Top 10 Hilarious Scenes in Serious Movies

Welcome to Watchmojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the funniest moments in not-so-funny movies. Some spoilers may be ahead. Is there a comedic moment we missed? Let’s have a laugh in the comments.

#10: Graysmith’s Drink

“Zodiac” (2007)

Based on the real-life operation to catch the infamous serial killer, “Zodiac” is as grim a movie as one would expect. But when the investigators aren’t busy getting to the bottom of the mystery, sometimes they’re busy getting to the bottom of their drinks. While at a bar, political cartoonist Robert Graysmith orders a cocktail that’s not up to crime reporter Paul Avery’s standards. After Paul reluctantly tries it, he ends up hammering several Aqua Velvas himself. It’s kind of like a scene from David Fincher’s other thriller “Seven”, where Mills comedically mispronounces Marquis de Sade. It’s a humorous moment which provides levity in an otherwise somber film. You’d probably think twice before making fun of another man’s drink!

#9: Nathan Dancing

“Ex Machina” (2014)

When computer programmer Caleb Smith wins a contest to spend a week at the lavish home of his boss Nathan Bateman, things take an unexpected turn. This is a scary story about the dangers of artificial intelligence, yet the movie throws a ton of curveballs with its odd characters. Case in point, when Caleb asks Nathan about his AI robot Ava, Nathan avoids the question by breaking into a spontaneous dance with his servant Kyoko. With a flip of a light switch, the psychological thriller about humanoid AIs practically turns into a groovy comedy. While the movie proves that Nathan is a villainous tech guru, it also showcases, in quite a spectacular fashion, his incredibly weird nature.

#8: A Horse Apple

“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)

Hailed as an all-time classic, this film chronicles the turbulent life of wrongly convicted prisoner Andy Dufresne and his remarkable friendship with fellow inmate Red. When trying to repay an injured Andy for scoring them beer, Red and several other prisoners search for rocks to make a chess set. But when Heywood offers his findings, the others inform him that he’s actually got horse poop. And just as it breaks apart, the others break into laughter. Safe to say that Heywood’s choice of rock is pretty crappy. Heywood also has another blunder when he gets a famous author’s name wrong. These brief yet hilarious moments show that it’s not all gloom-and-doom down in Shawshank.

#7: Arguing About the Hoods

“Django Unchained” (2012)

In this action-packed tale, a former slave named Django embarks on a mission to rescue his wife, who remains enslaved. The movie paints a bloody portrait of 1800s America, but it wouldn’t be a Tarantino flick without some humorous moments sprinkled into the mix. One particularly amusing scene happens when members of the KKK reconvene and a Klansmember hilariously points out that he can’t see out of his hood. It then leads to the entire group bickering about them. The irony of their inability to see through the trademark hoods is certainly not lost, and it highlights the film’s critique of racism. This clever twist makes for a hysterical couple of minutes that takes everyone completely by surprise.

#6: Sean’s Wife Used to Fart in Her Sleep

“Good Will Hunting” (1997)

One thing that’s clear from this movie is how much Doctor Sean Maguire loves his late wife. When discussing her with Will Hunting, Sean reveals that she sometimes farted when they slept. It’s not exactly a memory of a loved one you’d expect someone to cherish, and the two burst into laughter over the embarrassing detail. Considering the line was improvised by Robin Williams, it means the laughter shared between them was completely genuine. We expect characters to pass trials and tribulations but not gas! On the surface it might seem like a weird piece of info, but it’s just the kind of silly humor that actually heightens the emotional depth of this psychological drama.

#5: The Cop Looking the Other Way

“The Town” (2010)

One could definitely argue that this isn’t a movie made for laughs, as it follows a crew of bank robbers in Boston attempting one last grand heist. But are bank heists usually this funny? As the robbers, disguised as nuns, go about their business, their plans are put in jeopardy when they get spotted by a police officer. What could be a tense moment quickly proves to be the opposite when the cop decides to look the other way. Sure it’s a dangerous job but letting the robbers go and potentially endangering others is kind of a poor choice right? Fortunately the officer’s cowardice makes for a pretty comedic scene.

#4: Meeting with the Mob

“The Dark Knight” (2008)

First impressions can make or break you. But when Heath Ledger’s Joker arrives to Christopher Nolan’s gritty reimagining of the Batman universe, he passes with flying colors. Showing up uninvited to a meeting between Gotham’s top mobsters, he commands everyone’s attention. Though the tone is still pretty serious, some of Joker’s signature blend of dark humor manages to slip out. He makes a pencil go away during a rather murderous magic trick and treats the mob with so much disrespect that it can’t be anything other than funny. The Joker’s hardly a laughing matter. But his sinister sense of humor and fearlessness make this meeting a little more comical than you might expect.

#3: Funny Like I’m a Clown?

“Goodfellas” (1990)

You can never quite tell what Tommy DeVito is thinking. In this classic mafia tale, Tommy and his cohorts enjoy a fun night at a restaurant laughing away. With Tommy cracking jokes continuously, Henry and the others tell him that he’s funny. It sounds like a harmless compliment but Tommy appears to take offense and grills them. When it seems like things might get really bad, he flips the script and reveals that he’s just messing with everyone. Like Tommy, this scene goes through rapid mood swings between funny and serious. It’s always a mystery what’s going through the wildcard’s mind. Yet that sort of unpredictability makes this moment so entertaining regardless of what emotion you’re feeling.

#2: The Wrong Ryan

“Saving Private Ryan” (1998)

Calling this a grizzly film doesn’t do it justice. It's an up-close and uncomfortably raw look at the ugliness of war. So with that in mind, there’s one particular event that unexpectedly causes us to chuckle. When Captain Miller and his crew finally locate the titular Private Ryan, they deliver to him the unfortunate news that his brothers have died. Given how morbid the context is you’d be right to wonder what makes this disturbing scene so funny. Well, it turns out that the Ryan they talk to isn’t actually the person they were looking for. Whoops! Is this a pretty cruel joke that gives us emotional whiplash? Sure! But you have to admit it’s still pretty amusing.

#1: Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli

“The Godfather” (1972)

This film is a cornerstone of cinema for many reasons: award-winning acting, complex characters, an amazing look into the seedy criminal underworld, oh and plenty of cannolis too! When Rocco and Clemenza carry out a hit on Paulie Gatto, Clemenza tells Rocco with complete sincerity to desert his gun in exchange for the cannolis in Paulie’s car. The improvised line in this brief yet iconic scene shows just how hilarious Clemenza can be in such a short amount of time. You have to focus on the top priorities, and in this case it’s delicious pastries above all else!