A great movie is written, directed, and edited in such a way that the superb acting of the performers appears natural. The script has the characters saying things they actually would say in their situation; the director makes sure they act naturally while doing so, and then the editor uses the best takes to cut together a performance that looks like a stream of consciousness instead of separate statements stitched together.
That being said, everything does not always go according to plan, and while this may generally be a bad thing, going off the script actually proved to be beneficial for a lot of movies (and not just in comedies), and these scenes have become an audience favorite as well. You might know a lot of hilarious unscripted moments in sitcoms such as Friends, but it truly hits different when it's done in a movie that has become so loved by many.
What's great about these unplanned scenes is that ultimately make the movie better, and they turn out even greater than expected to the general public. Part of why these scenes work is also the actors—it's amazing how they pulled it off, especially when their fellow actors also react to the sudden change in the script!
10. The Jewelry Box Scene In "Pretty Woman"
When Roberts reached out to touch the jewels in the box, Gere goes off the script playfully and snapped the box shut, which genuinely surprised the actress. Her laugh was so real and it made the scene better, that the director eventually decided to leave it as it is.
9. The Chest Waxing Scene In "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"
The whole chest-waxing scene was completely authentic. It was Steve Carell’s first time being waxed, and every single swear word was a genuine response to the pain.
8. The Hitchhiking Scene in "Dumb and Dumber"
The whole scene was improvised—Carrey and Daniels added a lot of craziness to the original script.
7. The Airplane Scene In "Bridesmaids"
Air Marshall John here is actually McCarthy's real-life husband so this flirting scene was all her.
6. The Interview Scene In Ghostbusters (2016)
This scene was almost made up on the spot. Katie Dippold, the writer, said that the lenses were removed from the glasses because they reflect on the camera.
However, Hemsworth absentmindedly rubbed his eyes through the frames, completely forgetting why they had to remove the lens and when Melissa McCarthy pointed it out, he just went on and said they took it on purpose so he wouldn't have to clean them.
5. The Sneezing Scene In "Annie Hall"
Woody Allen had an allergic reaction to the powder in this scene and produced a hilarious sneeze and the cast could barely keep it together. The scene was then kept in the film.
4. Fart In The Bed Scene In "This Is 40"
Rudd farting in this scene was totally unscripted, but he thought it was appropriate for the scene and the character. However, Mann and the crew were not pleased with this.
3. The Car Ride In "Knocked Up "
The entire dialogue was improvised by Rogen and Rudd. In the DVD extras, this scene even runs for over 6 minutes.
The duo Rogen and Rudd first came up with the idea on the set of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" in the 30-second "Know how I know you’re gay?" scene. They then decided to continue the joke in Knocked Up.
Judd Apatow, the director and screenwriter for both projects, let the two guys go off script as he trusted their creativity.
2. "My wife used to fart in her sleep" Scene In "Good Will Hunting"
Williams, playing the psychologist Sean Maguire, is telling stories that pushed Will to trust him and let his walls down. There's one story that was completely made up though, and it's about his late wife's idiosyncrasies, mentioning particularly how she used to fart in her sleep.
This was filmed in just one take and you can even see the camera shake because of the cameraman's reaction. And Matt Damon's reaction here was completely genuine.
1. Zoolander — "But why male models?"
When David Duchovny finished delivering his speech about the corruption of the modeling world, Ben Stiller forgot what he was supposed to say and spilled out the words, "Why male models?" instead.
He then later confirmed that: ”I literally was listening to what David Duchovny said, and I’m not really that much smarter than the character of Derek, and I honestly forgot. I hadn’t followed what he was saying, I said it again and got my lines wrong, and David (who’s a very funny guy) improvised the ’Are you serious? I just explained that.’ Which just goes to show you that Derek and I are actually closer than you might think."
Bonus: The Bra Scene In "This Is 40"
Judd Apatow, was uncomfortable asking the actresses to disrobe on camera so this scene with Megan Fox stripping down to her underwear was only actually done because of her comfort with her body.
One factor that made these scenes great is the actors themselves because, without their sheer talent and charisma, they wouldn't have been able to pull these scenes off so hilariously! Which one was your favorite of them all?
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