A plot hole is any gap, unexplained event, or inconsistency in a story. A big plot hole can undermine even the most entertaining movies. While it’s true that some stories are so well-loved that fans will overlook small plot holes, they will ruin the experience for other moviegoers. Plot holes are considered weak writing because they destroy the story’s logic, take the viewer out of the moment, and disrupt a film’s believability.
A common type of plot hole is a convenient coincidence. These plot holes shoehorn in a quick solution or event to push the plot forward, but it relies heavily on coincidence or good luck that probably wouldn’t happen in the real world. The other significant plot hole type is an unexplained character change. These changes disrupt our understanding of a character and make us question whether a real person would do or say what we just watched.
A plot hole doesn’t always sink a film if it has other strengths that keep viewers engaged, but there’s no doubt that a tightly written movie with no plot holes stands out from the crowd. The most common films with plot holes are those full of twists, simply because there are so many places the plot can tie itself in knots while trying to surprise and misdirect the audience. Some films manage to surprise and engage the audience with an airtight, plot hole-free plot that stands up to our scrutiny. In an age where tons of fans have podcasts and YouTube channels dissecting every moment and aspect of their favorite films, it’s awe-inspiring that these films didn’t reveal any plot holes in their stories.
20 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Focus Features
In a film about wiping out painful memories, it would have been easy for a plot hole to undo everything the plot set up. The classic Jim Carrey movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, remains believable and touching. At the same time, it deals with fantastical themes like a company that can erase memories of an ex and whimsical shifts between the main character Joel’s memories and his present angst. There are subplots with altered memories of side characters and shifts back and forth in the story’s timeline, yet the plot is easy enough to follow and keeps you invested until the last whispered, “Meet me in Montauk.”
19 The Sixth Sense
Buena Vista Pictures
M. Night Shyamalan is known for writing horror movies that pack a wallop of a twist at the end. While movie fans differ on how successful each of these twists is, most agree that nothing tops his first shocker delivered at the end of The Sixth Sense. After we follow the story of a child therapist trying to help a young boy that says he sees and talks to ghosts, we find out in the end that the therapist himself is a ghost. Takes on this trope are often repeated, but none quite pull it off similarly. Re-watch The Sixth Sense, and you’ll find plenty of hints about the truth at the heart of the film, but nothing that contradicts the big reveal.
18 American Beauty
Jinks/Cohen Company
American Beauty is an award-winning drama full of symbolism, introspection, and heavy themes. There are a lot of storylines and characters in this film that progresses relatively slowly, leading to a shocking ending. The death of the main character Lester is an unconventional choice for a story ending, but it never feels unearned. The act makes complete sense when we learn it’s Colonel Fitts, as does Lester’s powerful ending monologue. The murder could have felt like a cheap shock, but because of the character work leading up to this moment, we don’t question that this was the only way the story could have ended.
17 Memento
Newmarket
Christopher Nolan turned a film’s typical narrative on its head when he wrote the plot of 2000s Memento in reverse. To make this film an even more mind-bending experience, the main character of this murder mystery has retrograde amnesia. He spends the movie tattooing, and writing clues about his wife’s murder all over his body so essential information won’t fall victim to his amnesia. Memento is confusing and frustrating but conveniently avoids plot holes by purposefully leaving the central riddle unanswered. That’s right; we never find out who the murderer was. This is an ending that makes the viewer decide for themselves.
16 The Others
Studio Canal
This period piece is also a ghost story in line with The Sixth Sense. We spend the movie believing Nicole Kidman is a paranoid mom shielding her kids from their allergy to sunlight in a vast old haunted house while she waits for her husband to return from the war. The family believes vengeful spirits are targeting them, but it turns out they are the ghosts haunting a new family who is desperately trying to banish them. Once the big reveal occurs, many of the film’s mysteries suddenly make sense. The twist at the end of The Others promptly fills any plot holes that might have nagged the viewer throughout the film.
15 Parasite
CJ Entertainment
This twisted Korean film won awards and accolades for a good reason. Parasite puts a new twist on the upstairs/downstairs trope. The film suddenly changes tack about a third of the way through, revealing that previous housekeepers have been living in the basement for years, leeching off the wealthy homeowners. The ending is complete chaos as the ecosystem of the home can only sustain so many parasites. What could have felt like an unearned moment of shock as the film’s plot pivots were the perfect way to pull the film’s themes into focus, answer nagging mysteries, and shock the audience.
14 Arrival
Paramount Pictures
This alien film starring Amy Adams is full of empathy. This surprisingly human extraterrestrial story is about a translator trying desperately to figure out how to communicate with alien visitors. The message they have to give her is a complex one about the nature of time. The ending of Arrival was challenging to pull off, but as we reflect on what we know of the main character, it makes perfect sense.
13 Gone Girl
Regency Enterprises
This thriller hit is well-known for its twist ending after we spend the movie wondering what exactly became of vanished woman Amy Dunne. Gone Girl makes us question who the film’s villain is at multiple points, and the answers are always challenging. As Amy reveals that she is much more complex and dangerous than we initially imagined, the big reveals never feel unearned. The script and acting performances slowly peel back the layers to the many personas and behaviors that make up Amy.
12 Citizen Kane
RKO Radio Pictures
This classic is studied by film students worldwide. The ending is considered one of the greatest in the history of movies. The premise of Citizen Kane is simple enough, but completely intriguing, what is Rosebud? It’s the last word uttered by Charles Foster Kane and the film follows a reporters journey to find out what it means. The pay-off is very satisfying, as more and more depth is added to Kane’s character, the surprising and complex meaning of the word Rosebud resonates deeply.
11 Fight Club
Fox 2000 Pictures
When Tyler is such a magnetic presence throughout Fight Club, it is a shock that he’s not a real person. However, the film does such an excellent job of picking apart the Narrator and subverting our expectations that we totally buy it. The film ends with a bang, giving viewers a moment of “what did I just watch?” without the confusion and feeling of being cheated that plot holes can cause.
10 Us
Jordan Peele is a modern-day master of twists. Us is a suspenseful mind-bending movie that’s perfectly paced and plotted. When the truth behind the sinister world of Us is revealed, we can believe it because the film spent so much time setting our expectations towards the bizarre and surprising. The opening montage is haunting, thematic, and hints at the film’s ultimate truth.
9 Donnie Darko
Flower Films
Many people think that sci-fi classic Donnie Darko is confusing, and while that may be true, there is a lot of work done to keep this time and dimension-jumping plot on track. After Donnie’s death gets predicted at the film’s beginning, we follow him on a mission to help correct a “blip” in the universe, but he’ll ultimately have to sacrifice his life to do it. To follow this plot, you’ll need to understand the difference between the film’s primary universe and alternate universe timeline, and that’s no easy feat. There’s also a question of whether the film’s timeline is in a continuous loop. While following a plot this complex, you’ll have no time to spot holes.
8 Secret Window
Sony Pictures Releasing
A Stephen King classic, Secret Window features one of his signature tortured writer characters. The unreliable narrator is a tough character to wield, but in the hands of a master like Stephen King, the movie pulls it off without holes and inconsistencies. The main character struggles with multiple personalities. After we watch the transformation of who we thought was the villain into the writer, played by Johnny Depp, we’re left with a highly satisfying surprise.
7 Planet of the Apes
20th Century Studios
Planet of the Apes is a sci-fi classic for many reasons, from make-up to acting performances, but the writing in this one really signs. From the lovable characters to the fleshed-out setting, audiences were entranced by the story of an alien planet that turned out to be our very own. The script could have fumbled this reveal but it’s so iconic that we’re completely sold. Pop culture history forever cemented the image of the Statue of Liberty emerging from the sand into its annals.
6 The Prestige
This story of dueling magicians was bound to be twisty. Magic is about misdirecting the audience, which is exactly what The Prestige does. We find out that much of the main character’s story was only possible through the use of a body double. This plot works because we know that magic in the real world is often performed in the same way.
5 Ex Machina
Universal Pictures
Ex Machine keeps audiences guessing from start to finish. As we follow a scientist testing AI, Ava, for self-awareness, we slowly discover that she is far more self-aware than her creator imagined. She’s even capable of lying. Ava’s character had to be carefully written to pull off familiar AI tropes in a surprising way. Any plot holes would have made this movie fall flat instead of standing out from the crowd the way it has.
4 Get Out
The scripts of Jordan Peele’s movies are effective at diving into deeper and weirder truths, mainly because they’re tightly written. The pacing of Get Out gives us just a hint that something is off and steadily becomes more bizarre and more disturbing until we’re left with a reveal that we could never have guessed. A movie about mind-switching and lobotomies needed some serious work to be plausible as something shocking to fear, and Get Out pulls it off with creepy flair.
3 Knives Out
Lionsgate
Nothing can kill a whodunit faster than a plot hole. In Knives Out, anyone in the dysfunctional and flamboyant Thrombey family could have murdered patriarch and novelist Harlan. Knives Out revitalized interest in whodunits by using classic devices like red herrings as we uncover the truth. For this type of film to be a success, there can’t be any glaring holes that make the ending reveal anti-climatic. Lucky for Knives Out, it’s so well done that it delivers a satisfying ah-ha moment in the end.
2 Atonement
Relativity Media
The main character of Atonement, Briony, is a classic example of an unreliable narrator. This award-winning period film is celebrated for its beautiful score, great acting performance, and surprising script. The movie’s themes include how Briony sees the world and fictionalizes it in her mind. The film slowly reveals to us that much of the story we believed was true is a figment of Briony’s imagination. While this may make us frustrated, even angry with Briony, the moments don’t feel unearned because of the masterful script and performances. Briony’s behavior is not unexpected and doesn’t feel inauthentic because so much was done to establish her before the twist was revealed.
1 Coco
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
This touching animated movie is all about family, memory, death, and grief. The songs and beautiful colors make it a fan-favorite Disney movie, but the plot is also excellent. The film gives us a bit of a surprise when we find out who “Coco” really is. The reveal is bittersweet and wrung a tear out of many viewers. Coco wouldn’t be such a tearjerker if not for the solid writing and character development that made this film so satisfying.
