What movie "broke the 4th wall" the best?

TallGuyMe · 01-11-08, 07:09 AM

If you don't know what that means, look it up.

Super X · 01-11-08, 07:13 AM

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Randy Miller III · 01-11-08, 07:14 AM

High Fidelity worked for me.

kerouac99 · 01-11-08, 07:22 AM

American Splendor for me

Jackskeleton · 01-11-08, 07:27 AM

Blazing Saddles and Space balls. Good ol' watching the future during the present via VHS.

inri222 · 01-11-08, 07:31 AM

Funny Games

Toad · 01-11-08, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy Miller III

High Fidelity worked for me.

That was my first thought as well.

Another:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Edit: Sorry the picture is ridiculously big. It's not like MB is a hot chick, so it's totally unwarranted.

Neeb · 01-11-08, 07:53 AM

I'll be the only one to say it...

Austin Powers 2-

There's a great moment where Michael Anderson is explaining something to Austin about Time Travel and he just glances up to tell us not to think too hard about it.

Doughboy · 01-11-08, 08:08 AM

Eddie Murphy in Trading Places

Ray Liotta at the end of GoodFellas

George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service

RichC2 · 01-11-08, 08:20 AM

Waynes World with the direct addresses to the camera and the product shilling.

megashock5 · 01-11-08, 08:31 AM

24 Hour Party People

Meglos · 01-11-08, 08:42 AM

Fight Club.

I just love the bit where Norton's character takes a moment to dab something off his chin while he explains to the audience what Tyler's hotel job was.

Groucho · 01-11-08, 08:45 AM

My favorite moment in any movie when somebody breaks the fourth wall comes in A Shot in the Dark:

Spoiler:

boredsilly · 01-11-08, 08:56 AM

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Ok, not the best, but I enjoyed the gag.

matome · 01-11-08, 09:26 AM

Kuffs

veloce · 01-11-08, 09:27 AM

Although I ultimately didn't care for the film very much, I liked Kurt Russell's grin at the camera in DEATH PROOF.

The Bus · 01-11-08, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by inri222

Funny Games

rennervision · 01-11-08, 10:08 AM

Ferris Bueller was my first thought as well.

There was some of that in Good Fellas. It might have seemed like an odd idea on paper, but somehow Sorcese managed to pull it off. [EDIT: Oh crap! Someone already mentioned that one also!]

I'm also reminded of the TV series Moonlighting. They seemed to do it all the time on that show and, unless it was during an intro before the episode began, I usually hated it. It just seemed like whenever the writers ran out of clever things to do, they used that tired gimmick.

starman9000 · 01-11-08, 10:23 AM

I hope I'm not remembering this wrong, but isn't there a scene in Harold and Maude where Harold looks at the camera and grins?

RobCA · 01-11-08, 10:34 AM

Annie Hall (the scene with Marshall McLuhan especially)
Return of the Killer Tomatoes (great product shilling scene, years before Wayne's World did it)

Doc MacGyver · 01-11-08, 10:46 AM

Superman: The Movie

Superman saved the day, Lois is alive and well, and Superman flies off into the upper atmosphere. Just as John William's brilliant score is crescendoing and Superman flies up to the left and out of frame, he throws a smile to the audience.

-Doc

Toad · 01-11-08, 11:01 AM

Are we just naming movies that break the 4th wall, or are we naming the movies that did it the best?

Addressing the audience verbally seems to trump a mere smile, in my opinion.

And, of course, my opinion is always correct. So, there you go.

BambooLounge · 01-11-08, 11:03 AM

History of the World: Part I..."It's good to be the king."

Doc MacGyver · 01-11-08, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toad

Are we just naming movies that break the 4th wall, or are we naming the movies that did it the best?

Addressing the audience verbally seems to trump a mere smile, in my opinion.

And, of course, my opinion is always correct. So, there you go.

The smile, though, was more than just a wink to the audience. In almost any other movie (especially a comic book one) I would have hated it. But from the moment the first teaser/poster came out with the tagline, "You Will Believe a Man Can Fly", people were hyped (and nervous) about the movie.

What followed was a long wait, followed by a two hour movie-going experience that people who saw it in the theater liken to Star Wars and ET. It was 2 hours of Joy, crescendoing in a symphonic flying montage that left one elated, and by the time the smile/glance came, it wasn't Christopher Reeve winking at you from a harness rig, it was SUPERMAN, flying off into the sunset, throwing you a nod.

It gave me chills, anyway.

-Doc

reverie · 01-11-08, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc MacGyver

Superman: The Movie

Superman saved the day, Lois is alive and well, and Superman flies off into the upper atmosphere. Just as John William's brilliant score is crescendoing and Superman flies out of up to the left and out of frame, he throws a smile to the audience.

-Doc

Great! I'd have to put my vote in for this for sure.

But another is Anthony Perkins at the end of "Psycho".. creepy!

01-11-08, 07:09 AM	#1
TallGuyMe DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 10,339	What movie "broke the 4th wall" the best? If you don't know what that means, look it up.

01-11-08, 07:14 AM	#3
Randy Miller III DVD Talk Reviewer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Harrisburg, PA Posts: 4,309	High Fidelity worked for me. __________________ Profile and most recent reviews

01-11-08, 07:27 AM	#5
Jackskeleton DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: City of the lakers.. riots.. and drug dealing cops.. los(t) Angel(e)s. ca. Posts: 52,228	Blazing Saddles and Space balls. Good ol' watching the future during the present via VHS. __________________ *OTHER FORUM TEAM 7 leader*I will not say them here nor there. I will not say them anywhere. I will not say those Words you twit. I will not, will not sayI quit! Leaving a dark wet stain where your brain used to be? weird..tv? The bank is worth the risk

01-11-08, 08:08 AM	#9
Doughboy DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: H-Town, TX Posts: 3,659	Eddie Murphy in Trading Places Ray Liotta at the end of GoodFellas George Lazenby in On Her Majesty's Secret Service __________________ My DVD Collection

01-11-08, 08:42 AM	#12
Meglos DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 4,975	Fight Club. I just love the bit where Norton's character takes a moment to dab something off his chin while he explains to the audience what Tyler's hotel job was. __________________ Cordially, Future Dwight "Why don't you give me Ape Tit for two hundred." - Turd Ferguson

01-11-08, 07:13 AM	#2
Super X Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 763	Ferris Bueller's Day Off

01-11-08, 07:22 AM	#4
kerouac99 New Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 11	American Splendor for me

01-11-08, 07:31 AM	#6
inri222 DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 9,342	Funny Games

01-11-08, 07:53 AM	#8
Neeb Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: SoCal Posts: 770	I'll be the only one to say it... Austin Powers 2- There's a great moment where Michael Anderson is explaining something to Austin about Time Travel and he just glances up to tell us not to think too hard about it.

01-11-08, 08:20 AM	#10
RichC2 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 19,944	Waynes World with the direct addresses to the camera and the product shilling.

01-11-08, 08:31 AM	#11
megashock5 Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 211	24 Hour Party People

01-11-08, 08:45 AM	#13
Groucho DVD Talk Godfather Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Salt Lake City, Utah Posts: 62,095	My favorite moment in any movie when somebody breaks the fourth wall comes in A Shot in the Dark: Spoiler: Towards the end, everybody is fighting and bickering and poor Clouseau can do nothing about it. For a brief moment, he looks plaintively at the audience before returning his attention to the goings-on. For some reason, I find the whole thing absolutely hilarious every time I see it. __________________ Xbox Live: Runner Groucho PSN: RunnerGroucho "The Borg is a species" -- Tracer Bullet (Citation)

01-11-08, 08:56 AM	#14
boredsilly DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 5,231	Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Ok, not the best, but I enjoyed the gag. __________________ XBL tag: johnnybvo

01-11-08, 09:26 AM	#15
matome DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: NY Posts: 12,304	Kuffs __________________ DVD/Blu-Ray/HD-DVD \| Blu-Ray only \| Laserdisc

01-11-08, 09:27 AM	#16
veloce Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 717	Although I ultimately didn't care for the film very much, I liked Kurt Russell's grin at the camera in DEATH PROOF.

01-11-08, 10:08 AM	#18
rennervision DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 2000 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 1,924	Ferris Bueller was my first thought as well. There was some of that in Good Fellas. It might have seemed like an odd idea on paper, but somehow Sorcese managed to pull it off. [EDIT: Oh crap! Someone already mentioned that one also!] I'm also reminded of the TV series Moonlighting. They seemed to do it all the time on that show and, unless it was during an intro before the episode began, I usually hated it. It just seemed like whenever the writers ran out of clever things to do, they used that tired gimmick. __________________ “It will soon be possible to create a new ‘original’ negative with whatever changes or alterations the copyright holder of the moment desires…. In the future it will become even easier for old negatives to become lost and be ‘replaced’ by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten." - George Lucas, 1988

01-11-08, 10:23 AM	#19
starman9000 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: MN Posts: 22,731	I hope I'm not remembering this wrong, but isn't there a scene in Harold and Maude where Harold looks at the camera and grins?

01-11-08, 10:34 AM	#20
RobCA DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: San Diego Posts: 6,443	Annie Hall (the scene with Marshall McLuhan especially) Return of the Killer Tomatoes (great product shilling scene, years before Wayne's World did it) __________________ http://rob.dvdaf.com

01-11-08, 10:46 AM	#21
Doc MacGyver DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 1,385	Superman: The Movie Superman saved the day, Lois is alive and well, and Superman flies off into the upper atmosphere. Just as John William's brilliant score is crescendoing and Superman flies up to the left and out of frame, he throws a smile to the audience. -Doc __________________ He believed Criminals to be a cowardly and superstitious lot... Last edited by Doc MacGyver; 01-11-08 at 11:08 AM.

01-11-08, 11:01 AM	#22
Toad DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Surrounded by idiots... Posts: 6,991	Are we just naming movies that break the 4th wall, or are we naming the movies that did it the best? Addressing the audience verbally seems to trump a mere smile, in my opinion. And, of course, my opinion is always correct. So, there you go.

01-11-08, 11:03 AM	#23
BambooLounge DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,652	History of the World: Part I..."It's good to be the king."