Comically Small Bribe: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

'''Dr. Ernesto Guavara:''' Not much.|''[[The Venture Brothers]]'', "Dia de los Dangerous!"}}

** Peter himself is similarly oblvious to an appropriate tip. In one strip, Peter Fox does a complex order for a coffee (basically stating one cappuchino without any ingredients), and then paying him $5.00 and telling the clerk to keep the change (the amount was $4.97). Peter admits to Jason that he was being annoying, explaining that this was the reason he tipped him. Cue the three pennies being thrown towards Peter's head offscreen.

* ''[[Pearls Before Swine]]'' had a comic use this as a gag. Rat and Pig tip the Maitre'D a bribe to get a good table at a fancy restaurant. The next panel shows them sitting with their plates on the floor right outside the kitchen doors.

** Not to mention the time that the Crocs sold their souls to the Devil...for a pack of gum.

*** Or the time when the Crocs offered Zebra french fries and a milkshake for his life.

* One ''[[Star Wars Expanded Universe|Boba Fett]]'' comic has Fett tip a worker on a starship for information, who sarcastically says, "Ten whole credits? My, sir, wouldn't want you to leave yourself short or anything..." Since the value of [[We Will Spend Credits in the Future|credits]] is a bit inconsistent, we can only assume that he was expecting more.

* ''[[Austin Powers]]'': The concept is used in the first movie -- Dr Evil, who's been in outer space since [[The Sixties]], asks for a million dollars or he'll destroy the world. All the diplomats to whom he gives his request laugh their arses off, because it's such a small sum. The sequel plays it in reverse. Dr. Evil asks the US government in 1969 for $100 billion and they laugh because, "[[As You Know|This is 1969!]] That amount of money doesn't even exist!" The third movie [[Double Subversion|Double Subverts]] it by having him hold the world ransom for "one million billion shaba-daba-illion... yen", and having the world leaders agree that this is reasonable.

* ''[[Dirty Work]]'':

''[Homeless Guys run into the building screaming]'' }}

* ''[[A Night at the Roxbury]]''. Trying to get into a club, the main character says something like, "Well, maybe my friend Mr...Washington will change your mind. Uh, and his friend Mr...Washington..."

* ''[[Discworld]]'' series

** In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld/Making Money|Making Money]]'', Cosmo Lavish offers Moist von Lipwig ten thousand dollars in exchange for [[Mister Muffykins|Mr. Fusspot]], getting a rather indignant reaction. (Moist will get twice that per year just for ''not'' selling him, and that's without considering the associated contract with the Guild of Assassins.) [[Lampshade|Lampshaded]] later on during the scenes in which Cosmo talks with other Lavish relatives - he ''deliberately'' offered a [[Comically Small Bribe]] in an effort to get Moist to underestimate him.

** In ''[[Discworld/Unseen Academicals|Unseen Academicals]]'' Glenda is able to get her way into the palace and see the ruler of the city by bribing the guards ''with pie''. This is a subversion, however, because A) Glenda is a [[Supreme Chef]] whose pies are fantastic and B) Lord Vetinari [[Magnificent Bastard|specifically instructed]] the guards to accept any and all bribes, no matter how small.

* In the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]]:

* As the preview for ''[[South Beach Tow]]'' shows, at least one car owner tries this on the truck driver, saying "You can buy all the Ho-Hos you want."

* ''[[Dinosaurs]]'' episode "License to Parent":

'''Officer Bettleheim:''' Section 9, paragraph 4, setting a bad moral example for a child. }}

* ''[[Boy Meets World]]'':

'''Eric:''' Really? Well... ''[produces $1 bill]'' Perhaps my friend Mr. Washington will help you change your mind. }}

* Happened on ''[[Monk]]'' once. Monk tried to bribe a doorman for information with three dollars; when he refused, Monk upped it to four. Finally, Sharona made him talk with forty dollars. After, Monk asked for his four back; when the doorman refused, Monk informed him that "we have a four-dollar credit on any future bribes."

* An episode of ''[[The New Statesman]]'' had the idiotic Piers Fletcher-Dervish, who upon deciding to become corrupt, demands a bribe of...'''£1.50!'''

* An early episode of ''[[That 70s Show]]'' has this:

'''Bob''': Jackson, huh?... ''[opens wallet]'' He's not in, do you have anything you'd like to tell Abe Lincoln and the Washington twins? }}

* ''[[30 Rock|Thirty Rock]]'' has Jack Donaghy offer Josh a comically small contract negotiation offer of $1 for a year of comedy work. Josh is so intimidated by Jack's negotiation skills that he almost takes it.

* ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]'': Bob Fossil, trying to bribe Bollo to let him into a party, offers him such worthless incentives as "the key to a bike I had in the '70's".

* ''[[The Loop]]'' is a comedy about a man who worked at an airport. In one episode [[It Makes Sense in Context|he need to x-ray a bunch of dogs]].

'''Security Guard:''' I'm looking away now. }}

* ''The $1.98 Beauty Show'' was a comedy [[Game Show]] mocking beauty pageants, in which the grand prize was [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]: $1.98.

* Several times in ''[[Everybody Hates Chris]]'', Julius would do this, at one point offering a bribe of a single penny.

* In an episode of ''[[The Odd Couple]]'', Oscar and Felix are trying to get bumped up the waiting list for a space in a mid-town parking garage. Felix tries to "schmooze" the owner (played in a delightful guest shot by John Byner) by coyly displaying some currency:

'''Owner:''' ''(Glances at bill)'' Yeah -- two fives. }}

* In the two-part ''[[MASH|M*A*S*H]]'' episode "Goodbye, Radar," Radar tries to bribe his way onto an earlier flight from Kimpo to get back to the 4077th:

'''Radar:''' Boy, some guys just can't be bought. }}

* In the ''[[Corner Gas]]'' episode "Hurry Hard", Brent and Wanda and Oscar and Emma each want Lacey to be their fourth for an upcoming curling bonspiel. Oscar and Emma rush to ask Lacey "Lacey, will you join our curling team?" Wanda then tells Brent to up the ante and he says "Lacey, will you be on our team '''please'''." And Wanda sarcastically says "Good ante-ing."

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Alan B'stard]] once found himself having to bribe his former colleague Piers, now a junior government minister, in ''[[The New Statesman]].'' The princely sum demanded? One pound fifty pence. As Alan commented, "You're a hard man, Piers Fletcher-Dervish... solid bone from the neck up."

* Cordelia tries it to prevent [[Angel]] from using his "patented burst of violence" to get past a security guard.

'''ANGEL:''' *knocks him out* Okay. That's how we do it. }}

* Addressed in ''[[Burn Notice]].'' They explain that actual cash in bribing someone is only part of the whole plan. If the location isn't too high security (like an upscale parking garage), you behave like an obnoxious tool offering five bucks and the guard will let you in just to get something from your stupidity.

== Theater ==

* ''[[Cyrano De Bergerarc]]'': Cyrano invokes this trope at Act II, Scene V, trying to bribe Roxane’s Duenna to [[Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone|leave him alone with Roxane]] (and then bribe her properly).

'''The Duenna:''' ''(changing her expression):'' Ha. }}

* In ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'''s Minagoroshi chapter {{spoiler|Hanyu/Oyashiro-sama}} is highly against {{spoiler|letting Takano into the shrine storage}} when {{spoiler|Rika}} offers to take her. As a joke, {{spoiler|Rika}} says she will charge 100 yen for each picture taken or 10000 yen up front for as many as they want. {{spoiler|Hanyu}} is instantly satisfied at the thought of using this money to buy nothing but sweets.

* [[The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police|Sam and Max Freelance Police]]:

'''Max:''' Or maybe a few...''Lincolns?'' }}

* When Torg reaches into his wallet in ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'', he says "Maybe 'Mr Franklin' can change your mind", and then sticks his hand up into a puppet inside the wallet while yelling in a Mexican accent: "My name is Juan Frankleen, I shoot you in the head!" Actually works, once, but only because the guy in question was a "puppet-phobe".

* Used similarly in ''Moe'', with [http://www.firmanproductions.com/?p=671 this exchange].

'''Moe:'''Glossy paper! }}

* A non-illegal variant appeared in ''[[Something Positive]]''. Davan's boss went shopping for superhero licenses he could turn into a musical, and got the idea for ''[[Batman]]: The Musical''. He tried to purchase the licensing rights for ''ten thousand dollars''. To put it in perspective, DC comics' father company, Time-Warner, owns the rights to ''Batman''. They made about 2,6 ''billion'' in net income that year (total revenue is about 10 times that). Needless to say, it doesn't work out very well.

* ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]'' had Cosmo's famous "Philip the Nickel." It was originally used as a bribe by Juandisimo to get Cosmo to hand over his wife, Wanda. [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* In ''[[Family Guy]]'' when Peter is negotiating for peace in exchange for his nation's (that is, his house's) sovereignty, both his sovereignty and Joe's pool denied, so he demands... a pen sitting on the desk in front of him:

'''Mayor''': ''No''. }}

** Later when Peter was visiting Brown University he offers the Dean's secretary a $5 bribe to get Meg admitted.

* In an episode of ''[[The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries]]'', an Italian crook threatens to drain every canal in Venice dry unless he gets 3 thousand lire. Which is something like 6 American dollars. This is [[Reverse Funny Aneurysm|even funnier]] now that Italy has switched to Euros and lire can't even be used.

* ''[[Beavis and Butthead]]'' tried this when they photocopied a dollar bill in order to buy nachos. When the Quick Stop guy doesn't fall for it, Butthead offers him another obviously copied dollar, and then ''photocopied coins'', until the guy throws them out.

* In ''[[The Oblongs]]'', when it is suggested offhandedly that Bob consider filing a lawsuit after being injured by a Globocide park ride, Globocide's lawyers immediately offer him a "really big check." It is in fact a novelty check worth only $20, which Pickles points out. They simply say, "But look how big it is!"

* Murdoc Niccals of ''[[Gorillaz]]'' was, as a child, [[Financial Abuse|forced to participate in embarrassing talent shows for money]] by his father. "The prize? £2.50 and the chance to humiliate yourself further in the biannual county finals." To add insult to injury, he apparently never won.

* ''[[Powerpuff Girls]]'': When Princess became the Mayor of Townsville, in a flashback we learn that the Mayor rejected 30 million dollars, 10 billion, but sold the city for a room filled with candies.

* In ''[[Dan Vs.]]'' "Art", Dan attempts to get records of failed art school applicants:

'''Dan''': Playing hardball, huh? ''*tosses a bag of chips on the desk*'' They're ruffled. }}

* In ''[[The Ren and Stimpy Show]]'', Ren and Stimpy were working as bell boys. Ren was bribed by a photographer to take picture of VIP in a hotel for $20, which is very small considering, moments ago, he bribed Stimpy thousands of dollars to do it.