charlie Brown... How I hate him!"

* ''Film/ScaryMovie''
-->'''Brenda:''' (''about Buffy'') Girl is as fake as press-on nails.\\
(''Buffy approaches Brenda and Cindy'')\\
'''Brenda:''' Hey, baby girl!

* ''Literature/TheCatcherInTheRye'' is practically built around a non-comedic example. One of the most prominent aspects of Holden's character is that he refers to everybody else as a "phony". Another of the most prominent aspects of Holden's character is that he lies to just about everyone and is proud of his lying skill.

* ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'': The Parking Space [[PolishTheTurd "That Michael Jordan is so...phony"]] is the knee-jerk answer, attempt at saving face, and failed example, by Mike (Kramer's Friend) to convince Jerry that he meant calling him a phony behind his back was said in a positive light, as in using a reverse nickname (bad means good, hot means cool, and [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons to shake your booty means to wiggle one's butt]].)
* Used a couple of times in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', once by Frasier and once by Roz. Also once by Martin, who was bitching to Frasier about how much he hated Niles' new girlfriend Mel.
* ''Series/{{Becker}}'', with Reggie.
* On ''Series/{{Friends}}'', Joey sees a job at Chandler's office as a chance to play a new character, a processor named Joseph with a wife and three kids. After making plans with a co-worker to get their families together, the co-worker leaves and Joey exclaims, "What a phony!"
* Majors Burns and Houlihan to Blake's "friend" Nancy in the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode, "Henry in Love".
* A variation is used in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''. Xander complains about how much he hates Angel, and when the latter enters, he calmly adds "Oh, hey, Angel" without bothering to revise his statement.
* In ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', whenever Henri enters some of the barflies start talking about how much they don't like him, then when he says hi, they say hi back nicely

A staple of sitcoms from the eighties to the nineties, but [[DiscreditedTrope constant reuse has robbed the joke of its sting]]. You can still see it on contemporary shows, but the better written ones try to avoid or play with it.

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[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

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[[folder:Literature]]

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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]

* In ''Series/{{Cheers}}'', whenever Henri enters some of the barflies start talking about how much they don't like him, then when he say's hi, they say hi back nicely
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[[folder:Theater]]

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[[folder:VideoGames]]

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[[folder:Web Comics]]

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%%[[folder:Web Original]]

%%[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]

[[/folder]]

Sub-trope of HypocriticalHumor. See also IResembleThatRemark, PlayingNiceForNow and ImmediateSelfContradiction.

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Website/{{Overheard}} documents a number of real-life examples, [[http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/012458.html this]] being one.

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff. They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.
[[/folder]]

* [[http://chainsawsuit.com/2009/12/01/funmen/ This]] bizarre ''Webcomic/{{Chainsawsuit}}''.

* One of the subplots of ''Videogames/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' depicts all of the girls as this, with them constantly getting together into committees, and accusing a girl not in the committee of being "a bitch". Several of these committees exist simultaneously and have girls accused by other committees in them. On the off-chance that one of the (elementary-school-aged) girls actually ''is'' guilty of whatever feat of promiscuity or substance use they learned about on television, she is usually EasilyForgiven. It's implied that this is just a game they play as practice for when they grow up.

* Célimène does this in Molière's ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope''.

Sub-trope of HypocriticalHumor. See also IResembleThatRemark and ImmediateSelfContradiction.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phony.PNG]]
[[caption-width-right:350:WebComic/ChainsawSuit]]

* Majors Burns and Houlihan to . Blake's "friend" Nancy in the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode, "Henry in Love".

--> '''Alice:''' Here comes Bob. I hate him. He thinks he's so perfect. He's such a phony.
--> ''[Bob enters]''
--> '''Alice:''' ''[sweetly]'' Hi, Bob! Great to see you!

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

-->'''Brenda (about Buffy)''': Girl is as fake as press-on nails.
-->''Buffy approaches Brenda and Cindy''.
-->'''Brenda''': Hey, baby girl!

--> '''[[InsistentTerminology Captain]] Jack Sparrow (about Blackbeard's daughter Angelica)''': Sir, the woman is a liar, deceitful, worse than a wild beast, with ''gnashing'' teeth and-
--> ''Angelica enters.''
--> '''[[InsistentTerminology Captain]] Jack Sparrow''': Sweetness!

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

* Célimène does this in Molière's ''Theatre/TheMisanthrope''.

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]

[[AC:{{Newspaper Comics}}]]
* Something similar can be found in the very first ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' strip: "Good ol' Charlie Brown... How I hate him!"

[[AC:{{Web Original}}]]
* {{Overheard}} documents a number of real-life examples, [[http://www.overheardinnewyork.com/archives/012458.html this]] being one.

[[AC:{{Web Comics}}]]

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
Non-example:
* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff.
** They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.

* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean: On Stranger Tides'':

Sub-trope of HypocriticalHumor. See also IResembleThatRemark.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'' episode "I Feel Fine" has Paul insulting movie star Dick Dashing, calling him and Hollywood movie-making "phony." Dashing challenges Paul to perform his stunts, and each time a propman is exposed behind each stunt.
* The LooneyTunes short "Pizzicato Pussycat" has a house cat becoming famous after his owners see him playing a piano. The ruse is that the mouse the cat has been chasing is a piano player and is hiding in the house's big piano playing it, and the cat is faking it to fool his owners. When the cat makes his concert debut, he taps on a piano key and accidentally breaks the mouse's eyeglasses. Unable to see clearly, the mouse plays horribly and the cat is exposed as a hoax.

* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to %%discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once %%more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff.

%%[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
%% Non-example:
%%* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to %%discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once %%more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff.
%%** They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.

A staple of sitcoms from the eighties to the nineties, but [[DiscreditedTrope constant reuse has robbed the joke of its sting]]. You can still see it on contemporary shows, but the better written ones try to avoid it.

[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff.
** They actually named the character Holden Caulfield.

* ''ScaryMovie''

* PiratesOfTheCaribbean: On Stranger Tides:

* {{Seinfeld}}: The Parking Space [[PolishTheTurd "That Michael Jordan is so...phony"]] is the knee-jerk answer, attempt at saving face, and failed example, by Mike (Kramer's Friend) to convince Jerry that he meant calling him a phony behind his back was said in a positive light, as in using a reverse nickname (bad means good, hot means cool, and [[TheSimpsons to shake your booty means to wiggle one's butt]].)
* Used a couple of times in ''{{Frasier}}'', once by Frasier and once by Roz. Also once by Martin, who was bitching to Frasier about how much he hated Niles' new girlfriend Mel.
* ''{{Becker}}'', with Reggie.
* On ''{{Friends}}'', Joey sees a job at Chandler's office as a chance to play a new character, a processor named Joseph with a wife and three kids. After making plans with a co-worker to get their families together, the co-worker leaves and Joey exclaims, "What a phony!"

* In ''{{Cheers}}'', whenever Henri enters some of the barflies start talking about how much they don't like him, then when he say's hi, they say hi back nicely

* Something similar can be found in the very first ''{{Peanuts}}'' strip: "Good ol' Charlie Brown... How I hate him!"

* [[http://chainsawsuit.com/2009/12/01/funmen/ This]] bizarre ''{{Chainsawsuit}}''.

* Taken to a humorous extreme in ''FamilyGuy'' where Peter is shown playing on an electronic piano and witnessed by a stock character, only for said man to discover that the tune is played automatically which results in him continuously calling Peter out for his supposed fraud occasionally throughout the episode. He appears once more to take his anger out on Neil Goldman after discovering his suicide attempt was a bluff.

* [[http://chainsawsuit.com/2009/12/01/funmen/ This]] bizarrely anachronistic ''{{Chainsawsuit}}''.