Basic Trope: The passenger orders the driver around.
- Straight: Alice gives advice or orders to Bob while he drives. The advice or orders are unwanted or unneeded, and actually interfere with Bob's driving.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice utters one syllable and Bob swerves and crashes.
- Alice literally reaches to the steering wheel and drives from the back seat.
- Downplayed: Alice isn't too much of a distraction, or her advice is background noise at worst.
- Justified:
- Bob is young or otherwise new to driving, or is a dangerous driver, and Alice is teaching or reteaching him.
- Bob is utterly lost; Alice is giving directions.
- Alice is a Rich Bitch and Bob is her chauffeur. She feels entitled to order him around.
- Inverted: Bob gives Alice advice while he's driving.
- Subverted: Bob actually listens to Alice's advice and doesn't complain.
- Double Subverted: Alice's advice is dangerous, illegal, or too much of a distraction to help.
- Parodied: The steering wheel and controls are literally in the back seat.
- Zig Zagged: Alice sometimes gives advice, sometimes not.
- Averted: Alice doesn't talk about Bob's driving or offer advice.
- Enforced: The director specifically includes scenes of Alice ordering Bob around to highlight their dynamic and create comedic or dramatic moments.
- Lampshaded: "Okay, great! If you're the driving expert, how about you come up here and drive this @$%# car?"
- Invoked: Bob asks Alice to give him advice to improve his driving.
- Alice deliberately gives Bob orders as a way to assert her authority or control over him.
- Exploited: Alice intentionally orders Bob around in order to manipulate him or gain control over the situation.
- Defied:
- Bob rarely drives with a passenger.
- "I want to make clear right now that if you ever bitch about my driving in any way, shape or form, up to and including trying to grab the wheel, I will kick you right the hell out, even if that means tossing you out of a car going 150 miles per hour, right into high-speed traffic, through the fucking window!"
- Discussed:Alice: "You know, in those road trip movies, there's always a scene where the passenger starts bossing the driver around."Bob: "Yeah, it's like they suddenly become driving experts just by sitting in the passenger seat."
- Conversed:Bob: "Have you ever noticed how passengers in this movie always think they can drive better than the actual driver?"Alice: "Oh yeah, they must all be certified driving instructors or something."
- Implied: It is implied that Alice regularly gives orders to Bob while he drives, but it is not shown on screen.
- Deconstructed: Alice is a distraction at best and abusive at worst, causing Bob to make mistake after mistake.
- Reconstructed: Alice learns to trust Bob, whose skills improve.
- Alice's advice and orders, while initially annoying, turn out to be genuinely helpful, improving Bob's driving skills and making their journey safer.
- Logical Extreme: Alice reaches over to grab the controls, causing a crash that she is held responsible for.
- Played for Laughs: Alice's orders become increasingly absurd and nonsensical, leading to comedic situations.
- Played for Drama: Alice's constant interference and orders create tension and conflict between her and Bob, escalating into a dramatic confrontation.
- Played for Horror:
- Alice's orders become increasingly dangerous and reckless, turning the situation into a horrifying ordeal for Bob.
- Alice becomes so upset at Bob not listening to her that she threatens to kill him so he will step in line, or tries to kill him so she can take the wheel.
Back to Backseat Driver, but look out for those cars there, and don't brake so abruptly, and...
