All The Tropes

Damned By Faint Praise: Difference between revisions

Page Discussion

Damned By Faint Praise (view source)

Revision as of 05:45, 8 April 2014

328 bytes removed ,  10 years ago
m
Mass update links
VisualWikitext
m (fix quote templates)
m (Mass update links)
Line 4:
To damn something with faint praise is to point out that something is mediocre or worse by praising it in ways that make its weaknesses clear. To say that a computer "looks sleek" as the primary point of praise would indicate that it is not that amazing as a computer, for example. To describe a person as punctual when asked about how they perform at work carries the heavy implication that this is their one valuable trait.
 
Related to many [[Insult Tropes]]; can be the result of a [[Compliment Backfire]]. May take the form of an [[Overly Narrow Superlative]] or a [[Trivially Obvious]] statement. See also [[So Okay It's Average]] and [[You Are a Credit Toto Your Race]]. Contrast with [[Stealth Insult]], which also damns people through "praise" - in that case, though, the praise is illusionary rather than merely weak.
{{examples|Examples }}
 
Line 13:
** French [[Stand Up Comedy|comedian]] Patrick Timsit had a field day with this.
** The Dutch Comedy show did a similar sketch where two obnoxious yuppies demolished every selling point a real estate broker gave them ("Good access by car and public transport." "Highway through the back yard, foundations ruined by the subway line."), turning into a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]. As they walked away satisfied, they decided they were going to buy it anyway.
** ''[[Ow My Sanity (Webcomic)|Ow, My Sanity]]'' mocked this as well in [http://owmysanity.comicgenesis.com/d/20100701.html this page] and [http://owmysanity.comicgenesis.com/d/20100702.html the next one].
** [http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2004-04-20/ Spoofed] in ''[[Dilbert]]'' as well.
** Fred Dagg on the subject: "Like so many other jobs in this wonderful society of ours, the basic function of the real estate agent is to increase the price of the article without actually producing anything, and as a result it has a lot to do with communication, terminology, and calling a spade a delightfully bucolic colonial winner facing north and offering a unique opportunity to the handyman."
Line 21:
* The [http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/battlefieldearth.php DVD Verdict review for] ''[[Battlefield Earth]]'' comments that "You know you have a stinker the size of Texas on your hands when the best review quote they could find for the box was '...great scene transitions and some of the better special effects of the year...'" The reviewer himself takes it even further in "The Evidence" part of his review (where praise of a film's good qualities normally goes) by going, "Umm...lemme see...the DVD itself is a picture disc. And there are end credits. See, I can spot the good in everything if I try."
* A review quoted on the back cover of a [[Lensman]] novel by E.E. "Doc" Smith reads: "Fine for science fiction addicts." It's like an endorsement for methadone.
* On page 3 of his comic "The Master Plan!", [[Johnny Turbo (Comic Book)|Johnny Turbo]] bursts out, "And they're giving you games that we '''already''' have! Why, we released '''''[[Sherlock Holmes]]''''' on CD almost '''two years ago!!'''" ''Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective'' isn't well remembered for being a [[Killer App]], to put it mildly.
 
 
Line 29:
 
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* In a ''[[Josie and Thethe PussycatsPussy Cats]]'' comic, all the Pussycats can say about a band that wanted to open for them was "Um... they have nice hair."
* Knives Chau takes this route in ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'s Finest Hour'', when telling the newly formed Shatterband what she thought of their first performance ("You guys have so much potential!"). Young Neil opts for [[Brutal Honesty]] instead.
 
 
== Fan Fiction ==
* Happens with Kakashi of [[Naruto Veangance Revelaitons (Fanfic)|Naruto Veangance Revelaitons]], who suffers [[Badass Decay]] in this fic and frequently loses against [[Mook|Mooks]]. As such, da cooger is less than enthusiastic when talking about his strength in combat
{{quote| '''da cooger''': "RONAN! I HAVE FAITH IN U! NOT THE XTIAN FATH DUH BUT THE GOOD FAT! U R STROG ND SO IS KAKSHI 2 I GUES"}}
 
Line 40:
== Film ==
* In [[Amadeus]], this trope practically defines Mozart's relationship with Salieri.
* In [[Tim Burton]]'s ''[[Ed Wood (Filmfilm)|Ed Wood]]'', the only positive thing found in any review on one of [[Ed Wood (Creator)|Ed Wood]]'s plays is ''"The soldiers' costumes are very realistic"''. The director, being [[The Pollyanna|Ed Wood]], desperately tries to spin this into something positive later on: ''"Victor Crowley himself praised its realism"''.
* [[The Agony Booth (Website)|The Agony Booth]] has coined the term '''The ''[[Empire Records]]'' Rule'''. Essentially, any movie that uses the music as a major selling point is assuredly terrible (rare exceptions like ''[[Clerks]]'' notwithstanding).
* In [[Kill Bill]], Bill, when asked for his opinion about the Bride's fiancee (whom he later more honestly describes as a "fucking jerk"), says "I like his hair."
 
 
== [[Literature]] ==
* Reversed by [[Dorothy L. Sayers]] in ''[[Lord Peter Wimsey|Murder Must Advertise]]''. At one point, describing one character's comments on another, our detective protagonist Lord Peter uses the phrase "...praise him with faint damns".
* In ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Maskerade|Maskerade]]'', Agnes Nitt has "a wonderful personality and good hair".
* In [[Jane Yolen]]'s historical novel ''Queen's Own Fool'', when Queen Mary is about to marry Darnley, she asks her friends' opinion of him. They don't want to upset her by pointing out that Darnley is a [[Jerkass]], so they dodge the issue by praising his other qualities.
* For lack of anything better to say, Jack Ryback from [[MST3KMystery Science Theater 3000|Mike Nelson's]] ''Death Rat!'' at one point earnestly praises his literary agent as "the most well-groomed man I've ever met."
* At one point in the ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' series, Sansa is unable to think of any honest compliments for young king Joffrey except that he is "comely". It's pretty much the only good thing about him.
** The only honest compliment that Ned can give Robert about his reign was that he was a better king than [[The Caligula|his predecessor]].
Line 56:
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* 2010 [[Academy Awards|Oscars]]- [[Steve Martin]] doesn't reciprocate the compliment that Alec Baldwin gives him when they introduce each other
* In ''[[30 Rock (TV)|Thirty Rock]]'', Liz compliments Jenna like this multiple times in the episode "The Rural Juror". Indeed, [[Rashomon Style|there are two sets of flashbacks in the episode, one from each of their perspectives]] (Liz's depicts her as attempting to be kind, while Jenna's emphasizes the insulting aspect.)
* The main premise of an ''[[I CarlyICarly]]'' episode: Carly's webshow lands a sponsorship from a new type of wonder shoe. When the shoe fails to deliver, the team piles on "faint praise" to fulfill the contract without lying to their fans.
* In the ''[[Star Trek: theThe Next Generation]]'' episode "Tapestry" {{spoiler|Picard changing the past and not getting involved in the fight that caused him to get his heart replaced with an artificial one has caused him to become a Lieutenant Junior Grade paper pusher instead of a legendary starship captain. When he goes to Troi and Riker asking about his performance, they end up falling into this.}}
{{quote| {{spoiler|'''Riker'''}}: {{spoiler|You're a good worker, reliable... punctual.}}}}
** In the episode "The Chase", Picard's old archaeology professor describes one of his papers as "informative", to which Picard himself replies "[[Invoked Trope|Damning with faint praise]]".
Line 74:
** To clarify: aside from various guests who come for an episode now and a again, the only two other priests in the land are a simpleminded manchild, and a senile, alcoholic pervert.
** He takes no further consolation when Mrs. Doyle reveals she was thinking of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, pointing out that he's a Protestant.
* ''[[Big Wolf Onon Campus]]'' episode "That Swamp Thing You Do!", possibly combined with [[Stealth Insult]]:
{{quote| '''Tommy''': So, what did you think of my acting skills?<br />
'''Merton''': I think you combined the articulation of [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] with the emotional range of [[Jean Claude Van Damme]].<br />
'''Tommy''': Thanks, man! }}
* In season one of ''[[Angel (TV)|Angel]]'' Angel and Wesley describe Cordelia's acting as having "good projection" and said that she had "taken the role and made it her own."
* Of Oliver's production of ''[[A Midsummer NightsNight's Dream]]'' in ''[[Slings and Arrows]]'', the janitor diplomatically says, "The production values are very high." And they are; it's just a shame that half the actors are crap and the blocking means you can't actually hear the delivery of the good ones. In the audience, the minister of culture is listening to the hockey game on a portable radio - and in the tech booth, the stage manager and ''Oliver himself'' are watching it on TV.
* The Thanksgiving episode of ''[[Dexter]]''. The fact that the recipient of said damning catches on makes it one of the scariest scenes in the whole series.
* In ''[[Game of Thrones (TV)|Game of Thrones]]'' Catelyn agrees for one of Lord Walder's daughters to marry {{spoiler|her son Robb}}. She relays that Lord Walder said that several of them would suitable. When asked to describe them she starts "One was..." and stops, apparently unable to think of a compliment and settling for confirming she's "suitable".
* On one episode of ''[[The Fresh Prince of Bel -Air]]'', Ashley is afraid that she won't make any friends at her new school. Phil says that she has a great personality. Her response? "Great! Now I'm ugly."
* Quite possibly used in Talent shows (e.g. [[The X Factor]], [[American Idol]]) Use this as a way to appear positive, but in fact put down the contestant's possible vote. See this {www.sofabet.com website} for further analysis.
 
 
== [[Mythology]] ==
* [[The Fair Folk]]. Nobody could truthfully say they're anything better than [[Mystical Waif|pretty]]. Amazing? Wonderful? Awesome? Terrific? Yes, if you [[Discworld (Literature)/Lords and Ladies|want to be tricky about it]]. Benevolent? Kindly? ''Wise''? Possibly even [[Glamour Failure|beautiful]]? Many of them [[Disproportionate Retribution|would kill you for the bald-faced lie]], unless you were a [[Consummate Liar]] who could practically fool a mind-reader. Thus, [[The Fair Folk]].
 
 
Line 120:
 
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Xkcd (Webcomic)|Xkcd]]'' inverts this neatly with [http://xkcd.com/607/ the UNIX 2038 problem].
** [http://xkcd.com/802/ Online Communities 2] does this with its [[Alt Text]] by way of [[Overly Narrow Superlative]].
* In one ''[[Boy Meets Boy]]'' [http://boymeetsboy.keenspot.com/d/20001201.html strip]:
Line 141:
{{quote| Strong Sad has been disowned by his brothers Strong Bad and Mad. On the plus side, he has good handwriting!}}
** These days, other characters tend to skip straight to damning him with regular old damnation.
* [[The Nostalgia Chick (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Chick]] labels ''[[Dragonheart]]'' the best of the "dragon" movies, and acknowledges that it isn't saying much.
** While reviewing ''[[Men in Black]] II'', she complains that [[It's the Same, Now It Sucks]], and says that ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' of all sequels tried something different.
{{quote| "...I'm making a positive comparison to ''Transformers 2''. That's like making a positive comparison to backne."}}
* [[The Cinema Snob (Web Video)|The Cinema Snob]] has a moment in ''[[Violent Shit]] III: Infantry of Doom'':
{{quote| '''Snob:''' "Well, at least it's not CG gore..." [''winces visibly''] "What a fucking sad state we're in, when modern-day computer-infested horror films could learn something from '''THE ''VIOLENT SHIT'' MOVIES!'''"}}
* More from the TGWTG files, from [[The Nostalgia Critic (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Critic]] review of ''[[Steel (Filmfilm)|Steel]]'' when describing the casting choice of Shaquille O'Neal:
{{quote| '''Critic:''' "But give him some credit, though. ...He's tall."}}
* Three words: "Cool story bro". If this is the only compliment you receive regarding whatever it's you're trying to pitch to your audience, then you've failed entirely.
* The ''[[DoctorDr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Web Video)|Doctor Horribles Sing Along Blog]]'' song "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOxFbQRQHSU&feature=related So They Say]" features numerous characters praising [[Smug Super|Captain Hammer]] and his relationship with [[Wide -Eyed Idealist|Penny]]. When she gets a line, however, she merely calls him "pretty okay" and is clearly distracted by hopes that her friend [[Anti-Villain|Billy]] will show up.
* In [[Moviebob]]'s review of [[Rob Zombie]]'s ''[[Halloween (Filmfilm)|Halloween]] II'', he says that it's the best ''Halloween'' film since [[John Carpenter]]'s original, though he admits that, given the standards of all the ''Halloween'' movies released in between, that's not saying much. [[Subverted Trope]] in that he enjoyed the film anyway in spite of its flaws.
* In [[The Lizzie Bennet Diaries]], Lizzie challenges her incredibly kind sister Jane to say ''something'' nice about Darcy. The only thing she can give? "He's so...ah. Eeh. He's um- no, no no....He's tall."
{{quote| '''Lizzie''': Okay! For the record, when the nicest thing ''Jane Bennet'' has to say about you is "tall", you have personality problems. }}
Line 156:
 
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Parodied in ''[[The Emperor's New Groove (Disney)|The Emperors New Groove]]'', where Kuzco insults a row of girls with offhand remarks, most of which are directly insulting, but to the final one he says, in very sarcastic tones, "Let me guess, you have a great personality?". Even better is the fact that ''they all look identical''.
** The fact that the other girls have to physically restrain her to keep her from attacking Kuzco shows that she's well aware it wasn't a compliment.
* Used a bit on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. In one episode, after showing his friends and family the [[Show Within a Show|cartoon]] he's voice acting for, Homer's guests all leave muttering incoherently and Moe says "You should be very proud, Homer... you have a wonderful home."
Line 170:
* In a ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode, one of Peter's cutoff gags had [[Ringo Starr]] showing the rest of [[The Beatles]] a song he had just written. Their response? "Very good! We'll put this right on the fridge, right here where everyone can see it."
** When Brian made Stewie say something nice about [[Diablo Cody]], he said, "I . . . envy the tattoo artist who had that huge canvas of arm fat to work with."
* In Disney's ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', an unintentional example of this nearly trips up our hero.
{{quote| '''Aladdin:''' Princess Jasmine, you're very...um...<br />
'''Genie:''' ''(whispering suggestions in his ear)'' Wonderful! Magnificent! Glorious!... Punctual!<br />
Line 178:
'''Aladdin:''' Uh...uhh...''beautiful!''<br />
'''Genie:''' Nice recovery. }}
** A lot of the things Jasmine says about Jafar in the [[Show Some Leg]] scene are [[Trivially Obvious]], i.e. he's tall and dark or his beard is twisted. Her tone of voice just makes them sound like compliments since by then, [[Distracted Byby the Sexy|he isn't really paying attention.]]
* ''[[Anastasia]]'':
{{quote| Vlad: Well?<br />
Sophie: Well, she answered every question. }}
* On one episode of ''[[Total Drama World Tour]]'', [[Geek|Beth]] has to come up with a haiku highlighting one of [[Alpha Bitch|Heather]]'s positive attributes. The first line is "[[Trivially Obvious|Heather has ten toes]]," and the rest summarizes how that makes swimming easier.
* ''[[The Spectacular Spider -Man]]'' subverts this when Aunt May tries to set [[The Hero|Peter]] up with [[Fiery Redhead|Mary Jane Watson]], saying she has "a wonderful personality." Peter shudders, quite certain it means she's ugly, and the phrase "wonderful personality" becomes a [[Running Gag]]. [[Hello, Nurse!|Then Peter actually meets her]].
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'': Done accidentally by Aang in 'The Cave of Two Lovers'. He and Katara aren't sure how to get out of a labyrinth, and Katara suggests that, based on the story they've read, maybe they're supposed to kiss. When Katara tries to play it cool, Aang takes it too far, acting like he wouldn't want to kiss her at all. He tries to save it by telling Katara that he'd rather kiss her than die, which he thinks is a compliment. Katara...doesn't.
* ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' sees this happen in "Lesson Zero". Twilight Sparkle, [[Sanity Slippage|(literally) madly desperate]] to find a friendship problem for her weekly report to Princess Celestia, tries to ''make'' a problem by getting the Cutie Mark Crusaders to fight over her favorite childhood toy, Smarty Pants. The Crusaders aren't interested in the ratty old doll, however, but are trying to be polite about it. When pressed to compliment it, the only thing Sweetie Belle can come up with is "Um, I really like her... mane?"
** Happens again in ''Read it and Weep'', where the only thing Rarity can think of to comfort the just-hospitalized Rainbow Dash is that the hospital gowns match the curtains.
* ''[[Daria]]:''
Line 207:
*** As an advertisement once said, in the South, saying "Bless your heart," after someone has an accident is basically a polite way of saying "You dumbass."
** Or "That baby's just as [cute/sweet/lovely] as it can be!"
* The reason that "compliments" like "[[You Are a Credit Toto Your Race|She's really good for a black person]]" are so loaded with [[Unfortunate Implications]] is because they come across like this.
* Abraham Lincoln reportedly asked Thaddeus Stevens about the honesty of a man being considered for a cabinet position. Stevens replied that "I do not believe he would steal a red hot stove."
* "Nice" is also a word which doesn't mean much when complimenting someone. Nice is the way people say someone is 'meh'. Lets say if the most memorable enduring part of them is "nice" they aren't that special.
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Special:MobileDiff/884149"