Out of Their Element: Unforgettable Fish Out of Water Movies

One of the most powerful tropes in movie history is the “fish out of water” conflict: the idea that someone is out of their element or stuck in a world that’s brand new to them. When you hear the term, you may immediately think of some irrefutable examples of comedies like Coming to America (1988) that fit the bill—but you may not realize that other examples aren’t necessarily comedies.

The fish out of water idea as a storytelling device fits into different genres, like action, drama, and horror, too! If the unfamiliar setting and new rules of that world affect the protagonist and create conflict for them, it counts as a fish out of water story, comedy or not. To learn more about how it fits into some of the best stories out there, look at our list of movies that use this trope beautifully.

Scripts from this Article

Men In Black

Lost In Translation

Pleasantville

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Avatar

Coming to America

Big

Get Out

Zootopia

Barbie

Men In Black (1997)

Screenplay by: Lowell Cunningham and Ed Solomon

A beloved comedy that launched a franchise, Men In Black (1997) was adapted from a much bleaker and darker comic book series, very different from the film starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

In the movie, Agent Jay (Smith) gets recruited by Agent Kay (Jones) to join a secret organization that polices and actively covers up extraterrestrial activity on Earth. With that hidden truth and brand-new world come a bunch of rules and ways of doing things that Agent Jay has trouble adjusting to—and he winds up bringing his fresh perspective and old NYPD sensibilities to the agency in a way that causes as much conflict as it solves along the way.

Lost In Translation (2003)

Screenplay by: Sofia Coppola

Not every splash means a comedic movie: Some, like Lost In Translation (2003), are fish-out-of-water stories that transcend the usual genre. This film, steeped in interpersonal drama and budding romance, depicts two people (Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson) struggling with loneliness. This loneliness is the conflict they struggle with the whole time, brought on by two sources: their culture shock in Tokyo and the seeming alienness of their marriages, one fresh and one worn.

With this layered representation of feeling “out of their element,” it’s no wonder that these two eventually find comfort in each other’s company during their time in the same unfamiliar setting.

Read More: The Human Focus in Sofia Coppola Movies

Pleasantville (1998)

Screenplay by: Gary Ross

On the subject of culture shock, we can always talk about Pleasantville (1998). Starring Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon, this film shows a brother and sister who get transported into the cheesy, neutered, and ratings-friendly world of David’s (Maguire) favorite 1950s TV show. Jennifer (Witherspoon) takes the opportunity to shake things up while David tries to play by the show’s rules

Soon, the two learn that their presence in Pleasantville has caused the place to show its ugly side, making it clear that the grass was not greener when it was all black and white

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Screenplay by: Karey Kirkpatrick and Douglas Adams

Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) lives a perfectly normal, uninspiring life on Earth. That is until Earth is destroyed, and he becomes an interstellar hitchhiker with the help of his friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def)—who happens to be an alien as well.

While most fish out of water don’t have an instruction manual for their new surroundings, Arthur lucks out because he has the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an interactive resource that helps him understand the wider universe he’s now been forced to navigate. Soon, he joins other people, aliens and humans alike, while searching for a mythical planet and the supposed answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Avatar (2009)

Screenplay by: James Cameron

New worlds are often figurative: a new workplace, country, or something similar that puts a character out of their element. But what if that unfamiliar setting actually was a new world, like Pandora?

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) finds out exactly what that’s like when he’s put on a mission to walk among the Na’vi, the people whose home is now being invaded by pesky humans. When he learns what’s at stake, it becomes clear he has to choose between the world he came from and the new world he joined — in a brand-new alien body, to boot.

Read More: 10 Movies That Made It Out of Development Hell, From ‘Dune’ to ‘Avatar’

Coming to America (1988)

Screenplay by: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, David Sheffield, and Barry W. Blaustein

Akeem (Eddie Murphy) just wants someone to love him for him. But in the wealthy African kingdom of Zamunda, that’s hard to find—after all, he is the country’s prince. So naturally, he brings his friend and attendant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) when he goes to America to seek romance and a way out of his arranged marriage.

After meeting the woman of his dreams in New York, Akeem begins working hard for the attention of Lisa (Shari Headley), now faced with all the complications of a brand-new world getting in the way of his efforts.

Big (1988)

Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg

Being put in a different body doesn’t always make you a fish out of water—but when you’re a kid and thrown into the adult world, that’s one of the conflicts that make your story worth telling.

Josh Baskin (David Moscow) makes an ill-advised wish to be “big,” he finds himself an adult (Tom Hanks). Of course, they say to be careful what you wish for, and Josh sees that up close as he struggles against all the usual life pressures we adults face in this 1980s comedy. As expected, he learns the hard way exactly what it means to be a grown-up.

Get Out (2017)

Screenplay by: Jordan Peele

Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) certainly feels out of his element when he goes to meet the family of his white girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams). With weird behavior that Chris chalks up to antiquated awkwardness in the face of an interracial relationship, he soon sees there’s more going on in the neighborhood than a fumble from Rose’s parents.

The unexpected tension and a few revelations in Jordan Peele’s first horror film make it clear that Chris’s new surroundings are very different from what they seem—and very dangerous at that.

Read More: 6 Techniques Jordan Peele Uses in ‘Nope’ That Will Help Your Screenwriting

Zootopia (2016)

Screenplay by: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush

The classic buddy-cop formula gets a new treatment when small-town bunny Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) moves to Zootopia—an animal metropolis—to join their police force. Thrown headfirst into this city and its immense problems, Judy resolves to prove herself by jumping at the chance to solve crimes.

When she comes across a mystery that points to some frightening conclusions, she teams up with a con artist named Nick (Jason Bateman), whose own tendencies put the two at odds until this case winds up bigger than either of them can handle on their own.

Read More: It Was Never Just for Kids: The 25 Best Animated Films Made for Adults

Barbie (2023)

Screenplay by: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

In Barbieland, there’s a state of mind for every Barbie and Ken: perfection. This world is meant to fit them perfectly, and vice versa. But when one Barbie (Margot Robbie) discovers herself experiencing problems like bad breath, she realizes she may be turning into a human, causing an existential crisis.

She’s forced to visit the human world to seek a solution alongside Ken (Ryan Gosling). Of course, when they make the trip, Barbie and Ken find that human society differs in so many ways from the one they just left.

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It’s important to know how the fish gets out of the water—how your character winds up in an unfamiliar world. But it’s just as crucial to see how that new setting affects them and their goals.

By reading or watching the films above, you can get an idea of how to do that with your own writing—or just revel in the well-told stories that show this trope in action!

Read More: ‘It Was All Just A Dream’ and Other Literary Tropes To Avoid Like The Plague