Brake Angrily

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Alright, that does it! Brake angrily, Kenny!
Stan, South Park

Someone is driving along the road, when a passenger mentions/does something that shocks or angers the driver, so the driver slams on the brakes.

Often these are Magic Brakes, because even though there is a clear screech, the car still stops faster than it would. But usually this is Played for Laughs, so it doesn't matter.

Examples of Brake Angrily include:

Advertising

  • A Volkswagen ad features a couple driving along when the man suddenly remembers that they just returned their Home Porn Movie to the video store. The ad then touts the car's anti-lock brakes.
  • A Wall Street executive Braking Angrily due to a sudden downturn in the stock market is one of the hazards of the road portrayed by All State's Mayhem.

Anime and Manga

  • In episode 3 of Highschool of the Dead; Shizuka, unable to fully concentrate on driving, does this when the rest of the group are discussing their next strategy.

Film

  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Gillian does this when Spock reveals he knows that Gracie, a humpback whale, is pregnant.
  • Hudson Hawk. While Eddie is being driven to the bar after being let out of prison, he tells Tommy Five-Tone about Gates' attempt to blackmail him into doing a job. Tommy angrily slams on the brakes, spilling Eddie's cappuccino.
  • D.E.B.S.. While Lucy Diamond and Scud are driving away from the restaurant after the gunfight, Lucy tells Scud that she "met somebody" and he brakes the car to a halt in surprise. On YouTube at 2:30.

Literature

  • Uncle Vernon does this in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Harry mention the dream he had of riding a flying motorcycle (a callback to the start of the book when he was left on the Dursley's doorstep).
  • In Generation Kill, Wright explained that Humvee driver Person was unable to argue with team leader Colbert's orders directly, and so resorted to erratic driving, including braking angrily. This hilarious tendency doesn't show up in the HBO adaptation, unfortunately.

Live-Action TV

  • Blue Heelers: Nick does it when he works out what Tony is saying in the episode "Piece of Cake".
  • Friends: Joey gets angry when Chandler admits that he doesn't have high hopes for Joey's acting career. Joey angrily brakes and yells at Chandler to get out of the car - and they're on the Brooklyn Bridge at the time.

Chandler: You're not actually supposed to stop on a bridge.

  • Supernatural: Dean does it in the episode "The Devil You Know", when Crowley mentions that Sam and the horseman's assistant have history.
  • On Seinfeld, Elaine pulls this after finding out a friend is getting divorced (though she's not angry so much as excited to be able to seduce the friend's now-ex).
  • On the Community episode "Mixology Certification", Troy does this while driving drunken Jeff and Britta home. The reason: they just realized that the two bars they've been arguing over the entire night are actually the same bar.
  • Ranjit does this in How I Met Your Mother when he finds out that Barney had sex with Robin.

Theatre

  • In On the Town, during the taxi number "Come Up To My Place", Hildy slams on the brakes harder every time Chip insists on seeing an attraction from his outdated New York City guidebook.

Western Animation

  • South Park:
    • Named for a line in the "Towelie" episode. Also counts as a Lampshade Hanging.
    • In the episode "Cripple Fight", when Stan calls Cartman a "Silly goose", Randy uses the trope to express his anger that his son would use such an unmanly term.

"You do not say 'big silly goose! You call him an asshole like a normal kid!"
"Stanley, you call your friend an asshole this instant!"

  • Ben 10: In the first What If episode, Ben relives the first day of his summer vacation while remembering everything that has happened in the series so far. (This is never justified.) Naturally, this is Grandpa Max's reaction when Ben first mentions Vilgax.
  • Family Guy
    • Brian did it to Stewie once.
    • Peter also did it to Brian, although unintentionally. This resulted in catapulting Brian directly into the windshield.

Peter: Jeez, Brian, buckle up.

  • Stan of American Dad did it to one of his son's friends before declaring "I see one tear fatty, and I'm doing it again".
  • Homer of The Simpsons did it when Grampa said that Homer was an accident.
    • Homer also does it after Lisa gets lost on a museum trip. She says she'll never take another stupid risk again, and he stops the car for a surprisingly heartwarming moment.
  • The Flintstones did this often, with Fred slamming on the "brakes" when Barney says or does something that annoys him (sometimes followed by Fred yelling at Barney to get out of the car).