1. The Shoelace - Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
Oh, man. Here we are: the most-cringeworthy moment in all of Harry Potter history is... the shoelace. There's no real detailed explanation as to why or what makes this so darn cringey; it just doesn't make sense that sensible, intelligent adults could have included this moment in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince without stopping to think: "Man, this is a bit weird, isn't it? Maybe we should take this out because it's so strange." So the scene in question takes place when Harry Potter and his future wife Ginny Weasley bump into one another late at night on the stairwell (hubba hubba). There's tension between the two, because they have feelings for one another, but you know how it is when you're sixteen and she's your best friend's little sister and stuff. After a bit of mild small talk, Ginny suddenly says the word "Shoelace" with about as much personality as a robot maid. Then she bends down. The obvious joke to be made here... well, you know what is it. Of course, she bends down to tie his shoe, but the whole scene is soaked in a really horrible, awkward vibe. Harry just sort of stands there, presumably fighting off - uh - a natural instinct, whilst Ginny deals with that unruly lace. Who does that? If this happened in real life, it wouldn't be romantic, either. It's just weird. She's down there for way too long. Even the associated camera movement - as it tilts down - is awkward. Seriously... why does this occur? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvF7m394Zrw Got any more cringeworthy Harry Potter scenes to add to the collection? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
