Movie elevators are always ready at that floor. But if the hero/heroine is being chased, elevator won't come.
If hero OR villian takes an elevator, villain OR hero can beat it by taking stairs, even if the trip is 20 floors.
Most elevator shafts and wires are clean and dust/grease free, and there's plenty of light so that the hero neither gets dirty nor needs a flashlight or some other equipment to see (Speed).
When one character is pursuing another (good guy after bad or vice versa) and they reach the elevator just before it closes, they never stick their hand in the door so it will automatically open back up, nor do they press the call button to get the door to open.
On to Environment.
Back to Dining.
Back to Movie Cliches.