8. The BFF
You have funny friends, so there are funny friends in movies. It just happens that the BFF in every romantic comedy or dramedy is really funny and every main character seems slightly bland in comparison. We may have a problem. The sin of having the BFF in most films is that they draw away from the main character or the story as a whole. This isn't true for most cases, in fact I love Seth Rogen in 50/50 and 21 Jumpstreet was pretty much about two BFF's. It's entertaining to watch, but if you've noticed how many scenes the BFF "steals" and if you think that there should be a spinoff about the BFF, then it points to a deeper problem in most films, which is that the main character and story just didn't cut it. The sin of the BFF is similar to that of the shower scene except the consequences are much more dire. While the shower scene can be waved away as a filler or eye candy scene, the BFF is really a crutch or even a cornerstone of some movies. If one were to ask an audience member if they still would've enjoyed No Strings Attached without Lake Bell, Greta Gerwig, or Jake Johnson, they'd only need to see Ashton Kutcher's blank stare before they say no. Sorry to the Ashton Kutcher fans out there, he's just an easy target. Most moviegoers will latch onto the BFF for comfort because the writer was too lazy to add more layers to the main character and develop the story, and decided to write up a passive aggressive, ugly, but hilarious friend. Here's to hoping that the cast comes off along with the crutches.