The 10 funniest movie scenes of all time
Cinema in and of itself is highly subjective, with one man’s masterpiece being another man’s most hated movie in their lifetime. But, such is what makes the entertainment art form such an enjoyable place to bathe in and enjoy, with debates as to the greatest films of any given genre having been waged for decades between movie buffs, young and old.
The most divisive of these genres may indeed be comedy, with each and every sense of humour being formed from one’s own upbringing, history and personal taste. For many years, the greatest comedies of all time were known as Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles, but the genre has changed greatly over time, and now, this just isn’t the case.
Even still, for our inevitably controversial list of the ten funniest movie scenes of all time, we’ve selected a collection of flicks from across the course of cinema history. Our list contains films from classic directors such as David Zucker as well as modern pioneers like Greg Mottola.
Take a look at our list below and enjoy ten movie scenes that will have you chuckling, tittering and guffawing.
The 10 funniest movie scenes:
10. ‘These Eyes’ – Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007)
Just like with many movies on this list, we could’ve picked several moments from Greg Mottola’s seminal 2007 American comedy Superbad as the best of the bunch. Our pick for the greatest comes when Michael Cera’s Evan is forced into the weird situation of performing a vocal rendition of ‘These Eyes’ by The Guess Who to a group of drugged-up total strangers.
The result is completely uncomfortable and totally hilarious, with Cera making the moment his own with his unique awkwardness, and is elevated by some nice supporting riffs from the likes of David Krumholtz and Kevin Breznahan.
9. The Henchman’s Wife – Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (Jay Roach, 1997)
There’s no doubt that the Austin Powers trilogy both destroyed and saved the James Bond series, exposing audiences to its many cliches whilst subsequently forcing it to do better in the future. But don’t be fooled into thinking these films are merely silly throwaway comedies, with the first one being a very clever breakdown of the spy genre that has some excellently crafted jokes.
The best of the bunch, in our opinion, comes when the titular goofy British spy runs down one of Dr. Evil’s henchmen using a steamroller, only for the film to cut to the wrongdoers family back home where they rue the loss of a husband and father. After countless spy films using henchmen as mere fodder, this joke is both astutely clever and downright knee-slappingly hilarious.
8. The Zipper – There’s Something About Mary (Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, 1998)
There’s nothing quite like a quality prosthetic, with brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly having this in mind when they made There’s Something About Mary in 1998. The romantic comedy, starring Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz, tells the story of a man who gets a rare chance to meet up with his high-school sweetheart, having totally failed during a date with her back in the day.
The hilarious scene in question comes at the start of the film, when we’re revisiting just exactly what went wrong when Stiller’s Ted dated Diaz’s Mary in the past, revealing that he got his testicle caught in the zipper of his trousers in a scene that will go down in comedy history.
7. Food Poisoning – Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011)
If you’re talking about the funniest comedies of the 21st century, Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids has to be on the list. Starring Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, and Melissa McCarthy, among others, the comedy flick follows a competition between the maid of honour and a bridesmaid who both battle over who’s the better friend of the bride, leading to utter hilarity for well over 90 minutes.
The very best moment comes when the group are trying on dresses for the wedding, only for the beautiful moment to be ruined by a case of food poisoning and copious amounts of vomit. Puerile it may be, but it’s also disgustingly hilarious.
6. Naked Fight – Borat (Larry Charles, 2006)
The films of Sacha Baron Cohen undoubtedly changed how comedy was consumed and produced throughout the early 21st century, with the British icon helping herald an era of mockumentaries where the joke was ingrained within the movie itself. His breakout movie hit came in 2006 with the release of Borat, a mockumentary that saw Cohen play the role of Borat, a Kazakh TV host who heads to America to report on its prosperity.
With countless iconic moments, perhaps the most memorable comes when Cohen engages in a naked fight with his co-star Ken Davitian, running through a hotel lobby where each and every startled reaction is utterly genuine. It’s a piece of ballsy comedy filmmaking, to say the least.
5. Dinner with the parents – 22 Jump Street (Chris Miller, Phil Lord, 2014)
The greatest comedy movies of all time are consistently hilarious throughout, and Chis Miller and Phil Lord’s 22 Jump Street is no different. It might be the newest release on this exclusive list of the ten funniest movie scenes of all time, but we’d be foolish to omit it for this reason only, with the filmmaking comedy stars out of lead actors Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.
The scene comes when the pair of undercover cops trying to find a drug ring in a college end up getting a little too into character, with Hill’s Schmidt finding a girlfriend in the form of Maya (Amber Stevens West), who also happens to be the Police Captain’s daughter (not that he knows).
Later, when Maya wants Schmidt to meet her parents, the hilarious reveal takes place, with Hill stealing the show with a spectacularly awkward performance that juxtaposes perfectly with the Captain’s rage, violently performed by Ice Cube.
4. Learner Driver Car Chase – The Naked Gun (David Zucker, 1988)
We couldn’t do a list of the ten funniest film scenes of all time and not include a movie directed by David Zucker. We’re not even sure if that would be legal. Whilst Airplane! Is probably his magnum opus, our pick for his single greatest scene is in his 1988 film The Naked Gun, a spoof of the serial police drama genre that stars Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin, a bumbling lieutenant tasked with foiling a plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
The car chase in question comes around halfway through the comedy when Drebin is forced to hitch a ride with a learner driver in order to pursue an assassin. With plenty of gags along the way, the scene concludes with a trio of spectacular laughs that highlight the very best of spoof comedy.
3. Stonehenge – This is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1994)
We can say with some certainty that the American filmmaker Rob Reiner was one of the finest minds of late 20th-century cinema, making such classics as Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally. But, his greatest comedy moment came in 1994 with the release of This is Spinal Tap, a mockumentary about England’s loudest band on their fateful final tour.
With excellent performances from the likes of Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, each actor is allowed to flourish in the Stonehenge scene when the band believe they will be performing next to a full-size version of the iconic monument, only to be humiliated by a considerably smaller size. It’s effortlessly brilliant.
2. The Black Knight – Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, 1975)
Great comedy is utterly timeless, with this being proved beyond doubt in the 1975 flick Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Starring some of the greatest British comedians of all time, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin and Graham Chapman, this iconic genre classic is a surreal retelling of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, featuring a killer bunny rabbit, a gang of police officers and a fearless Black Knight.
Coming across the path of the heroes, refusing to let them pass, the Black Knight is supposedly a brutal warrior, but Chapman’s King Arthur seemingly makes light work of him. Yet, the knight doesn’t back down that easily, comically surviving until each and every one of his limbs is removed. It’s easy slapstick comedy but utterly timeless at the same time.
1. Dicks, Pussies, Assholes and Vomit – Team America: World Police (Trey Parker, 2004)
So, we said at the very start of this list that comedy is entirely subjective; therefore, we take no shame in stating that for our money, the vomit scene from the 2004 satire Team America: World Police, from the makers of the iconic series South Park, might just have the greatest comedy scene of all time. With countless hilarious scenes to choose from, we’ve opted for the moment in which protagonist Gary vomits his puppet guts outside a bar in which a spectacularly unhinged drunken man tells him about the facts of life.
“See, there are three kinds of people: dicks, pussies, and assholes,” the drunkard starts before going off in an insane tirade against the human race, which proves too much for Gary, spewing all over the floor of the bar. This is followed by what can only be described as the greatest vomit scene in history, going on endlessly to the sound of epic music, which restarts every time his gut begins convulsing.
It’s disgusting, putrid and utterly hilarious filmmaking that pissed off a lot of people. Beautiful.
