What I Learned from Movies, XV: Cop-Out Answers

One thing I really hate? Unacceptable answers to cover a weak plot or to justify why a character can do a certain thing. The second and third Matrix movies are notorious for covering plot gaps with lines that at first listen sound like they could be deep—then you remember that these are movies with Keanu Reeves as a savior figure.

Maybe it’s a childhood thing of hating when my mother always said, “Because I said so, that’s why!” but I really dislike copout answers. Here’s some that appear in multiple films that have irked me greatly.

1. “How do you know this will work?”
   “It has to work.”
2. “How can you possibly know that?”
   “Because it is my job to know.”
3. “What if the killer doesn’t show up?”
   “He has to show up. He can’t help himself.”
4. “I just don’t see how this can possibly work.”
   “You gotta have faith. It will work.”