History Main / HardToLightFire

* In ''Film/QuestForFire'' the prehistoric tribe obtains fire from lightning strikes or volcanoes, but can't make it themselves. When the fire goes out, three of them have to go on a journey to find a new source. [[/folder]]

* ''Film/PitchBlack'' has a Hard-To-''Re''light-Fire moment, when the rain extinguishes nearly all of the survivors' torches and they frantically attempt to reignite the others with the only one still lit.

** Thanks to their efforts the Scouts are declared an illegal organisation, and Tim Brooke-Taylor tries to [[FieryCoverup burn all his Scout gear]] using the two sticks method, but has less success than Bill and the police catch him with the evidence.

* ''Series/TheGoodies''. In "Scoutrageous", the Boy Scouts have been declared an illegal organisation, and Tim Brooke-Taylor tries to [[FieryCoverup burn all his Scout gear]] using the two sticks method, which of course doesn't work before the police turn up to arrest him.

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* ''{{Series/Arrow}}'': In a scene taking place on the island, Oliver is being taught how to survive by [[spoiler:Slade Wilson]], who watches Oliver as he vainly rubs two sticks together. Oliver says (paraphrased) "if you're so great why don't ''you'' make the fire?!" So [[spoiler:Wilson]] pulls out a zippo.

* Sid the sloth has mixed success in starting a fire in ''WesternAnimation/IceAge''. His first effort by rubbing sticks is pathetic. His second effort, rubbing flint against stone, produces sparks that ignite kindling. And his tail.

* ''Film/TheColony''. As they're pursued across a bridge by the cannibal tribe, Briggs tries to blow it up with dynamite, but the fuse doesn't light easily and blows out when he plants it, [[spoiler:forcing him to go back and blow it up himself in a HeroicSacrifice.]] And it doesn't light easily the second time, either.

Sister trope to DangerousKeyFumble and MyCarHatesMe. CigarFuseLighting, CouldntFindALighter, and ReusableLighterToss all subvert this trope via RuleOfCool. Played straight in many a KidsWildernessEpic or HorribleCampingTrip.

** In ''Discworld/MovingPictures'', Victor ties up one of the Dungeon Things in filmstrip and collects the rest of the octo-cellulose films in a pile around it, then realizes he doesn't have any matches to ignite the film with.
** Briefly poses a problem for Skimmer in ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'', when he needs to light a signal flare on a windy rooftop. His matches blow out almost instantly, but a blazing branch from the fireplace inside proves more resistant.
** In the fiction portion of ''Science of Discworld II'', one of the signs that the "edge people" never developed the capacity for imagination and storytelling is that they ''can't'' light a fire: they gather up smoldering embers from lightning-struck trees, then keep them burning for months or years at a stretch.

* In Disney's ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'', during the battle with the Huns, Mulan is trying to light the last firework but she drops her match. She eventually resorts to using Mushu's dragon breath to light it at the last second.

* PlayedForLaughs in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Cookie Monster is in rehab and the second he goes into a bathroom stall, he pulls out a spoonful of cookie dough and screams "C'mon, c'mon!" while trying, and failing to bake it with a lighter.

* One of the grunts from ''Film/DogSoldiers'' goes through a whole bunch of matches trying to light a petrol-trail on fire, but they keep breaking. In desperation, he calls for Sarge to help, and Sarge pitches a MolotovCocktail to set it alight.

* The climax of ''Film/RogueOne'' makes the task of passing a copy of the Death Star plans through a door and ejecting the Tantive IV to escape rife with complications. First the door jams, then Darth Vader shows up and massacres everyone in the room, then nobody notices them banging on the door in desperation, then the person who does take the plans [[NoOshaCompliance trips over the frame of the doorway]]. [[JustifiedTrope Partially justified]] by the chaos of battle and, again, Darth Vader showing up.

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