Eli5 why does cling film sometimes stick perfectly to some plates/bowls but other times it does not?
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I think cling wrap works much like a suction cup would work when clinging on a smooth surface. The cling wrap when wrapping on smooth surfaces creates on that smooth surface areas with lack of air. As you add tension on the cling wrap as you wrap it around on let’s say the sides of the lip of a bowl, suction is created that counteracts this tension. These two forces that counteract each other makes the cling wrap stable, letting it cling onto the sides of the bowl.
What about a surface that is not smooth? A rough surface (even just matte surfaces) on the other hand has very small bumps that does not allow the areas lacking air to be maintained. These small bumps push on the cling wrap creating mini entrances for air to move into the area the cling wrap is supposed to cling onto. So, as you pull onto a cling wrap touching a rough surface, a low pressure is created in between the cling wrap and the surface it is touching. Air rushes into the area where the cling wrap is touching as you try to put tension into it thus breaking the seal.
This is just my speculation.
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