Basic Trope: Someone is unable to open a door because they're performing the wrong action.
- Straight: Dolly tries to push a door, but it won't budge. She then realizes she's supposed to pull it.
- Exaggerated:
- The door is clearly marked "PULL" in huge letters, but Dolly still tries to push it.
- Dolly tries to push a door, but it won't budge. She makes a dozen more attempts to push it open.
- Everyone tries to push the door first. Even those who have seen others pushing it to no avail.
- Dolly is an American tourist in the UK. She's unfamiliar with British English, and tries to squeeze her fingers under a door marked LIFT. When she realizes that isn't working, she tries to drag the door apart, then push it, then pull it... before it occurs to her that she just has to press the button next to it.
- Dolly somehow manages to accomplish this with a working automatic door.
- Downplayed: Dolly tries to unlock a door, and turns the key the wrong way at first.
- Justified:
- The door is unmarked (or Dolly just doesn't know English). Dolly has to guess what she's supposed to do, and gets it wrong.
- It's a Norman door - a door where the design tells you to do the opposite of what you're actually supposed to do.
- Inverted: ???
- Subverted:
- Dolly is about to push a door marked "PULL". She explains that the door is mislabelled, and indeed supposed to be pushed.
- We see the door being pushed open from inside before Dolly makes her attempt to push it open from outside… however, instead of the door refusing to budge, it also opens in that direction as it's a double-acting door.
- Double Subverted:
- Dolly mistook the door for a mislabelled one.
- The door said PULL, not because of how it was hinged, but due to the statues that were placed on the other side after it was installed.
- Parodied:
- Dolly tries to push a door marked "PULL". It won't budge. She then tries to pull it. It still won't budge. Then she tries to push it again, and somehow it opens this time.
- Dolly tries to push a door marked "PULL". It won't budge. Nathan then walks up, pulls the door open, and walks through. After it closes, Dolly goes right back to trying to push it open.
- Dolly comes across a door that's being propped open and asks "Do I pull or push it open?"
- Dolly comes across a doorway that doesn't even have a door and freezes up, having no idea how to open it.
- Zig Zagged: Dolly pushes and pulls the door, but it won't move because it turns out to be locked. Then she pulls it, and it still won't move.
- Averted: Dolly pulls the door. It opens.
- Enforced: ???
- Lampshaded: "Darn it! I never open this dumb door on my first try!"
- Invoked: Peter the Prankster puts a "PUSH" sticker on top of the door's "PULL" label.
- Exploited: Sam the Pushy Salesman notices that there tends to be a line in front of the door whenever someone can't figure out how to open it, so he tries to sell his wares to those who are stuck waiting.
- Defied: Whoever owns the building ensures that the doors are clearly marked. Or they just use automatic doors or revolving doors instead.
- Building codes require doors to open outwards, because people needing to evacuate in a hurry may not be thinking clearly and would be likely to push and push and push.
- Discussed: "I guarantee Dolly is going to try to push that pull door."
- Conversed: Victor the viewer remarks that there must be even more confusing doors in Dolly's fictional world than in real life.
- Played For Drama: Dolly is trying to escape from a serial killer, and is slowed down whenever there's a confusing door in her way.
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