11 Movie Cliches You Couldn't Live Without
5. The "Ugly" Duckling
The Cliche: The apparently "ugly" girls turns out to be a stone-cold fox once she's had a half-decent haircut, wears clothes that fit her and has tasteful make-up applied. What a shocker.
Popularised in The Breakfast Club, She's All That, and hilariously parodied in Not Another Teen Movie.
Why It's Awesome: For one, it's absolutely hysterical and, whether intentional or not, riffs on "Hollywood standards", where even average-looking people are considered grotesque gargoyles.
Plus, who doesn't love seeing a cute girl get dolled up to the nines and go from a 7/10 to a 10/10? A makeover scene is always fun, both because of the smoking subject, and the stunned reactions of those witnessing the transformation. It's hard to pull off seriously these days, but still very much welcome.