French author André Maurois famously equated the analysis of humor to frog dissection — "when you take [the joke] apart, you find out what it’s made of, but the subject is killed in the process.” Comedy is a living breathing process: it works best when all its moving parts are in perfect sync.
That said, there are innumerable movie scenes that are narratively autonomous; they lose none of their impact even when observed beyond the scope of their respective films. Humor is an extremely subjective experience, but there are a few scenes that are universally funny.
10 The Basterds Try Speaking In Italian — Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Inglourious Basterds was widely praised by critics, who called it Tarantino's "best movie since Pulp Fiction." While not technically a comedy, the film includes a number of farcical laugh-out-loud scenes, a rare achievement for a story about the Holocaust.
The funniest moment comes during the premiere of Stolz der Nation, a Nazi propaganda film screened at Shoshanna's Le Gamaar cinema. Hans Landa playfully forces the three Basterds to prove their alleged Italian-ness — despite their knowledge of the language, Donny Donowitz, and Aldo Raine hilariously mispronounce their respective pseudonyms, leaving Landa thoroughly amused.
9 The Photo Of Cher In Nick Rivers' Cell Break's The Fourth Wall — Top Secret!
Top Secret! is an exquisitely crafted satire, parodying a range of movie stereotypes over the course of its 90-minute runtime. The film makes allusions to various genres, such as spy thrillers, war cinema, and musical theater. Top Secret! may not "have a plot or real characters or real structure," but it's packed with sketches worthy of Saturday Night Live.
Although there are many randomly hilarious things that take place in the film, the funniest scene occurs in Nick Rivers' jail cell, which is decorated with a large black-and-white photograph of Cher. The reference relates to actor Val Kilmer's real-life romantic affair with Cher, breaking the fourth wall without using a single word.
8 The Torn Dress Sequence — Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Bringing Up Baby is a classic example of the screwball genre, and is arguably the funniest movie starring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn. The film failed to make ends meet at the box office and tanked Hepburn's career, but it eventually gained traction over time. Bringing Up Baby is now considered one of the best comedy movies ever made.
David Huxley attempts to protect Susan Vance's modesty upon discovering a massive tear running down a dress, a masterful illustration of the power of Vaudevillian slapstick. The sensual nature of the scene is intentionally camouflaged behind the comical overreactions of Hepburn and Grant.
7 Vlad's Growing Obsession With The Internet — What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
Taika Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows, a sizzling blend of droll deadpan and physical absurdity, redefines the limits of 21st-century humor. Nearly every line in the script doubles as a punchline, explaining why critics praised the movie's authentic style and comedy landscape.
Numerous scenes are deserving of recognition, from Viago's blood-related mishaps to Deacon's belly dancing. Vlad's growing obsession with the Internet and its myriad mysteries is both funny and profound — his eyes light up when he discovers that he can start "poking" people once again, even if only on Facebook. At one point, Vlad imperiously decides "to do [his] dark bidding on the Internet," a statement that sounds sinister until he explains that he's "bidding on a table."
6 Sing & Bone's Knife-Throwing Disaster — Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle is basically framed around the Hero's Journey trope, although it contains dozens of comical detours that extend far beyond the narrative template. This movie is a bustling medley of "Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton [and] Quentin Tarantino and Bugs Bunny."
Filmmaker James Gunn called Kung Fu Hustle "the greatest film ever made," while Bill Murray declared that it was a "supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy." Kung Fu Hustle's knife-throwing scene has very little dialogue, but Sing's attempt to assassinate the Landlady backfires horribly and hilariously.
5 Dina Demonstrates Her Grapefruit Technique — Girls Trip
Girls Trip stars Tiffany Haddish, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Regina Hall as four college friends on their reunion trip to New Orleans. The movie is a "rare R-rated comedy that pushes boundaries to truly comedic effect," without sacrificing the characters' camaraderie and love for each other.
During breakfast, Dina reveals a unique, raunchy technique involving tropical fruits. The scene begins slowly, with Dina carefully explaining the various steps involved, but she quickly launches into a live presentation. Sasha and Lisa look on in bemused bewilderment until Dina finishes demonstrating the whole process from start to finish.
4 "And Don't Call Me Shirley." — Airplane! (1980)
Airplane! continues to be a delightful watch even today, forty years after the film was first released. It earned both critical acclaim and a devoted fandom for its "unabashedly juvenile and silly" atmosphere. Roger Ebert stated that Airplane!'s brand of nonsensical humor works precisely "because it's sophomoric, predictable, and corny."
One of the most memeworthy lines in the movie is "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley," a response to the common expression, "Surely you can't be serious." The joke has since become a cultural landmark in its own right.
3 The Knights Who Say Ni — Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is arguably the magnum opus of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Many contemporary critics disliked the film, calling it "an excuse for set pieces, some amusing, others overdone." Despite receiving backlash for its unorthodox humor, Monty Python and the Holy Grail gradually developed into a cult classic and is now considered among the best comedy movies in history.
The Knights Who Say Ni are a bizarre group of entities who insist that they are "keepers of the sacred words 'Ni', 'Peng', and 'Neee-Wom'." The knights proceed to cow Arthur's men into submission by screaming "Ni" at them and demanding "a shrubbery" as payment.
2 "Nobody’s Perfect" — Some Like It Hot (1959)
Some Like It Hot is comedy cinema at its sublime best. It has been aptly described as "a spry, quick-witted farce that never drags," and "a film of inspiration and meticulous craft." Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis deliver the performance of their respective lifetimes.
Some Like It Hot's final line, "Well, nobody's perfect," can be interpreted and analyzed from diverse perspectives, each of which adds an extra layer of meaning to the statement. The movie slyly circumvents the oppressive Hollywood Motion Picture Production Code by introducing viewers to queerness without treating it as a bad joke. Osgood blithely dismisses Jerry's gender as irrelevant to his romantic interests, a thought-provoking concept for 1959.
1 Every Scene With Alec Guinness — Kind Hearts & Coronets (1949)
Kind Hearts and Coronets garnered widespread praise, with reviewers calling it "a delicious little satire on Edwardian manners and morals." It starred several big names in the British film industry, but critics only had eyes for Alec Guinness, who played nine distinct roles in the story, including a female character, Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne.
To say Guinness "dominates the film" with his "devastating wit and variety" would be an understatement. Kind Hearts and Coronets doesn't have a single dull moment — every line, every frame, every scene is marvelously imaginative.