History Main / WeNeedADistraction

* ''Harbinger Down'' (2015). When a student wants to sneak down to the hold to catch a look at the HumanPopsicle they're taken from the ice, she has a crewman distract her JerkAss professor by asking for advice on his psychological issues. The professor explains he's NotThatKindOfDoctor, but being a NoNothingKnowItAll can't resist giving his opinion anyway. GilliganCut to the crewman [[INeedAFreakingDrink finding the bottom of a bottle of vodka]] as the professor rambles on, until he gets too drunk to keep up the facade.

* When the KGB is assaulting Carlos the Jackal's lair in the climax of ''Film/TheAssignment'' (1997), a KGB agent distracts the gatehouse guard simply by turning up as if for a routine visit and showing his credentials. While the guard leans in to inspect them, an Alpha team operative slips in behind him with a silenced gun and blows his head off. The KGB man pockets his ID and enters the building [[DissonantSerenity without even breaking stride]].

* When the KGB is assaulting Carlos the Jackal's lair in the climax of ''Film/TheAssignment'' (1997), a KGB agent distracts the gatehouse guard simply by turning up as if for a routine visit and showing his credentials. While the guard leans in to inspect them, an Alpha team operative slips in behind him with a silenced gun and blows his head off. The KGB man pockets his ID and enters the building without even breaking stride.

* ''Film/WhiteSands'' (1992). Lane Bodine (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) offers herself to (married) protagonist Sheriff Ray Dolezal (William Dafoe) [[ShowerOfLove while he's in the shower]]. The next scene has an FBI agent listening with amusement to the sounds of passionate sex over his hidden microphones... until Dolezal kicks down his door, whereupon we see Bodine sitting in the shower faking the whole thing.

* During the climax of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Starlord starts dancing to his mix tape to disctract Ronan the Accuser, [[spoiler: buying Rocket Raccoon enough time to fix his {{BFG}}]]. Ronan is so (understandably) confused by this that it actually works.

* [[TheLegendOfNeil Neil]] does this in the episode "Gettin' High in Hyrule" by pointing and shouting "I'm distracting you!"

* ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|Reimagined}}''. Baltar uses the AndAnotherThing gambit to make the marine guard turn his head away from the cell for a moment so Cylon prisoner Gina can NeckSnap him.
* In Superhero drama ''{{Misfits}}'', Nathan's ludicrous (but successful) attempt to prevent his probation worker Sally from finding the corpses in her car-boot consists of hurling a brick at her windscreen and screaming desperately: "It's just pure, mindless ''vandalism''!"

* In ''A PinkyAndTheBrain Christmas'', the titular mice are at Santa's Workshop, as part of their scheme. They're found out by an elf. How does Pinky divert him? 'Look! A decoy!'
* In ''TheProblemSolverz'' episode "Magic Clock", the gang plans to distract [[{{Yandere}} Katrina]] [[StalkerWithACrush Rad]] and destroy the magic clock by having Roba kiss her. Roba refuses to do this and instead performs a [[DisneyAcidSequence highly surreal]] rap number to get the job done.

* On ''JimmyTwoShoes'', Jimmy uses a phone app to distract the [[CatsAreMean Schwatzentiger]] so the others can escape.

* Used OnceAnEpisode in ''HogansHeroes''.

* A deleted scene in the third ''Film/AustinPowers'' movie involves Mini Me killing an uncooperative prisoner. When the guards come for an inspection, Dr. Evil and Mini Me proceed to quickly cover it up while a fellow prisoner does an impromptu dance to distract the guards.

* ''Telefon'' (1977). Charles Bronson plays a KGB agent sent to kill a RenegadeRussian, whom he finally corners in a Texan bar. Because there are witnesses (including two police officers) Bronson can't just shoot him, so the woman he's working with knocks over a glass container holding a pet rattlesnake. While everyone is screaming and the police are blasting away at the snake, Bronson bursts into the phone booth the renegade is using and throttles him to death.

* ''White Sands'' (1992). Lane Bodine (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) offers herself to (married) protagonist Sheriff Ray Dolezal (William Dafoe) [[ShowerOfLove while he's in the shower]]. The next scene has an FBI agent listening with amusement to the sounds of passionate sex over his hidden microphones... until Dolezal kicks down his door, whereupon we see Bodine sitting in the shower faking the whole thing.

* When the KGB is assaulting Carlos the Jackal's lair in the climax of ''The Assignment'' (1997), a KGB agent distracts the gatehouse guard simply by turning up as if for a routine visit and showing his credentials. While the guard leans in to inspect them, an Alpha team operative slips in behind him with a silenced gun and blows his head off. The KGB man pockets his ID and enters the building without even breaking stride.

* ''KimPossible'': {{Sidekick}} Ron Stoppable is the perpetual distraction, in yet another of this show's subversion of gender roles in action series.
* In ''DrawnTogether'', "Clara's Dirty Little Secret", Foxxy Love successfully distracts the other housemates from chasing Clara by putting on a neckbrace and holding up a pie while illuminating it with a flashlight. This eventually prompts the response: "Ohhh, it's the old neckbrace-well-lit-pie diversion!"

* Inverted in the ''FamilyGuy'' episode "Wasted Talent", Peter needs to be drunk to play piano and they ran out of beer, so he and Lois crash an underage drinking party. The cops show up and bust them in the back yard. Peter handles it by telling Lois "Look over there." She does. He then tells the cops "Run!". They do.
** A common gag on ''FamilyGuy'' is to have Peter piss off one of the main characters so furiously that it looks like hell is about to be raised. Peter then responds with a "Yikes! Looks like I need a distraction! Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Konway Twitty!", followed by a CutawayGag to a [[MediumBlending live-action music video of a song]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin being performed by country singer Konway Twitty]].

Compare TheBait. Contrast DeusExScuseMe, where the plot gods distract the character.

* ''TheSimpsons [[TheMovie Movie]]'' does this - Cletus Spuckler, better known as "Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel", distracts the villain with a ''thumb trick'' while dozens use a rope to escape Springfield.

** In Movie 9, Chopper does a similar thing to Sanji while they're fighting Wapol, Chess and Kuromarimio, even saying the same dialogue to trick him.

* In ''Ladron que Roba a Ladron'', while the team is preparing for a heist, one of the head con guys tells the [[WrenchWench tomboy mechanic]] that they'll need a distraction, and looks pointedly at her. "How am I the distraction?" she asks. In response, he [[DistractedByTheSexy unzips the top of her jumpsuit, revealing impressive cleavage]].

* During the climax of ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', Starlord [[spoiler:starts dancing to his mix tape]] to buy them some time so [[spoiler:Rocket can fix his {{BFG}}]]. Ronan is so (understandably) confused by this that it actually works.

* ''Film/MissionImpossible''. In ''Ghost Protocol'' after his car is ambushed and crashes into the river, Ethan attaches a flare to a body and floats it downriver to distract the mooks shooting at them. The success of this tactic makes no sense at all, as is lampshaded later, but the mooks were too fired up to stop and think about why someone would be swimming downriver under fire with a light source attached to them.

** While in Japan, Buffy says they need a [[ExactWords big distraction]] before taking on the vampires. Giant Dawn is magically teleported to the site and does her best {{Kaiju}} impersonation.

** If a Spy can cause enough paranoia, some members of the enemy team will forgo the objective in favor of trying to hunt the Spy down.

* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "Where's Terry?". Bruce Wayne and Max Gibson trace a missing Terry [=McGinnis=]' whereabouts to an abandoned subway system and need to make their way down a particular tunnel that is being zoned off by a construction crew. Bruce then walks up to the construction crew and momentarily gains their attention by playing the part of a senile citizen while Max stealthily sneaks her way down the other tunnel. Just as Max is almost out of sight, Bruce 'worriedly' points her out to the construction crew who all then chase after her while he casually strolls through the construction area to finish the rescue mission by himself.

-->'''Gosalyn''': We need a distraction.
-->'''Honker''': Don't look at me. ''(GilliganCut to him popping out of a bush with a flashlight)'' Look at me! Look at me!

* WesternAnimation/AmericanDad: Stan needs to access a computer to find Francine's birth parents, so he sets Roger on fire for a diversion.

--> '''Sam''': Distract Hugh Bliss for me!"