Ross v Ross

‘Comedy’ is a term used all too loosely nowadays. Can you even count the number of films you’ve seen, purporting to be ‘the funniest film of the year’, which have just left you depressed/suicidal/in a blind frothing rage? Scriptwriters take note: none of the following films are comedies, but that doesn’t stop these haymaker punchlines…

5. Gran Torino – Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood)

Hollywood loves an old racist, and they don’t get any older or more racist than Walt Kowalski. Although I’m not sure how much of a right he’s got to be racist with a name like Kowalski. I get the feeling that the original draft of this joke mightn’t have been as PC as ‘Mexican’, ‘Jew’ and ‘coloured guy’.

4. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – Soap (Dexter Fletcher)

A rendition of a restaurant menu in Soap’s cockney accent would be funny enough, but this moving tale of a disabled person overcoming natural obstacles is gold. Loses impact if you are not familiar with certain German car advertisements.

3. The Aristocrats – Gilbert Gottfried (himself)

We couldn’t have a ‘best jokes in movies’ list without including the movie entirely dedicated to a single joke. There are dozens of different comedians and dozens of different versions to choose from, each more profane than the last. This version comes courtesy of the soothing dulcet tones of Gilbert Gottfried – after making a 9/11 joke ‘too soon’, he makes reparations the only way he knows how: by cranking the offensiveness up to 11. Oh, in case you hadn’t guessed, this is NSFW. Those of a sensitive disposition look away now. However, if, like me, you find this sort of ground-scraping brow humour funny, try YouTubing his uncut version.

2. Desperado – Pick-up Guy (Quentin Tarantino)

This one’s all about the set-up. While Tarantino’s delivery is enjoyably and typically energetic, it’s his audience that make it – from his toothless mate who doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about to the disgruntled guy on the phone who clearly wants Quentin to ‘not check out’. Then of course there’s the less-than-enchanted Cheech Marin who, like all good barmen, responds with an amusing anecdote of his own.

1. Catch Me If You Can – Agent Hanratty (Tom Hanks)

A bolt out of the blue. The audience is as intrigued as Carl Hanratty’s colleagues when the straight and narrow agent submits to pressure and agrees to tell a joke. Superb.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE JOKES?

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This entry was posted on August 25, 2009 at 1:49 pm and is filed under TOP FIVES with tags Catch Me If You Can, Clint Eastwood, Desperado, Gran Torino, jokes, Movies, Quentin Tarantino, The Aristocrats, Tom Hanks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.